Twenty-one die after gas firing at Gaza aid distribution point
Israeli army again orders forcible eviction of displaced Palestinians
Israeli minister calls for 'elimination' of Syrian President
At least 58,479 Palestinians killed and 139,355 wounded since Gaza war began
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Zawya
30 minutes ago
- Zawya
Egypt quarterly current account deficit eases to $2.1bln on higher remittances
DUBAI: Egypt's current account deficit narrowed to $2.1 billion in January to March 2025 from $7.5 billion in the same period a year earlier, the central bank said on Tuesday. The central bank attributed the slimmer deficit to the increase in remittances from Egyptians working abroad, as well as a rise in the services surplus due to higher tourism revenue. Oil exports declined to $1.2 billion, from $1.4 in the year earlier, while imports of oil products rose to $4.8 from $3.4 billion. Egypt has sought to import more fuel oil and liquefied natural gas this year to meet its power demands after disruptions to gas supply led to blackouts over the last two years. Concerns over supplies increased after the pipeline supply of natural gas from Israel to Egypt decreased during Israel's air war with Iran last month. Revenues from the Suez Canal, declined to $0.8 billion in the third quarter of the country's financial year, from $1 billion the same time a year ago, as Yemeni Houthis' attacks on ships in the Red Sea continued to cause disruption. The Iran-aligned group says it attacks ships linked to Israel in support of Palestinians in Gaza. Meanwhile, Egypt's tourism revenues reached $3.8 billion, compared to $3.1 billion in the same period in 2023/24. Remittances from Egyptians working abroad increased to $9.3 billion, from $5.1 billion. The increase in remittances has helped to reduce the wider trade deficit. Foreign direct investment hit $3.8 billion, compared to $18.2 billion in the same quarter a year before. Egypt has suffered an economic crisis exacerbated by a foreign currency shortage, which forced it to undergo economic reforms under an $8 billion IMF programme that included allowing its pound to depreciate sharply last year. (Reporting by Ahmed Elimam and Tala Ramadan, Writing by Jaidaa Taha, Editing by Louise Heavens, Bernadette Baum and Barbara Lewis)
The National
an hour ago
- The National
Starvation in Gaza and Israeli army attacks Syria
Starvation is on the rise in the Gaza Strip. The Israeli army launched a drone strike against pro-government troops in southern Syria on Tuesday, sources in Jordan said. Iran is saying it will not abandon its nuclear programme, including uranium enrichment. On today's episode of Trending Middle East: Children starve to death in Gaza as doctors faint from hunger amid Israeli aid blockade Four children among 15 dead due to starvation in Gaza Israeli army resumes strikes on southern Syria Europe takes snapback leverage to Iran talks in Istanbul This episode features Rakan Abdelrahman, Correspondent; and Khaled Yacoub Oweis, Jordan Correspondent. Editor's note: We want to hear from you! Help us improve our podcasts by taking our 2-minute listener survey. Click here.
The National
2 hours ago
- The National
The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation is a deadly shambles - it's time for a real aid effort
When it was first established, in February, the main selling point of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) was that it was the best of bad options. The foundation's masterminds, Israel and the US, argued using private security contractors to hand out aid parcels from stations inside Israeli military zones would be safer and prevent them from being intercepted by Hamas. Global aid organisations condemned the plan for flying in the face of international law and humanitarian principles. But Israel's government had already banned UNRWA, the UN relief agency for Palestinians, from operating inside Gaza, and either restricted the entrance of aid groups to scale their operations or stopped them altogether. For Gaza's two million civilians, suffering one of the world's most acute humanitarian crises, the only available alternative to the GHF experiment was certain mass starvation. The experiment has failed. Since the GHF sites opened, more than 700 Palestinians have been killed approaching them or waiting in the queue – many of them, if not most, allegedly by the Israeli military. Some of the deaths have been attributed to stampedes, others to Hamas fighters and several to GHF security contractors themselves. The experiment has failed Some GHF contractors have come forward to the international media, which is barred by Israel's military from reporting freely in Gaza, to speak out about some of their colleagues' alleged conduct. The most appalling allegations describe behaviour that, if proved, would be criminal – treating guard towers at aid sites more like snipers' nests from which to pick off vulnerable Palestinians. In a statement on Monday, Philippe Lazzarini, UNRWA's Commissioner-General, described the GHF sites as "a sadistic death trap". Incidents at GHF sites reflect a broader pattern of Palestinian civilians being targeted near aid delivery points throughout Gaza. The bloodiest yet occurred on Sunday, when 93 people were allegedly killed by the Israeli military while approaching a food bank near Gaza City. One eyewitness told The National Israeli forces fired 'from all directions' as civilians approached an aid lorry with their hands raised. The GHF says shooting incidents at its sites, for which it denies responsibility, should not overshadow the organisation's work. It claims to have delivered as many as half a million meals a day. Even this figure, however, is underwhelming in comparison to the UN-backed meal delivery system, which delivered just over one million meals a day through a network of 180 kitchens in April, before new access restrictions imposed by Israeli authorities cut this figure down by 70 per cent. Denying access to food, whether through restrictions or terrorising people queueing for aid, is a war crime – a point that has been made repeatedly by Michael Fakhri, the UN's special rapporteur on the right to food. Twenty-eight countries, including Britain and France, have now condemned Israel's aid policy as dangerous and destabilising. On Sunday, talks began in Cairo and Doha between Israel, the US and several Arab countries on resuming aid airdrops to Gaza – an imperfect but far safer delivery method than the one in place now. In truth, the UN system for aid delivery, designed and implemented by seasoned humanitarians with global funding and oversight, is the only truly effective and morally acceptable one. Allowing Israel to set the terms for aid distribution has achieved little other than bolstering a perception that it has no intention of stopping the systematic starvation of Palestinians.
