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Italy Pledges Additional 35 Million Euros of Aid for Palestinians

Italy's Minister for Foreign Affairs Antonio Tajani (L) shakes hands with State of Palestine Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa (R) after their meeting at Farnesina Palace, in Rome, Italy 25 May 2024. EPA/GIUSEPPE LAMI
Italy's Minister for Foreign Affairs Antonio Tajani (L) shakes hands with State of Palestine Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa (R) after their meeting at Farnesina Palace, in Rome, Italy 25 May 2024. EPA/GIUSEPPE LAMI
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Italy Pledges Additional 35 Million Euros of Aid for Palestinians

Italy's Minister for Foreign Affairs Antonio Tajani (L) shakes hands with State of Palestine Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa (R) after their meeting at Farnesina Palace, in Rome, Italy 25 May 2024. EPA/GIUSEPPE LAMI
Italy's Minister for Foreign Affairs Antonio Tajani (L) shakes hands with State of Palestine Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa (R) after their meeting at Farnesina Palace, in Rome, Italy 25 May 2024. EPA/GIUSEPPE LAMI

Italy will resume funding for the United Nations' Palestinian relief organization UNRWA as part of a 35 million euro ($38 million) aid package, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said on Saturday.
Tajani made the commitment during a meeting in Rome with Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa.
The Italian minister said five million euros would go to UNRWA projects, with the remainder destined for its "Food for Gaza" initiative.
Italy was one of a number of countries to block aid for UNRWA following accusations by Israel that some of the agency's staff were involved in the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel that triggered the Gaza war.
"Italy has decided to resume financing specific projects destined to help Palestinian refugees but only after rigorous checks that guarantee that not one cent risks ending up supporting terrorism," Reuters quoted Tajani as saying.
UNRWA employs 13,000 people in Gaza, running the enclave's schools, its primary healthcare clinics and other social services, and distributing humanitarian aid.
In recent weeks, several countries have resumed funding the agency. Germany said last month it would resume cooperation with UNRWA following a report led by former French foreign minister Catherine Colonna into UNRWA's procedures for ensuring adherence to principles of neutrality.

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Egypt Arrests Travel Agents for Illegally Facilitating Hajj Trips

Regular pilgrims performed the Hajj without significant difficulties. (Egyptian Ministry of Solidarity)
Regular pilgrims performed the Hajj without significant difficulties. (Egyptian Ministry of Solidarity)
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Egypt Arrests Travel Agents for Illegally Facilitating Hajj Trips

Regular pilgrims performed the Hajj without significant difficulties. (Egyptian Ministry of Solidarity)
Regular pilgrims performed the Hajj without significant difficulties. (Egyptian Ministry of Solidarity)

Egypt is prosecuting tourism companies for illegally facilitating pilgrims’ travel to Makkah, following reports about the death of hundreds of Egyptian pilgrims during this year’s Hajj season.
On Thursday, the Public Prosecution said it kicked off urgent investigations into tourism companies that arranged the travel of “irregular” pilgrims. It also detained, for four days, two of the defendants accused of “wrongfully causing the death in Alexandria of a woman because of the lack of the appropriate transportation and accommodation” during her travel”.
The Public Prosecution also detained an official of another tourism company. The man is facing a lawsuit submitted by the two sons of a woman who had died during the pilgrimage.
Last week, Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly ordered 16 tourism companies to be stripped of their licenses and referred their managers to the public prosecutor’s office for illegally facilitating pilgrims’ travel to Makkah.
The Parliament’s Tourism and Aviation Committee called for developing a new mechanism to grant visas of various types to Egyptians through coordination with the Saudi side and the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The committee convened on Wednesday and saw demands from a number of representatives to open investigations into the tourism companies that illegally facilitated the travel of pilgrims to Makkah, which led to a number of deaths due to the lack of appropriate services.
In remarks to Asharq Al-Awsat, MP Amani Al-Shaouli, Secretary of the Tourism and Aviation Committee, stressed that Parliament will follow up with the ministries of Tourism and Foreign Affairs to implement the committee’s recommendations and address any loopholes that are being exploited to violate the laws regulating the performance of Hajj, in coordination with the Saudi authorities.