Author: Gulf News Week
Government source says recent Kurdish-led conference ‘dealt blow’ to talks on implementing a March integration deal.Syria’s new government will not take part in planned meetings with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in Paris, Syria’s state news agency has reported, as tensions mount between the two sides.SANA’s report on Saturday cast doubt over an integration deal signed this year by the armed group and Syria’s interim government, which took over after the overthrow of longtime President Bashar al-Assad in December.Quoting an unnamed government source, the news agency said the government wants future negotiations to be held in the Syrian capital,…
Gaza Ministry of Health says at least 39 people killed across Gaza in 24 hours, including 21 seeking aid and 11 from starvation.Israeli attacks have killed at least 39 people, including 21 seeking humanitarian aid and 11 who starved to death, over 24 hours in Gaza, Palestinian health authorities say.Gaza’s Ministry of Health said on Saturday that the total number of malnutrition deaths has reached 212, including 98 children, since Israel launched its war on Gaza in October 2023.Most of the deaths have occurred in recent weeks as Israel continues to impose severe restrictions on aid supplies entering Gaza after…
Deadly explosion at weapons depot comes as army has been dismantling Hezbollah infrastructure in southern Lebanon.At least six Lebanese soldiers have been killed in an explosion as they were inspecting a weapons depot in southern Lebanon, the military has announced.In a statement on Saturday, the Lebanese army said the unit was dismantling the contents of the depot in the Wadi Zibqin area, in the Tyre region, when the explosion occurred. It said other soldiers were injured but did not specify how many.“An investigation is underway to determine the cause of the incident,” the statement said.The Lebanese army has been working…
The Israeli ‘hasbara’ cannot disprove the obvious, but it can obfuscate and exhaust.For more than 21 months, much of the international media danced around the truth about Israel’s war on Gaza. The old newsroom cliche – “if it bleeds, it leads” – seemed to apply, for Western media newsrooms, more to Ukraine than Gaza. When Palestinian civilians were bombed in their homes, when entire families were buried under rubble, coverage came slowly, cautiously and often buried in “both sides” framing.But when the images of starving Palestinian children began to emerge – haunting faces, skeletal limbs, vacant stares – something shifted.…
Israeli army kills at least 36 Palestinians across enclave, as reality of Netanyahu’s Gaza City takeover plan sinks in.Palestinians in Gaza City are facing the prospect of further displacement with a mixture of fear and defiance after Israel announced plans for a military takeover of the largest city in the enclave, where nearly a million people are currently sheltering.The city was thrown into chaos on Friday after Israel’s security cabinet approved plans for the takeover, which would involve the forcible removal of Palestinians already displaced multiple times into concentration zones in the south.“I swear to God that I have faced…
Berlin says it will halt shipments of military equipment that could be used in Gaza after the Israeli security cabinet approved a plan to expand the war.Germany has suspended all military exports to Israel that could be used in Gaza after Israel’s security cabinet approved a plan to take over Gaza City, an escalation in the 22-month war.Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced the decision on Friday, shortly after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office confirmed the security cabinet voted in favour of a plan to seize the largest city in the besieged Palestinian territory.A day earlier, Netanyahu had declared that Israeli…
Israel’s Gaza escalation sparks global outcry, with leaders warning of devastating humanitarian consequences.Israel’s security cabinet has approved a plan to seize control of Gaza City, triggering growing international condemnation, with world leaders warning of dire humanitarian consequences.The plan to take over Gaza’s largest city was announced on Friday, a day after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel intended to take military control of the entire Gaza Strip.Israel’s plan to expand its assault on Gaza is expected to worsen the humanitarian devastation in the besieged enclave, triggering a wave of mass displacement amid a hunger crisis.Here is how the world is…
On a hospital night shift, a medical intern reflects on the hardship, hunger and resilience of women who bring children into the world amid war.It is 2am in the obstetrics and gynaecology emergency department of Assahaba Medical Complex in Gaza City. Through the open windows, I can hear the never-ending hum of drones in the sky above, but aside from that, it is quiet. A breeze flows through the empty hall, granting relief from the heat, and a soft blue glow emanates from the few lights that are on. I am six months into a yearlong internship and 12 hours…
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu suggested earlier this week that Israel will ‘take control of all Gaza’.Israel’s security cabinet has approved Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s proposal to occupy Gaza City, located in the north of the Palestinian enclave, according to news reports.The Israeli Prime Minister’s Office has yet to publicly confirm the plan, which is a major escalation in the war-torn Palestinian territory and was first reported by the news site Axios on Friday.Axios reporter Barak Ravid quoted the prime minister’s office as saying: “The Political-Security Cabinet approved the Prime Minister’s proposal to defeat Hamas. The [Israeli military] will prepare…
The strikes on Lebanon’s east came as its government endorsed a US-backed proposal for Hezbollah’s disarmament.At least six people have been killed and 10 others wounded in two separate Israeli strikes on eastern Lebanon, according to media and government reports, in its latest near-daily violation of a US-brokered November ceasefire in a war with Lebanese group Hezbollah.Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency (NNA), citing a Health Ministry statement, said a strike hit a vehicle on Thursday on the al-Masnaa international road in the Bekaa Valley, killing five people and injuring 10 others.Another drone strike killed a Lebanese civilian in the town…