Iraq Crisis Heads Towards Unknown after Sadr Protesters Briefly Paralyze Judiciary

Supporters of Iraqi Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, head of the Sadrist movement carry his picture in front of the Supreme Judicial Council, Baghdad, Iraq, 23 August 2022. (EPA)
Supporters of Iraqi Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, head of the Sadrist movement carry his picture in front of the Supreme Judicial Council, Baghdad, Iraq, 23 August 2022. (EPA)
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Iraq Crisis Heads Towards Unknown after Sadr Protesters Briefly Paralyze Judiciary

Supporters of Iraqi Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, head of the Sadrist movement carry his picture in front of the Supreme Judicial Council, Baghdad, Iraq, 23 August 2022. (EPA)
Supporters of Iraqi Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, head of the Sadrist movement carry his picture in front of the Supreme Judicial Council, Baghdad, Iraq, 23 August 2022. (EPA)

Supporters of Iraqi cleric Moqtada al-Sadr staged a sit-in on Tuesday in front of the headquarters of the Supreme Judicial Council in Baghdad, in the latest chapter in the political crisis that has crippled the country for months.

The protesters are demanding the dissolution of parliament, holding corrupt figures to account and amendments to the constitution related to how the majority bloc at parliament can form a new government.

Tuesday’s move will likely pave the way for more paralysis in Iraq and the dismantling of the political system in place after the 2003 US invasion.

Later on Tuesday, Sadr ordered his supporters to withdraw from in front of the Supreme Judicial Council “to preserve the reputation of the beloved revolutionaries and to avoid harming the people,” tweeted the cleric.

The protesters withdrew from the area but kept their tents at Sadr’s orders.

He suggested that they maintain their sit-in at parliament “if they desired as this is a decision that is up to the people.”

Prior to the protesters’ withdrawal, the judiciary had issued three arrest warrants against Sadrist officials and officers who were lax in protecting the judicial council headquarters, allowing the demonstrators to reach it.

One warrant was issued against leading Sadrist, former MP Sheikh Sabah al-Saadi on charges of threatening the judiciary.

On Monday, he had tweeted that the judiciary was not at an equal distance from all, suggesting that it favored the corrupt and was unjust towards the people.

In wake of his warrant, he again tweeted against the judiciary, accusing of it of double standards whereby it was quick to condemn his statements, while it had never taken action against other critics, such as Hadi al-Ameri, “who had threatened the judiciary in broad daylight.”

He also criticized the judiciary for its inaction against former Prime Minister and longtime Sadr rival, Nouri al-Maliki, “whose recent damning voice recordings had threatened civil peace.”

“I do not fear prison or arrest. We have not and will not remain silent over corruption and oppression,” vowed Saadi.

The judiciary will resume its activities on Wednesday after the Sadrists withdrew from the area, the state news agency INA reported.

“In light of the withdrawal of the demonstrators and the lifting of the siege on the headquarters of the Supreme Judicial Council and the Federal Supreme Court, it was decided to resume work normally in all courts as of tomorrow morning,” the council said.

Sadr has helped inflame tensions in Iraq in recent weeks by commanding thousands of followers to storm and occupy parliament, preventing the formation of a government nearly 10 months after elections.

The judiciary condemned the gathering of protesters outside its headquarters as “unconstitutional behavior”, adding that protesters had sent threats by phone.

Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi, who cut short a trip to Egypt to deal with the crisis, urged all sides to calm down and renewed calls for a national dialogue.

In a statement, Kadhimi said disrupting the judiciary “exposes the country to serious risks”.

The standoff in Iraq is the longest stretch without a fully functioning government in the nearly two decades since Saddam Hussein was overthrown by the 2003 invasion.

Sadr was the biggest winner of the 2021 election but was unable to form a government with Kurdish and Sunni Arab parties, excluding his Iran-backed Shiite rivals.

The cleric, who has unmatched influence in Iraq, can quickly mobilize hundreds of thousands of followers to stage demonstrations and paralyze the country's byzantine politics.

Sadr has called for early elections and unspecified changes to the constitution after withdrawing his lawmakers from parliament in June.

“The people are demanding the parliament to be dissolved and the immediate formation of an interim government,” said a protester draped in an Iraqi flag.

“Help us. Stand with us. Don't be afraid of anyone,” said another demonstrator.

Sadr's political opponents, mostly fellow Shiites backed by Iran, have refused to accede to his demands, raising fears of fresh unrest and violence in a conflict-weary Iraq.



Israeli Strikes Kill at Least 31 in Gaza as UN Agencies Warn of Fuel Crisis

 Palestinians wait to receive food from a charity kitchen, amid a hunger crisis, in Gaza City, July 14, 2025. (Reuters)
Palestinians wait to receive food from a charity kitchen, amid a hunger crisis, in Gaza City, July 14, 2025. (Reuters)
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Israeli Strikes Kill at Least 31 in Gaza as UN Agencies Warn of Fuel Crisis

 Palestinians wait to receive food from a charity kitchen, amid a hunger crisis, in Gaza City, July 14, 2025. (Reuters)
Palestinians wait to receive food from a charity kitchen, amid a hunger crisis, in Gaza City, July 14, 2025. (Reuters)

Israeli strikes across the Gaza Strip overnight killed at least 31 people, according to local hospitals, as UN agencies warned on Monday that critical fuel shortages put hospitals and other critical infrastructure at risk.

The latest attacks came after US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held two days of talks last week that ended with no sign of a breakthrough in negotiations over a ceasefire and hostage release.

Twelve people were killed by strikes in southern Gaza, including three who were waiting at an aid distribution point, according to Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, which received the bodies. Shifa Hospital in Gaza City also received 12 bodies, including three children and two women, after a series of strikes in the north, according to the hospital's director, Dr. Mohammed Abu Selmia.

Al-Awda Hospital reported seven killed and 11 wounded in strikes in central Gaza.

The Israeli military says it only targets militants and tries to avoid harming civilians. It blames civilian deaths on Hamas because the militants operate in densely populated areas.

Separately, three Israeli soldiers were killed in northern Gaza, according to the military. A military official, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with regulations, said on Monday that they died in an explosion in their tank, apparently after it was hit by an anti-tank missile, though the incident was still being examined.

UN agencies, including those providing food and health care, reiterated a warning made at the weekend that without adequate fuel, they "will likely be forced to stop their operations entirely."

In a joint statement, they said that hospitals are already going dark and ambulances can no longer move. Without fuel, transport, water production, sanitation and telecommunications will shut down and bakeries and community kitchens cannot operate, they said.

The agencies confirmed that some 150,000 liters of fuel entered Gaza last week - the first delivery in 130 days. But they said it is "a small fraction of what is needed each day to keep daily life and critical aid operations running."

"The United Nations agencies and humanitarian partners cannot overstate the urgency of this moment: fuel must be allowed into Gaza in sufficient quantities and consistently to sustain life-saving operations," they said.

The agencies signing the statement were the UN humanitarian office OCHA, food agency WFP, health organization WHO, children's agency UNICEF, the agency helping Palestinian refugees UNRWA, population agency UNFPA, development agency UNDP, and UNOPS which oversees procurement and provides management services.

Israel's military said a June 19 strike killed Muhammad Nasr Ali Quneita, a senior Hamas fighter who it said had taken part in the Oct. 7, 2023, attack and held hostage Emily Damari, a dual Israeli-British citizen, in his home at the start of the war.

There was no comment from Hamas and no independent confirmation.

Thousands of Hamas-led fighters stormed into Israel that day, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting 251 people, most of whom have since been released in ceasefire agreements or other deals. The fighters are still holding 50 hostages, less than half of them believed to be alive.

Israel's retaliatory offensive has killed over 58,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, which has said women and children make up more than half of the dead. It does not distinguish between civilians and fighters in its tally.

The ministry is part of the Hamas-run government and is led by medical professionals. The United Nations and other experts consider its figures to be the most reliable count of war casualties.

Israel's air and ground war has destroyed vast areas of Gaza and driven some 90% of the population from their homes. Aid groups say they have struggled to bring in food and other assistance because of Israeli military restrictions and the breakdown of law and order, and experts have warned of famine.

Israel's Knesset meanwhile voted to expel a prominent Arab lawmaker, but the measure failed to pass the threshold of 90 votes in the 120-member assembly. Seventy-three members voted in favor.

The attempt to remove Ayman Odeh from parliament was related to a social media post in January in which he welcomed the release of both Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners in a Gaza ceasefire.

The prisoners released in the agreement included scores of fighters convicted of deadly attacks against Israelis, and rival lawmakers accused Odeh of supporting terror, allegations he denied. Many Palestinians view those imprisoned by Israel as freedom fighters jailed for resisting Israel's decades-long occupation of lands the Palestinians seek for a future state.

Israel's Arab minority, which makes up some 20% of the population, has citizenship, including the right to vote, but faces widespread discrimination. Its members have close family ties to Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and Gaza, and largely support their cause, leading many Jewish Israelis to view them with suspicion or contempt.