Hajj begins today and Syria builds national army
There has been more deadly violence near an aid distribution site in Gaza. Syria has recruited half of its planned national army. The Hajj pilgrimage begins today. On this morning's episode of Trending Middle East: At least 27 killed and 90 injured near Gaza aid distribution centre in Rafah UN calls for investigation into Palestinian deaths near Gaza aid site as Israel pushes back Syria has recruited half of planned 200,000-strong army, military sources say Under pressure, Kurdish militia resumes integration talks with Damascus Mapping the global gathering of Hajj This episode features Khaled Yacoub Oweis, Jordan correspondent, and Ali Al Shouk, senior news reporter.
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Khaleej Times
3 hours ago
- Khaleej Times
Dubai: Before realising theft, shop owner gets Dh123,000 worth of stolen products back
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The National
3 hours ago
- The National
Who are the main players in Iraq's upcoming parliamentary elections?
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Badr List It is led by senior politician Hadi Al Amiri, who heads the Badr Brigade, one of the oldest Iran-aligned militias, which dates back to 1980s Iraq-Iran war. Other medium-sized and small militia groups have joined the list in some parts of the country. Like the head of the State of Law Coalition, Mr Al Amiri is running for the first time in years. Al Sadiqoun List This is affiliated to the influential Asaib Ahl Al Haq armed faction led by Shiite cleric Qais Al Khazali. AAH is one of the main backers of Mr Al Sudani's government and its members hold senior government positions. In December 2019, the Treasury Department blacklisted Mr Al Khazali, along with two militia leaders. The National State Forces Alliance The coalition is led by Shiite cleric Ammar Al Hakim. One of his main allies is former prime minister Haider Al Abadi, who oversaw the fight against ISIS from 2014 to the end of 2017 when he announced that the group had been defeated. 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The National
12 hours ago
- The National
No sheep, no flour, no ceasefire: Gaza struggles to celebrate Eid in the shadow of war
Eid Al Adha in Gaza and the streets echo not with celebration, but with heartbreak. The sacred Takbirat (the recitation of 'Allahu akbar') of Eid plays softly through cracked windows and half-destroyed alleys, one of the few remaining signs that the Muslim world's second holiest festival has arrived. There is no traditional Eid Kaak, no laughter of children in new clothes. Open markets are eerily empty. Goods sit on dusty shelves, far beyond the reach of a population crushed by war, displacement and deepening poverty. For many, this Eid is the harshest in memory. With continuing Israeli bombardment, widespread hunger and total economic collapse, Gazans long to the joy that once defined this holiday. Alaa Mohammed, 43, lives in Gaza city in a house that is partially destroyed, but she refuses to let her children face Eid in complete despair. 'There are no materials to make the traditional Kaak for Eid,' she tells The National. 'I decided to make biscuits for my children. Even that wasn't easy. I couldn't find the ingredients, so I used a dietary supplement made from bean butter, something meant to be in the aid packages, but people are selling it in the market.' She mixes it with flour and baking powder and shapes it into biscuits. 'It's better than nothing. At least my children smiled for a moment," she adds. There's no food, no signs, nothing that tells you Eid is here Hala Aboud, Gaza resident Hala Aboud, 40, has not left her home on Nasser Street in Gaza city for three weeks. 'It's not just the Israeli air strikes,' she tells The National. 'It's the chaos everywhere, gunfire in the streets, thieves roaming freely. There is no sense of safety any more.' She says she almost forgot Eid was coming. 'There's no food, no signs, nothing that tells you Eid is here. We eat rice and macaroni when we can find it. Vegetables aren't even available most of the time. I've lived through wars before, but nothing like this.' 'Worst Eid' In Khan Younis, southern Gaza, Doha Ahmad, 30, tries to keep some semblance of celebration for her daughter 'She kept crying, asking me to buy her new clothes for Eid,' Ms Ahmad tells The National. 'But everything is so expensive, I couldn't afford anything. Still, I took her to the market just to look. I ended up buying her just a T-shirt.' Her daughter was happy with it. But for Ms Ahmad, the moment was bittersweet. 'This is the worst Eid. Even last year, during the war, it was better. We could find food. We made cake. This year, we have nothing.' The item that is missing the most from Eid this year is meat – a crucial part of its sacrifice tradition – with no animals to slaughter and no money to buy meat even if it were available. 'I am not a fan of meat, but I feel now that I really miss meat, and I want to eat meat, as we are deprived from it for more than two months,' Ms Aboud says. The war has stripped Eid of any colour or joy. What remains is only survival, a mother making biscuits out of aid supplements, a single T-shirt, or a quiet moment of prayer before another day of struggle begins. 'I will keep being grateful that I didn't lose anyone and I keep praying for their safety, and really feel sad for the people who lost their beloved one, I hope this war ends soon, so people can keep what remains from their lives,' Ms Mohammed says. And yet, under the rubble and loss, Gaza clings to faith. The Takbirat still echo. Mothers still bake what little they can. Children still smile, even if only for a moment. In a land where everything has been taken, resilience is the one thing that still remains. 'We are abandoned and we are alone. All we want now is for the war to end and to rebuild our lives again,' Ms Ahmad says.
