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.



Gazans Shed Tears of Joy, Disbelief at News of Ceasefire Deal

Palestinians react to news of a ceasefire agreement with Israel, in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, 15 January 2025. (EPA)
Palestinians react to news of a ceasefire agreement with Israel, in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, 15 January 2025. (EPA)
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Gazans Shed Tears of Joy, Disbelief at News of Ceasefire Deal

Palestinians react to news of a ceasefire agreement with Israel, in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, 15 January 2025. (EPA)
Palestinians react to news of a ceasefire agreement with Israel, in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, 15 January 2025. (EPA)

Palestinians burst into celebration across the Gaza Strip on Wednesday at news of a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, with some shedding tears of joy and others whistling and clapping and chanting "God is greatest".

"I am happy, yes, I am crying, but those are tears of joy," said Ghada, a mother of five displaced from her home in Gaza City during the 15-month-old conflict.

"We are being reborn, with every hour of delay Israel conducted a new massacre, I hope it is all getting over now," she told Reuters via a chat app from a shelter in Deir al-Balah town in central Gaza.

Youths beat tambourines, blew horns and danced in the street in Khan Younis in the southern part of the enclave minutes after hearing news of the agreement struck in the Qatari capital Doha. The deal outlines a six-week initial ceasefire phase and includes the gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza.

The accord also provides for the release of hostages held by Hamas in exchange for Palestinian detainees held by Israel, an official briefed on the negotiations told Reuters.

For some, delight was mingled with sorrow.

Ahmed Dahman, 25, said the first thing he would do when the deal goes into effect is to recover the body of his father, who was killed in an airstrike on the family's house last year, and "give him a proper burial."

'A DAY OF HAPPINESS AND SADNESS'

"I feel a mixture of happiness because lives are being saved and blood is being stopped," said Dahman, who like Ghada was displaced from Gaza City and lives in Deir al-Balah.

"But I am also worried about the post-war shock of what we will see in the streets, our destroyed homes, my father whose body is still under the rubble."

His mother, Bushra, said that while the ceasefire wouldn't bring her husband back, "at least it may save other lives."

"I will cry, like never before. This brutal war didn't give us time to cry," said the tearful mother, speaking to Reuters by a chat app.

Iman Al-Qouqa, who lives with her family in a nearby tent, was still in disbelief.

"This is a day of happiness, and sadness, a shock and joy, but certainly it is a day we all must cry and cry long because of what we all lost. We did not lose friends, relatives, and homes only, we lost our city, Israel sent us back in history because of its brutal war," she told Reuters.

"It is time the world comes back into Gaza, focuses on Gaza, and rebuilds it," said Qouqa.

Israeli troops invaded Gaza after Hamas-led gunmen broke through security barriers and burst into Israeli communities on Oct. 7, 2023, killing 1,200 soldiers and civilians and abducting more than 250 foreign and Israeli hostages. Israel's campaign in Gaza has killed more than 46,000 people, according to Gaza health ministry figures, and left the coastal enclave a wasteland, with many thousands living in makeshift shelters.