Israeli Settlements
The Israeli regime approves a plan to double its settler population in the occupied Golan Heights. Prime Minister Naftali Bennett unveiled the plan earlier on Sunday during a weekly cabinet meeting. Around 25,000 Israelis are currently living in the occupied Golan Heights. Israel annexed the territory in December 1981, a move never recognized by the international community. Syria has repeatedly reaffirmed its sovereignty over the Golan Heights, and demanded an end to Israel’s occupation of the area.
Omicron in Gaza
A new challenge to Gaza’s fragile health system; the territory, under an Israeli blockade for over 14 years now, reports its first omicron case. The health ministry says the patient is a Gaza resident who was infected within the territory. The Gaza Strip has a population of two-point-two million. It has registered nearly 190,000 covid cases and almost 1,700 related deaths since the start of the pandemic. Now, there are fears that the Palestinian territory will run into trouble. That’s because, omicron spreads fast and Gaza’s health system is not well-equipped due to the Israeli blockade. The system has repeatedly been hit by crises in the past, amid shortages of supplies.
Christmas travel Chaos
The Christmas travel chaos continues across the world. Hundreds more flights facing cancellations and delays due to the surge in the new Covid variant, Omicron. According to a flight tracking website, on Sunday alone, nearly 1,100 flights were scrubbed worldwide. There were thousands of delays, as well. It’s the third day that a staff shortage caused by a rise in Covid cases has placed airlines in a dilemma. Overall, more than 6,000 flights have been cancelled over the long Christmas weekend. The Chinese airlines are the most-affected, with China Eastern scrapping more than one-thousand flights in just two days. American airlines are also hit hard by the crisis. On Saturday alone, almost one thousand flights originating from or headed to US airports were cancelled.
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