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Arab World

Israel Demolishes Yasser Arafat's Gaza Residence

Side of the destruction of Yasser Arafat’s house in Gaza (Facebook page of the Palestinian Culture Ministry)
Side of the destruction of Yasser Arafat’s house in Gaza (Facebook page of the Palestinian Culture Ministry)
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Israel Demolishes Yasser Arafat's Gaza Residence

Side of the destruction of Yasser Arafat’s house in Gaza (Facebook page of the Palestinian Culture Ministry)
Side of the destruction of Yasser Arafat’s house in Gaza (Facebook page of the Palestinian Culture Ministry)

The Palestinian Culture Ministry on Thursday announced that Israel has destroyed the house of former Palestinian President Yasser Afarat in the Gaza Strip.
Culture Minister Atef Abu Saif said in a press release, “The occupation's targeting and destruction of the residence of the martyr and founding leader Yasser Arafat in Gaza is a continuation of its relentless assault,” according to Reuters.
Abu Saif said the Israeli attack was to “remove the symbols of dignity and the struggle of our people.”
At the same time, the Ministry shared photos on its official Facebook page showing the extent of damage in the house, where Arafat resided from 1995 to 2001.
The Israeli army did not comment on the incident as the war on Gaza enters its 140th day. The Israeli offensive started on October 7 after Hamas stormed across Gaza’s borders into Israel, killing about 1,200 Israelis.
The Palestinian Health Ministry said Monday that since the attack, Israel's assault in Gaza has killed more than 29,000 Palestinians.
Abu Saif emphasized that Arafat's residence “holds the personal and family belongings of the eternal leader and has witnessed numerous significant moments in our people's history during his presence in Gaza at the inception of the Palestinian Authority.”
“The house also contains exhibits showcasing various stages of Arafat's life, detailing his struggle and dedication to the freedom of his people, alongside other artistic works.”
“The house, with its historical significance and location, will remain a testament to pivotal moments in our history, while the occupation's acts of demolition serve as further evidence of its brutality,” Abu Saif asserted.
He continued, “The assault on Palestinian cultural heritage during the ongoing war on Gaza, including historical structures, mosques, churches, cultural centers, heritage sites, museums, libraries, publishing houses, and universities, is consistent with the occupation's destructive values and policies.”
Arafat passed away in 2004 after relocating his headquarters from Ramallah to France for medical treatment. He was laid to rest in the headquarters square in Ramallah, where he had remained since 2002.

 

 

 

 

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Arab World

One Dead as Israeli Forces Open Fire on West Bank Stone-Throwers

Israeli troops during a military operation in the Palestinian village of Qabatiya, near the West Bank city of Jenin, 27 December 2025. (EPA)
Israeli troops during a military operation in the Palestinian village of Qabatiya, near the West Bank city of Jenin, 27 December 2025. (EPA)
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One Dead as Israeli Forces Open Fire on West Bank Stone-Throwers

Israeli troops during a military operation in the Palestinian village of Qabatiya, near the West Bank city of Jenin, 27 December 2025. (EPA)
Israeli troops during a military operation in the Palestinian village of Qabatiya, near the West Bank city of Jenin, 27 December 2025. (EPA)

The Israeli military said its forces killed a Palestinian in the occupied West Bank in the early hours on Thursday as they opened fire on people who were throwing stones at soldiers.

Two other people were hit on a main ‌road near the ‌village of Luban ‌al-Sharqiya ⁠in Nablus, ‌the military statement added. It described the people as militants and said the stone-throwing was part of an ambush.

Palestinian authorities in the West Bank said ⁠a 26-year-old man they named as ‌Khattab Al Sarhan was ‍killed and ‍another person wounded.

Israeli forces had ‍closed the main entrance to the village of Luban al-Sharqiya, in Nablus, and blocked several secondary roads on Wednesday, the Palestinian Authority's official news agency WAFA reported.

More ⁠than a thousand Palestinians were killed in the West Bank between October 2023 and October 2025, mostly in operations by security forces and some by settler violence, the UN has said.

Over the same period, 57 Israelis were killed ‌in Palestinian attacks.

Arab World

UN Chief Condemns Israeli Law Blocking Electricity, Water for UNRWA Facilities

A girl stands in the courtyard of a building of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) in the Askar camp for Palestinian refugees, east of Nablus in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, on December 31, 2025. (AFP)
A girl stands in the courtyard of a building of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) in the Askar camp for Palestinian refugees, east of Nablus in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, on December 31, 2025. (AFP)
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UN Chief Condemns Israeli Law Blocking Electricity, Water for UNRWA Facilities

A girl stands in the courtyard of a building of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) in the Askar camp for Palestinian refugees, east of Nablus in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, on December 31, 2025. (AFP)
A girl stands in the courtyard of a building of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) in the Askar camp for Palestinian refugees, east of Nablus in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, on December 31, 2025. (AFP)

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned on Wednesday a move by Israel to ban electricity or water to facilities owned by the UN Palestinian refugee agency, a UN spokesperson said.

The spokesperson said the move would "further impede" the agency's ability to operate and carry out activities.

"The Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the United Nations remains applicable to UNRWA (United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East), its property and assets, and to its officials and other personnel. Property used ‌by UNRWA ‌is inviolable," Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for the ‌secretary-general, ⁠said while ‌adding that UNRWA is an "integral" part of the world body.

UNRWA Commissioner General Phillipe Lazzarini also condemned the move, saying that it was part of an ongoing " systematic campaign to discredit UNRWA and thereby obstruct" the role it plays in providing assistance to Palestinian refugees.

In 2024, the Israeli parliament passed a law banning the agency from operating in ⁠the country and prohibiting officials from having contact with the agency.

As a ‌result, UNRWA operates in East Jerusalem, ‍which the UN considers territory occupied ‍by Israel. Israel considers all Jerusalem to be part ‍of the country.

The agency provides education, health and aid to millions of Palestinians in Gaza, the West Bank, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria. It has long had tense relations with Israel, but ties have deteriorated sharply since the start of the war in Gaza and Israel has called repeatedly for UNRWA to ⁠be disbanded, with its responsibilities transferred to other UN agencies.

The prohibition of basic utilities to the UN agency came as Israel also suspended of dozens of international non-governmental organizations working in Gaza due to a failure to meet new rules to vet those groups.

In a joint statement, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Iceland, Japan, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom said on Tuesday such a move would have a severe impact on the access of essential services, including healthcare. They said one in ‌three healthcare facilities in Gaza would close if international NGO operations stopped.

Arab World

Israel Says It ‘Will Enforce’ Ban on 37 NGOs in Gaza

The sun sets behind the ruins of destroyed buildings in the Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip on December 31, 2025. (AFP)
The sun sets behind the ruins of destroyed buildings in the Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip on December 31, 2025. (AFP)
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Israel Says It ‘Will Enforce’ Ban on 37 NGOs in Gaza

The sun sets behind the ruins of destroyed buildings in the Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip on December 31, 2025. (AFP)
The sun sets behind the ruins of destroyed buildings in the Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip on December 31, 2025. (AFP)

Israel said on Thursday that 37 international NGOs operating in Gaza had not complied with a deadline to meet "security and transparency standards," in particular disclosing information on their Palestinian staff, and that it "will enforce" a ban on their activities. 

The groups will now be required to cease their operations by March 1, which the United Nations has warned will exacerbate the humanitarian crisis in the war-ravaged Palestinian territory. 

"Organizations that have failed to meet required security and transparency standards will have their licenses suspended," the Ministry of Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism said in a statement on Thursday. 

Several NGOS have said the requirements contravene international humanitarian law or endanger their independence, while Israel has faced international criticism in the run-up to the deadline. 

Israel says the new regulation aims to prevent bodies it accuses of supporting terrorism from operating in the Palestinian territories. 

"The primary failure identified was the refusal to provide complete and verifiable information regarding their employees, a critical requirement designed to prevent the infiltration of terrorist operatives into humanitarian structures," the ministry said. 

In March, Israel gave a ten-month deadline to NGOs to comply with the new rules, which demand the "full disclosure of personnel, funding sources, and operational structures." 

The deadline expired on Wednesday. 

The 37 NGOs "were formally notified that their licenses would be revoked as of January 1, 2026, and that they must complete the cessation of their activities by March 1, 2026," the ministry said Thursday. 

- 'Weaponization of bureaucracy' - 

Minister of Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism Amichai Chikli said: "The message is clear: humanitarian assistance is welcome - the exploitation of humanitarian frameworks for terrorism is not." 

Numerous prominent humanitarian organizations have been hit by the ban, including Doctors Without Borders (MSF), World Vision International and Oxfam, according to the list provided by the ministry. 

In the case of MSF, Israel accused it of having two employees who were members of Palestinian groups Islamic Jihad and Hamas. 

MSF said earlier this week that the request to share a list of its staff "may be in violation of Israel's obligations under international humanitarian law" and said it "would never knowingly employ people engaging in military activity". 

On Thursday, 18 Israel-based left-wing NGOs denounced the decision to ban their international peers, saying "the new registration framework violates core humanitarian principles of independence and neutrality." 

"This weaponization of bureaucracy institutionalizes barriers to aid and forces vital organizations to suspend operations," they said. 

On Wednesday, United Nations rights chief Volker Turk described Israel's decision as "outrageous", calling on states to urgently insist Israel shift course. 

"Such arbitrary suspensions make an already intolerable situation even worse for the people of Gaza," he said. 

UN Palestinian refugee agency chief Philippe Lazzarini said the move sets a "dangerous precedent". 

"Failing to push back against attempts to control the work of aid organizations will further undermine the basic humanitarian principles of neutrality, independence, impartiality and humanity underpinning aid work across the world," he said on X. 

- 'Catastrophic' - 

On Tuesday, the foreign ministers of 10 countries, including France and the United Kingdom, urged Israel to "guarantee access" to aid in the Gaza Strip, where they said the humanitarian situation remains "catastrophic". 

A fragile ceasefire has been in place in Gaza since October, following a deadly war waged by Israel in response to Hamas's unprecedented attack on Israeli territory on October 7, 2023. 

Conditions for the civilian population in the Gaza Strip remain dire, with nearly 80 percent of buildings destroyed or damaged by the war, according to UN data. 

About 1.5 million of Gaza's more than two million residents have lost their homes, said Amjad Al-Shawa, director of the Palestinian NGO Network in Gaza.