Heartbreaking footage captured the moment a one-armed orphan from Gaza broke down in tears as he arrived in the US for medical treatment.

Omar Abukwaik, 5, suffered serious injuries, including the loss of his arm, in an Israeli airstrike that killed his family and grandparents in December.

After receiving emergency care in Egypt, Omar’s aunt was able to transport him to America through her charity, the Global Medical Relief Fund, where he will undergo a number of further operations, including fitting a prosthetic arm.

She spoke of helping him about the horrors he survived CBS News: ‘These are innocent children who have absolutely no resources.’

He is among thousands of Palestinian refugees displaced by the ongoing Israeli-Hamas conflict, with a new immigration law issued this month by President Biden halting the deportation of more than 6,000 people, according to the New York Times.

The little boy flew from Cairo to New York’s JFK airport this week after his aunt Elissa Montanti cut through the red tape to get him the emergency health care he needed.

His entire family was killed in an airstrike on Gaza in December, when Israel launched its counter-offensive against Hamas’ terrorist attacks on October 7.

Human rights organizations have condemned the high number of civilian casualties in Gaza, including more than 7,000 children, as a result of the airstrikes, including the impact on families like Omar’s.

While his mother, father, grandparents and two young siblings were killed, Omar miraculously survived but suffered serious injuries, including leg wounds, burns and the amputation of his left arm.

He initially received emergency care in Cairo, Egypt, where he will return in a few weeks, but he still required further trauma treatment.

Thanks to his aunt’s charity, Omar was able to be seen by US healthcare specialists on the East Coast, while also experiencing some brief childhood moments, such as experiencing snow for the first time.

Montanti said her charity has helped similarly affected children from more than 60 countries suffering from war or natural disasters.

For her nephew, she worked with Shriners Children’s Hospital in Philadelphia to facilitate his care, and the five-year-old is being fitted for a prosthetic arm.

One of his doctors told CBS News, “The fact that Omar was able to be brought here is good for Omar.”

“If he stayed in Gaza or Egypt, who knows,” he continued. “I don’t know what would have happened.”

Omar’s recovery is expected to take several weeks, with his aunt praising how the US was able to provide medical treatment for the injured child.

“It’s very important and it’s empowering,” Montanti said.

‘You give them back their youth when they are so small, and their integrity. It’s just important, very important, to give strength to a child who has had so much taken from him.”

But before he crossed the Atlantic again, his aunt gave him one last chance to be a kid in America as he enjoyed a day out at a children’s museum.

The child’s help comes as Israel has continued its siege of Gaza, with four women and a child among eight injured in another airstrike on Sunday.

Hamas claims IDF attacks have killed 92 Palestinians in the past 24 hours.

It was also reported that in almost five months of the war the total death toll rose to 29,606 and the total number of wounded rose to almost 70,000.

The figure comes from the Ministry of Health in Hamas-ruled Gaza, which does not distinguish between civilians and fighters. It says two-thirds of the dead were children and women.

Meanwhile, Israel claimed its forces have killed more than 10,000 Hamas fighters but provided no details.

There are still more than a hundred hostages in Gaza.

Taiwan’s Defense Ministry today sent an airstrike alert to mobile phones across the island after China launched a satellite over its airspace amid rising tensions between Tapei and Beijing.

The presidential alert was sent to residents’ cellphones, warning of a missile overflight and to “beware of your safety.”

The airstrike alert came just minutes after China said it had successfully launched an Einstein Probe satellite from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwestern Sichuan province.

State broadcaster CCTV said the satellite was launched “using the Long March-2C launch vehicle… and the satellite entered its designated orbit.”

China had not previously announced the launch of the satellite and did not provide details of its flight plan.

Tuesday’s warning comes just days before Taiwan’s presidential and parliamentary elections on Saturday, which China has described as a choice between war and peace.

China views Taiwan, located about 100 miles (160 kilometers) off China’s east coast, as a renegade province that should be brought under its control.

The Chinese satellite launched today will “observe mysterious transient phenomena in the universe similar to the flickering of fireworks, aiming to reveal the violent and little-known aspects of the cosmos,” state news agency Xinhua reported.

The warning came as Taiwanese Foreign Minister Joseph Wu gave a press conference ahead of the January 13 presidential and parliamentary elections.

“This is something we’ve been dealing with for a long time. For the Taiwanese government, our military stands ready to face any emergency,” Wu said, answering a question about the satellite and possible Chinese military provocations.

Wu told reporters that a “satellite carried by a missile” had flown over the southern part of Taiwan, but said he had no further information.

It comes as Taiwan’s leading presidential candidate William Lai said today he hopes for a reopening of dialogue with China, after nearly eight years of Beijing’s near-complete refusal to communicate with the leaders of the self-governing island it considers own territory.

But Lai told reporters he would continue the current administration’s policy of maintaining Taiwan’s democratic de facto independence despite the Chinese Communist Party’s threats to annex the country through political, military or economic means.

China is demanding that Taiwan’s leaders relinquish their ownership claim over the island before reopening contacts.

“While we strive for peace, we have no illusions,” Lai said at a news conference ahead of Saturday’s presidential and legislative elections. “We will build Taiwan’s defense deterrent, strengthen Taiwan’s economic security capabilities, strengthen partnerships with democracies around the world, and maintain stable and principled leadership in cross-Strait relations.”

“Our door will always be open to cooperation with Beijing based on the principles of equality and dignity. We are ready and willing to work to show more for the people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait. Peace is priceless and war knows no winners.” Lai said.

Lai, currently Taiwan’s vice president, is widely seen as the front-runner in the election to succeed President Tsai Ing-wen, who by law cannot run for a third term.

Most polls show him well ahead of the main opposition Nationalist Party (KMT), candidate Hou You-yi, who favors eventual unification with China on his own terms, and the alternative Taiwan People’s Party Ko Wen-je, who has also pushed for renewed reforms. dialogue with China and avoiding confrontation with Beijing.

In the run-up to the elections, China is steadily increasing pressure on Taiwan, banning it from major international gatherings, enticing its diplomatic allies to attend just a handful, and offering financial incentives to politicians – from grassroots to top figures the opposition that could influence the vote or promote policies that increase Chinese access to the island’s economy.

The People’s Liberation Army sends ships and fighter jets on daily missions around Taiwan and the island’s Defense Ministry has reported increasing numbers of balloons crossing from China.

The balloon incidents recall last year’s raid of a Chinese balloon that flew over Canada and the US and was eventually shot down by the US Air Force.

China claimed the plane was a weather balloon that had been blown off course, but the US said it was carrying advanced intelligence-gathering technology.

Over the past 24 hours, the ministry said four Chinese balloons had flown over the island, while 10 fighter jets and four warships had invaded the airspace and waters near the island, as part of a campaign to undermine morale and military resilience.

The Defense Ministry said it had monitored China’s movements, flying fighter jets, sending ships and activating coastal missile systems.

Taiwan has strengthened its defense with new arms purchases from the US and expanded national military service for men from four months to one year.

These have become contentious issues in the upcoming elections, with Lai and the DPP accusing the KMT of blocking new defense spending, possibly as part of a deal with Beijing to gradually hand over control of the island.

This is a breaking news story, more to come…

A government investigation has been launched after an Australian man and his wife, along with his Australian Hezbollah militia fighter brother, were killed in an Israeli airstrike in Lebanon on Boxing Day.

Ibrahim Bazzi, 27, had traveled from Sydney to the village of Bint Jbeil to take his Lebanese wife, Shorouk Hammoud, to Australia after she was granted a visa.

The couple was in the two-storey home of his brother Ali Bazzi, 30, when it was hit by a missile from an Israeli warplane aimed at Hezbollah.

The two men were killed instantly in the attack, but Ms Hammoud was initially pulled from the rubble alive before she too later died.

The Iran-backed Hezbollah later admitted that Ali Bazzi was one of their guerrillas, in a tribute to their ‘martyr’ posted online in his memory.

The Australian government confirmed on Thursday that both men were Australian citizens and wanted to confirm Ali Bazzi’s ties to Hezbollah.

They also flagged an investigation into any illegal financial support the militia fighter may have received from Australians while with Hezbollah.

“Hezbollah is a designated terrorist organization under Australian law,” acting Foreign Minister Mark Dreyfus warned on Thursday.

“It is an offense for any Australian to collaborate with, support – let alone fight – a designated terrorist organization like Hezbollah.

“Because Hezbollah is a designated terrorist organization, it is a criminal offense for any Australian to provide financial support to that terrorist organization.”

The government said it was aware that Hezbollah had claimed Ali Bazzi as a member, adding that Australians had been told not to travel to Lebanon since October.

All three killed in the attack were buried within hours in coffins draped with Hezbollah flags, beneath an image of Ali Bazzi in camouflage clothing, cheering his martyrdom.

The coffins were carried by Hezbollah fighters in full uniform through the streets of the village in Lebanon’s Al Dawra region, near the Israeli border.

“The Islamic Resistance celebrates the martyr, Mujahid Ali Ahmed Bazzi from the city of Bint Jbeil in southern Lebanon, who was martyred on his way to Jerusalem,” Hezbollah’s official website said.

Hezbollah is a terrorist organization listed by the CIA and Australian National Security and an ally of the Palestinian Islamist faction Hamas.

Since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza on October 7, the country has exchanged fire with Israel across Lebanon’s southern border.

Ibrahim Bazzi married his wife in Lebanon three years ago and planned a new life in Sydney over fears for his wife’s safety in the Middle East.

He is believed to have moved to Australia in 2020-2021 and was an electrician and construction worker from the St George area of ​​south-east Sydney.

There is no evidence that the couple had ties to Hezbollah beyond Ali Bazzi.

Ms Hammoud’s cousin, Mohamed Hammoud, lives in Sydney and told the ABC the news was devastating.

Mr. Hammoud said he would cherish his memories of Ms. Hammoud.

“My family is numb. My family is devastated. My family is in disbelief,” he said.

“We expected to meet and greet them here and welcome her to Australia, and now it’s not… utter disbelief.”

“She used to paint my daughter’s fingernails, she was full of life and happy,” he said.

Founded in 1982 by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, Hezbollah is both a political party and a militant combat operation aimed at spreading Iran’s Islamic Revolution.

This is especially strong in the border area of ​​Lebanon and Israel, where the rocket attack took place and where there are regular firefights between Hezbollah fighters and the Israeli army.

The IDF said the deadly airstrike was part of an operation to hit Hezbollah terrorist targets in Lebanon after militias fired rockets into the Jewish state.

Australians were warned to leave Lebanon in October as fighting between Israel and Hezbollah flared.

Foreign Minister Penny Wong warned Australians that commercial flights may not be able to leave the country during a crisis.

“I say to Australians now: if you are in Lebanon, you should consider whether it is essential for you to stay there,” she said.

“If you want to leave, you should know that a crisis may limit commercial opportunities for departure and you should consider the first available option.”

Australians are also advised to reconsider travel to Israel and avoid traveling to Gaza or the Gaza border, where Israeli forces are engaged in heavy fighting with Hamas.

Daily Mail Australia has contacted the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade for comment.

A UN aid worker and more than 70 members of his extended family were killed near Gaza City on Friday, the same day aid groups sharply criticized the UN Security Council for passing a resolution that did not call for a full ceasefire the firing in the besieged areas. enclave.

An Israeli airstrike killed Issam Al Mughrabi, who had worked for 30 years at the U.N. Development Program, his wife, his five children and more than 70 members of his extended family, said Achim Steiner, a U.N. administrator. development program, in a statement. rack.

“The loss of Issam and his family has deeply affected us all,” he said. “The UN and civilians in Gaza are not targets.”

The Israeli military did not immediately comment on the report.

The attack that killed Mr Al Mughrabi underscored the extent of Israel’s ongoing bombardment of Gaza’s densely populated areas with heavy ammunition, which UN officials say is not only costing lives but also making it virtually impossible to distribute aid.

The bombardment is killing civilians at a devastating rate, with Gaza’s Health Ministry reporting that around 20,000 people have been killed in the past 77 days of fighting – the majority of them women and children. Bomb attacks can often claim almost the entire family. Areas designated as safe for civilians are routinely attacked by 2,000-pound bombs.

United Nations workers have also been murdered in large numbers. At least 136 employees of UNRWA – the organization that cares for Palestinian refugees and employs around 13,000 people in Gaza – have been killed in the conflict so far. It is the highest death toll in the history of the United Nations.

On Saturday morning, the Palestinian Health Ministry reported that around 200 people had been killed and another 368 injured by Israeli military operations since Friday.

Senior UN officials and many aid agencies have argued that a full ceasefire is needed to allow the distribution of aid to nearly 1.9 million displaced Palestinians, many of whom are facing the spread of disease, hunger and overwhelmed healthcare systems.

“The way Israel is carrying out its offensive is creating enormous obstacles to the distribution of humanitarian aid in Gaza,” UN Secretary-General António Guterres said in a social media post on Friday.

The United States, alongside Israel, has opposed resolutions in the UN Security Council calling for a ceasefire, arguing that they would allow Hamas, the armed group that controls Gaza, to regroup and prevent future carry out attacks such as the October 11 massacres. 7 in Israel that fueled the current war.

Ultimately, the resolution passed Friday, with the United States abstaining, called for “urgent extended humanitarian pauses and corridors” to safely continue rescue and recovery efforts in Gaza, but did not call for a full ceasefire the-fire. fire, as many diplomats and authorities had hoped.

Israel has revealed that five Hamas commanders who took a friendly photo together have all been killed in airstrikes, following Israel’s lightning retaliation against the terror group.

The IDF released a photo of eleven top-level Hamas commanders sitting smiling in a long and narrow room, with plates of fruit and drinks on the tables in front of them.

An IDF spokesman revealed that of the 11 men, five were confirmed killed in airstrikes launched as part of the ground offensive on Gaza, which saw massive artillery and aerial bombardment of the enclave in revenge for the October 7 Hamas invasion.

The IDF did not say when or where the photo was taken, but said the photos in it were from the Northern Gaza Brigade, Hamas’s second-largest brigade.

In a statement, the IDF said: “IDF forces led by Shin Bet intelligence killed brigade commander Ahmed Jandor and Wael Rajab, as well as other senior officials.

“They included other senior figures, as well as the head of the military formation and the person responsible for surveillance in the northern Gaza Strip.”

The IDF said Jandor and Rajab were responsible for terrorist activities in the northern Gaza Strip, adding that key members of the Hamas branch in Gaza City were also eliminated in the attack.

Jandor was a member of the Hamas military council and is believed to have played a major role in directing the terror group’s activities in the northern Gaza Strip.

Rajab, meanwhile, was an operations officer in Hamas’s northern Gaza brigade. He was once chief of police in northern Gaza and commander of Hamas’s Beit Lahiya battalion.

Rajab filmed himself walking through the tunnels under Gaza with a grim look on his face, footage of which has been released by the IDF.

Along with Jandor and Rajab, the airstrike killed the leader of the brigade’s auxiliary battalion, the head of the military formation and the officer responsible for observations in the north.

Other Hamas commanders in the photo were also identified.

Ibrahim Biari was the Hamas commander of the Central Jabaliya Battalion, based in the Jabaliya refugee camp in the Gaza Strip, and was killed on November 1 after Israeli fighter jets attacked the region.

Biari oversaw all Hamas operations in the northern Gaza Strip since the militant group began its ground offensive.

He was also believed to have been involved in several attacks on Israel in recent decades.

Also in the photo was the head of Hamas’s air operations, Murad Abu Murad.

Murad was killed less than a week after Hamas’s invasion of Israel. Night air raids killed him on October 13.

He is said to have played a major role in the raid, in which terrorists stormed into Israel on hang gliders before killing 1,200 people.

The bloody conflict between Hamas and Israel rages on.

Israeli forces engaged in heavy fighting with Hamas in southern Gaza on Wednesday after reaching the heart of the city of Khan Younis, forcing Palestinian civilians to seek refuge elsewhere as the number of safe areas dwindles.

Israeli warplanes also bombed targets in the densely populated coastal area in one of the heaviest phases of fighting in the two months since Israel began its military campaign to eliminate the Palestinian militant group.

Palestinian medics said hospitals were overflowing with dead and wounded, including many women and children, and supplies were running low.

Hundreds of thousands of displaced people expelled from the north sought shelter in the dwindling number of places designated as safe areas by Israel.

After gaining largely control of northern Gaza, Israeli troops and tanks pushed further south and surrounded Khan Younis in the south after a weeklong ceasefire collapsed last week.

Israel said its forces had hit hundreds of targets, including a militant cell near a school in the north. Hamas’ armed wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades, said the fighting was fierce.

Residents said Israeli bombing intensified overnight, killing and wounding an unspecified number of people, and that tanks were fighting Palestinian militants north and east of Khan Younis.

Tanks were stationed on the edge of the Khan Younis refugee camp, not far from the home of Hamas leader in Gaza Yehya Al-Sinwar, they said. It was unclear whether anyone was present.