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Blinken Tours Kerem Shalom Aid Crossing as Tank Fire Rings Out from Gaza

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken walks with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and UN Senior Humanitarian and Reconstruction Coordinator for Gaza Sigrid Kaag at the Kerem Shalom border crossing with the Gaza Strip in southern Israel on May 1, 2024. (AFP)
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken walks with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and UN Senior Humanitarian and Reconstruction Coordinator for Gaza Sigrid Kaag at the Kerem Shalom border crossing with the Gaza Strip in southern Israel on May 1, 2024. (AFP)
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Blinken Tours Kerem Shalom Aid Crossing as Tank Fire Rings Out from Gaza

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken walks with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and UN Senior Humanitarian and Reconstruction Coordinator for Gaza Sigrid Kaag at the Kerem Shalom border crossing with the Gaza Strip in southern Israel on May 1, 2024. (AFP)
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken walks with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and UN Senior Humanitarian and Reconstruction Coordinator for Gaza Sigrid Kaag at the Kerem Shalom border crossing with the Gaza Strip in southern Israel on May 1, 2024. (AFP)

Tank fire echoed from the Gaza strip on Wednesday as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited an aid inspection point, where he heard from Israeli officials including Defense Minister Yoav Gallant about efforts to increase assistance to the Palestinian enclave just a few hundred meters away.

Blinken got his first up-close view of the strip six months into the war as he toured a compound at the Kerem Shalom crossing bordered by thick concrete walls where aid trucks bound for Gaza are held for inspection, a process that aid groups have complained has been a major bottleneck.

Sacks of canned chickpeas, rice, potatoes and toilet paper, some marked with the logo of the UN's World Food Program or the World Central Kitchen (WCK) aid group sat on pallets waiting to enter Gaza. Soldiers carrying automatic weapons roamed around the area known as an "inspection cell".

Israel has sought to demonstrate it is not blocking aid to Gaza, especially since President Joe Biden issued a stark warning to Netanyahu, saying Washington’s policy could shift if Israel fails to take steps to address civilian harm, humanitarian suffering, and the safety of aid workers.

That move came after seven WCK aid workers were killed by an Israeli strike, increasing anger over the dire conditions for Palestinians in Gaza.

US officials and aid groups say some progress has been made but warn it is insufficient, amid stark warnings of imminent famine among Gaza's 2.3 million people.

The war began when Palestinian Hamas gunmen attacked Israel on Oct. 7, killing 1,200 people and abducting 253 others, according to Israeli tallies.

In response, Israel has launched a relentless assault on Gaza, killing more than 34,000 Palestinians, local health authorities say, in a bombardment that has reduced the enclave to a wasteland.

The Kerem Shalom crossing was closed after Oct. 7, when Israel imposed a strict blockade on Gaza, but reopened to limited traffic in December. As well as the crossings at Kerem Shalom and nearby Rafah, on the border with Egypt, Israel has recently said it is opening crossings into northern Gaza to aid trucks.

Israeli officials can inspect 55 trucks every hour at Kerem Shalom and work from morning to sunset, said Shimon Freedman, international media spokesperson for COGAT, an Israeli Defense Ministry agency tasked with coordinating aid deliveries into Palestinian territories.

Freedman said the bottleneck on aid deliveries was inside Gaza, not on the Israeli side.

At least 26 trucks carrying humanitarian aid were waiting by the road just outside the Kerem Shalom inspection point waiting to enter. A Reuters witness also saw dozens of military vehicles and tanks on a field next to the road leading up to Kerem Shalom.

Blinken earlier on Wednesday discussed with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "the improvement in the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza since the call between President Biden and Prime Minister Netanyahu on April 4 and reiterated the importance of accelerating and sustaining that improvement," said State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller.

Ahead of his arrival in Israel, Blinken said Israel needed do more on aid, including by standing up a deconfliction mechanism with humanitarian agencies and making sure there are enough drivers and trucks within Gaza to deliver aid where it is needed.

He said a clear list of humanitarian items was also needed to make sure aid shipments were not arbitrarily denied entry into Gaza during Israel's inspections.

While the focus of Blinken's visit was on getting more aid to Palestinians in Gaza, Washington has also warned Israel not to go ahead with a planned assault on the southern city of Rafah.

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Arab World

Syrian President Confident in Implementation of SDF Agreement

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa shakes hands with Mazloum Abdi, commander of the Syrian Democratic Forces, in Damascus on March 10, 2025. (SANA)
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa shakes hands with Mazloum Abdi, commander of the Syrian Democratic Forces, in Damascus on March 10, 2025. (SANA)
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Syrian President Confident in Implementation of SDF Agreement

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa shakes hands with Mazloum Abdi, commander of the Syrian Democratic Forces, in Damascus on March 10, 2025. (SANA)
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa shakes hands with Mazloum Abdi, commander of the Syrian Democratic Forces, in Damascus on March 10, 2025. (SANA)

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa is confident in both the mechanism and the pace of implementation of the agreement with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), sources in the capital told Asharq Al-Awsat on Saturday.

The sources, who met al-Sharaa days earlier, said the president believes he has “a thousand solutions to every problem” related to unifying Syria “as land and people,” despite what they described as attempts by a hardline faction within the SDF to derail the process.

The government appears determined to move forward. Damascus has begun implementing what it calls an “integration” of state institutions with the Kurdish-led group’s administrative and military structures.

Political writer Ibrahim al-Jabin said al-Sharaa is also closely managing developments in Hasakah province through understandings with the international coalition and the US military, which is vacating bases and transferring them to Syria’s Ministry of Defense.

Al-Jabin, who attended a recent meeting between the president and Arab writers participating in the Damascus International Book Fair, said al-Sharaa projected assurance about the agreement’s trajectory.

He pointed to a “hardline current” within the SDF seeking to push matters toward collapse, describing recent remarks by Ilham Ahmed as efforts to provoke Damascus while containing dissatisfaction among supporters of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), who are critical of what they see as concessions by the SDF.

At the same time, al-Jabin said a strong current within the SDF is leaning toward pragmatism and compromise, shifting from a militia mindset to a governing role. He cited Decree No. 13, which grants Syrian Kurds long-demanded rights, including citizenship for those previously denied it and recognition of Kurdish-language instruction in areas with significant Kurdish populations. These measures, he added, are proceeding in parallel with US support for Damascus’ approach.

On Friday, Ilham Ahmed, co-chair of the Autonomous Administration’s Department of Foreign Relations, told the Kurdish channel Ronahi that many provisions of the Jan. 29 agreement had yet to be implemented, warning of “the risk of a new war in Syria.”

She accused the government of resisting meaningful Kurdish participation in state institutions and said hate speech from some sectors was obstructing progress.

Kurdish political researcher Mahdi Daoud described Ahmed’s remarks as “provocative,” arguing that the Democratic Union Party (PYD) benefits from heightened tensions and feels stronger in times of instability.

Daoud said it was too early to fully assess the integration mechanism, but noted that a plane landed at Qamishli airport on Saturday without incident, a sign of relative calm.

In a related development, Syria’s General Authority of Civil Aviation formally assumed control of Qamishli airport under the January 29 agreement.

Authorities also released 51 detainees from Alaya prison, still run by the SDF, in coordination with Hasakah Governor Noureddine Ahmad and local tribal leaders, alongside a presidential amnesty issued by al-Sharaa.

Arab World

US Ambassador Causes Uproar by Claiming Israel has a Right to Much of the Middle East

US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee is seen during an interview in Jerusalem, Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025.(AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg, File)
US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee is seen during an interview in Jerusalem, Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025.(AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg, File)
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US Ambassador Causes Uproar by Claiming Israel has a Right to Much of the Middle East

US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee is seen during an interview in Jerusalem, Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025.(AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg, File)
US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee is seen during an interview in Jerusalem, Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025.(AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg, File)

Arab and Muslim nations on Saturday sharply condemned comments by the US ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, who said Israel has a right to much of the Middle East.

Huckabee made the comments in an interview with conservative commentator Tucker Carlson that aired Friday. Carlson said that according to the Bible, the descendants of Abraham would receive land that today would include essentially the entire Middle East, and asked Huckabee if Israel had a right to that land, The AP news reported.

Huckabee responded: “It would be fine if they took it all." Huckabee added, however, that Israel was not looking to expand its territory and has a right to security in the land it legitimately holds.

His comments sparked immediate backlash from neighboring Egypt and Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the League of Arab States.

Saudi Arabia's foreign ministry described Huckabee's comments as “extremist rhetoric” and “unacceptable,” and called for the State Department to clarify its position on them.

Egypt's foreign ministry called his comments a “blatant violation” of international law, adding that “Israel has no sovereignty over the occupied Palestinian territory or other Arab lands.”

“Statements of this nature — extremist and lacking any sound basis — serve only to inflame sentiments and stir religious and national emotions,” the League of Arab States said.

Since its establishment in 1948, Israel has not had fully recognized borders. Its frontiers with Arab neighbors have shifted as a result of wars, annexations, ceasefires and peace agreements.

During the six-day 1967 Mideast war, Israel captured the West Bank and east Jerusalem from Jordan, Gaza and the Sinai Peninsula from Egypt and the Golan Heights from Syria. Israel withdrew from the Sinai Peninsula as part of a peace deal with Egypt following the 1973 Mideast war. It also unilaterally withdrew from Gaza in 2005.

Israel has attempted to deepen control of the occupied West Bank in recent months. It has greatly expanded construction in Jewish settlements, legalized outposts and made significant bureaucratic changes to its policies in the territory. US President Donald Trump has said he will not allow Israel to annex the West Bank and has offered strong assurances that he’d block any move to do so.

Palestinians have for decades called for an independent state in the West Bank and Gaza with east Jerusalem its capital, a claim backed by much of the international community.

Huckabee, an evangelical Christian and strong supporter of Israel and the West Bank settlement movement, has long opposed the idea of a two-state solution for Israel and the Palestinian people. In an interview last year, he said he does not believe in referring to the Arab descendants of people who had lived in British-controlled Palestine as “Palestinians.”

In the latest interview, Carlson pressed Huckabee about his interpretation of Bible verses from the book of Genesis, where he said God promised Abraham and his descendants land from the Nile to the Euphrates.

“That would be the Levant, so that would be Israel, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon. It would also be big parts of Saudi Arabia and Iraq," Carlson said.

Huckabee replied: “Not sure we'd go that far. I mean, it would be a big piece of land."

Israel has encroached on more land since the start of its war with Hamas in Gaza, which was sparked by the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.

Under the current ceasefire, Israel withdrew its troops to a buffer zone but still controls more than half the territory. Israeli forces are supposed to withdraw further, though the ceasefire deal doesn’t give a timeline.

After Syrian President Bashar Assad was ousted at the end of 2024, Israel's military seized control of a demilitarized buffer zone in Syria created as part of a 1974 ceasefire between the countries. Israel said the move was temporary and meant to secure its border.

And Israel still occupies five hilltop posts on Lebanese territory following its brief war with Hezbollah in 2024.

Arab World

Libya’s Ramadan Celebrations Tempered by Economic Woes

A family walks on their way to shop for Ramadan decorations ahead of the holy month of Ramadan in Benghazi, Libya, February 16, 2026. (Reuters)
A family walks on their way to shop for Ramadan decorations ahead of the holy month of Ramadan in Benghazi, Libya, February 16, 2026. (Reuters)
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Libya’s Ramadan Celebrations Tempered by Economic Woes

A family walks on their way to shop for Ramadan decorations ahead of the holy month of Ramadan in Benghazi, Libya, February 16, 2026. (Reuters)
A family walks on their way to shop for Ramadan decorations ahead of the holy month of Ramadan in Benghazi, Libya, February 16, 2026. (Reuters)

Libyans have been enjoying Ramadan with feasts and fireworks -- but soaring prices, a devalued currency and political divisions have left many with little to celebrate.

Fifteen years on from the fall of longtime leader Moammar al-Gaddafi, the country remains split between east and west, while shortages of goods, including fuel, disrupt daily life, despite Libya sitting atop vast oil and gas reserves.

During the holy month of Ramadan, shoppers stock up on treats, as families gather for lavish meals before and after the daytime fast that stretches from sunrise to sunset.

But this year supermarkets have been rationing their goods, while many petrol stations are short of gas. In the capital Tripoli, most ATMs were out of cash this week.

Firas Zreeg, 37, told AFP while weaving through a crowded supermarket that the economy was deteriorating, blaming currency speculators for the fall in the dinar, "which has negative repercussions on our daily lives".

The price of cooking oil has doubled in recent weeks, while meat and poultry prices rose by half.

Refills of gas cylinders, officially priced at 1.5 dinars ($0.24) but often unavailable through state-run distributors, now sell for 75 dinars ($11.85) on the black market and at times more.

- 'Burden on citizens' -

Libya has struggled to recover from the chaos that erupted following the 2011 uprising that toppled Gaddafi.

It remains divided between the Government of National Unity (GNU) based in Tripoli and an eastern administration backed by Libyan National Army (LNA) commander Khalifa Haftar.

The country has largely been stable in recent years although there have been bouts of deadly violence, including the killing of Gaddafi's son and heir apparent Seif al-Islam this month.

With security holding, many Libyans are more focused on their livelihoods.

Last month, the central bank in the western territory devalued the dinar -- the second time in less than a year -- by nearly 15 percent, "aimed at preserving financial and monetary stability and ensuring the sustainability of public resources".

In an address this week, GNU leader Abdulhamid Dbeibah acknowledged that the devaluation had once again "put the burden on citizens".

Hanna Tetteh, head of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya, warned on Wednesday that "poverty and pressure on society [are] increasing".

"The situation, in addition to the fragile security landscape, should be a matter for concern as such conditions can lead to unexpected political and security challenges," she told the UN Security Council.

Libya's other economic problems included the absence of a unified national budget, in light of its political divide, as well as uncoordinated public spending due to parallel state institutions, Tetteh said.

Revenues from the oil industry were also declining, she added, while the central bank has said public spending is growing at an unsustainable pace.

On Tuesday, Libya marked 15 years since the start of the uprising, with fireworks lighting up the sky in Tripoli, but for many Libyans life remains a struggle.

"Minor improvements in security were made over the past three years," Zreeg told AFP, but Libyans are still faced with huge economic challenges.