Author: Steven Sahiounie

Four more of Saed Swerki’s relatives have died over the past week RT Arabic’s Saed Swerki held back tears on Wednesday evening as he reported from the Gaza City hospital, where hundreds perished the evening prior, five of them his own relatives. As Swerki reported live from the Ahli Arab Hospital, he revealed that his family members – a cousin and her children – were among those killed on Tuesday evening. The exact number of casualties from the explosion is still being established, though the Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza has claimed at least 450 have died and over 1,000 were…

The former president has insisted that the war with Hamas would not be happening if he were still in office Former US President Donald Trump has said that he may visit Israel in the near future. Trump’s statement came after he harshly criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for his apparent failure to predict Hamas’ attack on the Jewish state. “I may, I may go,” Trump told reporters outside a courthouse in New York, where he is facing a civil fraud lawsuit. “But I believe in letting them do what they have to do,” Trump continued, “They have to straighten it out. What’s happening…

Several dozen UN representatives held a protest against Washington’s insufficient efforts on human rights issues Dozens of activists held a demonstration before the independent Human Rights Committee on Wednesday as US Ambassador to the UN Human Rights Council Michele Taylor delivered a speech defending Washington’s human rights record. According to the Associated Press, as many as 140 protesters traveled from places including Puerto Rico, Hawaii, and Guam, among others, to protest Taylor’s speech. When she began her address, the activists, who were sitting all over the chamber of the Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland, stood up and turned their…

Several officials reportedly deplore the “culture of silence” regarding Gaza and the Palestinians Several staff members of the administration of US President Joe Biden, in particular those with Muslim backgrounds, are worried about retaliation if they question Israel’s conduct in Gaza, HuffPost reported on Wednesday. The outlet cited several staffers “across multiple agencies, most of whom work on national security issues,” but did not identify any of them by name. The days since the Hamas attack on October 7 have been “the first time in the administration that there was a real culture of silence,” one official said. “It feels like post-9/11 where you feel…

A diplomatic facility in Adana, Türkiye was shuttered due to fears of “violent” demonstrations The United States has closed its consulate office in southern Türkiye indefinitely, predicting “several weeks” of heated protests linked to the ongoing war between Israel and Palestinian militants in Gaza. The US Embassy in Türkiye announced the move on Wednesday night, saying the consulate in the city of Adana would be closed to the public “until further notice” while urging American citizens to avoid traveling to the area. “Large demonstrations related to events in Israel and Gaza are expected throughout Türkiye for the next several weeks. Any gathering, even those intended to…

Standing up for Ukraine but not Palestine makes the US and its allies look duplicitous, officials have told the outlet Attempts by the US and its allies to “paint Moscow as a global pariah” have been “poisoned” by their rush to support Israeli retaliation against Hamas in Gaza, the Financial Times reported on Wednesday, citing more than a dozen officials. Western nations have long framed the Ukraine conflict as an act of “unprovoked aggression” and blasted Moscow for the suffering of civilians. However, the same nations have appeared reluctant to condition their support for Israel on exercising restraint in the wake of…

But Israel will be victorious only after reconstruction is complete, which will take years, Benny Gantz has said The conflict between the Palestinian armed group Hamas and Israel is unlikely to end anytime soon, Benny Gantz, a member of the country’s emergency war cabinet and former defense minister, said on Wednesday, adding that large-scale hostilities could spill over beyond Gaza. Speaking at the funeral of Ofir Libstein, a regional council head who was allegedly killed by Hamas militants, Gantz predicted that the fighting “will take a long time.” “The war in the south – and if need be also in the…

Safwat Kahlout Reporting from Khan Younis, southern Gaza Since midnight, Israeli forces have intensified their strikes in various areas throughout the Gaza Strip. The first hit Rafah, killing 33 people. The second was in Khan Younis where a house was targeted. According to medical sources, 11 family members were killed, including six children. So far, the total number of people killed today in Gaza stands at 44. We can also hear the Israeli military firing tank shells across the barrier on the eastern side of the Gaza Strip. After two weeks of war, all hospitals are overwhelmed and the whole medical system is…

According to the Russian foreign minister, the initiative is clearly driven by the intention to de-escalate things and bring the situation back to normal Russia is ready to discuss and consider Turkey’s initiative to establish a guarantor system in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, with Moscow and Ankara staying in touch on the issue, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told reporters in Pyongyang. “We are ready to discuss any constructive proposals. The said initiative <…> is clearly driven by the intention to de-escalate things and bring the situation back to normal,” Russia’s top diplomat said. To him, the Turkish initiative is rooted…

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi has met with King Abdullah II of Jordan for a closed-door discussion about the escalating conflict and deteriorating humanitarian situation. The two leaders condemned Israel’s policy of “collective punishment” against Palestinians in Gaza and its efforts to displace “Palestinians from their lands to Egypt or Jordan”, Egypt’s presidential office said in a statement. The two countries – which flank Israel on opposite sides – are close allies. Both leaders have expressed fear about a permanent expulsion of Palestinians into their countries, concerned it could nullify Palestinians’ demand for a future state. The two warned that prolonging the Gaza war…