KSrelief Launches 7 Medical Projects in Damascus with Participation of 86 Volunteers
KSrelief Launches 7 Medical Projects in Damascus with Participation of 86 Volunteers
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Asharq Al-Awsat
12 hours ago
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Saudi Arabia: No Diseases or Security Incidents Reported at Hajj
Deputy Governor of the Makkah Region Prince Saud bin Mishaal bin Abdulaziz announced on Thursday that no diseases or security incidents have been reported during this year's Hajj. The pilgrims traveled from the holy city of Makkah to Mina and later to Arafat smoothly and in line with operational plans, he stressed. Their transport was held in record time, he revealed, while the pilgrims enjoyed integrated services provided by all concerned sectors. Prince Saud added: 'God Almighty honored the Saudi leadership, government and people with hosting the holy sites and serving its visitors.' 'This is a major responsibility that obligates us to fulfill with dedication' to meet the aspirations of the visitors, he added. He highlighted the system of services that the Saudi government has provided to the pilgrims that has ensured that they carried out their rituals smoothly and safely. He also highlighted the financial and human resources that have been dedicated to organizing the Hajj. They have been backed by massive projects and plans that are being overseen by Interior Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Naif so that the pilgrims can perform their rituals at ease. Prince Saud called on the pilgrims to respect regulations and instructions because 'your safety is our goal and serving you is our purpose.'
Asharq Al-Awsat
12 hours ago
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Without Meat, Families in Gaza Struggle to Celebrate Eid Al-Adha Holiday
With the Gaza Strip devastated by war and siege, Palestinians struggled Thursday to celebrate one of the most important Islamic holidays. To mark Eid al-Adha — Arabic for the Festival of Sacrifice — Muslims traditionally slaughter a sheep or cow and give away part of the meat to the poor as an act of charity. Then they have a big family meal with sweets. Children get gifts of new clothes. But no fresh meat has entered Gaza for three months. Israel has blocked shipments of food and other aid to pressure Hamas to release hostages taken in the Oct. 7, 2023, attack that started the war. And nearly all the territory's homegrown sheep, cattle and goats are dead after 20 months of Israeli bombardment and ground offensives, said The Associated Press. Some of the little livestock left was on sale at a makeshift pen set up in the vast tent camp of Muwasi in the southern part of Gaza's Mediterranean coast. But no one could afford to buy. A few people came to look at the sheep and goats, along with a cow and a camel. Some kids laughed watching the animals and called out the prayers connected to the holiday. 'I can't even buy bread. No meat, no vegetables,' said Abdel Rahman Madi. 'The prices are astronomical.' But prices for everything have soared amid the blockade, which was only slightly eased two weeks ago. Meat and most fresh fruits and vegetables disappeared from the markets weeks ago. At a street market in the nearby city of Khan Younis, some stalls had stuffed sheep toys and other holiday knickknacks and old clothes. But most people left without buying any gifts after seeing the prices. 'Before, there was an Eid atmosphere, the children were happy ... Now with the blockade, there's no flour, no clothes, no joy,' said Hala Abu Nqeira, a woman looking through the market. 'We just go to find flour for our children. We go out every day looking for flour at a reasonable price, but we find it at unbelievable prices.' Israel's campaign against Hamas has almost entirely destroyed Gaza's ability to feed itself. The UN says 96% of the livestock and 99% of the poultry are dead. More than 95% of Gaza's prewar cropland is unusable, either too damaged or inaccessible inside Israeli military zones, according to a land survey published this week by the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization. Israel barred all food and other supplies from entering Gaza for more than two months. It eased the blockade two weeks ago to allow a trickle of aid trucks in for the UN to distribute. The trucks have brought in some food items, mainly flour. But the UN says it has struggled to delivery much of the incoming aid because of looting or Israeli military restrictions. Almost the entire population of more than 2 million people have been driven from their homes, and most have had to move multiple times to escape Israeli offensives. Rasha Abu Souleyma said she recently slipped back to her home in Rafah — from which her family had fled to take refuge in Khan Younis — to find some possessions she'd left behind. She came back with some clothes, pink plastic sunglasses and bracelets that she gave to her two daughters as Eid gifts. 'I can't buy them clothes or anything,' the 38-year-old said. 'I used to bring meat in Eid so they would be happy, but now we can't bring meat, and I can't even feed the girls with bread.' Near her, a group of children played on makeshift swings made of knotted and looped ropes. Karima Nejelli, a displaced woman from Rafah, pointed out that people in Gaza had now marked both Eid al-Adha and the other main Islamic holiday, Eid al-Fitr, two times each under the war. 'During these four Eids, we as Palestinians did not see any kind of joy, no sacrifice, no cookies, no buying Eid clothes or anything.'
Arab News
a day ago
- Arab News
Syria ‘will give UN inspectors immediate access to suspected former nuclear sites'
DAMASCUS: Syria's new government has agreed to give inspectors from the UN's nuclear watchdog access to suspected former nuclear sites immediately, the agency's head said. The International Atomic Energy Agency's director general, Rafael Mariano Grossi, spoke in an interview in Damascus, where he met with President Ahmad Al-Sharaa and other officials. He also said Al-Sharaa expressed an interest in pursuing nuclear energy for Syria in the future, adding, 'Why not?' The agency's aim is 'to bring total clarity over certain activities that took place in the past that were, in the judgment of the agency, probably related to nuclear weapons,' Grossi said. He described the new government as 'committed to opening up to the world, to international cooperation' and said he is hopeful of finishing the inspection process within months. An IAEA team in 2024 visited some sites of interest while former President Bashar Assad was still in power. Since the fall of Assad in December, the IAEA has been seeking to restore access to sites associated with Syria's nuclear program. Syria under Assad is believed to have operated an extensive clandestine nuclear program, which included an undeclared nuclear reactor built by North Korea in eastern Deir Ezzor province. The IAEA described the reactor as being 'not configured to produce electricity' — raising the concern that Damascus sought a nuclear weapon there by producing weapons-grade plutonium. The reactor site only became public knowledge after Israel, the Middle East's only nuclear power, launched airstrikes in 2007, destroying the facility. Syria later leveled the site and never responded fully to the IAEA's questions. Grossi said inspectors plan to return to the reactor in Deir Ezzor and three other related sites. Other sites under IAEA safeguards include a miniature neutron source reactor in Damascus and a facility in Homs that can process yellow-cake uranium. 'We are trying to narrow down the focus to those or that one that could be of a real interest,' he said. While there are no indications that there have been releases of radiation from the sites, he said, the watchdog is concerned that 'enriched uranium can be lying somewhere and could be reused, could be smuggled, could be trafficked.' He said Al-Sharaa had shown a 'very positive disposition to talk to us and to allow us to carry out the activities we need to.' Apart from resuming inspections, Grossi said the IAEA is prepared to transfer equipment for nuclear medicine and to help rebuild the radiotherapy, nuclear medicine, and oncology infrastructure in a health system severely weakened by nearly 14 years of civil war. 'And the president has expressed to me he's interested in exploring, in the future, nuclear energy as well,' Grossi said. Grossi said Syria would most likely be looking into small modular reactors, which are cheaper and easier to deploy than traditional large ones. Regarding the ongoing negotiations between the US and Iran for a deal over Tehran's nuclear program, Grossi said he has been in 'constant contact' with the parties. 'They are negotiating; it's not us, but it is obvious that the IAEA will have to be the guarantor of whichever agreement they come to,' he said.
