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Arab World

Abbas Accuses Israel of Stealing ‘Land and Water’ in Palestine

Abbas shakes hands with Levits ahead of their meeting in Ramallah on Wednesday (Reuters)
Abbas shakes hands with Levits ahead of their meeting in Ramallah on Wednesday (Reuters)
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Abbas Accuses Israel of Stealing ‘Land and Water’ in Palestine

Abbas shakes hands with Levits ahead of their meeting in Ramallah on Wednesday (Reuters)
Abbas shakes hands with Levits ahead of their meeting in Ramallah on Wednesday (Reuters)

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has called on the European Union (EU) and its member states to refrain from dealing with any Israeli government that doesn’t recognize the two-state solution on the basis of international legitimacy.

Abbas further called on Wednesday abstaining from dealing with any Israeli government that doesn’t renounce violence and terrorism.

This seems like a preemptive war against the upcoming right-wing Israeli government led by Benjamin Netanyahu.

Speaking before the 4th Arab Water Conference, Abbas accused Israel of stealing Palestinian land and water.

Abbas said during a joint press conference with Latvian President Egils Levits at the presidency headquarters in Ramallah that there is a lack of an Israeli partner who believes in the two-state solution, and renounces violence and terrorism.

He highlighted that these are the principles Palestine is committed to.

The Palestinian president further urged all countries that haven’t yet recognized the State of Palestine to do so in order to protect the two-state solution and the right of the Palestinians to self-determination.

The president's demands coincided with Netanyahu’s attempts to form a right-wing government.

Meanwhile, Ziad Abu Amr, a member of the PLO Executive Committee, delivered Abbas’ speech at the 4th Arab Water Conference.

The conference was organized by Palestine at the Arab League in Cairo and held under the theme "Arab water security for life, development, and peace".

He said that the occupation state is stealing the land, and building settlements on it and is stealing the water and selling it to the Palestinians.

The Palestinian president gave the Dead Sea as an example of trespassing, noting that it is collapsing year after year.

He spoke about the consequences of the Israeli seizure of the water resources, noting that the Palestinian share stands at an average of 87 liters per day and doesn’t exceed 20 liters in some communities compared to 580 liters per day for the Israeli settler.

Abbas considered water as an “Arab national security matter” that requires a comprehensive and unified Arab strategy against the occupation.

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Arab World

Egypt Parliament Authorizes Defensive Support to Saudi Arabia

A previous session of Egypt's House of Representatives in the New Administrative Capital (House of Representatives Facebook page)
A previous session of Egypt's House of Representatives in the New Administrative Capital (House of Representatives Facebook page)
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Egypt Parliament Authorizes Defensive Support to Saudi Arabia

A previous session of Egypt's House of Representatives in the New Administrative Capital (House of Representatives Facebook page)
A previous session of Egypt's House of Representatives in the New Administrative Capital (House of Representatives Facebook page)

Egypt's parliament authorized on Monday sending military support to Saudi Arabia to defend the kingdom from attacks by Yemen's Houthis, following a request from President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.

The House of Representatives "approved authorizing President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to take the necessary measures to support the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia", state newspaper Al-Ahram reported.

Last week, parliament extended discussions on authorizing the Egyptian president to provide military support to the Kingdom until Monday.

The Egyptian president had requested an emergency parliamentary session to seek authorization to defend Gulf countries "if Cairo is asked to do so," stressing that Egypt was "prepared to take any measures requested by Saudi Arabia to protect its security."

The request was followed by two sessions of the House of Representatives, held on Sunday and Monday, to discuss the matter.

Arab World

Karak Church Attack Suspects Hid in Abandoned House for 60 Hours

A building shows signs of gunfire at the site where Jordanian security forces arrested three suspects in connection with the deadly church shooting, in the Al-Judayyda area of Karak, Jordan, October 26, 2026. REUTERS/Alaa Al Sukhni
A building shows signs of gunfire at the site where Jordanian security forces arrested three suspects in connection with the deadly church shooting, in the Al-Judayyda area of Karak, Jordan, October 26, 2026. REUTERS/Alaa Al Sukhni
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Karak Church Attack Suspects Hid in Abandoned House for 60 Hours

A building shows signs of gunfire at the site where Jordanian security forces arrested three suspects in connection with the deadly church shooting, in the Al-Judayyda area of Karak, Jordan, October 26, 2026. REUTERS/Alaa Al Sukhni
A building shows signs of gunfire at the site where Jordanian security forces arrested three suspects in connection with the deadly church shooting, in the Al-Judayyda area of Karak, Jordan, October 26, 2026. REUTERS/Alaa Al Sukhni

Jordanian sources confirmed that the perpetrators of the Hamoud Church attack, who were arrested early Monday, had been hiding in an abandoned house in the village of Jdeideh, neighboring Hamoud, where the terrorist attack killed nine people and wounded dozens of churchgoers who had gathered to offer condolences.

Sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that the terrorists had remained inside the abandoned house for 60 hours, managing to conceal their presence without attracting the attention of nearby residents. The house is located six kilometers from Hamoud village.

The same sources said the perpetrators watched the funeral procession for the victims of the Hamoud Church attack pass by from their hiding place.

They added that the three suspects were two brothers and their cousin.

Large-Scale Security Operation

Providing details of the operation to arrest the three terrorists, the sources said security forces used drones and remotely controlled robots.

During the operation, the terrorists opened fire from the roof of the house where they were hiding, targeting drones in an attempt to prevent them from pinpointing their location through aerial mapping.

Security forces also deployed robots into the confrontation area to verify whether the targets had been hit.

Security personnel had earlier helped evacuate residents from the area surrounding the suspects' hideout without drawing attention, allowing the terrorists to remain unaware of the preparations for the operation.

The suspects had taken refuge in a house abandoned by its occupants after they were forced to leave following a murder, as the victim's family sought either revenge or reconciliation.

The perpetrators chose the house to increase their chances of evading the security forces.

The shooting of churchgoers bore the hallmarks of takfiri extremist organizations that may have links to foreign groups, an issue investigators are expected to clarify.

Security Statement

Jordan's Public Security Directorate announced that joint special investigation and raid teams, working alongside other security agencies, had located the three terrorists responsible for the "cowardly attack" against Jordanian citizens at a church in Hamoud village, Karak Governorate, early Monday.

The directorate said the suspects were located following continuous search and combing operations.

In a statement, it confirmed that the three terrorists had barricaded themselves inside an abandoned house, refused to surrender and opened fire on security personnel.

Security forces responded in accordance with the rules of engagement, eventually gaining control of the situation and arresting all three suspects after they were wounded. No members of the security force were injured.

The directorate added that a quantity of firearms and ammunition was seized following the arrests and a search of the premises.

Arab World

Israeli Strike in Gaza Kills Three Including Child

Children react as people take cover from a reported drone strike while they were queuing to receive meals from a charity kitchen in the Jabalia camp for Palestinian refugees in the northern Gaza Strip on October 24, 2026. (AFP)
Children react as people take cover from a reported drone strike while they were queuing to receive meals from a charity kitchen in the Jabalia camp for Palestinian refugees in the northern Gaza Strip on October 24, 2026. (AFP)
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Israeli Strike in Gaza Kills Three Including Child

Children react as people take cover from a reported drone strike while they were queuing to receive meals from a charity kitchen in the Jabalia camp for Palestinian refugees in the northern Gaza Strip on October 24, 2026. (AFP)
Children react as people take cover from a reported drone strike while they were queuing to receive meals from a charity kitchen in the Jabalia camp for Palestinian refugees in the northern Gaza Strip on October 24, 2026. (AFP)

Three Palestinians, including a young girl, were killed Monday in an Israeli airstrike on a camp for displaced people in the southern Gaza Strip, medical sources and first responders said.

Civil defense spokesman Mahmoud Bassal said a total of 11 people had been killed and 50 wounded by Israeli fire and airstrikes in Gaza over the past 24 hours.

"We transported three martyrs, including a child, following an Israeli airstrike targeting a camp for displaced people in the Al-Mawasi area, west of Khan Younis," Bassal told AFP.

Nasser Hospital in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis confirmed the three deaths.

"Their bodies were torn apart by direct hits from shrapnel from the Israeli missile," the hospital said, adding that several wounded people, including a child and a woman, had also come in for treatment.

The hospital identified the deceased as Hossam al-Zamli, Tamer Abu Sneima, and Jouri al-Soufi, a young girl. The Gaza education ministry gave her age as seven.

Israel's military told AFP it was looking into reports of the strike.

A security source in Gaza told AFP that "several tanks and military vehicles, accompanied by a military bulldozer, advanced on Monday morning into the area west of the Yellow Line in the eastern part of Deir al-Balah", in central Gaza.

After a US-brokered ceasefire took hold in Gaza in October 2025, the so-called Yellow Line was established to divide the areas under Israeli control -- more than 60 percent of the territory -- from those under Hamas control.

The military advance Monday coincided with "heavy gunfire by the occupation forces towards the eastern and northern areas" of Deir al-Balah, home to hundreds of displaced families, the source added.

Since the ceasefire began last year, more than 1,500 people have been killed in Gaza, according to the territory's health ministry.

The war began on October 7, 2023, following an unprecedented attack by Hamas on southern Israel that killed 1,221 people, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.

Israel responded with a massive military campaign that has destroyed much of Gaza and killed more than 74,500 people, according to the territory's health ministry, which operates under Hamas and whose figures are considered accurate by the United Nations.