Author: Steven Sahiounie

The Palestinian Hamas resistance movement says Israel has refused to receive two more captives the movement had decided to release on solely humanitarian grounds. Speaking on Saturday, Abu Ubaida, the spokesman for Hamas’ military wing, al-Qassam Brigades, said in a brief statement that the movement had informed Qatar that it intended to release two more female captives “for compelling humanitarian reasons and without compensation,” the Palestinian Information Center reported. “However, the occupation regime refused to receive them,” the spokesman added, identifying the captives as Nurit Yitzhak and Yochved Lifshitz. Abu Ubaida had previously said that the number of Israelis who have been…

At least two workers were killed after Israel carried out fresh aerial assaults on the Arab country’s two main airports in the cities of Damascus and Aleppo, putting both facilities out of service in the third such attack within a span of 10 days. Syria’s official news agency SANA, citing an unnamed military source, reported that the strikes came simultaneously at around 5:35 a.m. local time (0235 GMT) on Sunday. The source added that Israeli missiles fired from the direction of the occupied Golan Heights hit the Damascus International Airport, while jets flying over the Mediterranean Sea struck Aleppo International…

The Palestinian Hamas resistance movement says at least 55 people, including children, were killed in the Gaza Strip as Israeli military aircraft carried out a fresh round of airstrikes against various districts across the besieged coastal enclave. According to the Gaza-based resistance group’s press office, more than 30 homes were destroyed in the hours after an Israeli military spokesperson said raids would be increased. The official Palestinian news agency WAFA reported that five civilians were killed in an Israeli airstrike on a house in the eastern al-Zaytoun neighborhoods of Gaza City on Saturday night. Additionally, five dead bodies belonging to…

Unnamed officials have claimed the negotiations, involving Qatar, were aimed at freeing 50 captives Negotiations involving the US, Israel and Hamas over the potential release of 50 hostages held by the militant group have fallen through, the Wall Street Journal has reported. Hamas did, however, release two US nationals on Friday, citing “humanitarian reasons.” The WSJ on Saturday, citing several anonymous officials, claimed that the talks mediated by Qatar had been tough, and that no direct dialogue between Israel and Hamas had taken place whatsoever during the first week. According to the outlet, the Palestinian militant group had named several preconditions…

More than 800 European officials have reportedly accused Ursula von der Leyen of “double standards” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is turning a blind eye to Israel’s “war crimes” in Gaza, hundreds of EU staffers wrote in a letter circulating within the bloc’s institutions, the Irish Times reported on Friday. The European Commission is giving a “free hand to the acceleration and legitimacy of a war crime in the Gaza Strip,” the letter signed by 842 people states. It was reportedly circulated among diplomats and staffers at the Commission and other EU bodies. While the missive opens with a condemnation of…

Recorded attacks against Jews and Muslims are up 1,353% and 140% respectively, police say Hate crimes against Jews and Muslims have skyrocketed in the British capital amid the dramatic escalation of the Israel-Hamas conflict, the Metropolitan Police have said. “Regrettably, despite the increased presence of officers we have seen a significant increase in hate crime across London,” the Met said in a statement on Friday. They added that 218 anti-Semitic offenses were recorded between October 1 and 18, as opposed to 15 during the same period last year. Islamophobic offenses rose from 42 to 101. “These [figures] represent percentage rises of…

Khamzat Chimaev asked the Chechen leader for his blessing to go join the battle in Gaza Khamzat Chimaev, a UFC fighter from Chechnya, addressed the leader of the Russian republic, Ramzan Kadyrov, on Saturday, asking for his permission to join the fight in Palestine in a post-fight interview at UFC 294. In an emotional speech following his victory against former UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman, Chimaev, 29, addressed the situation with multiple conflicts raging in the world. “Guys, you know what’s happening in the world right now. I wasn’t happy in the cage fight this week, and seeing kids dying,” Chimaev,…

Washington is reportedly concerned that its ally would struggle in a two-front war that could draw in Iran The administration of US President Joe Biden is trying to dissuade Israel from a large-scale attack on Hezbollah, the Lebanon-based Islamist military group, fearing that it would throw the entire Middle East into turmoil, the New York Times reported on Friday, citing sources. According to US and Israeli officials interviewed by the paper, Washington is concerned that if Israel were to launch a major attack not only on Hamas but also on Hezbollah, it would struggle in a two-front war. It also…

Five UN agencies have urged the world “to do more for Gaza”, as the enclave had already been in a desperate humanitarian situation before the ongoing Israeli aggression. The statement was issued by the UN Development Programme (UNDP), the UN Population Fund (UNFPA), the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the World Food Programme (WFP) and the World Health Organization (WHO). A humanitarian convoy entered Gaza yesterday via the Rafah border crossing with Egypt – the first since the Israeli aggression on the territory started two weeks ago. The 20 trucks carried lifesaving items from the UN and the Egyptian Red…

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s strongest ally calls for an intervention into the Gaza Strip if Israel’s attacks on Palestine do not stop within 24 hours. Turkey should “take action promptly”, Devlet Bahceli, the leader of the Nationalist Movement Party, said in a post on X adding, “protecting and safeguarding Gaza is the legacy of our ancestors.” Turkey should “do whatever is necessary due to its historical, humanitarian and religious responsibilities”, Bahceli added. Source: AlJazeera