Author: Gulf News Week
United Nations demands the release of its employees after Houthi forces raided a facility and detained staff in Sanaa.Yemen’s Houthi authorities have detained about two dozen United Nations employees after raiding another UN-run facility in the capital Sanaa, the UN has confirmed.Jean Alam, spokesperson for the UN’s resident coordinator in Yemen, said staff were detained inside the compound in the city’s Hada district on Sunday.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Nobel Peace Prize 2025: What are Trump’s credentials, and can he win?list 2 of 3Yemen’s Houthis say military chief killed as Israel claims responsibilitylist 3 of 3LNG tanker…
Hamas maintains it is abiding by ceasefire as 21 Palestinians are killed by Israeli attacks across Gaza on Sunday.Israel’s military has launched a wave of air strikes on southern Gaza as the fragile United States-brokered ceasefire intended to end the two-year war comes under threat.The Israeli army said on Sunday that it was conducting a “massive and extensive wave” of strikes on dozens of targets, just hours after it struck the city of Rafah. It claimed its troops had come under fire from Hamas fighters in the area, a charge the Palestinian group denied.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1…
Restoring education in Gaza is as urgent as humanitarian provision. It can help children begin to recover from trauma.When the ceasefire in Gaza was announced, I experienced a range of mixed emotions. I felt joy that the bombs had finally stopped, but also dread that they could resume at any time. I felt optimistic that we could go back to normal life, but also anxious that this could once again be short-lived.As an English teacher, I hope to see education restored as soon as possible. Education is the only means of reviving hope and helping children start to overcome the…
Although haunted by loss and uncertainty, Palestinians find relief in wedding celebrations and cups of coffee.Deir el-Balah, Gaza — Late on October 8, 2025, while everyone else in the house was asleep, I lay awake scrolling through my phone and journalist chat groups for updates. There were conflicting accounts from the ceasefire talks — of progress, setbacks, hope and doubt.As my phone battery dwindled, I finally drifted off to sleep, stirred occasionally by distant shelling that told me what my phone couldn’t.When I awoke just before dawn on October 9, my wi-fi was dead. I rushed to the roof, searching…
The Shia leader withdrew from the political process three years ago to position his bloc for a powerful return.In a statement last month, Iraqi Shia leader Muqtada al-Sadr said his movement would boycott the November elections, hinting he wants to “change the faces and save Iraq” – reportedly his endgame since he withdrew his bloc from parliament in June 2022.He also took aim at political rivals, the Shia Coordination Framework (SCF), a coalition of Iran-backed parties that became the largest Shia bloc in parliament after he withdrew, accusing them of rocket attacks against his allies.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist…
US State Department claims the Palestinian group is planning an attack against civilians in Gaza ‘in grave violation of the ceasefire’.Hamas has rejected a statement from the United States State Department in which it cited “credible reports” indicating the Palestinian group would imminently violate the ceasefire deal with Israel.In a statement on Sunday, Hamas said the US allegations were false and “fully align with the misleading Israeli propaganda and provide cover for the continuation of the occupation’s crimes and organised aggression” against the Palestinians in Gaza.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Hamas returns bodies of two more captives,…
Israeli settlers and soldiers continue to terrorise Palestinian communities in preparation for annexation.It has been a week since the ceasefire was announced in Gaza. When we heard the news in the occupied West Bank, we celebrated. We felt relief and hope that the genocide is finally over. But we also realised that there is no ceasefire for us.The daily violence we have been subjected to for decades is showing no signs of abating. Since October 7, 2023, the brutality of our occupier has only intensified. Today, life in the West Bank has become almost impossible.Violence, dispossession and paralysisAfter the ceasefire…
Cameroon-flagged tanker issues distress call about 60 nautical miles (110km) south of Yemen’s Ahwar in Gulf of Aden.A ship has caught fire in the Gulf of Aden off Yemen after being struck by a projectile, the British military said, with one report suggesting its crew was preparing to abandon the vessel.The incident on Saturday comes as Yemen’s Houthi rebels have maintained their military campaign of attacking ships through the Red Sea corridor in solidarity with Palestinians under fire in Israel’s genocidal war in Gaza.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Yemen’s Houthis say military chief killed as Israel claims…
Iran also expresses commitment to diplomacy as landmark 10-year nuclear deal with Western powers officially ends.Iran has said it is no longer bound by restrictions on its nuclear programme as a landmark 10-year deal between it and world powers expired, though Tehran reiterated its “commitment to diplomacy”.From now on, “all of the provisions [of the 2015 deal], including the restrictions on the Iranian nuclear programme and the related mechanisms are considered terminated,” Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement on Saturday, the day of the pact’s expiration.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Iranians fear more economic…
Mahmoud Abu Foul, who was taken from northern Gaza, says he lost his sight due to severe torture in an Israeli prison.Mahmoud Abu Foul heard his mother’s voice after eight months in Israeli detention, but could not see her face.A 28-year-old from northern Gaza, Abu Foul was arrested from Kamal Adwan Hospital in Beit Lahiya in late December and imprisoned in Israeli detention facilities, where he says guards tortured and beat him so severely that he lost his sight.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Gaza medics find signs of torture on Palestinian bodies returned by Israellist 2 of…