Latest news with #Israel-bound
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Is it safe to travel to Egypt? Your rights as Middle East conflict escalates between Israel and Iran
An escalation in conflict between Iran and Israel took place overnight, causing mass flight diversions over Middle East airspace and dozens of cancellations as air strikes surged. Iran launched more than 100 drones towards Israel after pre-dawn strikes by the IDF hit Tehran's nuclear sites and killed top military commanders. Israel said 200 fighter jets took part in strikes on more than 100 targets in Iran overnight in an escalation that threatens to trigger a wider conflict in the Middle East. Egypt has many popular tourist destinations, and while the UK's Foreign Office has warned against travel to some areas of the country, many of the popular holiday hotspots are still considered safe to travel to, with holiday companies and airlines continuing to operate in the country. Israel launched strikes against targets in Iran at around 3am local time (1am UK time), and warned citizens in the country to prepare for a missile attack in retaliation. Iran has fired around 100 drones in response. An Israeli military official said it has intercepted many of these but that some are still Israel-bound. The situation is reported to be under control, the official said. There have so far been no reports of civilian casualties in the strikes, but reports are still emerging from on the ground. Though Israel directly borders Egypt, most of the country's major cities and tourist destinations are a substantial distance away, and so Egypt has avoided much of the Israel-Gaza conflict. Sharm el-Sheikh is the closest destination, though it is still over two-and-a-half hours' drive away from the nearest border town and over five hours away by road from the area around the Gaza border. Cairo, Alexandria, Hurghada and Luxor are even further away. Thousands of passengers from the UK landed in unexpected places due to the sudden closure of airspace in the Middle East. Airlines, including Air India, Emirates and Qatar Airways, diverted their flights last minute after the conflict between Israel and Iran escalated. FlightRadar captured the moment civilian airspace cleared after the strikes began, showing flights rapidly exiting Iranian skies. Some flights cancelled their onward journey mid-flight, while others continued after diversions, creating delays to international flight schedules and causing many passengers flying from the UK to miss connections. Qatar Airways diverted two flights from the UK to Cairo: the overnight departures from Manchester and London Heathrow were also over Turkish airspace when they turned and flew south to the Egyptian capital. They have now refuelled and are continuing their journeys. Cairo Airport has seen a handful of cancellations, while some of its arrivals and many of its departures have been severely delayed, data from FlightRadar shows. Sharm el-Sheikh airport appeared to be less affected, although many of its departures Friday morning were delayed. Under air passengers' rights rules, passengers who begin their journeys in the UK or the European Union are entitled to be flown to their destination as soon as possible. If your cancelled flight is covered by UK law, passengers can choose between getting an alternative flight or receiving a refund if their flight is cancelled. If you received less than 14 days' notice of a cancellation, you may also be able to claim compensation. However, this is unlikely if the cancellation was not the airline's fault. Package holidays are operating as usual. If you have an upcoming trip booked and want to postpone, get in touch with your tour operator or holiday provider; they may offer some flexibility. However, if not, there are currently no grounds for travellers to expect a refund if they cancel, nor to claim the money back through travel insurance, as the UK's Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) has not issued a blanket 'avoid all non-essential travel' advisory for Egypt. If FCDO advice changes to advising against all travel, you can cancel a package holiday without penalty for a full refund. Your travel insurance could be invalidated if you travel against advice from the FCDO. The FCDO has updated its travel advice for Egypt on Friday, 13 June, concerning the conflict between Iran and Israel. 'Ongoing hostilities in the region and between Israel and Iran could escalate quickly and pose security risks for the wider region. There are reports of military debris falling in various locations. Travel disruptions, including flight cancellations and airspace closures may occur. Demonstrations and protest activity may take place,' the advice stated. It added that travellers should monitor local and international media for the latest information and be vigilant and follow the instructions of local authorities. The FCDO also said that the Egyptian Civil Aviation Authority has directed all airlines and travel companies to ensure that any passengers arriving in Egypt between 12 and 16 June have a confirmed return ticket. 'Travellers who are unable to demonstrate this are liable to be refused entry into the country,' it added. The FCDO advises against travel in certain areas of Egypt. It advises against all travel to within 20km of the Egypt-Libya border and all travel to the North Sinai Governorate. The FCDO also advises against all but essential travel to: The town of El Salloum The northern part of the South Sinai Governorate, beyond the St Catherine-Nuweibaa road, except for the coastal areas along the west and east of the peninsula. The Ismailiyah Governorate east of the Suez Canal. The area west of the Nile Valley and Nile Delta regions, except for a list of areas that can be found here. The Hala'ib Triangle and the Bir Tawil Trapezoid. It does not warn against travel to any of the main tourist destinations in Egypt, including Cairo, Luxor, Aswan, Alexandria and the two Red Sea resorts of Sharm el-Sheikh and Hurghada. The FCDO also warns that 'international borders in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs) could close at short notice, including the Taba border crossing between Israel and Egypt'. It advises checking with local authorities and reading Israel's and OPTs' travel advice before crossing or leaving Gaza. 'The Rafah border crossing is currently closed. When re-opened, Israel, Egypt and the authorities in Gaza may determine procedures for who is permitted to cross and when,' it adds. 'Humanitarian aid workers cannot enter or exit Gaza through Egypt at this time.' The Egyptian authorities have said all aid to Gaza must go through the Egyptian Red Crescent. Standard operating procedures can be found on the Logistics Cluster website. The authorities are unlikely to consider requests for humanitarian access made in Egypt at short notice. If you are concerned about friends or family, or need support from the UK government, call the British Embassy in Cairo. Telephone: + 20 (0)2 2791 6000. If you have technical difficulties using this number, call +44 1767 667 600 (UK number).
Al Bawaba
12-03-2025
- Politics
- Al Bawaba
At least 151 Palestinians killed since start of Gaza ceasefire
ALBAWABA - Five Palestinians were killed on Tuesday near Netzarim corridor, in the central Gaza Strip, and another Palestinian woman east of Rafah city in the southern Gaza Strip by continued violations to the Gaza ceasefire. Also Read Houthis resume naval blockade on Israel-bound vessels At least 151 Palestinians were killed since the Gaza ceasefire entered into force, rising the overall death toll since the start of the Gaza war on Oct. 7, 2023 to 48,503, WAFA website reported. In addition, 111,927 were injured in the war. A ceasefire in the Gaza Strip was agreed on Jan. 19 between Hamas and Israel, with Qatari, Egyptian, and US mediation. It included a halt of the attacks and the release of Israeli hostages taken on Oct. 7, 2023, in exchange for the release of Palestinians from Israeli jails as part of the first phase, which ended on March 1. Israel has cut off electricity to Gaza's last functional desalination plant, forcing the plant—which served 500K people—to come to a halt. — Human Rights Watch (@hrw) March 11, 2025 According to Hamas sources Tuesday night, a new round of talks for the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire deal kicked off. The Palestinian movement affirmed that it is acting "responsibly and positively" and hopes the round will result in "tangible progress toward the start of the second phase of negotiations to pave the way for an end to the aggression and the occupation's withdrawal from the Gaza Strip."
Al Manar
02-03-2025
- Politics
- Al Manar
Sayyed Houthi Warns ‘Israel' against Gaza War Resumption: Entire Entity Will Come under Fire
Leader of Yemen's Ansarullah revolutionary movement Sayyed Abdul-Malik Badreddine Al-Houthi warned the Zionist entity of significant retaliatory actions if the war in Gaza resumes. In a televised address late on Saturday for the start of Ramadan holy month, Sayyed Houthi said that renewed Israeli military operations in Gaza would trigger a military response from Sanaa against Israeli territories, with a special emphasis on targeting Tel Aviv. 'We stand firmly committed through religious, humanitarian, and ethical obligations to support our Palestinian brothers and sisters, along with resistance forces, particularly the Qassam Brigades,' Sayyed Houthi said, referring to military wing of Hamas Palestinian resistance movement. Sayyed Houthi affirmed that the Yemeni Armed Forces stood ready to open multiple military fronts in solidarity with Gaza if 'Israel' resumes military operations. Houthi Leader: 'If the war resumes in Gaza, we will strike again all the assets of the Zionist enemy.' — Sprinter Observer (@SprinterObserve) March 2, 2025 'If the war on Gaza resumes, the entire enemy entity will come under fire,'Ansarullah leader said, adding that the revolutionary group would provide support 'through various military means' should Tel Aviv resume its operations against Gaza. Yemeni Armed Forces stood by Gaza throughout 15 months of brutal Israeli war, targeting Israel-bound vessels and staging missile and drone attacks on the Zionist entity. On Saturday, the 42-day initial phase of the three-stage ceasefire agreement between Hamas and the Zionist entity expired, with the Israeli occupation ditching the truce.
Al-Ahram Weekly
28-01-2025
- Politics
- Al-Ahram Weekly
Post-truce prospects for the Suez Canal - Economy - Al-Ahram Weekly
Will the Gaza ceasefire agreement accelerate the resumption of navigation in the Suez Canal A few months after Israel began its war on Gaza, Yemen's Houthi group started targeting Israel-bound vessels crossing the Bab Al-Mandab Strait through the Red Sea. With the signing of the ceasefire agreement on Gaza last week, questions have begun to emerge on whether the truce will impact navigation in the Red Sea and restore maritime traffic in the Suez Canal and help end hostilities between Israel and the Houthis. Since the Houthi group began targeting ships in the Bab Al-Mandab Strait, four major shipping companies have opted to reroute their vessels via the Cape of Good Hope, bypassing the Red Sea to mitigate risks. The new route extends the transit distance by 40 per cent and entails increased fuel consumption and higher expenses for transportation and insurance. These factors have compounded global inflationary pressures. In the wake of the ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel, the question now is whether the major shipping companies will risk returning to the Red Sea before securing assurances that the Houthis will not attack them. Professor of transport economics and logistics Emad Al-Saei said that 'navigating the Cape is akin to travelling through rugged mountainous terrain. The Red Sea is more like a paved highway for long journeys. Fuel consumption per nautical mile also increases dramatically on the alternative route, from approximately a quarter ton in the Red Sea to as much as three tons on certain segments of the Cape of Good Hope route.' However, 'the high cost of the Cape route, paired with the guarantee of safe passage, still outweighs the reduced cost of traversing the Red Sea, given the heightened uncertainty and risks associated with going through the Bab Al-Mandab Strait,' he said. 'The Houthi stance is part of the region's broader geopolitical conflicts. Despite the recent truce in Gaza, hostilities between the Houthis and Israel are unlikely to subside. Tribalism and notions of honour, which dominate Houthi internal dynamics, will make it challenging to curtail the hostilities.' 'The Houthis are also not a cohesive group but instead are a collection of tribes driven more by tribal loyalties than by nationalism, which complicates efforts to secure guarantees to halt hostilities,' Al-Saei said. 'An individual tribe might independently initiate aggressive acts to assert its power or provoke a third party, bypassing collective decision-making.' Hamdi Al-Barghouti, an expert in maritime transport, noted that there is currently a slowdown in maritime activity due to February being a holiday month in China, which has delayed shipments from Chinese ports. Red Sea shipping is expected to remain subdued until the second half of March. Egypt is unlikely to reduce transit fees through the Suez Canal to incentivise passage through the Red Sea, he said, adding that efforts will likely be made to enhance operational efficiency in preparation for an eventual uptick in maritime activity following the truce in Gaza. The Suez Canal saw revenues fall by more than 60 per cent in 2024 compared to the previous year, amounting to a $7 billion loss. Even with the Gaza truce, the resumption of normal navigation in the Red Sea will likely not occur abruptly, Al-Barghouti said. Many shipping companies have already committed to contracts that involve the Cape of Good Hope route, with delivery schedules and logistics planned accordingly. These agreements typically span a year, and any shift back to the Red Sea will be gradual and contingent on the expiration of existing agreements and the reestablishment of stable shipping routes, he added. 'The most viable course of action is to enhance the operational efficiency of the Suez Canal, creating an opportunity to increase transit fees. This would allow for revenue lost over the past seven months to be compensated for.' Transportation and logistics expert Mohamed Ali said that the four leading maritime shipping companies remain cautious about resuming their reliance on the Red Sea. They think it would be premature to redirect their routes through the Red Sea without guarantees of long-term regional stability, he said, and they continue to favour the Cape of Good Hope route instead, despite its navigational challenges, extended duration, and occasional piracy, justifying this preference by lower insurance costs compared to those associated with the Red Sea passage. Ali said that company decisions are not purely logistical but are also influenced by political and commercial pressures. The Panama Canal, often viewed as a partial competitor to the Suez Canal, has come under attention following remarks made by US President Donald Trump about its strategic control as part of a broader trade conflict with China, for example. The competition is further complicated by the geopolitical significance of the Suez Canal and the Bab Al-Mandab Strait as critical components of China's Belt and Road Initiative, which aims to revive historic trade routes connecting east and west. * A version of this article appears in print in the 30 January, 2025 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly Short link:
