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GCC Secretary-General Urges Immediate Gaza Ceasefire

GCC Secretary-General Jasem al-Budaiwi - Reuters
GCC Secretary-General Jasem al-Budaiwi - Reuters
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GCC Secretary-General Urges Immediate Gaza Ceasefire

GCC Secretary-General Jasem al-Budaiwi - Reuters
GCC Secretary-General Jasem al-Budaiwi - Reuters

Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Jasem Mohammed Albudaiwi emphasized the imperative to escalate humanitarian efforts and provide increased support to the Palestinian people.

This affirmation was made during a meeting in Doha between the GCC Secretary-General and Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs, Daniel Benaim, held on the sidelines of his participation in the 21st edition of the Doha Forum.

The GCC Secretary-General also reiterated the unwavering commitment of GCC countries to exert every possible effort to alleviate the suffering in Gaza. He emphasized the urgent necessity for a ceasefire to facilitate the entry and improvement of relief and humanitarian assistance, SPA reported.

He also underscored the significance of adhering to international humanitarian standards and holding those accountable for the heinous Israeli crimes during this crisis. Moreover, he emphasized the negative repercussions these crimes have caused on all aspects in the Gaza Strip and the wider region.

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Etidal, Telegram Remove Over 2 Million Extremist Posts During Hajj

Etidal and Telegram have been collaborating since 2022 to prevent and combat terrorism and violent extremism (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Etidal and Telegram have been collaborating since 2022 to prevent and combat terrorism and violent extremism (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Etidal, Telegram Remove Over 2 Million Extremist Posts During Hajj

Etidal and Telegram have been collaborating since 2022 to prevent and combat terrorism and violent extremism (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Etidal and Telegram have been collaborating since 2022 to prevent and combat terrorism and violent extremism (Asharq Al-Awsat)

During this year’s Hajj season, the Global Center for Combating Extremist Ideology (Etidal) and Telegram removed over 2 million pieces of extremist content.

Etidal and Telegram also noted a 12.82% increase in propaganda activity from ISIS, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, and al-Qaeda in the second quarter of 2024 compared to the previous quarter, a trend that typically spikes during Hajj.

Etidal has been collaborating with Telegram on preventing and countering terrorism and violent extremism by reviewing online content posted in Arabic.

Both organizations have agreed to expand their coordination to detect and remove Arabic material glorifying terrorism.

On June 17, the start of Hajj, extremist propaganda was at its peak. The partnership between Etidal and Telegram led to the removal of more than 18 million pieces of extremist content and the closure of 660 terrorist-linked channels in the second quarter of 2024.

The joint efforts targeted three groups: ISIS, with 14.8 million pieces of content removed and 305 channels shut down; Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), with 3.5 million pieces removed and 281 channels closed; and al-Qaeda, with 231,354 pieces removed and 74 channels shut down.

Among items referred were media files — PDFs, videos, and audio — uploaded by the groups on Telegram and public Telegram channels hosting the material.

The cooperation agreement between Etidal and Telegram aims to protect the platform’s users from extremist content, ideological influences, and attempts to exploit the platform in trading the content.

Since February 2022, the partnership between Etidal and Telegram has removed nearly 94 million pieces of extremist content and closed over 14,000 channels.

Etidal, launched in May 2017 by Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz and other world leaders in Riyadh, focuses on monitoring and blocking extremist content.