Category: 2. Middle East

Israel is coordinating with a US firm to distribute humanitarian aid in the war-torn Gaza Strip, Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Sunday, Anadolu reports.

The minister said the aid distribution may start on May 24, without providing any further details.

Since March 2, Israel has kept Gaza crossings closed to food, medical, and humanitarian aid, deepening an already severe humanitarian crisis in the enclave, according to government, human rights, and international reports.

Earlier this…

Five more Palestinian journalists were killed in Israeli air strikes in the Gaza Strip on Sunday, a medical source said, Anadolu reports.

The source said a woman reporter was among the victims, who lost their lives along with members of their families in attacks on houses and tents for displaced civilians in various areas across Gaza.

He identified the slain reporters as Abdul Rahman Al-Abaadela, Khaled Abu Seif, Azeez Al-Hajjar, Ahmed Al-Zaytani, and Nour…

American journalist Eric Maddox was detained by the Israeli army after getting beaten by illegal settlers in southern West Bank, a rights group official said, Anadolu reports.

“The Israeli army arrested an American journalist, activist, and podcaster, Eric Maddox, while he was filming settlers’ violations in Hebron,” Issa Amro, founder of Youth Against Settlements, told Anadolu on Saturday evening.

The Californian activist was shooting “a provocative…

US Sen. Chris Van Hollen demanded an immediate end to Israel’s food blockade of the Gaza Strip on Saturday, warning that children are already dying from starvation as aid deliveries remain blocked at border crossings, Anadolu reports.

“Let food into Gaza NOW! Netanyahu & his govt are starving 2M civilians,” the senator from the state of Maryland wrote on X, citing a World Food Program report that warned of famine risk across Gaza.

Van Hollen emphasized that…

Italian parliamentarians protested on Sunday in front of Egypt’s Rafah border crossing with Gaza, calling for aid access and an end to the war in the devastated Palestinian territory.

“Europe is not doing enough, nothing to stop the massacre,” Cecilia Strada, an Italian member of the European parliament, told AFP.

The group — including 11 members of the Italian parliament, three MEPs and representatives of NGOs — held signs reading “Stop genocide now”, “End illegal occupation” and “Stop…

Italy’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said Saturday that the country does not want Palestinians to suffer, Anadolu reports.

Speaking during a visit to Sicily, Tajani said: “While efforts are being made to achieve peace in many parts of the world such as Ukraine, Libya, and the Middle East, we no longer want the Palestinian people to suffer. Let the attacks stop, let us reach a ceasefire.”

Stating that the Palestinian people…

Syrian Defense Minister Murhaf Abu Qasra announced Saturday the merger of all military units under the umbrella of the Ministry of Defense to unify the military structure within a single institutional framework, Anadolu reports.

“In light of the importance of institutional work, we stress the necessity for the remaining small military groups to join the ministry within 10 days of this announcement, as part of the ongoing unification and organization efforts,”…

Iran condemned Israeli air strikes on Yemen as “a clear war crime and an example of crimes against humanity,” according to a statement Saturday from the Foreign Ministry, Anadolu reports.

Spokesperson Esmail Beqaie denounced the strikes that have targeted ports and civilian infrastructure, stating that the assaults took place while Yemenis are already under a blockade and facing severe humanitarian conditions.

“Targeting vital infrastructure in this context…

The Palestinian resistance group, Hamas, denounced on Saturday Israeli air strikes targeting tents sheltering displaced civilians in the Mevasi area of Khan Younis in southern Gaza, calling it a “new atrocity” and a clear war crime, Anadolu reports.

The group said the attack, which resulted in fires and deaths, exposed the “fascist nature” of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government.

It described targeting and burning civilian tents as a…

At least 153 Palestinians were killed in intensified Israeli airstrikes in the Gaza Strip in the last 24 hours, a Health Ministry official said Sunday.

“Relentless Israeli strikes claimed the lives of 153 people across the enclave,” Munir al-Bursh, the director-general of Gaza’s Health Ministry, told Anadolu.

He said Israeli warplanes stepped up airstrikes since Sunday dawn, leaving 106 people dead.

“The Israeli army is practicing the most brutal forms of…