Algerian Defense Ministry Denies Fleeing of General to Switzerland

A view of an empty street, following the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Algiers, Algeria March 25, 2020. REUTERS/Ramzi Boudina/File Photo
A view of an empty street, following the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Algiers, Algeria March 25, 2020. REUTERS/Ramzi Boudina/File Photo
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Algerian Defense Ministry Denies Fleeing of General to Switzerland

A view of an empty street, following the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Algiers, Algeria March 25, 2020. REUTERS/Ramzi Boudina/File Photo
A view of an empty street, following the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Algiers, Algeria March 25, 2020. REUTERS/Ramzi Boudina/File Photo

The Algerian Ministry of National Defence denounced on Wednesday ‘allegations’ by some opposition parties abroad that a senior officer from the army asked for political asylum in Switzerland.

Some individuals ran off abroad who indulge in disinformation and defamation, disseminated false information conceived in their imagination claiming that the Major General Meftah Souab, previous Commander of the 2nd Military Region was on the run in one of the European countries and that he was prosecuted in Algeria.

The Ministry of National Defense issued a statement on its website saying: "The Ministry categorically denies these allegations spread by these pseudo-journalists, who are, themselves prosecuted by Algerian justice and are on the run abroad.

"The Ministry of National Defense would like to point out that the Major General Meftah Souab has received support from the health and social services of the Ministry of National Defense, for medical care at one of the hospitals in a European country since February 2020, and that he never left this hospital for treatment in another country until his return to Algeria, August 4, 2020, after his doctors advised him to continue his medical treatment at the Central Hospital of the Army."

The Ministry strongly condemned such practices and said take appropriate legal measures to prosecute these individuals.

In another development, son of former late Algerian President Mohamed Boudiaf demanded ‘serious investigation’ into the assassination of his father – more than 28 years ago.

Boudiaf's son addressed Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune in a letter on Wednesday and demanded a thorough investigation to reach the truth. He added that the death of his father wasn’t a mystery, but a premeditated crime,

On June 29 of 1992, Boudiaf was shot dead as he delivered a speech in Annaba (600 kilometers away from the capital).



Israel Says No Humanitarian Aid will Enter Gaza

A wounded Palestinian girl stands amid the debris of her family home after overnight Israeli strikes - AFP
A wounded Palestinian girl stands amid the debris of her family home after overnight Israeli strikes - AFP
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Israel Says No Humanitarian Aid will Enter Gaza

A wounded Palestinian girl stands amid the debris of her family home after overnight Israeli strikes - AFP
A wounded Palestinian girl stands amid the debris of her family home after overnight Israeli strikes - AFP

Israel said Wednesday it would keep blocking humanitarian aid from entering Gaza, where a relentless military offensive has turned the Palestinian territory into a "mass grave", a medical charity reported.

Air and ground attacks resumed across the Gaza Strip from March 18, ending a two-month ceasefire with Hamas that had largely halted hostilities in the territory.

However, Israel has halted the entry of aid into Gaza since March 2, as the humanitarian crisis continues to grow amid ongoing military assaults which rescuers said killed at least 11 people Wednesday.

Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Wednesday Israel would continue preventing aid from entering the besieged territory of 2.4 million people.

"Israel's policy is clear: no humanitarian aid will enter Gaza, and blocking this aid is one of the main pressure levers preventing Hamas from using it as a tool with the population," Katz said in a statement, AFP reported.

"No one is currently planning to allow any humanitarian aid into Gaza, and there are no preparations to enable such aid."

Top Israeli officials including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have repeatedly cited military pressure as the only way to secure the release of the remaining 58 hostages held in Gaza.

Medical aid agency Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said Israeli military operations and the blockage of aid had transformed Gaza into a graveyard for Palestinians and those who help them.

"Gaza has been turned into a mass grave of Palestinians and those coming to their assistance," said MSF coordinator Amande Bazerolle.

"With nowhere safe for Palestinians or those trying to help them, the humanitarian response is severely struggling under the weight of insecurity and critical supply shortages, leaving people with few, if any, options for accessing care," she said.

- 'Worst' humanitarian crisis -

The United Nations had warned on Monday that Gaza is facing its most severe humanitarian crisis since the war began in October 2023.

"The humanitarian situation is now likely the worst it has been in the 18 months since the outbreak of hostilities," said the UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

In a statement, OCHA said no supplies had reached the territory for a month and a half, and medical supplies, fuel, water and other essentials are in short supply.

Israel tightly controls the entry of vital international aid for Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

Hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced since the Israeli offensive resumed.

On April 28, the International Court of Justice is set to open hearings on Israel's humanitarian obligations towards Palestinians.

The UN General Assembly approved a resolution in December requesting that The Hague-based top court give an advisory opinion on the matter.

It calls on the ICJ to clarify what Israel is required to do to "ensure and facilitate the unhindered provision of urgently needed supplies essential to the survival of the Palestinian civilian population".

Although ICJ decisions are legally binding, the court has no concrete way of enforcing them. They increase the diplomatic pressure, however.

Israel continued to pound Gaza on Wednesday.