Khan Younis, July 03: For Rida Abu Hadayed, summer adds a new layer of misery to a daily struggle to survive in the war-ravaged Gaza Strip.

With temperatures exceeding 30 degrees Celsius, daybreak begins with the cries of Hadayed’s seven children sweltering inside the displaced family’s cramped nylon tent. Outside, the humidity is unbearable.

The only way the 32-year-old mother can offer her children relief is by fanning them with a tray or bits of paper — whatever she can find. If she has water, she pours it over them, but that is an increasingly scarce resource.

“There is no electricity. There is nothing,” she said, her face beaded with sweat. “They cannot sleep. They keep crying all day until the sun sets.”

The heat in Gaza has intensified hardships for its 2 million residents. Reduced water availability, crippled sanitation networks, and shrinking living spaces threaten to cause illnesses to cascade through communities, aid groups have long warned.

The scorching summer coincides with a lack of clean water for the majority of Gaza’s population, most of whom are displaced in tented communities. Many Palestinians in the enclave must walk long distances to fetch water and ration each drop, limiting their ability to wash and keep cool.

“We are only at the beginning of summer,“ Hadayed’s husband, Yousef, said. “And our situation is dire.”

Israel had blocked food, fuel, medicine and all other supplies from entering Gaza for nearly three months. It began allowing limited aid in May, but fuel needed to pump water from wells or operate desalination plants is still not getting into the territory.

With fuel supplies short, only 40 per cent of drinking water production facilities are functioning in the Gaza Strip, according to a recent report by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. All face imminent collapse. Up to 93 per cent of households face water shortages, the June report said.

The Hadayeds were displaced after evacuation orders forced them to leave eastern Khan Younis.

“Our lives in the tent are miserable. We spend our days pouring water over their heads and their skin,” Yousef Hadayed said. “Water itself is scarce. It is very difficult to get that water.”

UNICEF’s spokesperson recently said that if fuel supplies are not allowed to enter the enclave, children will die of thirst.

“Me and my children spend our days sweating,” said Reham Abu Hadayed, a 30-year-old relative of Rida Abu Hadayed who was also displaced from eastern Khan Younis. She worries about the health of her four children.

“I don’t have enough money to buy them medicine,” she said.

For Mohammed al-Awini, 23, the heat is not the worst part. It’s the flies and mosquitoes that bombard his tent, especially at night.

Without adequate sewage networks, garbage piles up on streets, attracting insects and illness. The stench of decomposing trash wafts in the air.

“We are awake all night, dying from mosquito bites,” he said. “We are the most tired people in the world.”

New Delhi, July 03: The government has expressed serious concern over the abduction of three Indian nationals from a cement factory in Mali following a string of coordinated terror attacks across the West African nation.

According to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), the incident occurred on July 1 at the Diamond Cement Factory in Kayes, western Mali, where armed assailants stormed the premises and forcibly took three Indian employees’ hostage. The abduction is believed to be part of a wider wave of terrorist attacks on military and government installations in western and central Mali on the same day.

India’s Embassy in Bamako is working closely with Malian authorities, local law enforcement, and the management of the Diamond Cement Factory to ensure the safe release of the hostages. The embassy is also in regular touch with the families of the abducted Indians.

Calling the abduction a “deplorable act of violence,” the MEA has urged the Government of Mali to take immediate and comprehensive steps to secure the safe and swift release of the Indian nationals. Senior Indian officials are monitoring the situation and remain engaged with counterparts in Mali.

“The safety, security, and welfare of Indian nationals abroad remains a matter of utmost priority,” the MEA stated, while advising all Indian citizens in Mali to exercise extreme caution, stay alert, and maintain close contact with the Indian Embassy in Bamako.

The ministry assured that it will continue to provide all necessary support to ensure the safe return of the abducted individuals.

New Delhi, July 03: Prime Minister Narendra Modi was conferred Ghana’s highest civilian honour — Officer of the Order of the Star of Ghana — during his state visit to the West African nation. The award, presented by President John Dramani Mahama, recognises PM Modi’s global leadership and statesmanship.

This marks the first visit by an Indian Prime Minister to Ghana in over three decades. Accepting the honour on behalf of 1.4 billion Indians, Modi dedicated it to India’s youth, its cultural diversity, and the enduring friendship between India and Ghana.

During his visit, PM Modi held bilateral talks with President Mahama at the Jubilee House, where both sides agreed to elevate their relationship to a Comprehensive Partnership.

The two leaders engaged in restricted and delegation-level discussions, covering a broad spectrum of issues including trade, agriculture, digital technology, defence cooperation, and development partnerships.

They reaffirmed long-standing ties and pledged to double bilateral trade, which currently stands at over USD 3 billion. Indian companies have invested approximately USD 2 billion across nearly 900 projects in Ghana. India also expressed willingness to share expertise in fintech, particularly the Unified Payments Interface (UPI), healthcare via Jan Aushadhi Kendras, and vaccine production.

In support of Ghana’s “Feed Ghana” agricultural programme, India pledged development assistance and offered to establish a Skill Development Centre to benefit Ghana’s youth. Scholarships under the ITEC and ICCR programmes will be doubled.

The leaders also discussed regional and international developments, including the situation in West Asia, UN reforms, and counter-terrorism efforts. PM Modi thanked President Mahama for his solidarity following the recent terror attack in Pahalgam and reiterated the shared commitment to combat terrorism and uphold global peace.

Four Memorandums of Understanding were signed in the areas of culture, standards, Ayurveda and traditional medicine, and foreign ministry-level engagement through a Joint Commission Mechanism.

The visit also highlights India’s broader engagement with the Global South. PM Modi reaffirmed India’s commitment to voicing the concerns of developing nations and welcomed Ghana’s role in the Voice of Global South initiatives. He also highlighted the African Union’s permanent membership in the G20, achieved during India’s G20 presidency.

President Mahama hosted a state banquet in honour of PM Modi, who in turn invited the Ghanaian leader to visit India at a mutually convenient time.

PM Modi is scheduled to meet members of the Indian community in Ghana before continuing on his five-nation tour of the Global South.