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Iran, Qatar FMs Discuss Reducing Escalation in Gaza

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian discussed with his Qatari counterpart, Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman Al Thani, in Doha (Iranian Foreign Ministry)
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian discussed with his Qatari counterpart, Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman Al Thani, in Doha (Iranian Foreign Ministry)
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Iran, Qatar FMs Discuss Reducing Escalation in Gaza

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian discussed with his Qatari counterpart, Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman Al Thani, in Doha (Iranian Foreign Ministry)
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian discussed with his Qatari counterpart, Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman Al Thani, in Doha (Iranian Foreign Ministry)

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian discussed on Wednesday the recent developments in the Gaza Strip and ways to reduce the escalation with his Qatari counterpart, Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman Al Thani.
In a brief statement, the Qatari Foreign Ministry reported that Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed met on Wednesday with Iran’s Foreign Minister, who is visiting the country.
During the meeting, they discussed the latest developments in the occupied Palestinian territories and ways of de-escalating the situation and a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.
In turn, the Iranian Foreign Ministry said in a detailed statement that the two ministers discussed bilateral and regional issues, stressing the importance of the developments in Palestine and Gaza.
They reiterated the need to stop Israel’s ongoing military attacks on Gazans, pointing out the importance of sending humanitarian aid and increasing international and regional pressure to reach a political solution.
The top officials also called for maintaining joint efforts toward achieving the agreed-upon goals based on the demands and needs of the Palestinian people.
Amirabdollahian said that “time is not on the side of the US and the Zionist entity,” adding that Israel’s insistence on continuing the war, with Washington’s support, will only increase the scope of the military and political defeat.
The Iranian statement described the “joint efforts” to achieve a permanent ceasefire in Gaza and support the sending of humanitarian aid as “positive and influential.”
It added that the talks between the two FMs addressed the joint efforts to advance a political solution and stop the Israeli war machine against Gaza, and the foreign ministers agreed to pursue new ideas.
The two sides agreed to increase cooperation in various areas, and the Qatari PM presented “a positive assessment of the bilateral ties”, the Iranian statement indicated.
It noted that Sheikh Mohammed expressed Doha’s determination to implement agreements concluded by the two countries' leaders to develop trade and economic relations.
Amirabdollahian described the political relations between the two countries as “constructive and distinguished,” stressing the need to boost joint efforts in trade and economic ties in parallel with political connections.
Iran’s FM began his third visit within 75 days to Doha, with discussions with Hamas politburo chief Ismail Haniyeh.
Amirabdollahian condemned what he described as “comprehensive and unrestricted US support” to Israel in the ongoing war in Gaza, adding that Washington is making efforts and sending political messages to get out of the current impasse and military strategic defeat.
The US realization that war is not the solution is a significant development, said Amirabdollahian, adding that Washington must stop supporting the “crazy military strategy of the occupation regime as soon as possible.”
The White House is seeking a political solution for an “honorable exit from the war and saving Israel from strategic defeat”, he stated.
Haniyeh had addressed the latest efforts aimed at ending the Israeli attacks on Gaza and the West Bank to reach a sustainable ceasefire, lift the siege, and send humanitarian aid.
State-owned ISNA news agency added that Haniyeh praised Iran’s political, diplomatic, and media support and the resistance movement.

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Arab World

Saudi Intervention Ends Socotra Power Crisis

Socotra power generators restarted after Saudi intervention (X)
Socotra power generators restarted after Saudi intervention (X)
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Saudi Intervention Ends Socotra Power Crisis

Socotra power generators restarted after Saudi intervention (X)
Socotra power generators restarted after Saudi intervention (X)

Electricity has returned to Yemen’s Socotra archipelago after urgent Saudi intervention ended days of outages that disrupted daily life and crippled vital institutions, including the general hospital, the university and the technical institute.

The breakthrough followed a sudden shutdown of the power plants after the operating company withdrew and disabled control systems, triggering widespread blackouts and deepening hardship for residents.

The Saudi Program for the Development and Reconstruction of Yemen said its engineering and technical teams moved immediately after receiving an appeal from local authorities. Specialists were dispatched to reactivate operating systems that had been encrypted before the company left the island.

Generators were brought back online in stages, restoring electricity across most of the governorate within a short time.

The restart eased intense pressure on the grid, which had faced rising demand in recent weeks after a complete halt in generation.

Health and education facilities were among the worst affected. Some medical departments scaled back services, while parts of the education sector were partially suspended as classrooms and laboratories were left without power.

Socotra’s electricity authority said the crisis began when the former operator installed shutdown timers and password protections on control systems, preventing local teams from restarting the stations. Officials noted that the archipelago faced a similar situation in 2018, which was resolved through official intervention.

Local sources said the return of electricity quickly stabilized basic services. Water networks resumed regular operations, telecommunications improved, and commercial activity began to recover after a period of economic disruption linked to the outages.

Health and education rebound

In the health sector, stable power, combined with operational support, secured the functioning of Socotra General Hospital, the archipelago’s main medical facility.

Funding helped provide fuel and medical supplies and support healthcare staff, strengthening the hospital’s ability to receive patients and reducing the need to transfer cases outside the governorate, a burden that had weighed heavily on residents.

Medical sources said critical departments, including intensive care units and operating rooms, resumed normal operations after relying on limited emergency measures.

In education, classes and academic activities resumed at Socotra University and the technical institute after weeks of disruption.

A support initiative covered operational costs, including academic staff salaries and essential expenses, helping curb absenteeism and restore the academic schedule.

Local authorities announced that studies at the technical institute would officially restart on Monday, a move seen as a sign of gradual stabilization in public services.

Observers say sustained technical and operational support will be key to safeguarding electricity supply and preventing a repeat of the crisis in a region that depends almost entirely on power to run its vital sectors.

Arab World

Egypt’s Prime Minister and FM Head to Washington for Trump Peace Council Meeting

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty speaks during a joint press conference with Kenyan Prime Cabinet Secretary/Cabinet Secretary for Foreign Diaspora Affairs Musalia Mudavadi in Nairobi, Kenya, Monday, Feb. 16, 2026. (AP)
Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty speaks during a joint press conference with Kenyan Prime Cabinet Secretary/Cabinet Secretary for Foreign Diaspora Affairs Musalia Mudavadi in Nairobi, Kenya, Monday, Feb. 16, 2026. (AP)
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Egypt’s Prime Minister and FM Head to Washington for Trump Peace Council Meeting

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty speaks during a joint press conference with Kenyan Prime Cabinet Secretary/Cabinet Secretary for Foreign Diaspora Affairs Musalia Mudavadi in Nairobi, Kenya, Monday, Feb. 16, 2026. (AP)
Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty speaks during a joint press conference with Kenyan Prime Cabinet Secretary/Cabinet Secretary for Foreign Diaspora Affairs Musalia Mudavadi in Nairobi, Kenya, Monday, Feb. 16, 2026. (AP)

Egypt's Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly headed to Washington on Tuesday ‌to ‌participate in ‌the inaugural ⁠meeting of a "Board of Peace" established by US President Donald ⁠Trump, the ‌cabinet ‌said.

Madbouly is ‌attending ‌on behalf of President Abdel ‌Fattah al-Sisi and is accompanied by ⁠Foreign ⁠Minister Badr Abdelatty.

Foreign Minister Gideon Saar will represent Israel at the inaugural meeting, his office said on Tuesday.

Hamas, meanwhile, called on the newly-formed board to pressure Israel to halt what it described as ongoing violations of the ceasefire in Gaza.

The Board of Peace, of which Trump is the chairman, was initially designed to oversee the Gaza truce and the territory's reconstruction after the war between Hamas and Israel.

But its purpose has since morphed into resolving all sorts of international conflicts, triggering fears the US president wants to create a rival to the United Nations.

Saar will first attend a ministerial level UN Security Council meeting in New York on Wednesday, and on Thursday he "will represent Israel at the inaugural session of the board, chaired by Trump in Washington DC, where he will present Israel's position", his office said in a statement.

It was initially reported that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu might attend the gathering, but his office said last week that he would not.

Ahead of the meeting, Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem told AFP that the Palestinian movement urged the board's members "to take serious action to compel the Israeli occupation to stop its violations in Gaza".

"The war of genocide against the Strip is still ongoing -- through killing, displacement, siege, and starvation -- which have not stopped until this very moment," he added.

He also called for the board to work to support the newly formed Palestinian technocratic committee meant to oversee the day-to-day governance of post-war Gaza "so that relief and reconstruction efforts in Gaza can commence".

Announcing the creation of the board in January, Trump also unveiled plans to establish a "Gaza Executive Board" operating under the body.

The executive board would include Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and Qatari diplomat Ali Al-Thawadi.

Netanyahu has strongly objected to their inclusion.

Since Trump launched his "Board of Peace" at the World Economic Forum in Davos in January, at least 19 countries have signed its founding charter.

Arab World

Palestinian Child Dies After Stepping on Mine in West Bank

Israeli troops conduct a military raid in the village of Al-Yamoun, west of Jenin, West Bank, 17 February 2026. (EPA)
Israeli troops conduct a military raid in the village of Al-Yamoun, west of Jenin, West Bank, 17 February 2026. (EPA)
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Palestinian Child Dies After Stepping on Mine in West Bank

Israeli troops conduct a military raid in the village of Al-Yamoun, west of Jenin, West Bank, 17 February 2026. (EPA)
Israeli troops conduct a military raid in the village of Al-Yamoun, west of Jenin, West Bank, 17 February 2026. (EPA)

A Palestinian child died after stepping on a mine near an Israeli military camp in the occupied West Bank on Tuesday, the Palestinian Red Crescent said, with an Israeli defense ministry source confirming the death.

"Our crews received the body of a 13-year-old child who was killed after a mine exploded in one of the old camps in Jiftlik in the northern Jordan Valley," the Red Crescent said in a statement.

A source at COGAT, the Israeli defense ministry's agency in charge of civilian matters in the Palestinian territories, confirmed the death to AFP and identified the boy as Mohammed Abu Dalah, from the village of Jiftlik.

Israel's military had previously said in a statement that three Palestinians were injured "as a result of playing with unexploded ordnance", without specifying their ages.

It added that the area of the incident, Tirzah, is "a military camp in the area of the Jordan Valley", near Jiftlik and close to the Jordanian border.

"This area is a live-fire zone and entry into it is prohibited," the military said.

Jiftlik village council head Ahmad Ghawanmeh told AFP that three children, the oldest of whom was 16, were collecting herbs near the military base when they detonated a mine.

Jiftlik as well as the nearby Tirzah base are located in the Palestinian territory's Area C, which falls under direct Israeli control.

Israel has occupied the West Bank since 1967.

Much of the area near the border with Jordan -- which Israel signed a peace deal with in 1994 -- remains mined.

In January, Israel's defense ministry said it had begun demining the border area as part of construction works for a new barrier it says aims to stem weapons smuggling.