Gaza cancer patients are dying at two to three times the pace they did before the start of the genocide in the territory, as Israel blocks many from travelling for treatment after destroying the only local specialised facility. Israel blew up Gaza's specialised cancer hospital last year after claiming that troops found a tunnel used by Hamas running beneath it, a claim that they have yet to substantiate. That means that an estimated 17,000 Gazans with cancer have no local option for chemotherapy or other advanced therapy. Practically no Palestinians can afford to travel for treatment, and those who can face Israeli restrictions. The military imposes strict caps on daily crossings to Egypt, despite a 2025 Israel-Hamas "ceasefire" deal that requires free movement in and out. Asked for comment, COGAT, the Israeli military agency that controls access to Gaza, said it coordinates medical evacuations with the World Health Organisation. To depart, Gazans mus...
US President Donald Trump fired 17 independent watchdogs at multiple government agencies on Friday, a person with knowledge of the matter said, eliminating a critical oversight component and clearing the way to replace them with loyalists. The inspectors general at agencies including the departments of state, defense and transportation were notified by emails from the White House personnel director that they had been terminated immediately, the source said on condition of anonymity. The dismissals appeared to violate federal law, which requires the president to give both houses of Congress reasons for the dismissals 30 days in advance. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. An inspector general is an independent position that conducts audits and investigations into allegations of waste, fraud and abuse of power. Agencies are pressing ahead with orders from Trump, who returned to the presidency on Monday, to reshape the federal bureaucracy by scrapping diversity programs, rescinding job offers and sidelining more than 150 national security and foreign policy officials. Friday's dismissals spared the Department of Justice inspector general, Michael Horowitz, according to the New York Times. The Washington Post, which was first to report the dismissals, said most were appointees from Trump's 2017-2021 first term. Senator Elizabeth Warren, a Massachusetts Democrat, called Trump's action a "purge of independent watchdogs in the middle of the night," posting on X: "President Trump is dismantling checks on his power and paving the way for widespread corruption." Former Trump lawyer Sidney Powell, an ally of the president, defended the decision on X, saying "existing IGs are virtually worthless." "They may bring a few minor things to light but accomplish next to nothing," she wrote. "The whole system needs to be revamped! They are toothless and protect the institution instead of the citizens." Many politically appointed leaders of agencies and departments come and go with each administration, but an inspector general can serve under multiple presidents. During his first term, Trump fired five inspectors general in less than two months in 2020. This included the State Department, whose inspector general had played a role in the president's impeachment proceedings. Last year, Trump's predecessor Joe Biden fired the inspector general of the US Railroad Retirement Board, after an investigation found the official had created a hostile work environment. In 2022, Congress strengthened protections for inspectors general, making it harder to replace them with hand-picked officials and requiring additional explanations from a president for their removal.
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