Author: Steven Sahiounie

The United Nations humanitarian chief says Gaza has become “uninhabitable” three months after war and “a public health disaster is unfolding.” Martin Griffiths said in a statement Friday that “people are facing the highest levels of food insecurity ever recorded (and) famine is around the corner.” And Gazans are “witnessing daily threats to their very existence – while the world watches on,” he said. The UN undersecretary-general for humanitarian affairs said tens of thousands of people, mostly women and children, have been killed or injured, families are sleeping in the open as temperatures plummet, and areas where Palestinians were told…

The foreign ministers of Iran and Turkey agreed on the Iranian president’s state visit to Turkey in the near future after a deadly terrorist attack in Kerman on Wednesday canceled the planned visit. In a telephone conversation with his Iranian counterpart on Thursday, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan offered condolences to the government and people of Iran on the Wednesday’s terrorist attack that claimed over 80 lives in Iran’s southern city of Kerman. For his part, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian thanked Turkey’s high-ranking officials, including the president and foreign minister, for expressing sympathy with Iran. He also highlighted the…

In response to reports of Israeli plans regarding the post-war day for Gaza, the Presidency of the State of Palestine firmly reiterated today its clear stance, emphasizing that halting the Israeli aggression against our people is the top national priority for the time being. In a statement released today, the Palestinian Presidency affirmed “the unswerving, clear Palestinian position that prioritizes ending the Israeli aggression against our people in Gaza, the West Bank, and Jerusalem.” The statement emphasized the importance of a political horizon based on international legitimacy, the Arab Peace Initiative, ending the occupation, and the recognition of the State…

Massive Rally gathered in Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, and other cities on Friday in a demonstration of solidarity with Palestinians. Al-Masirah television said that two million Yemenis participated in the “Blood of the Free People…on the Road to Victory” march. Live footage from the Al-Sabeen Square in Sanaa showed an endless sea of demonstrators, many carrying Palestinian flags. Houthi officials addressed the crowds. A rally statement said the Yemenis are ready to fight the US and commemorated their 10 fighters killed by the US last week, condemned al-Arouri’s assassination in Lebanon, and urged an Arab boycott of Israeli and US goods…

Foreign Minister of Iran Hossein Amirabdollahian stressed the need for the international community to join hands in the fight against terrorism . In a telephone conversation with Amirabdollahian on Friday, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Sri Lanka Ali Sabry strongly condemned the terrorist attack that claimed 89 lives in Iran’s southern city of Kerman on January 3. Expressing sympathy with the Iranian people and government over the tragic incident, Sabry said Sri Lanka stands by Iran. For his part, Amirabdollahian appreciated Sri Lanka for the expression of sympathy. He said the international community needs to act seriously in the fight…

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani has condemned a US attack that killed a militia commander in Baghdad yesterday, calling the strike a violation of Iraqi sovereignty and reiterating calls for US forces to leave the country. “Attacks targeting our security forces go beyond the spirit and letter of the mandate that created the international coalition,” al-Sudani said, noting that the US had bypassed the Iraqi government to carry out the strike. The US said that the target, a senior commander with the Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF) named Hajj Mushtaq Talib al-Saidi, was actively involved in planning attacks on US…

In a video message posted to Hamas’s Telegram channel, the head of the group’s political bureau had this to say to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken as he begins his latest Middle East trip: Source: AlJazeera

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Antony Blinken likely to discuss Gaza conflict on Saturday in Istanbul US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Istanbul on Friday to meet with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan as part of a weeklong regional tour. The plane carrying Blinken and his delegation landed at Istanbul Airport at 19:10 local time. At the airport, Blinken was welcomed by Turkish and US diplomats. Fidan and his American counterpart are expected to discuss Israeli attacks on Gaza, regional issues, and bilateral relations in their talks scheduled for tomorrow . Blinken will also visit Greece, Jordan, Qatar,…

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock will travel to Israel Sunday for her fourth visit since the outbreak of the war in Gaza, a ministry spokesman said.Baerbock will hold talks with Israel’s new Foreign Minister Israel Katz, as well as President Isaac Herzog, foreign ministry spokesman Sebastian Fischer told a regular press conference on Friday.German minister will also meet with Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas and Palestinian foreign minister Riyad Al-Maliki.Baerbock will subsequently travel to Egypt to meet with her counterpart Sameh Shoukry and also planned to visit Lebanon.The talks would focus on the “dramatic humanitarian situation in Gaza, the situation in…

Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati has spoken with Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani during phone call to discuss the situation in Lebanon and the occupied Palestinian territories. During the call, Mikati emphasised “the need for the international community to act immediately to stop Israeli violations of international law” and expressed concern over efforts to “drag Lebanon into a regional war”, days after an Israeli targeted assassination of a Hamas leader in Beirut. Mikati warned that widening the current war between Israel and Hamas would have “serious consequences” for Lebanon and…