Iraq’s Sadr Demands 4 Arab Countries to Allow His Supporters to Head to Palestine

 A man holds the Palestinian flag during a protest in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, in Mosul, Iraq, October 14, 2023. (Reuters)
A man holds the Palestinian flag during a protest in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, in Mosul, Iraq, October 14, 2023. (Reuters)
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Iraq’s Sadr Demands 4 Arab Countries to Allow His Supporters to Head to Palestine

 A man holds the Palestinian flag during a protest in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, in Mosul, Iraq, October 14, 2023. (Reuters)
A man holds the Palestinian flag during a protest in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, in Mosul, Iraq, October 14, 2023. (Reuters)

Head of the Sadrist movement in Iraq cleric Moqtada al-Sadr urged the countries neighboring Palestine to allow his supporters to head to its border so that they could provide donations to those in need.

In a statement to the governments of “brotherly” Jordan, Egypt, Lebanon and Syria, he hoped they would “allow their Sadrist brothers in Iraq peaceful passage to the borders of beloved Palestine where they can offer donations, such as water, food, medicine and fuel.”

The delivery of the aid to Gaza would be organized with these governments, he added.

Moreover, he hoped the governments would allow their “Sadrist brothers” to hold a million-strong sit-in at the Palestinian borders in these four countries in the “coming days”.

“Your position will go down honorably in history,” Sadr added, pledging that the demonstrators would respect the law and rally in complete peace.

Meanwhile, former Iraqi President Barham Salih urged the international community to exert serious efforts to stop the “barbaric war” against children, women and the elderly in Gaza.

In remarks to Asharq Al-Awsat, he said this “blind violence and barbaric inhumane war must stop.”

“The targeting of civilians and infrastructure is unacceptable,” he stressed, describing them as “flagrant” violations of international law.

He underlined the need to deliver urgent humanitarian aid to the besieged people in Gaza and end the suffering of the Palestinian people.

Furthermore, he said the situation was “extremely dangerous” and continues to escalate. “The international community must, therefore, work seriously to end the war and prevent further escalation that could be destructive on the entire Middle East and even the world.”

“We must always remember that there can be no peace or stability in the region without a just solution to the cause of the Palestinian people,” Salih added. The solution must secure their legitimate rights in determining their fate and establishment of an independent state.

“This cycle of violence and humanitarian catastrophe must end,” he demanded.



UN Says 23 Aid Trucks Were Plundered in Central Gaza

File photo: A truck carries humanitarian aid destined for the Gaza Strip, amid the ongoing conflict in Gaza between Israel and Hamas, at the Kerem Shalom crossing in southern Israel, November 11, 2024. REUTERS/Amir Cohen/File Photo
File photo: A truck carries humanitarian aid destined for the Gaza Strip, amid the ongoing conflict in Gaza between Israel and Hamas, at the Kerem Shalom crossing in southern Israel, November 11, 2024. REUTERS/Amir Cohen/File Photo
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UN Says 23 Aid Trucks Were Plundered in Central Gaza

File photo: A truck carries humanitarian aid destined for the Gaza Strip, amid the ongoing conflict in Gaza between Israel and Hamas, at the Kerem Shalom crossing in southern Israel, November 11, 2024. REUTERS/Amir Cohen/File Photo
File photo: A truck carries humanitarian aid destined for the Gaza Strip, amid the ongoing conflict in Gaza between Israel and Hamas, at the Kerem Shalom crossing in southern Israel, November 11, 2024. REUTERS/Amir Cohen/File Photo

The UN food agency reports that 23 trucks in a 66-truck convoy carrying food and other humanitarian supplies to central Gaza were plundered and lost.
UN associate spokesperson Stephanie Tremblay said Monday that the World Food Program convoy departed from the Kerem Shalon crossing via the recently approved Philadelphi Corridor on Sunday.
Despite Israeli assurances that safety conditions would be in place, she said an airstrike took place.
Tremblay said the first 35 trucks made it to a WFP warehouse without losses, reported The Associated Press.
She said the Israeli army delayed the rest of the convoy.
News of the convoy’s movement spread, Tremblay said, leading to plundering along the way, with a total of 43 trucks making it to the warehouse while 23 others were lost.
She called it “another example of why we continue to stress the need for the safe, unimpeded passage of assistance to reach populations that need it the most.”