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Unprecedented UN Efforts to Avoid War Between Israel, Hamas in Gaza

Palestinian demonstrators carrying injured protester during clashes near east of Khan Yunis in Gaza Strip. AP
Palestinian demonstrators carrying injured protester during clashes near east of Khan Yunis in Gaza Strip. AP
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Unprecedented UN Efforts to Avoid War Between Israel, Hamas in Gaza

Palestinian demonstrators carrying injured protester during clashes near east of Khan Yunis in Gaza Strip. AP
Palestinian demonstrators carrying injured protester during clashes near east of Khan Yunis in Gaza Strip. AP

Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process is making unprecedented efforts with the Egyptian government and a number of other regional and international partners to prevent renewed hostilities in Gaza, UN Undersecretary-General for Political Affairs Rosemary DiCarlo said.

DiCarlo was addressing the Security Council in the monthly session on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian territories.

The session was held “in the wake of yet another series of violent escalations that threatened to plunge Gaza into war.”

She said the recurring violence “highlights the urgency” of UN and Egyptian-led efforts by Nickolay Mladenov along with regional and international partners, “to prevent another devastating outbreak of hostilities, respond to the most urgent humanitarian needs, and support intra-Palestinian reconciliation.”

She welcomed Egypt's continued efforts to facilitate Palestinian reconciliation, which is "essential for improving the situation in Gaza and also for achieving Palestinian national aspirations."

She added that the humanitarian situation in Gaza had also further deteriorated, partly due to Israel’s closing of the Kerem Shalom crossing into Gaza in July in response to Palestinians launching incendiary kites into its territory. Though it became operational again this month, another crossing for pedestrians has been shuttered except for humanitarian cases.

DiCarlo called on all parties to ensure that urgently needed humanitarian supplies reach the strip.

“They should not be held hostage to political and security developments,” she said.

“I also reiterate previous calls by the Special Coordinator (Mladenov) to Hamas to provide full information on the Israeli nationals who are being held in Gaza, as required by international humanitarian law.”

DiCarlo reported that the UN is increasing its capacity to better support projects in the areas of energy, water, health and job creation, which have been agreed upon by the Palestinian Authority and the international community.

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Arab World

Sudan War Intensifies Across Kordofan’s Three States

War between the army and Rapid Support Forces has destroyed much of Sudan’s infrastructure. (AFP)
War between the army and Rapid Support Forces has destroyed much of Sudan’s infrastructure. (AFP)
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Sudan War Intensifies Across Kordofan’s Three States

War between the army and Rapid Support Forces has destroyed much of Sudan’s infrastructure. (AFP)
War between the army and Rapid Support Forces has destroyed much of Sudan’s infrastructure. (AFP)

Fighting between Sudan’s army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has flared in the central Kordofan region, home to some of the country’s largest oil fields, including Heglig, Abu Jabra, and Balila.

The city of El-Obeid, the region’s largest urban center and capital of North Kordofan, was hit by drone strikes early Monday, triggering panic among residents. Multiple sites were targeted in the attack, which comes amid escalating clashes and troop build-ups across the region’s three states.

Local sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that drones struck the eastern neighborhood of Al-Radeef, wounding several civilians. One source said a drone was spotted flying over the Sudanese army’s 5th Infantry Division.

The battlefront shifted westward to Kordofan following the army’s full takeover of the capital Khartoum, where the conflict had raged since breaking out more than two years ago. Now, the three Kordofan states, North, South and West, are the focus of renewed violence as both parties vie for control.

The RSF has stepped up its offensive in Sudan’s North Kordofan, targeting the strategic city of El-Obeid with drone strikes as part of a broader push following the withdrawal of army troops and allied forces from nearby towns, including Al-Khuwei, Al-Debeibat and Al-Hammadi.

The RSF’s maneuvers have allowed it to surround El-Obeid from three directions, exposing significant vulnerabilities in the army’s air defense systems. The latest attack underscores the RSF’s increasing reliance on combat drones, which have been deployed in several battles across the Kordofan region in recent weeks.

Military sources said the nearest RSF-controlled area is the town of Bara, less than 50 kilometers northeast of El-Obeid. The paramilitary group is also reported to have a strong presence in Al-Khuwei, Al-Hammadi, and Kazgeil, all located near the embattled city.

In West Kordofan, fierce clashes continue in the town of Babanusa, where the Sudanese army’s 22nd Infantry Division is headquartered. The division has lost control of three key garrisons in Al-Nuhud, Al-Fula, and the oil-rich area of Heglig amid the RSF’s westward advances.

The RSF said on Monday it now controls the entire town of Babanusa in West Kordofan and is encircling the 22nd Infantry Division from multiple directions, claiming the fall of the strategic town is “only a matter of time.”

Babanusa lies along the key Western Salvation Road, a vital artery linking the capital Khartoum to the Kordofan and Darfur regions. Control of the route has become a major objective for both sides: the army views it as a pathway for advancing into Darfur, while the RSF sees it as a forward defensive line and potential springboard for a renewed push on Khartoum.

West Kordofan, which borders South Sudan and contains most of Sudan’s oil fields, has emerged as one of the fiercest battlegrounds in the war. The state includes around 15 localities and has seen intensifying combat as both sides vie for control of critical infrastructure and territory.

Meanwhile, the army is attempting to drive the RSF out of northern and southern pockets of the state to lift the siege on South Kordofan.

In South Kordofan, clashes have intensified between the army, the RSF, and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) led by Abdelaziz al-Hilu. The army briefly regained control of the towns of Al-Debeibat and Al-Hammadi in an effort to relieve pressure on Dilling and Kadugli, but the RSF later retook the areas, prolonging the deadlock in the region.

Sudanese army forces are fending off ongoing attempts by the RSF to storm El-Fasher, the largest city in the Darfur region, a senior military official said.

Major General Mohamed Ahmed Al-Khader, commander of the army’s 6th Infantry Division, said the military has been repelling RSF assaults on the city for over a year.

Witnesses told Asharq Al-Awsat that army units have launched targeted operations around El-Fasher to push back RSF fighters from the city’s outskirts.