Category: 2. Middle East

By Daphne Psaledakis

(Reuters) -More than 100 largely aid and rights groups on Wednesday called for governments to take action as hunger spreads in Gaza, including by demanding an immediate and permanent ceasefire and the lifting of all restrictions on the flow of humanitarian aid.

In a statement signed by 111 organizations, including Mercy Corps, the Norwegian Refugee Council and Refugees International, the groups warned that mass starvation was spreading across the enclave even as tons of…

By Patricia Zengerle

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -An Afghan who moved to the United States after working for the U.S. military in his home country was seized by armed, masked immigration agents, put in a van and taken out of state, attorneys and members of Congress said on Tuesday.

Identified only as Zia by members of Congress and his attorney out of concern for his safety and that of his family, the man had worked as an interpreter for the U.S. military during the war in Afghanistan.

He was in the…

JERUSALEM (Reuters) -Agence France-Presse called on Israel on Tuesday to allow the immediate evacuation of its freelance contributors and their families from the Gaza Strip, citing worsening living conditions and escalating risks to their safety.

In a statement, the French news agency said its freelancers faced an “appalling situation” in Gaza. A 21-month war with Israel has devastated the territory, a conflict triggered by Hamas’ deadly attack on Israel in October 2023.

“For months, we have…

(Reuters) -The Syrian defence ministry said on Tuesday it was aware of reports of “shocking violations” by people wearing military fatigues in the country’s predominantly Druze city of Sweida, and said it would launch an investigation.

Sectarian clashes have escalated in Sweida this month between the Druze – a religious minority native to the area – and Syrian Bedouin tribes. Ferocious fighting then broke out between Druze militia and government forces sent to the city to quell the…

Israeli police on Tuesday arrested three ultra-Orthodox men who dodged their military service, marking the first such arrests, Anadolu reports.

The three men were participating in a protest in the central city of Yehud against construction work near local cemeteries, which they viewed as desecration of graves, Israeli Channel 12 reported.

During the demonstration, police detained the three and turned them over to military police because they were fugitives from…

Dozens of empty trucks are waiting at Israel’s Zikim crossing on Tuesday, July 22, to load food, flour, and humanitarian supplies under the coordination of the World Food Program (WFP), Anadolu reports.

Israel does not allow the entry of humanitarian aid trucks into the Gaza Strip.

Earlier on Sunday, WFP condemned the Israeli military for firing on a humanitarian convoy delivering food aid to northern Gaza, calling the attack “completely unacceptable” and…

Iran condemned the UN Security Council on Tuesday for what it called its persistent failure to respond to “blatant acts of aggression” against the sovereignty of independent states.

The UN Security Council “has either been unable or unwilling to respond appropriately and resolutely to blatant acts of aggression against the national sovereignty of certain states,” Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said in a speech to the council.

He cited…

By Samia Nakhoul and Maya Gebeily

BEIRUT (Reuters) -A U.S. envoy has urged Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa to recalibrate his policies and embrace a more inclusive approach after a new round of sectarian bloodshed last week, or risk losing international support and fragmenting the country.

U.S. envoy to Syria Thomas Barrack said he had advised Sharaa in private discussions to revisit elements of the pre-war army structure, scale back Islamist indoctrination and seek regional security…

Germany’s Social Democratic Party (SPD), a key member of the country’s coalition government, has called on Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s administration to join an international statement condemning Israel over its genocidal conduct in Gaza, Anadolu reports.

The statement, backed by more than 25 countries, including the UK, France, and Canada, denounces the humanitarian catastrophe unfolding in the region and demands an immediate end to the war.

Matthias…