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Jerusalem: Gaza has long been a powder keg, and it exploded after Hamas fighters stormed southern Israel on Oct 7 and began killing and abducting people.

More than 1,400 people in Israel—mostly civilians—were killed in the Hamas attack, and the Israeli army says about 200 hostages were taken into Gaza. Meanwhile, Israeli airstrikes have killed more than 4,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Hamas-run Health Ministry. Nearly half Gaza's population—the vast majority of whom are already refugees—have been displaced.

Israel has imposed a complete siege on Gaza, preventing the entrance of food, water and fuel—a move that has created a catastrophic humanitarian situation. As the Israeli military gears up for a ground invasion and pledges to topple Hamas, the futures of Gaza and its 2.3m Palestinians look uncertain.

Here’s a look at the history of the Gaza Strip:

1948-1967: Egypt

Before the war surrounding Israel's establishment in 1948, present-day Gaza was part of the large swath of the Middle East under British colonial rule. After Israel defeated the coalition of Arab states, the Egyptian army was left in control of a small strip of land wedged between Israel, Egypt and the Mediterranean Sea.

During the war, some 700,000 Palestinians either fled or were forced from their homes in what is now Israel—a mass uprooting that they call the Nakba, or “catastrophe.” Tens of thousands of Palestinians flocked to the strip.

Under Egyptian military control, Palestinian refugees in Gaza were stuck, homeless and stateless. Egypt didn't consider them to be citizens and Israel wouldn't let them return to their homes. Many were supported by UNWRA, the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees, which has a heavy presence in Gaza to this day. Meanwhile, some young Palestinians became “fedayeen”—insurgency fighters who conducted raids into Israel.

1967-1993: Israel

Israel seized control of Gaza from Egypt during the 1967 Mideast war, when it also captured the West Bank and east Jerusalem—areas that remain under Israeli control. The internationally recognized Palestinian Authority, which administers semi-autonomous areas of the occupied West Bank, seeks all three areas for a hoped-for future state.

Israel built more than 20 Jewish settlements in Gaza during this period. It also signed a peace treaty with Egypt at Camp David—a pact negotiated by US President Jimmy Carter.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi referenced this 40-year old treaty Wednesday when he declined to permit Palestinian refugees from Gaza into Egypt, saying the potential entrance of militants into Egypt would threaten longstanding peace between Israel and Egypt.

The first Palestinian uprising against Israeli occupation erupted in Gaza in December 1987, kicking off more than five years of sustained protests and bloody violence. It was also during this time that the Islamic militant group Hamas was established in Gaza.

1993-2005: Palestinian authority

For a time, promising peace talks between Israeli and Palestinian leaders made the future of Gaza look somewhat hopeful.

Following the Oslo accords—a set of agreements between Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and Palestinian Liberation Organization leader Yasser Arafat that laid the groundwork for a two-state solution—control of Gaza was handed to the fledgling Palestinian Authority.

But the optimism was short-lived. A series of Palestinian suicide attacks by Hamas militants, the 1995 assassination of Rabin by a Jewish ultranationalist opposed to his peacemaking and the election of Benjamin Netanyahu as prime minister the following year all hindered US-led peace efforts. Another peace push collapsed in late 2000 with the eruption of the second Palestinian uprising.

As the uprising fizzled in 2005, then-Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon led a unilateral withdrawal from Gaza, uprooting all of Israel's troops and roughly 9,000 settlers in a move that bitterly divided Israel.

2005-Now: Hamas

Just months after Israel's withdrawal, Hamas won parliamentary elections over Fatah, the long-dominant Palestinian political party. The following year, after months of infighting, Hamas violently seized control of Gaza from the Fatah-led Palestinian Authority.

Israel and Egypt imposed a crippling blockade on the territory, monitoring the flow of goods and people in and out. For nearly two decades, the closure has crippled the local economy, sent unemployment skyrocketing, and emboldened militancy in the region, which is one of the most densely populated places on the planet.

Through four wars and countless smaller battles with Israel that devastated Gaza, Hamas has only grown more powerful. In each subsequent conflict, Hamas has had more rockets that have traveled farther. The group has displayed a growing array of weapons. Its top leaders have survived, and cease-fires have been secured. In the meantime, it has built a government, including a police force, ministries and border terminals equipped with metal detectors and passport control.

What comes next?

Since the Oct 7 attack, Israel has stated its goal is to crush Hamas. This will be no easy task given the group's deep base of support. But even if Israel does realize its goal, it has said little about what it hopes will come next.

On Friday, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said Israel hopes to relinquish control of Gaza and establish a “new security regime.” He did not elaborate.

Experts have cautioned that defeating militancy is not possible—even if Israel manages to topple Hamas, militants could well fill the power vacuum.

AP

New Delhi: The Indian government on Friday rejected any notion that it violated international law in asking Canada to recall diplomats so that both governments have roughly the same number stationed in each country.

Canada said Thursday it was recalling 41 of its 62 diplomats in India after what it said was New Delhi’s warning that it would strip their diplomatic immunity—something Canadian officials characterized as a violation of the Geneva Convention.

The back-and-forth comes amid a spat between the two countries over Canada’s allegation that India was involved in the assassination of a Sikh separatist in Canada.

India had not publicly stated it would withdraw diplomatic immunity from the Canadian diplomats, nor did it give a deadline for their departure. But it said it wanted Canada to reduce its number of diplomats in India to match the amount that India has in Canada.

“We reject any attempt to portray the implementation of parity as a violation of international norms,” India’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement Friday.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau reiterated Canada's concerns on Friday that India was contravening “a fundamental principle of international law and diplomacy,” adding that “it is something that all countries in the world should be very worried about.”

India said there was a high number of Canadian diplomats in the country. “Their continued interference in our internal affairs warrant a parity in mutual diplomatic presence in New Delhi and Ottawa,” the statement said.

Canada has alleged India may have been involved in the June killing of Canadian citizen Hardeep Singh Nijjar in suburban Vancouver. India has accused Canada of harboring separatists and “terrorists,” but dismissed the allegation of its involvement in the killing as “absurd” and has taken diplomatic steps to express its anger over the accusation.

Trudeau said last month that there were “credible allegations” of Indian involvement in the slaying of Nijjar, a 45-year-old Sikh leader who was killed by masked gunmen in June in Surrey, outside Vancouver.

For years, India had said that Nijjar, a Canadian citizen born in India, had links to terrorism, an allegation Nijjar denied.

The US government said it was concerned by the departure of the Canadian diplomats.

“Resolving differences requires diplomats on the ground,” Matthew Miller, a State Department spokesman, said in a statement. “We have urged the Indian government not to insist upon a reduction in Canada’s diplomatic presence and to cooperate in the ongoing Canadian investigation.”

The statement also urged India to follow international rules relating to diplomats.

India also has canceled visas for Canadians, and Canada has not retaliated for that. India previously expelled a senior Canadian diplomat after Canada expelled a senior Indian diplomat.

AP

Khotang: In this festive season, the Barahapokhari Rural Municipality in Khotang district has exported goats worth Rs 17.5m to Kathmandu.

A total of 875 goats were dispatched to Kathmandu by five different groups of intermediaries, solidifying the rural municipality’s reputation as a thriving hub for goat farming.

Ashish Banjara, the Chief of the Livestock Section of the rural municipality, disclosed that the total value of the goats exported from the rural municipality exceeds Rs 17.5m, with an estimated rate of Rs 20,000 for each goat.

The intermediaries made direct visits to farmers' homes to acquire the goats, enabling some farmers to earn up to Rs 600,000 each through these sales.

The transportation of these goats to Kathmandu took place on Oct 18 and 19 from Khotang district, with some farmers themselves taking their goats to Gaighat in Udayapur district for sale.

Officials and members of the business community have noted that a significant number of high-value he-goats were exported from Khotang to other districts during this festive season, further establishing goat farming as a profitable venture.

Nevertheless, there is potential for even greater profits if the local government focuses on developing a more robust supply chain for goods produced in the district.

Kathmandu: On the occasion of the Bada Dashain festival, Fulpati is being brought into homes today, following a cherished tradition observed throughout the country.

Fulpati, a medley of auspicious flowers, leaves, and fruits from various plants, is ritually anointed at the Dashain Ghar on the seventh day of the Bada Dashain festival. It is brought to Kathmandu in accordance with Vedic rites to be consecrated at the Hanumandhoka Durbar.

At Hanumandhoka Durbar, a procession that includes the Gurujyuko platoon, the Nepal Army, the Nepal Police, high-ranking officials of the Armed Police Force Nepal, civil service, the Asha Gurja team, band music, panchebaja, adorned kalsyoulis, and a cultural pageantry departs from Jamal with the Phulpati.

The Nepal Calendar Determination Committee affirms that Fulpati's entry into homes does not require an auspicious hour. However, it holds special significance for the Dashain festival, which officially commences with Ghatasthapana.

Furthermore, a palanquin containing Phulpati is sent from Dashainghar in Gorkha Durbar to be transported all the way to Hanumandhoka Durbar in Kathmandu. This tradition adheres to time-honored Vedic rites and dates back to the era when Prithvi Narayan Shah, the then King of Gorkha, initiated his rule from Hanumandhoka Durbar in Kathmandu. Since then, an annual tradition has been established where a palanquin bearing Phulpati is dispatched from Gorkha Dashainghar on the seventh day of the Bada Dashain festival, Nepal's grandest festival.

The assistants of the Gorkha Durbar carry Phulpati up to a place known as Phulpati Chautara at Satipipal, from where it is subsequently transported to Kathmandu.

Starting today, all government as well as private offices close down, encouraging people to return to their respective ancestral homes and seek blessings from Durga Bhawani and their elders.

Rupak Sapkota has been appointed as the foreign affairs advisor to Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal.

A Cabinet meeting held on Thursday decided to appoint Sapkota as the foreign affairs advisor to Prime Minister Dahal, a minister said.

Sapkota holds a degree in International Relations from China.

He is the son of CPN (Maoist Center) Vice-Chairman Agni Sapkota.

Sapkota has been teaching international relations and diplomacy at Tribhuvan University.

The price of gold has increased by Rs 1,800 per tola in the domestic market on Friday.

According to the Federation of Nepal Gold and Silver Dealers’ Association, the precious yellow metal is being traded at Rs 115, 500 per tola today. It was traded at Rs 113, 700 per tola on Thursday.

Meanwhile, tejabi gold is being traded at Rs 114, 950 per tola. It was traded at Rs 113, 150 per tola.

Similarly, the silver is being traded at Rs 1,400 per tola today. 

Karveer Budha, a resident of Rajutara in Junichande-7, Jajarkot, was hopeful of receiving rice from the government's depot for Dashain celebrations. But his hopes were dashed as officials informed the locals that the depot would not be able to distribute rice before the Dashain festival.

The disappointment is palpable among the locals who are now uncertain about how to secure rice for the Dashain festivities. Rice is already scarce in the local market, and if available, it comes at a high price compared to the subsidized rice distributed by government depots.

The Food Management and Trading Company (FMTC) has been distributing subsidized rice in various remote areas of the country. However, residents like Karveer are dismayed as the state-owned food company has failed to supply rice to depots in different remote villages. “The Dashain festival is upon us, but we don’t have a grain of rice at home. The government’s depot has remained closed for three months. How can we celebrate in this situation?” lamented Ramkali Gharti of Rajutara.

 The shortage is not limited to the depot in Rajutara. Government depots in Tangachaur, Kauli, and Nayakbada of Barekot, Chaukha of Nalgad, Tapuchaur of Kushe, and Dashera and Pajaru of Chhedagad have all run out of stock. Locals who depend on these depots now face uncertainty about celebrating Dashain, all due to the FMTC’s failure to initiate the tendering process for rice supply on time.

The remote municipalities of Nalgad and Chhedegad, as well as Kushe and Junichande rural municipalities, are grappling with severe food grain shortages. With their summer crops not yet ready for harvest and the FMTC failing to supply food to its depots, residents are facing a challenging situation.

The FMTC has recently chosen bidders to supply food grains to its remote depots. “We selected the successful bidder 10 days ago, and our head office has given us 15 days to sign an agreement with them,” said Ram Prasad Poudel, the chief of FMTC Jajarkot Office. “We urged the company to commence rice transportation immediately, but they are refusing citing bad road conditions due to the monsoon.”

A recent meeting of the District Food Management Committee had requested the relevant authorities to ensure rice supply to government depots before the Dashain festival.

FMTC Jajarkot Office has appointed MB Builders of Jajarkot to transport rice to government depots in Chaukha, Tapuchaur, and Tangachaur. Similarly, Anjila Traders from Nepalgunj have been roped in to transport rice to depots in Pajaru, Dashera, Nayakbada, and Rajutara. According to Poudel of FMTC Jajarkot Office, they will supply 750 quintals to Chaukha, 1,000 quintals to Nayakbada, 500 quintals to Tapuchaur, 750 quintals to Tangachaur, 700 quintals to Rajutara, and 500 quintals each to Dashera and Pajaru.

While Pajaru and Dashera will receive their rice supply from Nepalganj, other depots will receive their supply from the district headquarters Khalanga. Locals prefer thick rice due to its affordability. However, the FMTC Jajarkot Office has only fine rice in stock which is being distributed in the district headquarters, Khalanga. The situation has left locals in a difficult position. As paddy is not cultivated in most remote areas of Jajarkot, locals rely on government depots for their rice supply. However, the FMTC consistently fails to transport rice to these depots on time due to inadequate preparation and an apparent lack of concern for the plight of people in remote areas.

Sikali Jatra is being celebrated with much fanfare and enthusiasm in Khokana.

Locals have been celebrating this Jatra every year by worshiping various gods and goddesses of Hindu.

The Jatra begins on the day of Ghatasthapana (the first day of Dashain festival) and concludes on the day of Fulpati.

On the occasion, locals offer prayers to Goddess Rudrayani (Sikali).

The Khokana locals do not celebrate Dashain. They celebrate Sikali Jatra as an alternative to Dashain.