Palestinian teenagers killed in Gaza as Israel carries out its biggest airstrike campaign in years
Updated about 3 hours ago
Israel said it carried out the airstrike after Hamas fired dozens of rockets into Israel throughout the day, threatening to trigger an all-out war after weeks of growing tensions along the volatile border.
Three Israelis were reportedly injured when one of the rockets landed on a residential home.
Witnesses say Israeli warplanes dropped four bombs on an empty building near a Hamas police and security compound, reducing the old structure to rubble.
Striking in the heart of Gaza City is typically only seen during full-blown conflicts like the war of 2014 and could mark a sign that violence is escalating.
One of the two Australians who were with the Thai football team and helped them escape safely from the Tham Luong cave has revealed the boys and their coach were heavily sedated during the extraction operation.
Dr Challen said the risks of diving out the unconscious children cannot be overstated.
"It was time consuming and fraught with danger because you really only need to do one little thing wrong that makes the breathing apparatus not work properly or have a little leak or something like that, which may go unnoticed when they set off," he said.
Winston Peters, New Zealand's acting Prime Minister Transcript minus
KIM LANDERS: While China has been annoyed by Australia's new foreign interference laws, Beijing is now displeased with New Zealand.
New Zealand's recently released strategic defence policy statement has some frank language about China's actions in the South China Sea, and its wider ambitions.
It talks about how China is challenging the existing international rules-based order, and flags the disruptions caused by growing Chinese influence in the Pacific.
Winston Peters is New Zealand's acting Prime Minister while Jacinda Ardern is on maternity leave.
He's also the Foreign Minister and leader of the New Zealand First Party.
He joins me on the line now.
Mr Peters, good morning.
WINSTON PETERS: Good morning.
KIM LANDERS: What specifically has China said to your government?
The coach in teaching meditation probably had the kids bouncing light beams around their heads, he probably did.
Whatever the monk did it was certainly good. All the kids probably obtained single pointed concentration as direct result of the meditation. Therefore they would have been able to park their minds in clear light; parked mind without thought or worries of any kind.
Live Updates 4 minutes ago There are now reports that an eleventh person has been brought out of the caves on a stretcher. If confirmed, that means just two members of the team are still in the cave system.
Al Jazeera's Step Vaessen has reported all four boys and their coach have reached chamber three of the Tham Luang cave complex where rescue workers have set up a medical post.
"They seem to have passed this whole dangerous tricky part and now are in chamber three," Vaessen said.
Step Vaessen @stepvaessen
Sources tell Aljazeera remaining five members of trapped Thai football team have arrived in chamber 3 meaning they have passed the most dangerous part of their journey out. Hopefully first boy emerging in next hour or so #ThailandCaveRescue 7:07 PM - Jul 10, 2018
A tenth person was rescued on Tuesday from a flooded Thai cave complex where 12 boys and their soccer coach were trapped for more than two weeks, raising hopes all 13 would be out by the end of the day.
A Reuters witness saw two people being carried out of the Tham Luang cave on stretchers. They were the first two to be taken out on Tuesday, the third day of the rescue operation.
Eight of the boys were brought out on stretchers over the first two days - four on Sunday and four on Monday. Officials were not immediately available to comment on who had been brought
Both CNN and Reuters are reporting that a ninth boy has been rescued. Reuters cited an official with knowledge of the operation. CNN cited two sources: a Thai navy source and a member of the rescue team.
Live Updates 41 seconds ago We are now getting multiple reports following the sighting of an ambulance that a ninth person has indeed been rescued from the cave.
A witness told the Reuters news agency that they saw a person being stretchered from the mouth of the cave, and a source in the rescue mission told the same news agency it was a ninth member of the trapped Wild Boars football team.
The time now in Thailand is about 4.20pm. Given the operation today started just after 10am, it is about the same sort of timing as when the first boy emerged from the cave yesterday.
Jedsada Chokdumrongsuk, permanent secretary at the Public Health Ministry, said the first four boys rescued, aged 12 to 16, are now able to eat normal food.
Two of them possibly have a lung infection but all eight are generally "healthy and smiling," he said.
"The kids are footballers so they have high immune systems," Mr Jedsada said. "Everyone is in high spirits and are happy to get out. But we will have a psychiatrist to evaluate them."
It could be at least seven days before they can be released from hospital, Mr Jesada told a news conference.
Family members have seen at least some of the boys from behind a glass isolation barrier, and Mr Jedsada said doctors may let the boys walk around their beds on Tuesday.
Mr Jedsada said they were uncertain what type of infections the boys could face "because we have never experienced this kind of issue from a deep cave."
The second group of four rescued on Monday are aged 12 to 14.
The main thing to note, of course, is that the third and hopefully final rescue mission began a few hours ago, with the intention of bringing out all four boys, their 25-year-old coach, and the doctor and the navy Seals who have been in the cave with them. We’ll bring you updates as we get them about that mission.
19 divers went back into the cave system at 10.08am, local time. Authorities hope the mission can be completed even faster than yesterday’s nine hours, which shaved two hours off the total time of the first mission. Conditions remain similar to previous days, despite heavy rains overnight.
2 hr 36 min ago Breaking: Operation resumes on day 3 for final 5
Divers and rescue workers in Thailand have begun what could be the final push to free four boys and their soccer coach still trapped in a cave in the country's remote north, according to a Thai Navy official with knowledge of the operational details.
Eight of the boys were taken out of the cave during the first two days of rescue operations, but five others remain trapped on a ledge 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) inside the cave system.
If everything goes to plan, by end of the day, no Wild Boars will be left inside the cave.
“You have seen the rain so you might be wondering – preparation for the third operation has been underway since early morning,” said Narongsak Osatanakorn, the head of the joint command centre coordinating the operation.
He said the first 19 divers involved in today’s operation were sent in around 10.08am, with more to enter gradually throughout the day.
Torrential rain overnight had not affected conditions for the rescue, he said, it was hoped the rescue could proceed even faster than yesterday’s.
“The first day we spent 11 hours, yesterday we spent nine hours, we hope we can do it faster or the same as yesterday.”
“If everything goes right, we will see four kids and a doctor and Seals that have stayed with the kids will all come out,” he said. “Four plus one coach, so it’s five.”
THE third rescue mission in the Thai cave system has now begun in what might be the final push to retrieve the four remaining boys and their soccer coach trapped in the tunnels.
At 10.08am local time (1.08pm AEST) 19 divers headed back into the Tham Luang cave complex.
“We expect that everybody will be out today, the children and coach and everybody will be out today,” said Mission Commander and Governor of Chiang Rai province Narongsak Osottanakorn, on Tuesday afternoon.
A press conference is beginning here in Mae Sai, after the successful retrieval of four boys from Tham Luang Nang Non cave this afternoon. “We are so happy to rescue another four,” says Narongsak Osatanakorn, the head of the joint command centre coordinating the operation.
He says the mission time is getting faster: rescuers have now shaved two hours off their initial estimate for the time it would take to ferry each boy out. The first operation today commenced at 11am and the first boy emerged around 4.30pm, according to some reports. That’s about five-and-a-half hours, much less than the 11 hour round-trip some divers were making to the boys earlier this week.
Guardian contributor, Veena Thoopkrjaei, reports that a seventh rescued boy has arrived at the hospital. We are still trying to confirm reports that eight boys have been rescued. 9m ago 22:05 Reports: seventh and eighth boy rescued
Reuters and CNN report a seventh and eighth boy being rescued, citing witnesses. The Guardian is trying to confirm these reports.
Two more people have been carried out of the Tham Luang caves on stretchers, bringing the total number rescued to seven, a witness has told Reuters.
Live Updates 1 minute ago And an eighth person has now been carried from the cave on a stretcher, according to Reuters.
If the boys are brought out four by four as expected, that could be it for the day. But as detailed below, officials have been so cautious going on record with any details of the rescue that it makes it difficult to know what will come next.
A FLURRY of activity at the mouth of the Thai cave system, where a football team and their coach have been incarcerated for more than two weeks, has seen three boys emerge within hours of one another.
That means seven players have now been rescued with reports one other boy could make their way to safety on Monday.
That would leave just four boys and their coach deep within the tunnel complex.
The fifth boy blinked into the daylight at about 4.30pm (7.30pm AEST) with the sixth at about 6pm local time (9pm AEST) and the seventh at 7pm (10pm AEST).
online today!robplum Forum Posts (12,029)
RE: What happened to the locals?
there are a few, others are on facebook