A top Taliban official offers amnesty to Afghans who fled the country and urges them to return
A top Taliban official said on Saturday that all Afghans who fled the country after the collapse of the former Western-backed government are free to return home, promising they would not be harmed if they come back.
Taliban Prime Minister Mohammad Hassan Akhund made the amnesty offer in his message for the Islamic holiday of Eid al-Adha , also known as the 'Feast of Sacrifice.'
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Israel kills more than 70 in Gaza, including 16 in bombing family building
Israeli raids across Gaza have killed at least 75 Palestinians, with rescuers scrambling to find dozens of bodies under the rubble after the bombing of a residential building in Gaza City described by the enclave's civil defence as a 'full-fledged massacre'. Palestinian Civil Defence spokesperson Mahmoud Basel told Al Jazeera that the military gave 'no warning, no alert' before Saturday's strike on the house in the Sabra neighbourhood of Gaza City that left at least 16 people dead, including women and children. 'This is truly a full-fledged massacre … a building full of civilians,' said Basel, who added that approximately 85 people were believed to be trapped under the rubble. 'We woke up to the strikes, destruction, yelling, rocks hitting us,' said Hamed Keheel, a displaced Palestinian at the site, noting that the attack had taken place on the second day of the Eid al-Adha festival. 'This is the occupation,' he said. 'Instead of waking up to cheer our children and dress them up to enjoy Eid, we wake up to carry women and children's bodies from under rubble.' Local resident Hassan Alkhor told Al Jazeera that the building belonged to the Abu Sharia family. 'May God hold the Israeli forces and [Israeli Prime Minister] Netanyahu accountable,' he said. The Israeli military said afterwards that it had killed Asaad Abu Sharia, the leader of the Mujahideen Brigades, who it claimed had participated in the October 7 Hamas-led attack on Israel in 2023, according to a report in the Times of Israel published Saturday. Hamas confirmed the killing in a statement shared on Telegram, saying that Abu Sharia's brother, Ahmed Abu Sharia, had also been assassinated in the attack, which it said was 'part of a series of brutal massacres against civilians'.Also on Saturday, Israeli forces killed at least eight Palestinians waiting near an aid distribution site run by the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) in southern Gaza's Rafah, the latest in a series of deadly incidents around the group's operations that have killed 118 people and left others missing in less than two weeks. Gaza resident Samir Abu Hadid told the AFP news agency that thousands of people had gathered at the al-Alam roundabout near the aid site.'As soon as some people tried to advance towards the aid centre, the Israeli [forces] opened fire from armoured vehicles stationed near the centre, firing into the air and then at civilians,' Abu Hadid said. One woman told Al Jazeera her husband had been killed in the attack after going to the aid point to get 'a handful of rice for our starving children'. 'He said he felt he was walking towards death, I begged him not to leave. He insisted to find anything to feed our children,' she said. The GHF, a shadowy United States-backed private group engaged by Israel to distribute aid under the protection of its troops and security contractors, began operations in late May, replacing existing networks run by the United Nations and charities that have worked for decades. Critics say the group does not abide by humanitarian principles of neutrality, claiming that its operations weaponise aid, serving Israel's stated aims of ethnically cleansing large swaths of Gaza and controlling the entire enclave. GHF said on Saturday that it was unable to distribute any humanitarian relief because Hamas issued 'direct threats' against its operations. 'These threats made it impossible to proceed today without putting innocent lives at risk,' it said in a statement. Hamas told the Reuters news agency that it had no knowledge of these 'alleged threats'. The United Nations, which has refused to cooperate with the GHF, has warned that most of Gaza's 2.3 million population is at risk of famine after an 11-week Israeli blockade, with the rate of young children suffering from acute malnutrition nearly tripling. As Israel continued its attacks amid the looming famine, it emerged that health authorities had recorded more than 300 miscarriages over an 80-day period in the enclave. Expectant mothers face an increased risk of miscarriage and premature births, with basic medical supplies such as iron supplements and prenatal vitamins impossible to obtain. 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Iran pushes Islamic unity through high-level regional calls during Eid al-Adha
Iran uses Eid al-Adha diplomacy to strengthen regional ties, project unity, and influence nuclear talks with the US, while tensions with Israel persist. Iran has embarked on a series of high-level phone calls with regional countries during the Eid al-Adha Islamic holiday. The goal is to push for Islamic unity. Iran also wants to use this against Israel. Iran knows that its proxies have been weakened, as evidenced by a recent Israeli airstrike in Beirut targeting a Hezbollah site. Iran is also involved in high-stakes nuclear talks with the US. Iranian state media said on June 7 that Iran's foreign minister reached out to Egypt. This comes just a week after he visited Egypt. 'Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi and his Egyptian counterpart, Badr Abdelatt, held a telephone conversation in which they discussed bilateral ties and regional developments, particularly the situation in Gaza,' Iran's state media IRNA said. 'The two foreign ministers also exchanged Eid al-Adha greetings. Araqchi visited Egypt earlier this week on Monday, where he met with President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, his counterpart, and Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency Rafael Grossi.' The Iranian diplomat also spoke with his Pakistani counterpart, Muhammad Ishaq Dar. They 'discussed bilateral ties, as well as the latest regional and international developments,' IRNA noted. They also spoke about Eid al-Adha. 'During the call, the top Iranian and Pakistani diplomats exchanged views on the continued Israeli aggression against Lebanon and Syria, stressing the need for unity and solidarity among the Islamic Ummah worldwide,' Iran's state media added. 'They also reviewed the latest state of bilateral relations, emphasizing the importance of maintaining high-level consultations to strengthen cooperation between the two neighboring Muslim countries.' Meanwhile, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian reached out to United Arab Emirates leader Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. 'President Masoud Pezeshkian and President of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan have congratulated each other on Eid al-Adha (Feast of Sacrifice) in a telephone conversation on Friday,' IRNA noted. These calls are important. Iran's leadership didn't need to make all these calls for the holiday. Iranian state media is highlighting this to show how Iran has strong diplomatic connections. 'President Pezeshkian expressed his hope that the blessings of Eid al-Adha will pave the way for the spread of peace and ward off war from the region,' in his talks with the UAE. The UAE is a member of the Abraham Accords and a close partner of the US and the West. Iran wants to make sure that Gulf states will stand by it in nuclear talks. This is part of Iran's desire to use its more positive ties with Saudi Arabia to convince the US to do a deal. Gulf countries want a deal; they don't want conflict that could undermine their economies or threaten their place as hubs of travel in the region. Iran spoke to the UAE about the importance of the holiday and Muslim unity. 'Pointing to the need to strengthen unity and convergence among Islamic countries, Pezeshkian prayed to God Almighty for happiness, health, and increasing success for the Muslim people of the United Arab Emirates and the entire Islamic nation,' IRNA added. 'UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, for his part, congratulated the government and noble nation of Iran on the arrival of Eid al-Adha and wished success for the two nations on this auspicious occasion.'
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5 hours ago
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Asian Headlines at 12:42 p.m. GMT
The Taliban leader slams Trump's travel ban on Afghans and calls the US an 'oppressor'
