Author: Gulf News Week

A member of Syria’s internal security forces was killed and three were injured, along with civilians, in Aleppo clashes.The Syrian army and the United States-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have reportedly called a truce in two areas of Aleppo city after a member of the Syrian security forces was killed in an SDF attack on a checkpoint in the city, according to news media.The state-run Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) reported on Tuesday that three members of Syria’s internal security forces and several civilians were also injured in the SDF attacks on checkpoints in the Sheikh Maqsoud and al-Ashrafieh neighbourhoods…

Twin reports from the Costs of War Project find the US has backed Israel with more than $21bn since October 2023.Israel would not have been able to sustain its wars across the Middle East without the United States’s significant financial backing of more than $21bn since October 2023, according to a pair of new reports.The reports, which were released by the Costs of War Project at Brown University, found that: without US weapons and money, Israel wouldn’t have been able to sustain its genocidal war on Gaza, start a war with Iran, or repeatedly bomb Yemen.Recommended Stories list of 3…

Two years after October 7, talks in Egypt could bring an end to the war in Gaza. Inside Israel, divisions are widening, isolation is deepening, and the cost of war is harder to ignore. What does this moment reveal about the country’s shifting sense of itself?Recommended Stories list of 2 itemslist 1 of 2The Take: With Gaza in ruins, will US media name the crime?list 2 of 2The Take: Why did the US government shut down?end of listThe Take is nominated for the Signal Awards in the Best Daily Podcast category. While we wait for the judges’ decisions, you can…

Sources familiar with the mediated talks between Israel and Hamas say that progress was made on Monday, with negotiations to continue.The first day of resumed indirect talks between Israel and Hamas in Egypt ended on a positive note, amid hopes of a potential deal to implement US President Donald Trump’s 20-point plan to end the war on Gaza, multiple sources told media and other media outlets.Negotiators are set to return for more discussions on Tuesday.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Israel deports Greta Thunberg and other Gaza flotilla activistslist 2 of 4A 10-point plan for Israellist 3 of…

Israel-Premier Tech cycling team will drop Israeli ties after multiple protests at the Vuelta a Espana race.The Israel–Premier Tech cycling team will drop its ties to Israel from the 2026 season, following repeated pro-Palestinian protests against it at the recent Vuelta a Espana bike race.The move was announced in a statement on Monday, just weeks after pressure from its sponsors to change its name.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Israeli team out of top Italian cycling race over Gaza war protest concernslist 2 of 3Spanish PM calls for Israel’s ban from sporting events over Gaza genocidelist 3 of…

Election marks landmark moment in country’s post-war transition, but vote is postponed in Druze and Kurdish areas.Syria has published the results of its first parliamentary election since the government of former President Bashar al-Assad was toppled, revealing that most new members of the revamped People’s Assembly are Sunni Muslim and male.Electoral commission spokesperson Nawar Najmeh told a press conference on Monday that only four percent of the 119 members selected in the indirect vote were women and only two Christians were among the winners, sparking concerns about inclusivity and fairness.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Syria’s justice minister…

Advances in AI-generated ‘deepfake’ audio could spell a boom in phone call fraud.Several wealthy Italian businessmen received a surprising phone call earlier this year. The speaker, who sounded just like Defence Minister Guido Crosetto, had a special request: Please send money to help us free kidnapped Italian journalists in the Middle East.But it was not Crosetto at the end of the line. He only learned about the calls when several of the targeted businessmen contacted him about them. It eventually transpired that fraudsters had used artificial intelligence (AI) to fake Crosetto’s voice.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4What…

Here is what needs to happen to put Palestinians and Israelis on the path to peace.On Friday, Hamas sent its response to the “20-point Gaza peace plan” put forward by United States President Donald Trump. Importantly, the Palestinian group agreed to hand over the administration of Gaza to a group of technocrats and free all Israeli captives in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.The US president welcomed the response and told Israel to “immediately stop bombing”. Yet, in the 48 hours after Hamas submitted its response, Israeli attacks killed at least 94 Palestinians in Gaza.While the Trump plan may bring a temporary…

War-weary Palestinians are sceptical yet cautiously hopeful that Trump’s ceasefire plan might ease their suffering.Deir el-Balah, Gaza – A wave of cautious hope spread through Gaza when United States President Donald Trump’s ceasefire plan was announced.Many feared Hamas might reject it, but the group agreed. Yet the short-lived celebrations faded as Israeli bombings continued, leaving residents confused and uncertain about what the deal would actually mean for their lives.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Israel strikes Gaza, killing 24 before Egypt talks on Trump ceasefire planlist 2 of 3I have lost everything, all I have left is hope…

I have sold my last valuable – my engagement ring – to feed my starving child. All I can do now is wait, pray and hope.On Friday, the resistance announced it was accepting a ceasefire plan in Gaza. Some people celebrated in the streets.Whenever a ceasefire proposal is brought up in Gaza, we briefly feel as though a glimmer of hope is glancing at us from a distance. Many no longer have much hope because we are accustomed to elevating our hopes, waiting for the end, and then being struck with a harsh reality that forces us to start over.…