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Al-Ahram Weekly
27-07-2025
- Politics
- Al-Ahram Weekly
Germany's Merz calls on Israel to provide aid to Gaza's starving population - War on Gaza
Germany's chancellor on Sunday called on Israel's prime minister to quickly provide aid to "starving" Palestinians in Gaza, in a phone call between the two leaders. Chancellor Friedrich Merz "expressed his deep concern about the catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza," said a government statement. "He called on Prime Minister (Benjamin) Netanyahu to do everything in his power to achieve an immediate ceasefire. He urged him to provide the starving civilian population in Gaza with urgently needed humanitarian aid now. This aid must reach the civilian population quickly, safely, and in the required quantities." Israel's war on Gaza -- described as genocide by several prominent genocide scholars and numerous aid organisations -- has killed at least 59,821 Palestinians and injured more than 144,851, the majority of them women and children. The war has been compounded by Israel's blockade on the entry of all humanitarian aid, including food, which has persisted for nearly five months since it was imposed on 2 March. Israeli occupation forces have killed over 1,000 Palestinians attempting to access food aid in Gaza since a US-Israeli so-called humanitarian foundation, began operations in late May, according to the UN. The UN and NGOs on the ground have decried the severe scarcity facing Gaza's 2.4 million people, with shortages of food, clean water, medicine and fuel. More than 100 aid organisations have already warned that "mass starvation" was spreading across the Palestinian territory. Germany, seeking to atone for the Holocaust, has long been one of Israel's most steadfast supporters. It is one of the biggest suppliers of weapons to Israel, providing about 30% of Israel's arms imports between 2019 and 2023, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). It ranks second only to the United States, which accounted for over two-thirds (69%) of all arms sold to Israel from abroad during the same period. Last year, Germany's arms sales to Israel were worth €326.5m ($361m) -- a tenfold increase compared with 2022 -- with the majority of export licences granted after the war on Gaza began in October 2023, according to Germany's federal government. But as the civilian toll and humanitarian crisis in Gaza have worsened, Germany has recently intensified its subtle criticism of its ally. The German government has stated that it regards recognition of a Palestinian state as "one of the final steps on the path to achieving a two-state solution." *This story was edited by Ahram Online. Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:
Leaders
19-07-2025
- Politics
- Leaders
Syria Declares Immediate Ceasefire, Forces Start Deploying in Sweida
The Syrian Presidency on Saturday announced a comprehensive and immediate ceasefire across the country, following days of deadly clashes in the southern province of Sweida, reported Syria's state news agency SANA. The agreement comes as part of a commitment to prevent the bloodshed of the Syrians, preserve the unity and territorial integrity of Syria. Nationwide Ceasefire In the light of this, the Syrian Presidency urged 'all citizens to pave the way for the Syrian State, its institutions and forces, to apply that ceasefire with responsibility, in a way that ensures stabilization and stop the bloodshed.' Moreover, it urged all parties to 'fully commit to the agreement, immediately stop all hostilities across all regions and ensure the safety of civilians.' It warned against any violation of the ceasefire, which would be met with 'legal actions in accordance with the Constitution and applicable laws.' Forces Deployment With regards to this, the Syrian security forces have begun deployment in many areas to 'ensure the implementation of the ceasefire, maintain public order, and ensure the protection of citizens and their property.' The agreement followed days of fierce clashes in Sweida, involving Druze armed groups, Bedouin tribes and government forces. It also came shortly after a US-announced ceasefire agreement between the Syrian government and Israel. 'Israeli Prime Minister (Benjamin) Netanyahu and Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, supported by the USA, have agreed to a ceasefire embraced by Türkiye, Jordan and its neighbors,' the US Special Envoy for Syria, Tom Barrack, posted on X. Reaffirming Syrian Unity In a televised address, the Syrian Transitional President, Ahmed Al-Sharaa, said that Sweida's events marked a 'dangerous turning point' and could have spiraled out of control if the state did not intervene to quell the situation. 'The Syrian State has managed to calm the situation despite difficult circumstances, but the Israeli intervention has pushed the country into a dangerous phase that poses threat to its stability,' Al-Sharaa said. He added that 'American and Arab mediators intervened in an attempt to calm the situation,' following Israeli strikes on Damascus. Furthermore, Al-Sharaa emphasized that Sweida province 'remains an integral part of the Syrian State, and the Druze community is a fundamental pillar of the Syrian national fabric.' Short link : Post Views: 8
Evening Standard
12-07-2025
- Politics
- Evening Standard
‘Stop the excuses' and recognise state of Palestine, SNP tells UK government
'If after this week Westminster stays sitting on its hands and fails to use the power it has to act, then they will be totally complicit in giving the (Benjamin) Netanyahu government impunity to commit week upon week of slaughter, even deadlier than the one Palestinians have just suffered.'
The Sun
15-06-2025
- Politics
- The Sun
Two Iranian drones shot down in Iraq by international coalition: officials
BAGHDAD: Two drones launched from Iran towards Israel were shot down over Iraq by the US-led international coalition to defeat the Islamic State group, two Iraqi military officials told AFP on Sunday. 'The international coalition at Ain al-Asad (military base) shot down two Iranian drones that were en route to Israel,' one official said, referring to an Iraqi airbase housing foreign troops in western Iraq. The drones were shot down overnight Saturday to Sunday, he added, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the matter. The other official said the drones were targeted because they entered the defensive perimeter of the anti-jihadist coalition, where troops are instructed to engage any potential threat. Israel on Friday launched unprecedented strikes on Iran, hitting military and nuclear sites as well as residential areas. In response, the Islamic republic has fired hundreds of drones and ballistic missiles at Israel. Several missiles and drones have fallen in Iraqi territory, mostly in the desert, without causing casualties. An 'explosive drone' was shot down by the coalition at Ain al-Asad on Friday, according to an Iraqi official. The government in Baghdad is a close ally of Tehran, but also a strategic partner of Iran's arch-foe the United States, which has some 2,500 troops in Iraq as part of the anti-jihadist coalition. Baghdad and Washington have agreed on a timetable for the gradual withdrawal of the coalition's forces. By September, the troops are scheduled to leave bases in federal Iraq -- including Ain al-Asad -- and by the end of 2026, they are set to withdraw from the autonomous Kurdistan region in northern Iraq. Influential Iraqi armed group Kataeb Hezbollah on Sunday warned the United States about direct involvement in Israel's attack on Iran. 'The Islamic republic needs no military support from anyone to repel the criminal Zionist entity -- it has the men and capabilities to put (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu in the dust,' it said in a statement. 'We are closely monitoring the movements of the American enemy's army. If America intervenes in the war, we will act directly and without hesitation against its interests and bases throughout the region.'
L'Orient-Le Jour
06-05-2025
- Politics
- L'Orient-Le Jour
Hamas says new cease-fire negotiations not satisfactory
Hamas said Tuesday that negotiations for a truce in Gaza were no longer of interest at this stage and called on the world to put pressure on Israel to stop "the hunger war," following Israel's announcement of a "conquest" plan for the Palestinian territory. "There is no point in engaging in negotiations or examining new ceasefire proposals as long as the hunger war and extermination war continue in the Gaza Strip," said Bassem Naïm, a member of the political bureau of the Palestinian Islamist movement, to AFP. "The world must put pressure on the government (of Benjamin) Netanyahu to end the crimes of hunger, thirst, and killings" in Gaza, he added. These statements come after the Israeli government announced a new military campaign on Monday that plans for the "conquest" of the Gaza Strip and a massive displacement of its population within the territory. "The operation includes a large-scale attack" and "the displacement of most of the Gaza Strip's population" out of combat zones, said Brigadier General Effi Defrin, an army spokesperson, on Monday. France "firmly" condemned this plan on Tuesday. Its foreign minister, Jean-Noël Barrot, asserted that the Israeli government was "in violation of humanitarian law." China "opposes the continuation of Israeli military operations in Gaza," reacted a spokesperson for the Chinese foreign ministry. The day before, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he was "alarmed" by the Israeli plan. "Strong explosion" The Gaza Strip, where nearly all of the 2.4 million inhabitants have already been displaced, often multiple times since the start of the war, has been under a tight blockade by Israel since March 2 and is facing a severe humanitarian crisis. The civil defense spokesperson in Gaza, Mahmoud Bassal, stated Tuesday that at least three Palestinians, including a young girl, were killed following Israeli bombings at dawn in different areas of the Gaza Strip. "We were awakened at a quarter past one in the morning by a very strong explosion. Everything was covered in dust (...), we couldn't see anything. We couldn't help the injured," said Moaz Hamdan to AFP, who lost family members in a strike in Nusseirat (center). The Israeli army resumed its offensive on the territory on March 18, ending a two-month truce with Hamas. The declared objective of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government remains to "defeat" the Islamist movement, which triggered the war with its unprecedented attack on October 7, 2023, against Israel, and to "bring back the hostages" taken that day. "End the war" In Israel, the army has called up tens of thousands of reservists, but a senior security official said Monday there remained a "window" for negotiations to release the hostages until the end of U.S. President Donald Trump's visit to the Middle East. This visit is scheduled for May 13 to 16. Israeli President Isaac Herzog said Tuesday that "all parties should make additional efforts (...) to see our hostages return immediately," according to a statement from his office. Hundreds of Israelis protested Monday in front of the Knesset in Jerusalem during the opening of a parliamentary session to express their opposition to the government's new plan. "If we want to free the hostages, we must end the war now, ensure their release, and then Hamas will give us a thousand reasons to fight again," Yaya Fink, one of the protest organizers, told AFP. The attack on October 7, 2023, resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people on the Israeli side, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official data. Of the 251 abducted, 58 are still held in Gaza, of whom 34 have been declared dead by the Israeli army. Hamas is also holding the remains of an Israeli soldier killed in a previous war in Gaza in 2014. The Israeli retaliation campaign has resulted in at least 52,567 deaths in Gaza, mostly civilians, according to data from the Hamas government's health ministry, deemed reliable by the U.N.
