عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Arab World

UN: More Palestinians Fleeing Combat Zone in Northern Gaza

Palestinian walk away after Israeli airstrike in Rafah, Gaza Strip, Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2023. (AP Photo/Eyad Baba)
Palestinian walk away after Israeli airstrike in Rafah, Gaza Strip, Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2023. (AP Photo/Eyad Baba)
TT
TT

UN: More Palestinians Fleeing Combat Zone in Northern Gaza

Palestinian walk away after Israeli airstrike in Rafah, Gaza Strip, Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2023. (AP Photo/Eyad Baba)
Palestinian walk away after Israeli airstrike in Rafah, Gaza Strip, Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2023. (AP Photo/Eyad Baba)

The pace of Palestinian civilians fleeing the combat zone in northern Gaza has picked up as Israel’s air and ground campaign there intensifies.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said Wednesday that about 15,00 people fled on Tuesday, compared to 5,000 on Monday and 2,000 on Sunday.
The densely populated northern area of Gaza, specifically Gaza City and adjacent crowded urban refugee camps, are the focus of Israel’s campaign to crush Hamas, the militant group that has ruled Gaza for 16 years, The Associated Press said.
The war, now in its second month, was triggered by the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on southern Israel.
The number of Palestinians killed in the war passed 10,300, including more than 4,200 children, the Hamas-run Health Ministry in Gaza said Tuesday.
In the occupied West Bank, more than 160 Palestinians have been killed in the violence and Israeli raids. More than 1,400 people in Israel have been killed, most of them in the Oct. 7 Hamas attack that started the fighting, and 242 hostages were taken from Israel into Gaza by the militant group.

Most Viewed

 
 
Arab World

Egypt's Sisi Replaces Head of General Intelligence Agency

Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi at the swearing-in ceremony of the country’s new chief of intelligence Hassan Mahmoud Rashad. Photo: Office of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi
Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi at the swearing-in ceremony of the country’s new chief of intelligence Hassan Mahmoud Rashad. Photo: Office of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi
TT
TT

Egypt's Sisi Replaces Head of General Intelligence Agency

Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi at the swearing-in ceremony of the country’s new chief of intelligence Hassan Mahmoud Rashad. Photo: Office of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi
Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi at the swearing-in ceremony of the country’s new chief of intelligence Hassan Mahmoud Rashad. Photo: Office of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi

Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi named Major General Hassan Mahmoud Rashad as head of the powerful general intelligence agency on Wednesday, appointing the outgoing chief Abbas Kamel as an adviser to the presidency.
The agency has played a leading role under Sisi, handling foreign-policy matters as well as domestic-security issues.
Rashad previously served as a deputy to Kamel, and according to an informed security source who spoke to Asharq Al-Awsat on condition of anonymity, this change is "a very natural move”. He said “there is a need for a significant figure to coordinate between the security agencies and a personal envoy for the president on sensitive files”.
Another security source told the daily that the decision “reflects an attempt to leverage the expertise of the former head of general intelligence and his capabilities in an important and new position”. General Kamel "has been appointed to three positions, a first of its kind, including a new role as the general coordinator of the security agencies”, he told Asharq Al-Awsat.
Sisi has depended heavily on Kamel, who was a fixture in meetings with senior foreign leaders and at summits. Kamel was often sent on trips abroad as an envoy.
Kamel, 68, was appointed head of the intelligence agency in 2018, before which he worked in military intelligence and was director of Sisi's office.
General Kamel played an important role in political and security communications to achieve calm in the region and establish a ceasefire in Gaza during the wars of 2021 and 2023.
Pictures released along with a statement by the presidency showed Rashad and Kamel meeting Sisi, and Rashad swearing an oath in front of the president.
Rashad is a graduate of Cairo's Military Technical College, a traditional training ground for leaders of the intelligence services.