Syria: Int’l Coalition, Deir Ezzor Civil Council Discuss Region’s Security

An injured boy rests on the ground of a makeshift camp in Syria's Aqrabat village, 45km north of Idlib City, near the Turkish border. File photo
An injured boy rests on the ground of a makeshift camp in Syria's Aqrabat village, 45km north of Idlib City, near the Turkish border. File photo
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Syria: Int’l Coalition, Deir Ezzor Civil Council Discuss Region’s Security

An injured boy rests on the ground of a makeshift camp in Syria's Aqrabat village, 45km north of Idlib City, near the Turkish border. File photo
An injured boy rests on the ground of a makeshift camp in Syria's Aqrabat village, 45km north of Idlib City, near the Turkish border. File photo

A delegation from the US-led international coalition convened on Tuesday with the leadership of the Deir Ezzor Civil Council at Al-Omar oil field to discuss means of supporting stability and improving services in towns in the Syrian city’s eastern countryside.

Ghassan al-Youssef, the co-chair of Deir Ezzor Civil Council, told the press that the meeting discussed ways to develop services in the eastern countryside as part of attempts to reach full stability in the region.

Youssef said the Council is working on restoring security and improving infrastructure, in addition to boosting the economy and alleviating the people’s suffering.

The meeting came as the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (NES) and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) announced a mechanism for civil complaints as part of pledges made to the UN.

NES and SDF revealed the joint mechanism in an attempt to halt the recruitment of minors in armed conflicts.

Abdul Hamid al-Mahbash, the co-chair of the Executive Body of NES, told Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper that this mechanism allows citizens, households, parents and active humanitarian parties to submit a complaint and to disclose any recruitment of child soldiers.

Mahbash affirmed that NES is fully committed to international legal standards and codes on children's rights and protection, especially those who are impacted by the armed conflict in Syria.

Earlier, SDF Commander-in-Chief Mazloum Abdi signed with Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict Virginia Gamba an agreement on child protection aimed at ending and preventing the recruitment of children under the age of 18.



Egypt Says Israel-EU Agreement Has Not Increased Aid to Gaza

Egyptian Foreign Affairs Minister Badr Abdelatty arrives for a meeting of Palestinian and Israeli foreign ministers on the sidelines of the EU-Southern Neighborhood Ministerial Meeting at the EU Council in Brussels, Belgium, 14 July 2025. (EPA)
Egyptian Foreign Affairs Minister Badr Abdelatty arrives for a meeting of Palestinian and Israeli foreign ministers on the sidelines of the EU-Southern Neighborhood Ministerial Meeting at the EU Council in Brussels, Belgium, 14 July 2025. (EPA)
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Egypt Says Israel-EU Agreement Has Not Increased Aid to Gaza

Egyptian Foreign Affairs Minister Badr Abdelatty arrives for a meeting of Palestinian and Israeli foreign ministers on the sidelines of the EU-Southern Neighborhood Ministerial Meeting at the EU Council in Brussels, Belgium, 14 July 2025. (EPA)
Egyptian Foreign Affairs Minister Badr Abdelatty arrives for a meeting of Palestinian and Israeli foreign ministers on the sidelines of the EU-Southern Neighborhood Ministerial Meeting at the EU Council in Brussels, Belgium, 14 July 2025. (EPA)

Egypt's foreign minister said on Monday that the flow of aid into Gaza has not increased despite an agreement last week between Israel and the European Union that should have had that result.

"Nothing has changed (on the ground)," Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty told reporters ahead of the EU-Middle East meeting in Brussels on Monday.

The EU's top diplomat said on Thursday that the bloc and Israel agreed to improve Gaza's humanitarian situation, including increasing the number of aid trucks and opening crossing points and aid routes.

Asked what steps Israel has taken, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar referred to an understanding with the EU but did not provide details on implementation.

Asked if there were improvements after the agreement, Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi told reporters that the situation in Gaza remains "catastrophic".

"There is a real catastrophe happening in Gaza resulting from the continuation of the Israeli siege," he said.

Safadi said Israel allowed the entry of 40 to 50 trucks days ago from Jordan but that was "far from being sufficient" for the besieged enclave.

EU's foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said ahead of Monday's meeting that there have been some signs of progress on Gaza aid but not enough improvement on the ground.

Israel's continued military operations and blockade have left the entire population of 2.3 million people in Gaza facing acute food insecurity, with nearly half a million at risk of famine by the end of September, a joint United Nations report said last month.