Latest news with #Abed
Al-Ahram Weekly
12 hours ago
- Health
- Al-Ahram Weekly
Israel kills 27 in Gaza as Hamas is reviewing new US ceasefire proposal - War on Gaza
Israeli airstrikes killed at least 27 people in the Gaza Strip, hospital officials said Friday, while Hamas was reviewing a new Israeli-approved US ceasefire proposal after giving it an initial response. A strike that hit a tent in the southern city of Khan Younis killed 13, including eight children, hospital officials said. Meanwhile, the bodies of 12 people, including three women, were brought to Shifa Hospital on Friday from the nearby Jabaliya refugee camp. The Palestinian Red Crescent Society said the bodies of two others were brought to a hospital in Gaza City. Those figure does not include some hospitals in the north, which are largely cut off due to the Israeli occuption forces incrusion. Experts say a nearly three-month Israeli blockade of Gaza — slightly eased in recent days — has pushed the population of roughly 2 million Palestinians to the brink of famine. Gaza is "the hungriest place on Earth", the United Nations said Friday, warning that the Palestinian territory's entire population was now at risk of famine. Later, the UN condemned the "looting of large quantities of medical equipment" and other supplies "intended for malnourished children" from one of its Gaza warehouses by armed individuals. Some Gaza residents said their hope for a ceasefire is tempered by repeated disappointment over negotiations that failed to deliver a lasting deal. "This is the war of starvation, death, siege and long lines for food and toilets,' Mohammed Abed told The Associated Press in the central Gaza city of Deir al-Balah. 'This war is the 2025 nightmare, 2024 nightmare and 2023 nightmare.' Abed said he and his family struggle to find food, waiting three hours to get a small amount of rice and eating only one meal daily. Negotiations to end nearly 20 months of war have so far failed to achieve a breakthrough, with Israel resuming its war in Gaza in March, ending a six-week truce. US President Donald Trump's Mideast envoy had expressed optimism this week about brokering an agreement that could halt the Israeli war on Gaza, allow more aid into the besieged strip, and return more of the 58 Israelis held in Gaza. A Hamas official said Thursday that the new US plan fell short of its demands, but that it was still studying the proposal. Hamas political bureau member Bassem Naim said Israel's response meant "the continuation of killing and famine... and does not meet any of our people's demands, foremost among them halting the war and famine. Nonetheless, the movement's leadership is studying the response to the proposal with full national responsibility." In a statement, Hamas said it was "reviewing the proposal responsibly, aiming to achieve the interests of Palestinians, provide humanitarian relief, and secure a permanent ceasefire in Gaza." Israel on Friday said Hamas must accept the deal in Gaza or "be annihilated". Israel's war on Gaza – which the International Court of Justice and human rights groups have characterised as genocidal – has killed more than 54,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children. Thousands more remain missing under the rubble. * This story was edited by Ahram Online. Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:
Hamilton Spectator
a day ago
- Politics
- Hamilton Spectator
Live updates: Hamas is reviewing a ceasefire proposal as Israeli strikes kill at least 14 in Gaza
Israeli airstrikes killed at least 14 people in the Gaza Strip, hospital officials said Friday, while Hamas was reviewing a new Israeli-approved ceasefire proposal after giving it an initial cool response. President Donald Trump's Mideast envoy had expressed optimism this week about brokering an agreement that could halt the Israel-Hamas war, allow more aid into Gaza, and return more of the 58 hostages still held by Hamas, around a third of whom are alive. Experts say a nearly three-month Israeli blockade of Gaza — slightly eased in recent days — has pushed the population of roughly 2 million Palestinians to the brink of famine . Israel's war in Gaza has killed around 54,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children , according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants in its tally. The war began with Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel, which left around 1,200 dead. Here's the latest: Many Palestinians in Gaza trek for hours to secure just 1 meal a day Mohammed Abed said he and his family suffer greatly trying to find food and eat only one meal a day because of shortages. He said he waits for three hours daily to get a small amount of rice. 'It's heartbreaking that people are being starved because of politics. Food and water should not be used for political purposes,' Abed told The Associated Press in the central city of Deir al-Balah. Fuad Muheisen from Deir a-Balah said if charity kitchens shut down 'all of Gaza will die. No one will stay alive.' Mnawar al-Rai said she has been displaced five times with her family and now is settled in Deir al-Balah where they tried to collect aid in recent days but came under fire. She said they have to walk to three or four locations every day to collect a plate of food to feed the children, adding that almost nothing is available in markets because 'merchants are exploiting people.' Palestinians hope a ceasefire ends what they describe as a meaningless nightmare Mohammed Abed said people in central Gaza grow optimistic when they hear that a ceasefire is near, only to be disappointed when a deal is not reached. 'This war has no meaning. This is the war of starvation, death, siege and long lines for food and toilets,' Abed said. 'This war is the 2025 nightmare, 2024 nightmare and 2023 nightmare.' Another Gaza resident Mohammed Mreil said about the possibility of a truce that: 'We want to live and we want them (Israelis) to live. God did not create us to die.' US- and Israeli-backed foundation says it distributed over 2 million meals The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation said Friday it distributed more than 2 million of what it described as meals within four days of starting operations. It said that on Friday it distributed six truckloads of food at one distribution point. Palestinian aid-seekers have described getting basic items like bags of pasta, rice and cans of beans. Hunger and malnutrition have mounted among Gaza's 2.3 million Palestinians since Israel barred entry of food, fuel, medicine and other supplies nearly three months ago, allowing a trickle of aid in only the past two weeks. The GHF has faced criticism by aid groups and Palestinians for a chaotic rollout since it began operations this week. More than a dozen Palestinians described chaos at all three aid hubs on Thursday, with multiple witnesses reporting a free-for-all of people grabbing aid, and they said Israeli troops opened fire to control crowds. The group said that it was committed to safely and effectively supplying food to a 'large, hungry population.' It said it planned to scale and build additional sites — including in the north of Gaza — in the coming weeks and that it was testing and adapting its distribution model to safely deliver as much aid as possible to the greatest number of people. ▶ Read more about chaos at new distribution sites Families of hostages plead with Netanyahu Families of hostages held in Gaza are pleading with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to ensure that any agreement to end the war must include the freedom of all the hostages. There are 58 hostages left in Gaza, of whom Israel believes approximately a third are still alive. Ayelet Samerano, the mother of Yonatan Samerano, whose body is being held in Gaza, was among the family members who met with Netanyahu on Thursday. She said the news that only 10 hostages and several bodies would be released had once again plunged the families into indescribable uncertainty. 'It's again a selection, you know, all the families, we are right now standing and thinking, is it going to be my son? Isn't it? What will be after part of them will come, what will be with the rest?' Israel has accepted a new U.S. proposal for a temporary ceasefire with Hamas, the White House said Thursday, while Hamas has had a cooler response. 'If they (Hamas) want guarantees, we will give them guarantees that after the last hostages will back to Israel, we will stop the war,' Samerano said. 'I'm telling you, Netanyahu, say yes. All our countries say yes, the families say yes. All the families, when we are saying, stop the world and give us the hostages back.' At least 14 killed in Gaza strikes, medics say Hospital officials and paramedics say Israeli airstrikes on the Gaza Strip have killed at least 14 people and wounded others. Officials at Shifa Hospital in northern Gaza said the bodies of 12 people, including three women, were brought Friday from the nearby Jabaliya refugee camp. The Palestinian Red Crescent Society said the bodies of two people as well as nine others who were wounded were taken to Al-Quds Hospital in Gaza City. It said one of the wounded is a doctor who works at the same hospital. Hamas is reviewing a new ceasefire proposal Hamas said Friday it was reviewing a new Israeli-approved ceasefire proposal. The White House said Thursday that Israel accepted a new U.S. proposal for a temporary ceasefire with Hamas. Hamas officials, however, gave the draft a cool response, saying that it seeks to perpetuate Israel's policies of killing and starving people in Gaza. Still, the group said it was going to thoroughly review it. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has refused to end the war until all the hostages are released and Hamas is either destroyed or disarmed and sent into exile. Hamas has said it will only release the remaining hostages for a lasting ceasefire and a full Israeli withdrawal. Netanyahu undergoes a routine colonoscopy Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu underwent a routine colonoscopy on Friday morning in Jerusalem, his office said. The office did not provide further information about whether Netanyahu was moderately sedated or under general anesthesia for the procedure. Netanyahu, 75, underwent successful surgery in December to have his prostate removed. Netanyahu has gone to great lengths to bolster a public image of himself as a healthy, energetic leader, as he manages multiple crises including the war in Gaza and his trial for alleged corruption , despite a series of recent health setbacks.
Irish Independent
7 days ago
- Politics
- Irish Independent
‘There was a target on my back — I had to flee Gaza,' says Palestinian student who became ‘accidental war correspondent'
Abubaker Abed, whose starving family were reduced to eating pet food, feels there is still a threat to his life, even in Ireland Today at 21:30 A young journalist from Gaza who was evacuated from the war-torn territory last month and fled to Ireland believes his life remains under threat because he continues to speak out against the Israeli regime. Abubaker Abed (22), from central Gaza, said he was heartbroken to leave his parents, brothers and sisters behind. He fled at his mother's urging after she told him his presence was putting the entire family in danger. Mr Abed, who described how he became an 'accidental war correspondent', said leaving his family, friends and homeland was the most agonising decision of his life. 'I was evacuated on April 16, very reluctantly. I came to Ireland as a student to finish my education, but the main reason I came here was so that my life might be saved,' he told the Sunday Independent. 'The Israelis had put a target on my back because of the reporting I was involved in. I was reporting on the genocide that's happening in my homeland. 'I was left with no choice but to go. There was a smear campaign against me. I was threatened that I would be killed. 'What changed for me was my mother saying, 'If you stay, this will harm our family'. There was a threat to my life in Gaza. And now, in Ireland, I feel there is still a threat to my life.' Mr Abed said he was working as a sports journalist, covering football, when the war began in Gaza. He soon began writing about it and the impact it was having on people living there. 'The starvation and the bombings, the effects have been devastating. I evolved into a war correspondent because of the situation around me,' he said. He applied and was accepted on to a journalism course in Dublin last year, but declined to leave Gaza until last month. He hopes to start the course in September, having been awarded a scholarship. He previously studied English literature before becoming a sports journalist and commentator. Learn more 'I refused to leave Gaza around 10 times. I wanted to help my people and my homeland. Eventually, I had no choice and I very reluctantly left. It was the most impossible decision,' he said. When he arrived in Ireland, he was malnourished. 'It is the same for all my family. It is the same for everyone in Gaza. Starvation is the big problem at the moment. There is an ongoing starvation being inflicted on the population. All of Gaza is starving,' he said. Mr Abed feels guilt that he is now in a safe country with an abundance of food, water and access to medicine. 'I'm worried about my family all the time. I just hope the genocide ends soon. The renewed media coverage in the West has come too late, but I do have hope,' he said 'I feel very welcome here in Ireland. It is a beautiful country. But it is really hard to be without my family. I still have to recover from the trauma of what happened to me, and that will take time.' Mr Abed recently met Social Democrats TD Rory Hearne to discuss the situation in Gaza. The politician told the Dáil last week: 'Abubaker is only out of Gaza a month. He described [in a podcast] how he had sat down with his family about two or three months ago. They had no food left and had to eat pet food. 'That was the moment when he and his family were completely dehumanised and humiliated. 'He has been broken, like so many people in Gaza. We have a responsibility to act.' I feel Ireland is the Palestine of Europe. War planes, they should not be allowed into Irish airspace. The Occupied Territories Bill needs to be passed Mr Abed said: 'I feel that 95pc of people in Ireland support Palestine, but the Irish Government is not listening to its people. Ireland needs to help persuade Europe that Israel should face sanctions. Silence is complicity. 'I feel that Ireland is the Palestine of Europe. War planes, they should not be allowed into Irish airspace. The Occupied Territories Bill needs to be passed.' A government-revised draft of the Occupied Territories Bill is to be presented to the Cabinet on Tuesday, Tánaiste Simon Harris said last week. Speaking in the Dáil, he said the legislation is being 'well progressed' within the Department of Foreign Affairs. Mr Harris has backed Taoiseach Micheál Martin's call for the immediate suspension of the EU-Israel Association Agreement. The Taoiseach described the continuing bombardment of Gaza as 'an affront to human decency'.
eNCA
18-05-2025
- General
- eNCA
Tunisian 'revolution oasis' palm grove thrives on self-rule
Since the inhabitants of Jemna in southern Tunisia wrested control of their 100-year-old palm grove from the state during the 2011 Revolution, residents say their lives have radically improved. The desert town -- where the palms produce some of the North African country's finest dates -- ejected businessmen tied to the old regime when the uprising toppled longtime ruler Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. Jemna, population around 8,000, has since become a unique grassroots experiment in Tunisian agricultural self-management -- a non-profit project run by a local community to reinvest all benefits locally. Residents founded the Association to Protect the Jemna Oasis (ASOJ) which runs the grove where 57-year-old Abdelbasset Abed works full-time, along with some 50 other people. During harvest season, the 12,000 date palms provide work for 160 people -- 10 times more than before. Two-thirds of these are seasonal workers. "The situation is a lot better than before," said Abed as he cleared away dry branches at the foot of a towering date palm. "I have a stable job." - Visible results - The results are visible beyond the grove itself, with production generating nearly 14 million dinars (roughly $4.5 million) over the past 15 years. A covered market, a sports field, computer labs in schools, scholarships and funds for other groups... the association has created more opportunities in a highly indebted Tunisia where little to no government funding reaches NGOs. AFP | FETHI BELAID "They even help students with financial aid," Abed said of the ASOJ. UTAIM, another local association that works with children who have disabilities, has had a constant source of income after ASOJ donated 50 palm trees to it. "They gave us a stable source of revenue," UTAIM director Halima Ben Othman told AFP. The local cemetery has also been revamped using income generated by the town's surrounding palm trees. It now has a separation wall and a seating area for people visiting the graves of those buried there. "Even the dead benefit," smiled Tahar Ettahri, the head of ASOJ. Such gains did not come easily, however, and now locals are saying they have to fight to preserve their economic self-rule. Two days before Ben Ali fled the country in early 2011, locals occupied the palm grove that had been leased cheaply to two well-connected businessmen. - Peaceful sit-in - "The young people of Jemna decided to reclaim their ancestors' land," which Ettahri said had a history of being plundered since French colonial rule. When the regional governor sent armoured vehicles and deployed security forces in an attempt to reclaim the grove, residents staged a three-month peaceful sit-in. AFP | FETHI BELAID Meanwhile, they had to keep producing the dates. So local trade unionists, activists, and ordinary citizens formed a coalition, and a community fundraiser gathered some 34,000 dinars (about $10,000) from more than 800 contributors to fund the project at its onset. "We came together with the goal of improving the well-being of our community," Ettahri said. "We came from different ideological backgrounds, but our shared interest in Jemna united us. Maybe that's why we succeeded." In his book "Jemna, the Revolution Oasis", sociologist Mohamed Kerrou called it a unique legacy of the ideals that sparked the Arab Spring. Ettahri said this stemmed from a sharp sense of social justice and a propensity for the common good. The town has a public space -- the "Jemna Agora" -- where people are handed a microphone and speak freely to discuss a problem or to propose projects for locals to put to a vote. - Sorting plant - Despite being a success, with revenues of 1.8 million dinars (about $592,000) by the fourth year of self-management, Jemna has had to battle post-revolution governments in order to preserve its model. Now, 15 years later, Ettahri said residents were still waiting to "settle the issue legally with the state". The former unionist and teacher said this was not a fight against the authorities -- the residents asked to lease the grove, and were ready to pay 15 years in back rent. To comply with a decree from President Kais Saied establishing "citizen's enterprises", which cited Jemna as an example, the ASOJ has formed a "community company". It has 334 members -- far more than the required 50-member minimum -- and all of them insist on voluntary status, another unique aspect among such enterprises, Ettahri said. "It's a lot of members, but the idea is to sociologically represent everyone," Ettahri said. The group now aims to launch a plant to sort and package dates locally, providing year-round employment for 100 women. Ettahri, 72, is a grandfather of seven and has taken a step back from day-to-day date production. He still heads the ASOJ, but more as a lookout to warn of potential problems ahead. By Francoise Kadri
New Straits Times
18-05-2025
- General
- New Straits Times
Tunisian 'revolution oasis' palm grove thrives on self-rule
SINCE the inhabitants of Jemna in southern Tunisia wrested control of their 100-year-old palm grove from the state during the 2011 Revolution, residents say their lives have radically improved. The desert town – where the palms produce some of the North African country's finest dates – ejected businessmen tied to the old regime when the uprising toppled longtime ruler Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. Jemna, population around 8,000, has since become a unique grassroots experiment in Tunisian agricultural self-management – a non-profit project run by a local community to reinvest all benefits locally. Residents founded the Association to Protect the Jemna Oasis (ASOJ) which runs the grove where 57-year-old Abdelbasset Abed works full-time, along with some 50 other people. During harvest season, the 12,000 date palms provide work for 160 people – 10 times more than before. Two-thirds of these are seasonal workers. "The situation is a lot better than before," said Abed as he cleared away dry branches at the foot of a towering date palm. "I have a stable job." The results are visible beyond the grove itself, with production generating nearly 14 million dinars (roughly US$4.5 million) over the past 15 years. A covered market, a sports field, computer labs in schools, scholarships and funds for other groups... the association has created more opportunities in a highly indebted Tunisia where little to no government funding reaches NGOs. "They even help students with financial aid," Abed said of the ASOJ. UTAIM, another local association that works with children who have disabilities, has had a constant source of income after ASOJ donated 50 palm trees to it. "They gave us a stable source of revenue," UTAIM director Halima Ben Othman told AFP. The local cemetery has also been revamped using income generated by the town's surrounding palm trees. It now has a separation wall and a seating area for people visiting the graves of those buried there. "Even the dead benefit," smiled Tahar Ettahri, the head of ASOJ. Such gains did not come easily, however, and now locals are saying they have to fight to preserve their economic self-rule. Two days before Ben Ali fled the country in early 2011, locals occupied the palm grove that had been leased cheaply to two well-connected businessmen. "The young people of Jemna decided to reclaim their ancestors' land," which Ettahri said had a history of being plundered since French colonial rule. When the regional governor sent armoured vehicles and deployed security forces in an attempt to reclaim the grove, residents staged a three-month peaceful sit-in. Meanwhile, they had to keep producing the dates. So local trade unionists, activists, and ordinary citizens formed a coalition, and a community fundraiser gathered some 34,000 dinars (about US$10,000) from more than 800 contributors to fund the project at its onset. "We came together with the goal of improving the well-being of our community," Ettahri said. "We came from different ideological backgrounds, but our shared interest in Jemna united us. Maybe that's why we succeeded." In his book "Jemna, the Revolution Oasis", sociologist Mohamed Kerrou called it a unique legacy of the ideals that sparked the Arab Spring. Ettahri said this stemmed from a sharp sense of social justice and a propensity for the common good. The town has a public space – the "Jemna Agora" – where people are handed a microphone and speak freely to discuss a problem or to propose projects for locals to put to a vote. Despite being a success, with revenues of 1.8 million dinars (about US$592,000) by the fourth year of self-management, Jemna has had to battle post-revolution governments in order to preserve its model. Now, 15 years later, Ettahri said residents were still waiting to "settle the issue legally with the state." The former unionist and teacher said this was not a fight against the authorities – the residents asked to lease the grove, and were ready to pay 15 years in back rent. To comply with a decree from President Kais Saied establishing "citizen's enterprises", which cited Jemna as an example, the ASOJ has formed a "community company." It has 334 members – far more than the required 50-member minimum – and all of them insist on voluntary status, another unique aspect among such enterprises, Ettahri said. "It's a lot of members, but the idea is to sociologically represent everyone," Ettahri said. The group now aims to launch a plant to sort and package dates locally, providing year-round employment for 100 women. Ettahri, 72, is a grandfather of seven and has taken a step back from day-to-day date production. He still heads the ASOJ, but more as a lookout to warn of potential problems ahead.
