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Israel to Allow Flour Shipments for Gaza Through Key Port

Empty trucks wait on the Gaza border with Egypt at Rafah for the aid trucks to cross from northern Egypt on October 21, 2023, amid the ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas. (AFP)
Empty trucks wait on the Gaza border with Egypt at Rafah for the aid trucks to cross from northern Egypt on October 21, 2023, amid the ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas. (AFP)
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Israel to Allow Flour Shipments for Gaza Through Key Port

Empty trucks wait on the Gaza border with Egypt at Rafah for the aid trucks to cross from northern Egypt on October 21, 2023, amid the ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas. (AFP)
Empty trucks wait on the Gaza border with Egypt at Rafah for the aid trucks to cross from northern Egypt on October 21, 2023, amid the ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas. (AFP)

Israel will let shipments of flour for Palestinians through the Israeli port of Ashdod, north of Gaza, the White House said Friday after President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke.

The move comes days after the UN called on Israel to allow access to the port for the urgent delivery of humanitarian aid for Gaza, besieged since the October 7 Hamas attacks on Israel.

"The president welcomed the decision from the Government of Israel to permit the shipment of flour for the Palestinian people directly through Ashdod port," the White House said in a readout of their call.

US teams would "separately work on options for more direct maritime delivery of assistance into Gaza," it added.

Washington has backed Israel's offensive against Gaza since the Hamas attacks on October 7 while also calling on the Israelis to let in more aid to Palestinian civilians.

Three UN agencies -- the World Food Program (WFP), UNICEF and the World Health Organisation (WHO) -- pushed for the opening of Ashdod in a joint statement on Monday.

The use of Ashdod, located some 25 miles (40 kilometers) north of the Gaza border, is "critically needed by aid agencies," they said, while calling for a "fundamental step change in the flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza."

The Israel-Hamas war has sparked a humanitarian catastrophe for Gaza's 2.4 million people, who are struggling to get food, water, fuel and medical care.

Opening the Ashdod port would reduce the time it takes to transport food to Gazans from the north, WFP's regional director for the Middle East, Corinne Fleischer, told AFP earlier this month.

In December, Israel approved the temporary delivery of aid into Gaza via its southern Kerem Shalom border crossing, opening a new route for supplies after weeks of pressure.

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Arab World

Houthi Charges of Espionage: A Tool to Intimidate, Control the Population

Houthis demonstrate in the center of the capital Sanaa against American and British strikes on their positions. (AP)
Houthis demonstrate in the center of the capital Sanaa against American and British strikes on their positions. (AP)
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Houthi Charges of Espionage: A Tool to Intimidate, Control the Population

Houthis demonstrate in the center of the capital Sanaa against American and British strikes on their positions. (AP)
Houthis demonstrate in the center of the capital Sanaa against American and British strikes on their positions. (AP)

The Houthi militia has recently released several individuals it had abducted for celebrating Yemen’s September Revolution. However, over the past few days, it has detained hundreds of residents in its stronghold of Saada, accusing them of espionage.

The campaign coincides with the airing of alleged confessions from a purported spy cell and the abduction of a former employee of the US Embassy in Yemen.

Local sources in Saada province, approximately 242 kilometers north of Sanaa, report that the Houthis have launched a widespread campaign of arrests targeting civilians. These individuals have been taken from their homes, workplaces, and businesses under allegations of collaborating with Western nations and Israel. Families of those detained have been warned to remain silent and refrain from discussing the arrests with the media or on social media platforms.

According to the sources, more than 300 individuals, including dozens of women, have been abducted across various districts in Saada. The arrests have also targeted relatives and associates of Othman Mujalli, a member of Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council, who hails from the region.

The sources suggest that the Houthis are detaining women as hostages to pressure their relatives, who may either be out of the militia’s reach or living outside Houthi-controlled areas. They also appear to be using the women to coerce confessions from male relatives. Last month, the Houthis accused Hamid Mujalli, Othman Mujalli’s brother, of engaging in espionage for Arab and Western nations for nearly two decades.

In a separate incident, the Houthis abducted a former employee of the US Embassy in Sanaa from his home on Monday without providing any explanation for their actions.

Release of Detainees

The Houthis recently released Sheikh Amin Rajeh, a tribal leader from Ibb province, after detaining him for four months. Several other individuals were also freed, none of whom had been formally charged during their detention. Rajeh, a member of the General People’s Congress Party, was one of many political activists, students, workers, and public employees abducted in September for celebrating Yemen’s September 26, 1962, revolution.

One of the released individuals, a shop owner, told Asharq Al-Awsat that he was unaware of the reason for his detention. He had been abducted in November, two months after the Houthis initiated a crackdown on those commemorating the revolution.

Alleged Spy Cell

Houthi-controlled media recently broadcast confessions from what they claimed was a newly uncovered spy cell. The group linked the cell to its broader narrative of “promised conquest and sacred jihad” against the West and Israel.

According to Houthi security officials, the alleged spy cell was working to compile a “target database,” monitor sites linked to missile forces and drones, and track specific military and security locations. They also claimed the cell had been observing the residences and movements of Houthi leaders.

In response, the Houthis issued warnings to residents, forbidding them from discussing or sharing information about militia-controlled sites, facilities, or the whereabouts of their leaders.

The Houthis’ actions reflect mounting concerns over potential strikes targeting their senior leadership, similar to the recent attacks on Hezbollah figures in Lebanon. Those fears come amid ongoing tensions with Israel, the United States, and the United Kingdom, following the Houthis’ assaults on international shipping lanes in the Red Sea and missile attacks on Israel.