GAZA — Delaying a humanitarian pause in the Gaza Strip increases the risk of polio spreading among children, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) has warned. Philippe Lazzarini, Commissioner-General of UNRWA, emphasised on social media platform X on Friday that simply bringing vaccines into Gaza and […]
Middle East
Bus carrying Shiite pilgrims from Pakistan to Iraq crashes in Iran, killing at least 28 people
TEHRAN, IRAN — A bus carrying Shiite pilgrims from Pakistan to Iraq crashed in central Iran, killing at least 28 people, an official said Wednesday. The crash happened Tuesday night in the central Iranian province of Yazd, said Mohammad Ali Malekzadeh, a local emergency official, according to the state-run IRNA news agency. Another 23 people […]
Nearly 3 mn doses of polio vaccines delivered to Gaza since Oct 2023: Israel
JERUSALEM — Nearly 3 million doses of polio vaccines have been delivered to the Gaza Strip since the onset of the Hamas-Israel conflict in October 2023, according to Israeli authorities. A total of 282,126 vials of the polio vaccine, sufficient for 2,821,260 doses, have been sent to Gaza since the war broke out, Israel’s Coordinator […]
Hamas criticises new Gaza ceasefire proposal as favouring Netanyahu’s conditions
GAZA — Hamas has criticised the new ceasefire proposal for Gaza, presented in Doha last week, as catering to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s conditions, particularly his refusal to agree to a permanent ceasefire. The group claimed the proposal aligns with Netanyahu’s demands, including rejecting a permanent ceasefire, maintaining control over the Netzarim Corridor, Rafah […]
Over 40,000 Palestinians killed in Israeli attacks since October 2023
GAZA — The Palestinian death toll from the ongoing Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip has surpassed 40,000, Gaza-based health authorities said on Thursday. During the past 24 hours, the Israeli military killed 40 people and wounded 107 others, bringing the total death toll to 40,005 and injuries to 92,401 since the Palestinian-Israeli conflict broke […]
Iran’s newly-appointed Vice-President Mohammad Javad Zarif resigns
TEHRAN — Mohammad Javad Zarif has resigned from his new post as Iranian vice president for strategic affairs and head of the Center for Strategic Studies, just 10 days after his appointment. In a post on social media platform X on Sunday night, he said he was “not satisfied with the result of his work” […]
Hezbollah attacks Israeli base with swarms of suicide drones
BEIRUT — Hezbollah has attacked an Israeli base located southwest of Safed city in northern Israel with successive swarms of suicide drones, causing injuries among its members. “On Saturday, the Islamic Resistance fighters launched an air attack with swarms of suicide drones on the Michve Allon base,” Hezbollah said in a statement. “This base includes […]
Over 60 people killed in Israeli airstrike on school in Gaza city: Palestinian health officials
GAZA STRIP — An Israeli airstrike hit a school-turned-shelter in Gaza City early Saturday, killing more than 60 people, Palestinian health authorities said, in one of the deadliest strikes in the 10-month-old war between Israel and Hamas. The Israeli military acknowledged the strike, claiming without evidence that it hit a Hamas command center within the […]
Hamas names ‘Yahya Sinwar’ as it’s new leader after killing of Ismail Haniyeh
GAZA STRIP — After a career in the shadows, spent in Israeli prisons and the internal security apparatus of Hamas, Yahya Sinwar has emerged as leader of the Palestinian group in the middle of a full-blown war. Sinwar, who until now was the movement’s Gaza chief, replaces Ismail Haniyeh, whose killing in Tehran last week […]
Former grand mufti of Jerusalem detained over Haniyeh sermon at Al-Aqsa Mosque
JERUSALEM — A senior Muslim cleric was detained on suspicion of inciting “terrorism” on Friday after he mourned slain Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh at Jerusalem’s flashpoint Al-Aqsa Mosque, his lawyer told. Sheikh Ekrima Sabri, 85, the former grand mufti of Jerusalem and current head of its Supreme Islamic Council, called Haniyeh a “martyr” in his […]








