Category: 2. World

Saudi Arabia on Tuesday denounced Israel’s plan to fully occupy the Gaza Strip, accusing it of systematically starving the territory’s population and engaging in ethnic cleansing, Anadolu reports.

In a statement carried by the state news agency SPA following a Cabinet meeting chaired by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Neom, northwestern Saudi Arabia, ministers strongly condemned the Israeli decision to occupy Gaza and its “persistent crimes of starvation, brutality and ethnic cleansing” against Palestinians.

The Cabinet warned that the continued inability of the international community and the UN Security Council to halt such violations erodes the foundations of global order, threatens regional and international security, and risks “grave consequences” that could embolden genocide and mass displacement.

Israel has kept Gaza’s crossings shut since March 2, blocking nearly all humanitarian aid and pushing the territory into famine, despite hundreds of aid trucks stranded at its borders. Limited deliveries permitted have fallen far short of the needs of the starving population.

Israel’s Security Cabinet on Friday approved Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s phased plan to occupy Gaza in its entirety. The first stage involves forcing around 1 million residents out of Gaza City to the south, encircling the city, and launching incursions into residential areas. A second stage would see the takeover of central refugee camps, many already devastated in the ongoing war.

The Saudi ministers also welcomed Australia’s announcement that it will recognize a Palestinian state and New Zealand’s move to consider a similar step, praising “broad international backing” for the two-state solution and the establishment of a Palestinian state on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital.

Israel is facing mounting condemnation for its genocidal war on Gaza, where it has killed nearly 61,600 people since October 2023.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.

Spain’s central government has ordered officials in a Spanish town to scrap a ban on religious gatherings in public sports centres, describing it as a “discriminatory” measure that breaches the right to religious freedom as it will mainly impact Muslims.

“There can be no half-measures when it comes to intolerance,” Ángel Víctor Torres, the minister for territorial policy, wrote on social media on Monday. Rightwing opposition parties, he added, “cannot decide who has freedom of worship and who does not”.

Last week, it emerged that the conservative-led council in Jumilla, a town of about 27,000 residents in the region of Murcia, had backed the ban. As its Muslim residents had for years used the facilities to come together to mark Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha, the motion was widely seen as targeting the town’s estimated 1,500 Muslims.

The proposal was initially put forward by the far-right Vox party, which called for an outright ban on public celebrations such as Eid al-Adha.

Vox’s hardline motion was watered down and subsequently backed by the People’s party (PP), which removed the explicit reference to Eid al-Adha and instead stipulated that municipal sports facilities could no longer be used for “cultural, social or religious activities foreign to the city council”. Vox had demanded the measure in exchange for backing the budget put forward by the town’s PP mayor.

As the far right celebrated what it described as the “first measure” to ban Islamic festivals in Spain’s public spaces, the outcry was swift. The head of a prominent Muslim association in Spain described the ban as “institutionalised Islamophobia”, while the country’s migration minister called it “shameful”.

In Jumilla, the PP defended the motion, arguing that it did not single out any religion or belief and highlighted that 72 nationalities coexisted in the town without any issue. The local mayor, Seve González, told El País the council was aiming to “promote cultural campaigns” that defended “our identity” and protected the “values and religious expressions of our country”.

In Madrid, the Socialist-led central government seized on the measure, portraying the PP as beholden to the far right, forcing the party to compromise with Vox while also drifting further to the right in order to compete for votes.

Spain’s migration minister, Elma Saiz, said those who paid the price would be citizens who had spent decades peacefully living in Jumilla and had helped to sustain a local economy centred on vineyards and crops such as olives and almonds.

She told the broadcaster Antena 3: “Foreigners make up 20% of those who contribute to social security in Jumilla. These towns would collapse without them.”

Saiz brushed off the claim that the ban was aimed at protecting Spanish identity, citing the country’s history as a Muslim stronghold. “To me, that seems utterly ignorant,” she said. “It overlooks that we would not be the country we are today if we could not appreciate the contribution of Muslim culture to our language, our works of art, advances in architecture and civil engineering.”

Among the chorus of voices condemning the ban was the Catholic church, which described it as a form of discrimination that was incompatible with the right to religious freedom, while the Federation of Jewish Communities of Spain told news agency Europa Press that the measure was a “serious democratic setback”.

The leader of Vox, Santiago Abascal, said he was “perplexed” by the stance of the Catholic church. Speaking to a far-right YouTube channel, he suggested the church’s view could be linked to its reliance on public funding or to clergy abuse scandals that he claimed have “absolutely muzzled” it.

On Monday, a central government representative said the council in Jumilla had a month to formally respond to Madrid’s request. If it failed to respond, the central government would explore what other legal options are available, the spokesperson added.

The measure came weeks after unrest gripped Torre-Pacheco, about 60 miles (100km) from Jumilla, with baton-wielding groups taking to the streets to “hunt” people with foreign origins after an assault on an older person.

In the lead-up to the unrest, after the pensioner told local media he believed his attacker had been of north African origin, racist messaging on social media rocketed by 1,500%, according to tracking by the central government.

The events in Jumilla and Torre-Pacheco hinted at how the far right had started down a path that put all of Spain in danger, said Mounir Benjelloun Andaloussi Azhari, the president of the Spanish Federation of Islamic Religious Entities.

“The goal of all this – let’s not forget – is so that the far right can win votes,” he told the news site Eldiario.es. “And if they need to criminalise an entire population to do so, if they have to generate hatred, if they have to lie and make coexistence impossible, if they have to say this is an ‘invasion’ they will do it.”

He had lived in Spain for 30 years, but said it was the first time he – along with many others – had felt persecuted: “All for a handful of votes. At the expense of citizens’ fear, at the expense of Spain’s image around the world, and at the expense of betraying those who once proposed a stable model for Spain that guaranteed a series of rights that they now want to do away with.”

CAIRO (AP) — Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces launched attacks Monday in a famine-stricken displacement camp outside of el-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur province, killing 40 people, local rights groups said.

The Emergency Response Rooms group working at the Abu Shouk displacement camp said in a statement on Facebook that the RSF — which is at war with the Sudanese military — raided parts of the camp targeting citizens inside their homes. The community activist group, which provides assistance across Sudan, said at least 19 people were also injured.

The Abu Shouk displacement camp outside of el-Fasher, which houses around 450,000 displaced people, has been repeatedly attacked over the course of the war. The Sudanese military has control over el-Fasher despite frequent strikes by the RSF.

Meanwhile, the Resistance Committees in el-Fasher confirmed the attacks, saying on Facebook that the scene “reflected the extent of the horrific violations committed against innocent, defenseless people.” The Resistance Committees are a group of local citizens from the community that includes human rights activists.

The Humanitarian Research Lab at Yale University posted satellite imagery showing 40 vehicles present at the Abu Shouk Camp on Monday. In an effort to corroborate reports of the RSF attack, the lab said the vehicles were in the northwest neighborhoods of the camp.

In its report, Yale HRL said it gathered and analyzed photos and footage allegedly “showing RSF shooting at people crawling away from them and berating and using ethnic slurs.”

Other satellite imagery gathered Saturday by the group apparently showed the RSF blocking routes that people use to escape el-Fasher by controlling points across the el-Fasher to Kutum road north of the city and an opening in the direction of Mellit, North Darfur.

The civil war in Sudan erupted in April 2023 in the capital Khartoum before spreading across the country following simmering tensions between the RSF and the army. The fighting has killed over 40,000 people, displaced as many as 12 million and pushed many to the brink of famine. The Abu Shouk camp is one of two camps with strong famine conditions, according to humanitarians.

The Sudanese army said it clashed with RSF fighters on Monday in el-Fasher beginning at around 6 a.m. and ending in the afternoon. It claimed it defeated the paramilitary group, according to its posts on social media.

“Our forces repelled a large-scale attack from several axes by the terrorist militia and inflicted heavy losses on the enemy in lives and equipment, as more than 16 combat vehicles were destroyed and burned and 34 vehicles, including armored cars, were captured,” the army claimed in a statement.

The RSF said on its Telegram channel late Monday that it made advances in el-Fasher and seized military equipment, without providing further details.

Darfur Gov. Mini Arko Minawi said on Facebook that el-Fasher “triumphed over those who betrayed their land” in an apparent reference to the RSF in Monday’s fight.

Meanwhile, in North Kordofan province the RSF has been accused of displacing over 3,000 families from 66 villages due to fighting since early August, according to the Sudan Doctors Network. The group also said the RSF looted the properties of those people and stole their money and livestock. Those displaced ended up arriving at Khartoum and White Nile provinces last week. The recent attacks on the villages in the province killed 18 civilians and injured dozens, according to the latest update by the United Nations.

U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric warned Monday of the “extreme dire situation” in Sudan, while Edem Wosornum, the operations and advocacy director at the U.N.’s humanitarian affairs agency, sounded the alarm over the situation in el-Fasher, saying over 60 people died from malnutrition in only one week, mostly women and children. 

MADRID (Reuters) – Firefighters have contained a wildfire near the Spanish capital Madrid, in the Tres Cantos area, which killed one person and prompted the evacuation of 180 people, regional authorities said on Tuesday.

Favourable overnight conditions allowed for the fire to be contained, the Community of Madrid said in a statement.

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A man who had been taken by helicopter to the La Paz hospital after suffering burns on 98% of his body, later died, the Community of Madrid said.

The fire affected more than 1,000 hectares.

A prolonged heatwave in Spain continued on Tuesday, with temperatures set to reach 44 degrees Celsius (111.2 F) in some regions, according to meteorology service AEMET.

Scientists say the Mediterranean region’s hotter, drier summers put it at a high risk of wildfires. Once fires start, dry vegetation and strong winds can cause them to spread rapidly and burn out of control, sometimes provoking fire whirls.

The newly appointed Representative of Unicef in Pakistan, Pernille Ironside, has reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to protect and uphold the rights of all children as she began her role in the country, it emerged on Tuesday.

The agency supports the government to “accelerate progress for children, work to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and help children realise their rights under the Convention on the Rights of Children”, Unicef Pakistan’s official website said.

After formally taking up the role, Ironside presented her credentials to Special Secretary (UN) Ambassador Nabeel Munir at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, according to a press release.

“During the meeting, Ms Ironside reaffirmed Unicef’s commitment to protect and uphold the rights of all children in Pakistan,” it read.

As the new Representative, she will provide “strategic leadership across Unicef’s country programme”, which “aims to nurture, educate, protect and support children from their earliest moments through adolescence” with a holistic approach.

Under her leadership, the agency will continue to support the government, delivering long-term development support and humanitarian assistance, the statement said.

“Key areas of focus include strengthening the education system to expand access and improve learning outcomes for children, enhancing maternal and newborn care, reducing child malnutrition, increasing access to safe water and sanitation, strengthening child protection, birth registration and gender equality, and protecting children from disasters, climate and environmental risks in Pakistan,” it added.

She was quoted as saying, “It is an honour to lead Unicef’s vital work for children in Pakistan. The needs of children are vast, and their potential is even greater.

“I look forward to building on strong foundations and working in close partnership with the government, UN and other development partners, civil society, the public and private sectors, and passionate child rights advocates. Together, we have a powerful opportunity to create positive, lasting change so that every child can truly thrive.”

The Unicef representative highlighted that nearly half of Pakistan’s population was under 18 and two-thirds were below age 30, holding “extraordinary promise”.

“This young population can be a catalyst for transformation. By investing in education, early childhood and neonatal care, nutrition, safe water, child protection, and increasing climate resilience, we can unlock the talent and creativity of children and young people to drive progress and prosperity,” she said.

“I look forward to leading Unicef’s mission and being a champion for every child.”

The press release also added that Ironside was a Canadian national with over 20 years of experience in international development, humanitarian action and child rights advocacy in diverse roles with Unicef.

She served as the deputy director of data, planning, analytics and monitoring at Unicef Headquarters in New York, deputy representative in Nigeria, chief of field operations in Iraq, chief of the Gaza Strip Field Office, senior global advisor on child protection in emergencies, child protection specialist in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, with additional deployments in Yemen, the Philippines and Pakistan.

Unicef’s ongoing initiatives in Pakistan currently benefit nearly six million children. These programmes aimed to protect children’s health, support their growth, enhance their skills, and empower them to realise their full potential, thereby contributing positively to Pakistan’s socio-economic development.

In May, the agency pledged support and protection for Pakistan’s children against the climate crisis and its impacts on their economic and social lives.

Student Maha Ali was determined to become a journalist one day and report on events in Gaza. Now she and other students have just one ambition: finding food as hunger ravages the Palestinian enclave.

As war rages, she is living among the ruins of Islamic University, a once-bustling educational institution, which, like most others in Gaza, has become a shelter for displaced people. “We have been saying for a long time that we want to live, we want to get educated, we want to travel. Now, we are saying we want to eat,” Ali, 26, said.

Ali is part of a generation of Gazans — from grade school through to university — who say they have been robbed of an education by nearly two years of Israeli air strikes, which have destroyed the enclave’s institutions.

More than 60,000 people have been killed in Israel’s response to Palestinian militant group Hamas’ October 7, 2023 attack on its southern communities, according to Gaza health authorities. Much of the enclave, which suffered from poverty and high unemployment even before the war, has been demolished.

Palestinian Minister of Education Amjad Barham accused Israel of carrying out a systematic destruction of schools and universities, saying 293 out of 307 schools were destroyed completely or partially.

“With this, the occupation wants to kill hope inside our sons and daughters,” he said.

There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military or foreign ministry.

Israel has accused Hamas and other militant groups of systematically embedding in civilian areas and structures, including schools, and using civilians as human shields. Hamas rejects the allegations and, along with Palestinians, accuses Israel of indiscriminate strikes.

Extensive destruction

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said that according to the latest satellite-based damage assessment in July, 97pc of educational facilities in Gaza have sustained some level of damage, with 91pc requiring major rehabilitation or complete reconstruction to become functional again.

“Restrictions by Israeli authorities continue to limit the entry of educational supplies into Gaza, undermining the scale and quality of interventions,” it said.

Those grim statistics paint a bleak future for Yasmine al-Za’aneen, 19, sitting in a tent for the displaced, sorting through books that have survived Israeli strikes and displacement.

She recalled how immersed she was in her studies, printing papers and finding an office and fitting it with lights. “Because of the war, everything was stopped. I mean, everything I had built, everything I had done, just in seconds, it was gone,” she said.

There is no immediate hope for relief and a return to the classroom.

Mediators have failed to secure a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, which triggered the conflict by killing 1,200 people and taking 251 hostage, according to Israeli tallies.

Instead, Israel plans a new Gaza offensive, which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday he expected to complete “fairly quickly” as the UN Security Council heard new demands for an end to suffering in the Palestinian enclave.

So Saja Adwan, 19, an honours student of Gaza’s Azhar Institute who is living in a school turned shelter with her family of nine, recalled how the building where she once learned was bombed.

Under siege, her books and study materials are gone. To keep her mind occupied, she takes notes on the meagre educational papers she has left.

“All my memories were there, my ambitions, my goals. I was achieving a dream there. It was a life for me. When I used to go to the institute, I felt psychologically at ease,” she said. “My studies were there, my life, my future, where I would graduate from.”

Education offers far more than knowledge – it gives children a sense of normality and the psychological support to help cope with the disruption they’ve experienced. By investing in educational initiatives that are locally driven and designed to last, AKDN is helping lay the foundations for Syria’s recovery.

Alongside local communities and international partners, we create inviting, well-resourced spaces where children can study, play and feel safe. We support teachers and caregivers to help them learn and interact. With practice building relationships across the community, and the skills needed for professional life, older students gain the tools to build a future for themselves and their country.

The Ismaili Imamat and AKDN have pledged €100 million over two years to help address Syria’s needs. Read more.