Dhaka, Nov 24: Days after deposed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina received a death sentence from the Bangladesh International Crimes Tribunal, the interim government of Bangladesh has written to the Indian Ministry of External Affairs seeking her extradition.

As per a report in the Dhaka Tribune, officials confirmed that a new diplomatic note was sent to New Delhi shortly after High Representative for the Rohingya Issue Khalilur Rahman’s return from an engagement in the Indian capital.

Foreign Affairs Adviser Touhid Hossain told media persons on Sunday that Dhaka had formally communicated with India again regarding Hasina’s return but did not disclose further details.

A diplomatic source in New Delhi informed United News of Bangladesh that the note verbale was dispatched soon after the 7th National Security Advisers’ meeting of the Colombo Security Conclave, which Khalilur Rahman attended on Thursday.

Earlier this week, the ICT delivered its verdict, sentencing Hasina and the country’s former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal to death in a case related to crimes against humanity during last year’s July-August unrest.

Former police chief Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun, a state witness, received a five-year prison term.

Following the ruling, Dhaka urged India to hand over both convicted individuals without delay, the Dhaka Tribune reported.

Touhid Hossain said Bangladesh would formally notify India of its position, noting that the situation had changed since the conclusion of the trial.

“This is also an obligation for India under the existing extradition treaty between the two countries,” the Bangladesh Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement quoted by the Dhaka Tribune.

It added that “It would be a grave act of unfriendly conduct and a travesty of justice for any other country to grant shelter to these individuals convicted of crimes against humanity.”

India acknowledged the tribunal’s decision and said it remains committed to engaging constructively with Bangladesh.

“As a close neighbour, India remains committed to the best interests of the people of Bangladesh, including in peace, democracy, inclusion and stability in that country,” the Ministry of External Affairs said in its statement.

It added that New Delhi would continue to work with all stakeholders to support these objectives.
Security analyst and Bangladesh Institute of Peace and Security Studies president ANM Muniruzzaman said at an event in Dhaka that India should honour Bangladesh’s legal processes.
He stated that Hasina’s trial had “gone through all international standards and legal systems” and that respecting those norms would require her return to Bangladesh, as reported by the Dhaka Tribune.

He also noted that the extradition treaty between the two countries includes provisions relevant to such cases.

Muniruzzaman further said that under international legal standards, countries are expected to return convicted individuals when formally requested.

He added that by those measures, New Delhi should abide by the treaty and cooperate with Dhaka’s request.

Tel Aviv, Nov 24: Israel has breached the United States-brokered Gaza ceasefire almost 500 times in just 44 days, resulting in the deaths of hundreds of Palestinians since the truce came into effect on October 10, Al Jazeera reported, citing the Gaza Government Media Office’s statement.

According to the office, 342 civilians have been killed during these violations, with children, women and the elderly comprising the majority of the victims.

“We condemn in the strongest terms the continued serious and systematic violations of the ceasefire agreement by the Israeli occupation authorities,” the office said, adding, “these violations constitute a flagrant breach of international humanitarian law and the humanitarian protocol attached to the agreement. Among these violations, 27 occurred today, Saturday, resulting in 24 martyrs and 87 wounded.”

The office also said Israel was fully responsible for the humanitarian and security repercussions from its violations, as per Al Jazeera.

Israel continues to heavily restrict the full and free flow of desperately needed aid and medical supplies into the devastated enclave, as was mandated in the ceasefire agreement.

On Saturday (local time), Israel’s military launched a wave of air attacks across Gaza, killing at least 24 Palestinians, including children, in its latest violation of a six-week-old ceasefire in the war-torn territory.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said the attacks were carried out after a Hamas fighter targeted Israeli soldiers inside Gaza’s so-called “yellow line,” a zone under Israeli control.

“In response, Israel eliminated five senior Hamas fighters,” the Israeli statement said.

Hamas, however, challenged Israel’s account, demanding proof of the claim.

Izzat al-Risheq, a senior official in Hamas’s political bureau, urged the mediators of the Gaza deal and the United States to pressure Israel to back its claim and to implement the Gaza agreement, according to Al Jazeera.

Dozens of Palestinian families have been besieged in northern Gaza, local authorities have said, as the Israeli military has repositioned its forces deeper into the enclave in violation of the ceasefire agreement.