Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1533434
2 NEWS maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 19 MARCH 2025 2 KURT SANSONE ksansone@mediatoday.com.mt More than 300 killed in Gaza strip attack by Israel forces MORE than 300 people were killed in an Israeli forces at- tack across the Gaza Strip ear- ly on Tuesday. The attack is the first major strike on the territory since Israel's cease-fire with Hamas began roughly two months ago. The Israeli military said on Telegram just before 2:30 am local time that it was "conduct- ing extensive strikes on terror targets belonging to the Ha- mas terrorist organization in the Gaza Strip." At least 250 Palestinians, including chil- dren, were killed in the wave of Israeli strikes, according to the Ministry of Health. The ministry does not differentiate between civilians and combat- ants. Shortly afterward, Hamas said in a statement that the Israeli government had "re- sumed their aggression" in the Gaza Strip. Gaza residents re- ported intense strikes across the territory. Israel's strikes followed weeks of fruitless negotiations aimed at extending the truce. Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, said Is- rael had consulted the White House before launching the strikes. "As President Trump has made clear, Hamas, the Hou- this, all those who seek to ter- rorize not just Israel but also the United States of America, will see a price to pay," Leavitt said on Fox News on Mon- day night. "All hell will break loose." It was unclear whether the attack effectively ended the cease-fire between Israel and Hamas that took effect in mid-January. Hamas, in its statement, accused Israel of deciding to "overturn the cease-fire agreement, expos- ing the prisoners in Gaza to an unknown fate," referring to the remaining hostages seized in the Hamas-led attack on Israel on 7 October 2023. The office of the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanya- hu, said in a statement that he and the defence minister, Isra- el Katz, had instructed the mil- itary to act, citing "repeated re- fusal" by Hamas to release the hostages and saying the mili- tants had rejected all proposals from Steven Witkoff, the US envoy to the Middle East, and other mediators. "Israel will, from now on, act against Hamas with increasing military strength," the state- ment said. Abela condemns attack In a post on X, Prime Minis- ter Robert Abela condemned the "barbarous attacks". "On behalf of the Maltese government, I strongly con- demn these barbarous attacks. I cannot emphasise enough Malta's plight for peace, in Gaza, Ukraine and beyond," Abela said. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu THE Prime Minister must pub- lish his assets declaration and that of his ministers immediate- ly, the Nationalist Party said on Tuesday. "The people have the right to know the assets and financial obligations of their leaders and Robert Abela must stop acting like a bully who refuses to follow the rules and instead start be- having like a responsible leader and show greater transparency and accountability," the PN said. The statement comes a day af- ter the Office of the Prime Min- ister refused yet another Free- dom of Information request by the Times of Malta, to be grant- ed access to the declarations. The Prime Minister had also been rebuked by the Standards Commissioner for hiding the declarations pertaining to 2023. Ministers did submit their as- sets declarations with the Cab- inet secretary but Abela has so far ignored calls for these to be published. The Prime Minister has given no plausible expla- nation as to why he decided to break with a decades-old tradi- tion that ministers' assets decla- rations are tabled in parliament for public scrutiny. The PN on Tuesday accused Abela and his ministers of re- neging on their duty to be ac- countable and transparent. "The PN condemns this se- crecy… Robert Abela and his government have abandoned all respect for transparency, ac- countability, and good govern- ance, showing utter disregard for the Maltese people," the Op- position party said, adding this causes "serious doubts about what Abela and his ministers have to hide". The PN said this state of af- fairs reinforces the notion that the government is willing to act against democratic principles and withhold information from the public to "protect itself". The publication of assets dec- larations is a necessary tool for scrutiny of ministers in any country prioritising the fight against corruption, conflicts of interest, and abuse of power. PN condemns Robert Abela's secrecy over failure to publish ministers' assets declarations February breaks dry spell with above-average rainfall The Nationalist Party says ministers must immediately publish their assets declarations, accuses Prime Minister of irresponsible behaviour FEBRUARY has broken the dry spell observed in previous months, marking a return to the typically wet month. The Meteorological Office re- corded 88.2mm of rain, exceed- ing the average by 19.2mm. This rainfall was a welcome change from the dry conditions that had been seen. By the feast of Saint Paul on the 10 February, 49mm of rain had already been recorded. Despite this, February 1965 remains the wettest February on record, with a remarkable 187.9mm of rain. The month was also marked by three thunderstorm days and two instances of hail, adding to the weather conditions. February's weather was not just notable for its rainfall, but it was also warmer than usual. The average temperature for the month was 13.6°C, a full degree above the climatic norm. The highest temperature re- corded was 20.8°C on the 14 February, while the lowest was 7.4°C on 23 February.