Egypt and Qatar are working to salvage the Gaza ceasefire deal

A Palestinian man carries a water tank amid the devastation in Beit Hanun in the northern Gaza Strip on February 12, 2025. (AFP)
A Palestinian man carries a water tank amid the devastation in Beit Hanun in the northern Gaza Strip on February 12, 2025. (AFP)
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Updated 12 February 2025
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Egypt and Qatar are working to salvage the Gaza ceasefire deal

A Palestinian man carries a water tank amid the devastation in Beit Hanun in the northern Gaza Strip on February 12, 2025. (AFP)
  • Since the truce started on Jan. 19, Israeli fire has killed at least 92 Palestinians and wounded more than 800 others, said director general of the Health Ministry

GAZA: Egyptian and Qatari mediators were working to salvage the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas on Wednesday, according to Egypt’s state-run Al-Qahera News TV, which is close to the country’s security agencies.
The fragile ceasefire is facing a significant test after Hamas said it would delay the next release of hostages scheduled for Saturday, alleging Israel has violated the truce by firing on people in Gaza and not allowing the agreed-upon number of tents, shelters and other vital aid to enter the territory.
Since the truce started on Jan. 19, Israeli fire has killed at least 92 Palestinians and wounded more than 800 others, said Munir Al-Bursh, director general of the Health Ministry, on Tuesday. The Israeli military says it has fired on people who approach its forces or enter certain areas in violation of the truce.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, with the support of President Donald Trump, has warned that Israel would resume fighting if hostages are not freed on Saturday. Trump has threated that “all hell” will break out if the militant group does not release the remaining Israeli hostages held in Gaza by Saturday.
The United Nations said Wednesday that since the start of the ceasefire in Gaza, its agencies and partners have fed 1.2 million people, provided shelter aid to more than 600,000 people and provided water and waste disposal services to nearly half a million.
In a briefing, the UN said it opened 37 shelters for Palestinians returning to the war-battered north, where they were providing tents, blankets and warm clothing. At least 644,000 people across the territory had received tents, tarps or sealing-off materials to improve their shelter conditions.
The ceasefire, which came into effect on Jan. 19, has paused the war in Gaza and sent aid flowing more freely to Palestinians in need. The war sparked a humanitarian crisis in the territory.
The top Sunni Muslim religious authority slams Trump’s plan for Gaza
Al-Azhar, the Sunni Muslim world’s foremost seat of religious learning, on Wednesday threw its support behind Egypt’s rejection of President Donald Trump’s plan to depopulate the Gaza Strip.
“No one has the right to force the Palestinian people to accept unworkable proposals,” the Cairo-based institution said in a statement. “The whole world must respect the right of the Palestinians to live on their land and establish their independent state with Jerusalem as its capital.”
It called for Arab and Muslim leaders as well as “the world’s wise people” to reject “transfer plans that aim at destroying the Palestinian cause.” Al-Azhar also called on religious institutions around the world to use their influence and defend “the vulnerable in Palestine.”


Israeli strikes kill a family of 6 and a Hamas spokesman in Gaza

Israeli strikes kill a family of 6 and a Hamas spokesman in Gaza
Updated 19 sec ago
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Israeli strikes kill a family of 6 and a Hamas spokesman in Gaza

Israeli strikes kill a family of 6 and a Hamas spokesman in Gaza
  • A strike hit the tent where Abdel-Latif Al-Qanoua was staying in the Jabaliya area of northern Gaza
Israeli strikes overnight and into Thursday killed a family of six and a Hamas spokesman in the Gaza Strip.
A strike hit the tent where Abdel-Latif Al-Qanoua was staying in the Jabaliya area of northern Gaza, killing him, according to Basem Naim, another Hamas official.
Another strike near Gaza City killed four children and their parents, according to the emergency service of Gaza’s Health Ministry.
Israel ended its ceasefire with Hamas last week, launching a surprise wave of strikes that killed hundreds of Palestinians. It has vowed to escalate the offensive if Hamas does not release hostages, disarm and leave the territory.
Hamas has said it will only release the remaining 59 hostages — 24 of whom are believed to be alive — in exchange for a lasting ceasefire and an Israeli withdrawal.

Hamas spokesperson Qanoua killed in Israeli airstrike, Al-Aqsa TV reports

Hamas spokesperson Qanoua killed in Israeli airstrike, Al-Aqsa TV reports
Updated 27 March 2025
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Hamas spokesperson Qanoua killed in Israeli airstrike, Al-Aqsa TV reports

Hamas spokesperson Qanoua killed in Israeli airstrike, Al-Aqsa TV reports
  • Al-Qanoua was killed when his tent was targeted in Jabalia in northern Gaza
  • Earlier this week, Israel killed senior leaders Ismail Barhoum and Salah Al-Bardaweel

CAIRO: Hamas spokesperson Abdel-Latif Al-Qanoua has been killed in an Israeli airstrike in northern Gaza, Hamas-affiliated media said early on Thursday, the latest group figure to be killed since Israel resumed its operations in the enclave.
Al-Qanoua was killed when his tent was targeted in Jabalia, the Hamas-run Al-Aqsa television said. The same strike wounded several people, while separate attacks killed at least six in Gaza City and one in southern Gaza’s Khan Younis, medical sources said.
Earlier this week, Israel killed Ismail Barhoum, a member of Hamas’ political office, and Salah Al-Bardaweel, another senior leader.
Both Bardaweel and Barhoum were members of the 20-member Hamas decision-making body, the political office, 11 of whom have been killed since the start of the war in late 2023, according to Hamas sources.
Last week, Israel ended a two-month-old ceasefire by resuming bombing and ground operations, increasing pressure on Hamas to free the remaining hostages in its captivity.
At least 830 people, over half of them children and women, have been killed since Israel resumed major military strikes in Gaza on March 18, according to Gaza’s health ministry.
Israel and Hamas accused each other of breaching the truce. It had broadly held since January and offered respite from war for the 2.3 million inhabitants of Gaza, which has been reduced to rubble.
Hamas, which still holds 59 of the 250 or so hostages Israel says the group seized in its October 7, 2023 attack, accused Israel of jeopardizing efforts by mediators to negotiate a permanent deal to end the fighting.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he ordered strikes because Hamas had rejected proposals to secure a ceasefire extension. He repeated threats on Wednesday to seize territory in Gaza if Hamas failed to release the remaining hostages it still holds.


Trump: Houthi attacks will continue for long time

Trump: Houthi attacks will continue for long time
Updated 27 March 2025
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Trump: Houthi attacks will continue for long time

Trump: Houthi attacks will continue for long time

US airstrikes against the Houthis in Yemen will continue for a long time, President Donald Trump said Wednesday.

His comments came shortly after Houthi media said new US strikes had hit the capital Sanaa, AFP reported. Earlier reports said there had been 19 US raids elsewhere in Yemen.

The US said it was launching a military offensive against the Houthis on March 15, to stop the group attacking shipping in the Red Sea - a key global trade route.

The militant Iran-backed group started the attacks after the start of the Gaza war, claimig they were acting in solidarity with Palestinians.


Iraq gives British Petroleum final green light to redevelop Kirkuk oilfields

Iraq gives British Petroleum final green light to redevelop Kirkuk oilfields
Updated 27 March 2025
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Iraq gives British Petroleum final green light to redevelop Kirkuk oilfields

Iraq gives British Petroleum final green light to redevelop Kirkuk oilfields
  • First phase of project will cover their Baba and Avanah domes and three adjacent fields
  • British Petroleum helped to discover the giant Kirkuk oilfields in the 1920s

 

LONDON: BP has received final government approval for the redevelopment of Iraq’s giant Kirkuk oil fields, with an initial plan to produce 3 billion barrels of oil equivalent, the company said on Wednesday.
The project is a breakthrough for Iraq, where output has been constrained by years of war, corruption and sectarian tensions, and a cornerstone of BP’s drive to refocus on its oil and gas business and away from renewables.
Tuesday’s signing of a final agreement on the project between BP CEO Murray Auchincloss and Iraq’s Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani follows an initial deal signed last month and a memorandum of understanding last year.
BP said its remuneration will be linked to incremental production volumes, price and costs, and that the company will be able to book a share of output and reserves “proportionate to the fees it earns for helping to increase production.”
The first phase of the redevelopment of the Kirkuk fields, which BP first helped to discover in the 1920s, will cover their Baba and Avanah domes and three adjacent fields Bai Hassan, Jambur and Khabbaz, BP said.
A new operator will be set up, including staff from Iraq’s North Oil Company (NOC) and North Gas Company (NGC) as well as people seconded from BP.


Nearly 200,000 Palestinians perform prayers at Al-Aqsa Mosque

Nearly 200,000 Palestinians perform prayers at Al-Aqsa Mosque
Updated 27 March 2025
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Nearly 200,000 Palestinians perform prayers at Al-Aqsa Mosque

Nearly 200,000 Palestinians perform prayers at Al-Aqsa Mosque
  • Thousands choose to stay at site overnight
  • Worshippers attend despite Israel’s restrictive measures

LONDON: Nearly 200,000 Palestinians performed evening and Taraweeh prayers on Wednesday, the 26th day of Ramadan, at Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.

It is one of the highest numbers of worshippers recorded at Al-Aqsa during Ramadan by the Jerusalem Waqf and Al-Aqsa Mosque Affairs Department, which is responsible for managing the site.

The organization reported that 180,000 people attended the evening and Taraweeh prayers, despite Israel’s restrictive measures in Jerusalem, with thousands of worshippers choosing to stay at Al-Aqsa Mosque overnight to commemorate Laylat Al-Qadr, also known as the Night of Power.

Muslims consider Laylat Al-Qadr to be the holiest night in the Islamic calendar as it marks the occasion when the first verses of the Qur’an were revealed to the Prophet Muhammad. Laylat Al-Qadr occurs during the last 10 days of Ramadan, a period when many Muslims fully dedicate themselves to worship.

Upon the conclusion of Ramadan on Saturday or Sunday, majority-Muslim countries celebrate the holiday of Eid Al-Fitr over three days, marking the festivities of breaking the fast with family visits and trips.