Sudan, Afghanistan, Israel-Palestine.

Today's three stories you should know.

Jul 04, 2023

Sudan

It’s fading from the international headlines, but war is still raging in Sudan and - as with every war - civilians are bearing the brunt of the horror. Intense fighting today erupted in the city of Omdurman, which is across the Nile from the capital Khartoum, as the army launched air raids and artillery attacks against its rivals in the powerful RSF paramilitary group. Nearly 2.8 million people have so far been forced from their homes by the fighting, including 650,000 who have fled to neighboring countries.

Afghanistan

Another day, another right stripped from women in Afghanistan. The Taliban today ordered women’s hair and beauty salons to close, telling owners they had one month to comply. Beauty salons - often important meeting places for women - remained open after the Taliban took control of the country two years ago but their windows were often covered and images of women outside had the faces concealed with spray paint. The Taliban has steadily clamped down on women’s rights, including banning women and girls from education and forcing them to abide by strict dress codes.

Israel-Palestine

At least seven Israelis were wounded in a car-ramming and stabbing attack in the city of Tel Aviv today as a massive assault on the Jenin refugee camp in the occupied West Bank entered its second day. The Hamas group said it was behind the Tel Aviv attack and that it was a direct response to the raid on Jenin. The Israeli military launched its attack on the camp in the Palestinian enclave yesterday in what it said was an effort to root out fighters carrying out attacks on Israelis. The Palestinian health ministry said today that ten Palestinians had so far been killed in the operation and that they were all aged between 16 and 23. It said 120 people had so far been wounded.