Saudi, Egypt, UAE drive strategic moves across sectors and borders
Saudi Arabia records the lowest Hajj attendance in three decades—outside the pandemic years—triggered by tighter visa restrictions; Special Envoy Zhai...Geostrategy
Syria says Israeli strikes ‘aimed at undermining’ stability
Syria's Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani condemned on Wednesday Israeli strikes in retaliation for overnight rocket fire, saying they were aimed...Geostrategy
Mothers of imprisoned Palestinians from West Bank under great stress
RAMALLAH, PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES – "I don't sleep anymore," Latifa Abu Hamid said while looking at pictures of her children hanging on...Hamid lives in a house in Ramallah, in the occupied West Bank, given to her by the president of the Palestinian Authority, which has its seat in the city.
Palestinian prisoner advocacy groups say the number of incarcerated Palestinians has jumped from 5,200 before October 7 to about 9,000.
Biden warns Israel not to use Gaza aid as ‘bargaining chip’
Using his annual State of the Union address to deliver some of his strongest comments yet about the five-month-long war,...Biden's address was delivered to Congress as hopes dimmed for a new truce after Hamas negotiators left talks to consult with the movement's leadership in Qatar
US president, who is facing political pressure over his support for Israel despite the worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza, stressed "no US boots will be on the ground."
Spain announces US$21.87m in funding to UN Palestinian refugee agency
Madrid, Spain--Spain said Thursday it would give an additional $21.87 million to the UN Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA, which is facing...UNRWA has been at the centre of controversy since Israel accused about a dozen of its employees of involvement in the Hamas attack on Israel
Jose Manuel Albares, Spain's Foreign Minister, announced the extra funding at a joint news conference in Madrid with UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini
UN aid official presses for aid delivery to Gaza by land route
The UN aid coordinator for the Palestinian territory Sigrid Kaag said her message to UN Security Council was that the...She said the diversification of the supply routes via land remains the optimal solution
Kaag noted the complicated border inspection process was the main obstacle
Biden orders US military to set up temporary aid port in Gaza
In the wasteland of Jabalia, northern Gaza, Palestinians gathered to receive meals at a distribution point. "There is no gas...Hopes dimmed for a new truce after Hamas negotiators left talks with mediators in Egypt to consult with the movement's leadership in Qatar
The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza reported 83 more people had been killed over the previous 24 hours, adding to a toll it says has reached 30,800
US President orders military to set up a port in Gaza for aid, say officials
President Joe Biden will tell Congress that he has ordered the US military to set up a port in Gaza...US officials said the "significant capability will take a number of weeks to plan and execute".
US officials were careful to stress that American troops would not be on the ground in Gaza.
Israeli troops ‘likely’ fired on journalist in Lebanon, says report
Paris, France - An Israeli tank crew who killed one journalist and wounded six others in Lebanon in October then "likely"...The strike in southern Lebanon on October 13 instantly killed Issam Abdallah, a 37-year-old journalist for the Reuters news agency.
Six others - two more Reuters journalists, two from Al Jazeera, and two from Agence France-Presse - were injured.
UN agency exhorts Israel to allow port for Gaza aid transfer
Rome, Italy - The UN's food agency on Thursday said it was pressing Israel to allow it to use the Ashdod..."We have several requests with the Israelis," World Food Program (WFP) Deputy Executive Director Carl Skau told AFP in Rome.
"We want to use the Ashdod port, which would be much more efficient than going through Jordan or even Egypt," Skau said.
Hamas expresses dissatisfaction over Israel’s stance on Gaza truce
A senior Hamas official confirmed that the group's delegation in talks seeking a Gaza truce left Cairo for consultations in...Hamas has been insisting on a complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, the return of displaced people to their homes.
Israel has been asking for a list of all hostages still alive in Gaza, a task Hamas says it is unable to complete.
Gaza confirms Israel returned 47 exhumed bodies of Palestinians
Palestinian Territories - Gaza's Hamas-run government media office said on Thursday that Israel had returned dozens of bodies that had been...Israeli forces have on several occasions taken bodies from Gaza to Israel for examinations as they look for hostages seized during Hamas's October 7 attack.
AFP journalists have previously witnessed the reburial of bodies which Gaza officials said had been exhumed by Israeli forces.
