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At least 30 people, including seven children, were killed in Gaza on Friday as Israeli forces struck residential areas in Gaza City. The city’s center is now at the heart of the ongoing offensive.

Israel says it controls 40 percent of Gaza City, while UNICEF calls the situation “unthinkable.” Gaza’s Health Ministry reports that nearly one in three victims of Israeli attacks has been a child, averaging 28 child deaths per day since October 2023, Al Jazeera reported.

Since the war began in October, over 64,000 Palestinians have died and more than 161,000 wounded.

CPN-UML Chairman and Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has asserted that an objection has been registered with China regarding the agreement between China and India to make the Nepali territory of Lipulek a trade route.

He said that he clearly expressed Nepal's disapproval on this matter during his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in the course of his visit to China from August 30 to September 3.

Inaugurating the party's Second Statute Convention that started today at the Sunrise Conference Hall in Lalitpur, Chairman Oli stated that he has been clearly communicating this matter with India as well.

PM Oli also clarified that there has been no support for China's Global Security Initiative (GSI).

Chandrapur Municipality has begun clearing encroachments in the market area. Mayor Sanjay Kafle said the move comes after traders continued occupying roads and sidewalks to store goods and conduct business.

According to Mayor Kafle, despite repeated requests to remove the encroachments, the municipality was forced to actively begin clearing the sidewalks on Tuesday. The campaign is currently focused on the stretch from the District Traffic Police Office Chandranigahapur to Moonlight Academy along Mahendra Raj Road, and from the main square to the market along the Gaur–Chandranigahapur road section.

Chandrapur-4 Chair Rabi Rana Magar said the initiative aims to end the growing encroachment problem, enhance the city’s beautification, ease parking, and reduce road congestion. Despite repeated notices from the municipality, pedestrians have long struggled due to blocked sidewalks. On Tuesday morning, Mayor Kafle stressed that public support and cooperation are essential to make the city organized, safe, and attractive.

Meanwhile, street vendors and sidewalk traders expressed concern that their livelihoods would be harmed if the clearances continue without alternatives. They argued that, due to the lack of organized shops or warehouses in the market, they have no choice but to store goods along the roadside.

Koshi Province Health Minister Bhupendra Rai inaugurated the District Hospital in Diktel, the headquarters of Khotang, on July 6 with much fanfare, announcing its upgrade to a 50-bed facility. At the inauguration, he declared, “Khotang residents will no longer have to travel to the capital by helicopter for treatment. Services with specialist doctors will be available here.”

However, his assurance has proven to be little more than an empty promise. The hospital lacks specialist doctors, and residents still depend on Kathmandu for critical care, often forced to travel by helicopter.

Khotang, an eastern hill district about 270 kilometers from Kathmandu, faces not just geographic isolation but also deep disparities in healthcare. The District Hospital in Diktel has a building, beds, and some basic equipment, but without specialist doctors it functions more as a referral center than a treatment facility. Patients in critical condition must either charter helicopters to reach Kathmandu or endure costly ambulance journeys to Dharan or Biratnagar.

According to hospital chief Dr. Rupesh Sangraula, more than 50,000 patients seek treatment at the hospital annually. Yet, in the absence of surgeons, gynecologists, pediatricians, neurologists, and cardiologists, serious cases must be referred elsewhere.

Ram Kumar Rai (Pasang), a House of Representatives member from Khotang, says, “The situation where citizens must risk their lives in helicopters due to the lack of health facilities is inhuman. I have repeatedly raised my voice in parliament, but the government has yet to implement the policy of permanently posting specialists.” He has demanded immediate deployment of specialist doctors to Khotang.

The human toll is stark. Bed Prasad Acharya of Diktel-1 was admitted with a fever but, unable to be treated locally, was referred to Kathmandu. He died in an ambulance en route. His brother, Jeevan Acharya, lamented, “My brother died unnecessarily without treatment. When our father also needed care, we had to charter a helicopter to Kathmandu to save him.”

Similarly, 27-year-old Maiti Kala Rai of Buipa died at Diktel Hospital during pregnancy complications. According to local ward chairperson Dinesh Rai, her weak financial condition prevented her from reaching Kathmandu.

Such tragedies have become a collective pain for the district. With helicopter charters costing Rs 300,000–500,000, farming families often fall into lifelong debt. The premature loss of labor further reduces village productivity, while locals say their trust in the state is eroding.

Daman Rai, former president of the Federation of Nepali Journalists, Khotang, explains, “Residents here must keep Rs 500,000 standby in case they need to fly to Kathmandu. Otherwise, they risk dying.” Nagendra Dhakal of Diktel Rupakot Majhuwagadhi-15 adds, “For poor people like us, hospitals are just buildings. The rich survive by helicopter, the poor die on the way.”

Local leaders echo the frustration. Maoist Center Khotang Chair Deepak Pandey remarks, “While five-star hospitals are built in the capital, citizens here die without basic care. Specialists need incentives and a safe environment to come here.”

Municipality Mayor Tirtha Bhattarai says, “We have arranged a rescue fund, ambulances, and health workers. But this is not enough. The problem will persist until the provincial and federal governments expand Diktel Hospital into a provincial hospital.”

Despite longstanding government policy to post specialists in every district, Khotang has yet to receive permanent appointments. Even doctors who arrive on temporary contracts rarely stay. Although the Koshi provincial government has announced plans to upgrade Diktel Hospital to provincial-level, little progress has been made.

Locals are demanding an emergency fund for free air rescues for the poor and an immediate upgrade of Diktel Hospital. Chandra Budhathoki of Dorpa, who lost his wife without treatment, says, “Those with money survive in Kathmandu, while poor people like us are ignored. I feel the state has abandoned us.”

Currently, despite its 50-bed designation, the hospital has only 30 posts—including one MD physician and six MBBS doctors—leaving it far short of meeting the people’s needs.