Houthis Rebrand Facilities at Thamar University

Houthi order to change the names of 23 classrooms at Thamar University to the names of so-called Houthi martyrs
Houthi order to change the names of 23 classrooms at Thamar University to the names of so-called Houthi martyrs
TT

Houthis Rebrand Facilities at Thamar University

Houthi order to change the names of 23 classrooms at Thamar University to the names of so-called Houthi martyrs
Houthi order to change the names of 23 classrooms at Thamar University to the names of so-called Houthi martyrs

Houthi militias in Yemen decided to rebrand 23 lecture halls at Thamar University after its leaders who were killed in battle against the Yemeni army forces.

The move is part of the Iran-backed group’s overall scheme to rescind the Arab roots of the Yemeni identity and replace them with a sectarian system largely associated with war and death.

Outside universities, Houthis rebranded entire streets, avenues and mosques in the former capital, Sanaa, Mohammed al-Moqrami, head of the Center for Studies and Humanitarian Information, denounced the action taken by Houthis and said it violates national principles.

Renaming classrooms at Thamar University means that the original branding which takes after historic, national and literary figures has been dropped. This, according to Moqrami, has reshaped modern history and backtracked years of fighting illiteracy and ignorance.

“Selecting the names of militia members for these classrooms, libraries, and other facilities is considered a disgrace to science and the educational process,” Moqrami told Asharq Al-Awsat, pointing out that it took place in universities other than Thamar University.

It is noteworthy that Houthis initially failed in their attempt for exploiting higher education facilities to spread their sectarian ideology, something which pushed the militant group to undertake other measures to advance its agenda.

Yemeni author Mohammed al-Salahi, for his part, said that Houthi attempts to enforce their agenda will most likely fail.

“Houthi militia will not succeed, and their goal will not be achieved, because imposing its control by force of arms reflects the Yemenis' rejection.

This Yemeni refusal will lead to great victory,” Salahi told Asharq Al-Awsat.



Israel Orders Evacuation of Area Designated as Humanitarian Zone in Gaza

 A picture taken in Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip shows smoke billowing during Israeli army operations in areas east of Khan Younis city on July 26, 2024, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas movement. (AFP)
A picture taken in Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip shows smoke billowing during Israeli army operations in areas east of Khan Younis city on July 26, 2024, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas movement. (AFP)
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Israel Orders Evacuation of Area Designated as Humanitarian Zone in Gaza

 A picture taken in Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip shows smoke billowing during Israeli army operations in areas east of Khan Younis city on July 26, 2024, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas movement. (AFP)
A picture taken in Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip shows smoke billowing during Israeli army operations in areas east of Khan Younis city on July 26, 2024, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas movement. (AFP)

Israel’s military ordered the evacuation Saturday of a crowded part of Gaza designated as a humanitarian zone, saying it is planning an operation against Hamas militants in Khan Younis, including parts of Muwasi, a makeshift tent camp where thousands are seeking refuge.

The order comes in response to rocket fire that Israel says originates from the area. It's the second evacuation issued in a week in an area designated for Palestinians fleeing other parts of Gaza. Many Palestinians have been uprooted multiple times in search of safety during Israel's punishing air and ground campaign.

On Monday, after the evacuation order, multiple Israeli airstrikes hit around Khan Younis, killing at least 70 people, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, citing figures from Nasser Hospital.

The area is part of a 60-square-kilometer (roughly 20-square-mile) “humanitarian zone” to which Israel has been telling Palestinians to flee to throughout the war. Much of the area is blanketed with tent camps that lack sanitation and medical facilities and have limited access to aid, United Nations and humanitarian groups say. About 1.8 million Palestinians are sheltering there, according to Israel's estimates. That's more than half Gaza’s pre-war population of 2.3 million.

The war in Gaza has killed more than 39,100 Palestinians, according to the territory’s Health Ministry, which doesn’t distinguish between combatants and civilians in its count. The UN estimated in February that some 17,000 children in the territory are now unaccompanied, and the number is likely to have grown since.

The war began with an assault by Hamas fighters on southern Israel on Oct. 7 that killed 1,200 people, most of them civilians, and took about 250 hostages. About 115 are still in Gaza, about a third of them believed to be dead, according to Israeli authorities.