Syria, Israel-Palestine, Mexico.

Today's three stories you should know.

Nov 14, 2023

Syria

Syrian government and Russian forces have stepped up air raids on the last remaining rebel-held territory in Syria, according to opposition leaders and rescue workers. At least 66 civilians, including 23 children and 13 women, were killed in Idlib last month, the Syrian Civil Defence volunteer rescue group, also known as the White Helmets, said. Some analysts say the apparent increase in attacks is calculated at a time when the world is distracted by Gaza. Syria’s war has been fought to a near standstill with the government of President Bashar al-Assad now back in control of most the country.

Israel-Palestine

The New York-based rights group Human Rights Watch (HRW) called today for Israel to stop its attacks on hospitals and said such incidents should be investigated as war crimes. “Despite the Israeli military’s claims on November 5, 2023, of ‘Hamas’s cynical use of hospitals’, no evidence put forward would justify depriving hospitals and ambulances of their protected status under international humanitarian law,” HRW said. The UN’s World Health Organization said today that 22 out of 36 hospitals in Gaza are no longer functioning due to a lack of fuel, damage or insecurity.

Mexico

LGBTQ+ campaigners are in deep shock and mourning in Mexico after the country’s first openly nonbinary judge was found dead. Jesus Ociel Baena, who used they/them pronouns, was found dead in their home along with their partner. Baena was considered a trailblazer and their appointment as a magistrate was seen as a major breakthrough in a country where the LGBTQ+ community still faces widespread discrimination. Security Minister Rosa Icela Rodriguez said it had not yet been determined if the deaths were “a homicide or … some kind of accident.”