Iraqi PM Visits Shrines of Imams Musa al-Kadhim, Abu Hanifa

Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi visits the shrines of Imams Musa al-Kadhim and Abu Hanifa in Baghdad. (PM's media office)
Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi visits the shrines of Imams Musa al-Kadhim and Abu Hanifa in Baghdad. (PM's media office)
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Iraqi PM Visits Shrines of Imams Musa al-Kadhim, Abu Hanifa

Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi visits the shrines of Imams Musa al-Kadhim and Abu Hanifa in Baghdad. (PM's media office)
Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi visits the shrines of Imams Musa al-Kadhim and Abu Hanifa in Baghdad. (PM's media office)

Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi paid a visit on Tuesday to the shrines of Imams Musa al-Kadhim and Abu Hanifa in Baghdad.

The visits are part of “soft” diplomatic and local moves Kadhimi is making to gain the trust of citizens in his government, three months after he was appointed to his position.

A previous move was his reception of a number of Yazidis on the sixth anniversary of a massacre committed by ISIS against the community in Sinjar. The latest of the PM’s gestures was his reception on Monday of a teenager who was the victim of abuse by security forces affiliated with the Interior Ministry.

A statement from his office, said that he visited the shrines, “praying to God that He will protect Iraq and its people.”

Kadhimi also visited the headquarters of the Iraqi Fiqh Council, where he met with several scholars and clerics to discuss general affairs. He underscored the important role played by religious figures in pursuing the interests of the people. He also hailed their role in bolstering societal peace and stability in the country.

The council is among the highest Sunni religious authorities in Iraq and is a reference for several of Iraq’s Sunni community.

The premier also met with Hussein Ismail al-Sadr, one of Baghdad’s most prominent Shiite officials and a major member of the Sadr family.

Kadhimi’s visit was widely praised by the public, given its humanitarian and national motives. His visit to the shrines demonstrates his efforts to bolster national unity and bridge divides caused by years of sectarian violence after the 2003 US invasion.



Ambulances Can’t Operate in Northern Gaza Strip, Health Ministry Says

A Palestinian man sits on the rubble of a house destroyed in the Israeli military offensive, amid the Israel-Hamas conflict, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, November 4, 2024. (Reuters)
A Palestinian man sits on the rubble of a house destroyed in the Israeli military offensive, amid the Israel-Hamas conflict, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, November 4, 2024. (Reuters)
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Ambulances Can’t Operate in Northern Gaza Strip, Health Ministry Says

A Palestinian man sits on the rubble of a house destroyed in the Israeli military offensive, amid the Israel-Hamas conflict, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, November 4, 2024. (Reuters)
A Palestinian man sits on the rubble of a house destroyed in the Israeli military offensive, amid the Israel-Hamas conflict, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, November 4, 2024. (Reuters)

The Gaza Health Ministry said ambulances are no longer operating in the north of the enclave, where Israel has been waging a renewed offensive for nearly a month.

Eyad Zaqout, a senior ministry official, told reporters Monday that “a large number of injured people are bleeding on the roads.”

The ministry also said in a statement that Israeli forces continue to bombard Kamal Adwan Hospital with strikes on Monday, injuring some staff and patients.

There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military.

The Civil Defense, first responders operating under the Hamas-run government, said last week that they were no longer able to operate in the north because crews had been fired upon by Israeli forces.

Israel launched its latest offensive in northern Gaza in early October, focusing on Jabalia, a densely populated, decades-old urban refugee camp where it says Hamas had regrouped. It has also carried out strikes in nearby Beit Lahia.

Israel has ordered the entire population in northern Gaza to evacuate, and tens of thousands have fled to Gaza City in recent weeks.

The three hospitals serving the northern areas are barely functioning and have been largely cut off by the fighting. Israeli forces raided one of them, saying fighters were sheltering there, allegations denied by Palestinian officials.

Israel has also sharply reduced the amount of aid allowed into Gaza, even after a warning from the United States that it could jeopardize American military support.