
Saudi Defense Ministry Hosts Eighth Meeting of 'Dragon Group' Chiefs of Staff
The meeting was attended by the chiefs of staff and representatives from Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, Kuwait, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, United Kingdom, and the General Secretariat of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).
The meeting was opened by Saudi Chief of General Staff Gen. Fayyad bin Hamed Al-Ruwaili and covered topics of common interest, including counter-terrorism, developments in the Palestinian territories, the need for humanitarian aid access, and regional de-escalation efforts.
The participants stressed the importance of maritime security, ensuring the safety of waterways, and strengthening anti-smuggling and anti-piracy operations.
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Saudi Gazette
an hour ago
- Saudi Gazette
Saudi Arabia and Syria sign pact to promote and protect investment
Saudi Gazette report RIYADH — Saudi Minister of Investment Eng. Khalid Al-Falih and Syrian Minister of Economy and Industry Dr. Mohammad Nidal Al-Shaar have signed an agreement to promote and protect investment between the two countries. The pact was inked on the sidelines of a roundtable meeting that began in Riyadh on Monday morning. Senior Saudi and Syrian officials emphasized that the agreement is the culmination of ongoing efforts to activate strategic partnerships and expand the base of joint investments. It aims to create an attractive legal and investment environment as well as to provide practical frameworks that guarantee investment protection. This would also facilitate the flow of capital, contributing to the development of vital sectors including industry, services, infrastructure, and tourism. Speaking on the occasion, Al-Falih said that the agreement falls within the Kingdom's vision to strengthen its economic partnerships with Arab countries and create promising investment opportunities. He noted that the signing of the agreement with Syria reflects the trend toward sustainable cooperation that supports the stability and prosperity of the region. Al-Shaar considered the signing of the agreement as a qualitative shift in the course of economic relations between Syria and Saudi Arabia, as well as opening up broad horizons for fruitful investment cooperation that achieves mutual benefit and strengthens fraternal ties between the two peoples. He highlighted the importance of the Saudi role in supporting the economic recovery process in Syria. A high-level Syrian delegation, led by Minister Al-Shaar, arrived in Riyadh on an official visit aimed at strengthening economic ties between the two countries. The visit follows the outcomes of last month's Saudi-Syrian Investment Forum, which was held in Damascus under the patronage of Syrian President Ahmad Al-Sharaa and brought together over 100 Saudi companies and 20 Saudi government entities. The forum concluded with the signing of 47 investment agreements in key sectors valued at over SR24 billion.


Asharq Al-Awsat
an hour ago
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Some Palestinians Already Leaving Gaza City Ahead of Israeli Offensive
Fearing an Israeli onslaught could come soon, some Palestinian families began leaving eastern areas of Gaza City, now under constant Israeli bombardment, for points to the west and some explored evacuating further south. Israel's plan to seize control of Gaza City has stirred alarm abroad and at home where tens of thousands of Israelis held some of the largest protests seen since the war began, urging a deal to end the fighting and free the remaining 50 hostages held by Palestinian fighters in Gaza. The planned offensive has spurred Egyptian and Qatari ceasefire mediators to step up efforts in what a source familiar with the talks with Hamas in Cairo said could be "the last-ditch attempt." Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has described Gaza City as Hamas' last bastion. But, with Israel already holding 75% of Gaza, the military has warned that expanding the offensive could endanger hostages still alive and draw troops into protracted and deadly guerrilla warfare. In Gaza City, many Palestinians have also been calling for protests soon to demand an end to a war that has demolished much of the territory and wrought a humanitarian disaster, and for Hamas to intensify talks to avert the Israeli ground offensive. An Israeli armored incursion into Gaza City could see the displacement of hundreds of thousands of people, many of whom have been uprooted multiple times earlier in the war. "The people of Gaza City are like someone who received a death sentence and is awaiting execution," said Tamer Burai, a Gaza City businessman. "I am moving my parents and my family to the south today or tomorrow. I can't risk losing any of them should there be a surprising invasion," he told Reuters via a chat app. A protest is scheduled for Thursday in Gaza City by different unions, and people took to social media platforms vowing to participate, which will raise pressure on Hamas. The last round of indirect ceasefire talks ended in late July in deadlock with the sides trading blame for its collapse. Sources close to the Cairo talks said Egyptian and Qatari mediators had met with leaders of Hamas, allied armed group Islamic Jihad and other factions with little progress reported. Talks will continue on Monday, the sources added. Hamas told mediators it was ready to resume talks about a US-proposed 60-day truce and release of half the hostages, one official, who asked not to be named, told Reuters, but also for a wider deal that would end the war. DIPLOMATIC DEADLOCK Israel says it will agree to cease hostilities if all the hostages are released and Hamas lays down its arms - the latter demand publicly rejected by the group until a Palestinian state is established. Gaps also appear to linger regarding the extent of an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and how humanitarian aid will be delivered around the enclave, where malnutrition is rife and aid groups warn of unfolding famine. On Saturday, the Israeli military said it was preparing to help equip Gazans with tents and other shelter equipment ahead of relocating them from combat zones to the south of the enclave. It did not provide further details on quantities or how long it would take to get the equipment into the enclave. Palestinian economist Mohammad Abu Jayyab said at least 100,000 new tents would be needed to house those heading to central and southern areas of the coastal strip should Israel begin its offensive or the army orders Gaza City's entire population to evacuate. "The existing tents where people are living have worn out, and they wouldn't protect people against rainwater. There are no new tents in Gaza because of the (Israeli) restrictions on aid at the (border) crossings," Abu Jayyab told Reuters. He said some families from Gaza City had begun renting property and shelters in the south and moved in their belongings. "Some people learned from previous experience, and they don't want to be taken by surprise. Also, some think it is better to move earlier to find a space," Abu Jayyab added. The UN humanitarian office said last week 1.35 million people were already in need of emergency shelter items in Gaza. The war began when Hamas-led gunmen stormed across the border into southern Israel on October 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages back to Gaza, according to Israeli tallies. More than 61,000 Palestinians have since been killed in Israel's ensuing air and ground war in Gaza, according to local health officials, with most of the 2.2 million population internally displaced. Five more Palestinians have died of malnutrition and starvation in the past 24 hours, the Gaza health ministry said on Monday, raising the number of people who died of those causes to 263, including 112 children, since the war started. Israel disputed the figures provided by the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory.


Arab News
2 hours ago
- Arab News
Hamas receives new Gaza truce plan: Palestinian official says
CAIRO: Hamas negotiators in Cairo have received a new proposal for a ceasefire in Gaza, a Palestinian official said Monday, with the prime minister of key mediator Qatar also in Egypt to push for a truce. Efforts by mediators Egypt and Qatar, along with the United States, have so far failed to secure a lasting ceasefire in the ongoing war, which over more than 22 months has created a dire humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip. The Palestinian official, speaking to AFP on condition of anonymity, said that the latest proposal from mediators 'is a framework agreement to launch negotiations on a permanent ceasefire,' calling for an initial 60-day truce and hostage release in two batches. The official said that 'Hamas will hold internal consultations among its leadership' and with leaders of other Palestinian factions to review the text. A source from Islamic Jihad, a Palestinian militant faction that has fought alongside Hamas in Gaza, told AFP that the plan involved a 'ceasefire agreement lasting 60 days, during which 10 Israeli hostages would be released alive, along with a number of bodies.' Out of 251 hostages taken during Hamas's October 2023 attack that triggered the war, 49 are still held in Gaza including 27 the Israeli military says are dead. According to the Islamic Jihad source, 'the remaining captives would be released in a second phase, with immediate negotiations to follow for a broader deal' for a permanent end to 'the war and aggression' with international guarantees. The source added that 'all factions are supportive of what was presented' by the Egyptian and Qatari mediators. Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, visiting the Rafah border crossing with Gaza on Monday, said that Qatar's Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani was visiting 'to consolidate our existing common efforts in order to apply maximum pressure on the two sides to reach a deal as soon as possible.' Alluding to the dire humanitarian conditions for the more than two million people living in the Gaza Strip, where UN agencies and aid groups have warned of famine, Abdelatty stressed the urgency of reaching an agreement. 'The current situation on the ground is beyond imagination,' he said. On the ground, Gaza's civil defense agency said Israeli strikes and gunfire across the territory killed at least 11 people on Monday. AFP has contacted the Israeli military for comment. Media restrictions in Gaza and difficulties accessing swaths of the Palestinian territory mean AFP is unable to independently verify the tolls and details provided by the civil defense agency or the Israeli military. Rights group Amnesty International meanwhile accused Israel of enacting a 'deliberate policy' of starvation in Gaza and 'systematically destroying the health, well-being and social fabric of Palestinian life.' Israel, while heavily restricting aid allowed into the Gaza Strip, has repeatedly rejected claims of deliberate starvation. Israel's offensive has killed more than 61,944 Palestinians, most of them civilians, according to figures from the health ministry in Gaza which the United Nations considers reliable.