Author: Steven Sahiounie

Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan gave a speech in Istanbul to the League of Parliamentarians for al-Quds (Jerusalem) in which he said the Palestinians, “whose lands are being gradually occupied, are subjected to one of the most brutal oppressions in history”. “From here, I once again send my greetings to the Palestinian heroes who, through their struggle, uphold the honour of Jerusalem and all humanity,” he said. He added that anyone looking for “modern pharaohs need not look far; just look at those who have mercilessly killed 35,000 Palestinians in the last 203 days,” referring to Israel’s months-long offensive on…

The extensive amount of rubble left by Israel’s devastating war in the Gaza Strip could take about 14 years to remove, a UN official said on Friday. Pehr Lodhammar, an official with the United Nations Mine Action Service, told a briefing in Geneva that the war had left an estimated 37 million tons of debris in the densely populated territory. According to the media office in Gaza, Israeli attacks have destroyed as many as 70,000 houses, and damaged 290,000 others, rendering them uninhabitable. The structures hit also include government buildings, hospitals, schools, mosques, churches, and historical sites. Israel has pounded…

United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken told NPR that he had discussed regional tensions in the Middle East with Chinese officials during his visit to China. “I’ve had, I think, six conversations with my Chinese counterparts since October 7”, he said. “I actually believe that China could play a constructive role in trying to make sure that conflict doesn’t spread, that we don’t see escalation”. He added that China “has influence with critical countries in the region, including, for example, Iran”. “So what I’m focused on is trying to encourage China to use that influence in a productive way,”…

American university students continue to demonstrate solidarity with Gaza and rejection of Israeli aggression, confirming their rejection of the ongoing attempts to distort the student movement by accusing it of being “anti-Semitic.” Student protests advocating for Gaza and denouncing Israeli aggression persist across American universities. In a recent development, the administration of George Washington University notified protesters that their actions violated university policies. On the other hand, students at the university rebuffed ongoing efforts to misrepresent the student movement by labeling it as ‘anti-Semitic.’ From Washington to New York, New York University students established a new solidarity camp with Gaza…

The foreign minister of Portugal expressed his country’s support for the establishment of an independent Palestinian state, calling for collective efforts to relieve the regional tensions. In a telephone conversation with his Iranian counterpart on Friday, Portugal’s newly-appointed Foreign Minister Paulo Rangel called for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. “The Portuguese government supports the formation of an independent Palestinian state and calls on all regional countries to make efforts in order to ease the tensions in the region,” he added. For his part, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian urged that the Zionist regime’s war and genocide in Gaza…

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will visit Israel next week due to the increased tensions between the two countries over the issue of Gaza civilians, The New York Times reported citing an unnamed Israeli official. Blinken will also discuss the process of negotiations on ceasefire in Gaza, which has reached an impasse, the newspaper says. Israel’s military upcoming operation in Rafah will also be on agenda. The situation has seriously deteriorated in Gaza recently, The New York Times points out, adding that heat is the new problem the people of Gaza face now, in addition to other problems. Combined with the…

Hamas said it had received on Saturday Israel’s official response to its latest ceasefire proposal and will study it before submitting its reply, the group’s deputy Gaza chief said in a statement.“Hamas has received today the official response of the Zionist occupation to the proposal presented to the Egyptian and the Qatari mediators on April 13,” Khalil Al-Hayya, who is currently based in Qatar, said in a statement published by the group.After more than six months of war with Israel in Gaza, the negotiations remain deadlocked, with Hamas sticking to its demands that any agreement must end the war.An Egyptian…

Russia’s Minister of Defense, Shoigu, emphasized that Russia has always put maximum effort into securing strategic stability and balance in power in the world. Russia has never threatened NATO and does not have any geopolitical or military interests to attack the allies, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said Friday during a meeting of defense ministers of the SCO member countries in Astana. Founded in 2001, SCO’s full members are India, Iran, Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Pakistan, and Uzbekistan; its observer states are Afghanistan, Belarus, and Mongolia, and its dialogue partners are Azerbaijan, Armenia, Egypt, Cambodia, Nepal, Qatar, the UAE, Saudi…

Iran and China’s defense chiefs discussed ways to enhance military cooperation, also conferring on regional issues. Iran’s Defense Minister Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Ashtiani met with his Chinese counterpart Dong Jun on the sidelines of the 21st meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Defense Ministers in Astana, Kazakhstan, on Friday. Ashtiani hailed China’s stance on the ongoing developments in the region and its condemnation of Israel’s terrorist airstrike against Iran’s diplomatic premise in the Syrian capital of Damascus earlier this month. It is necessary for Iran and China to boost cooperation and convergence to solve security issues in the region…

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) today announced that it would rule Tuesday on a case accusing Germany of facilitating genocide in Israel’s months-long offensive on the blockaded Gaza Strip. “On Tuesday 30 April 2024, the International Court of Justice will deliver its Order on the Request for the indication of provisional measures submitted by Nicaragua in the case concerning Alleged Breaches of Certain International Obligations in respect of the Occupied Palestinian Territory,” the court said in a statement. According to the statement, a public sitting will occur at 3 p.m. (1300GMT) at the Peace Palace in The Hague, during which…