Category: 2. Middle East

The Vatican’s Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, has said that what is happening in the Gaza Strip under Israeli bombardment is unacceptable.

In an interview with Vatican state media on Tuesday, Parolin called for humanitarian aid to be delivered to Palestinians in Gaza, which is under a severe blockade imposed by Israel. He described the situation as one in which civilians are being starved.

“What is happening in Gaza is unacceptable. International…

Israeli air strikes blew up the last remaining plane at rebel-held Yemen’s international airport, Israel and a Yemeni official said on Wednesday, weeks after an earlier attack inflicted major damage.

An air raid involving multiple strikes hit the Yemenia Airways plane and the runway at Sanaa airport, the Huthi rebels’ Al-Masirah TV channel posted on X, decrying “Israeli aggression”.

Thick black smoke was seen billowing from a stricken plane on the tarmac, in a video posted on X by Sanaa…

The International Criminal Court (ICC) Prosecutor Karim Khan was preparing international arrest warrants for Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir before he went on administrative leave from his position, due to an ongoing investigation concerning him, The Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday.

According to the report, the arrest warrants relate to the two Israeli far-right ministers’ involvement in the…

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed on Wednesday for the first time that Hamas leader Mohammed Sinwar has been killed, two weeks after the Israeli military said they targeted him in a strike in Gaza. 

Speaking before the Knesset, Netanyahu listed what he described as Israel’s military achievements. He said Sinwar was among those “eliminated” by Israel, along with former Hamas leaders Yahya Sinwar and Ismail Haniyeh, who were killed last year.

The comments mark the first…

Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto confirmed that his country is willing to recognise Israel and establish diplomatic relations with it if it recognises a Palestinian state.

This statement was made during a press conference with his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, on Wednesday, according to Indonesian media reports.

Subianto stressed that the two-state solution and a free Palestine are the only path to achieving true peace, calling on Israel to…

China announced on Wednesday it would exempt nationals from Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kuwait and Bahrain from needing entry visas starting next month, expanding visa-free coverage to all states in the Gulf Cooperation Council following a similar move with the United Arab Emirates and Qatar back in 2018.

What happened: The new visa-free policy will be implemented from June 9, 2025, to June 8, 2026, on a trial basis for passport holders from these four Gulf countries, allowing them to stay in China…

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said on Wednesday that his country will work to deliver humanitarian aid to Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, which is currently besieged by Israel.

The Japanese Prime Minister’s office said in a statement that Ishiba received the Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), Philippe Lazzarini, in Tokyo.

Ishiba stressed “Creating an environment in which aid is possible…

A report published by The New York Times on Wednesday accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of trying to hinder negotiations between Washington and Tehran on the Iranian nuclear issue, while his office denied the allegations.

The American newspaper said in its report that “Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, wary of a diplomatic solution to curbing Iran’s nuclear program, continues to press for military action that would upend President Trump’s…

Israel is making intensive diplomatic efforts to convince the office of German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and the German Foreign Ministry not to impose or even suggest a potential ban on arms exports to Israel, according to the Israeli public broadcaster Kan 11 on Tuesday evening.

This move comes amid growing criticism from Berlin over Israel’s war on Gaza, with German officials signalling the possibility of taking undefined measures, including a review of arms…

With reports of acute suffering in Gaza flooding the airwaves, EU leaders have toughened their tone on Israel — but the bloc will need to bridge deep divisions to move from rhetoric to a real-world impact on the conflict.

The shift has been most noticeable from key power Germany, one of Israel’s staunchest allies in the world, its loyalty rooted in the trauma of the Holocaust.

After an Israeli strike killed dozens, including many children, in a Gaza school-turned-shelter Monday, German…