Browsing: Region
Settlers stormed the courtyards of Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied Jerusalem Monday, under the protection of the occupation police.The Palestinian News Agency (WAFA) reported the Jerusalem Governorate as saying that settlers performed what is known as the “epic prostration” in front of the Dome of the Rock during their incursion into Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, under the guard of Israeli occupation forces.The Jerusalem Governorate stated that this incursion comes amid escalating violations against Islamic and Christian holy sites in occupied Jerusalem, along with the continued restrictions imposed on worshipers’ access. Source link
Israeli occupation forces launched an arrest campaign Monday, detaining 25 Palestinians from various areas across the West Bank after raiding and searching their homes.The Palestinian News Agency (WAFA) reported that Israeli forces arrested ten Palestinians from Al-Issawiya town in occupied Jerusalem, seven individuals from Qalqilya Governorate, and four others, including a child, from Ramallah and al-Bireh Governorate.A young man was also detained from southern Tubas, another from the city of Nablus, and others from the city of Hebron and the Shuafat refugee camp northeast of occupied Jerusalem.Israeli occupation authorities continue to expand their repressive and settlement practices across the occupied territories by carrying out raids and home invasions, arresting residents and granting unlawful backing to settlers to commit violations against Palestinians.These include the unjust seizure of property and land, and support for settlement projects through the construction of outposts aimed at taking control of as much Palestinian land as possible and consolidating dominance over it. Source link
Eighteen people were injured in an Israeli airstrike on southern Lebanon.The Lebanese Ministry of Health’s emergency operations center stated that Israeli airstrikes on the town of Al-Bazouriyah in the Tyre district wounded 18 citizens, three of whom are in critical condition.In a related development, the death toll from an Israeli airstrike on the town of Tuffahta in the Sidon district of southern Lebanon on Saturday, rose to nine, with 13 others injured. Source link
Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), Doctors Without Borders, warned of the continued and expanding violent attacks and Israeli military control over the Gaza Strip, stressing that the living conditions of Palestinians remain dire and catastrophic amid a deliberate pattern of obstructing humanitarian aid.The MSF revealed in a statement that the so-called ceasefire implemented since October 2025 has failed to end the suffering of the people of Gaza, with at least 733 people killed and 1,913 others wounded since that date.The MSF noted that its medical teams performed more than 40,000 wound dressings for injuries resulting from violent incidents, including gunshot wounds and explosions, confirming that more than 60% of the cases in its clinics in Gaza were injuries resulting from direct attacks.MSF Emergency Manager Claire San Filippo said that Israeli authorities are imposing conditions aimed at destroying living conditions through the systematic restriction of aid entry and the cancellation of the registration of 37 international aid organizations, including Doctors Without Borders, which has been prevented from bringing in any medical supplies since the beginning of 2026.The statement noted that the health system is being systematically strangled, with more than 18,500 patients, including 4,000 children, awaiting medical evacuation, which is being prevented by the occupation authorities.The MSF statement also noted a high prevalence of skin, intestinal and respiratory diseases as a result of overcrowding and the forced displacement of about 90% of the population.On the ground, the MSF explained that the occupation has effectively divided the sector through what is called the ‘yellow line,’ confining Palestinians to only 42% of the destroyed lands, and turning the area around this line into a killing zone under constant bombardment by aircraft, artillery, and warships.The MSF called on the international community to use all political pressure to compel Israel, as an occupying power, to protect civilians, restore decent living conditions, and allow the entry of urgent humanitarian and medical aid without hindrance. Source link
Medical sources reported that three Palestinians were martyred, Monday, and several others wounded when an Israeli drone targeted a group of Palestinians in Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip.The Israeli entity continues to violate the ceasefire agreement that came into effect in October 2025 by carrying out airstrikes and artillery shelling on various areas across the Gaza Strip. Source link
50% medicine shortage in Gaza and heart surgeries halted by Israeli blockade, offensiveThe Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza has said that the healthcare system in the Strip has reached a catastrophic level, where even the most basic health rights are being violated, due to the ongoing Israeli blockade and restrictions on the entry of medicines, treatments, and urgent medical supplies. Director General of Hospitals in Gaza, Dr Mohammed Zaqout, told Qatar News Agency (QNA) that the situation has gone beyond conventional crises, with surgical procedures now limited to emergency cases only amid a sharp decline in hospitals’ operational capacity. He said patients are being deprived of treatment, while surgeries are carried out under extremely harsh conditions, reflecting the international community’s inability to address an unprecedented humanitarian crisis. Dr Zaqout noted that shortages have reached 50% in medicines, 57% in medical consumables, and 71% in laboratory supplies, severely undermining the healthcare system’s ability to respond to growing needs. Cancer services are among the hardest hit, with a 61% shortage in specialised drugs affecting around 4,100 cancer patients in the Strip. He added that primary care, neurology, nephrology, surgery, and intensive care services are all facing shortages exceeding 40% in essential medicines, while open-heart surgeries and cardiac catheterisation procedures have completely stopped due to lack of resources. There is also an 89% shortage in ophthalmic surgical supplies. Hospital bed capacity has dropped by more than 55% despite rising numbers of patients and wounded, while 22 hospitals and 90 health centres are out of service. Facilities that remain operational have suffered severe infrastructure damage, and imaging services and medical equipment face critical shortages. Dr Zaqout said more than 21,500 patients and wounded individuals are currently on waiting list to travel abroad for treatment via the Rafah crossing, including 195 critical cases. He added that 1,517 patients have died while waiting to travel, amid Israeli restrictions and complex procedures. Only around 420 patients have been evacuated over the past six months, fewer than 70 per month. He also warned of an imminent threat to hospital operations due to a worsening shortage of generator oil, with a monthly requirement of 2,500 litres, and a lack of spare parts due to restrictions on their entry.Around 90 generators have gone completely out of service, while 38 are operating on limited fuel, and 11 require urgent maintenance. Hospitals rely heavily on these generators due to frequent power outages. Dr Zaqout cautioned that any shutdown of generators would directly affect critical departments, including intensive care units, neonatal incubators, and dialysis units, putting patients’ lives at serious risk. Power outages also lead to the spoilage of sensitive medicines, vaccines, and blood units, and disrupt the functioning of critical medical equipment. He reiterated that surgeries are now restricted to emergency cases only, further worsening patient suffering and delaying essential care. In conclusion,Dr Zaqout warned that the continued accumulation of crises could lead to a complete collapse of healthcare services for hundreds of thousands of residents, calling on international health organisations to intervene urgently before the system ceases to function. Source link
Fifteen-year-old Samia stands with Palestinians as they gather, holding images of her father, Mohammed Wishah, a journalist for the Qatar-based broadcaster Al-Jazeera Mubasher who was killed…
Iraqi lawmakers elected Nizar Amedi as the country’s new president yesterday, following political disputes that delayed the vote and the formation of the next government, AFP reported from Baghdad. Amedi now has 15 days to appoint a prime minister, who is expected to be former head of government Nouri al-Maliki, despite US concerns over the choice in previous weeks. The election came against the backdrop of the Middle East war, which began with US-Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28 that sparked Iranian retaliation against Israel and across the Gulf. Amedi was sworn in to succeed Abdul Latif Rashid after winning a majority of lawmaker votes, according to a live broadcast on the official Al-Iraqiya channel. The 58-year-old former environment minister is a longstanding official of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), one of the autonomous Kurdish region’s two historic parties.By convention, positions for the powerful post of prime minister, the parliament speaker and the largely ceremonial presidency is shared between different communities. After Iraq’s November general election, the presidential election had been set for January but was postponed twice over political disagreements. Source link
This picture shows passengers at Beirut’s Rafik Hariri airport on April 10, 2026. Smoke from an Israeli strike still lingered in the air as a plane…
Iran’s foreign ministry has said no one had held any expectation that talks with the United States could have reached an agreement within one session, AFP reports. “Naturally, from the beginning we should not have expected to reach an agreement in a single session. No one had such an expectation,” ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei said, according to state broadcaster IRIB. He said Tehran was “confident that contacts between us and Pakistan, as well as our other friends in the region, will continue”. Source link