RememberingRosalynn Carter; Sam Altman heading to Microsoft
U.N. assessment of Al-Shifa, a Gazan hospital based on the first ground-based UN humanitarian assessment team
TEL AVIV, Israel — Piles of medical and solid waste fill the crowded corridors of Gaza’s largest hospital, according to the World Health Organization. And at least 80 bodies lie in a mass grave by the hospital’s entrance.
A joint United Nations humanitarian assessment team, led by the WHO, gained the first outside access to Al-Shifa hospital Saturday and saw first hand the dire circumstances of the facility, the groups said. The team was only able to see the hospital for one hour.
Several patients have died in the previous two to three days when medical services stop in the facility, according to the WHO. And now there are just 25 health workers for the 291 remaining patients, including 32 premature babies in “extremely critical condition.”
al-Shifa has become a focal point in Israeli military operations. As the military increases its operations in Gaza, the U.N. team is working to safely evacuate the remaining patients at the hospital.
The Israeli military has told Palestinians in Gaza to evacuate further south along a so-called safety corridor. Evidence shows that Israeli airstrikes and artillery fire occur daily in the very areas Israel has said are “safer” for civilians. Those attacks have hit schools, residential towers and overcrowded U.N. shelters.
A possible deal to free some of the hostages held by Hamas seemed to be inching forward, but the details and timing of such an agreement aren’t clear.
The White House National Security Council spokeswoman denied that a deal had been reached between the US, Israel and Hamas.
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The Palestinian Red Crescent said the babies had been taken to the hospital in Rafah City in southern Gaza before crossing into Egypt. Dr. Mohammed Salamah at Emirati told NPR that three of the newborns were determined to be in stable condition and did not need to be transferred.
Palestinian officials claim that a hostage-release deal might include the release of scores of Palestinian prisoners and a pause in hostilities in the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas.
Qatar’s Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, a moderator in the talks, described the remaining obstacles to a hostage deal as “minor.” He said at a joint news conference with the European Union’s foreign policy chief that the sticking points were more logistical and practical.
U.S. Deputy National Security Advisor Jon Finer, speaking on NBC’s Meet the Press, also sounded cautiously optimistic, saying the sides were “closer than we have been” to a deal and that the “gaps have narrowed.” Finer noted that nothing is agreed until everything is agreed.
Israeli media reports have suggested negotiations involve the possible exchange of between 50 and 100 women and children held on both sides in addition to a multiday pause in the fighting.
If a deal is greenlit by Israel’s cabinet, it could take up to 72 hours for it to be approved.
The health ministry in Hamas-run northern Gaza said at least a dozen people were killed in the shelling of another hospital. NPR was unable to independently verify the casualties at the Indonesian Hospital.
In a statement, the Israeli army said its forces had taken gunfire from within the building. The statement said that the only shell that was fired toward the hospital was from the enemy.
Israel has faced a lot of international criticism for its military strikes on medical facilities in Gaza.
Jordanians say that they’re sending a field hospital to the Gaza Strip to help those affected by Israeli strikes. Palestinian officials said it would be the first field hospital to arrive since the beginning of the war began last month.
The United Nations Secretary-General expressed shock at the killing of “dozens of people” at twoUNRWA schools on Saturday. At least one of the schools was being used as a shelter by civilians in Gaza, the U.N. says.
Up First Briefing: Remembering Rosalynn Carter; Sam Altman heads to Microsoft (New York, February 1996) — A Memorino for the 96-year-old First Lady
Good morning. You’re reading the Up First newsletter. Subscribe here to get it delivered to your inbox, and listen to the Up First podcast for all the news you need to start your day.
Former first lady Rosalynn Carter died yesterday at her home in Plains, Georgia. She was 96. Carter, who was sometimes called the Steel Magnolia, is remembered for a lifetime spent as a mental health advocate and humanitarian. Jimmy Carter has been in Hospice care since February and is 99 years old.
Milei was overwhelmingly voted as the country’s next president. The far-right populist beat Argentina’s economy minister Sergio Massa in a runoff election. Milei’s style is compared to that of Donald Trump.
Source: Up First briefing: Remembering Rosalynn Carter; Sam Altman heads to Microsoft
The Dead Sea and the Dead Sea: Artwork of Sam Altman during a Black Man’s First Grammy and Grammy Award Wining Event at the Israel Museum on Monday
The influential creator of ChatGPT is an Openai co-founder. The new artificial intelligence team at Microsoft will be led by Sam Altman. The announcement comes after Altman was abruptly ousted from OpenAI by its board of directors over an apparent rift over balancing AI safety with the push to release new tools.
Billy Porter is the first openly gay Black man to win an award. He also has a Grammy and several Tonys under his belt. But when he first came to prominence in 1992, Porter says he was told his queerness was a liability. The artist is singing on his own terms for his new album.
The artist was living in Kibbutz Be’eri at the time. When her family was rescued and evacuated to a hotel at the Dead Sea, her artwork wasn’t a priority. Now, her work takes on new meaning at a special display in the Israel Museum in Jerusalem.
NPR counted four parents, including Al-Banna, who were with the 28 infant evacuees. Poor communication in Gaza has made it hard for medics to reach the babies’ parents.
On Monday, Al-Banna was at the Gaza border crossing with her daughters. The mother sat in the back of the ambulance with her daughters, who were dressed in blue fleece hats, and were going to Egypt.
“They weren’t taken out too soon” says Dr. Margaret Harris. “It had been very difficult for the staff to give them adequate nutrition, and keep them warm. None of the babies had parents with them, so they didn’t have access to any breast milk.”
Many of the patients at Al-Banna’s hospital had their life-saving machines turned off when the electricity went out. Doctors crowded the babies onto the hospital beds to keep them warm. The Health Ministry in Gaza says that eight of the newborns died.
A joint United Nations humanitarian assessment team has gained the first outside access to Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza. The team, led by WHO, is working to safely evacuate the remaining patients at the hospital, as the Israeli military has told Palestinians in Gaza to evacuate further south along a so-called safety corridor.