Blog

Gaza’s civil defence agency said Israeli strikes on Friday killed at least seven people, including five at a school-turned-shelter in the Palestinian territory’s north.

“Five martyrs and others injured in an Israeli strike on Halima al-Saadia School, which was sheltering displaced persons in Jabalia al-Nazla, northern Gaza,” the agency said in a brief statement.

Nearly all of Gaza’s population has been displaced at least once during the more than 21-month war, which has created dire…

Egypt’s mufti, Nazir Ayad, on Thursday condemned a visit to Israel by a group he described as “those promoting themselves as religious figures”, calling it “a cheap political investment using fake clerical robes to beautify the image of a bloody occupying entity”.

In a strongly worded statement, Ayad rejected the delegation’s visit, which came just days after al-Azhar, Egypt’s highest religious body, also voiced condemnation. 

His comments followed…

Saudi Arabia has executed more than 100 foreigners since the beginning of 2025, most of whom were convicted in drug-related cases, according to an AFP tally published on Thursday based on official announcements. The figures were described by international human rights organisations as “horrifying”.

The Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported that “the death penalty was carried out as a disciplinary punishment against the offenders Khalil Qasim Mohammed Omar and…

The Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) on Friday began the first steps of officially handing over its weapons, marking a historic shift that ends over four decades of armed conflict with Turkey.

This development follows a video message from the party’s jailed leader, Abdullah Ocalan, who declared an end to the armed struggle and called for a complete shift towards democratic politics and the rule of law.

The disarmament ceremony was held today near the city of…

Ten Palestinians were reported killed Friday waiting for rations in Gaza, adding to the nearly 800 killed seeking aid in the last six weeks, according to the UN, with Israel’s army saying it issued troops new instructions following the repeated reports of deaths.

Friday’s violence came as negotiators from Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas were locked in indirect talks in Qatar to try to agree on a temporary ceasefire in the more than 21-month conflict.

Israel’s Prime Minister…

Israeli forces were targeting “terrorist infrastructure” in southern Gaza, the military said Friday, after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu voiced hope that an agreement with Hamas could be reached within days for a pause in the 21-month war.

Negotiators from Israel and the Palestinian militant group have been locked in indirect talks in Qatar since Sunday to try to agree a temporary ceasefire.

Netanyahu said a lasting truce could follow, but only if Hamas lays down its arms and is no longer…