Latest news with #Palestine-based
Hindustan Times
24-05-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Hamas is running out of money amid war with Israel: Report
Hamas sources have revealed that the terrorist group is teetering on the brink of financial collapse, Al-Sharq Al-Awsat newspaper reported, as the ongoing conflict with Israel inflicts severe damage not only on its military capabilities but also on its wallet. The London-based newspaper reported that Hamas is having difficulty paying salaries to employees and operatives due to the unprecedented financial crisis. According to the reported sources, the Palestine-based militant group has paid only 900 shekels (about $240 USD) for four months, causing widespread anger among members of the organisation. The financial woes come as the group also grapples with significant leadership losses due to the IDF's ongoing elimination of Hamas' leadership; there is a 'vacuum' within the terror group's so-called government. Meanwhile, Gaza's civil defence agency said Saturday that an Israeli strike in the southern city of Khan Yunis killed nine children of a pair of married doctors, with the Israeli army saying it was reviewing the reports. Israel has stepped up its campaign in Gaza in recent days, drawing international criticism as well as calls to allow in more supplies after it partially eased a total blockade on aid imposed on March 2. Footage of the aftermath released by the civil defence agency showed rescuers recovering badly burned remains from the damaged home. Asked about the incident, the Israeli military said it had "struck several suspects who were identified operating from a structure" near its troops. The number of Al-Qaeda members killed in strikes on southern Yemen blamed on the United States increased to nine, a Yemeni security source told AFP on Saturday. The official in Abyan province, which borders the seat of Yemen's internationally recognised government in Aden, said the strikes killed nine members of the group, including a local leader. The security official, who earlier said the attack had taken place on Friday evening in north Khabar Al-Maraqsha, added the strikes hit several locations in the mountainous area known to be used by Al-Qaeda.
Al Jazeera
16-04-2025
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Top UK barrister: Israel is carrying out ‘destruction of humanity' in Gaza
London, United Kingdom – Ten British citizens, including dual nationals, who have served in the Israeli army are being accused of war crimes in Gaza. They are suspected of acts such as 'murder, extermination, attacking civilians, and deportation or forcible transfer of population', according to the Palestine-based Palestinian Centre for Human Rights and the UK-based Public Interest Law Centre, which last week submitted a 240-page report to the Metropolitan Police's War Crimes Unit. Michael Mansfield, 83, a leading English barrister who has worked on several high-profile cases throughout his career and is dubbed 'the king' of human rights work, was among those who handed over the dossier that took a team of lawyers and researchers in Britain and The Hague six months to compile. Dozens of other barristers, lawyers, researchers and human rights practitioners have signed a letter of support, urging the Met's war crimes team to investigate the complaints. Due to legal reasons, neither the names of the suspects, some of whom worked at the officer level, nor the report in full are being made public. Alleged war crimes from October 7, 2023, to May 31 are documented in the file, which is based on open-source material and witness testimonies. Al Jazeera interviewed Mansfield about the landmark case, his views on Israel's genocide against Palestinians in Gaza and why he believes legal efforts against those involved in the onslaught remain important, even as critical rulings are ignored by those in power and mass killings continue unabated. Al Jazeera: What can you tell us about the case? Michael Mansfield: The reason I can't talk about the detail of it is perhaps obvious: … The people [accused] would immediately know who they were. If a UK national commits any serious crime abroad, … you are liable to be and are investigated, arrested, charged and tried here in the United Kingdom. This is nothing out of the ordinary in that sense. The out-of-the-ordinary bit, of course, is that it is linked to war crimes and crimes against humanity, which are international crimes. The United Kingdom can obviously investigate themselves, or the International Criminal Court can investigate and charge and so forth. Nobody can be unaware of the extent of the devastation, particularly in Gaza, although that's not the only place in the world where such things are happening. And in relation to those matters, the public are asking, 'What are we doing about it? What can we do about it?' The international institutions of justice and conventions on human rights were established just after the Second World War in order to prevent this happening, if at all possible, by intervening. [But] the United Nations's ability to intervene has been emasculated by the major nations – Russia and America nearly always opposing each other. On top of that, the United Kingdom sitting on the fence and abstaining on most of these issues. Slowly but surely, all the principles to do with the rule of law and rules-based democracy have been, essentially, denuded from practicality. The court finds it very difficult to do anything because the countries [allegedly behind war crimes] are seemingly immune. They don't mind what the international courts may think – either the International Criminal Court [or the] International Court of Justice. Al Jazeera: As most monitors and observers are unable to enter Gaza presently due to the Israeli siege, how did the researchers and lawyers behind the report identify those accused? Mansfield: Linking the individual [to the alleged crimes] is the problem. You've got to be able to provide investigators with at least enough evidence for them to say this is worth investigating. They might say, 'We can't do this. It's too difficult.' Then they might hand it over to the International Criminal Court, which has more resources. There's something called the Berkeley Protocol, which is focused on how you would gather evidence from publicly available sources. Publicly available sources could be Al Jazeera [footage]. It could be somebody doing a selfie on their own phone. The research has already been done to ensure that the material on these 10 is sufficient for the police to take a decision whether they can do more or not. Al Jazeera: This month, Hungary withdrew from the International Criminal Court, which has issued an arrest warrant for Benjamin Netanyahu, ahead of a visit by the Israeli premier. If the global institutions that are meant to uphold human rights laws are under threat, decisions are sidestepped, and massacres continue in places like Gaza. What impact can legal efforts like yours have? Mansfield: I think they do make a difference for those of us who care. I mean, they don't make a difference to the perpetrators. They never have. And that's why they had the Nuremberg trials at the end of the Second World War. As a lawyer, I can't just sit back and say I've wasted 55 years of my career. I've got to be able to say I have strived hard to get a situation in which people are made accountable. The law has been unable to deliver. The law is there, the institutions are there, but until governments … start paying respect to the rule of law and not ignoring it, there are lots of different ways in which people can be made accountable. As lawyers and as thinking members of the public, we have to be at the ready to get the authorities to actually do their job because if we don't, no one else will, and it'll just get worse. The basic freedoms you and I enjoy when we can – freedom of association, movement, speech and so on – they're not divisible. What I mean by that is you might live on the other side of the world, but if it's your rights being attacked in this way, it's me as well. Make no mistake, when it's happening there, it could be you next. That sort of approach to human rights is not a sort of woke topic that just a few liberal lawyers think of. It's been fought hard for by other people. Lawyers in the past have fought very hard to set it all up. Al Jazeera: Do you classify what's happening in Gaza as a genocide? I do, yes, no question. In this particular instance, if you're attacked personally in the domestic sense or in any other, you're entitled to defend yourself but only up to a point. If you're attacked with somebody holding a wooden spoon, you can't use a machinegun to kill them. … This has gone far beyond self-defence. Of course, they [aggressors, in this case Israel] will always justify it and say that it's self-defence, but you only have to see what they've done. A lot of the victims are women and babies and children and doctors and journalists. … They are protected individuals under the law. In my view, it's clearly a genocide because they've [Israeli officials] made it very clear in various statements. They're talking about a bigger Israel. There's a political ambition that lies behind the whole thing, not for all, you know, members of the [Israeli military] and so on, but I think a sizeable proportion. [They] obviously are adhering to that principle that they want to see Gaza wiped off the map, and yes, they would like it reinstated as a Riviera resort of the Trump empire. It's gone beyond plausible. [Note: The International Court of Justice said in January 2024 that it was plausible that Israel was committing genocide in Gaza.] Al Jazeera: How will the world look back on this moment in history? Mansfield: I hope it will bring about change of some kind in people's hearts and minds. The leaders of the world have the right to do something about it, and I think that our own prime minister [UK Premier Keir Starmer] should do more than he's doing. Originally, we [the UK] objected to the issue of arrest warrants. However, that was the previous [Conservative] government and when [Labour's] Starmer was elected, he changed that. He withdrew his objections on behalf of the United Kingdom, so that was one step in the right direction. I think we'll look back and say, actually, thousands turn out for marches. Thousands of people are globally angry, upset and feeling hopeless, which is why keeping the law alive in the way the chief prosecutors tried to do, not just for Israel, but for other perpetrators as well, including [Russian President Vladimir] Putin and Russia and Ukraine. We've got to keep the caring alive. You can't get away from it. You can't hide in your bedroom and think, 'Oh, I didn't start this.' No, you didn't, but if you're a member of the human race, I'm afraid you have a responsibility. If I don't spend every waking hour trying hard to keep what others set up in the first place [the rule of law], I feel I will have failed. You can't just back away from it and hope that it'll blow away because, well, that's what the politicians hope, that we'll all give up. I think it's [about] creating a well of public opinion, so that the politicians realise there's nowhere to go because actually they're not supported. You've got to connect, engage and then do as much as you can. That's all that can be expected. Once you do that, you'll find hundreds and thousands of others doing the same, and then eventually politicians go, 'Oh, right, there are votes here. We better do the right thing.' It's moving opinion all the time and keeping the flame alive. Al Jazeera: How would you summarise the ongoing atrocities? Mansfield: I would describe it as a mass assault and destruction of humanity. It doesn't get worse than that. Al Jazeera: You've worked on high-profile cases, such as representing the family of Stephen Lawrence, the Black British teenager stabbed to death in a racist attack, and the Birmingham Six, the group of Irishmen wrongfully arrested for bombings in 1974. What binds the work you've done together? Mansfield: It's the effect and impact on a community. Now the Lawrence case, as it turned out and as it was at the time, had a huge impact on a community. It represented a much bigger issue than, you know, the stabbing of Stephen Lawrence, which was horrific. Although it wasn't on your TV screens like Gaza and you didn't see destruction of the kind you see in Gaza, it had a similar effect on people. And there have been other cases like that. It's not about whether it's just one individual or thousands. It's about the impact on the principle of fairness. Note: This interview was edited for clarity and brevity.
Khaleej Times
13-04-2025
- Politics
- Khaleej Times
UAE delegation led by Sharjah Deputy Ruler visits Palestinian refugee camp in Jordan
A delegation from the UAE, led by Sharjah Deputy Ruler Sheikh Sultan bin Ahmed Al Qasimi, visited the Marka refugee camp in Jordan where over 70,000 Palestinian refugees are currently living. The delegation highlighted the urgent need for coordinated efforts to address the escalating humanitarian crisis faced by Palestinians, particularly in Gaza, and called for implementing sustainable development projects in health, education, and food security to provide essential life resource. 'The Palestinian people have endured decades of displacement and now face severe humanitarian suffering in Gaza as a result of the ongoing war, which has dismantled their social and institutional structures and deprived them of basic human rights, including access to education and healthcare,' the Sharjah Deputy Ruler said. 'Therefore, our humanitarian efforts must go beyond immediate relief to include sustainable projects that support current and future generations through health and education.' Al Qasimi added that humanitarian work is a religious and moral obligation, and a right of the vulnerable and the needy. Stay up to date with the latest news. Follow KT on WhatsApp Channels. His visit came alongside the the ongoing 'For Gaza' campaign, launched by Sheikha Jawaher bint Mohammed Al Qasimi during Ramadan, to provide comprehensive support for more than 20,000 orphaned children in Gaza. Last month, The Big Heart Foundation (TBHF) announced the launch of the campaign in partnership with Palestine-based Taawon Foundation to provide long-term care and essential services for orphaned children in the city. Food scarcity The delegation comprising representatives from TBHF, government entities, and private sector companies visited a food security project led by the humanitarian organization ANERA, which supports refugees and conflict-affected populations in Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, and Jordan. The initiative empowers refugee communities to produce food through farms and greenhouses, enabling year-round agricultural output. This model aims to strengthen self-reliance among refugees and lessen dependence on external assistance. Food scarcity is regarded as one of the fastest-escalating humanitarian crises, with immediate and profound impacts on communities during periods of conflict, instability, or natural disasters. The programme also included a visit to the Marka Girls' Preparatory School, operated by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA). Sheikh Sultan also met with members of the student parliament from Marka Camp who shared their educational experiences and the challenges they face. He toured classrooms, engaged with teaching staff, and reviewed the school's development plans and the camp's future educational requirements. He also met with representatives of the Tawoon Foundation where they discussed strategies for rapid response to essential needs and plans to provide critical services across key sectors. The Tawoon Board of Directors briefed the group about the Noor program for orphan care, launched in the Gaza Strip, where the number of children orphaned by the war has exceeded 39,000. The delegation also heard a series of recorded and live contributions from program staff based in Gaza and Egypt. The visit concluded with a debriefing session involving the accompanying delegation to review the outcomes and examine best practices in humanitarian work within Jordan's refugee camps. The discussion also addressed how these models could be adapted and applied to support refugees and displaced persons within the occupied Palestinian territories. His Highness underscored the importance of developing humanitarian programs and initiatives that respond effectively to the unprecedented challenges facing the region.
Khaleej Times
18-03-2025
- General
- Khaleej Times
From day-old babies to children: How Sharjah has been helping Gaza's orphans
Baby Malak was just a few days old when she was found wrapped in a cloth, hanging from a tree in October 2023 in Gaza with no sign of her parents or family. Today, she has been adopted by a nurse and is living healthily in the city. Thousands of children in Gaza, including baby Malak, are benefitting from the work done by Sharjah's The Big Heart Foundation (TBHF). TBHF has partnered with Palestine-based Taawon (Welfare Association) to launch a campaign titled 'For Gaza' which aims to provide long-term care and essential services for over 20,000 orphaned children in the city. On Monday, the foundation held an event for philanthropists and community members to spread awareness about the campaign and invite them to donate for a good cause. Speaking to Khaleej Times on the sidelines of the event, Dr Tareq Emtairah, Director General of Taawon, explained that they were looking for long-term commitments from their donors. 'Any partner that joins us, ideally would sponsor a kid over five or ten years,' he said. 'This is so that we can create a sustainable support for these kids. If you take care of a kid for five years and abandon it later on, it is very dangerous. That's why we are very careful to make sure that we campaign for enough funding to support the children until they are 18 years." This came as Israeli strikes on various locations killed at least 300 people across the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, ending a weeks-long standoff over extending the ceasefire that halted fighting in January. Impact TBHF has been collaborating with Taawon since 2013 to help those in need in Palestine and has completed 11 projects, which has impact over one million people. Established in 1983, Taawon is one of the largest developmental organisations in Palestine. According to Dr Tareq, the association has managed to collect the details of more than 20,000 of the 35,000 orphaned children in Gaza. 'We have verified and registered them in our system,' he said. 'Over half of them are less than two years old and we consider them the most vulnerable. Our priority in the case of orphaned children is to find relatives or extended family members to raise them. We try to encourage local adoptions because we want the children of Gaza to stay there so that they can rebuild the city.' The campaign launched by Sheikha Jawaher bint Mohammed Al Qasimi, seeks to secure sustainable aid for over 2,000 children in the form of education, healthcare, psychological support, food, and shelter. Dr Tareq added that it cost $170 (approximately Dh625) to sponsor a child for a month in Gaza. 'The vocational training and education will cost about $69,' he said. 'Food and clothing costs about $50 and healthcare costs $30. The remaining goes into their mental and social care.' Art exhibition An art exhibition held on the sidelines of the event showed different parts of Gaza. Some painted glimmers of hope while others depicted the horrors of the ongoing war. Ranging from Dh2,500 to Dh35,000, the paintings were being sold to raise money for the campaign. Palestinian artist Rihab Saidam's piece titled the 'Mother of the Martyr' showed a mother carrying her dead child wrapped in a keffiyeh. Another one of her painting captured the pain of a sister kissing the hands of her baby brother who had been killed in the war. 'I have been living in the UAE for the last 45 years,' she said. 'I have never seen my homeland and I don't know if I will ever see it. I have family back home in Gaza. The only thing I can do is to keep talking, raise awareness and hope that my paintings sell so I can donate the money to help the children.'
Wamda
17-03-2025
- Business
- Wamda
Ibtikar Fund invests in Palestine's MENA Analytics
Palestine-based analytics platform MENA Analytics has raised undisclosed funding from Ibtikar Fund. Founded in 2023 by Yousef Srouji, Obada Shtaya, Zayne Abudaka and Mohammad abu qare, MENA Analytics helps enterprises collect market insights and research through survey tools and data capture solutions. With this investment, MENA Analytics is set to expand into Jordan and Saudi Arabia. Press release: Ibtikar Fund is pleased to announce its investment in MENA Analytics, an innovative market research and data analytics company transforming how businesses in the MENA region access and utilise market intelligence. With a strong foundation in Palestine and plans to expand across the region, MENA Analytics is leveraging AI and advanced analytics to provide SMEs with cost-effective, data-driven insights. 'MENA Analytics is addressing a critical gap in the MENA market by making high-quality data collection and analysis accessible to businesses that have traditionally been underserved,' said Ambar Amleh, Managing Partner at Ibtikar Fund. 'We are excited to support their expansion and technological advancements as they empower companies with actionable intelligence.' MENA Analytics: Revolutionizing Market Research in MENA MENA Analytics is redefining market research in the region by providing businesses with AI-enhanced tools for data collection, analysis, and visualization. Unlike traditional consulting firms that dominate the space with costly and time-intensive research, MENA Analytics delivers fast, scalable, and affordable solutions tailored to the needs of SMEs. The company's innovative platform includes: Survey Tools – Customisable surveys powered by AI-driven analysis for real-time insights. Market Intelligence Dashboards – Interactive, sector-specific dashboards providing businesses with up-to-date market trends, competitor analysis, and consumer behaviour insights. Quota Manager & Panels – AI-powered tools to generate high-quality research samples and efficiently manage survey quotas. Automated Analytics – providing clients with the most important KPIs and metrics needed to understand their market quickly, accurately, and affordably with AI-powered automated analytics tools. A Unique Approach to Market Research While major international market research firms such as Nielsen and Ipsos dominate the global industry, their focus remains on larger enterprises in developed markets, leaving SMEs in the MENA region underserved. Local consulting firms, on the other hand, often provide market research that is costly, slow, and limited in scope. MENA Analytics bridges this gap by combining deep regional expertise with cutting-edge AI technology, making high-quality research more accessible and actionable. By leveraging automation and AI-driven analytics, MENA Analytics significantly reduces the cost and time required to deliver insights, giving businesses in the region a competitive edge. Strategic Growth & Regional Expansion MENA Analytics has already gained strong traction in Palestine and is now set to expand into Jordan and Saudi Arabia. With this investment, the company aims to enhance its AI-driven analytics capabilities and scale its operations to serve a broader market. 'Our mission is to democratise access to high-quality data in the MENA region, enabling businesses to make smarter, evidence-based decisions,' said Yousef Srouji, Co-Founder and CEO of MENA Analytics. 'With Ibtikar Fund's backing, we are well-positioned to expand our regional footprint and bring cutting-edge data solutions to more businesses.'
