Author: Gulf News Week

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…

Strike on civilian vehicle by Israeli military in Gaza City marks deadliest violation of eight-day ceasefire with Hamas.Israeli forces have killed 11 members of a Palestinian family in Gaza, the deadliest single violation of the fragile ceasefire since it took effect eight days ago.The attack happened on Friday evening when a tank shell was fired by Israeli forces at a civilian vehicle carrying the Abu Shaaban family in the Zeitoun neighbourhood of Gaza City, according to Gaza’s civil defence.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Trump expects expansion of Abraham accords soon, hopes S Arabia will joinlist 2 of…

The judge ruled NSO caused ‘irreparable harm’ to Meta, but said an earlier award of $168m in damages was ‘excessive’.A United States judge has granted an injunction barring Israeli spyware maker the NSO Group from targeting WhatsApp users, saying the firm’s software causes “direct harm” but slashed an earlier damages award of $168m to just $4m.In a ruling on Friday granting WhatsApp owner Meta an injunction to stop NSO’s spyware from being used in the messaging service, district judge Phyllis Hamilton said the Israeli firm’s “conduct causes irreparable harm”, adding that there was “no dispute that the conduct is ongoing”.Recommended…

Testimonies from released Palestinian prisoners, as well as the condition of bodies handed over, highlight alleged Israeli abuse.Most of the bodies of the more than 100 dead Palestinians Israel released remain unidentified.They were sent back to Gaza with numbers instead of their names, leaving family members of missing Palestinians to pore desperately through pictures of the bodies, hoping to spot their loved ones.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Hamas hands over remains of one more Israeli captive, vows to return restlist 2 of 3Trump says Ukraine war could end ‘quickly’ as he meets Zelenskyylist 3 of 3Gaza aid deliveries…

The French bank said in a statement the ruling is ‘clearly wrong’ and that it plans to appeal.A New York jury has found that French banking giant BNP Paribas’s work in Sudan helped to prop up the regime of former ruler Omar al-Bashir, making it liable for atrocities that took place under his rule.The eight-member jury on Friday sided with three plaintiffs originally from Sudan, awarding a total of $20.75m in damages, after hearing testimony describing horrors committed by Sudanese soldiers and the Popular Defence Forces, the government-linked militia known as the Janjaweed.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of…

Hannibal Gaddafi, youngest son of Muammar Gaddafi, has been held for nearly a decade without trial in Lebanon.A judge in Lebanon has ordered the release on bail and imposed a travel ban on Hannibal Gaddafi, the youngest son of the late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, who has been held for nearly a decade in pre-trial detention.Lebanon’s National News Agency confirmed Gaddafi’s bail ruling on Friday in a case related to the kidnapping and disappearance of revered Lebanese Shia leader Musa al-Sadr in Libya.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Ex-French leader Sarkozy on trial over alleged Gaddafi funds: All…

Palestinian group requests help and heavy machinery to search for bodies still trapped under rubble after Israeli strikes.Hamas has handed over the remains of an additional captive it recovered in the ravaged Gaza Strip, as the Palestinian group urges mediators and the international community to pressure Israel to open border crossings and allow aid in.The armed wing of Hamas, the Qassam Brigades, said in a statement on Friday that its fighters handed over the remains at 11pm local time (20:00 GMT), without elaborating on where the body was retrieved.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Israel’s relentless bombing of…