UN Proposal on Lifting Taiz Siege Awaits Houthi Response

A general view of the Al-Qahira citadel overlooking parts of Taiz, Yemen May 24, 2022. Picture taken May 24, 2022. (Reuters)
A general view of the Al-Qahira citadel overlooking parts of Taiz, Yemen May 24, 2022. Picture taken May 24, 2022. (Reuters)
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UN Proposal on Lifting Taiz Siege Awaits Houthi Response

A general view of the Al-Qahira citadel overlooking parts of Taiz, Yemen May 24, 2022. Picture taken May 24, 2022. (Reuters)
A general view of the Al-Qahira citadel overlooking parts of Taiz, Yemen May 24, 2022. Picture taken May 24, 2022. (Reuters)

The United Nations submitted a proposal to the legitimate Yemeni government and Iran-backed Houthi militias on lifting the militias' siege on the Taiz province.

Delegations from the government and Houthis have been holding a second round of negotiations on ending the siege in the Jordanian capital, Amman.

The government appealed on Tuesday to the international community, European Union ambassadors and United States' envoy to Yemen to exert more pressure on the Houthis to reopen the main routes leading to Taiz.

The Houthis have been resisting this demand, suggesting instead the opening of dirt roads, in what was seen as an attempt to thwart UN efforts to end the siege.

The UN proposal calls for opening five roads, including the main route, leading to the province.

The government delegation stated that after two weeks of talks, the Houthis continue to insist on opening dirt roads that do not help in easing the siege or the suffering of the people.

The government has been committed to the UN proposal on opening the main roads, it added, accusing the Houthis of acting unilaterally "to impose a fait accompli that no one has agreed to" and forcing the negotiations to come to a halt.

It hailed UN envoy Hans Grundberg and his team's efforts in the negotiations, hoping they would exert greater pressure on the militias and prevent them from stalling and undermining the nationwide truce.

Ending the siege on Taiz is among the main points of the UN truce, which was extended for another two months last week.

Grundberg issued a statement on Monday to sum up the Amman negotiations, saying he had submitted a "revised proposal on the phased reopening of roads, including an implementation mechanism and guarantees for the safety of civilian travelers, based on the discussions with both sides."

"The updated proposal calls for the reopening of roads, including a main route, leading into and out of Taiz city, as well as roads in other governorates that aims to alleviate civilian suffering and enhance the delivery of goods."

"The proposal takes into consideration suggestions from both parties, as well as feedback from Yemeni civil society. It also takes into account concerns expressed by the parties," read the statement.

"This is a first step in our collective efforts to lift restrictions on the freedom of movement of Yemeni women, men and children within the country."

"The parties have a moral and political responsibility to engage seriously and urgently with the UN proposal, prioritizing the interests of civilians and delivering immediate and tangible results to the people of Taiz and Yemen at large," Grundberg said.

"While I continue my efforts and engagement with the parties on this file, I hope the proposed initiative will sustain the momentum needed to move towards discussions on more durable arrangements within the multi-track process."



Israel Permits 10,000 West Bank Palestinians for Friday Prayers at Al Aqsa

Palestinians attend Friday prayers in a mosque following an attack that local Palestinians said was carried out by Israeli settlers, in the village of Deir Istiya near Salfit in the Israeli-occupied West Bank November 14, 2025. REUTERS/Sinan Abu Mayzer
Palestinians attend Friday prayers in a mosque following an attack that local Palestinians said was carried out by Israeli settlers, in the village of Deir Istiya near Salfit in the Israeli-occupied West Bank November 14, 2025. REUTERS/Sinan Abu Mayzer
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Israel Permits 10,000 West Bank Palestinians for Friday Prayers at Al Aqsa

Palestinians attend Friday prayers in a mosque following an attack that local Palestinians said was carried out by Israeli settlers, in the village of Deir Istiya near Salfit in the Israeli-occupied West Bank November 14, 2025. REUTERS/Sinan Abu Mayzer
Palestinians attend Friday prayers in a mosque following an attack that local Palestinians said was carried out by Israeli settlers, in the village of Deir Istiya near Salfit in the Israeli-occupied West Bank November 14, 2025. REUTERS/Sinan Abu Mayzer

Israel announced that it will cap the number of Palestinian worshippers from the occupied West Bank attending weekly Friday prayers at the Al-Aqsa Mosque in east Jerusalem at 10,000 during the holy month of Ramadan, which began Wednesday.

Israeli authorities also imposed age restrictions on West Bank Palestinians, permitting entry only to men aged 55 and older, women aged 50 and older, and children up to age 12.

"Ten thousand Palestinian worshippers will be permitted to enter the Temple Mount for Friday prayers throughout the month of Ramadan, subject to obtaining a dedicated daily permit in advance," COGAT, the Israeli defense ministry agency in charge of civilian matters in the Palestinian territories, said in a statement, AFP reported.

"Entry for men will be permitted from age 55, for women from age 50, and for children up to age 12 when accompanied by a first-degree relative."

COGAT told AFP that the restrictions apply only to Palestinians travelling from the West Bank, which Israel has occupied since the 1967 Arab-Israeli war.

"It is emphasised that all permits are conditional upon prior security approval by the relevant security authorities," COGAT said.

"In addition, residents travelling to prayers at the Temple Mount will be required to undergo digital documentation at the crossings upon their return to the areas of Judea and Samaria at the conclusion of the prayer day," it said, using the Biblical term for the West Bank.

During Ramadan, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians traditionally attend prayers at Al-Aqsa, Islam's third holiest site, located in east Jerusalem, which Israel captured in 1967 and later annexed in a move that is not internationally recognized.

Since the war in Gaza broke out in October 2023, the attendance of worshippers has declined due to security concerns and Israeli restrictions.

The Palestinian Jerusalem Governorate said this week that Israeli authorities had prevented the Islamic Waqf -- the Jordanian-run body that administers the site -- from carrying out routine preparations ahead of Ramadan, including installing shade structures and setting up temporary medical clinics.

A senior imam of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, Sheikh Muhammad al-Abbasi, told AFP that he, too, had been barred from entering the compound.

"I have been barred from the mosque for a week, and the order can be renewed," he said.

Abbasi said he was not informed of the reason for the ban, which came into effect on Monday.

Under longstanding arrangements, Jews may visit the Al-Aqsa compound -- which they revere as the site of the first and second Jewish temples -- but they are not permitted to pray there.

Israel says it is committed to upholding this status quo, though Palestinians fear it is being eroded.

In recent years, a growing number of Jewish ultranationalists have challenged the prayer ban, including far-right politician Itamar Ben Gvir, who prayed at the site while serving as national security minister in 2024 and 2025.


EU Exploring Support for New Gaza Administration Committee, Document Says

Palestinians push a cart past the rubble of residential buildings destroyed during the two-year Israeli offensives, in Gaza City, February 17, 2026. REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa
Palestinians push a cart past the rubble of residential buildings destroyed during the two-year Israeli offensives, in Gaza City, February 17, 2026. REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa
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EU Exploring Support for New Gaza Administration Committee, Document Says

Palestinians push a cart past the rubble of residential buildings destroyed during the two-year Israeli offensives, in Gaza City, February 17, 2026. REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa
Palestinians push a cart past the rubble of residential buildings destroyed during the two-year Israeli offensives, in Gaza City, February 17, 2026. REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa

The European Union is exploring possible support for a new committee established to take over the civil administration of Gaza, according to a document produced by the bloc's diplomatic arm and seen by Reuters.

"The EU is engaging with the newly established transitional governance structures for Gaza," the European External Action Service wrote in a document circulated to member states on Tuesday.

"The EU is also exploring possible support to the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza," it added.

European foreign ministers will discuss the situation in Gaza during a meeting in Brussels on February 23.


Israel Military Says Soldier Killed in Gaza 

A drone view shows the destruction in a residential neighborhood, after the withdrawal of the Israeli forces from the area, amid a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, in Gaza City, October 21, 2025. (Reuters)
A drone view shows the destruction in a residential neighborhood, after the withdrawal of the Israeli forces from the area, amid a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, in Gaza City, October 21, 2025. (Reuters)
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Israel Military Says Soldier Killed in Gaza 

A drone view shows the destruction in a residential neighborhood, after the withdrawal of the Israeli forces from the area, amid a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, in Gaza City, October 21, 2025. (Reuters)
A drone view shows the destruction in a residential neighborhood, after the withdrawal of the Israeli forces from the area, amid a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, in Gaza City, October 21, 2025. (Reuters)

The Israeli military announced that one of its soldiers had been killed in combat in southern Gaza on Wednesday, but a security source said the death appeared to have been caused by "friendly fire".

"Staff Sergeant Ofri Yafe, aged 21, from HaYogev, a soldier in the Paratroopers Reconnaissance Unit, fell during combat in the southern Gaza Strip," the military said in a statement.

A security source, however, told AFP that the soldier appeared to have been "killed by friendly fire", without providing further details.

"The incident is still under investigation," the source added.

The death brings to five the number of Israeli soldiers killed in Gaza since a ceasefire took effect on October 10.