Latest news with #AlRifai
The National
20-03-2025
- Politics
- The National
Gaza ceasefire gains have been 'reversed', says UN official as aid worker death toll increases
Live updates: Follow the latest on Israel-Gaza Humanitarian gains made during the Gaza ceasefire have been 'reversed', a UN official told The National on Thursday, after deadly air strikes on the war-torn strip earlier this week. Israel resumed its bombing of Gaza this week, killing more than 500 people and breaking a ceasefire deal intended to eventually end the war. The truce, which began on January 19, allowed aid to enter the enclave and displaced families separated by the conflict to reunite and rebury loved ones closer to their homes. 'The gains we made during the ceasefire in supporting survivors have now been reversed,' said Tamara Al Rifai, spokeswoman for the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). Since the first phase ended on March 1, with Israel insisting on an extension and Hamas wanting to move on to the next phase as agreed, Gaza has "been completely sealed off to food, medicine, fuel, cooking gas," she said. Israel blocked the entry of aid shipments to Gaza earlier this month, hours after the first phase of the ceasefire expired. The second phase of the deal would have enabled negotiations for Israel's withdrawal from Gaza and an end to the war. Instead, Israel has renewed its bombing campaign. The strikes have increased hunger and imposed further hardship on the territory where nearly 50,000 Palestinians have been killed and 70 per cent of buildings and roads damaged since the war began in October 2023. 'UNRWA's life-saving activities, especially food distribution and health care, continue against the resurgence of the fighting. Our staff stay and deliver to their community, while knowing the risks they face,' Ms Al Rifai said. The resumption of strikes "is a nightmare for people of Gaza and aid workers," she added. UNRWA workers account for 275 of the 280 UN staff killed over the course of the war, which began in October 2023. UNRWA's chief, Philippe Lazzarini, said on Thursday that UNRWA had lost five of its staff in Gaza since the Israeli bombardment resumed early on Tuesday. "They were teachers, doctors and nurses: serving the most vulnerable," Mr Lazzarini said on X. He said that Israeli bombardment continued from air and sea for the third day in Gaza. "We are fearing that the worst is yet to come given the ongoing ground invasion separating the north from the south," he added. "International law is clear. Civilians – including UN staff and humanitarian workers – must not be targeted," Ms Al Rifai said, calling on the international community to join the UN body in insisting on an investigation into the bombing. "Locations of UN premises, including UNRWA's shelters, are known to parties and are by international law inviolable," she said. She said UNRWA's call is clear: to "protect aid workers, and we need a full investigation and a commission of inquiry to address all violations against the inviolability of UN premises and personnel by all parties".
The National
15-03-2025
- Politics
- The National
ISIS leader killed in Iraq was head of extremist group's global operations
Iraq's security forces and the US-led coalition fighting ISIS have killed the leader of the militant group in Iraq and Syria, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al Sudani said on Friday. Abdullah Al Rifai, also known as Abu Khadija, was 'considered one of the most dangerous terrorists in Iraq and the world', Mr Al Sudani said in a post on X. The US military's Central Command said Al Rifai was killed in an air strike in Iraq's western Anbar province on Thursday, along with another member of the group. He was the 'global ISIS No 2 leader, chief of global operations and the Delegated Committee emir', Centcom said in a post on X that was accompanied by a video showing an air strike on a moving target. 'As the emir of ISIS' most senior decision-making body, Abu Khadija maintained responsibility for operations, logistics, and planning conducted by ISIS globally, and directs a significant portion of finance for the group's global organisation,' Centcom said. 'After the strike, Centcom and Iraqi forces moved to the strike site and found both dead ISIS terrorists. Both terrorists were wearing unexploded suicide vests and had multiple weapons,' it said, and added that Al Rifai's body was identified using a DNA sample collected during a previous raid which he escaped. US President Donald Trump also announced the killing of Al Rifai in a post on his Truth Social platform. 'Today the fugitive leader of ISIS in Iraq was killed,' Mr Trump said. 'He was relentlessly hunted down by our intrepid warfighters. His miserable life was terminated, along with another member of ISIS, in co-ordination with the Iraqi government and the Kurdish Regional Government.' Washington declared Al Rifai a specially designated global terrorist in 2023. ISIS declared a 'caliphate' in 2014 after capturing large parts of Iraq and Syria, beginning a rule marked by atrocities under its extreme interpretation of Sharia. Iraqi forces backed by the US-led coalition and Iraqi militias defeated ISIS in late 2017, although sleeper cells continue to carry out attacks on the army and police in rural areas. The group lost its last territory in Syria two years later but maintains a presence in the country's vast desert. The involvement of the coalition in the operation against Al Rifai comes as Mr Al Sudani faces pressure from Iran-linked Iraqi political and armed groups to order US forces to leave the country. About 2,500 US are in Iraq, which now considers its security forces capable of confronting the threat from ISIS. The US and Iraq announced in late September that the international coalition would end its decade-long military mission in Iraq's federally-administered areas within a year, and by September 2026 in the autonomous Kurdistan region. Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Al Shaibani said on Friday that Damascus was ready to co-operate with Iraq in combating ISIS. 'Syria's security is integral to Iraq's security,' Mr Al Shaibani said at a press conference after meeting Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein during his first visit to Baghdad. Mr Hussein said the two sides had spoken 'in detail about the movements of ISIS, whether on the Syrian-Iraqi border, inside Syria or inside Iraq'.
The National
14-03-2025
- Politics
- The National
Iraqi PM Al Sudani says senior ISIS leader killed
The leader of ISIS in Iraq and Syria, "considered one of the most dangerous terrorists in Iraq and the world", has been killed, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al Sudani said on Friday. Iraqi security forces, together with the US-led coalition fighting the militant group, killed Abdullah Maki Musleh Al Rifai – known as Abu Khadija – Mr Sudani said in a post on X. Al Rifai "held the so-called position of deputy caliph, in addition to serving as the so-called Wali of Iraq and Syria, head of the Authorised Committee, and overseer of external operations offices", he said. Mr Al Sudani did not give any details about how the ISIS leader was killed. A security official told Associated Press that he was killed in an air strike in the western province of Anbar, bordering Syria. The US declared Al Rifai a Specially Designated Global Terrorist in 2023. Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein warned on Sunday that ISIS posed an increasing threat to Iraq, Jordan and Syria. Speaking to reporters after a summit in Jordan, Mr Hussein stressed the need for a joint international and regional effort to counter the extremist group, which seized large areas of Iraq and Syria in 2014. The involvement of the US-led coalition in the operation against Al Rifai comes as Mr Al Sudani faces pressure from Iran-linked Iraqi political and armed groups to order US forces to leave the country.
Sharjah 24
05-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Sharjah 24
16th Sharjah Biennial kicks off February 6
The press conference was held at Bait Al Naboodah in the heart of Sharjah. with the participation of 200 international artists presenting more than 650 artworks. Ismail Al Rifai, stated Sharjah Biennial will include the participation of 200 international artists presenting more than 650 artworks, including 200 new commissions, as Sharjah Biennial is one of the most prominent artistic events in the region. 17 exhibition locations Speaking exclusively to Sharjah 24, Ismail Al Rifai pointed out that 17 exhibition locations have been identified in the Emirate of Sharjah, the Central Region, and the Eastern Region, providing an integrated artistic experience that extends across the various regions of the emirate, with the aim of involving the largest segment of the public and lovers of various arts. A comprehensive programme Al Rifai added that Sharjah Biennial is accompanied by a comprehensive programme of performances, music, and cinematic performances, in addition to educational programmes, workshops, and performances, which consolidates its position as a global platform for artistic experimentation and cultural interaction. Supporting the global art scene Al Rifai called on all those interested in the world of arts to visit the 16th Sharjah Biennial and enjoy the artworks and various programmes it offers, stressing that the event reflects Sharjah's commitment to supporting the global art scene and enhancing cultural dialogue between artists and the public.
