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Arab World

In Israel, France’s New FM Presses for Ceasefire to End Gaza ‘Tragedy’

French Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne (C) attends a meeting with Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki (not in picture) during his visit to the West Bank town of Ramallah, 05 February 2024. (EPA)
French Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne (C) attends a meeting with Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki (not in picture) during his visit to the West Bank town of Ramallah, 05 February 2024. (EPA)
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In Israel, France’s New FM Presses for Ceasefire to End Gaza ‘Tragedy’

French Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne (C) attends a meeting with Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki (not in picture) during his visit to the West Bank town of Ramallah, 05 February 2024. (EPA)
French Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne (C) attends a meeting with Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki (not in picture) during his visit to the West Bank town of Ramallah, 05 February 2024. (EPA)

France’s new foreign minister on Monday used his first visit to Israel to urge the government to allow an “immediate ceasefire” and a “massive influx” of humanitarian aid in Gaza.

Foreign Minister Stéphane Sejourne, who became France's top diplomat last month, met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem during his trip.

Speaking later at a news conference, Sejourne said it was France’s role as a “friend” to tell Israeli leaders some truths they “may have difficulties hearing.”

“For four months now, the people of Gaza have been living under bombs and an almost full siege. They are being deprived of the minimum aid they need to treat their wounds, protect against epidemics and feed themselves,” he said.

Sejourne stressed that France “strongly supported Israel’s right to defend itself” after the Hamas-orchestrated attack in southern Israel that triggered the war in Gaza. At the same time, he called the death and destruction in the Palestinian territory a tragedy.

“The tragedy in Gaza must end,” he said. “We call for international humanitarian law to be respected by all and for an immediate and lasting ceasefire and a massive influx of humanitarian aid.”

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Saudi Arabia on Monday for a Mideast trip that also will take him to Egypt, Qatar, Israel and the West Bank this week. Blinken hopes to make progress on a potential ceasefire deal.

Sejourne also called for the “immediate and unconditional release” of all the remaining hostages held by Hamas in Gaza. Three French nationals are believed to be among them, he said.

France and Qatar last month mediated the first agreement between Israel and the militant group since a weeklong ceasefire in November. The deal authorized supplying medicines for both hostages and for use by Palestinian civilians.

As he greeted the visiting foreign minister, Netanyahu praised France's “stalwart and consistent support from Day 1” and said they planned to discuss issues related to Lebanon, from where the militant group Hezbollah has fired at targets in northern Israel during the Israel-Hamas war.

Lebanon is a former French protectorate. Sejourne said France is committed to preventing any escalation of regional hostilities.

The minister's first trip to the Middle East since his appointment started with stops in Egypt on Saturday and Jordan on Sunday.

Sejourne was scheduled to meet later Monday with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank city of Ramallah and to travel to Lebanon on Tuesday.

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Arab World

Iran-Backed Gaza Factions Face Financial Strain, Fear Collapse

Ziyad al-Nakhalah, head of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement (seated right), alongside Naim Qassem, secretary-general of Lebanon’s Hezbollah, and senior Iranian military officials during the funeral of late Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, August 2024 (Reuters)
Ziyad al-Nakhalah, head of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement (seated right), alongside Naim Qassem, secretary-general of Lebanon’s Hezbollah, and senior Iranian military officials during the funeral of late Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, August 2024 (Reuters)
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Iran-Backed Gaza Factions Face Financial Strain, Fear Collapse

Ziyad al-Nakhalah, head of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement (seated right), alongside Naim Qassem, secretary-general of Lebanon’s Hezbollah, and senior Iranian military officials during the funeral of late Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, August 2024 (Reuters)
Ziyad al-Nakhalah, head of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement (seated right), alongside Naim Qassem, secretary-general of Lebanon’s Hezbollah, and senior Iranian military officials during the funeral of late Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, August 2024 (Reuters)

Field commanders and activists from Iranian-backed Palestinian factions in Gaza warn of a potential “complete collapse” as a worsening financial crisis comes amid signs of a possible US strike on Tehran.

Nearly two years of Israeli war in Gaza, along with strikes extending to Lebanon, Iran and parts of Syria, have strained money transfer routes and drained the factions’ assets and savings.

Islamic Jihad is the largest faction financially and logistically tied to Iran. To a lesser extent, links also reach the Popular Resistance Committees, the Mujahideen Brigades and other armed groups. Sources from those factions and activists in Gaza said the financial squeeze has hit all of them.

One source said stipends for individual members have dropped to between 200 and 400 shekels (the dollar equals 3.10 shekels) every 60 to 70 days, down from 800 to 2,200 shekels per month or every 40 days for some prominent members and activists before the war.

“Even at the leadership level, allocations have fallen to 1,000 shekels at most every two months or more, compared with more than 3,000 shekels nearly every month before the war,” the source said.

A source in a more minor faction said members of his group have received nothing for more than three months and now rely on intermittent donations from other parties, arriving roughly every two months or more, to distribute just 200 shekels per member.

Sanctions deepen the strain

Economic sanctions imposed by Washington in recent months on Iranian individuals and entities have compounded the difficulty of sustaining support, with leaders and field operatives locked in constant discussions about the crisis and its outlook.

Some factions receive direct backing from Iran and, to a lesser degree, rely on ties with Lebanon’s Hezbollah dating to their founding years, particularly during the second Intifada that erupted in late 2000.

Islamic Jihad sources said dwindling resources have hit charities affiliated with the movement. At the same time, allocations to other “humanitarian institutions” have been cut back to minimal activity, despite their direct affiliation with the Iranian regime.

More than one source within the movement described an unprecedented financial crisis, both inside and outside Gaza, especially in Lebanon, where Hezbollah has sustained heavy blows, and in Syria, where the movement has weakened significantly since the collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s rule.

Even so, sources said Islamic Jihad may be the last to face “collapse,” citing its popular base and ability to manage some affairs if security conditions stabilize at home and abroad.

The risk appears more immediate for other Iran-linked factions, which, before the war, relied on funding from Hamas. That support has stopped as Hamas grapples with mounting financial troubles of its own.

Hamas, however, has diversified revenue streams. Its years of governing Gaza enabled it to establish “investment projects” inside and outside the enclave, alongside tax revenues and other income collected by its government.

Iranian regret

Asharq Al-Awsat has learned that Iranian parties have expressed regret to some faction leaders over the current situation, citing the difficult circumstances facing Iran that have disrupted financial and military support.

Field sources said growing concern over a possible strike on Iran is intensifying fears of collapse among Tehran-linked factions, particularly given their fragile finances. Some field or armed members have been forced to seek basic jobs to support their families despite Israeli pursuit, they said.

Those who eased security precautions under financial pressure do not represent the majority, the sources added. Most leaders and members continue to carry out assigned tasks, banking on a diplomatic deal on Iran’s nuclear program to head off a US strike on the country.

Arab World

Israel Says Struck 8 Hezbollah Compounds in East Lebanon, Syrian Teen Killed

Khiam resident, Hussain Khrais stands in front of his store that was damaged during the latest hostilities between Israel and Lebanon, in Khiam village, near the border with Israel, southern Lebanon, February 19, 2026. REUTERS/Aziz Taher
Khiam resident, Hussain Khrais stands in front of his store that was damaged during the latest hostilities between Israel and Lebanon, in Khiam village, near the border with Israel, southern Lebanon, February 19, 2026. REUTERS/Aziz Taher
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Israel Says Struck 8 Hezbollah Compounds in East Lebanon, Syrian Teen Killed

Khiam resident, Hussain Khrais stands in front of his store that was damaged during the latest hostilities between Israel and Lebanon, in Khiam village, near the border with Israel, southern Lebanon, February 19, 2026. REUTERS/Aziz Taher
Khiam resident, Hussain Khrais stands in front of his store that was damaged during the latest hostilities between Israel and Lebanon, in Khiam village, near the border with Israel, southern Lebanon, February 19, 2026. REUTERS/Aziz Taher

The Israeli military said on Thursday it struck eight compounds belonging to Hezbollah’s Radwan Force in eastern Lebanon's Baalbek area, as the Lebanese Health Ministry reported a Syrian teenager killed.

The military said the compounds were being utilized to prepare and plan for attacks against its troops and Israeli civilians.

"Within the compounds, numerous weapons were stored, including firearms and rockets belonging to Hezbollah," it said.

"The terrorists' activities at these compounds and Hezbollah's attempts to rearm constitute a violation of the ceasefire understandings between Israel and Lebanon, and pose a threat to the state of Israel."

Lebanese state media reported several strikes on mountainous areas in the country's east, mainly in the outskirts of the city of Hermel.

"Israeli enemy airstrikes on the Bekaa this evening resulted, according to an initial toll, in the killing of a 16-year-old Syrian boy and the injury of another person," the Lebanese Health Ministry said in a statement.

Hezbollah and Israel agreed to a ceasefire in November 2024 after a year of war, but Israel has continued to strike it on a near-daily basis, saying it is enforcing ceasefire provisions against the group rearming.

Hezbollah and the Lebanese government have protested the attacks as ceasefire violations.

Arab World

Civilian Death Toll in Sudan War More than Doubled in 2025, UN Says

A displaced Sudanese woman who left El-Fasher after its fall with others, walks amid the remains of a fire that broke out at a camp in Tawila on February 11, 2026. (Photo by AFP)
A displaced Sudanese woman who left El-Fasher after its fall with others, walks amid the remains of a fire that broke out at a camp in Tawila on February 11, 2026. (Photo by AFP)
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Civilian Death Toll in Sudan War More than Doubled in 2025, UN Says

A displaced Sudanese woman who left El-Fasher after its fall with others, walks amid the remains of a fire that broke out at a camp in Tawila on February 11, 2026. (Photo by AFP)
A displaced Sudanese woman who left El-Fasher after its fall with others, walks amid the remains of a fire that broke out at a camp in Tawila on February 11, 2026. (Photo by AFP)

Killings of civilians in Sudan's war more than doubled in 2025 compared with the previous year, the United Nations rights chief said Thursday, warning that thousands more dead are unidentified or remain missing.

Since April 2023, Sudan has been engulfed in a conflict between the army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) that has killed tens of thousands, displaced 11 million people and triggered one of the world's worst humanitarian crises.

"This war is ugly. It's bloody and it's senseless," Volker Turk told the UN Human Rights Council, blaming both warring sides, which have so far rejected any form of humanitarian truce. He also blamed foreign sponsors funding what he called a "high-tech" conflict.

"In 2025, my office's documentation points to an over two and a half times increase in killings of civilians compared with the previous year. Many thousands are still missing or unidentified," Turk said.

There have been no official figures on the overall death toll in the conflict.

Turk condemned what he called the "heinous and ruthless" brutalities committed, including sexual violence, summary executions and arbitrary detentions, AFP reported.

He highlighted "carnage" inflicted by the RSF during an attack on the Zamzam displacement camp in April, and again in October in El-Fasher, which was the army's last foothold in western Darfur.

Sexual violence, including rape, gang rape, sexual torture and slavery, has also surged, Turk said, with more than 500 victims documented in 2025. "The bodies of Sudanese women and girls have been weaponised to terrorise communities."

He added that he is "extremely worried these crimes may be repeated".

Since January, escalating drone attacks in the southern Kordofan region and beyond have "killed or injured nearly 600 civilians", Turk said, including in attacks on humanitarian aid convoys.

The UN's resident and humanitarian coordinator for Sudan, Denise Brown, said on Thursday that access to the cities of Kadugli and Dilling in South Kordofan -- long cut off by an RSF siege until the army recently lifted it -- had been effectively impossible.

"We were not able to get supplies in. We had to remove our staff for their own safety," she said, after stepping off the first UN flight to Khartoum since the war began on Thursday.

Humanitarian deliveries resumed only last week, with more than 50 trucks carrying essential supplies for frontline Sudanese responders.

According to AFP, Brown echoed growing UN alarm over escalating hunger, saying that available data suggested there were currently famine conditions in Dilling, which has not been officially confirmed.

In El-Fasher and Kadugli, famine has already been confirmed by a UN-backed assessment.

"It's essential that the world understands the consequences of war," she said, urging global leaders to "put their heads together to find a solution".

Turk said both the army and the RSF continued to use "explosive weapons in densely populated areas, often without warning -- showing utter disregard for human life".

Turk highlighted the "increased use of advanced long-range drones", which has "expanded harm to civilians in areas far from the front lines that were previously peaceful".

Turk also voiced concern over "the growing militarization of society", including the recruitment of children and young people into the fighting.