Qatar PM: We Will Continue to Pressure Israel and Hamas for a Truce

Qatari PM Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani. (AFP)
Qatari PM Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani. (AFP)
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Qatar PM: We Will Continue to Pressure Israel and Hamas for a Truce

Qatari PM Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani. (AFP)
Qatari PM Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani. (AFP)

Qatar's prime minister said on Sunday Doha will continue to pressure Israel and Hamas for a truce despite "narrowing" chances.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani added that hostages were released from Gaza because of negotiations and not because of Israeli military actions, Reuters reported.
He was speaking at the Doha Forum conference in Qatar. 
He added that an entire generation in the Middle East is at risk of becoming radicalized because of the Gaza war.
Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh told the gathering that the United States should also be held responsible for Israeli attacks on Gaza and the loss of Palestinian lives.
For his part, Jordan's foreign minister Ayman Safadi said that Israel was implementing a systematic policy of pushing Palestinians out of Gaza by a war that has killed thousands of civilians.
Safadi, whose country borders the West Bank and had absorbed the bulk of Palestinians after Israel's creation in 1948, also said Israel had created an "amount of hatred " that would "haunt the region" and "define generations to come", reported Reuters.



Saudi National Center for Meteorology Warns of Heavy Rain in Makkah

Worshippers are seen at the Grand Mosque in Makkah amid rainfall. (SPA)
Worshippers are seen at the Grand Mosque in Makkah amid rainfall. (SPA)
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Saudi National Center for Meteorology Warns of Heavy Rain in Makkah

Worshippers are seen at the Grand Mosque in Makkah amid rainfall. (SPA)
Worshippers are seen at the Grand Mosque in Makkah amid rainfall. (SPA)

Saudi Arabia’s National Center for Meteorology warned on Friday of heavy rains in Makkah and Al-Jumum Governorate including the centers of Rahat and Madrakah.

The rain will be accompanied by strong winds, lack of horizontal visibility, hail, torrents, and thunderstorms.

It said the weather conditions will continue until Friday night.

Meanwhile, the General Authority for the Care of the Grand Mosque and the Prophet's Mosque, in cooperation with other government agencies working in the Grand Mosque, intensified cleaning and drying of the Mataf area (circumambulation track) after the rainfall witnessed in Makkah on Thursday to ensure the safety and security of worshippers and Umrah performers.

The authority mobilized more than 200 supervisors and observers, 4,000 workers, and more than 500 pieces of equipment to deal with the rain.

To ensure the thoroughness of the cleaning process, water suction and washing equipment were strategically distributed both inside and outside the Grand Mosque.