Iraq Starts Regulating Arms Licenses

Iraqi Prime Minister-designate Mohammed Shia al-Sudani speaks during a vote in Sudani's cabinet at the parliament in Baghdad, Iraq, October 27, 2022.
Iraqi Prime Minister-designate Mohammed Shia al-Sudani speaks during a vote in Sudani's cabinet at the parliament in Baghdad, Iraq, October 27, 2022.
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Iraq Starts Regulating Arms Licenses

Iraqi Prime Minister-designate Mohammed Shia al-Sudani speaks during a vote in Sudani's cabinet at the parliament in Baghdad, Iraq, October 27, 2022.
Iraqi Prime Minister-designate Mohammed Shia al-Sudani speaks during a vote in Sudani's cabinet at the parliament in Baghdad, Iraq, October 27, 2022.

The Iraqi Ministry of Interior announced on Wednesday a set of methods and mechanisms through which ordinary people can obtain licenses to carry weapons, which are mostly light arms such as pistols and light automatic machine guns.

According to the regulations published by the ministry, the process of obtaining a license to carry weapons begins with receiving the approval of the Minister of Interior, followed by the certification of official documents and biometric information, and a medical examination for the person wishing to obtain the license.

The mechanism also includes a forensic firearm examination, and a letter supporting the submission of an application to undergo a training course on the use of weapons at the Police College.

In the second stage, the process of obtaining the license goes through comprehensive audits, leading to the delivery of the license through the specialized committee in the Ministry of Interior.

Meanwhile, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammad Shia al-Sudani is seeking to contain the differences between the Sunni and Kurdish political blocs. On Wednesday, Sudani met with the deputy head of the Kurdistan Regional Government, Qubad Talabani, who is also a leader in the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan.

He also met separately with the president of the region, Nechirvan Barzani, and the head of the regional government, Masrour Barzani.

The three meetings focused on the intra-Kurdish differences that could hinder the government’s efforts in the reform and development processes.

Sudani also held three meetings with Parliament Speaker Mohammad al-Halbousi with the aim of settling differences.

He also held talks with the leader of the Azm Coalition, Muthanna al-Samarrai, and Ahmed al-Jubouri. Both sides have major differences with al-Halbousi, which made the prime minister insist on his efforts to achieve a certain level of concord to implement his government’s reform program.



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.