Oct 15, 2023 By Ap 7 min read

Gaza hospitals are overwhelmed with patients and desperately low on supplies as invasion looms

KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip (AP) — Medics in Gaza are warning that thousands could die as hospitals packed with wounded people run desperately low on fuel and basic supplies. Palestinians are struggling to find food, water and safety ahead of an expected Israeli ground offensive in the war sparked by Hamas’ deadly attack. A week of blistering airstrikes have demolished entire neighborhoods but failed to stem militant rocket fire into Israel. The Gaza Health Ministry said over 2,670 Palestinians have been killed since the fighting erupted, making this the deadliest of five Gaza wars for both sides. More than 1,400 Israelis have been killed, the vast majority of them civilians, in Hamas’ Oct. 7 assault. Fighting along Israel’s border with Lebanon intensified but Hezbollah says it hasn’t entered the war.

Palestinian mother fears for her children as she wonders about the future after evacuating Gaza City

LONDON (AP) — Najla Shawa and her family are safe for now after fleeing their home in Gaza City. But she’s worried she may never be able to return. Shawa is a Gaza native who works for the international aid group Oxfam. She is sheltering with her husband, two daughters and about 50 others at a compound in Zawaida. The community is just south of the area Israeli forces ordered residents to evacuate before an anticipated ground offensive. The adults are sleeping in shifts and the group is rationing food and water amid an Israeli siege that has blocked supplies from entering the Gaza Strip. Aid work has stopped as Shawa and her colleagues focus on their families.

Man killed Muslim boy and wounded woman in hate crime motivated by Israeli-Hamas war, police say

CHICAGO (AP) — Authorities say a 71-year-old Illinois man has been charged with a hate crime, accused of fatally stabbing a young boy and seriously wounded a woman because of their Islamic faith and the Israel-Hamas war. The Will County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement that the man was in custody Sunday and is charged with first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, hate crimes and aggravated battery with a deadly weapon. Authorities said they found the woman and child repeatedly stabbed Saturday morning at a home southwest of Chicago. The sheriff’s office said the woman was hospitalized with multiple stab wounds and is expected to survive.

An Arab paramedic who treated Israelis injured by Hamas militants is remembered as a hero

When Hamas unleashed its attack on thousands of Jews attending a music festival in southern Israel earlier this month, an Israeli Arab paramedic insisted on staying at the scene to try to save lives. But he sacrificed his own. Awad Darawshe was 23 years old, an Arab Muslim and a citizen of Israel. He worked for Yossi Ambulances and was among a team of paramedics assigned to work the festival in a tent on the site’s periphery when Hamas militants launched their attack on Israel on Oct. 7.

Schools near a Maui wildfire burn zone are reopening. Parents wrestle with whether to send kids back

LAHAINA, Hawaii (AP) — More than two months after a wildfire killed at least 98 people on Maui, the three surviving public schools are set to reopen Monday. Traumatized families are facing an emotional crossroads in deciding whether to send their children back or have them remain at other schools that took them in. Some parents said they worry the fire left toxins behind, despite assurances from education officials that the campuses are safe. Lahainaluna High, Lahaina Intermediate and Princess Nahi?ena?ena Elementary have been closed for post-fire cleaning. Another public elementary school was destroyed. Some private schools across Hawaii took in displaced students while offering a year of free tuition.

Polish opposition leader Tusk declares win after exit poll shows ruling conservatives lose majority

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Polish opposition leader Donald Tusk is declaring the beginning of a new era after three opposition parties appeared to have won enough votes in Sunday’s parliamentary election to oust the governig party. That party, Law and Justice, has bickered with international allies and faced accusations of eroding rule of law during its eight years in power. An Ipsos exit poll suggested the opposition together has likely won 248 seats in the 460-seat lower house of parliament. The projection says Law and Justice obtained 200 seats, while the far-right Confederation got 12 seats. Three opposition parties ran on separate tickets but with the same promises of seeking to oust Law and Justice and restore good ties with the European Union.

Ecuadorians are electing a new president. The choice is between a banana empire heir and an attorney

QUITO, Ecuador (AP) — Ecuadorians are waiting for the results of a runoff presidential election amid an atmosphere of unprecedented violence on the streets and within prisons. People are demanding safety from their next president. Their options Sunday were an heir to a banana empire against an attorney. The election comes as more Ecuadorians become victims of the drug-related violence that erupted roughly three years ago and intensified in August. Whoever wins will govern only through May 2025. That’s what remains of the tenure of President Guillermo Lasso. He cut his term short when he dissolved the National Assembly in May amid impeachment proceedings against him.

Azerbaijanis who fled a separatist region decades ago ache to return, but it could be a long wait

BAKU, Azerbaijan (AP) — The sudden capitulation of ethnic Armenian forces in a separatist region of Azerbaijan raises hopes for the return of thousands of people who fled the territory decades ago. As they now contemplate going back, it could likely be a long wait. Although the Azerbaijan government has allocated billions of dollars for what it calls the “Great Return” program, the process will be slow. Infrastructure needs to be improved, housing must be built and heavily mined areas must  be laboriously combed. An estimated 700,000 Azerbaijanis fled or were forced out of the region they call Karabakh amid violence that flared beginning in 1988 and then grew into an outright war.

Suzanne Somers, of ‘Three’s Company,’ dies at 76

Actor Suzanne Somers, who’s best known for playing Chrissy Snow on the U.S. TV sitcom “Three’s Company,” has died. She was 76. Her family said in statement that Somers had breast cancer for over 23 years and died Sunday morning. Her immediate family members were with her in Palm Springs, California, and had been planning to celebrate her 77th birthday on Monday. Somer’s most famous acting role came with “Three’s Company.” That ABC network sitcom aired from 1977 to 1984, though Somers’ participation ended in 1981. On “Three’s Company,” she played the ditzy blonde opposite John Ritter and Joyce DeWitt.

AP Top 25: Washington into top 5 for 1st time in 6 years. Air Force ranked for 1st time since 2019

Washington has moved up to No. 5 in The Associated Press college football poll, the Huskies’ best ranking in six years, after a thrilling victory against Oregon. And unbeaten Air Force is ranked for the first time since 2019. The top four teams in the country were unchanged after No. 1 Georgia, No. 2 Michigan, No. 3 Ohio State and No. 4 Florida State all won Saturday in blowout fashion. Washington got two first-place votes and jumped two spots past No. 6 Oklahoma and No. 7 Penn State. That gave the Huskies their best ranking since reaching No. 5 in October 2017.