Middle East
‘Fear is controlling us’
Palestinians in Rafah told AFP they were living in “constant terror” as Israel vows to push ahead with its planned assault on the south Gaza city flooded with displaced civilians.
The world has failed Gaza
Saudi Arabia yesterday said the international community has failed Gaza and reiterated its call for a Palestinian state at a global economic summit.
Dubai begins construction of ‘largest’ airport terminal
Dubai yesterday announced that work had begun on a new terminal at Al Maktoum International Airport, which the Gulf emirate’s ruler said will become “the world’s largest” at a cost of almost $35 billion.
Diplomacy ramps up for Gaza truce
Diplomatic efforts increased yesterday to reach a long sought-after truce and hostage-release deal in Gaza, as Israel carried out further air strikes and shelling on the Palestinian territory.
Hamas says studying new Israeli truce proposal
Hamas said it was studying the latest Israeli counterproposal regarding a potential ceasefire in Gaza yesterday, a day after media reports said a delegation from mediator Egypt arrived in Israel in a bid to jump-start stalled negotiations.
Egypt sends delegation to Israel for Gaza talks
An Egyptian delegation met Israeli officials yesterday, looking for a way to restart talks to end the offensive in Gaza and return the remaining Israeli hostages, an official briefed on the meetings said.
‘My son is on the bulldozer’
Palestinian woman Reem Zidan had been searching for her son for months, and finally found his body on Wednesday as a bulldozer unearthed human remains outside a Gaza hospital.
Red Sea Crisis: US downs Houthi anti-ship missile, four drones
US-led coalition forces shot down four drones and an anti-ship missile launched by Yemen’s Houthi rebels, American authorities said yesterday, as the Iran-backed group announced strikes against US and Israeli ships.
Israel carries out heavy shelling in Gaza
Gaza was hit by heavy Israeli shelling yesterday, with strikes reported in several areas in the centre and south of the besieged territory, as Prime Minister Netanyahu vowed “painful blows” on Hamas to free hostages.
Egypt reclaims 3,400-yr-old stolen statue of Ramses II
Egypt welcomed home a 3,400-year-old statue depicting the head of King Ramses II after it was stolen and smuggled out of the country more than three decades ago, the country’s antiquities ministry said on Sunday.
Drone, rocket attacks targeted US forces in Iraq
US forces in Iraq and Syria faced two separate rocket and explosive drone attacks in less than 24 hours, Iraqi security sources and US officials told Reuters yesterday, the first reported after a near three-month pause.
Israel bombards Rafah after US ‘green light’
Israel carried out deadly strikes in Gaza’s southernmost city of Rafah, first responders in the Palestinian territory said yesterday, as violence flared in the occupied West Bank.
Iran’s Khamenei praises ‘success’ of military
Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei praised the country’s armed forces for their “success” in his first public comments since Tehran launched an unprecedented direct attack on Israel last week.
Israel holds Palestinian economy captive: analysts
The Gaza offensive is speeding up Israel’s “annexation” of the Palestinian economy, say analysts, who argue it has been hobbled for decades by agreements that followed the Oslo peace accords.
Iran, Israel ‘pull back’ from brink of war
Iran has dismissed as akin to child’s play Israel’s reported retaliation for an unprecedented Iranian strike, as both sides yesterday appeared to step back from wider conflict stemming from the war in Gaza.
Blast hits Iraq base housing pro-Iranian armed groups
One person was killed and eight wounded in an overnight explosion at an Iraqi military base housing a coalition of pro-Iranian armed groups, officials said Saturday.
Israel kills ‘10 militants’ in West Bank
The Israeli army yesterday said troops had killed 10 militants in an ongoing raid around Nur Shams, a refugee camp in the north of the occupied West Bank.
Lacking storm drains, Dubai sees persistent flooding
When record downpours sent water flooding into his Dubai home, Riaz Haq expected the levels to drop once it stopped raining. But instead of falling, the water kept rising higher
