Gaza death toll surpasses 55,000 as 120 Palestinians killed 

At least 120 Palestinians have been killed and 474 injured in Israeli attacks across Gaza in the past 24 hours, according to the enclave’s Health Ministry.

Three bodies of people killed in previous Israeli attacks were also recovered from the rubble in the war-torn territory, the ministry said.

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At least 57 aid seekers were killed and more than 363 injured by Israel since this morning, bringing the total number of people killed at aid distribution centres to 224, with 1,858 others injured, it added.

Qatar-based broadcaster Al Jazeera reported that, according to the enclave health ministry compiled tallies, the total death toll from Israel’s war on Gaza has risen to 55,104, with 127,394 injured since October 7, 2023.

Meanwhile, Israel has killed 4,821 Palestinians and injured 15,353 since breaking a ceasefire in March this year.

In another development, the UN’s humanitarian office (OCHA) said only approximately 5,600 tonnes of wheat flour has been allowed into Gaza between May 19 and Wednesday’s morning.

“Most of this assistance was offloaded by hungry people, and in some cases by armed criminals, before reaching warehouses or designated distribution points,” the agency said in an update on the situation.

Between 8,000 and 10,000 tonnes are required to provide at least one page of wheat flour to every household in Gaza, the agency added.

‘Health system on brink of collapse’

Meanwhile, Gaza’s Health Ministry has released a statement warning that the health system in the besieged enclave, especially in the north, is on the brink of collapse. 

The statement added that,

“️Hospitals are experiencing severe overcrowding as Israeli forces continue to prevent the entry of life-saving medical supplies. 

“Hundreds of patients and wounded are suffering from incomplete treatment due to the severe depletion of the remaining medical departments. 

“The state of healthcare in northern Gaza is “catastrophic” after all hospitals were taken out of service.  

“Emergency solutions will become “meaningless” as health and humanitarian conditions deteriorate.”

The Ministry also renewed its urgent appeal to all concerned parties to intervene immediately.

‘17,500 Palestinians arrested in West Bank since October 7, 2023’ 

Israel has rounded up and apprehended about 150 people across the occupied West Bank in just the past week alone, according to the Palestinian Prisoner’s Society.

That brings the total number of Israeli arrests in the occupied West Bank during the war to 17,500, in what the group called a campaign of “collective punishment”. Among those apprehended are 545 women and 1,400 children, it added.

“Arrests have been, and continue to be, the most prominent, consistent and systematic policy employed [by Israel], not only in terms of the number of detainees, but also in terms of the level of crimes committed,” the monitor said.

‘Block North African aid convoy to Gaza’

Meanwhile, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz has ordered the army to block a North African aid convoy heading for Gaza, labelling the activists involved as “jihadist protesters”.

In a statement on Wednesday, Gallant said he had instructed Israeli forces “to prevent their entry into Gaza from Egypt”.

“I expect the Egyptian authorities to prevent them from reaching the Egypt-Israel border and not allow them to carry out provocations and try to enter Gaza,” he added.

 Al Jazeera reported that the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Wednesday that while it welcomes the global outpouring of support for Palestinian rights, it also emphasised that all requests must adhere to established regulatory procedures.

It said those procedures include submitting an official request via Egyptian embassies abroad, foreign embassies in Cairo, or through organisational representatives to the foreign ministry.

“Egypt welcomes the regional and international support, whether official or popular, for legitimate Palestinian rights and rejection of siege, starvation, and Israel’s blatant and systematic violations against the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip,” the ministry said in a statement.

But it stressed the importance of adhering to the regulatory measures “to ensure the safety of visiting delegations due to the sensitive security conditions since the onset of the crisis in Gaza”.

The statement comes as a convoy, made up of more than 1,000 activists travelling in 12 buses and about 100 private vehicles, began its journey from Tunisia on Monday. It is expected to arrive in Egypt on Thursday and make its way towards the Rafah border crossing.

ECOWAS Court hosts competition for Nigerian law students

By Joshua Odeyemi

The ECOWAS Court on Wednesday kicked off its first edition of the ECOWAS Court Moot Court Competition for law students in the country.

Eight universities in Nigeria – American University, Yola; Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria; University of Nigeria, Nsukka; Igbinedion University, Okada; Lagos State University; University of Jos; Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti and University of Uyo – are participating in the competition, which will end on Saturday.

While opening the competition in Abuja, the President of the ECOWAS Court, Ricardo Gonçalves, said that the competition is an important milestone in strengthening legal culture and regional integration within the Community.

He said the Court intends to make the competition an annual tradition, expanding it to include universities from all ECOWAS Member States.

“By bringing together young law students here, we are investing not only in the future of ECOWAS community law but also in the future of sub-regional integration itself,” he said.

Gonçalves said the ECOWAS Court, through this competition, aims to enhance participants’ understanding of the role, mandate, and procedures of the Court and its contributions to regional peace, integration, and human rights protection and hone the research, advocacy, and legal writing skills of the participants.

Also, it aims to broaden awareness of the Court’s work across Member States while also fostering lasting connections among law students, academics, practitioners, and ECOWAS institutions.

“It is often said that the strength of a region lies in its youth. This is especially true for the legal profession. The students participating in this Moot Court represent the future judges, lawyers, policymakers, and thought leaders of West Africa. By engaging you at this stage, we are laying the foundation for a resilient, just, and forward-looking legal system in our region,” he said.

Tariff: Resolve issues through consultation, China, Africa urge US

By Joshua Odeyemi

The representatives of the People’s Republic of China, 53 African countries, and the African Union Commission have called on the U.S. to resolve all tariff issues with consultation based on equality, respect and mutual benefit. 

The group made the call when they gathered in Changsha to advance the full implementation of the Beijing Declaration on ‘Jointly Building an All-Weather China-Africa Community with a Shared Future for the New Era’.

A statement released by the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday said the meeting was guided by the consensus reached by the Chinese and African leaders during the 2024 Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC).

It noted that certain countries’ attempt to disrupt the existing international economic and trade order by tariffs undermines the common good of the international community. 

“We call on all countries, the United States in particular, to return to the right track of resolving trade disputes through consultation based on equality, respect and mutual benefit. 

“The international community should give prioritised attention to the economic difficulties and development challenges faced by African countries,” the statement said.

While condemning unilateralism, protectionism and economic bullying that have created severe difficulties for the economic and social development and the improvement of livelihood in Africa, the group also agreed to address the issue of economic bullying of the Global South.

“We call on the international community to uphold true multilateralism in accordance with the principle of extensive consultation and joint contribution for shared benefit, jointly oppose all forms of unilateralism and protectionism, safeguard the U.N.-centered international system, defend the WTO-centered multilateral trading system, and make economic globalization more open, inclusive, mutually beneficial and balanced, so as to foster a better trade, investment and financing environment for the Global South,” it said.

China vowed to expand the zero-tariff treatment for 100 per cent tariff lines to all 53 African countries having diplomatic relations with it, to welcome quality products from Africa to the Chinese market. 

“For the least developed countries in Africa, on top of the zero-tariff treatment for 100 percent tariff lines announced at the 2024 Beijing Summit of FOCAC, China will roll out measures on market access, inspection and quarantine, and customs clearance to boost trade in goods, enhance skills and technical training, and expand the promotion of quality products”, it said.