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Arab World

Iran Informs Qatar of its Stance on Ceasefire in Gaza

Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani received Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian (QNA)
Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani received Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian (QNA)
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Iran Informs Qatar of its Stance on Ceasefire in Gaza

Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani received Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian (QNA)
Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani received Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian (QNA)

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian informed senior Qatari officials of his country's point of view on the war on the Gaza Strip, saying it was natural that the Iran loyalists will not remain silent in the face of all the Israeli crimes.

Amir-Abdollahian met with Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, where he conveyed a verbal message from Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi on several regional and international issues, especially the developments in the Palestinian territories.

The Qatar News Agency (QNA) reported that Amir-Abdollahian also met with Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani.

During the meeting, they discussed means of cooperation to advance an immediate ceasefire in the Palestinian territories, protect civilians, and prevent the expansion of violence and conflict in the region, which will have dire consequences for everyone.

The Qatari FM said he discussed with Amir-Abdollahian the escalations in Gaza and the West Bank and advancing ceasefire efforts.

He wrote in a post on the "X" platform: "We stressed intensifying efforts to prevent expanding conflict that will result in serious consequences for everyone."

According to the Iranian Foreign Ministry, Amir-Abdollahian stressed that the Zionist regime continues to commit crimes against the defenseless people and impose a siege on Gaza.

"We are gradually witnessing an increase in reactions and the escalation and expansion of the scope of conflicts in the region," he added.

Before leaving Doha for Ankara, Amir-Abdollahian met with the head of the Hamas politburo, Ismail Haniyeh, for the second time this month.

"It was necessary to use the latest political opportunities to stop the war, and if the situation goes out of control, no party will be safe from its consequences," the top official said, according to Iranian media.

He said the US was part of the war in Gaza, adding that Washington is in no position to ask others for restraint.

Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani announced that an immediate ceasefire is on the agenda of discussions between Iran and Qatar, stressing the need to halt the Zionist bloodshed in the Gaza Strip and send humanitarian aid.

Kanaani told reporters accompanying the Iranian delegation that the visit comes from Iranian regional consultations and international efforts to help end the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

According to the spokesman, the two countries agreed that the current situation is unacceptable and expanding the scope of the conflict could affect everyone, pointing out that the situation in the region is on the verge of an explosion due to the crimes of the Zionist entity.

Qatar could convey Iran's message to concerned parties, said Kanaani, adding that Iran shared its point of view, and for it, the ceasefire and truce are an important humanitarian point.

Concerning the hostages, Kanaani said that the conditions in the Gaza Strip now do not allow for the release of some prisoners.

Kanaani accused the US of obstructing efforts to reach a ceasefire in the enclave because of its use of veto power against a Russian and a Brazilian resolution in the Security Council.

Iran issued several warnings and threats to Israel and the US, but it has so far refrained from revealing its position if the war between Israel and Hamas turns into a regional conflict, according to an analysis published by Agence France Presse.

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Arab World

Jordan’s King Says Israeli Actions in Gaza and West Bank ‘Negate Human Values’

Crowds of locals and displaced Palestinians walk past destroyed buildings in the southern Gaza Strip city of Khan Yunis on November 28, 2023. (AFP)
Crowds of locals and displaced Palestinians walk past destroyed buildings in the southern Gaza Strip city of Khan Yunis on November 28, 2023. (AFP)
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Jordan’s King Says Israeli Actions in Gaza and West Bank ‘Negate Human Values’

Crowds of locals and displaced Palestinians walk past destroyed buildings in the southern Gaza Strip city of Khan Yunis on November 28, 2023. (AFP)
Crowds of locals and displaced Palestinians walk past destroyed buildings in the southern Gaza Strip city of Khan Yunis on November 28, 2023. (AFP)

Jordan's King Abdullah said on Tuesday Israel's military campaigns in Gaza and army operations in the West Bank "negate human values and the right of life."

In remarks carried on state media, the monarch who again called for an end to the war, said the Israeli siege on the enclave that prevented for weeks the entry of medicine, food and fuel and cut electricity supplies, amounted to war crimes.

"These are war crimes.. we cannot stay silent," the monarch said.

Arab World

UN Aid Chief Heads to Jordan for Talks to Open Second Crossing into Gaza

Palestinians visit their houses destroyed in the Israeli bombings southeast of the Gaza City on Tuesday, Nov. 28, 2023 on the fifth day of the temporary ceasefire between Hamas and Israel. (AP)
Palestinians visit their houses destroyed in the Israeli bombings southeast of the Gaza City on Tuesday, Nov. 28, 2023 on the fifth day of the temporary ceasefire between Hamas and Israel. (AP)
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UN Aid Chief Heads to Jordan for Talks to Open Second Crossing into Gaza

Palestinians visit their houses destroyed in the Israeli bombings southeast of the Gaza City on Tuesday, Nov. 28, 2023 on the fifth day of the temporary ceasefire between Hamas and Israel. (AP)
Palestinians visit their houses destroyed in the Israeli bombings southeast of the Gaza City on Tuesday, Nov. 28, 2023 on the fifth day of the temporary ceasefire between Hamas and Israel. (AP)

UN aid chief Martin Griffiths will travel to the Jordanian capital Amman on Wednesday for talks on the possibility of opening the Kerem Shalom crossing to allow for humanitarian aid to enter Gaza from Israel.

Located at the intersection of Israel, the Gaza Strip and Egypt, the Kerem Shalom crossing was used to carry more than 60% of the truckloads going into Gaza before the current conflict.

Aid currently being allowed into Gaza comes through the Rafah crossing on the Egyptian border, which was designed for pedestrian crossings and not trucks.

"We have said from start we need more than one crossing," Griffiths told a briefing of member states at the United Nations in Geneva on Tuesday.

"The opportunity to use Kerem Shalom should be explored, and that will be topic in Amman. It would hugely add scope (to the response)."

A Western diplomat said there was no prospect of opening the Kerem Shalom crossing for the moment. The diplomat said that Israel does not want to open the crossing because their troops are located in the area.

There was no immediate comment from Israel.

Since a fragile truce came into force last week, some 200 trucks have carried aid into Gaza on a daily basis, but the amount of aid is nowhere near enough to meet the needs of its population.

"We know that more humanitarian aid should be delivered in Gaza. We know how we could increase it, but there are constraints beyond our control," Griffiths said.

"We know that the people of Gaza need much more from us."

Since the truce, the United Nations has scaled up the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza and sent aid to some northern areas that had been largely cut off for weeks due to Israeli bombing.

"We need to have reliable and scalable aid delivery mechanisms, that include all humanitarian partners - including NGOs," Griffiths said.

"We are refining prioritization, advocating for more entry points and the resumption of (the) private sector."

Arab World

More People at Risk of Death from Disease Than Bombings in Gaza, Warns WHO 

Palestinians eat outside amid the destruction caused by Israeli strikes in the village of Khuzaa, east of Khan Yunis near the border fence between Israel and the southern Gaza Strip on November 27, 2023, amid a truce in battles between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas. (AFP) 
Palestinians eat outside amid the destruction caused by Israeli strikes in the village of Khuzaa, east of Khan Yunis near the border fence between Israel and the southern Gaza Strip on November 27, 2023, amid a truce in battles between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas. (AFP) 
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More People at Risk of Death from Disease Than Bombings in Gaza, Warns WHO 

Palestinians eat outside amid the destruction caused by Israeli strikes in the village of Khuzaa, east of Khan Yunis near the border fence between Israel and the southern Gaza Strip on November 27, 2023, amid a truce in battles between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas. (AFP) 
Palestinians eat outside amid the destruction caused by Israeli strikes in the village of Khuzaa, east of Khan Yunis near the border fence between Israel and the southern Gaza Strip on November 27, 2023, amid a truce in battles between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas. (AFP) 

More people could die from disease than from bombings in the Gaza Strip if its health system is not repaired, a World Health Organization spokesperson said on Tuesday. 

Gaza health authorities deemed reliable by the United Nations say more than 15,000 people have been confirmed killed in Israel's bombardment of Gaza, around 40% of them children, with many more dead feared to be lost under rubble. 

Israel has sworn to annihilate Hamas, the militant group that rules Gaza, after its gunmen burst across the fence and killed around 1,200 people and seized 240 captives on Oct. 7. 

"Eventually we will see more people dying from disease than we are even seeing from the bombardment if we are not able to put back (together) this health system," said the WHO's Margaret Harris at a UN briefing in Geneva. 

She repeated concerns about a rise in outbreaks of infectious diseases, particularly diarrheal diseases. 

Citing a UN report on the living conditions of displaced residents in northern Gaza, she said: "(There are) no medicines, no vaccination activities, no access to safe water and hygiene and no food. We saw a very high number of cases of diarrhea among infants," she said. 

She described the collapse of Al Shifa Hospital in northern Gaza as a "tragedy" and voiced concern about the detention of some of its medical staff by Israeli forces during a WHO evacuation convoy. 

James Elder, a spokesperson from the UN Children's Agency in Gaza, told reporters by videolink that hospitals in Gaza were full of children with war wounds and gastroenteritis from drinking dirty water. 

"I met a lot of parents... They know exactly what their children need. They don't have access to safe water and it's crippling them," he said. 

He described seeing one child with part of his leg missing lying on the hospital floor for several hours, without receiving treatment for lack of medical staff. 

Arab World

US Asking Israel to Avoid Civilian Displacements in Any South Gaza Offensive 

Displaced Palestinians gather next to tents sheltering people in Khan Yunis near the border fence between Israel and the southern Gaza Strip on November 27, 2023, amid a truce in battles between Israel and Hamas. (AFP)
Displaced Palestinians gather next to tents sheltering people in Khan Yunis near the border fence between Israel and the southern Gaza Strip on November 27, 2023, amid a truce in battles between Israel and Hamas. (AFP)
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US Asking Israel to Avoid Civilian Displacements in Any South Gaza Offensive 

Displaced Palestinians gather next to tents sheltering people in Khan Yunis near the border fence between Israel and the southern Gaza Strip on November 27, 2023, amid a truce in battles between Israel and Hamas. (AFP)
Displaced Palestinians gather next to tents sheltering people in Khan Yunis near the border fence between Israel and the southern Gaza Strip on November 27, 2023, amid a truce in battles between Israel and Hamas. (AFP)

The US is asking Israel to take greater care to protect civilians and limit damage to infrastructure if it launches an offensive in southern Gaza to avoid further displacements that would overwhelm humanitarian efforts, senior US officials said.

The Israeli offensive in northern Gaza has proven devastating, with thousands of Palestinians killed and vast numbers of survivors left homeless and forced to flee south by a relentless bombing campaign and a lack of essentials such as food, power and water.

As Israel begins to look toward south Gaza to continue battling Hamas militants after a pause in fighting to release hostages, US officials said they have been talking to the Israelis about taking greater care in the south, where there were now about 2 million people.

The message has been delivered from President Joe Biden on down, the officials told reporters on a conference call.

"We have reinforced this in very clear language with the government of Israel - very important that the conduct of the Israeli campaign when it moves to the south must be done in a way that is to a maximum extent not designed to produce significant further displacement of persons," one official said.

"You cannot have the sort of scale of displacement that took place in the north, replicated in the south. It will be beyond disruptive, it will be beyond the capacity of any humanitarian support network," the official said, adding: "It can't happen."

The official said the campaign needed to be "deconflicted" from power, water, humanitarian sites and hospitals in south and central Gaza, meaning avoid attacks on those types of infrastructure sites.

He said the Israelis had been receptive to the notion "that a different type of campaign has to be conducted in the south."

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday described an extended truce between Israel and Palestinian militants Hamas as "a glimpse of hope and humanity," but warned it was not enough time to meet the aid needs of the Gaza Strip.

Mediator Qatar said on Monday the initial four-day truce had been extended by two days, continuing a pause in seven weeks of warfare that has killed thousands and laid waste to the Palestinian enclave.

A second US official said Washington would like to see the humanitarian pause extended as long as possible.

The official said the first of three relief aid flights conducted by the US military would land in northern Sinai on Tuesday carrying badly needed supplies for Gaza, with two more planned in coming days.

The flights would bring medical items, food aid and winter items that would be delivered by the United Nations.

The officials said aid deliveries to Gaza were currently running at about 240 truckloads a day, but this was nowhere near enough to meet needs.

They said the effort would need to turn to commercial contracts to get deliveries up to 400 trucks a day and the US side had been discussing this with Israel.

"To get that volume of assistance, inspection procedures will need to be increased and enhanced and you're going to need to resort to commercial contracting within Gaza to meet the trucks coming in from Egypt," the first official said.

"We hope that after this pause concludes that can be phase two of the humanitarian program," he said.

Arab World

Israeli Shell Hits Southern Lebanon Following Truce Extension 

US peacekeepers patrol next to a damage house in the Lebanese side of the Lebanese-Israeli border in the southern village of Marwahin, Lebanon, Saturday, Nov. 25, 2023. (AP)
US peacekeepers patrol next to a damage house in the Lebanese side of the Lebanese-Israeli border in the southern village of Marwahin, Lebanon, Saturday, Nov. 25, 2023. (AP)
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Israeli Shell Hits Southern Lebanon Following Truce Extension 

US peacekeepers patrol next to a damage house in the Lebanese side of the Lebanese-Israeli border in the southern village of Marwahin, Lebanon, Saturday, Nov. 25, 2023. (AP)
US peacekeepers patrol next to a damage house in the Lebanese side of the Lebanese-Israeli border in the southern village of Marwahin, Lebanon, Saturday, Nov. 25, 2023. (AP)

Lebanese media reported that an Israeli shell struck the outskirts of a town in south Lebanon on Tuesday, hours after a temporary truce between the Palestinian group Hamas and Israel was extended for two days. 

A spokesperson for the Israeli army said it was "currently not aware of such an incident". 

Lebanon's state-owned National News Agency and the Lebanese broadcaster al-Jadeed reported an Israeli shell had struck the outskirts of the town of Aita al-Shaab on Tuesday morning. Both outlets cited their correspondents as the source. 

Weeks of cross-border shelling between Israel and the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah came to a halt on Friday when the Palestinian group Hamas - a Hezbollah ally - and Israel agreed the temporary truce in their conflict which erupted on Oct. 7. 

A spokesperson for the UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon UNIFIL said it was looking into the reports. 

Arab World

Algeria: Foreign Interventions Fueled Internal Division in Libya

Algerian Foreign Minister Ahmed Attaf and the UN Secretary-General Envoy Abdullah Bathily(Algerian Foreign Ministry)
Algerian Foreign Minister Ahmed Attaf and the UN Secretary-General Envoy Abdullah Bathily(Algerian Foreign Ministry)
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Algeria: Foreign Interventions Fueled Internal Division in Libya

Algerian Foreign Minister Ahmed Attaf and the UN Secretary-General Envoy Abdullah Bathily(Algerian Foreign Ministry)
Algerian Foreign Minister Ahmed Attaf and the UN Secretary-General Envoy Abdullah Bathily(Algerian Foreign Ministry)

Algerian Foreign Minister Ahmed Attaf indicated that foreign military interventions exacerbated the Libyan crisis.

In press statements following his meeting with UN Envoy Abdullah Bathily, Attaf explained that it would not have lasted without these continuous interventions that fueled the division among Libyans and complicated the efforts to reach political agreements to resolve the conflict.

Algeria believes external interference in Libyan internal affairs is at the center of the national crisis and the heart of the conflict said the FM.

Attaf stressed that Algeria “completely rejects these interventions,” calling for an end to all their political or military forms. He indicated that the interventions have further complicated the efforts to help parties formulate the necessary political agreements to resolve the issues.

It is crucial to address this issue by resorting to the resolutions adopted by the Security Council and by upholding the pledges that resulted from the various international forums, including the First and Second Berlin Conferences.

Bathily’s visit comes within the framework of his mission to contain internal disputes and bring about rapprochement between the parties.

Political sources said Enovy’s discussions with Attaf addressed the upcoming elections and reconciliation efforts between the disputing parties.

According to the Algerian Foreign Ministry, Attaf stated that his country will continue its full support and involvement in the UN and the African Union efforts.

He noted that the UN and AU tracks are interconnected in their endeavor and complementary in their purpose, adding that they support each other in achieving the ultimate goal of ending the crisis, turning the page on divisions, and restoring cohesion in Libya.

The UN seeks to provide the legal and political conditions for the elections’ success, said Attaf, asserting that it is a permanent and sustainable solution to the crisis in Libya, requiring a path for national reconciliation that the AU can promote as a consensus platform that brings all Libyans together.

He asserted that Libya needs real support from the international community to overcome the challenges imposed by the current stage and strive hard to end the crisis that has afflicted the nation.

Algeria welcomed the efforts to adopt the necessary legal framework of the elections and the AU-sponsored meetings, with the participation of all Libyan political factions, in preparation for a national reconciliation conference.

Since the outbreak of the crisis in 2011, Algeria has been subject to armed infiltration and weapons smuggling across its border with Libya.

The Algerian army often published reports and pictures of arrests and weapons seizures, which prompted the authorities to launch efforts to help end the crisis, limit its threats, and oppose external interference to find a consensual solution that satisfies all parties in Libya.

Algiers proposed hosting Libyan parties for meetings several times, aiming to reach a consensus that would pave the way for general elections.

Arab World

Iraq Court Sentences 4 ISIS Members to Death for Manufacturing Drones

Iraqi forces are seen by their military vehicles during an operation against ISIS remnants. (Reuters file photo)
Iraqi forces are seen by their military vehicles during an operation against ISIS remnants. (Reuters file photo)
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Iraq Court Sentences 4 ISIS Members to Death for Manufacturing Drones

Iraqi forces are seen by their military vehicles during an operation against ISIS remnants. (Reuters file photo)
Iraqi forces are seen by their military vehicles during an operation against ISIS remnants. (Reuters file photo)

Iraq's Central Criminal Court in Iraq issued four death sentences against ISIS terrorists on Monday for manufacturing drones and explosives to attack security forces.

Iraq is seeking to limit the use of weapons on its territory with the spread of many armed factions, some of which targeted US bases after the eruption of the war in Gaza on October 7.

The media center of the Supreme Judicial Council said that terrorists provided logistical support to ISIS to target the security forces.

Cooperation with International Criminal Court

Ahead of the convictions, Prime Minister Mohammad Shiaa al-Sudani met in Baghdad with the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Karim Ahmad Khan.

According to a statement from Sudani's office, the Prime Minister called on the ICC to assist Iraq in identifying supporters of terrorism.

The officials discussed cooperation mechanisms between the Iraqi government and the ICC to hold ISIS terrorists accountable in a way that helps bring justice to the thousands of victims who were killed by terrorism.

Sudani stressed the need to support Iraq in prosecuting and holding the terrorists accountable for the loss of Iraqi lives and brutal massacres of civilians.

"Iraq fought terrorism on behalf of the world, was able to defeat it, and made many sacrifices for that."

For his part, Khan stressed the ICC's keenness to prosecute and bring to justice members of terrorist organizations in Iraq.

He asserted that the Iraqis defeated the terrorist ISIS through their unity, cohesion, and determination to cleanse their land.

Harir Airport

Separately, the Kurdish Rudaw network reported on Sunday that a large explosion was heard at Harir Airport in Erbil, northern Iraq.

It did not immediately provide further details.

Iraqi armed factions have repeatedly targeted the base near Erbil Airport and another in western Iraq in response to the war in Gaza.

Meanwhile, the Karkh Criminal Court in Baghdad sentenced two persons to life in prison for illegal drug trafficking.

Under the complex litigation procedures in Iraq, these rulings are not final and can be appealed. Some cases can be put to a retrial because some convicts provide their statements under coercion or torture.

Arab World

Israel, Hamas Extend Truce but It Seems Only Matter of Time Before War Resumes 

Palestinian prisoners freed from the Ofer Israeli military prison react as they get greeted by crowds awaiting their return in Beitunia, near Ramallah, West Bank, 28 November 2023. (EPA)
Palestinian prisoners freed from the Ofer Israeli military prison react as they get greeted by crowds awaiting their return in Beitunia, near Ramallah, West Bank, 28 November 2023. (EPA)
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Israel, Hamas Extend Truce but It Seems Only Matter of Time Before War Resumes 

Palestinian prisoners freed from the Ofer Israeli military prison react as they get greeted by crowds awaiting their return in Beitunia, near Ramallah, West Bank, 28 November 2023. (EPA)
Palestinian prisoners freed from the Ofer Israeli military prison react as they get greeted by crowds awaiting their return in Beitunia, near Ramallah, West Bank, 28 November 2023. (EPA)

A truce between Israel and Hamas entered its fifth day on Tuesday, with the militant group promising to release more hostages to delay the expected resumption of the war and Israel under growing pressure to spare Palestinian civilians when it renews its offensive. 

The sides agreed to extend their truce through Wednesday, with another two planned exchanges of militant-held hostages for Palestinians imprisoned by Israel. But Israel has repeatedly vowed to resume the war with "full force" to destroy Hamas once it's clear that no more hostages will be freed under the current agreement's terms. 

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is set to visit the region later this week for the third time since the start of the war, and is expected to press for an extension of the truce and the release of more hostages. 

The Biden administration has told Israel it must avoid "significant further displacement" and mass casualties among Palestinian civilians if it resumes the offensive, and that it must operate with more precision in southern Gaza than it has in the north, according to US officials. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity under ground rules set by the White House. 

Meanwhile, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres reiterated his call for a long-term ceasefire and the release of all hostages, reflecting broad international support for a halt to the deadliest round of Israeli-Palestinian violence in decades. 

Hamas and other militants are still holding about 160 people, out of the 240 seized in their Oct. 7 assault into southern Israel that ignited the war. That's enough to potentially extend the truce for another two weeks under the existing framework brokered by Qatar, Egypt and the US, but Hamas is expected to make much higher demands for the release of captive soldiers. 

Israel has vowed to end Hamas' 16-year rule in Gaza and crush its military capabilities. That would almost certainly require expanding the ground offensive from northern Gaza — where entire residential areas have been pounded into rubble — to the south, where hundreds of thousands of displaced people have packed into overflowing United Nations shelters. 

Israel blames the soaring casualty toll on Hamas, accusing the militants of using civilians as human shields while operating in dense, residential areas. 

HOSTAGES AND PRISONERS RELEASED Monday’s release brought to 51 the number of Israelis freed under the initial four-day truce, along with 19 hostages of other nationalities. So far, 150 Palestinians have been released from Israeli prisons. Israel has said it would extend the ceasefire by one day for every 10 additional hostages released. 

The Palestinian prisoners released so far have been mostly teenagers accused of throwing stones and firebombs during confrontations with Israeli forces. Some were convicted by Israeli courts of attempting to carry out deadly attacks. The prisoners are widely seen by Palestinians as heroes resisting occupation. 

Most of the freed hostages appeared to be physically well, but an 84-year-old woman released Sunday was hospitalized in critical condition because she had not had access to her medication in captivity. They have mostly stayed out of the public eye, but details of their captivity have started to emerge. 

In one of the first interviews with a freed hostage, 78-year-old Ruti Munder told Israel’s Channel 13 television that she was initially fed well in captivity but that conditions worsened as shortages took hold. She said she was kept in a "suffocating" room and slept on plastic chairs with a sheet for nearly 50 days. 

Israel imposed a total siege on Gaza at the start of the war and had only allowed a trickle of humanitarian aid to enter prior to the ceasefire, leading to widespread shortages of food, water, medicine and fuel to power generators amid a territory-wide power blackout. 

NORTHERN GAZA IN RUINS The ceasefire has allowed residents who remained in Gaza City and other parts of the north to venture out to survey the destruction and try to locate and bury relatives. Footage from northern Gaza, the focus of the Israeli ground offensive, shows nearly every building damaged or destroyed. 

A UN-led aid consortium estimates that over 234,000 homes have been damaged across Gaza and 46,000 have been completely destroyed, amounting to around 60% of the housing stock in the territory, which is home to some 2.3 million Palestinians. 

In the north, the destruction of homes and civilian infrastructure "severely compromises the ability to meet basic requirements to sustain life," it said. 

More than 13,300 Palestinians have been killed since the war began, roughly two-thirds of them women and minors, according to the Health Ministry in Hamas-ruled Gaza, which does not differentiate between civilians and combatants. More than 1,200 people have been killed on the Israeli side, mostly civilians killed in the initial attack. 

At least 77 soldiers have been killed in Israel’s ground offensive. Israel says it has killed thousands of militants, without providing evidence. 

The toll on the Palestinian side is likely much higher, as the Health Ministry has only been able to sporadically update its count since Nov. 11, due to the breakdown of the health sector in the north. It also says thousands of people are missing and feared trapped or dead under the rubble. 

FEARS FOR THE SOUTH Israel's bombardment and ground offensive have displaced more than 1.8 million people, nearly 80% of Gaza's population, with most having sought refuge in the south, according to the UN humanitarian affairs office. Israeli troops have barred people from returning to the north during the ceasefire. 

Hundreds of thousands of people have packed into UN-run schools and other facilities, with many forced to sleep on the streets outside because of overcrowding. It's unclear where they would go if Israel expands its ground operation, as Egypt has refused to accept refugees and Israel has sealed its border. 

The UN says the truce made it possible to scale up the delivery of food, water and medicine to the largest volume since the start of the war, and to bring in desperately needed fuel for homes, hospitals and water treatment plants.  

But the 160 to 200 trucks a day is still less than half what Gaza was importing before the fighting, even as humanitarian needs have soared. Four days into the truce, residents were still waiting for hours to buy gas and cooking fuel. 

Juliette Toma, a spokesperson for the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, said people come to shelters asking for heavy clothes, mattresses and blankets, and that some are sleeping in damaged vehicles. 

"The needs are overwhelming," she told The Associated Press. "They lost everything, and they need everything." 

Arab World

Sudan Forces Trade Fire Across Nile As Atrocities Reported In Darfur

Smoke rises in Omdurman, near Halfaya Bridge, during clashes between the Rapid Support Forces and the army as seen from Khartoum North, Sudan April 15, 2023. REUTERS/Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah
Smoke rises in Omdurman, near Halfaya Bridge, during clashes between the Rapid Support Forces and the army as seen from Khartoum North, Sudan April 15, 2023. REUTERS/Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah
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Sudan Forces Trade Fire Across Nile As Atrocities Reported In Darfur

Smoke rises in Omdurman, near Halfaya Bridge, during clashes between the Rapid Support Forces and the army as seen from Khartoum North, Sudan April 15, 2023. REUTERS/Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah
Smoke rises in Omdurman, near Halfaya Bridge, during clashes between the Rapid Support Forces and the army as seen from Khartoum North, Sudan April 15, 2023. REUTERS/Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah

The Sudanese army and paramilitary forces traded fire Monday across the Nile River in the capital Khartoum, witnesses said, in the eighth month of a war rights groups say has been rife with atrocities.

Artillery and rocket fire criss-crossed over the river between "the army in Omdurman, on the west bank, and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Khartoum North on the east bank," a witness told AFP.

The fighting was corroborated by other residents, including local activists who say the shelling landing in civilian homes has killed dozens in recent weeks.

Since April, brutal urban warfare has raged between the army, led by Sudan's de facto leader Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the paramilitary RSF, commanded by Burhan's former deputy Mohamed Hamdan Daglo.

Over 10,000 people have been killed, according to a conservative estimate from the Armed Conflict and Event Data Project, and the United Nations says 6.3 million more have been forced to flee their homes, AFP reported.

Paramilitary "forces attacked the Wadi Seidna (air) base", a strategic facility just north of Khartoum, an RSF spokesman said Monday, adding they had destroyed "a C130 military transport plane and an ammunition depot".

Over 800 kilometres (around 500 miles) southwest, witnesses in the town of Muglad in West Kordofan state reported army troops withdrawing from a base after an RSF attack on the oil-rich area.

The army, which has maintained its monopoly on the skies, sent fighter jets to bomb RSF clusters in Babanusa, 35 kilometres north of Muglad, witnesses told AFP.

But army retreats from bases have been reported repeatedly in recent weeks, as the RSF has gained territory across the vast western region of Darfur.

Most recently, the paramilitary force claimed control of the East Darfur state capital of El Daein last week, leaving El Fasher in North Darfur as the last state capital in Darfur under army control.

Experts, aid workers, and the United States have warned El Fasher will be attacked next, as rights groups have reported mass ethnic killing in RSF-controlled areas of Darfur -- already scarred by decades of ethnic violence.

In a report released Sunday, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said the UN Security Council must act to prevent further atrocities, after the murder of hundreds of civilians in West Darfur.

"The Rapid Support Forces' latest episode of ethnically targeted killings in West Darfur has the hallmarks of an organized campaign of atrocities against Massalit civilians," said HRW's Mohamed Osman, referring to an ethnic group repeatedly targeted by the RSF and its allied militias.

"The UN Security Council needs to stop ignoring the desperate need to protect Darfur civilians."

Arab World

Iraq Sees Risk of Regional Conflict if Gaza War Resumes 

Mourners carry the coffins of Iraq's Kataeb Hezbollah fighters who were killed by US airstrike in Jurf al-Sakhar, south of Baghdad during a funeral in Baghdad, Iraq November 22, 2023. (Reuters)
Mourners carry the coffins of Iraq's Kataeb Hezbollah fighters who were killed by US airstrike in Jurf al-Sakhar, south of Baghdad during a funeral in Baghdad, Iraq November 22, 2023. (Reuters)
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Iraq Sees Risk of Regional Conflict if Gaza War Resumes 

Mourners carry the coffins of Iraq's Kataeb Hezbollah fighters who were killed by US airstrike in Jurf al-Sakhar, south of Baghdad during a funeral in Baghdad, Iraq November 22, 2023. (Reuters)
Mourners carry the coffins of Iraq's Kataeb Hezbollah fighters who were killed by US airstrike in Jurf al-Sakhar, south of Baghdad during a funeral in Baghdad, Iraq November 22, 2023. (Reuters)

Iraq sees a risk of regional conflict if the current truce in Gaza is not turned into a permanent ceasefire, the Iraqi prime minister's foreign affairs adviser said, as mediators sought an extension of the temporary four-day Israel-Hamas truce.

Israel's devastating bombardment of Gaza in response to Hamas' Oct. 7 attack on Israel has drawn in Iran-aligned armed groups in the region including Lebanese Hezbollah and several Iraqi factions, who have mounted near-daily attacks on Israeli and US forces.

But there have been no reports of attacks on US forces in Iraq or Syria since Israel and Hamas began a four-day truce last week that was set to expire on Monday, compared to over 70 in the weeks prior.

Some of the main Iraqi armed factions behind the recent attacks, including Kataib Sayyid al-Shuhada and Kataeb Hezbollah, have announced they will abide by the Gaza ceasefire but indicated they would resume attacks if it ends.

They have also said in statements that they still seek the eventual ouster of US forces in Iraq. There are around 2,500 US troops on a mission the US says is to advise and assist Iraqi forces battling remnants of ISIS.

"The entire region is on the verge of a devastating conflict that may include everyone, and the extent of its expansion or how to control and stop it is not known," said Farhad Alaadin, foreign affairs adviser to Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani.

"For this reason, we see any ceasefire in the conflict as beneficial and important at this stage for the people of Palestine and Gaza first and for all countries in the region, including Iraq," he told Reuters.

European Union Ambassador to Iraq Thomas Seiler said in a social media post that he hopes Iraqi factions "continue with their cessation of attacks."

Two sets of US strikes in Iraq last week killed 10 members of Kataeb Hezbollah, according to posts by the group on social media, a move condemned by the Iraqi government as escalatory and a violation of sovereignty.

Kataeb Hezbollah is part of Iraq's Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), a group of mostly Shiite armed groups formed to fight ISIS in 2014 that became an official security agency under the command of the prime minister.

While technically part of the state, some of the PMF's most powerful Iran-backed factions often act outside the chain of command. Sudani has said attacks by armed groups on foreign forces in Iraq were unlawful and went against the country's national interest.