Palestinian fishermen decry Israel’s ban on Gaza exports as collective punishment

Palestinian fishermen decry Israel’s ban on Gaza exports as collective punishment
Palestinian fishermen unload their catch from their nighttime fishing trip at the seaport in Gaza City. (AP)
Short Url
Updated 07 September 2023
Follow

Palestinian fishermen decry Israel’s ban on Gaza exports as collective punishment

Palestinian fishermen decry Israel’s ban on Gaza exports as collective punishment
  • New restrictions choke off the territory’s already ailing economy
  • Come on top of punishing 16-year blockade Israel, Egypt have maintained since Hamas seized control

KHAN YOUNIS: Israel closed the main commercial crossing in the Gaza Strip, effectively banning exports from the coastal territory after saying it had uncovered explosives in a shipment of clothes to the occupied West Bank. Gaza’s fishermen, with their perishable exports, were among the first to feel the pain.
The new restrictions choke off the territory’s already ailing economy. They come on top of the punishing 16-year blockade that Israel and Egypt have maintained since the Islamic militant group Hamas seized control of the enclave in 2007.
The blockade, which Israel says is needed to prevent Hamas from arming, severely limits the movement of people and goods in and out of Gaza.
Israel closed the Kerem Shalom cargo crossing late on Monday after saying it had discovered explosives hidden in a shipment of Zara jeans and other clothing bound for the West Bank — one of the main markets for Gaza’s tiny export sector. Israeli officials fear the explosives were bound for Palestinian militants in the West Bank. Israel has not said when the crossing will reopen.
Palestinian fishermen, businessmen and rights advocates condemned Israel’s latest measure as a form of collective punishment against Gaza’s 2 million people, including tens of thousands of laborers who heavily depend on exports to Israel and the West Bank to stay afloat. Nearly all the goods that enter and exit Gaza pass through Kerem Shalom.
Gaza’s 4,000 fishermen, with their perishable exports, condemned the ban.
“Now I can’t make a living,” said Khalid Al-Laham, 35, from his bare home in the southern town of Khan Younis as his five children scurried around him. “I have to borrow food from the shops.”
The struggle also has reached Gaza’s wealthiest traders.
“Fish are completely different from any product, it’s sensitive,” said Mohammed Abu Hasira, a 38-year-old owner of a popular Gazan fish restaurant near the Mediterranean. “They should punish those who are at fault. Why are we being punished with them?”
Abu Hasira’s plans to export truckloads of seafood on Thursday were thwarted by the Israeli decision, he said. Within moments, his profits evaporated and costs skyrocketed.
Overall, the measure has caused 26 tons of fish to rot and resulted in $300,000 in weekly losses, Gaza’s main fishermen’s union said.
The restrictions represented a reversal of recent Israeli military moves to ease the blockade to relieve economic pressure on Gaza to prevent tensions from boiling over into another bloody conflict.
Israel now allows some 21,000 Gazan laborers to enter Israel for work, and in July, Israel issued hundreds more permits. Over 90 percent more people left the strip than during the same time last year, according to the United Nations humanitarian office.
But now Gaza’s 4,000 fishermen and others affected by the Israeli measure said they’ve again been subsumed into a larger political struggle that has nothing to do with them.
Israel says the closure was intended to deter militants from sneaking explosives through the crossing and to press the strip’s Hamas rules to crack down on the smuggling.
“The defense establishment will not allow terror organizations to take advantage of civilian and humanitarian facilities,” Israel’s defense ministry said.
But the move, rights groups said, also laid bare Israel’s inability to provide an effective answer to the security incidents and to address Gaza’s underlying problems.
“Instead of finding proportionate and reasonable measures, it just imposes sweeping measures and punitive closings,” said Miriam Marmur, a spokeswoman for Gisha, an Israeli human rights group.
Under the blockade, Gaza’s businessmen have grappled with what they describe as exasperating bureaucratic controls and routine indignities.
Fishermen say their struggle reflects how the blockade has damaged a vital part of Gaza’s economy. In July, fish accounted for 6 percent of all exports, according to the UN
The restrictions have prevented them from importing engines, fiberglass, and other materials needed to repair their dilapidated boats. The naval blockade limits how far out into the Mediterranean Sea the fishermen can go – and how much and what type of fish they can catch. If they drift too close to the boundaries, they risk being shot at or having their boats seized by the Israeli navy.
In an upscale tower just blocks away from the seaport, Muhammad Al-Ghussein, an engineer and spokesperson for the Palestinian Businessmen Association, said all merchants in Gaza shared the fishermen’s concerns.
“Halting exports is like dealing a fatal blow to a sector that’s already dying,” he said.


Fire engulfs police facility in Egypt’s Ismailia

Fire engulfs police facility in Egypt’s Ismailia
Updated 29 min 38 sec ago
Follow

Fire engulfs police facility in Egypt’s Ismailia

Fire engulfs police facility in Egypt’s Ismailia
  • Dozens injured before firefighters contained the blaze after several hours
  • Ministry of Health and Population has increased the preparedness of hospitals in Ismailia Governorate to receive injured people

CAIRO: A massive fire broke out on Monday at a police facility in northeastern Egypt, injuring at least 38 people before firefighters could extinguish the blaze several hours later, authorities said.

Officers from the Egyptian Armed Forces and the Suez Canal Authority also took part in fire and rescue operations at the Ismailia Security Directorate headquarters, northeast of Cairo.

Cooling operations for the building are underway, officials said.

The Ministry of Health and Population has increased the preparedness of hospitals in Ismailia Governorate to receive injured people.

Hossam Abdel Ghaffar, a ministry spokesperson, said that 50 fully equipped ambulances were sent to the site.

The spokesperson said all emergency medications and blood groups were available in the governorate’s hospitals.

Abdel Ghaffar said ambulances provided emergency treatment to 12 injured people at the site.

The official said 26 other injured people — 24 cases of suffocation and two cases of burns — were transferred to Ismailia Medical Complex.

Seven injured people were discharged from the medical complex after recovering.

Egypt’s Interior Minister Mahmoud Tawfik inspected the site of the blaze.

He directed a committee of consultants to determine the cause of the fire and review the structural safety of the building to restore it to working condition as soon as possible.

The minister demanded that all aspects of care be provided to the injured until their complete recovery.

A team from the Ismailia Public Prosecution visited the site to conduct inspections and question witnesses, as well as those injured in hospitals.

An official statement on the fire that broke out in the Ismailia Security Directorate building has yet to be issued.

Ismailia Gov. Sherif Fahmy Bishara visited the injured and said that full medical care should be provided to them.


Turkiye strikes suspected Kurdish militant targets in northern Iraq after suicide attack in Ankara

Turkiye strikes suspected Kurdish militant targets in northern Iraq after suicide attack in Ankara
Updated 13 min 18 sec ago
Follow

Turkiye strikes suspected Kurdish militant targets in northern Iraq after suicide attack in Ankara

Turkiye strikes suspected Kurdish militant targets in northern Iraq after suicide attack in Ankara
  • Some 20 targets of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party were ‘destroyed/ in the latest aerial operation

ANKARA, Turkiye: Turkish warplanes carried out airstrikes on suspected Kurdish militant targets in northern Iraq on Sunday following a suicide attack on a government building in the Turkish capital, Turkiye’s defense ministry announced.
Some 20 targets of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, were “destroyed” in the latest aerial operation, including caves, shelters and depots, the ministry said, adding that a large number of PKK operatives were “neutralized” in the strikes.
Earlier on Sunday, a suicide bomber detonated an explosive device near an entrance of the Interior Ministry, wounding two police officers. A second assailant was killed in a shootout with police.
The PKK, which maintains bases in northern Iraq, claimed responsibility for the suicide bombing, according to a news agency close to the rebel group. Turkiye’s Interior Ministry also identified one of the assailants as a member of the outlawed group. It said efforts were still underway to identify the second attacker.
The attack happened hours before Turkiye’s Parliament reopened after its three-month summer recess with an address by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Iraqi President Abdul-Latif Rashid stated that Iraq does not accept the repeated Turkish strikes or the presence of Turkish bases in the Kurdistan region and hopes to come to an agreement with Turkiye to solve this problem, in an interview with Saudi broadcaster Al-Hadath. It is not clear if the interview was filmed before or after Turkiye’s latest strikes. 

Turkish security forces and emergency teams cordon off an area near the Turkish Parliament and Interior Ministry after an explosion in Ankara on Oct. 1, 2023. (AP)

Attack on Turkish Parliament 

The two assailants arrived at the scene inside a light commercial vehicle, which they seized from a veterinarian in the central province of Kayseri, according to the Interior Ministry. The pro-government daily Sabah reported that they shot the man in the head and threw his body into a ditch by the side of the road. They then drove the vehicle to Ankara, roughly 300 kilometers (200 miles) away.
“Our heroic police officers, through their intuition, resisted the terrorists as soon as they got out of the vehicle,” Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya told reporters. “One of them blew himself up, while the other one was shot in the head before he had a chance to blow himself up.”
“Our fight against terrorism, their collaborators, the (drug) dealers, gangs and organized crime organizations will continue with determination,” he said.
Police found plastic explosives, hand grenades and a rocket launcher at the scene, a ministry statement said.
Erdogan gave his speech in Parliament as planned and called the attack “the last stand of terrorism.”
“The scoundrels who targeted the peace and security of the citizens could not achieve their goals and they never will,” he said.
The president reiterated his government’s aim to create a 30-kilometer (20 mile) safe zone along Turkiye’s border with Syria to secure its southern border from attacks.
Turkiye has conducted numerous cross-border offensives against the PKK in northern Iraq. It has also launched incursions into northern Syria since 2016 to drive away the Daesh group and a Kurdish militia group, known by the initials YPG, and controls swaths of territory in the area.

Turkiye, YPG and PKK 
Turkiye views the YPG as an extension of the PKK, which is listed as a terror group by Turkiye, the United States and the European Union. The PKK has waged an insurgency against Turkiye since 1984. Tens of thousands of people have died in the conflict.
Last year, a bomb blast in a bustling pedestrian street in Istanbul left six people dead, including two children. More than 80 others were wounded. Turkiye blamed the attack on the PKK and the YPG.
Security camera footage on Sunday showed the vehicle stopping in front of the Interior Ministry, with a man exiting it and rushing toward the entrance of the building before blowing himself up. A second man is seen following him.
Earlier, television footage showed bomb squads working near a vehicle in the area, which is located near the Turkish Grand National Assembly and other government buildings. A rocket launcher could be seen lying near the vehicle.
Turkish authorities later imposed a temporary blackout on images from the scene.
Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc said an investigation has been launched into the “terror attack.”
“These attacks will in no way hinder Turkiye’s fight against terrorism,” he wrote on X. “Our fight against terrorism will continue with more determination.”
Police cordoned off access to the city center and increased security measures, warning citizens that they would be conducting controlled explosions of suspicious packages.
The two police officers were being treated in a hospital and were not in serious condition, Yerlikaya said.
Egypt, which has normalized ties with Turkiye after a decade of tensions, condemned the attack. A terse statement from the Foreign Ministry offered Egypt’s solidarity with Turkiye.
The US Embassy in Ankara and other foreign missions also issued messages condemning the attack.
Erdogan in his speech did not provide any indication as to when Turkiye’s parliament may ratify Sweden’s membership in NATO.
Stockholm applied for NATO membership alongside Finland following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last year. While Finland has since joined, Turkiye blocked Sweden’s membership in the military alliance, accusing it of not doing enough to tackle groups like PKK from operating on its soil. In a posting on X, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said Stockholm “strongly condemns today’s terrorist attack in Ankara.”
“We reaffirm our commitment to long-term cooperation with Türkiye in combating terrorism and wish for quick and full recovery of the ones injured,” he wrote, using the Turkish government’s preferred spelling for the country.


Egypt celebrates success of house, road-building programs

Egypt celebrates success of house, road-building programs
Updated 02 October 2023
Follow

Egypt celebrates success of house, road-building programs

Egypt celebrates success of house, road-building programs
  • Ministers highlight achievements of past 9 years at ‘Story of a Homeland’ conference

CAIRO: Egypt has spent millions of dollars on new urban communities over the past nine years, its housing minister said on Sunday.

Speaking at the “Story of a Homeland” conference in the New Administrative Capital, Housing and Urban Communities Minister Assem El-Gazzar said: “In the past nine years we have built 1.5 million housing units.

“We have worked to eliminate 357 unsafe areas by building more than 300,000 housing units at a construction cost exceeding 300 billion (Egyptian) pounds.”

El-Gazzar said 24 new cities that could accommodate 32 million people had been developed in the period.

The country’s Decent Life Initiative had been a major contributor to the increased urbanization, which in turn had had a significant impact on economic development, he added.

The three-day conference was attended by President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and representatives from across Egyptian society.

It comprised several discussion sessions, at which the participants highlighted the government’s achievements and addressed the challenges that lie ahead.

The conference also provided a platform for political leaders to respond to citizens’ queries about political, social and economic issues.

Transport Minister Kamel Al-Wazir said that under the Decent Life Initiative 7,000 km of new roads had been built over the past nine years.

The national road network now spanned 30,000 km and served agricultural and industrial areas across the country, he said.

He added that on completion of the development plan, Egypt’s ports would have capacity for 400 million tons of goods and 40 million containers, and be able to handle 30,000 giant ships a year.

El-Sisi thanked the ministers for their efforts and said the success of the development program was testimony to their efforts and the will of the state to serve the people.


Iraqi central bank chief meets with Jordanian PM, counterpart

Iraqi central bank chief meets with Jordanian PM, counterpart
Updated 01 October 2023
Follow

Iraqi central bank chief meets with Jordanian PM, counterpart

Iraqi central bank chief meets with Jordanian PM, counterpart
  • Al-Alaq also met with his Jordanian counterpart to discuss ways to boost banking and financial ties

AMMAN: Ali Mohsen Al-Alaq, governor of the Central Bank of Iraq, met with Jordan’s Prime Minister Bishr Khasawneh on Sunday, Jordan News Agency reported.

Khasawneh stressed his commitment to expanding collaboration, notably in the economic and banking sectors.

Speaking about his visit to Baghdad in July, Khasawneh said the two countries had agreed to strengthen cooperation in several fields, whether through bilateral efforts or as part of the tripartite cooperation mechanism between Jordan, Iraq, and Egypt.

Earlier, Al-Alaq also met with his Jordanian counterpart Adel Sharkas to discuss ways to boost banking and financial ties.

The two addressed banking issues of mutual interest, developments in central bank work, and trends in global monetary policies. They also examined inflationary pressures that have led many central banks around the world to maintain tight monetary policies.

Sharkas and Al-Alaq signed an agreement that provides for cooperation and knowledge exchange in electronic payment systems and services, financial technology, cybersecurity, staff training, and combating money laundering and terrorist financing.

Sharkas emphasized the significance of the agreement at a time when economic relations between the two countries are advancing steadily.

He noted that Jordanian banks are looking to create a foothold in the Iraqi market, pointing to four Jordanian branches that have secured licenses to operate in Iraq, with two branches already active.

Al-Alaq praised the historical Jordanian-Iraqi ties, emphasizing the CBI’s desire to benefit from Jordanian experience in digitalization, financial innovations, and payment systems.

 


Iraq wedding fire caused by ‘gross negligence,’ government investigation says

This image shows the devastated interior of Al-Haitham hall in Qaraqosh, also known as Hamdaniyah.
This image shows the devastated interior of Al-Haitham hall in Qaraqosh, also known as Hamdaniyah.
Updated 02 October 2023
Follow

Iraq wedding fire caused by ‘gross negligence,’ government investigation says

This image shows the devastated interior of Al-Haitham hall in Qaraqosh, also known as Hamdaniyah.
  • Investigation results said owner of hall and three other staff members had allowed 900 people into venue when it was designed for a maximum of 400

BAGHDAD: A fire that swept through a crowded wedding hall in a northern Iraqi town killing more than 100 people was blamed on “gross negligence” and lack of safety measures, the results of a government investigation into the disaster said.
The investigation results, announced at a news conference on Sunday by interior minister Abdul Amir Al-Shammari, said the owner of the hall and three other staff members had allowed 900 people into the venue when it was designed for a maximum of 400.
“The fire was accidental and unintentional and occurred due to gross negligence,” the investigation findings said.
“Using flammable decoration helped the fire to spread quickly and transformed the hall to a fireball,” Shammari said.
The blaze trapped people inside the wedding hall and rescue teams struggled to reach them because exit doors were few and small, Shammari said.
At least 150 people were injured in the fire, which was in the Christian town of Hamdaniya — also known as Qaraqosh.
The interior minister put the death toll at 107 and said the investigation panel had proposed that the government should provide financial support to families of the dead and injured.
The investigation also made recommendations that legal action should be taken against local officials.
Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani visited victims of the blaze at two local hospitals on Thursday and pledged to hold those responsible to account.