Latest news with #IsraeliAirstrikes
Arab News
6 hours ago
- Health
- Arab News
Syria reopens Lebanon border crossing for Eid Al-Adha travel
BEIRUT: Syrian authorities announced the reopening of Al-Arida border crossing with Lebanon, which closed in December 2024 due to an Israeli raid during the war with Hezbollah. Syria's Land and Sea Ports General Authority said in a statement that the border crossing located in Rif Tartus was reopening. It informed travelers that Al-Arida border crossing would be manned on Tuesday morning, despite ongoing restoration and maintenance work, to facilitate movement during Eid Al-Adha. The crossing is located on Lebanon's northern border and connects the ports of Tripoli and Tartus. Israeli warplanes struck the crossing on Nov. 27, 2024. Ten days after the Syrian authorities removed the rubble and rehabilitated the crossing, it was struck again by Israel, leading to its permanent closure. Dozens of Syrian families who had fled to Lebanon are now returning to their villages in Syria, while legal crossings are witnessing active overland tourism between Syria and Lebanon. The two countries share five legal border crossings, including the Masnaa crossing, which is the closest to Damascus, and the Jdeidet Yabous crossing located in the Rif Dimashq Governorate. Additionally, there is the Aboudieh crossing, which consists of a 45 km bridge passing through the Syrian village of Dabousieh, and the Jousieh crossing, situated in the Qusayr area of Rif Homs, which serves as the gateway from northern Bekaa to Homs and is located 40 km from the city. The Talkalakh crossing in the Wadi Khaled area of northern Lebanon connects to Syrian territory in western Rif Homs, alongside Al-Arida crossing. It was primarily designated for transporting goods and trucks carrying phosphate and sand from Syria to Lebanon, and other goods in the other direction. Despite the measures that Syrian and Lebanese authorities have started to implement to regulate border crossings and close many illegal routes in the mountainous border regions, smuggling activities have resumed on both sides. Recently, the Syndicate of Pharmaceutical Importers in Lebanon raised concerns, urging action to combat the issue of illegal, smuggled, and counterfeit medicines flooding the Lebanese market. The Lebanese judiciary is continuing its investigations into the smuggling of medications from Egypt and Turkiye into Lebanon. So far, they have detained several Lebanese and Syrian nationals suspected of being involved in these operations. The investigations have focused on around 50 pharmacists and 60 pharmaceutical traders in Lebanon. The Parliamentary Health Committee held a meeting dedicated to the issue of smuggled and counterfeit medicines. Lebanon previously lifted subsidies on medicines — except for those designated for patients with chronic illnesses — during the economic crisis that struck the country in 2019. Public Health Minister Rakan Nasreddine, Justice Minister Adel Nassar, and representatives from the Interior and Defense Ministries participated in the meeting, along with the heads of relevant security agencies. MP Bilal Abdallah told Arab News the committee thoroughly discussed methods to regulate the pharmaceutical market in Lebanon and safeguard citizens from medication smuggling operations. 'The danger arises from smuggled medicines, which may be expired, improperly stored, or non-compliant with safety standards. 'This poses a serious threat to patients, particularly since smuggling often targets costly medications intended for cancer patients and individuals with chronic illnesses. 'The Ministry of Health has documented dozens of cases where citizens' health deteriorated after consuming such medicines.' Abdallah, who is both a legislator and a practicing physician, stated that the parliamentary committee had instructed customs and security forces to enhance inspection protocols. He highlighted the positive influences of Syria's political transition, stating that 'Syrian authorities are now more effectively monitoring the situation and preventing smuggling through unauthorized border points.' The Lebanese Pharmaceutical Importers Association, participating in parliamentary hearings, confirmed that all medications registered with the Health Ministry and distributed by international manufacturers are continuously available in Lebanese markets. However, the association emphasized an important distinction regarding smuggled substances, clarifying that 'products entering Lebanon through illegal channels cannot be regarded as legitimate pharmaceuticals, as authentic medications require verified component analysis and official documentation submitted to authorized regulatory bodies.'
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Hamas says at least 60 people killed in Gaza in the past 24 hours
At least 60 people have been killed in the Gaza Strip over the past 24 hours as a result of Israeli airstrikes, Palestinian reports said on Saturday. The Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health also said that 284 people were injured during the same period. The ministry does not differentiate between combatants and civilians. The information could not be independently verified. According to the ministry, the current figures do not include the victims registered in hospitals in the north of the war-torn coastal strip, where access remains restricted due to the ongoing fighting. The Israeli military has not yet commented on the most recent attack reports from Gaza. According to Palestinian figures, more than 54,300 people have been killed and more than 124,000 have been injured since the beginning of the Gaza war, which was triggered by the unprecedented Hamas-led terrorist attacks in Israel on October 7, 2023. Two weeks ago, the Israeli military launched a new major offensive in Gaza. Dozens of deaths have been reported every day in the past few days. Israel's declared aim is to destroy the Palestinian Islamist militia Hamas and free the hostages still being held by them in the Gaza Strip. Israel's actions have been criticized internationally.
The Guardian
3 days ago
- General
- The Guardian
Israeli airstrikes target sites in western Syria, reportedly killing one
Israeli airstrikes have struck western Syria, the Israeli military and Syrian state media have said, and reportedly one civilian has been killed in the first such attack on the country in nearly a month. Earlier this month Damascus had announced indirect talks with Israel to calm tensions, and the US called for a 'non-aggression agreement' between the two countries, which are technically at war. 'A strike from Israeli occupation aircraft targeted sites close to the village of Zama in the Jableh countryside south of Latakia,' state television said. State news agency Sana reported one civilian was killed 'as a result of an Israeli occupation airstrike targeting the vicinity of Zama'. The Israeli military said it had 'struck weapon storage facilities containing coastal missiles that posed a threat to international and Israeli maritime freedom of navigation, in the Latakia area of Syria'. 'In addition, components of surface-to-air missiles were struck,' it said, adding it would 'continue to operate to maintain freedom of action in the region, in order to carry out its missions and will act to remove any threat to the State of Israel and its citizens'. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights meanwhile reported that jets likely to be Israeli struck military sites on the outskirts of Tartus and Latakia. Syria and Israel have technically been at war since 1948. Israel seized the Golan Heights from Syria in 1967 and has carried out hundreds of strikes and several incursions since the overthrow of longtime Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad in December. Israel says its strikes aim to stop advanced weapons reaching Syria's new authorities, which it considers jihadists.
Associated Press
3 days ago
- Business
- Associated Press
Hamas says it is still reviewing a US proposal for a Gaza ceasefire
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Hamas said Friday it was still reviewing a U.S. proposal for a temporary ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, where 27 people were killed in new Israeli airstrikes, according to hospital officials. The ceasefire plan, which has been approved by Israeli officials, won a cool initial reaction Thursday from the militant group. U.S. negotiators have not publicized the terms of the proposal. But a Hamas official and an Egyptian official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive talks, said Thursday that it called for a 60-day pause in fighting, guarantees of serious negotiations leading to a long-term truce and assurances that Israel will not resume hostilities after the release of hostages, as it did in March. In a terse statement issued Friday, Hamas said it is holding consultations with Palestinian factions over the proposal it had received from U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff. While changes may have been made to the proposal, the version confirmed earlier called for Israeli forces to pull back to the positions they held before it ended the last ceasefire. Hamas would release 10 living hostages and a number of bodies during the 60-day pause in exchange for more than 1,100 Palestinians imprisoned by Israel, including 100 serving long sentences after being convicted of deadly attacks. Each day, hundreds of trucks carrying food and humanitarian aid would be allowed to enter Gaza, where experts say a nearly three-month Israeli blockade — slightly eased in recent days — has pushed the population to the brink of famine. 'Negotiations are ongoing on the current proposal,' Qatar's ambassador to the United Nations, Alya Ahmed Saif Al-Thani said Friday, referring to talks between her country, the United States and Egypt. On Thursday, a top Hamas official, Bassem Naim, said the U.S. proposal 'does not respond to any of our people's demands, foremost among which is stopping the war and famine.' The uncertainty over the new proposal came as hospital officials said that 27 people had been killed Friday in separate airstrikes. A strike that hit a tent in the southern city of Khan Younis killed 13, including eight children, hospital officials said. The Israeli military did not immediately comment. 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. Hospital officials also said Friday that at least 72 had been killed in Gaza during the previous day. That figure does not include some hospitals in the north, which are largely cut off due to the fighting. Since the war began, more than 54,000 Gaza residents, mostly women and children, have been killed 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. 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. 'It's heartbreaking that people are being starved because of politics. Food and water should not be used for political purposes,' he said. 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.' ___ Edith Lederer contributed to this report from the United Nations.
SBS Australia
25-05-2025
- Politics
- SBS Australia
Gaza rescue official, journalist killed as Israel seizes 77 per cent of the strip
Colonel Ashraf Abu Nar, the director of Civil Defence Operations in Gaza, and his wife, were killed in an Israeli attack on Nuseirat refugee camp. Source: Getty / Anadolu Israeli airstrikes in Khan Younis, Jabalia, and Nuseirat reportedly killed at least 30 people on Sunday. Hassan Abu Warda, a journalist, and Ashraf Abu Nar, a senior rescue service official, were killed along with family. Israel's ground invasion of Gaza has seized 77 per cent of the strip, according to the Gaza media office. Israeli military strikes killed at least 30 Palestinians across the Gaza Strip on Sunday, including a senior rescue service official and a journalist, local health authorities said. The latest deaths in the Israeli campaign resulted from separate Israeli strikes in Khan Younis in the south, Jabalia in the north and Nuseirat in the central Gaza Strip, medics said. In Jabalia, they said local journalist Hassan Majdi Abu Warda and several family members were killed by an airstrike that hit his house earlier on Sunday. Another airstrike in Nuseirat killed Ashraf Abu Nar, a senior official in the territory's civil emergency service, and his wife in their house, medics added. The Gaza government media office said that Abu Warda's death raised the number of Palestinian journalists killed in Gaza since October 2023 to 220. In a statement, the Gaza media office said Israeli forces were in control of 77 per cent of the Gaza Strip, either through ground forces or evacuation orders and bombardments that keep residents away from their homes. Israel's military said in a statement that chief of staff Eyal Zamir visited troops in Khan Younis on Sunday, telling them that "this is not an endless war" and that Hamas has lost most of its assets, including its command and control. "We will deploy every tool at our disposal to bring the hostages home, dismantle Hamas and dismantle its rule," Zamir was cited as saying. Later on Sunday, the International Committee of the Red Cross said in a statement that two of its staff - Ibrahim Eid and Ahmad Abu Hilal — had been killed in a strike on a house in Khan Younis on Saturday. "Their killing points to the intolerable civilian death toll in Gaza. The ICRC reiterates its urgent call for a ceasefire and for the respect and protection of civilians, including medical, humanitarian relief, and civil defence personnel," the ICRC statement added. The armed wing of Hamas and the Islamic Jihad said in separate statements on Sunday that fighters carried out several ambushes and attacks using bombs and anti-tank rockets against Israeli forces operating in several areas across Gaza. On Friday, the Israeli military said it had conducted more strikes in Gaza overnight, hitting 75 targets including weapons storage facilities and rocket launchers. The conflict has killed more than 53,900 Palestinians, according to Gaza health authorities, and devastated the coastal strip. Aid groups say signs of severe malnutrition are widespread. Israel launched the assault on Gaza after the Hamas militant cross-border attack on October 7, 2023, which killed 1,200 people by Israeli tallies with 251 hostages abducted into Gaza.
