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First of Iranian Hajj Pilgrims Arrive in Saudi Arabia

Muslim pilgrims pray near the Kaaba, at the Grand Mosque in Saudi Arabia's city of Mecca. (AFP)
Muslim pilgrims pray near the Kaaba, at the Grand Mosque in Saudi Arabia's city of Mecca. (AFP)
    Mecca: Tarek al-Thaqfi
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First of Iranian Hajj Pilgrims Arrive in Saudi Arabia

Muslim pilgrims pray near the Kaaba, at the Grand Mosque in Saudi Arabia's city of Mecca. (AFP)
Muslim pilgrims pray near the Kaaba, at the Grand Mosque in Saudi Arabia's city of Mecca. (AFP)

Saudi Minister of Hajj and Umrah Dr. Mohammed Benten revealed on Sunday that the first Iranian pilgrims had started arriving in the Kingdom to perform the annual Hajj rites.

He stressed that the ministry has completed preparations of all Hajj services for the pilgrims, including Iranians, who started arriving in Saudi Arabia.

The Iranian pilgrims landed in Medina.

Preparations to receive pilgrims from Qatar are also complete, said Benten.

The minister had inspected the contract signed between the south Asia company and the pilgrims affairs office, as well as the contract signed between the company and the Qatar pilgrims affairs bureau.

In addition, he toured the civil institutions for non-Arab pilgrims from African countries and South Asia in order to present the operation plans for the 2017 Hajj season.

The presentation included several of the programs, goals, and execution, assessment and supervision mechanisms.

He also presented the food, transportation, awareness and accommodation services and efforts to improve them in line with the directives of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz.

At the end of his tour, Benten stressed the importance of providing quality services that reflect the hospitality of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques towards the pilgrims.

He highlighted the importance of Hajj organizers exerting efforts and bolstering cooperation to offer the best services and ensure the success of this year’s pilgrimage.

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World

Türkiye's Erdogan Accuses Israel of Undermining Peace Initiatives

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks during a press conference following a cabinet meeting in Ankara, Türkiye, 06 April 2026. (EPA)
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks during a press conference following a cabinet meeting in Ankara, Türkiye, 06 April 2026. (EPA)
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Türkiye's Erdogan Accuses Israel of Undermining Peace Initiatives

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks during a press conference following a cabinet meeting in Ankara, Türkiye, 06 April 2026. (EPA)
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks during a press conference following a cabinet meeting in Ankara, Türkiye, 06 April 2026. (EPA)

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday accused Israel of undermining all efforts to halt the war in the Middle East, but said Ankara would continue to pursue any opportunity to advance a ceasefire.

"The Israeli government has continued to undermine all initiatives aimed at ending the war," Erdogan said following a weekly cabinet meeting in the Turkish capital.

"If there is even the slightest chance to silence the weapons and open space for negotiations, we are making sincere efforts to seize it," he added.

"Our hope is that this unlawful, senseless, illegitimate, and extremely costly war for all humanity will come to an end as soon as possible."

Erdogan also said Türkiye has stepped up diplomatic contacts to achieve a ceasefire.

"As the war drags on, we have warned that the fire could spread to other countries. As we leave behind the 38th day of the conflict, we unfortunately continue to carry the same concerns for our region," he said.

"In the face of increasing risks, I, as president, on one hand, and our ministers on the other, are accelerating our diplomatic contacts," he added.

Türkiye has attempted to mediate an end to the hostilities, notably through negotiations conducted with Pakistan and Egypt.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Monday met with the US ambassador to Türkiye, Tom Barrack, who called the meeting "productive".

"Türkiye's partnership continues to be vital as we work toward @POTUS's (Trump's) vision for a more secure region," the ambassador said on X.

Fidan also spoke on the phone with his Iranian counterpart to discuss "the course of war and other developments", a Turkish diplomatic source said.

World

Trump Says Tuesday Deadline to Make a Deal with Iran Is Final

US President Donald Trump speaks to members of the media during the annual Easter Egg Roll on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 06 April 2026. (EPA)
US President Donald Trump speaks to members of the media during the annual Easter Egg Roll on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 06 April 2026. (EPA)
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Trump Says Tuesday Deadline to Make a Deal with Iran Is Final

US President Donald Trump speaks to members of the media during the annual Easter Egg Roll on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 06 April 2026. (EPA)
US President Donald Trump speaks to members of the media during the annual Easter Egg Roll on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 06 April 2026. (EPA)

US President Donald Trump said on Monday the Tuesday deadline he has set for Iran to make a deal is final, calling Iran's peace proposal significant but not good enough.

Trump has warned US forces will unleash broad attacks on Iranian infrastructure if his Tuesday night deadline is not met. Iran has rejected Trump's deadline.

"They ‌made a ‌proposal, and it's a ‌significant ⁠proposal. It's a significant step. ⁠It's not good enough," Trump told reporters during an Easter egg event for children on the White House South Lawn.

"It could end very quickly, the war, if they do what they have to do. They ⁠have to do certain things. ‌They know that, they've ‌been negotiating I think in good faith," he ‌said.

Trump's senior aides have been negotiating ‌with Iran indirectly through Pakistan, attempting to get a deal in which Iran will forswear nuclear weapons and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, the oil ‌transit waterway. Iran said it wanted a permanent end to the war, ⁠not ⁠just a temporary ceasefire.

Trump said it appeared the latest team representing the Iranian government is "not as radicalized" as others who have been killed in airstrikes. "We think they're actually smarter," he said.

Trump said if it were up to him, the United States would take control of Iran's oil, but he said the American people would probably not understand such a move.

Arab World

Israeli Airstrike Kills at Least 10 Near Gaza School as Ceasefire Strains

Palestinians react following an Israeli strike outside a school sheltering displaced people, according to medics, at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip, April 6, 2026. (Reuters)
Palestinians react following an Israeli strike outside a school sheltering displaced people, according to medics, at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip, April 6, 2026. (Reuters)
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Israeli Airstrike Kills at Least 10 Near Gaza School as Ceasefire Strains

Palestinians react following an Israeli strike outside a school sheltering displaced people, according to medics, at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip, April 6, 2026. (Reuters)
Palestinians react following an Israeli strike outside a school sheltering displaced people, according to medics, at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip, April 6, 2026. (Reuters)

An Israeli airstrike killed at least 10 people and wounded several others outside a school housing displaced Palestinians on Monday, health officials said, in the latest violence overshadowing the fragile US-backed Gaza ceasefire deal.

Before the strikes, some Palestinians had clashed with members of an Israeli-backed militia, who they said attacked the school in an attempt to abduct some people, medics and residents said.

In the midst of the clashes, east of the Maghazi refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip, Israeli drones fired two missiles into the area, killing at least 10 people and wounding several others, they added.

It was not immediately ‌clear how many ‌civilians had been killed in the strikes, which hit ‌in ⁠a closely packed neighborhood ⁠of mostly displaced Palestinians.

Ahmed al-Maghazi, an eyewitness, said their area was attacked by members of the Israeli-backed militia who operate in the territory adjacent to where the Israeli forces are in control, before they opened fire.

"The residents tried to defend their homes, but the occupation forces targeted them directly," he told Reuters.

Earlier on Monday, an Israeli airstrike killed one Palestinian and wounded ⁠a child as they traveled on a motorbike in ‌Gaza City, medics said.

Medics said that ‌Israeli forces killed another Palestinian when they opened fire on a vehicle in central ‌Gaza, taking Monday's death toll to at least 12.

The Israeli military ‌had no immediate comment on any of the three incidents on Monday.

The Palestinian group Hamas, which has run Gaza since 2007, and Israel have traded blame over violations of the ceasefire that kicked off in October.

The Gaza health ministry says ‌Israeli fire has killed at least 700 people since the ceasefire began. Israel says four soldiers have been killed ⁠by militants ⁠in Gaza over the same period.

The violence comes as Hamas has continued to resist relinquishing its weapons, a major obstacle in talks to implement the next steps in US President Donald Trump’s proposed peace plan for Gaza.

On Sunday, Hamas' armed wing said that discussing the group's disarmament before Israel fully implements the first phase of Trump's Gaza plan was an attempt to continue what it called a genocide against the Palestinian people.

Hamas' October 7, 2023, attacks on Israel killed 1,200 people, according to Israeli tallies.

Israel's ensuing two-year campaign killed more than 72,000 Palestinians, most of them civilians, according to Gazan health authorities.

The offensive spread famine, reduced most of the strip to rubble, and displaced the majority of its population.