Category: 2. Middle East

The United Nations confirmed on Friday that more than 480 civilians have been killed in North Darfur in western Sudan over the past two weeks, warning that the actual number could be much higher.

The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said it had confirmed the deaths of at least 481 civilians in North Darfur since 10 April 10, “although the actual number is likely to be much higher.” It noted that “at least 210 civilians, including nine…

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said “the achievements are great, but still, the dangers are great and the prices are heavy,” in a post on X Friday evening, after a deputy company commander in the Armoured Corps was killed and others were wounded by an anti-tank missile and a sniper operation in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip.

Katz said, “Thousands of IDF soldiers in the standing army and reserves are now heroically fighting in Gaza for the release of…

Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said that “a burn injury is more than just a wound – it is a prolonged sentence of suffering, and this is even more so in Gaza, Palestine,” following over 19 months of attacks by the Israeli forces, causing the destruction of Gaza’s healthcare system.

MSF said in a statement, “Many people have extensive burns covering large portions of their bodies – some people have as much as 40 per cent of their total body surface…

Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan and his visiting French counterpart, Jean-Noel Barrot, discussed preparations and efforts Friday for a peace conference on the Palestinian issue, Anadolu reports.

A Saudi Foreign Ministry statement said bin Farhan and Barrot “reviewed bilateral relations between both countries and discussed a range of regional and international issues of mutual concern, foremost among them the ongoing situation in the Gaza…

Hamas is open to an agreement to end the war in Gaza that would see all hostages released and secure a five-year truce, an official said Saturday ahead of talks with mediators.

A Hamas delegation was in Cairo to discuss with Egyptian mediators ways out of the 18-month war, as on the ground rescuers said an Israeli strike on a family home in Gaza City killed at least 10 people and left more feared buried under the rubble.

The Hamas official, speaking to AFP on condition of anonymity, said the…

The US said Friday it is keeping a close watch on Syrian interim authorities and shared steps it expects from the new leadership, including action against terrorism and improved governance, Anadolu reports.

“The United States continues to closely monitor the actions of the Syrian interim authorities,” US Chargé d’Affaires ad interim Dorothy Shea said at a UN Security Council meeting on Syria, adding that Washington remains hopeful about the interim Cabinet…

A Palestinian teen was killed Friday by the Israeli army during a raid in the northern occupied West Bank, Anadolu reports.

The head of the municipal council of Salem village, Adli Shtayyeh, told Anadolu that Abdul Khaleq Jbour, 17, was killed in the village in eastern Nablus.

He said Jbour sustained a critical chest wound from live fire and later died from his injuries at the hospital.

The official noted that Israeli forces raided the village, triggering clashes…

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on Friday said that the time to dissolve the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Minsk Group has “long come,” as he held talks with OSCE Secretary General Feridun Sinirlioglu in Baku, Anadolu Agency reports.

“The head of state stated that the time has long come to abolish the OSCE Minsk Group, which had completely failed in resolving the former Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict, and all institutions…

The United States and Iran were to hold a fresh round of technical and high-level nuclear negotiations in Oman on Saturday, after both sides reported progress in previous meetings.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, leading Tehran’s delegation, arrived in Muscat on Friday ahead of the mediated talks, with US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff expected to head the American side.

Araghchi expressed “cautious optimism” about the process this week, saying that “if the sole demand by the US is…

The United States and Iran reported progress in their latest round of nuclear talks on Saturday and agreed to meet again next week as they pursue a deal that could help ease soaring Middle East tensions.

A US official called the talks “positive and productive”, and Iran’s top diplomat said the two sides will study how to narrow their differences on a range of subjects before next week’s fourth round.

The highest-level contact in years between the long-time foes is targeting a new deal that…