Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - October 20, 2025, Winnipeg, Manitoba TOP NEWS A3 MONDAY OCTOBER 20, 2025 ● ASSOCIATE EDITOR, NEWS: STACEY THIDRICKSON 204-697-7292 ● CITY.DESK@FREEPRESS.MB.CA ● WINNIPEGFREEPRESS.COM A senior Egyptian official involved in the ceasefire negotiations said “round-the-clock” contacts were underway to de-escalate the situation. The official spoke on condition of ano- nymity because he wasn’t authorized to speak to reporters. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu directed the military to take “strong action” against any ceasefire violations but didn’t threaten to return to war. Israel’s military said militants had fired at troops in areas of Rafah city that are Israe- li-controlled according to agreed-upon ceasefire lines. Hamas, which continued to accuse Israel of multiple ceasefire violations, said communica- tion with its remaining units in Rafah had been cut off for months and “we are not responsible for any incidents occurring in those areas.” Palestinians feared war would return to the famine-stricken territory where Israel cut off aid for over two months earlier this year after ending the previous ceasefire. “It will be a nightmare,” said Mahmoud Hashim, a father of five from Gaza City, who appealed to U.S. President Donald Trump and other mediators to act. Al-Awda hospital said it received 24 bodies from several Israeli strikes in the Nuseirat and Bureij camps in central Gaza. An airstrike on a makeshift coffeehouse in Zawaida town in central Gaza killed at least six Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, part of the Hamas-run government. A strike in Beit Lahiya in the north killed two men, according to Shifa hospital. Another strike hit a tent in the Muwasi area of Khan Younis in the south, killing at least four people, including a woman and two children, according to Nasser Hospital. “Where is peace?” said Khadijeh abu-Nofal in Khan Younis, as hospital workers treated wound- ed children. She accompanied a young woman hurt by shrapnel. Israel identified the remains of two hostages released by Hamas overnight: Ronen Engel, a father from Kibbutz Nir Oz, and Sonthaya Oakkharasri, a Thai agricultural worker from Kibbutz Be’eri. Both were believed to have been killed during the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, which sparked the war. Engel’s wife, Karina, and two of his three children were kidnapped and released in a November 2023 ceasefire. Hamas in the past week has handed over the remains of 12 hostages. Its armed wing, the Qassam Brigades, said it found the body of another hostage and would return it Sunday “if circumstances in the field” allowed. It warned that any escalation by Israel would hamper search efforts. Israel on Saturday pressed Hamas to fulfill its ceasefire role of returning the remains of all 28 deceased hostages, saying the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt would stay closed “until further notice.” It was the only crossing not controlled by Israel before the war. Hamas says the war’s devastation and Israeli military control of certain areas have slowed the handover. Israel believes Hamas has access to more bodies than it has returned. Israel has released 150 bodies of Palestinians back to Gaza, including 15 on Sunday, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. Israel has neither identified the bodies nor said how they died. The ministry posts photos of bodies on its website to help families attempting to locate loved ones. Some are decomposed and blackened. Some are missing limbs and teeth. Only 25 bodies have been identified, the Health Ministry said. Israel and Hamas earlier exchanged 20 living hostages for more than 1,900 Palestinian prison - ers and detainees. A Hamas delegation led by chief negotiator Khalil al-Hayya arrived in Cairo to follow up the implementation of the ceasefire deal with mediators and other Palestinian groups. The next stages are expected to focus on disarming Hamas, Israeli withdrawal from additional areas it controls in Gaza, and future governance of the devastated territory. The U.S. plan proposes the establishment of an interna- tionally backed authority. Hamas spokesman Hazem Kassem said late Saturday that the group has begun discussions to “solidify its positions.” He reiterated that Hamas won’t be part of the ruling authority in a postwar Gaza, and called for the prompt estab- lishment of a body of Palestinian technocrats to run day-to-day affairs. For now, “government agencies in Gaza continue to perform their duties, as the (power) vacuum is very dangerous,” he said. The Israel-Hamas war has killed more than 68,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which doesn’t distinguish between civilians and combatants in its count. The minis- try maintains detailed casualty records that are seen as generally reliable by U.N. agencies and independent experts. Israel has disputed them without providing its own toll. Thousands more people are missing, accord- ing to the Red Cross. Hamas-led militants killed around 1,200 peo- ple, mostly civilians, and abducted 251 people in the attack that sparked the war. — The Associated Press CEASEFIRE ● FROM A1 T HE Canada Water Agency is pour- ing funding into a series of pro- jects and organizations that sup- port the health of Lake Winnipeg — one of the largest freshwater bodies in the world. “Lake Winnipeg sustains our econ- omy, our communities, our way of life,” Liberal MP Terry Duguid told a small crowd of scientists and stakeholders gathered at FortWhyte Alive Saturday. “(But) Lake Winnipeg is under pres- sure, it’s under challenges. Climate change, pollution, land use changes and invasive species all threaten its health.” Duguid, who pushed for the creation of the national water agency, headquar- tered in Winnipeg, announced $1.6 mil- lion in funding for 10 projects over the next three years. The news came just days after the agency’s one year anniversary — and at a time when it is bracing for potential cuts, as part of a broader government plan to reduce federal operating costs by as much as 15 per cent over three years. Duguid said he does not know yet whether the agency will see its dollars slashed. That will be revealed Nov. 4, when Finance Minister François- Philippe Champagne introduces the government’s 2025 budget. “I have obviously been advocating for keeping the Canada Water Agency well funded because nothing is more important than fresh water,” he told re- porters after the announcement. “Even if there are reductions, we are well ahead of the game.” Lake Winnipeg is the sixth-largest lake in Canada and features a water- shed that spans parts of four provinces and four American states. It is vulner- able to high levels of nutrients caused by agricultural runoff, sewage and other contaminants that create large algae blooms and affect fisheries. The lion’s share of the new funding, $708,900, will go to the Lake Winnipeg Research Consortium, which operates a pair of research vessels that mon- itor the health of the lake. The money amounts to two years of operational costs for the MV Namao and MV Fyl- gja. Another $91,000 will be dedicated to community outreach and improving access to research data using digital dashboards and other tools. “Partnerships like this are essential to sustaining the efforts of the many organizations working to better under- stand and address the complex chal- lenges facing Lake Winnipeg,” said Gordon Goldsborough, the consortium board’s secretary-treasurer. Researchers from the University of Winnipeg will use $218,000 in funding to map phosphorus in agricultural soils in the Red River Basin. The project will help scientists understand the risks of phosphorus runoff during snowmelt, said Darshani Kumaragamage, a pro- fessor in the department of environ- mental studies and sciences. Ducks Unlimited Canada will use $150,636 to protect and restore wet- lands, and to help train livestock produ- cers on farming practices that protect water quality, chief development and sustainability officer Nicole Chammar- tin said. “Through this initiative, we’ll help conserve and restore over 120 hectares, which is, they tell me, the equivalent to 2,225 CFL football fields of wetland habitat in southwest Manitoba,” she said. “Wetlands really are nature’s kid- neys… and the more that we invest in them, the more that our lakes will stay healthy.” The remaining dollars will be split between an assortment of other groups and organizations also focused on keep- ing the lake healthy. Provincial Environment Minister Mike Moyes said Lake Winnipeg is a source of fisheries, tourism and recrea- tion, and “central to the livelihood of so many Manitobans.” “These efforts are going to protect the lake, strengthen our environment and bring economic benefits to com- munities across our great province.” The Canada Water Agency has com- mitted to distributing a total of $120 million over 10 years to protect Lake Winnipeg and its watershed, Duguid said. tyler.searle@freepress.mb.ca $1.6 million to fund Lake Winnipeg research, outreach projects ‘Nothing is more important than fresh water’ TYLER SEARLE TYLER SEARLE /FREE PRESS Winnipeg South Liberal MP Terry Duguid announced $1.6 million in funding from the Canada Water Agency to support projects and organiza- tions working to keep Lake Winnipeg healthy with scientists and stakeholders in attendance at FortWhyte Alive Saturday morning. JEHAD ALSHRAFI / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Trucks carrying aid from the World Food Programme drive through in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, Sunday. ;