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Israel renews orders for Palestinians to leave northern Gaza
The Israeli military on Saturday renewed its orders for Palestinians in the northern Gaza Strip to leave their homes and shelters as troops continue their weeklong offensive against militants.
Avichay Adraee, a spokesman for the Israeli military, told people living in the targeted area that they should head south to Muwasi, a packed area in southern Gaza designed by the military as a humanitarian zone.
The military also ordered the three main hospitals in northern Gaza to evacuate patients and medical staff.
Most of the fighting in the past week was centred in and around Jabaliya, the largest refugee camp in the Gaza Strip. The area was pounded by Israeli war jets and artillery. Residents there said they have been trapped inside their homes and shelters.
No food aid for Gaza since 1 October
The United Nations food agency said on Saturday that no food aid had entered northern Gaza since 1 October.
The World Food Program (WFP) said that the primary border crossing into the war-ravaged area had been closed for about two weeks. The agency also warned that Israel’s ongoing ground operation will have a disastrous impact on food security for thousands of Palestinian families there.
“The north is basically cut off and we’re not able to operate there,” said Antoine Renard, the WFP country director of Palestinian territories.
Concerns of a hunger crisis have risen in Gaza roughly a month after a UN independent investigator on the right to food accused Israel of carrying out a “starvation campaign” against Palestinians.
Israel has denied such allegations and insisted that it has allowed food and other aid into Gaza in significant quantities.
“Israel has not halted the entry or coordination of humanitarian aid entering from its territory into the northern Gaza Strip. As evidence, humanitarian aid coordinated by COGAT and international organisations will continue to enter the northern Gaza Strip in the coming day as well,” COGAT, the Israeli military body overseeing aid distribution, said in a statement on Wednesday.
The WFP said its food distribution points, as well as kitchens and bakeries in northern Gaza, have been forced to shut down due to airstrikes, military ground operations and evacuation orders.
It said that the only functioning bakery in North Gaza, supported by WFP, caught fire after being hit by an explosive munition.
The WFP said its last remaining food supplies in the north — including canned food, wheat flour, high-energy biscuits, and nutrition supplements — have been distributed to shelters, health facilities and kitchens in Gaza City and three shelters in the northern areas.
It is unclear how long these limited food supplies will last, warning that the consequences for fleeing families will be dire if the escalation continues.
Israel’s offensive in Gaza has killed over 42,000 Palestinians, according to local health authorities, who do not say how many were fighters but say women and children make up more than half of the fatalities.
The war has destroyed large areas of Gaza and displaced about 90% of its population of 2.3 million people, often multiple times.
Death toll rises in Lebanon
The speaker of Iran’s parliament on Saturday toured the scene of an Israeli airstrike in Beirut that killed and wounded dozens. He vowed that Tehran would keep supporting Lebanese and Palestinians fighting against Israel.
Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf visited the area struck after holding talks with caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati, who said that Lebanon’s priority now was to work toward a ceasefire.
His office said that Lebanon’s government still abides by a 2006 UN Security Council Resolution approved at the end of a 34-day war between Israel and Hezbollah, and was prepared to boost Lebanese army presence along the country’s border with Israel.
It was the second visit by an Iranian official to Beirut in recent days after the country’s foreign minister visited Lebanon earlier this month.
Iran is a main backer of Lebanon’s Hezbollah group, which suffered major setbacks in recent weeks as well as the killing of its leader Hassan Nasrallah.

Iran’s parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf visits the site of Thursday’s Israeli airstrike in Beirut, Lebanon, on Saturday 12 October, 2024. AP
Lebanese authorities said on Friday that 60 people were killed and 168 wounded in the past 24 hours, raising the total death toll over the past year of conflict between Israel and the militant group to 2,229 dead and 10,380 wounded.
Israel has been escalating its campaign against Hezbollah with waves of heavy airstrikes across Lebanon and a ground invasion at the border. It comes after a year of exchanges of fire.
Hezbollah started attacking Israeli army posts in October last year in solidarity with the militant Hamas group in Gaza. Since 23 September, Israel has intensified its airstrikes and forced the displacement of hundreds of thousands of Lebanese.
Last week, Israel began a ground invasion of Lebanon, leading to clashes along the border with Hezbollah fighters.
Islamic State camps in Syria hit by US airstrikes
The US military said it conducted a series of airstrikes against multiple camps in Syria belonging to the so-called Islamic State (ISIS) group.
US Central Command said the strikes on Friday will “disrupt the ability of ISIS to plan, organise and conduct attacks against the United States, its allies and partners, and civilians throughout the region and beyond.”
It said battle damage assessments were underway and did not include civilian casualties.
There are some 900 US forces in Syria, along with an undisclosed number of contractors, mostly trying to prevent any comeback by the extremist IS group, which swept through Iraq and Syria in 2014, taking control of large swaths of territory.
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Actress Doris Ogala reacts to Pastor Chris Okafor’s wedding, makes fresh explosive claims
Actress Doris Ogala has reacted strongly to Pastor Chris Okafor’s wedding, insisting that the public does not know what is really going on behind the scenes.
In a new outburst following reports of the wedding, Doris alleged that the marriage was forced, claiming the bride was r*ped and got pregnant and that the situation was allegedly used to prevent public exposure. According to her, the bride’s mother is his church’s choir coordinator and allegedly insisted on marriage to avoid scandal.
Doris further claimed that Pastor Chris had another woman he was allegedly set to marry on the 24th, adding that she has chats and videos she says support her claims. She described the situation as darker than it appears and said her decision to speak out was deliberate, despite the personal cost.
She maintained that her earlier confessions and allegations were part of what she described as a spiritual and personal reckoning, stating that she felt compelled to expose what she believes has been hidden.
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DSXz6ZLDMRY/?igsh=YjJyaHJ4bWNxdHg1
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Kwara Govt Confirms Arrested Armed Men Are Miyetti Allah Members, Not Bandits
The Kwara State Government has provided clarification on the viral video showing armed men, initially believed to be bandits, being interrogated by soldiers, a development that had sparked widespread public anger and calls for a state of emergency.
The state official confirmed that the men apprehended were part of a security operation coordinated by the Federal Government, raising fresh controversy over the use of armed non-state actors in counter-insurgency efforts.
Speaking on Informant247, Ibrahim Abdulateef, Senior Special Assistant on Communication to the Governor, confirmed the arrested individuals were members of Miyetti Allah who were incorporated into a Joint Task Force following the deadly September 29 attacks in Ifelodun LGA.
“Under their security setup, they use both recognized officers and a JTF which includes members of Miyetti Allah and local vigilante networks,” Abdulateef said.
The controversy deepened as the state confirmed that a patrol vehicle was provided through the local government chairman “in a bid to empower security forces.”
The government denied the men were arrested as bandits in Kwara. Instead, Abdulateef alleged that after the men completed their assignment, they “absconded with the patrol van” and were subsequently arrested by soldiers “in Auchi, Edo State, not anywhere in Kwara.”
According to Sahara Reporters, the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Rafiu Ajakaye, further clarified the identity of an official named in the suspects’ confession: “Victor is a police sergeant attached to the NSA Office,” and not a DSS or Air Force officer as speculated.
Ajakaye disclosed that Victor and the vigilante operatives had since left Kwara State in line with the position of affected local communities, a decision the government said it respected.
He cautioned against sensational reporting of sensitive security matters, describing the situation as a “secrecy dilemma” that requires balance to ensure accountability without undermining national security efforts.
“We are going through a difficult phase in national security emergency. The pain of losing our brothers and sisters and of losing our peace of mind cannot be quantified. Losing a soul is a tragedy — much less many souls,” he said in a WhatsApp post.
He called for calm, urging political elites and community leaders to act with tact and responsibility amid rising tensions.
“But statesmen and patriots aren’t known in time of peace and ease. The elite (who shoulder the burden of guiding the masses) need to handle these whole things with a lot of tact and patriotism,” he said.
“May God guide us, restore peace in our land, expose the evil doers and their collaborators, and make our country stronger, more peaceful, and more prosperous,” the CPS added. “This is a time for careful leadership, not reckless accusations.”
The state’s confirmation of the use of Miyetti Allah members in armed operations comes after previous reports highlighted strong opposition from Kwara residents and local Fulani leaders to an alleged plan by the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu, to deploy and arm Fulani herders (Bororos) with AK-47 rifles to fight banditry.
Local Fulani stakeholders had warned that arming non-state actors could worsen insecurity, citing the failure of similar previous attempts and the volatility of migrant herders.
Both the Kwara State Government and Miyetti Allah initially denied any arrangement involving the arming of herders or collaboration with bandits.
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4 Rushed To Hospital as Aircraft Crash-Lands at Imo Airport
By Dan Opara
A light aircraft, Cessna 172, operated by Skypower Express, crash landed on Tuesday night, December 16, 2025, at the Sam Mbakwe International Cargo Airport, Owerri, Imo State, resulting in the hospitalization of four persons.

Eyewitnesses said the aircraft encountered difficulties during landing, lost stability on the runway, and subsequently somersaulted before coming to a halt within the airport premises.
The incident triggered panic among airport personnel and onlookers, although no lives were lost.
Emergency response teams were swiftly deployed to the scene, where the injured occupants were rescued and immediately transported to a nearby medical facility for urgent treatment.
Airport officials confirmed that the four victims are currently receiving medical care, and their condition was described as stable as of the time of filing this report.
The Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau, NSIB, has commenced a formal investigation into the incident to ascertain both the immediate and underlying causes of the crash landing.
The investigation is expected to focus on the aircraft’s technical condition, prevailing weather conditions, pilot actions, and other operational factors surrounding the occurrence.

Following the accident, airport operations were temporarily disrupted, but normal activities were later restored after safety officials secured the affected area.
Authorities at the airport assured the public that all necessary safety measures are being strengthened to prevent a recurrence.
Meanwhile, stakeholders within the aviation sector have expressed concern over the incident and called for a comprehensive and transparent investigation to further enhance aviation safety standards in the country.
Ekwutosblog gathered the report through monitored information circulating on social media, as prayers and goodwill messages continue to pour in for the quick recovery of those hospitalized, while the public awaits the outcome of the NSIB investigation.

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