عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Arab World

Palestinians Recount 'Torture' in Israeli Army Custody

A Palestinian man, released after detention by Israeli forces in Gaza, awaits treatment at al-Najjar hospital in Rafah. SAID KHATIB / AFP
A Palestinian man, released after detention by Israeli forces in Gaza, awaits treatment at al-Najjar hospital in Rafah. SAID KHATIB / AFP
TT
TT

Palestinians Recount 'Torture' in Israeli Army Custody

A Palestinian man, released after detention by Israeli forces in Gaza, awaits treatment at al-Najjar hospital in Rafah. SAID KHATIB / AFP
A Palestinian man, released after detention by Israeli forces in Gaza, awaits treatment at al-Najjar hospital in Rafah. SAID KHATIB / AFP

Palestinians held by the Israeli army in the Gaza Strip had suffered torture, two freed detainees and a medic said Sunday, a charged denied by the military.
The two men were among hundreds detained by Israeli forces over alleged links with armed group Hamas during Israel's ongoing ground offensive in the besieged Hamas-run territory.
Israel vowed to defeat Hamas after a deadly attack by militants on October 7, launching a relentless military campaign in Gaza.
About 20 men released from Israeli custody "have bruises and marks of blows on their bodies", Marwan al-Hams, hospital director in the southern city of Rafah, told AFP.
Hams said the freed Palestinians were admitted to Al-Najjar hospital upon their release.
The Israeli army rejected the claims, saying detainees are "treated in accordance with international law".
"While detained, the suspects are given sufficient food and water and treated according to protocol," the army told AFP in a statement.
Nayef Ali, 22, said he was detained in Gaza City's eastern Zaitun suburb and later taken to an Israeli detention facility, and showed cuts on his wrists and other parts of his body.
"They (Israeli troops) tied our hands behind our backs for two days," he said.
"We were not allowed to eat or drink, neither were we allowed to use the toilet," he added.
"There were only beatings and beatings."
Ali said the detainees were put in an area along the border with Israel where it was "freezing cold".
"They threw cold water on us before transferring us to a prison, where it was again torture and beatings."
Khamis al-Bardini, 55, also alleged torture by Israeli soldiers, saying they poured "cold water on our heads through the night" along with "beatings during the day".
In recent weeks, the army has faced international criticism after viral footage of detainees stripped down to their underwear and blindfolded with their hands tied behind the backs.
The army has said it was investigating the deaths of "terrorists in military detention centers" after Israeli media reported that several detainees had died in custody.

Most Viewed

 
 
Arab World

Israeli Fire Kills Four People, Including Three Children, in Gaza, Medics Say

A destroyed vehicle is seen on a street following an Israeli military strike in Gaza City, Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026. (AP)
A destroyed vehicle is seen on a street following an Israeli military strike in Gaza City, Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026. (AP)
TT
TT

Israeli Fire Kills Four People, Including Three Children, in Gaza, Medics Say

A destroyed vehicle is seen on a street following an Israeli military strike in Gaza City, Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026. (AP)
A destroyed vehicle is seen on a street following an Israeli military strike in Gaza City, Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026. (AP)

Israeli gunfire and ‌airstrikes killed at least four people, including three children, in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, health officials said.

Witnesses said Israeli warplanes fired at least 12 missiles near the Katiba area in the west of Gaza City, an area crowded with displaced families.

At least three people — two children and a woman — were killed and several others wounded in the unusually heavy bombardment, medics said. Two vehicles were hit and reduced to twisted ‌wreckage.

In a statement ‌on Tuesday, the Israeli military ‌said ⁠it struck several targets ⁠in the Gaza Strip in order to remove threats to Israeli security forces.

Ismail Al-Thawabta, director of the Hamas-run Gaza government media office, said an Israeli special force had attempted to carry out an operation in Gaza City but was discovered during the mission.

He said ⁠Israel then launched heavy airstrikes involving ‌more than 10 warplanes, killing ‌and wounding several people.

In a separate incident, medics said a ‌girl, Israa Al-Hissi, was killed and two other ‌people were wounded when Israeli forces operating east of Deir al-Balah in central Gaza opened fire on the area.

A US-backed ceasefire that took effect in October 2025 halted the large-scale ‌fighting that had devastated the enclave, but it has not ended Israeli strikes. ⁠The military ⁠says such operations are intended to prevent attacks by Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups.

Hamas accuses Israel of repeatedly violating the ceasefire and undermining efforts to advance a broader plan by US President Donald Trump to end the war. The plan includes further Israeli troop withdrawals from Gaza and the disarmament of Hamas.

More than 1,300 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since the ceasefire came into force last October, according to Gaza health officials. The Israeli military says four Israeli soldiers have been killed during the same period.

Arab World

Lebanon’s Berri Rejects ‘Buffer Zones,’ Warns Against Negotiating ‘Under Fire’

People check debris of a destroyed house that was hit on Thursday in an Israeli airstrike in Arab Salim village, southern Lebanon, Friday, Aug. 28, 2026. (AP)
People check debris of a destroyed house that was hit on Thursday in an Israeli airstrike in Arab Salim village, southern Lebanon, Friday, Aug. 28, 2026. (AP)
TT
TT

Lebanon’s Berri Rejects ‘Buffer Zones,’ Warns Against Negotiating ‘Under Fire’

People check debris of a destroyed house that was hit on Thursday in an Israeli airstrike in Arab Salim village, southern Lebanon, Friday, Aug. 28, 2026. (AP)
People check debris of a destroyed house that was hit on Thursday in an Israeli airstrike in Arab Salim village, southern Lebanon, Friday, Aug. 28, 2026. (AP)

Lebanese parliament Speaker Nabih Berri rejected the establishment of any “buffer zones or security belts” in South Lebanon, stressing that the state bears responsibility for protecting and defending the area and rebuilding what has been destroyed by Israeli attacks.

He also renewed his opposition to direct negotiations with Israel “under fire,” arguing that previous rounds of talks had produced no results.

In a speech marking the 48th anniversary of the disappearance of Imam Moussa al-Sadr, Berri declared that “civil peace, national unity and the Lebanese Army are red lines that must not be crossed or undermined,” reaffirming his commitment to the army’s authority in the South, alongside UN peacekeeping forces.

He rejected attempts to cast doubt on the army’s role and called for it to be provided with all necessary support.

“The South is an integral part of Lebanon, and responsibility for protecting and defending it alongside its people, and for rebuilding what Israeli aggression has destroyed, rests with the state,” Berri declared. “We will not accept buffer zones or security belts in the South.”

Turning to negotiations with Israel, he reiterated his warning against direct talks while hostilities continue.

“We warned against direct negotiations with Israel under fire, while the rounds of negotiations have yielded no results,” he noted.

He also renewed his opposition to the “framework agreement” between Lebanon and Israel, declaring: “We had exercised our democratic right to reject the agreement, and we maintain that position.”

He said that the current stage, given “existential risks facing South Lebanon and the country as a whole, does not give anyone the right to act on any sovereign issue under any designation, whether a framework agreement or secret articles.”

Berri also stressed his opposition to relinquishing Lebanon’s right to prosecute Israel over “crimes of genocide” committed against South Lebanon.

He argued that the war with Israel “requires a national approach removed from any regional, partisan, sectarian or confessional considerations,” warning against attempts to push Lebanon toward internal divisions.

“What Israel seeks is not Hezbollah, its weapons, the Amal Movement or the Shiite community. Israel wants strife,” he asserted, adding that “Lebanon represents the antithesis of Israel’s racism.”

He urged the Lebanese to avoid internal conflict, saying: “Do not lose Lebanon to internal wars, divisions, or fatal political or security missteps.”

On domestic affairs, Berri reaffirmed his commitment to the Taif Agreement, maintaining that “all partition and federalism projects are incompatible with this accord.”

His remarks come amid growing domestic political debate over sovereign and security issues and the future of South Lebanon, as Israeli attacks continue and the negotiating track remains deadlocked.

On regional developments, Berri expressed “support for all Arab and Pakistani efforts to end tensions and establish stability in the Gulf region.”

He also paid tribute to “all brotherly and friendly countries that have stood and continue to stand by Lebanon.”

Arab World

Iraq PM Rejects Proposal to Maintain Coalition Troops Beyond Sept. 30 Deadline

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi. (INA)
Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi. (INA)
TT
TT

Iraq PM Rejects Proposal to Maintain Coalition Troops Beyond Sept. 30 Deadline

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi. (INA)
Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi. (INA)

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi has rejected a proposal to keep some international anti-ISIS coalition forces in Iraq beyond the September 30 deadline for their withdrawal, announced government spokesman Haider al-Aboudi.

He also stressed that Baghdad was closely monitoring regional developments but would not become part of the conflict.

Speaking at a news conference Monday, al-Aboudi confirmed that the withdrawal of coalition forces and the handover of their positions to Iraqi forces were proceeding as planned.

“The government is looking ahead to September 30, which represents an important milestone for the sovereignty of the Iraqi state and people,” he told Iraq's state news agency INA, adding that the date would mark “the complete end of the international coalition mission’s presence on Iraqi territory.”

On efforts to bring all weapons under state control, al-Aboudi stressed that the government was moving ahead with measures to regulate arms and unify decision-making, describing the issue as a top priority and a cornerstone of national sovereignty.

He noted that the Iraqi Constitution grants the armed forces exclusive authority over arms and prohibits the formation of armed groups outside the official security establishment.

Talks with armed factions were progressing positively and within the designated timetable, he added, indicating that the issue would be resolved before September 30.

Government decisions were based on national interests, he said.

Al-Aboudi announced that al-Zaidi would visit Paris and Berlin in the first half of September at the invitation of European officials, with security among the issues on the agenda.

Turning to the economy, the spokesman outlined the government’s strategy to diversify revenue sources and secure essential requirements. Iraqi exports were proceeding normally at more than 2 million barrels per day, he added.

The cabinet is expected to vote on the 2027 budget in September.

The government is continuing its campaign against corruption, pursuing suspects and seeking to cut off its sources, al-Aboudi underlined. He pointed to the value of recovered funds as evidence of unprecedented progress.