عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Arab World

Israeli Military Says It Has Begun New Ground Operation in Gaza

A Palestinian man reads one of the leaflets dropped by the Israeli army ordering the residents to leave, in Beit Hanoun in the northern Gaza Strip on March 19, 2025. (Photo by BASHAR TALEB / AFP)
A Palestinian man reads one of the leaflets dropped by the Israeli army ordering the residents to leave, in Beit Hanoun in the northern Gaza Strip on March 19, 2025. (Photo by BASHAR TALEB / AFP)
TT
TT

Israeli Military Says It Has Begun New Ground Operation in Gaza

A Palestinian man reads one of the leaflets dropped by the Israeli army ordering the residents to leave, in Beit Hanoun in the northern Gaza Strip on March 19, 2025. (Photo by BASHAR TALEB / AFP)
A Palestinian man reads one of the leaflets dropped by the Israeli army ordering the residents to leave, in Beit Hanoun in the northern Gaza Strip on March 19, 2025. (Photo by BASHAR TALEB / AFP)

The Israeli military said on Wednesday its forces have resumed ground operations in the central and southern Gaza Strip, as a second day of airstrikes killed at least 20 Palestinians, according to local health workers.

The renewed ground operations come a day after more than 400 Palestinians were killed in airstrikes in one of the deadliest episodes since the beginning of the conflict, shattering a ceasefire that has largely held since January.

The Israeli military said its operations have extended Israel's control over the Netzarim Corridor, which bisects Gaza, and were a "focused" maneuver aimed at creating a partial buffer zone between the north and the south of the enclave.

The United Nations said an Israeli airstrike had killed a foreign staffer and wounded five workers at the site of a UN headquarters in central Gaza City on Wednesday. But Israel denied this, saying it had hit a Hamas site, where it had detected preparations for firing into Israeli territory.

Jorge Moreira da Silva, executive director of the UN office for Project Services, said: "Israel knew that this was a UN premises, that people were living, staying and working there, it is a compound. It is a very well-known place."

Israel, which has vowed to eradicate Hamas, said its latest onslaught was "just the beginning".

TRADING BLAME

Israel and Hamas accuse each other of breaching the truce, which had offered a respite for Gaza's 2.3 million residents after 17 months of war that has reduced the enclave to rubble and forced most of its population to evacuate multiple times.

The Israeli campaign has killed more than 49,000 people in Gaza, Palestinian health authorities say, and caused a humanitarian crisis with shortages of food, fuel and water.

Israel has accused Hamas of using Palestinian civilians as human shields. Hamas denies this and accuses Israel of indiscriminate bombings.

The war - the most devastating episode in decades of Israel-Palestinian conflict - was triggered by a Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, in which gunmen killed some 1,200 people and took about 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's decision to resume bombardments has triggered protests in Israel as 59 hostages are still held in Gaza, with 24 of them believed to be still alive.

A coalition of hostage families and protesters against Netanyahu's moves against the judiciary and other parts of the security establishment has regrouped and accuses the prime minister of using the war for political ends.

Earlier on Wednesday, the Israeli army dropped leaflets in the northern and southern Gaza Strip, once again ordering residents to evacuate their homes.

Defense Minister Israel Katz issued a video statement warning Gaza residents that evacuation from combat zones would begin shortly.

'FORCE YOU HAVE NOT YET SEEN'

He said airstrikes were "only the first step" and if the hostages were not released, "Israel will act with force you have not yet seen".

The renewed violence was condemned by Western nations, including France and Germany, as well as Qatar and Egypt which had been acting as mediators in the ceasefire negotiations.

European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said on Wednesday she told Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar that the situation in Gaza is "unacceptable".

Jordan's King Abdullah called for the ceasefire to be restored and for aid flows to resume.

"Israel's resumption of attacks on Gaza is an extremely dangerous step that adds further devastation to an already dire humanitarian situation," he said on a visit to Paris for talks with French President Emmanuel Macron.

However, Dorothy Shea, acting US ambassador to the United Nations, said on Tuesday the blame for the resumption of hostilities "lies solely with Hamas".

In Wednesday's violence, three people were killed in an Israeli airstrike on a house in Gaza City, while another airstrike left two men dead and wounded six others in Beit Hanoun town in the north, the Gaza health officials said.

Palestinian medics said Israeli tank shelling on the Salahdeen Road killed one Palestinian and wounded others, while an Israeli airstrike killed three people in a house in Beit Lahiya town north of the enclave. 

Most Viewed

 
 
Arab World

International, Local Bodies Warn of Impending Famine in Yemen

Funding shortfall in Yemen has increased the risk of food insecurity (EPA) 
Funding shortfall in Yemen has increased the risk of food insecurity (EPA) 
TT
TT

International, Local Bodies Warn of Impending Famine in Yemen

Funding shortfall in Yemen has increased the risk of food insecurity (EPA) 
Funding shortfall in Yemen has increased the risk of food insecurity (EPA) 

A number of UN, international and local bodies said Yemen is again on the brink of widespread humanitarian disaster, characterized by accelerated hunger, widespread displacement, funding shortfall, in addition to worsening economic and climate pressures that are leaving millions in deeper levels of deprivation amid ongoing political and economic instability.

UN agencies and international organizations reveal that the crisis is no longer limited to food shortages, but includes a simultaneous threat to food, shelter and income, at a time when more than a decade of conflict and economic decline continue to erode the resilience of communities in Yemen.

A recent UN report indicates that approximately 5.2 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Yemen are among the most severely affected by the nation's food insecurity crisis.

The reports came while the Yemeni government plans to establish the High Commission for Relief and to organize several workshops that address issues related to overlapping authorities, as announced earlier by Minister of Local Administration, Badr Basalma.

The Minister’s plan focuses on organizing relief efforts between the central government and the liberated governorates to ensure aid reaches vulnerable populations through official channels.

In its latest assessment of food security in Yemen, the World Food Program (WFP) stated that the country continues to host the fifth largest internal displacement crisis globally, exacerbated by ongoing conflict and deteriorating economic and humanitarian conditions.

“With an estimated 5.2 million IDPs, Yemen remains the fifth largest internal displacement crisis in the world. WFP remote monitoring data revealed a relative improvement in the food security among surveyed IDPs in March 2026,” it said.

WFP also noted that food consumption gaps remain notably worse among IDPs compared to residents, particularly for those living in camps.

In March, it showed, around 39% of surveyed IDPs in Yemen experienced moderate to severe hunger, double the level recorded among residents.

This trend was more pronounced among IDPs in camps (50%) compared to community-based IDPs (34%). Additionally, 17% of surveyed IDPs nationwide reported at least one member spending an entire day and night without eating, more than double the rate among residents.

Compounding these vulnerabilities, WFP said nearly one-third of IDPs nationwide live in informal displacement sites as last resort, while 92% cannot afford rent and face eviction risk.

Last week, the Executive Unit for Managing Displacement Camps in Marib governorate reported a dire, looming humanitarian crisis threatening over a quarter of a million IDPs in the province after they faced the imminent threat of losing their rented homes due to severe economic deterioration, escalating living conditions, accumulated rental debts and lack of income sources.

It showed that the most affected groups include 118,000 women, 72,000 children, and 8,200 seniors, who may find themselves homeless in the coming months.

Meanwhile, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said last Tuesday that from January 1 to May 2, Yemen tracked 923 households (5,538 Individuals) who experienced displacement at least once, indicating that economic reasons and conflict remain the main drivers of new displacement.

The Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET) estimated that the scale and severity of acute food insecurity are expected to remain high across Yemen through September.

It said outcomes of the Crisis, or the third level of the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC 3), are expected to remain widespread, with Emergency (IPC Phase 4) outcomes persisting in Hodeidah, Hajjah, and Taiz.

Households most likely to face Emergency (IPC Phase 4) outcomes include those with minimal income sources, the displaced, and those with limited or no access to humanitarian assistance, the Network showed.

It said funding gaps remained substantial in 2025, with only 22% of food security and agriculture requirements funded, while coverage remained similarly low in nutrition (9%) and water, sanitation, and hygiene (22%).

 

Arab World

EU Ministers Agree to Lift the Sanctions on Syria's Interior and Defense Ministers

The EU added seven Syrian ministers to its sanctions list. (Reuters)
The EU added seven Syrian ministers to its sanctions list. (Reuters)
TT
TT

EU Ministers Agree to Lift the Sanctions on Syria's Interior and Defense Ministers

The EU added seven Syrian ministers to its sanctions list. (Reuters)
The EU added seven Syrian ministers to its sanctions list. (Reuters)

European Union foreign ministers reached an agreement on Monday to lift the sanctions on ‌Syria's ‌interior and ‌defense ⁠ministers, EU's foreign ⁠chief Kaja Kallas said.

Earlier on Monday, EU foreign ⁠ministers had ‌already ‌agreed to restore ‌improved trade ‌ties with Syria, reinstating a cooperation agreement ‌that had been suspended in ⁠2011 ⁠when an uprising against then-leader Bashar al-Assad expanded into a 14-year civil war.

Arab World

Türkiye-Syria Border Gate to Reopen After 12-Year Closure

The crossing, which lies just over the border from Tal Abyad in northern Syria, was closed by Türkiye in 2014. (AP)
The crossing, which lies just over the border from Tal Abyad in northern Syria, was closed by Türkiye in 2014. (AP)
TT
TT

Türkiye-Syria Border Gate to Reopen After 12-Year Closure

The crossing, which lies just over the border from Tal Abyad in northern Syria, was closed by Türkiye in 2014. (AP)
The crossing, which lies just over the border from Tal Abyad in northern Syria, was closed by Türkiye in 2014. (AP)

One of the border crossings between Türkiye and Syria is to reopen on Tuesday, ending a 12-year closure, local officials said Monday.

The reopening of the Akcakale crossing, which sits roughly in the middle of Türkiye's 900-kilometer (550-mile) border with Syria, is the latest step in Damascus's move towards normalization with its neighbors.

The crossing, which lies just over the border from Tal Abyad in northern Syria, was closed by Türkiye in 2014 after the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) took over the town following the defeat of the ISIS group.

Türkiye has long viewed the SDF as linked to the Kurdish militant PKK and a major threat along its southern border.

It was partially reopened in 2019 for trade, funerals and the crossing of government officials after a Turkish military operation against ISIS and Kurdish fighters.

The decision will now mean the crossing is open to civilians.

"In light of the normalization of life in the region... entry and exit procedures using passports to and from the Syrian Arab Republic via the Akcakale Land Border Crossing will start on Tuesday," the Sanliurfa governor's office said in a statement.

The move will mean six of the 12 crossings between Türkiye and Syria will be open.

Türkiye has forged close ties with Syria's new rulers, with President Ahmed al-Sharaa joining a diplomacy forum in Türkiye's southern Antalya resort in April.