Category: 2. Middle East

Hamas has affirmed that it will not agree to any ceasefire deal that does not guarantee a complete halt to the war on Gaza.

Bassem Na’eem, a senior Hamas official, told Al-Aqsa TV on Tuesday that the movement has informed mediators of its readiness to engage in a new round of negotiations, but not based on the proposal presented by US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff.

He explained that Hamas cannot accept any agreement unless it includes a clear commitment to…

The Israeli army claimed on Tuesday it had shot down a drone coming from Egypt carrying weapons and ammunition, Anadolu Agency reported.

The Israeli army said on X that the army’s surveillance systems in the Faran Brigade detected a drone that crossed the Israeli border from Egypt and subsequently shot it down.

The army claimed that during searches conducted by the forces, the drone was located carrying 11 long weapons and ammunition.

The Israeli army also…

An unidentified drone caused panic among activists on board the Madleen ship, which is part of the humanitarian organisation Freedom Flotilla Coalition, before the group later confirmed it belonged to the Greek coastguard.

The incident occurred at 11:15 p.m. while the vessel was sailing approximately 68 kilometres off the Greek territorial waters. Brazilian activist Thiago Avila, the team leader on the ship, appeared in a video released shortly afterwards,…

Medical sources in the Gaza Strip have reported that 41 per cent of kidney failure patients have died since the beginning of the ongoing Israeli assault, as a result of their inability to receive dialysis treatment due to the destruction of medical facilities and the collapse of essential health services.

The sources stated that the Noura Al Kaabi Dialysis Centre, located in the northern part of the Gaza Strip, is now out of service after suffering severe damage….

The right of people living under colonial rule to resist is “recognised in international law”, Guyana’s Ambassador to the United Nations, Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, who has assumed the presidency of the UN Security Council for June, has said.

Responding to a question from Al-Quds Al-Arabi about the right of peoples under colonial domination to resist, the ambassador said: “Yes, absolutely. That right exists and it’s recognised in…

A convicted Swedish jihadist went on trial in Stockholm on Wednesday accused of war crimes for his role in the 2014 killing of a Jordanian pilot who was burned alive in Syria.

The case is considered unique as the other jihadists involved in the brutal killing, which sparked international outrage at the time, are presumed dead, Swedish prosecutor Henrik Olin told AFP.

Osama Krayem, a 32-year-old Swede, is already serving long prison sentences for his role in the Paris and Brussels attacks in…

A US and Israeli-backed group operating aid sites in the Gaza Strip announced the temporary closure of the facilities on Wednesday, with the Israeli army warning that roads leading to distribution centres were “considered combat zones”.

The announcement by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) follows a string of deadly incidents near the distribution sites it operates that have sparked condemnation from the United Nations.

Israeli bombardment on Wednesday killed at least 16 people in the…

Nestled in the Sinai mountains, the ancient St Catherine’s Monastery has been the centre of recent tensions after an Egyptian court ruled last week that it sat on state-owned land.

Dating back to the sixth century BC, the UNESCO World Heritage Site is the world’s oldest continuously inhabited monastery, attracting hundreds of pilgrims and tourists every year.

Following warnings from the authorities and Orthodox Church in Greece that the ruling threatens the monastery’s status, a government…

A jihadist, jailed over the Paris and Brussels attacks in 2015 and 2016, goes on trial in Stockholm on Wednesday for his role in the 2014 capture and subsequent killing of a Jordanian pilot burned alive in Syria.

The case is considered unique as the other jihadists involved in the brutal killing, which sparked international outrage at the time, are presumed dead, Swedish prosecutor Henrik Olin told AFP.

Osama Krayem, a 32-year-old Swede, is already serving long prison sentences for his role in…