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Arab World

Gaza Civil Defense Says Israeli Strikes Kill 12, Including Family of Six

A Palestinian boy inspects the site of an Israeli strike on a house in Gaza City, July 21, 2026. (Reuters)
A Palestinian boy inspects the site of an Israeli strike on a house in Gaza City, July 21, 2026. (Reuters)
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Gaza Civil Defense Says Israeli Strikes Kill 12, Including Family of Six

A Palestinian boy inspects the site of an Israeli strike on a house in Gaza City, July 21, 2026. (Reuters)
A Palestinian boy inspects the site of an Israeli strike on a house in Gaza City, July 21, 2026. (Reuters)

Gaza's civil defense agency and witnesses said Israeli strikes killed 12 people, including a family of six, in the Palestinian territory on Tuesday. 

A fragile ceasefire remains in place between Israel and Palestinian group Hamas, but it has not halted the violence in the Gaza Strip, and efforts to secure a lasting agreement to end the war have stalled. 

One airstrike hit a house belonging to the Al-Masri family in central Gaza City in the north, according to the territory's civil defense agency, which operates as a rescue service under Hamas. 

Witnesses said six members of the family were killed, including four children. Gaza's Al-Shifa hospital said it had received the bodies and the wounded. 

An Israeli military source told AFP that a strike had targeted "a Hamas terrorist" in the area, without elaborating. 

At the site, AFP journalists observed extensive damage to the charred multi-storey house, whose roof had almost completely collapsed. 

Relatives gathered at the hospital. Some wept as the body of a girl was placed in a white plastic bag and laid alongside the other bodies wrapped in thick blankets. 

The "attack took us by surprise", said Ahmed al-Masri, who identified himself to AFP as a survivor of the strike. 

"I could hear the children crying out for help, yet I was unable to save them," he added. 

"My brother's entire family was wiped from the civil registry: him, his wife and their four children." 

He said he had helped his children escape through a window, while flames devoured the building. 

Another witness, Youssef al-Masri, said the strike took place around 2:00 am. 

"While we were asleep, we heard the sound of a massive explosion and found that the house had been shelled, destroyed and engulfed in flames," he said. 

The civil defense agency said six other people were killed on Tuesday in another Israeli strike in Gaza, where violence has persisted despite the ceasefire. 

The United Nations said on Tuesday that Israeli attacks had killed at least 57 Palestinians from July 13 to 20. 

"The Israeli military has intensified its attacks in Gaza in recent days," UN rights office spokesman Thameen Al-Kheetan told reporters in Geneva. 

"Nowhere is safe for Palestinians in Gaza." 

The Israeli army has in recent days announced a series of strikes in the territory targeting Hamas and Islamic Jihad members who it said were involved in the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel that set off the war, or the holding of hostages after. 

At least 1,168 Palestinians have been killed since the truce took effect last October, according to Gaza's health ministry, which operates under Hamas authority and whose figures are considered reliable by the United Nations. 

The Israeli military says it has lost five soldiers in Gaza over the same period, as well as one civilian contractor. 

Restrictions imposed on media outlets and limited access in Gaza prevent AFP from independently verifying tolls or freely covering the violence there. 

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Arab World

Violent Pilot Altercation Forces Diversion of UAE Plane en Route to Israel

A Flydubai aircraft (archive - Asharq Al-Awsat)
A Flydubai aircraft (archive - Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Violent Pilot Altercation Forces Diversion of UAE Plane en Route to Israel

A Flydubai aircraft (archive - Asharq Al-Awsat)
A Flydubai aircraft (archive - Asharq Al-Awsat)

A violent altercation between two pilots forced a flight traveling between the United Arab Emirates and Israel to divert on Wednesday. Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office denied reports that the aircraft had been hijacked, according to Reuters.

Netanyahu stressed that the situation was "under control" and that all necessary measures are being taken to ensure the safe return of the Israeli passengers.

Flydubai said Flight FZ1073 experienced an incident while airborne and landed safely in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, with all passengers unharmed.

CNN, citing sources, reported that a violent clash between the pilots led to the transmission of emergency signals. An Israeli official told Reuters that the pilots sent distress codes after becoming involved in a physical confrontation, though it remained unclear whether either pilot intentionally activated the alerts.

Israeli media reported that the aircraft, carrying about 150 passengers, briefly transmitted emergency codes, raising concerns that it may have been hijacked and prompting Israel to scramble two fighter jets to escort the plane.

According to the Ynet news website, the emergency signal was transmitted while the aircraft was descending under manual control and turning back in the opposite direction.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz held urgent security consultations following the incident.

The flight departed Dubai at 7:05 a.m. local time and was scheduled to land at Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv at about 9:30 a.m.

Roughly 90 minutes into the flight, as the aircraft entered Jordanian airspace, it transmitted Code 7700, the international signal for a general emergency. It later sent Code 7500, used to indicate unlawful interference with an aircraft, including a possible hijacking.

Israeli Air Force fighter jets were scrambled to escort the plane while authorities worked to determine the cause of the emergency alerts.

Arab World

Iraqi Factions Threaten to ‘Bring Down Government’ Over Iran Flight Ban

An Iraqi man walks past a sign posted along a street in Baghdad on Sept. 29, 2026, as the international coalition’s mission against ISIS comes to an end. (AFP) 
An Iraqi man walks past a sign posted along a street in Baghdad on Sept. 29, 2026, as the international coalition’s mission against ISIS comes to an end. (AFP) 
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Iraqi Factions Threaten to ‘Bring Down Government’ Over Iran Flight Ban

An Iraqi man walks past a sign posted along a street in Baghdad on Sept. 29, 2026, as the international coalition’s mission against ISIS comes to an end. (AFP) 
An Iraqi man walks past a sign posted along a street in Baghdad on Sept. 29, 2026, as the international coalition’s mission against ISIS comes to an end. (AFP) 

Baghdad has so far maintained its position of barring Iranian airlines from landing at Iraqi airports in compliance with US Treasury sanctions, but Tehran-allied groups are pushing to bring down the government and close Iraq’s land crossings with neighboring countries.

The Iraqi government has also revived the issue of Tehran’s refusal to grant Iraq an exemption allowing its oil exports to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, seeking to counter escalating campaigns and threats by Iran-aligned militias against Prime Minister Ali Falih al-Zaidi and their continued pressure to allow Iranian aircraft to land at Iraqi airports, according to sources.

US authorities have issued limited exemptions for Iraqi Airways flights between Iran and Najaf airport only, while the Transport Ministry announced that flights would operate from the Iraqi side.

Ban and International Companies

Although the government has attributed the ban on Iranian flights to international regulations and systems, a former Transport Ministry official told Asharq Al-Awsat that the government could adapt those regulations to allow Iranian aircraft to land because Iraq has sovereignty over its airspace.

“The government is relying on international aviation regulations to put forward its position of complying with the US sanctions decision,” the official said.

Government spokesman Haider al-Aboudi stressed that “the government did not decide to ban Iranian aviation,” noting that airports operate within an international system similar to the oil sector and are bound by global requirements.

He explained that the international system includes companies providing services such as ground handling, monitoring and insurance, as well as ensuring the safety of airspace and passengers.

Companies operating at Baghdad and Basra airports have a presence at no fewer than 200 airports worldwide, maintain financial accounts and conduct transactions in dollars, prompting them to stop providing services to Iranian companies to avoid US sanctions, al-Aboudi added.

Kataib Hezbollah Threats

Despite the official explanations, armed factions have continued threatening the government since Iranian flights to Iraqi airports were suspended.

Hundreds of faction supporters demonstrated outside Najaf airport on Monday, denouncing the ban and demanding that it be lifted.

Kataib Hezbollah has emerged as one of the most hard-line factions on the issue. Its security official, Abu Mujahid al-Assaf, threatened to bring down Zaidi’s government unless the restrictions on Iranian flights were lifted.

“Zaidi and those behind him should know that a government that does not work in the interests of the people will be brought down by all means,” al-Assaf said in a statement.

He warned that if the air restrictions on Iran remained in place after Oct. 1, Iraqis could take a position “that may extend to closing the border crossings of countries participating in the blockade of the Iranian people.”

Firas Elias, a political science professor at the University of Mosul, said the pressure was “not only about aviation and restricting weapons to state control, but about preserving Tehran’s influence and its Iraqi cards at a sensitive moment in negotiations with Washington.”

US Treasury Exemption

Amid escalating Iranian pressure on Baghdad, the US Treasury Department on Tuesday issued a special license allowing Iraqi Airways to conduct transactions normally required to operate passenger services between Iraq and Iran through Najaf airport, subject to specific conditions and restrictions.

The license expires upon completion of the authorized transactions or on Oct. 28, 2026, while the Treasury Department retains the right to revoke or modify it at any time.

Its scope is narrow: flights must depart exclusively from Najaf International Airport and return there, and may carry only Iranian passengers traveling for religious tourism.

It also prohibits bulk cash transfers, shipments intended for Iranian intelligence, military or law enforcement agencies, and sanctioned individuals, including Iranian government officials and members of Iran-aligned militias.

Government-linked sources had previously indicated that Zaidi’s government asked Washington for an exemption to resume some flights between Iraq and Iran, particularly those carrying patients, students and religious pilgrims.

Following the US exemption, Iraq’s Transport Ministry announced that Iraqi Airways had secured authorization to operate flights to Iran, paving the way for their resumption in October. Flights will operate from the Iraqi side and through Najaf only, while the ban on Iranian airlines remains in place.

 

 

 

Arab World

Gen-Gvir Threatens to Burn Sinwar’s Body, Blames Netanyahu for Oct. 7 Attack

Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir attend a Sukkot gathering and political rally held outside Kibbutz Nir Am, near the separation fence with the Gaza Strip (AFP) 
Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir attend a Sukkot gathering and political rally held outside Kibbutz Nir Am, near the separation fence with the Gaza Strip (AFP) 
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Gen-Gvir Threatens to Burn Sinwar’s Body, Blames Netanyahu for Oct. 7 Attack

Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir attend a Sukkot gathering and political rally held outside Kibbutz Nir Am, near the separation fence with the Gaza Strip (AFP) 
Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir attend a Sukkot gathering and political rally held outside Kibbutz Nir Am, near the separation fence with the Gaza Strip (AFP) 

Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir on Tuesday blamed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the failure of the October 7, 2023 attack, also accusing former Israeli Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi and former Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar of misleading the PM and failing to provide him with sufficient intelligence regarding Hamas’ intentions.

In an interview with Israel’s public radio, Ben-Gvir reiterated his demand to receive the defense portfolio following Israel’s upcoming election.

“After I get the defense portfolio, I will make sure to burn Sinwar’s body and the bodies of the October 7th terrorists. As Defense Minister, I will lead a significant change in approach,” he said.

Ben-Gvir said of Netanyahu: “I also have criticisms of him, which is why I am in the Jewish Power party and not Likud.”

He said, “Before October, I presented a different vision for Gaza, but it was met with contempt by senior officials. They belittled me as national security minister, while Netanyahu also dismissed me, saying that security professionals believed nothing would happen from Gaza. That was just one week before October 7.”

Ben-Gvir also responded to accusations that Netanyahu had facilitated the transfer of millions of dollars to the Gaza Strip, saying the decision had not been made within the government or the security cabinet.

Had he been in office at the time, he said, he would have “turned the table” and rejected such a decision.

The minister noted that he previously resigned from the government after objecting to some of its decisions. “In the end, it turned out I was right about everything I said. No one believed me, and no one listened to me.”

On September 22, Ben-Gvir said he will seek the post of defense minister in the next government, as the country prepares for next month's elections.

“The reason I am putting myself forward is that the time has come to change the mindset within the army,” Ben Gvir said, at a press conference in Jerusalem.

The minister put forward a “security plan” that includes the “encouragement of voluntary emigration” of Palestinians from both Gaza and the occupied West Bank.

On Tuesday, Ben-Gvir threatened to make sure the body of former Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, who was killed by Israeli forces in October 2024, would be burned.

Sinwar, who headed Hamas in Gaza during the Hamas-led October 7, 2023 attack and later became chairman of the group’s political bureau, was killed by Israeli forces in Rafah in October 2024.