UK Condemns Houthis’ ‘Barbaric’ Acts

A Yemeni boy loyal to the Houthi rebels. AFP file photo
A Yemeni boy loyal to the Houthi rebels. AFP file photo
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UK Condemns Houthis’ ‘Barbaric’ Acts

A Yemeni boy loyal to the Houthi rebels. AFP file photo
A Yemeni boy loyal to the Houthi rebels. AFP file photo

Britain condemned on Thursday executions carried out by Houthi insurgents against slain ex-president Ali Abdullah Saleh’s followers in Yemen.

In a series of Tweets, Edwin Samuel, Britain's spokesman for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), said the UK condemns Houthis’ “barbarism” and their vengeful acts against members of Saleh’s party.

The Houthis killed Saleh earlier this month after his alliance with the rebels collapsed.

“Britain knows Yemen and the Yemenis well,” Samuel, who uses his fluency in Arabic to engage with Arabic-speaking users, said in one of his Tweets.

“The Yemenis need humanitarian assistance and development,” he said.

“The reopening of ports will allow us to provide food for the Yemenis while preventing Houthis from receiving fuel and ammunition,” Samuel tweeted.



Palestinian Authority Says Internet Down in Gaza After Attack on Fibre Optic Cable

Palestinians charge their mobile phones from a point powered by solar panels provided by Adel Shaheen, an owner of an electric appliances shop, as electricity remains cut during the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip October 19, 2023. REUTERS/Mohammed
Palestinians charge their mobile phones from a point powered by solar panels provided by Adel Shaheen, an owner of an electric appliances shop, as electricity remains cut during the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip October 19, 2023. REUTERS/Mohammed
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Palestinian Authority Says Internet Down in Gaza After Attack on Fibre Optic Cable

Palestinians charge their mobile phones from a point powered by solar panels provided by Adel Shaheen, an owner of an electric appliances shop, as electricity remains cut during the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip October 19, 2023. REUTERS/Mohammed
Palestinians charge their mobile phones from a point powered by solar panels provided by Adel Shaheen, an owner of an electric appliances shop, as electricity remains cut during the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip October 19, 2023. REUTERS/Mohammed

The Palestinian Authority said internet and fixed-line communication services were down in Gaza on Thursday following an attack on the territory's last fibre optic cable it blamed on Israel.

"All internet and fixed-line communication services in the Gaza Strip have been cut following the targeting of the last remaining main fibre optic line in Gaza," the PA's telecommunications ministry said in a statement, accusing Israel of attempting to cut Gaza off from the world, AFP reported.

"The southern and central Gaza Strip have now joined Gaza City and the northern part of the Strip in experiencing complete isolation for the second consecutive day," the ministry said in a statement.

It added that its maintenance and repair teams had been unable to safely access the sites where damage occurred to the fibre optic cable.

"The Israeli occupation continues to prevent technical teams from repairing the cables that were cut yesterday", it said, adding that Israeli authorities had prevented repairs to other telecommunication lines in Gaza "for weeks and months".

The Palestinian Red Crescent said the communication lines were "directly targeted by occupation forces".

It said the internet outage was hindering its emergency services by impeding communication with first responder teams in the field.

"The emergency operations room is also struggling to coordinate with other organisations to respond to humanitarian cases."

Maysa Monayer, spokeswoman for the Palestinian communication ministry, told AFP that "mobile calls are still available with very limited capacity" in Gaza for the time being.

Now in its 21st month, the war in Gaza has caused massive damage to infrastructure across the Palestinian territory, including water mains, power lines and roads.