Annexation is Declaration of War, Says Hamas’ Qassam Brigades

A Palestinian fighter from the Izz el-Deen al-Qassam Brigades gestures inside an underground tunnel in Gaza in this August 18, 2014. (Reuters)
A Palestinian fighter from the Izz el-Deen al-Qassam Brigades gestures inside an underground tunnel in Gaza in this August 18, 2014. (Reuters)
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Annexation is Declaration of War, Says Hamas’ Qassam Brigades

A Palestinian fighter from the Izz el-Deen al-Qassam Brigades gestures inside an underground tunnel in Gaza in this August 18, 2014. (Reuters)
A Palestinian fighter from the Izz el-Deen al-Qassam Brigades gestures inside an underground tunnel in Gaza in this August 18, 2014. (Reuters)

Hamas’ armed wing said on Thursday that Israel’s decision to annex parts of the occupied West Bank “a declaration of war against Palestinian people.”

“We will make the enemy bite its fingers in regret for such a sinful decision,” said Abu Ubaida, spokesman of the Izz el-Deen al-Qassam Brigades.

In a televised speech, Ubaida stressed that “Qassam will not speak much and will say what is clear for the occupation to understand.”

He affirmed the resistance movement’s commitment and pledge to hold a prisoner exchange deal with Israel, noting it was a priority for his group.

He also pointed out that no deal will be made without the release of senior prisoners and prisoners with Israeli blood on their hands.

“The resistance will be the loyal and dutiful guard of the people throughout this war, acting in defense of our people, our land and our holy sites.”

The Qassam’s threats came two days after Hamas’ call for a massive “popular revolution” throughout Palestinian territories and the Arab and Muslim worlds to thwart Israel’s unilateral annexation plan.

Tel Aviv fears the situation could escalate in the Gaza Strip and possibly in the West Bank, and worries that Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas is trying to drag Hamas to clash with Israel.

Sources said that the cessation of security and civil coordination may affect the payment of salaries and the flow of goods to and from Gaza, stoking tensions in the already-tense coastal enclave.

Israeli security forces are concerned that an escalation in the Strip could coincide with an intifada in the West Bank.



Sudan’s Ruling Council Reshuffles Cabinet amid Brutal Conflict

A damaged building in Omdurman, Sudan, 01 November 2024 (issued 04 November 2024). (EPA)
A damaged building in Omdurman, Sudan, 01 November 2024 (issued 04 November 2024). (EPA)
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Sudan’s Ruling Council Reshuffles Cabinet amid Brutal Conflict

A damaged building in Omdurman, Sudan, 01 November 2024 (issued 04 November 2024). (EPA)
A damaged building in Omdurman, Sudan, 01 November 2024 (issued 04 November 2024). (EPA)

Sudan's army leader Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, at war with paramilitaries, has announced a cabinet reshuffle that replaces four ministers including those for foreign affairs and the media.

The late Sunday announcement comes with the northeast African country gripped by the world's worst displacement crisis, threatened by famine and desperate for aid, according to the UN.

In a post on its official Facebook page, Sudan's ruling sovereignty council said Burhan had approved replacement of the ministers of foreign affairs, the media, religious affairs and trade.

The civil war that began in April 2023 pits Burhan's military against the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitaries under the command of his former deputy Mohamed Hamdan Daglo.

Since then, the army-aligned Sudanese government has been operating from the eastern city of Port Sudan, which has largely remained shielded from the violence.

But the Sudanese state "is completely absent from the scene" in all sectors, economist Haitham Fathy told AFP earlier this year.

The council did not disclose reasons behind the reshuffle but it coincides with rising violence in al-Gezira, south of the capital Khartoum, and North Darfur in Sudan's far west bordering Chad.

On Friday the spokesman for United Nations chief Antonio Guterres said he condemned attacks by the RSF on Gezira, after the United States made a similar call over the violence against civilians.

Among the key government changes, Ambassador Ali Youssef al-Sharif, a retired diplomat who previously served as Sudan's ambassador to China and South Africa, was appointed foreign minister.

He replaces Hussein Awad Ali who had held the role for seven months.

Journalist and TV presenter Khalid Ali Aleisir, based in London, was named minister of culture and media.

The reshuffle also saw Omar Banfir assigned to the trade ministry and Omar Bakhit appointed to the ministry of religious affairs.

Over the past two weeks, the RSF increased attacks on civilians in Gezira following the army's announcement that an RSF commander had defected.

According to an AFP tally based on medical and activist sources, at least 200 people were killed in Gezira last month alone. The UN reports that the violence has forced around 120,000 people from their homes.

In total, Sudan hosts more than 11 million displaced people, while another 3.1 million are now sheltering beyond its borders, according to the International Organization for Migration.