Palestinians Say Israeli Troops Kill Two in West Bank Raids

Palestinian mourners carry the body of Ahmad Aslan, killed during an Israeli military raid in the Qalandia refugee camp, in the occupied West Bank, on July 24, 2024 at a hospital in Ramallah. (Photo by Zain JAAFAR / AFP)
Palestinian mourners carry the body of Ahmad Aslan, killed during an Israeli military raid in the Qalandia refugee camp, in the occupied West Bank, on July 24, 2024 at a hospital in Ramallah. (Photo by Zain JAAFAR / AFP)
TT

Palestinians Say Israeli Troops Kill Two in West Bank Raids

Palestinian mourners carry the body of Ahmad Aslan, killed during an Israeli military raid in the Qalandia refugee camp, in the occupied West Bank, on July 24, 2024 at a hospital in Ramallah. (Photo by Zain JAAFAR / AFP)
Palestinian mourners carry the body of Ahmad Aslan, killed during an Israeli military raid in the Qalandia refugee camp, in the occupied West Bank, on July 24, 2024 at a hospital in Ramallah. (Photo by Zain JAAFAR / AFP)

Palestinian officials said Israeli troops killed two men, including a customs officer, in separate raids in the West Bank on Wednesday, the latest violence to rock the occupied Palestinian territory.

The raids were carried out before dawn in Qalandiya refugee camp and the town of Tubas, residents and officials said.

When contacted by AFP, the Israeli military said it was "looking into" reports of the two deaths.

Palestinian sources identified the men killed as Ahmad Nidal Aslan, 19, from Qalandiya, and Abdul Nasser Muhannad Sarhan, 23, from Tubas.

Residents of Qalandiya said Aslan was killed when Israeli forces shot him after they entered the town to demolish the home of Mohammad Manasra, accused by Israel of carrying out a deadly attack on a West Bank settlement in February.

Clashes erupted after the troops blew up the second floor of the building. Six men were wounded, they added.

"At dawn, the occupation soldiers fired two bullets at Ahmad. He was taken to hospital where he died," a resident told AFP, declining to be identified for safety reasons.

Further north in Tubas, the Palestinian health ministry said Israeli troops shot dead Sarhan and wounded two others.

"The Israeli army raided the town of Tubas at dawn and arrested two young men," a resident of the town told AFP, also declining to be identified.

"As they were leaving, they fired at Sarhan and another young man."

The Palestinian customs authority said Sarhan was one of its officers.

The health ministry said the death toll from an Israeli raid on the town of Tulkarem on Tuesday had risen to six after a Palestinian shot by troops died of his wounds.



Egypt Calls on Int’l Donors to Fulfill Pledges to Support Sudan, Refugee-Hosting Countries

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty meets with his Sudanese counterpart Hussein Awad in Cairo, 23 July, 2024. (Egyptian Foreign Ministry)
Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty meets with his Sudanese counterpart Hussein Awad in Cairo, 23 July, 2024. (Egyptian Foreign Ministry)
TT

Egypt Calls on Int’l Donors to Fulfill Pledges to Support Sudan, Refugee-Hosting Countries

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty meets with his Sudanese counterpart Hussein Awad in Cairo, 23 July, 2024. (Egyptian Foreign Ministry)
Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty meets with his Sudanese counterpart Hussein Awad in Cairo, 23 July, 2024. (Egyptian Foreign Ministry)

Egypt on Tuesday called on international donors to swiftly fulfill their pledges to support Sudan, and its neighboring refugee-hosting countries after millions of Sudanese have been displaced due to the conflict between the army and the Rapid Support Forces.

“Egypt is in ongoing talks with donor countries and humanitarian organizations to urge them to share the burden with Sudan’s caretaker government and neighboring countries,” Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty said during a meeting with his Sudanese counterpart Hussein Awad in Cairo.

Since the conflict erupted in Sudan in mid-April 2023, some 10 million have been displaced within the country or have fled into neighboring countries, making it the largest displacement crisis globally, according to UN statistics.

Abdelatty reiterated Egypt's unwavering support for the stability and safety of Sudan and its people, stressing Cairo's commitment to helping the Sudanese people overcome political, security, and humanitarian challenges caused by the ongoing war.

Early this month, Egypt hosted the Sudanese Political and Civil Forces Conference aimed at ending the war in the country.

According to the Egyptian FM, the Conference affirmed the need to maintain state institutions, deliver aid to Sudan and its neighbors, and ensure Sudanese control over the political process.

A Foreign Ministry statement said during their meeting in Cairo on Tuesday, Abdelatty and Awad reviewed the latest progress of the ongoing Egyptian development projects in Sudan, such as the electrical interconnection project and the reconstruction and development of Wadi Halfa Port.

Abdelatty pledged Egypt's continued commitment to completing these projects, the statement noted.

He called on international donors to quickly fulfill their pledges made at the conferences in Geneva and Paris to support Sudan, its neighboring refugee-hosting countries, and the UN humanitarian response plan.

Abdelatty said Egypt is in ongoing talks with donor countries and humanitarian organizations to urge them to share the burden with Sudan’s caretaker government and neighboring countries.

Egypt has received more than half a million of Sudanese fleeing the war, in addition to more than 5 million Sudanese who already reside in Egyptian cities, according to Egyptian government estimates.

For his part, the Sudanese minister thanked Egypt for the facilities and services provided to Sudanese citizens since the crisis began, including health and educational services, according to the Egyptian statement.

He also praised Egypt’s initiatives aimed at resolving the Sudanese crisis.

Abdelatty and Awad touched on several regional issues such as the situation in the Horn of Africa, the Gaza Strip crisis, the Red Sea security, the situation in Libya, and the Sahel–Saharan region.

They also discussed the dispute caused by the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), reaffirming the unified stance of both countries on water security.