Latest news with #TurkeyUnpacked
Middle East Eye
an hour ago
- Health
- Middle East Eye
Alaa Abd el-Fattah's mother at risk of ‘sudden death', doctor says
The mother of British-Egyptian prisoner Alaa Abd el-Fattah is facing the risk of 'sudden death' as her blood sugar level falls to dangerously low levels on the 244th day of her hunger strike. Laila Soueif, who began her hunger strike in protest at her son's continued imprisonment by the Egyptian authorities, was warned by doctors on Friday that even a 'slight further reduction' in her blood sugar could result in a 'rapid loss of consciousness' and 'sudden death'. Abd el-Fattah was a key figure in the 2011 Egyptian revolution that ousted then-president Hosni Mubarak and has spent the best part of a decade behind bars. On 29 September 2024, Abd el-Fattah was due to complete a five-year sentence for 'spreading false news', but the authorities failed to release him, refusing to count the two years he spent in pre-trial detention towards his sentence. Sine then, Soueif has not consumed any food. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters Medical tests conducted at hospital revealed that Soueif's blood sugar dropped below 0.6 mmol/L on Thursday night – a level too low to be accurately measured. At the same time, her ketone levels, which indicate blood acidity, exceeded 7 mmol/L, suggesting a degree of acidosis that is also beyond the limits of medical detection. Since beginning her strike, the 69-year-old has lost 36kg – approximately 42 percent of her body weight – and now weighs just 49kg. Soueif's doctor has described her condition as a 'medical emergency' and warned that her death is an 'immediate risk'. The doctor added that, without urgent glucose treatment, she faces a 'clear risk' of irreversible damage to vital organs, including the heart, brain, and kidneys. The doctor further explained that Soueif's current blood sugar level is 'not typically compatible with consciousness,' and that her 'body's carbohydrate stores are essentially depleted'. They added that her body is now relying on its last reserves of fat to survive. 'We're losing her' British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has repeatedly expressed his personal commitment to securing the release of Alaa Abd el-Fattah. Soueif shifted to a partial hunger strike on 28 February, following a call between Starmer and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, during which the prime minister reportedly 'pressed' Sisi to release Abd el-Fattah. But little has shifted since then. On 20 May, Soueif announced she would be stopping her intake of 300 calories a day. However, little progress has been made since. On 20 May, Soueif announced that she would cease consuming the 300 calories per day she had been allowing herself. 'Bottom line is we're losing her… there is no time. Keir Starmer needs to act now. Not tomorrow, not Monday. Now. Right now,' Soueif's daughter Sanaa Seif said in a press briefing outside St Thomas's hospital in London. 'It's a miracle that last night passed. It's a miracle that we still have her. I'm really, really proud of my Mum. And I want to remind Keir Starmer of his promise to us. We put our faith in him. Don't let us down, do something and do it today. Now.' Meanwhile, Abd el-Fattah has now reached the 92nd day of his own hunger strike from Wadi El-Natrun prison. On 12 April, he fell seriously ill, experiencing vomiting, severe stomach pain and dizziness. On Wednesday, the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (UNWGAD) concluded that Abd el-Fattah's continued imprisonment is unlawful, and that he should be released immediately under international law.
Middle East Eye
5 hours ago
- General
- Middle East Eye
Palestinian woman buries husband alone after two months trapped under Israeli siege
In a garden in southern Gaza under Israeli attacks, Aziza Qishta dug a grave with her bare hands. With no shroud, the 65-year-old Palestinian wrapped her husband's body in a window curtain and buried him alone. Ibrahim Qishta, 70, had died after being struck in the neck by shrapnel during Israel's military incursion into Rafah earlier this year. For two months, the couple remained trapped in their home in Khirbet al-Adas, surviving off dwindling supplies as air strikes and shelling pounded the city. When neighbours fled, Ibrahim refused to be displaced, and his wife refused to leave him behind. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters Since Israel broke the Gaza ceasefire in March, the army has killed nearly 4,000 Palestinians, bringing the death toll since October 2023 to over 54,000. In the following account, Aziza tells her story to the Middle East Eye. Trapped for two months When the Israeli army re-invaded Rafah in March and imposed a full siege, all of Aziza's children fled the area. Ibrahim, however, refused to leave. 'He was blind, unable to move on his own,' Qishta told MEE. 'He told me: 'I'm not leaving the house, and you'll stay with me.'' Her reply was unwavering: 'Of course. I won't leave you after 50 years together. Never.' Aziza Qishta surrounded by her grandchildren (MEE/Ahmad Aziz) For two months, they remained in the house. With movement impossible and supplies scarce, they survived on stored provisions - canned food, beans, rice, lentils, vermicelli, jam, and pasta. Water was fetched from a nearby building whenever possible. 'Day and night, we were surrounded by shelling - east, north, west,' she said. 'The worst was from the west.' They could hear Israeli gunfire, jets, and tanks all around them. 'We couldn't move,' she explained. Even when her son's house next door was bombed and collapsed, they stayed put. 'My husband insisted on staying, and I stayed with him.' Her cousins were in a nearby house that was also hit. 'It collapsed on them. More than 10 of them are still under the rubble today.' 'I had no one to help me' - Aziza Qishta, Palestinian woman Then, one day, a loud explosion struck the building's iron gate. 'Dust filled the house. When it cleared, I saw the house around us had been destroyed,' Qishta said. Only a single room and a bathroom were left. 'Suddenly, I saw my husband bleeding from his neck - he had been hit by shrapnel.' When she spotted the injury, she rushed to him, tending to his wound, washing his face, applying antiseptic, and wrapping him up. Despite his heavy weight, she lifted him onto her back. 'I had no one to help me. We moved slowly. I would stop to let him rest, then continue,' she explained. For five hours, Ibrahim continued to bleed. 'We were alone. No voices, no light.' Final hours Eventually, she reached her cousin's house and laid him down on a mattress. 'I said: 'Let me get you some food,' but he refused.' He accepted only a spoonful of honey and later asked for some water. 'Then he said: 'Pour some water on my head.'' Aziza stayed by his side throughout. 'I laid him down, sat next to him, never leaving his side.' She noticed his left hand trembling and offered to massage it. 'He said: 'No, leave it.' Then suddenly, it went limp.' When she looked at his face, he had passed away. 'There were no soldiers around,' she said. 'They come, bomb, and leave.' A photo of Israeli troops in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, released on 18 October 2024 (Israeli Army via AFP) Alone, she searched the garden and found a small hole near an olive tree. With no shroud, she used a window curtain to wrap his body and began to roll him into the hole by herself. 'I placed his body in a plastic bag and continued rolling him gently. It took me two hours of exhaustion. But God gave me strength.' She buried him with her own hands, covering the body first with a zinc sheet, then wood, and finally soil. 'I recited Ayat al-Kursi and Surah Yasin from the Quran over him and wept silently.' 'I recited Ayat al-Kursi and Surah Yasin from the Quran over him and wept silently' - Aziza Qishta After the burial, she returned home. 'I bathed, and for the first time in two months, I slept deeply from sheer exhaustion.' Ibrahim was killed on 10 May but Aziza remained alone in the house for another two weeks, until 24 May, when the last of the food and water ran out. That day, she began to suspect that the grave might have been bombed. 'I heard the buzzing of drones and gunfire.' The following day, she went to check. 'I found the zinc pierced with bullets, and his head exposed.' Her voice heavy, she recalled: 'My heart broke. I picked up his head, it felt as light as a loaf of bread, and returned it to the grave, dug a bit deeper, added a new piece of zinc and wood, and buried him again.' She said she didn't feel fear or hesitation, 'just pain, and patience'. 'I returned home, made a cup of tea, and had a simple breakfast,' she said. 'I had just 250 millilitres of clean water left.' Confrontation with soldiers Eventually, she decided to leave and confront the Israeli army. Carrying a stick with a white cloth and two small bags, she walked to a military checkpoint. 'They told me to stop and threw me a leaking water bottle,' she said. 'Then a tank approached and threw another.' Ordered to empty her bags, which held some medicine and clothes, she was then told: 'We want to take your photo.' 'This isn't me': Israeli war and healthcare collapse leave Gaza child unrecognisable Read More » When she explained she was wearing a hijab, they demanded she remove it. 'I refused. A soldier shouted, and about twenty of them pointed guns at me, saying: 'If you don't remove it, we'll kill you.' So I removed it, broken.' They made her walk with them but after ten minutes, she told them she was too tired to continue, so they placed her in a jeep. 'One soldier spoke Arabic. He asked my name and about my children. I told him I had four sons and nine daughters. He asked why my husband hadn't left earlier. I said: 'He refused, and I couldn't leave him.'' They told her to wait under a palm tree, but she insisted on moving. They left her near a place called Marj, where she then got lost for four hours. She said she then found an aid centre run by the Israeli army and an American company. 'They told me: 'Head north. Don't go east or west.'' Eventually, she reached a camp for displaced people, near Rafah. 'They told me to head for Khan Younis.' On the way, she met four young men. 'I gave them my name. They called the Qishta family, my family, and they came to get me.'
Middle East Eye
19 hours ago
- Politics
- Middle East Eye
Judge rules in favour of Harvard University keeping its international students
Harvard University on Thursday won a brief reprieve in its fight to continue enrolling international students after a federal judge upheld a block on a governmental order. US district judge Allison Burroughs ruled to uphold the terms of a temporary restraining order (TRO), which froze the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) revocation of the university's student and exchange visitor programme (SEVP) certification programme, the process that enables universities to enrol foreigners, and preserved the status of international students. The news came as Harvard's Class of 2025 was assembling for commencement exercises. The order grants relief to around 7,000 international students - a quarter of Harvard's student body - whose lives have been thrown into limbo over the last few weeks. 'Harvard will continue to take steps to protect the rights of our international students and scholars, members of our community who are vital to the University's academic mission and community - and whose presence here benefits our country immeasurably,' Harvard said in a public statement about Thursday's court decision. Burroughs indicated that she will issue a longer-term hold while litigation continues. This would enable international students, staff, and faculty to continue to study and work at the Ivy League school. The TRO will stay in place until a broader injunction is agreed upon. The next hearing has yet to be scheduled. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters Last Thursday, DHS told Harvard that its international students must either transfer to other institutions or face deportation, as its continued fight for academic autonomy faced another round of repercussions from the Trump administration. Harvard sued in response, and last Friday, a judge temporarily blocked the DHS's revocation of the university's SEVP programme. Trump administration backtracks Before the order, the Trump administration appeared to waver on its initial decertification, potentially on procedural grounds. The Department of Homeland Security said on Thursday it would now give Harvard University a 30-day response time to prove it meets the requirements of the SEVP programme. After 30 days, the DHS could still revoke Harvard's SEVP certification if it still claims that Harvard broke the law, unless a preliminary injunction is granted. The New York Times reported last week that the administration is poised to cut all remaining federal contracts with Harvard, which are estimated to be worth $100m. The two sides have been in a legal war for months now. The US State Department and DHS began cracking down on any pro-Palestinian sentiment expressed by student visa holders in the US after the nationwide campus protests in 2024 in support of Gaza. At the end of March, the Trump administration announced it was reviewing $9bn in federal funds and grants to Harvard. It said it would review more than $255.6m in current contracts and $8.7bn in grants spread over multiple years. The administration accused the university of failing to adequately protect Jewish students on campus from antisemitic discrimination and harassment, in violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. 'Are they troublemakers?': Trump questions why Harvard has so many international students Read More » On 3 April, the Trump administration sent an initial list of demands to 'right these wrongs', as part of its crackdown on what it calls antisemitism on campuses across the US, referring to the widespread campus protests against Israel's war on Gaza. Then, on 11 April, the Federal Task Force to Combat Antisemitism sent Harvard an expanded list of demands. Harvard rejected the government's demands, which included reporting foreign students for code violations, reforming its governance and leadership, discontinuing its diversity, equity, and inclusion programmes, and changing its hiring and admission policies, especially for international students. In response to the list of demands, the institution took a stand against the Trump administration, saying in a letter, issued by Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan LLP and King & Spalding LLP, that 'The university will not surrender its independence or relinquish its constitutional rights'. In response, the Trump administration hit Harvard with a $2.3bn federal funding freeze, which represents 35.9 percent of Harvard's $6.4bn operating expenses. Then, the US Department of Health and Human Services said that it was terminating $60m in federal grants to the university, saying it failed to address antisemitic harassment and ethnic discrimination on campus. The Cambridge, Massachusetts-based institution has said it 'cannot absorb the entire cost' of the frozen grants, and that it was working with researchers to help them find alternative funding. It is also suing the Trump administration over its decision to cut grants. The Federal Task Force to Combat Antisemitism is made up of four government agencies, including the Department of Justice, the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Education, and the US General Services Administration. The task force was set up in February following Trump's executive order, Additional Measures to Combat Anti-Semitism, signed at the end of January.
Middle East Eye
21 hours ago
- Middle East Eye
Saudi women held in 'hellish' secretive care homes, finds report
Hundreds of Saudi women are being held in 'hellish' conditions in secretive care homes, used to 'rehabilitate' women banished by their families, according to a report in the Guardian. Over a period of six months, the Guardian collected testimonies about conditions in the care homes, known as Dar al-Reaya. The homes are where women are sent by their families or husbands for alleged disobedience, extramarital sexual relations or absence from home. Conditions were described to the Guardian as 'hellish', and included weekly floggings, forced religious teaching and a ban on any contact with the outside world. Sarah al-Yahia, who lives in exile and campaigns for the abolition of the homes, said she had spoken to a number of inmates about life in the homes. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters The women and girls described several abuses, including being given sedatives to put them to sleep, strip searches and virginity tests. 'If you are sexually abused or get pregnant by your brother or father you are the one sent to Dar al-Reaya to protect the family's reputation' - Sarah al-Yahia, Saudi exile One woman described getting lashes for not praying, and also getting lashes and being accused of lesbianism for being alone with another woman. Yahia herself was threatened by her father that she would be sent to one of the facilities when she was 13. 'My father used it as a threat if I didn't obey his sexual abuse,' she said. 'I know a woman who was sentenced to six months in jail because she helped a victim of violence,' Yahia added. 'If you are sexually abused or get pregnant by your brother or father you are the one sent to Dar al-Reaya to protect the family's reputation.' 'Utterly alone and terrified' There have been reports of women committing or attempting to commit suicide due to the abusive conditions, according to rights group Alqst. Saudi officials describe the institutions as 'shelter for girls accused or convicted of various crimes who are aged less than 30'. It says that they serve to 'rehabilitate the female inmates in time of entering the facility in order to return them to their family'. Saudi official denies that alcohol ban will be lifted ahead of World Cup Read More » Amina, whose name was changed for security reasons, said she sought refuge in a care home in Buraydah, central Saudi Arabia, after being beaten by her father. She found staff at the home to be 'cold and unhelpful', and belittling of her experience. Amina said that the facility asked her and her father to write down 'conditions'. Her conditions included not being beaten or forced into marriage. However, she said once she was released, the beatings continued, and she was later forced into exile. 'I remember being utterly alone and terrified. I felt like a prisoner in my own home, with no one to protect me, no one to defend me,' she said. Another woman told the Guardian that she was held in Dar al-Reaya after she told the police that she had been abused by her father and brothers. She said she was held there until her father agreed for her to be released, despite the fact that her father was the alleged abuser. 'If they are serious about advancing women's rights, they must abolish these discriminatory practices and allow the establishment of genuine shelters that protect, rather than punish, those who have experienced abuse,' Nadyeen Abdulaziz, of Alqst, said. Allegations denied A Saudi spokesperson rejected claims of enforced confinment and mistreatment in the facilities. 'These are not detention centres, and any allegation of abuse is taken seriously and subject to thorough investigation,' the spokesperson told the Guardian. 'Women are free to leave at any time, whether to attend school, work, or other personal activities, and may exit permanently whenever they choose with no need of approval from a guardian or family member.' Concern for Saudi woman held in solitary confinement since February Read More » Since taking de-facto control of the kingdom in 2017, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has overseen a widespread crackdown on dissent, even as he pushed several nominally liberalising reforms. Those reforms include allowing women to drive, and relaxing restrictions preventing women from travelling without the consent of a male guardian. However in recent years, Saudi Arabia has jailed several women who have spoken out against women's rights and human rights abuses in the country. In May 2023, Fatima al-Shwarabi was given a 30-year sentence for anonymously tweeting about political prisoners, women's rights and unemployment. Last January, Saudi activist and fitness instructor Manahel al-Otaibi was sentenced to 11 years for promoting women's rights on social media. Salma al-Shehab, a Leeds University doctoral candidate and women's rights activist who was handed down a decades-long sentence for her tweets in 2022, was released this year.
Middle East Eye
a day ago
- Politics
- Middle East Eye
Israeli press review: MP glorifies killed contractor for ‘wiping out' Gaza homes
Killed contractor lauded for destroying Gaza The Israeli army announced on Thursday that David Libi, a 19-year-old heavy equipment operator, was killed in an explosion during a military operation in the northern Gaza Strip. Libi, from the settlement of Malachi Shalom in the occupied West Bank, was employed by the Israeli army through Libi Construction and Infrastructure, a company recently sanctioned by the UK. Zvi Sukkot, a member of the Israeli parliament from the Religious Zionist Party, paid tribute to Libi, calling him a 'friend' and praising his role in the destruction of Palestinian homes. 'He fell bravely today fighting against the Nazis in Gaza at the age of 19,' Succot wrote on X, adding: 'With God's help, the State of Israel will avenge his blood.' New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters Sukkot emphasised the importance of Libi and other heavy equipment operators in the military campaign, describing them as 'directly responsible for the greatest achievement of the war in wiping out tens of thousands of homes that endangered our fighters and changed the face of the Gaza Strip'. He noted that while they may not receive the same recognition as pilots, 'they are among the people to whom the entire nation of Israel owes the most'. Sukkot also highlighted that many of the operators come from settler communities. In a separate eulogy shared in a settler group chat, Libi and others were described as sending a message to Gaza's residents: 'You have nothing to look for here anymore. The best thing for you would be to find a boat or raft and try to sail to Greece, Europe or Morocco. Because here, you have no future.' Palestinian drivers attacked by football fans Two Palestinian bus drivers were attacked in Jerusalem by Beitar Jerusalem fans on Thursday, following their team's defeat in the Israel State Cup final. Footage of the attack circulated online, but police have yet to arrest any suspects, according to Haaretz. Israeli hooligans provoke clashes in Amsterdam after chanting anti-Palestinian slogans Read More » Ahmad Karain, one of the drivers assaulted, told Haaretz that dozens of Beitar fans 'realised I was an Arab after speaking to me and suddenly began shouting 'Death to Arabs', cursing and attacking me. More and more joined in constantly'. Beitar Jerusalem is a football club known for its association with the Israeli right wing. According to Karain, another driver, Muhammad Sayaj, came to his aid and was also attacked. 'The police only arrived after 20 minutes, maybe even half an hour, and they rescued me from there. 'I was terrified; I feared I might not survive. This isn't the first time drivers have been attacked, but it was the most brutal incident.' In recent years, and especially since the start of the war in Gaza, attacks on Palestinian drivers in Israel have increased. Koach LaOvdim, a workers' union, warned of escalating violence against drivers. 'Every day brings us closer to the murder of a driver or inspector.' Palestinian 'murdered in racist attack' by Jewish Israelis Fouad Alyan, a resident of Beit Safafa in occupied East Jerusalem, was killed last week after allegedly being run over by a Jewish driver. According to eyewitness accounts, Fouad and his cousin were attacked by two Israeli Jews while sitting in a public park in Jerusalem. How racist discourse fuels Israel's settler colonial genocide Read More » Fouad's cousin, Alaa Alyan, told Haaretz: 'Someone came with a cane and started threatening us. We left the park, but they began chasing us in a car and tried to catch us.' The two attempted to escape on Fouad's motorcycle, which was forced on to the pavement. 'The man chasing us accelerated, mounted the pavement and ran us over,' Alaa said. Fouad was critically injured and pronounced dead at the scene, while his cousin sustained minor injuries. Initially, the police treated the incident as a criminal matter rather than a racially motivated attack. Relatives of Fouad told Ynet that the two 'were sitting in a public park when Jewish individuals approached and told them Arabs were not allowed there'. They expressed their 'hope the truth will be known, and that the real story behind this murder, racism, will not be ignored'. Family members described Fouad as 'a respectable man who had good relations with everyone who knew him' and said he was 'murdered in cold blood'.
