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Arab World

Lebanon's Palestinian Refugees Fear for their Families in Gaza

Hayat Shehadeh's daughter is in Gaza, and she has not spoken to her for a week. ANWAR AMRO / AFP
Hayat Shehadeh's daughter is in Gaza, and she has not spoken to her for a week. ANWAR AMRO / AFP
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Lebanon's Palestinian Refugees Fear for their Families in Gaza

Hayat Shehadeh's daughter is in Gaza, and she has not spoken to her for a week. ANWAR AMRO / AFP
Hayat Shehadeh's daughter is in Gaza, and she has not spoken to her for a week. ANWAR AMRO / AFP

In a ramshackle Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon, Hayat Shehadeh wrings her hands as she watches the Israel-Hamas war. Her daughter is in Gaza, and she has not spoken to her for a week.
"I can't sleep. I get up at 3:00 am... I go to watch the television," said the 69-year-old from her dark flat in south Beirut's Burj al-Barajneh Palestinian camp.
"Sometimes she writes to me, 'I'm fine'. She doesn't write more than that" because she has no way to recharge her phone battery, said the elderly woman, a baby grandchild playing with a Palestinian flag on the floor nearby.
Gaza-based Hamas militants attacked southern Israel on October 7, killing 1,200 people, most of them civilians, and taking about 240 hostage, according to Israeli officials.
Israel has since carried out a relentless air and ground offensive in Gaza that the Hamas government says has killed some 12,000 people, including thousands of women and children.
With pain in her voice but trying to maintain her composure, Shehadeh said her daughter had separated her three children, sending them away with different relatives.
"She was crying, she said 'I split up the kids'," her mother said, so that "if someone dies, they don't all die."
The Burj al-Barajneh camp is a labyrinth of alleyways, some bearing pictures of former Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, or stencils and posters in support of Hamas and other Palestinian groups, some glorifying the October 7 attacks.
Lebanon hosts an estimated 250,000 Palestinian refugees, many living in the country's 12 official camps, according to the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA).
'Dear to me'
Shehadeh said her daughter, aged in her thirties, had been living in Lebanon in recent years but a few months ago "her husband came and took her" back to Gaza.
"She's moving around... I don't know what area she's in now," Shehadeh said, requesting the young woman not be identified by name.
More than 1.5 million people have been internally displaced in Gaza, and UN agencies have warned of rapidly deteriorating conditions.
UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini has described children sheltering at a UN school "pleading for a sip of water or for a loaf of bread".
On Friday, network provider Paltel group said communications with Gaza were severed due to a lack of fuel.
Shehadeh's family came to Lebanon from the Acre area, now in northern Israel, survivors of what Palestinians call the Nakba, or the "catastrophe", when more than 760,000 Palestinians fled or were forced from their homes by the 1948 war over Israel's creation.
She said the family had feared for their lives, including after Jewish paramilitary groups massacred more than 100 Palestinian villagers at Deir Yassin, near Jerusalem, in April that year.
The elderly woman said if she could talk to her daughter, she would tell her not to cry.
"I want to tell her that her tears are dear to me," she said.
'Nothing left'
Beirut's dilapidated Burj al-Barajneh camp was partially destroyed in Israel's 1982 invasion of Beirut and during Lebanon's 15-year-long civil war, according to UNRWA.
In her small flat in the camp, Palestinian Fatima al-Ashwah, 61, is also glued to the television, praying her family members in Gaza are not among those being pulled dead from the rubble, or hoping to get a glimpse of them in footage of displaced people at shelters.
Originally from Al-Kabri, now in northern Israel, Ashwah has some 70 extended family members in Gaza, including her cousins and their families, the eldest in their seventies, the youngest just one year old.
They used to live in northern Gaza's Beit Hanoun, near the Erez crossing with Israel, Ashwah said, but now "their houses are all gone... because they're on the front lines. There's nothing left."
Israel has for more than a month been calling on the population in northern Gaza to evacuate south as it pushes ahead with its war against Hamas.
Ashwah's relatives have fled from place to place, with some now sheltering in schools near Gaza's southern Rafah crossing with Egypt.
She said sometimes she had been able to hear bombing during short telephone calls.
Her relatives have told her: "'We're hungry, we're afraid, the children are afraid, they're terrified'," she said.
"The situation breaks your heart," she said. "I can't stand the sound of crying and screaming anymore".
Fighting back tears, she recounted how she had visited Gaza in July, and how the family greeted her and another relative with drums and dancing in celebration at the Rafah crossing.
"God willing it will be over and Gaza will go back to how it was before," she said.

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Arab World

Sudan Health Minister: War Has Inflicted $11bn in Health Sector Damage

Sudanese child who fled the city of El Fasher with his family receives treatment at a camp in the town of Tawila (file photo - AP)
Sudanese child who fled the city of El Fasher with his family receives treatment at a camp in the town of Tawila (file photo - AP)
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Sudan Health Minister: War Has Inflicted $11bn in Health Sector Damage

Sudanese child who fled the city of El Fasher with his family receives treatment at a camp in the town of Tawila (file photo - AP)
Sudanese child who fled the city of El Fasher with his family receives treatment at a camp in the town of Tawila (file photo - AP)

Sudan’s health system has suffered an unprecedented collapse since war erupted in mid-April 2023, with most hospitals in the capital, Khartoum, and other cities across several states turned into military barracks.

A severe shortage of medical services has fueled widespread epidemics, disease outbreaks and worsening malnutrition.

Health Minister Haitham Mohamed Ibrahim told Asharq Al-Awsat that losses to the sector are “very large.”

“The destruction has affected all Sudanese states,” he said, citing the sabotage of hospitals and health institutions, the looting of medicines, vehicles and equipment, and the direct targeting of health workers.

He said Saudi Arabia is one of Sudan’s main supporters, particularly through the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center, mainly by providing medical supplies, equipment and medicines.

Health sector losses

Preliminary estimates put health sector losses at about $11 billion, Ibrahim said, noting that final figures will only be determined after the war ends, as large areas remain under the control of the Rapid Support Forces.

He outlined a $2 billion reconstruction plan to secure basic services and restore the health system in states recaptured by the Sudanese army. But rebuilding what the war destroyed will require additional funding, he said.

“Attacks on hospitals have exceeded 500 incidents, and the tragedy is ongoing,” Ibrahim said. Several health workers have been killed, while others remain under house arrest in North Darfur, unable to reach their families.

Rebuilding and rehabilitating the system will require “massive budgets and exceptional efforts,” he added.

Sudan needs at least $300 million now to secure essential medicines and medical supplies.

Saudi support

Total Saudi humanitarian and relief assistance during the Sudan crisis exceeded $134 million as of early November 2025, according to new figures.

Donations through the Saudi public campaign to support the Sudanese people via the “Sahem” platform have surpassed $19.4 million, based on recent official estimates.

The campaign was launched in May 2023 under directives from Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz and Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman. More than 537,000 donors have contributed.

Ibrahim reiterated that Saudi Arabia remains a key supporter, especially through the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center, which primarily supplies medical consumables, equipment, and medicines.

Malnutrition crisis

Sudan ranks among countries in the World Health Organization’s Eastern Mediterranean Region with high malnutrition rates, Ibrahim said. The national average stands at about 15%, rising to 30% in some states, particularly in areas cut off from regular aid, notably in Darfur and parts of Kordofan.

The Health Ministry, working with UNICEF and other UN agencies and nutrition programs, has opened more than 400 supplementary and therapeutic feeding centers in Darfur to serve those in need.

Vaccination coverage fell below 40% in 2023 and 2024 at the outset of the war, he said, but climbed to more than 70% by the end of 2025. He described the rebound as “a major achievement” that helped reduce measles and diphtheria cases.

Authorities have launched campaigns to reach unvaccinated children, alongside polio drives and routine immunization programs targeting more than 9 million children across Sudan.

Funding constraints

Weak funding remains the main challenge facing the health system, Ibrahim said, pointing to widening health and humanitarian gaps, particularly in western states and Darfur. Reconstruction needs and efforts to improve the work environment to restore services to citizens add further pressure.

Access to some areas in the five Darfur states and parts of Kordofan remains difficult, he said, forcing heavy reliance on international and national organizations operating on the ground.

Securing drug supplies

By 2025, stability in the supply of essential medicines had been fully restored, with more than 700 drug items secured without interruption for chronic and life-saving treatments, Ibrahim said.

Several pharmaceutical factories have resumed operations, with more than three fully operational and four preparing to begin production, a move he said would strengthen supply sustainability and health security.

Availability of essential medicines has risen from less than 30% to more than 75%, with a relative decline in shortages of life-saving drugs.

Storage capacity has expanded at the state level, and the reopening of the main Medical Supplies Center in Khartoum has boosted capacity by more than 60% compared with the previous period.

Disease outbreaks

As the health crisis deepens, 79 dengue fever cases have been recorded in the Merowe locality in Northern State, according to the latest official report.

Outbreaks of malaria and dengue in the capital and several states are part of recurring epidemic waves in recent years, Ibrahim said, stressing that authorities have “a clear strategy to combat disease vectors.”

He announced a major malaria eradication campaign to be launched under the patronage of the prime minister, underscoring the need to sustain vector control programs at the locality and administrative unit levels.

The Rapid Support Forces control all hospitals and health facilities in the five Darfur states and large parts of Kordofan. Ongoing clashes and indiscriminate shelling have directly disrupted medical facilities and destabilized health workers.

Delivering services to areas outside government control remains extremely difficult, the minister said, citing reports of severe shortages that require urgent and sustained health and humanitarian intervention.

Arab World

Israeli Agent Confession Reveals How Deep Hezbollah Has Been Infiltrated

Hezbollah supporters are seen during the funeral of slain member Hussein Yaghi in the eastern Bekaa, Lebanon. (AFP)
Hezbollah supporters are seen during the funeral of slain member Hussein Yaghi in the eastern Bekaa, Lebanon. (AFP)
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Israeli Agent Confession Reveals How Deep Hezbollah Has Been Infiltrated

Hezbollah supporters are seen during the funeral of slain member Hussein Yaghi in the eastern Bekaa, Lebanon. (AFP)
Hezbollah supporters are seen during the funeral of slain member Hussein Yaghi in the eastern Bekaa, Lebanon. (AFP)

Investigations into detainee “A.M.”, a native of the southern town of Ansar arrested last week on charges of collaborating with Israel, show he did more than carry out assigned tasks under an Israeli agenda.

According to the findings, A.M. took the initiative to supply precise information about sites that were later destroyed, providing coordinates for military locations, including Hezbollah missile depots and drone manufacturing facilities.

The case also underscores the scale of effort by Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency to recruit agents. High-risk recruits are enlisted abroad, then transferred to Israel and assigned sensitive missions.

Phased training

Security sources said the Mossad recruited A.M. in 2020 and put him through multi-stage training courses. He was deployed at the height of the latest war between Israel and Hezbollah in 2024 and continued operating even after the November 2024 ceasefire, suggesting his case mirrors others.

Some agents have been arrested; others, sources said, are still moving freely inside Lebanon.

A.M.’s file is considered one of the most serious, given the missions he carried out.

Asharq Al-Awsat learned from security sources that the detainee, who holds a master’s degree from the University of Turin in Italy, was viewed as a valuable catch by a Mossad officer using the alias “Rami Murad.”

The officer recruited him in a European country in 2020 and maintained regular contact before introducing him to another handler, “Michael Leva,” who identified himself as a Mossad officer.

Leva asked the Lebanese national to gather security information in exchange for money. After agreeing, A.M. underwent a polygraph test, which he passed. He began by providing personal details about himself and his family, as well as security-related information about Lebanon. He was later tasked with supplying information about Hezbollah members.

Meetings in Germany

Security sources said A.M. met his handler several times in Germany, providing information on Hezbollah members and their phone numbers. He also identified the types of bulldozers and heavy machinery used by the Iran-backed party in southern Lebanon, including the names and contact details of their owners.

In October 2021, A.M. met Michael again in Cologne, where he underwent a second polygraph test. He provided additional information about residents of Ansar and Hezbollah members.

In late 2022, A.M. traveled with Michael from Germany to Israel. Upon arrival, the Mossad officer took his phone and informed him he would remain in Israel for three days. The next day, he was moved to a private room in a nearby building and subjected to a third polygraph test.

After passing, he was questioned about multiple sites in southern Lebanon, reviewing three-dimensional maps displayed on screens. He and his handler conducted a detailed review of Hezbollah-affiliated locations for which A.M. had already provided coordinates.

Sources said he also underwent several training courses inside the occupied Palestinian territories under the supervision of specialized trainers.

From intelligence to operations

While A.M.’s role was officially limited to gathering information, sources say his activities took on an operational dimension.

He supplied Mossad handlers with reports on institutions, individuals, centers, factories and hospitals affiliated with or funded by Hezbollah. He also documented the locations of surveillance cameras in Ansar, nighttime movements in southern areas, Hezbollah military movements and the party’s funding sources.

His reports extended to displaced residents from border villages during the war, Hezbollah’s handling of them and the assistance provided, as well as rental costs, electricity subscriptions and other expenses incurred due to displacement.

41 detainees

With his arrest, the number of agents detained since the start of the Israeli war on Lebanon in September 2024 has risen to 41.

A judicial source told Asharq Al-Awsat that the military court attaches “utmost importance” to these cases, whether before investigative judges or during trials before the military court.

According to security sources, after the ceasefire, A.M. provided the Mossad with precise information about bulldozer and heavy machinery showrooms in the southern towns of Msayleh, Daoudiyeh and Ansar that were later bombed and destroyed. He also prepared detailed reports on southern traders importing bulldozers, heavy machinery and spare parts.

Sources said he photographed Hezbollah sites in Ansar, as well as in Tyre, Nabatieh and the western Bekaa, and supplied detailed information about Hezbollah members, some of whom were later assassinated by Israel.

Inspecting targets after the ceasefire

After the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah took effect, A.M. inspected about 30 strike sites, according to informed sources, providing detailed assessments. The targets included Hezbollah military facilities, supply warehouses, missile and weapons depots, electronic equipment and drone factories.

His role was not confined to executing instructions. Sources revealed he proactively relayed everything he knew or heard about Hezbollah, its members, locations and funding methods.

He photographed dozens of sites in southern Lebanon, including buildings, commercial complexes, roads and military positions linked to Hezbollah, and sent the images and video footage to his handlers.

Arab World

Israeli Settlers Burn Tents, Vehicles in West Bank Village, Say Residents

Palestinians check damage to a burned vehicle, which Palestinians say was damaged by Israeli settlers, in Susiya near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank February 25, 2026. (Reuters)
Palestinians check damage to a burned vehicle, which Palestinians say was damaged by Israeli settlers, in Susiya near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank February 25, 2026. (Reuters)
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Israeli Settlers Burn Tents, Vehicles in West Bank Village, Say Residents

Palestinians check damage to a burned vehicle, which Palestinians say was damaged by Israeli settlers, in Susiya near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank February 25, 2026. (Reuters)
Palestinians check damage to a burned vehicle, which Palestinians say was damaged by Israeli settlers, in Susiya near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank February 25, 2026. (Reuters)

Israeli settlers set ‌fire to vehicles and tents in the Palestinian village of Susiya on Tuesday night, residents said, in the latest incident of settler violence against Palestinians in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

Videos verified by Reuters showed a masked group of men, who residents said were Israeli settlers, approaching the village near the city of Hebron, and later burning vehicles and Palestinian property.

"They attack us almost every day, repeatedly, because we live near the main road...Last night they burned everywhere," Halima Abu Eid, a Susiya resident told Reuters on Wednesday.

The ‌Israeli military ‌said they had dispatched soldiers to deal with ‌reports ⁠of "deliberate burnings of ⁠Palestinian property" and had opened an investigation into the incident.

Violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinians in the West Bank has increased sharply since the beginning of the war in Gaza in October 2023, with over 800 Palestinians displaced due to settler attacks in 2026 according to United Nations data.

Attacks where masked settlers arrive ⁠at night to destroy Palestinian property or attack ‌residents have become common, as Israeli settlers ‌seek to control large swathes of land in the West Bank.

An ‌Israeli official previously blamed settler violence on a "fringe minority", although ‌Reuters reporting has shown well-organized plans to take Palestinian land in public settler social media channels.

The United Nations has documented at least 86 instances of settler violence from February 3 to 16, leading to the displacement ‌of 146 Palestinians and the injury of 64.

Israeli indictments of settler violence are rare. At ⁠the end of ⁠2025, Israeli monitoring group Yesh Din said of the hundreds of cases of settler violence it had documented since October 7, 2023, only 2% resulted in indictments. Israel's far-right governing coalition has enabled the rapid spread of settlements, with some ministers openly stating they want to "bury" a Palestinian state.

Most world powers deem Israel's settlements, on land it captured in a 1967 war, illegal, and numerous UN Security Council resolutions have called on Israel to halt all settlement activity.

Israel disputes the view that its settlements are unlawful and it cites biblical and historical ties to the land.