Let's not forget many thousands still lying beneath rubble in Gaza: H E Sayyid Badr
Muscat – Oman's Foreign Minister, H E Sayyid Badr al Busaidi, has called on the international community to acknowledge the plight of thousands of victims still buried under rubble in Gaza, urging the world to honour their memory.
In a statement on social media platform X, H E Sayyid Badr said, 'Amid the talk of the future of Gaza, let us not forget the many thousands of innocents still lying beneath the rubble. We must honour them, including every woman and child that has lost their lives in vain at the hands of the brutal Israeli forces.'
Salama Maarouf, head of Gaza's Government Media Office, estimated that over 12,000 bodies remain trapped under debris, citing a severe lack of equipment to retrieve them due to Israeli restrictions on the entry of heavy machinery into the besieged enclave.
'Israeli authorities have not allowed the entry of heavy machinery into the Gaza Strip,' Maarouf said at a press conference at Gaza City's Baptist Hospital on Friday. Hamas has acknowledged that it cannot fulfil its earlier promise to return the bodies of Israeli captives killed during bombardments, he added.
H E Sayyid Badr discussed the ongoing crisis with Badr Abdel Aati, Egypt's Minister of Foreign Affairs and Immigration, on Friday.
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Observer
13 hours ago
- Observer
Türkiye slams Israel for intercepting Gaza-bound aid boat
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Observer
20 hours ago
- Observer
Israeli forces seize Gaza aid boat carrying Greta Thunberg
Israeli naval forces boarded and seized a charity vessel that had tried to break a naval blockade of the war-torn Gaza Strip on Monday and the boat with its crew of 12, including activist Greta Thunberg, is now heading to a port in Israel. The British-flagged yacht, Madleen, which is operated by the pro-Palestinian Freedom Flotilla Coalition, was aiming to deliver a symbolic amount of aid to Gaza later on Monday and raise international awareness of the humanitarian crisis there. However, the boat was boarded during the night before it could reach shore, the FFC said on its Telegram account. The Israeli Foreign Ministry later confirmed that it was under Israeli control. "The 'selfie yacht' of the 'celebrities' is safely making its way to the shores of Israel. The passengers are expected to return to their home countries," the ministry wrote on X. All passengers were safe and unharmed, the ministry later added. "They were provided with sandwiches and water. The show is over." Among the 12-strong crew are Swedish climate campaigner Thunberg and Rima Hassan, a French member of the European Parliament. CREW ARRESTED "The crew of the Freedom Flotilla was arrested by the Israeli army in international waters around 2 a.m.," Hassan posted on X. A photograph showed the crew seated on the boat, all wearing life jackets, with their hands in the air. The yacht is carrying a small shipment of humanitarian aid, including rice and baby formula. The Foreign Ministry said it would be taken to Gaza. "The tiny amount of aid that was on the yacht and not consumed by the 'celebrities' will be transferred to Gaza through real humanitarian channels," it wrote. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz ordered the military on Sunday to prevent the Madleen from reaching Gaza, calling the mission a propaganda effort in support of Hamas. Katz said he had instructed that upon the boat's arrival at Ashdod port, the activists will be shown videos of atrocities committed during the October 7, 2023 Hamas-led attack on southern Israel, which triggered the Gaza war . Hamas condemned the seizure of the boat as "state terrorism" and said it salutes its activists. Israel imposed a naval blockade on the coastal enclave after Hamas took control of Gaza in 2007 to stop weapons from reaching the militant group, which is designated as a terrorist organisation by Israel and the West. The blockade has remained in place through multiple conflicts, including the current war, which began when Hamas-led militants rampaged through southern Israel on October 7, 2023, killing more than 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages, by Israeli tallies. Israel's retaliatory offensive against Hamas has since killed more than 54,000 Palestinians, according to health officials in Hamas-run Gaza and left its more than 2 million population largely displaced and at risk of famine, according to the United Nations. The United Nations' special rapporteur on human rights in the Palestinian territories, Francesca Albanese, has supported the FFC operation and on Sunday, urged other boats to challenge the Gaza blockade. "Madleen's journey may have ended, but the mission isn't over. Every Mediterranean port must send boats with aid & solidarity to Gaza," she wrote on X.
Times of Oman
a day ago
- Times of Oman
Killed Hamas leader Mohammed Sinwar's body located
Tel Aviv: The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) today confirmed the body of the Hamas leader Mohammed Sinwar who was killed last month in an air strike has been located. The announcement followed last week's confirmation that he had had been assasinated in a strike on the European hospital in Gaza, May 13, where Sinwar was hiding. Sinwar, aged 49, was the younger brother of Yahya Sinwar, the leader who masterminded the October 7 invasion of Israel, who was killed after being shot by IDF soldiers eight months ago. The siblings were both born - and later killed - in the Khan Yunis area of Gaza. Mohammed was a part of the 2011 negotiations that saw Yahya released as one of 1,027 Palestinian terrorists freed in exchange for captive Israeli Gilad Shalit. At some point in his terror-career history, Mohammed Sinwar was nicknamed "The Shadow" by Israeli intelligence, as he was so elusive. He even skipped his father's funeral to avoid being known to authorities. Despite this, more recently, the Shin Bet were aware of his movements and managed to exact a precision assassination as he hid. A joint Statement by the IDF Spokesperson and Shin Bet (ISA) Spokesperson said: "The body of Mohammad Sinwar, head of the military wing of the Hamas terrorist organization, has been located. "In a targeted operation by IDF and Shin Bet forces in the Southern Command, and after the completion of the identification process, it has been confirmed that the body of Mohammad Sinwar was found in an underground route beneath the European Hospital in Khan Yunis. "Sinwar was eliminated along with Rafah Brigade Commander Mohammad Shabaneh in a joint operation by the IDF and Shin Bet on May 13, 2025, while they were inside an underground command and control complex currently being operated by IDF forces. "During the searches in the underground route, items belonging to Sinwar and Shabaneh were found, along with additional intelligence materials which have been transferred for further investigation. "Additional terrorist bodies were also discovered during the operation; their identities are under examination." IDF footage showed a lifeless figure wrapped in a plastic bodybag being dragged from a tunnel opening underneath the hospital. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz last week praised the IDF and Shin Bet, and sent a stark warning to other potential Hamas leaders. In a public statement he wrote: "Az al-Din al-Haddad in Gaza and Khalil al-Hayya abroad - and all their partners in crime - you're next. "It's now official - the arch-murderer Mohammad Sinwar was eliminated along with Rafah Brigade Commander Mohammad Shabana and the gang of villains who were with them beneath the European Hospital in Gaza, and has been sent to meet his brother at the gates of hell. "Congratulations to the IDF and Shin Bet on the flawless execution. Israel's long arm will reach all those responsible for the murders and atrocities of October 7, wherever they may be - near or far - until their complete elimination. "Az al-Din al-Haddad in Gaza and Khalil al-Hayya abroad - and all their partners in crime - you are next." Az al-Din al-Haddad is the leader of the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades in Gaza City, and Al-Hayya is part of Hamas' leadership and resides in Qatar. Alongside Mohammed Sinwar, Muhammad Shabana, Commander of Hamas' military wing, and senior commander Mahdi Kuwar, were also killed in the strike. At least 1,180 people were killed, and 252 Israelis and foreigners were taken hostage in Hamas's attacks on Israeli communities near the Gaza border on October 7. Of the 55 remaining hostages (including Hadar Goldin, taken before October 7), 32 are believed to be dead.
