Category: 2. Middle East

Israel’s ban on international media in the war-torn Gaza Strip fuels disinformation and the spread of dehumanisation, the head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) said today.

“Since the war began 1.5 years ago, the Israeli Authorities have banned the entry of international media to Gaza to report independently,” UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said in a statement.

“This is fueling propaganda, disinformation, and the spread of…

A hard-line member of the Israeli parliament joined thousands of illegal Jewish settlers in storming Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem on Thursday, marking the fifth day of the Jewish holiday of Passover. According to the Jerusalem governor’s office, thousands of illegal settlers entered the mosque courtyard and the ancient Bab Al-Rahma cemetery, where they performed Talmudic rituals.

Bab Al-Rahma is an ancient Muslim cemetery that has been a religious…

Syrian security agencies have foiled a planned coup attempt orchestrated by a group of former regime officers, Interior Minister Anas Khattab said, describing the plot as “a thing of the past” thanks to the efforts of security forces and public support.

Speaking during a presentation of the ministry’s operations, Khattab said officials had begun updating data systems in coordination with relevant institutions and were reviewing progress made in partnership…

Members of the largest organisation representing British Jews have said they can no longer “turn a blind eye” to the war in Gaza, adding “Israel’s soul is being ripped out”.

In a major break with the Board of Deputies of British Jews’ policy of supporting the Israeli leadership, 36 of its members criticised the actions of Benjamin Netanyahu’s government in Gaza in an open letter published in the Financial Times.

“The inclination to avert our eyes is strong, as what is happening is unbearable,…

More than three weeks after an Israeli military ambush killed 15 of her husband’s fellow medics, Nafiza al-Nsasrah says she still has no idea where he is being held.

“We have no information, no idea which prison he’s in or where he is being held, or what his health condition is,” Nsasrah told AFP, showing a photograph of her husband Asaad in his medic’s uniform at the wheel of an ambulance.

The Palestinian Red Crescent said Sunday that Nsasrah was in Israeli custody after being “forcibly…

Saudi Defence Minister Khalid Bin Salman arrived in Tehran on an official visit today for talks with Iranian officials, Saudi media said.

Bin Salman will discuss bilateral relations and a host of issues of mutual concern, the state news agency SPA reported.

According to the Iranian state news agency IRNA, the Saudi minister will explore ways of strengthening regional cooperation and bolstering defence relations and counter-terrorism coordination.

The…

Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which have been engaged in fierce fighting against the national army, have announced the formation of a rival government to rule over the territories under their control, including the Darfur region in western Sudan, where the United Nations has reported that RSF-led attacks have killed 400 people.

RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti, announced the move in a speech on Tuesday, marking the beginning of the…

The Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas, said on Wednesday that freeing Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails is a top priority. The movement called for global action in support of the prisoners’ cause.

“The occupation state’s prison administration continues to practice the most heinous crimes against prisoners inside prisons and detention centres, including medical negligence, torture and killing,” said Hamas on its Telegram channel as it…

Extremist Jewish settlers stormed the occupied West Bank and bulldozed private Palestinian land in Ramallah yesterday, the Palestinian Information Centre reported, adding that they acted while under the cover of the Israeli occupation forces.

According to local sources, a group of settlers destroyed dozens of dunums of agricultural land in Umm Safa village, northwest of Ramallah.

Village Chief, Marwan Al-Sabah, said that settlers were escorted by soldiers as they…