Latest news with #AbuAmsha
Rudaw Net
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Rudaw Net
UN urges thorough screening of militants joining Syrian army
Also in Syria Syrian president calls Trump's decision to lift sanctions 'brave, historic' Syrian militants continue abuses in north Syria despite integration: HRW Trump meets Syria's Sharaa, urges him to normalize ties with Israel SDF, UN envoy welcome Trump's decision to lift Syria sanctions A+ A- NEW YORK - The United Nations on Wednesday called for proper screening of Syrian National Army (SNA) militants being integrated into Syria's official military structure, with many fighters accused of serious human rights abuses in northern Syria. 'I believe that decisions on integrating forces into the national army should be taken, of course, by the Syrian officials, but they need to take care to make sure that they screen people to make sure that all basic human rights norms and standards are fully observed,' Farhan Haq, deputy spokesperson to the UN Secretary-General, told Rudaw. He was commenting on a Human Rights Watch (HRW) report on Wednesday detailing the continued detention and extortion of civilians by Turkish-backed SNA factions in northern Syria despite their integration into the Syrian state apparatus. 'It's up to the Syrian authorities, as they develop their institutions, to make sure that they have appropriate institutions to ensure accountability, both for the government but also for any abuses committed in the past,' Haq stressed. Syria's new authorities have come under fire, particularly from the Kurds, for appointing militia commanders complicit in serious human rights abuses, particularly Ahmad al-Hayes, better known as Abu Hatem Shaqra, the former leader of the SNA's Ahrar al-Sharqiya, and Mohammad Hussein al-Jassim (Abu Amsha), the notorious commander of the Suleiman Shah Brigade. In 2021, the US sanctioned Hayes, accusing him of serious human rights violations, including trafficking Yazidi women and children, and connections with the Islamic State (ISIS). He is also accused by Syrian Kurds of killing popular Kurdish politician Hevrin Khalaf during Turkey's 2019 military offensive against the Kurdish-led SDF in northern Syria. Washington has also sanctioned Abu Amsha for 'serious human rights abuses' in the Afrin region and for ordering his militants to 'forcibly displace Kurdish residents and seize their property' in northern Syria. According to HRW, hundreds of citizens 'remain detained in SNA-run, Turkish-supervised prisons' despite the removal of most SNA checkpoints in and around the Kurdish city of Afrin in northern Syria.
Observer
13-04-2025
- Health
- Observer
Gaza hospital hit as Israel intensifies assault
GAZA: An Israeli air strike early on Sunday heavily damaged one of the few functioning hospitals in Gaza, with the Israeli military saying it had targeted a Hamas "command and control centre" operating within the facility. Since the outbreak of war, tens of thousands of Gazans have sought refuge in hospitals, many of which have suffered severe damage in the ongoing hostilities. The strike on Al Ahli Hospital in northern Gaza — also known as the Baptist or Ahli Arab Hospital — caused no casualties, but came a day after Israeli forces seized a key corridor in the territory and signalled plans to expand their campaign. It also came as aid agencies and the United Nations warned that medicines and related supplies were rapidly running out in Gaza as casualties surged. "The bombing led to the destruction of the surgery building and the oxygen generation station for the intensive care units," Gaza's civil defence rescue agency said. The strike came "minutes after the (Israeli) army's warning to evacuate this building of patients, the injured and their companions", the agency said. Photographs showed massive slabs of concrete and twisted metal scattered across the site after the strike. The blast left a gaping hole in one of the hospital's buildings, with iron doors torn from their hinges. Onlookers sifted through the rubble, while some retrieved equipment from a media van also damaged in the strike. Iraq's Aletejah TV said one of its live broadcast vehicles was hit by the strike. A separate air strike on Sunday on a vehicle in the central city of Deir Al Balah killed seven people including six brothers, the civil defence agency said. Mahmud Abu Amsha, who witnessed the strike, said those killed were distributing aid. "They do not care about children or people being killed... This aid was being provided to the displaced people," Abu Amsha said. Israel has extended its offensive across much of Gaza. On Saturday, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz announced that the military planned to expand its offensive as it completed the takeover of the "Morag axis" between the southern cities of Rafah and Khan Yunis. The corridor is part of what he called "the Israeli security zone". Patients, relatives and medical personnel evacuated the Al Ahli Hospital in haste following the military's warning. Many found themselves stranded in the surrounding streets. Naela Imad, 42, had been sheltering at the hospital but had to rush out of the complex. The Israeli military asserted that Hamas fighters were operating from inside the hospital compound. Security forces "struck a command and control centre used by Hamas in the Al Ahli Hospital" for planning and executing attacks, the military said. Hamas condemned what it described as a "savage crime" committed by Israel "with blatant US cover and complicity". Qatar, which helped mediate a fragile ceasefire between the warring parties that fell apart last month, also denounced the strike, calling it "a heinous crime against unarmed civilians". Hospitals, protected under international humanitarian law, have repeatedly been hit by Israeli strikes in the Gaza Strip since the start of the war between Israel and the Palestinian groups on October 7, 2023. Al Ahli was heavily damaged by an explosion in its car park on October 17, 2023, leaving multiple fatalities. Aid agencies and the UN say that only a few of Gaza's 36 hospitals remain partially functional. British Foreign Minister David Lammy on Sunday urged Israel to stop carrying out "deplorable attacks" on hospitals in Gaza after an Israeli strike on one of the territory's few functioning hospitals. "Al Ahli Hospital has been attacked repeatedly since the conflict began," Lammy posted on X. "These deplorable attacks must end. Diplomacy not more bloodshed is how we will achieve a lasting peace." Meanwhile, the Palestine Red Crescent Society said on Sunday that a medic who had been missing since an Israeli attack on ambulances in Gaza last month is currently being held by Israeli authorities. "Asaad al Nsasrah is being held by the Israeli occupation authorities. His fate had remained unknown since he was targeted along with other PRCS medics in Rafah," PRCS said in a statement, referring to the attack that left 15 medics and rescuers dead. — AFP
Khaleej Times
13-04-2025
- Health
- Khaleej Times
Gaza hospital heavily damaged as Israel intensifies assault
An Israeli air strike early on Sunday heavily damaged one of the few functioning hospitals in Gaza, with the Israeli military saying it had targeted a Hamas "command and control centre" operating within the facility. Since the outbreak of war, tens of thousands of Gazans have sought refuge in hospitals, many of which have suffered severe damage in the ongoing hostilities. The strike on Al Ahli Hospital in northern Gaza — also known as the Baptist or Ahli Arab Hospital — caused no casualties, but came a day after Israeli forces seized a key corridor in the territory and signalled plans to expand their campaign. It also came as aid agencies and the United Nations warned that medicines and related supplies were rapidly running out in Gaza as casualties surged. "The bombing led to the destruction of the surgery building and the oxygen generation station for the intensive care units," Gaza's civil defence rescue agency said. The strike came "minutes after the (Israeli) army's warning to evacuate this building of patients, the injured and their companions", the agency said. AFP photographs showed massive slabs of concrete and twisted metal scattered across the site after the strike. The blast left a gaping hole in one of the hospital's buildings, with iron doors torn from their hinges. Onlookers sifted through the rubble, while some retrieved equipment from a media van also damaged in the strike. Iraq's pro-Iran Aletejah TV said one of its live broadcast vehicles was hit by the strike. A separate air strike on Sunday on a vehicle in the central city of Deir El Balah killed seven people including six brothers, the civil defence agency said. Mahmud Abu Amsha, who witnessed the strike, said those killed were distributing aid. "They do not care about children or people being killed... This aid was being provided to the displaced people," Abu Amsha told AFP. Patients on streets Israel has extended its offensive across much of Gaza. On Saturday, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz announced that the military planned to expand its offensive as it completed the takeover of the "Morag axis" between the southern cities of Rafah and Khan Yunis. The corridor is part of what he called "the Israeli security zone". Patients, relatives and medical personnel evacuated the Al-Ahli hospital in haste following the military's warning. Many found themselves stranded in the surrounding streets. Naela Imad, 42, had been sheltering at the hospital but had to rush out of the complex. "Just as we reached the hospital gate, they bombed it. It was a massive explosion," she told AFP. "Now, me and my children are out on the street. We've been displaced more than 20 times. The hospital was our last refuge." The Israeli military asserted that Hamas militants were operating from inside the hospital compound. Security forces "struck a command and control centre used by Hamas in the Al Ahli Hospital" for planning and executing attacks, the military said. Hamas condemned what it described as a "savage crime" committed by Israel "with blatant US cover and complicity". Qatar, which helped mediate a fragile ceasefire between the warring parties that fell apart last month, also denounced the strike, calling it "a heinous crime against unarmed civilians". Hospitals targeted Hospitals, protected under international humanitarian law, have repeatedly been hit by Israeli strikes in the Gaza Strip since the start of the war between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas on October 7, 2023. Al Ahli was heavily damaged by an explosion in its car park on October 17, 2023, leaving multiple fatalities. Aid agencies and the UN say that only a few of Gaza's 36 hospitals remain partially functional. The Gaza war broke out after Hamas's October 2023 attack on Israel which resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures. Gaza's health ministry said on Sunday that at least 1,574 Palestinians had been killed since March 18 when the ceasefire collapsed, taking the overall death toll since the war began to 50,944.
Egypt Today
12-04-2025
- Health
- Egypt Today
Egypt's Medical Syndicate Mourns Killing of Egyptian Physician Mahmoud Abu Amsha in Gaza by Israeli Forces
The Egyptian Medical Syndicate has mourned the loss of Egyptian physician Mahmoud Abu Amsha, 27- photo from the Egyptian Medical Syndicate CAIRO – 12 April 2025: The Egyptian Medical Syndicate has mourned the killing of Egyptian physician Mahmoud Abu Amsha, 27, who was martyred in the Gaza Strip by Israeli forces while providing medical care to injured Palestinians amid the ongoing war on the besieged enclave. Since the start of the Israeli assault on October 7, 2023, Dr. Abu Amsha had been moving between hospitals across Gaza—from north to south—performing surgeries and treating the wounded in overcrowded corridors, the Syndicate said in a statement released Friday. Dr. Abu Amsha had volunteered to treat the victims of the war, the Syndicate added, extending its deepest condolences to his family and colleagues in the medical field. The Egyptian Medical Syndicate emphasized that what is happening in Gaza constitutes more than a military operation—it is a crime against humanity being carried out in full view of the international community. The targeting of doctors and medical personnel, it said, is part of a broader pattern of violations occurring amid global silence. 'We condemn this shameful silence, which serves to legitimize the crimes of the occupation. We call for immediate action to lift the siege, protect civilians, and hold those responsible accountable. The blood of Dr. Mahmoud Abu Amsha, and all martyrs of humanity, will remain a testament to this global inaction,' the statement concluded.
Rudaw Net
17-03-2025
- Politics
- Rudaw Net
Notorious militia leader assaults Kurdish citizen in Afrin
Also in Syria Syrian Kurds send aid to Alawite-majority areas hit by violence SDF says nine civilians killed in Kobane airstrike Syria accuses Lebanese Hezbollah of abducting, killing 3 soldiers: SANA Syrian Yazidis reject interim constitution A+ A- ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Mohammad Hussein al-Jassim (Abu Amsha), the notorious commander of the Suleiman Shah Brigade, brutally assaulted a Kurdish civilian in the city of Afrin in northeast Syria for his perceived support of Syrian state security forces, leaving him bedridden with severe injuries, a human rights activist said on Monday. "At exactly 6:00 pm, Abu Amsha, accompanied by about 15 gunmen, brutally assaulted my cousin Ahmed Suleiman Shekho, which resulted in severe injuries. He is now bedridden and unable to move," Mustafa Shekho, a human rights activist and the victim's cousin, told Rudaw. According to Mustafa, the real motive behind the attack was the perceived support of local residents, including his cousin, for Syrian state security forces when they entered the area. 'This provoked Abu Amsha and his armed group, leading them to retaliate against the locals.' 'They also hurled offensive insults at him related to Mazloum Abdi [commander of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces] and Ahmed Al-Sharaa [the interim president of Syria],' Mustafa added. Abu Amsha is the leader of the Turkish-backed Suleiman Shah Brigade, also known as al-Amshat, which is sanctioned by Washington for "serious human rights abuses" in the Afrin region. Turkey launched Operation Olive Branch in March 2018, capturing Afrin from the People's Protection Units - the backbone of the SDF - and placing it under the control of Turkish-backed armed groups, including the Suleiman Shah Brigade. Since then, these groups have operated with significant impunity. Sharaa visited Afrin in mid-February and met with local residents, days after the Syrian security forces effectively entered the city. 'He pledged to remove armed groups and put an end to human rights violations,' a representative of the Kurdish National Council (ENKS/KNC) who attended the meeting told Rudaw at the time. Mustafa emphasized that the family will not drop the case and is determined to seek justice. 'We have reported the assault to the General Security Forces, and they have launched an official investigation.' As part of the inquiry, a delegation from the General Security visited Ahmed's home on Sunday evening to assess his condition. Amshat gunmen reportedly reacted by firing shots, trying to intimidate the locals and obstruct the investigation. In 2023, the US Treasury accused the Suleiman Shah Brigade of subjecting civilians in Afrin to 'abductions and extortion' and targeting Kurdish residents, noting that many people 'are subjected to harassment, abduction, and other abuses until they are forced to abandon their homes or pay large ransoms for return of their property or family members.' Reports by international watchdogs, including Amnesty International and the European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR), documented in 2018 that armed groups committed numerous human rights violations, such as extrajudicial killings, arbitrary arrests, sexual violence, kidnappings, looting of agricultural crops, and extortion.
