Author: Steven Sahiounie

Steven Sahiounie, journalist and political commentator Israel and Saudi Arabia seemed on the verge of establishing normal relations, but the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023 changed everything after Israel began a horrific bombardment of Gaza in a revenge attack. The dead Israelis numbered about 1,400, but the dead Palestinians now amount to about 35,000, with more deaths recorded daily. When Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took office for the sixth time, he stated he had two main goals: to increase illegal settlements in the Occupied territory of the West Bank, and to sign a normalization pact with…

Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) has called on the International Criminal Court (ICC) to issue an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after the Israeli regime forces seized control of the Rafah crossing.

The UN human rights office says Israel has strict obligations under international humanitarian law to ensure the safety of civilians in the besieged Gaza Strip.

Police have cleared a pro-Palestine protest rally at the Swiss University of ETH Zurich as demonstrations in support of the besieged Gaza Strip spread to other cities of the central European country.

The Russian government resigned to the newly elected president, Vladimir Putin, by a decree signed by Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, the government Telegram channel said. This procedure is enshrined in law: the cabinet resigns after a new president is sworn in. The ceremony marking the beginning of Vladimir Putin’s new presidential term took place today at 12:00 p.m. Moscow time. The cabinet will continue to carry out its duties until a new government is appointed. Appointment of a new cabinet The Russian government will be appointed under a new procedure, cemented by a connotational amendment in 2020, for the first…

Vladimir Putin has formally taken office as Russian president for another six-year term, Constitutional Court Chairman Valery Zorkin announced. Putin took the oath to the people. Zorkin handed him the symbols of presidential power, including the presidential insignia, that is, the golden cross of St. George, depicting the Russian coat of arms and a gold chain with the words “Virtue, Honesty and Glory.” After being sworn in, the head of state delivered a speech. The ceremony marks the start of Putin’s fifth presidential term. His first two terms in office lasted four years each. However, the presidential term was later…

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called today on Israel to reopen the Rafah and Karm Abu Salem crossings immediately in order to allow the entry of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip. Guterres further called on Israel to halt this escalation. “Closing the Rafah and Kerem Shalom crossings at the same time is particularly harmful to the already desperate humanitarian situation. They must be reopened immediately,” warning that a “massive attack” on Rafah, which is crowded with citizens, would be a “humanitarian catastrophe.” Earlier morning, the Israeli occupation forces took over the Palestinian side of the Rafah border crossing and stopped the flow of…

Iran has strongly condemned Israel’s incursion into the densely-populated city of Rafah in southern Gaza despite international warnings that it would create a humanitarian catastrophe. Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kan’ani said the move is aimed at sabotaging international efforts to stop the regime’s genocidal war in Gaza. The Iranian official made the remarks in a statement on Tuesday, after Israeli forces seized control of the Rafah border crossing, cutting off a vital route for humanitarian aid for an estimated 1.5 million Palestinians sheltering in the city bordering Egypt. Kan’ani said Israel’s invasion of the crossing shows the savagery of a rogue regime…

The official spokesman for the Palestinian Presidency, Nabil Abu Rudeineh, said today that the Israeli attack on the Rafah border crossing, threatening to displace citizens from shelters and residential centers, and preventing UN employees from entering the Gaza Strip, constitute war crimes for which the Israeli occupation must be held to account. Abu Rudeineh described the attack as a war crime, calling for holding Israel fully accountable for this escalation. He further called on the U.S administration to intervene immediately to prevent the Israeli occupation authorities from further invading Rafah and displacing hundreds of thousands of civilians, especially since most of…

The Israeli occupation intensified its airstrikes across Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, while its tanks and military vehicles stormed the Rafah border crossing. The Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip has entered its 214th day, amid intense bombardment on the city of Rafah and airstrikes targeting Gaza City and its northern areas around the Yarmouk area, east of Jabalia, Beit Lahia, and Beit Hanoun. This continuous bombardment has resulted in the martyrdom and injury of several Palestinians. In further details, local media reported that Israeli occupation military vehicles have advanced toward the Rafah border crossing in the southern Gaza Strip, with…