Israeli army urges Palestinians to evacuate eastern Rafah ahead of planned offensive

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Israeli army urges Palestinians to evacuate eastern Rafah ahead of planned offensive

2024-05-06 17:58 Last Updated At：19:47

The Israeli army on Monday ordered Palestinian residents to evacuate the eastern neighborhoods of Gaza's southernmost city Rafah, ahead of a planned offensive in the area.

Avichai Adraee, the spokesperson of the Israeli army, said at a press statement that "for all people who live in the neighborhoods of Al-Salam, Al-Jeneina, Tabba Zaraa, and Al-Byouk in the Rafah area in blocks 10-16, 28, and 270, the army will work with extreme force against terrorist organizations there."

He added that anyone who is near terrorist organizations is putting their lives and the lives of their families at risk, and urged them to evacuate these areas immediately to avoid any danger to their lives.

Israel considers Rafah the last major stronghold of Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Located in the southernmost part of the Strip, Rafah shelters approximately 1.2 million Palestinians.

According to Israel's Channel 12 report on Monday, the Israeli military has already begun evacuating Palestinian residents from eastern Rafah communities to the so-called "humanitarian area." It is estimated that around 100,000 Palestinians live in the areas of Rafah that have been designated for evacuation.

In response, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) has stated that it will not evacuate Rafah and will maintain its operations there for as long as possible, continuing to provide aid services to the local population.

UNRWA warned that the Israeli attacks on Rafah would result in more suffering and deaths for civilians.

UNRWA is a United Nations agency responsible for providing assistance and protection to Palestinian refugees. It operates in the Gaza Strip, West Bank, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria, offering essential services to Palestinian refugees in these regions.

Japan’s time-honored coffee shop face fund squeeze due to weakening yen

2024-05-19 12:16 Last Updated At：12:37

The depreciation of Japanese yen has caused an old coffee shop in Kofu City, Yamanashi Prefecture of Japan to suffer rising financial strain due to surging import costs.

The coffee shop, with a 50-year history, is facing fund squeeze. The owner, 82-year-olld Hajime Yoneyama said that the depreciation has led to increased prices for imported raw materials, particularly coffee beans sourced mainly from Brazil, Vietnam, and Colombia, resulting in a 20 percent surge in purchase costs.

"The purchase price (of coffee beans) has increased by 20 percent. I feel that the prices of vegetables and oil have also increased by at least 20 percent. Now the prices of these things continue to rise, with no sign of stopping. The expenditure situation of the store may become more severe in the future," said him.

Yoneyama said that he had to raise the prices to sustain the coffee shop's operation.

"Recently we had to raise the price. Previously, a cup of coffee cost 500 yen. It's no longer sustainable (without price increases) and now it's up to 600 yen," said the owner.

Furthermore, in an effort to cut costs, the elderly Yoneyama works with just one employee, yet the store business kept crippling. He said that a significant portion of his pension funds is used to cover store expenses and employee wages.

Locals worry that if the weak yen trend persists, the pressure on livelihoods will further intensify.

"The prices of everything are increasing, food, drink, vegetables. It would be great if there was a solution. Medical supplies are also an issue that needs to be considered. I do worry about what the future will bring," said a local resident.

"Not only are labor costs rising, but gas costs are also rising, so operators need to cut expenses, such as advertising expenses, and the work that they originally paid to hire people to do may now be borne entirely by the operators themselves," said another resident.