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UN Mulls to Reopen Iraq Crossing to Assist Syria

FILE PHOTO: Members of the United Nations Security Council gather during a meeting about the situation in Venezuela, in New York, US, February 26, 2019. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton
FILE PHOTO: Members of the United Nations Security Council gather during a meeting about the situation in Venezuela, in New York, US, February 26, 2019. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton
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UN Mulls to Reopen Iraq Crossing to Assist Syria

FILE PHOTO: Members of the United Nations Security Council gather during a meeting about the situation in Venezuela, in New York, US, February 26, 2019. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton
FILE PHOTO: Members of the United Nations Security Council gather during a meeting about the situation in Venezuela, in New York, US, February 26, 2019. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton

The United Nations Security Council is considering a proposal to reopen a border crossing from Iraq into Syria for six months to allow the delivery of humanitarian aid to help millions of Syrian civilians combat the coronavirus pandemic.

The 15-member council in January allowed a six-year-long cross-border aid operation to continue from two places in Turkey until July 10, but dropped crossing points from Iraq and Jordan due to opposition by Syrian ally Russia and China.

Germany and Belgium gave the council a draft resolution on Wednesday that would extend approval for the Turkish border crossings for one year and reopen the Iraq crossing for six months, Reuters reported.

The draft text also gives the council an option to extend the approval for the Iraq crossing for another six months based on an evaluation of the impact of the coronavirus in Syria by UN chief Antonio Guterres later in the year, it said.

In December Russia and China vetoed a draft resolution that would have authorized all three crossing points for one year. A resolution needs nine votes in favor and no vetoes by Russia, China, the United States, France or Britain to pass.

Western diplomats have said the closure of the Iraq crossing cuts off 40 percent of medical aid to northeastern Syria.

"Failure to renew cross-border aid will cause unnecessary suffering and deaths, and COVID-19 could spread like wildfire.

"Surely Russia can't want that," said Louis Charbonneau, UN director for Human Rights Watch.

Last month US Ambassador Kelly Craft pushed the council to reauthorize aid deliveries from Iraq. However, Russian UN Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia said: "Do not waste your time on efforts to reopen the closed cross-border points."

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Arab World

G7 Agrees on Need to Avoid ‘Security Void’ in Lebanon After UN Force Mandate Ends

Under US pressure, the UN Security Council voted last year to end UNIFIL's mandate on December 31, 2026. (AFP)
Under US pressure, the UN Security Council voted last year to end UNIFIL's mandate on December 31, 2026. (AFP)
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G7 Agrees on Need to Avoid ‘Security Void’ in Lebanon After UN Force Mandate Ends

Under US pressure, the UN Security Council voted last year to end UNIFIL's mandate on December 31, 2026. (AFP)
Under US pressure, the UN Security Council voted last year to end UNIFIL's mandate on December 31, 2026. (AFP)

G7 foreign ministers agreed on "the need to avoid a security void" in Lebanon after UN peacekeepers pull out, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said on Tuesday after a meeting of the group in Paris.

They also backed "the need to move quickly toward a new security architecture" after the mandate of United Nations peacekeeping forces in Israel's neighbor expires at the end of the year, he said.

But Barrot acknowledged there had been no breakthrough on what should replace the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), which has been in place since 1978 and now counts some 7,500 personnel from nearly 50 countries.

Under US pressure, the UN Security Council voted last year to end UNIFIL's mandate on December 31, 2026.

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas told AFP in October that the bloc favored a UN peacekeeping mandate in south Lebanon.

Lebanese group Hezbollah drew the country into the broader Middle East war by attacking Israel, which responded with massive airstrikes and a ground invasion that Lebanon says have killed more than 4,300 people.

"I am hopeful that we will reach a consensus," said Barrot. "The objective is widely shared: the withdrawal of Israel (from southern Lebanon), the disarmament of Hezbollah (which is pro-Iranian), and the restoration of a strong state that holds a monopoly on the use of arms -- a state capable of ensuring the security and prosperity of all the populations and all the communities in Lebanon."

Israel now maintains troops in a self-declared occupied "security zone" running around 10 kilometers (six miles) inside Lebanon along the border.

"We underscored the need for a robust, credible, and long-lasting security architecture in Lebanon in support of the Lebanese Armed Forces," the ministers said in their final communique.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Monday that he had discussed the issue with President Emmanuel Macron and suggested that what replaces UNIFIL "doesn't have to be a military mission, it could be a civilian mission."

"We need a verification system trusted by everyone and trusted by both sides that both sides are complying with their obligations under the agreements that are in place," Rubio said.

A transitional mechanism utilizing UNIFIL forces is among the options on the table, a European diplomat said, asking not to be named.

But this could require a UN Security Council resolution and thus run into an American veto, the diplomat warned.

The Europeans are also pushing a proposal for an international military coalition tasked with supporting the Lebanese Armed Forces in their mission to disarm Hezbollah.

However, the formation of such a coalition faces hesitation from Italy, which "remains strongly committed to its presence in Lebanon but appears reluctant to join an ad hoc coalition", partly due to cost concerns, as such missions are not funded by the UN, diplomats said.

Arab World

Lewis Hamilton in Egypt to Visit Gaza Humanitarian Aid Facilities

British Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton, left, listens to Major General Khaled Megawer, governor of North Sinai, during his visit to Egypt's side of the Rafah crossing with Gaza Strip, in Rafah, Egypt, Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2026. (AP)
British Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton, left, listens to Major General Khaled Megawer, governor of North Sinai, during his visit to Egypt's side of the Rafah crossing with Gaza Strip, in Rafah, Egypt, Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2026. (AP)
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Lewis Hamilton in Egypt to Visit Gaza Humanitarian Aid Facilities

British Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton, left, listens to Major General Khaled Megawer, governor of North Sinai, during his visit to Egypt's side of the Rafah crossing with Gaza Strip, in Rafah, Egypt, Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2026. (AP)
British Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton, left, listens to Major General Khaled Megawer, governor of North Sinai, during his visit to Egypt's side of the Rafah crossing with Gaza Strip, in Rafah, Egypt, Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2026. (AP)

Seven-time Formula 1 world champion Lewis Hamilton arrived at Egypt’s Rafah on Tuesday to visit organizations sending humanitarian aid to the war-torn Gaza Strip.

Hamilton has spoken out about humanitarian crises and conflict zones in the region, calling for peace. He has frequently posted on social media about children killed in Israeli airstrikes in Gaza and called for a ceasefire. He has also addressed other conflicts.

“I think we need to make sure we’re pushing to free Congo, free Sudan, free Syria, free Palestine. I think there’s a lot of peace that I’m hoping we get to at some stage,” Hamilton said last month.

While a ceasefire agreement reached last year has halted major combat operations, aid going into Gaza continues to fall far short of the agreed-upon minimum of 600 trucks a day.

Israeli forces have continued to advance into Gaza, expanding their control from 53% of the territory to at least 60%, an independent commission of UN experts said last month.

Israeli airstrikes continue across Gaza, and Israeli fire along the advancing front has killed at least 196 Palestinians, including 18 women, 32 boys and 11 girls, the commission said.

Hamilton toured Egypt’s Rafah border crossing with Gaza before visiting logistics warehouses operated by the Egyptian Red Crescent, which facilitates aid entry into Gaza.

At the crossing, Hamilton greeted aid workers with “Al-Salamo Alaykom,” an Arabic greeting meaning “peace be upon you.” He shook hands and briefly spoke with workers and officials.

Khaled Megawer, the governor of North Sinai, where Rafah is located, said the visit aims to help Hamilton learn about Egypt’s efforts to send aid to Gaza.

The visit comes after Hamilton made his 400th race start on Sunday at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix at Interlagos.

Hamilton, the first Black driver to race in F1, made his debut with McLaren in 2007. He is only the second driver in F1 to start 400 races following his former teammate Fernando Alonso, who achieved the milestone in 2024.

Arab World

Israeli Fire Kills Father and Son in Gaza, Medics Say

Palestinians inspect tents buried under rocks and earth a day after a large sandstone slab collapsed at a displacement camp, killing at least five people, including four children, according to health officials, in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, Monday, Nov. 9, 2026. (AP)
Palestinians inspect tents buried under rocks and earth a day after a large sandstone slab collapsed at a displacement camp, killing at least five people, including four children, according to health officials, in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, Monday, Nov. 9, 2026. (AP)
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Israeli Fire Kills Father and Son in Gaza, Medics Say

Palestinians inspect tents buried under rocks and earth a day after a large sandstone slab collapsed at a displacement camp, killing at least five people, including four children, according to health officials, in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, Monday, Nov. 9, 2026. (AP)
Palestinians inspect tents buried under rocks and earth a day after a large sandstone slab collapsed at a displacement camp, killing at least five people, including four children, according to health officials, in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, Monday, Nov. 9, 2026. (AP)

Israeli forces ‌killed at least three Palestinians, including a father and his 13-year-old son, in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, local health officials said.

Medics said Fadi Rajab and his son Abubakr were killed in an airstrike that hit the roof of a displacement shelter in the Zeitoun neighborhood in Gaza City, while a ‌third person ‌was killed by gunfire in Khan ‌Younis, ⁠in the south ⁠of the enclave.

The Israeli military did not immediately comment on either of the incidents.

A US-brokered ceasefire last year called for the eventual reconstruction of Gaza, but little progress has been made. Negotiators ⁠have failed to agree on ‌terms for ‌Hamas to disarm or for Israel to withdraw its ‌troops, which control about two-thirds of ‌the territory and from which residents have been ordered to leave.

Israel says Hamas is trying to regroup and refill its arsenal, while ‌Hamas says it is committed to the ceasefire agreement and accuses ⁠Israel ⁠of trying to undermine it.

At least 1,600 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks in Gaza since the ceasefire agreement, according to the territory's health officials, while Israel says four soldiers have been killed.

Palestinian authorities say more than 74,000 people have been killed in Israel's assault on Gaza, launched after Hamas-led fighters killed about 1,200 people in southern Israel on October 7, 2023.