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Türkiye Announces Voluntary Return of More than 1 Million Syrian Refugees

A Syrian refugee camp in the countryside of Aleppo, northern Syria (DPA)
A Syrian refugee camp in the countryside of Aleppo, northern Syria (DPA)
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Türkiye Announces Voluntary Return of More than 1 Million Syrian Refugees

A Syrian refugee camp in the countryside of Aleppo, northern Syria (DPA)
A Syrian refugee camp in the countryside of Aleppo, northern Syria (DPA)

Ankara on Friday revealed that more than one million Syrians have voluntarily returned to their country, but Turkish authorities continue to deport Syrians who have not submitted all their documents for residency permits.

On Friday, the Turkish Defense Ministry said in a statement that more than one million Syrians have voluntarily returned to the cleared areas in northern Syria, including more than 470,000 who have returned to the Idlib region alone.

On the other hand, Syrian activists revealed that Turkish authorities deported on Thursday six Syrian families through the Sere Kaniye (Ras al-Ain) border crossing north of Hasakah Governorate in northeast Syria.

The deportations of Syrians from Türkiye increased after the presidential and parliamentary elections on May 28. Since, Ankara authorities have become strict about residency conditions.

About 450 Syrians have been forcibly deported from Türkiye to Syria through Bab Al-Salama crossing in the last two weeks.

Separately, the Defense Ministry said Türkiye has carried out 320 operations and “neutralized” a total of 794 “terrorists” since Jan. 1.

Turkish forces are constantly launching operations against the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in northern Iraq, and are also targeting Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) sites in northern Syria, considered by Ankara as a proxy for the PKK and as the main Kurdish armed group in Syria.

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Arab World

With Wood Scarce, Gaza Carpenters Make Simple Beds from Pallets

Palestinian carpenter Mohammed Wafi builds furniture from recycled wooden pallets in his workshop amid shortages of materials in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, May 2, 2026. (Reuters)
Palestinian carpenter Mohammed Wafi builds furniture from recycled wooden pallets in his workshop amid shortages of materials in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, May 2, 2026. (Reuters)
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With Wood Scarce, Gaza Carpenters Make Simple Beds from Pallets

Palestinian carpenter Mohammed Wafi builds furniture from recycled wooden pallets in his workshop amid shortages of materials in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, May 2, 2026. (Reuters)
Palestinian carpenter Mohammed Wafi builds furniture from recycled wooden pallets in his workshop amid shortages of materials in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, May 2, 2026. (Reuters)

As Israeli restrictions continue to curb the entry of goods into Gaza, local carpenters are turning to scrap wood and shipping pallets to make much-needed basic beds and tables in a strip battered by two years of war between Hamas and Israel.

In a workshop in southern Gaza, carpenters dismantle used pallets to make beds, cupboards, and shelves for families displaced by fighting, after regular construction materials became scarce or prohibitively expensive.

Mohammed Wafi, 34, a carpenter in Khan Younis, said pallets became one of the few available sources of wood when limited ‌aid trucks began entering ‌Gaza.

Demand for his handiwork has grown as people living ‌in ⁠tents seek basic furniture ⁠to get by, Wafi said. Even recycled furniture has become more costly as prices for basic components soar.

"Today people say, 'I just need something to get by, something to get my clothes off the floor'... especially those (living) in tents," said Wafi, who has worked in carpentry for 16 years.

"Due to the rats and cockroaches, they need a tent or a bed to be lifted off the ground," he said.

Rats and parasites are spreading ⁠through Gaza's tent camps, biting people as they sleep, gnawing through ‌possessions, and spreading disease.

COGAT, the Israeli military agency ‌that coordinates aid into Gaza, didn't respond to a request for comment. Wood is a construction material ‌that Israel bans from entry to Gaza because it is considered a dual-use ‌item - items for civilian but also potential military use.

"We used to get a kilo of nails for 5 shekels ($1.70). Today, a kilo of nails costs around 100 or 130 shekels," Wafi said. Hinges and other fittings have also multiplied in price.

Still, furniture made from pallets remains far ‌cheaper than conventional bedroom sets, consisting of a bed, closet and dresser, he said. A pallet set sells for 4,000 to ⁠5,000 shekels compared ⁠to 18,000 for a traditional set.

Shortages of electricity and wood have slowed production, he added, leaving carpenters unable to guarantee delivery times.

The ceasefire in Gaza has been repeatedly violated, with over 830 Palestinians and four Israeli soldiers reported killed since it began in October, according to Palestinian and Israeli tallies.

Israel cites security concerns for curbs on Gaza, and COGAT has previously said it invests considerable efforts to ensure aid reaches Gaza and has denied restricting supplies.

In tent encampments near Khan Younis, Mohammed Tayseer, who has lived in a tent for two years, said he slept on the ground until recently.

"The ground is sandy and dirty, and as you can see, you find the clothes full of sand. There are rats and mice," he said.

"One's back hurts and is stiff from sleeping on the floor... now (we) have a bed," he said.

Arab World

Sudan Recalls Ambassador to Ethiopia After Airport Attack

Smoke rises, following a drone attack in Khartoum airport, in Khartoum, Sudan, in this screengrab taken from social media video released on May 4, 2026. (Social media/Reuters TV via Reuters)
Smoke rises, following a drone attack in Khartoum airport, in Khartoum, Sudan, in this screengrab taken from social media video released on May 4, 2026. (Social media/Reuters TV via Reuters)
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Sudan Recalls Ambassador to Ethiopia After Airport Attack

Smoke rises, following a drone attack in Khartoum airport, in Khartoum, Sudan, in this screengrab taken from social media video released on May 4, 2026. (Social media/Reuters TV via Reuters)
Smoke rises, following a drone attack in Khartoum airport, in Khartoum, Sudan, in this screengrab taken from social media video released on May 4, 2026. (Social media/Reuters TV via Reuters)

Sudan has recalled its ambassador to Ethiopia, accusing the country of involvement in a drone attack targeting the airport in the capital, the official news agency SUNA reported Tuesday.

A military source told AFP that Sudanese air defenses downed drones that targeted Khartoum airport on Monday, while witnesses confirmed hearing blasts and seeing smoke rise from an area nearby.

Drone attacks by both Sudan's army and paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which have been at war since April 2023, have intensified across the country in recent months.

The Sudanese military accused RSF in March of launching drone attacks "from inside Ethiopian territory", the first public allegation of Ethiopian involvement in the conflict.

Mohieddin Salem, the Sudanese army-aligned government's foreign minister, "announced the recall of Sudan's ambassador to Ethiopia for consultations regarding the drone attack on Khartoum International Airport on Monday," SUNA quoted Salem as saying in a statement.

Salem "stated that it has been conclusively proven that the attack originated from Ethiopia, a country that is supposed to be a sister nation," the statement added.

Arab World

Arab League Secretary-General Condemns Iranian Attacks on UAE

FILED - 17 February 2019, Munich: Secretary General of the Arab League Ahmed Aboul Gheit attends the 55th Munich Security Conference. Photo: Tobias Hase/dpa
FILED - 17 February 2019, Munich: Secretary General of the Arab League Ahmed Aboul Gheit attends the 55th Munich Security Conference. Photo: Tobias Hase/dpa
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Arab League Secretary-General Condemns Iranian Attacks on UAE

FILED - 17 February 2019, Munich: Secretary General of the Arab League Ahmed Aboul Gheit attends the 55th Munich Security Conference. Photo: Tobias Hase/dpa
FILED - 17 February 2019, Munich: Secretary General of the Arab League Ahmed Aboul Gheit attends the 55th Munich Security Conference. Photo: Tobias Hase/dpa

Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit condemned the drone and missile attacks targeting the United Arab Emirates, describing them as a blatant violation of international law and the ceasefire agreement.

He called for an immediate halt to such attacks, holding Iran fully responsible for their consequences, which he warned pose a threat to international peace and security, the Saudi Press Agency said on Tuesday.

Aboul Gheit reaffirmed that Arab national security is indivisible, reiterating the league’s full solidarity with the United Arab Emirates.

On Monday, the United Arab Emirates said it came under attack by Iran for the first time since a fragile ceasefire took hold in early April.