Assailants Burn Down Headquarters of Communist Party in Iraq’s Najaf

Supporters of the Iraqi Communist Party hold the communist symbol during a march in Baghdad (File photo: AFP)
Supporters of the Iraqi Communist Party hold the communist symbol during a march in Baghdad (File photo: AFP)
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Assailants Burn Down Headquarters of Communist Party in Iraq’s Najaf

Supporters of the Iraqi Communist Party hold the communist symbol during a march in Baghdad (File photo: AFP)
Supporters of the Iraqi Communist Party hold the communist symbol during a march in Baghdad (File photo: AFP)

Unidentified assailants attacked the headquarters of the Iraqi Communist Party in Najaf with Molotov cocktails, burning the offices despite causing no causalities.

The attack came amid speculation of escalating violence and political assassinations ahead of the parliamentary elections scheduled for next October.

A new wave of protests is also expected to erupt in the country over deteriorating economic conditions and services, and lack of job opportunities.

The party’s local administration issued a statement saying that its headquarters was attacked by Molotov cocktails at dawn Friday. It condemned the cowardly act while affirming that the party will continue to call for a change that rids the country of corrupt persons.

The statement called on the government to control illegitimate weapons and establish security as a necessary step to holding the elections, praising "the rapid response of the security forces in the governorate.”

It did not accuse a specific party of the attack, but activists close to the party linked between the attack and the upcoming commemoration of the first anniversary of the deadly clampdown on protesters in Najaf's Sadr Square.

A source believes the attack may have occurred after the Communist party announced an alliance with the civil society.

The source confirmed to Asharq Al-Awsat that the party will form alliances with civil society groups from the October movement in various governorates.

Despite its well-known secular orientations, the Communist party joined Saeroon alliance with the Sadrist movement during the 2018 parliamentary elections.

Only two candidates of the Communist party won in the polls. However, they resigned in October 2019, ending the party’s alliance with the movement.

Despite the lack of representation in Najaf, the Communist Party maintained a permanent presence there for years, especially that a large number of its leaders and founding members originate from the governorate.



'Thirst War’: A Parallel Battle Gazans Fight Without Weapons

A Palestinian child watches his peers as they wait to receive food from a charity kitchen in Khan Younis on Sunday (Reuters). 
A Palestinian child watches his peers as they wait to receive food from a charity kitchen in Khan Younis on Sunday (Reuters). 
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'Thirst War’: A Parallel Battle Gazans Fight Without Weapons

A Palestinian child watches his peers as they wait to receive food from a charity kitchen in Khan Younis on Sunday (Reuters). 
A Palestinian child watches his peers as they wait to receive food from a charity kitchen in Khan Younis on Sunday (Reuters). 

Gaza is grappling with an acute water shortage as Israel tightens its blockade, closing border crossings, halting fuel supplies, and cutting off two main water lines since early January—around two weeks before a ceasefire took effect on the 19th of the same month.

“For six days, no water has reached us—not from the municipality nor from the wells dug in the area, as there’s no fuel to power the generators,” said 57-year-old Mohammed al-Uraini, a resident of al-Shati refugee camp in western Gaza City, speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat.

Even before the war, Gaza was already facing a severe water crisis due to the long-standing Israeli blockade. In 2019, UNICEF estimated that only 1 in 10 residents had direct access to safe drinking water. At the time, Gaza’s population was 1.8 million; it has since surpassed two million.

Fuel Shortages

UNICEF warned in a statement last Saturday that the average daily water supply for one million people in Gaza—including 400,000 children—has dropped from 16 liters per person to just 6. The agency warned that if fuel runs out in the coming weeks, that figure could fall to below 4 liters, forcing families to rely on unsafe water sources and raising the risk of disease outbreaks, especially among children.

The United Nations defines the minimum daily requirement for personal and household water use as 50–100 liters per person.

Tamer Al-Nahal, 61, owns a water well that used to supply more than 50 neighboring homes in al-Shati. He told Asharq Al-Awsat he can no longer afford the 10 liters of fuel required to operate the well. “Each liter used to cost about 20 shekels ($6), but now it’s around 70 shekels ($19),” he said. Occasionally, local institutions would donate fuel to power generators, but these contributions have stopped due to rising costs.

Many Gaza families are now forced to carry water in plastic jugs for distances up to 500 meters just to find water fit for human use.

Long Queues and Rising Hardship

Ezzedine Abu Hammam, 24, from Gaza’s western port area, said he spends more than an hour daily in a long queue to collect around 50 liters of drinking water, which he then carries up to the fourth-floor apartment where his 13-member family lives.

“It’s exhausting to wait that long just for a small amount of water, and then carry it upstairs,” he said. “Even when municipal water was available, it was so salty it tasted like seawater, but at least it eased the burden.”

According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, the water crisis is exacerbating public health risks, increasing the spread of diarrhea and skin diseases. The ministry reported 52 child deaths linked to these conditions, including malnutrition.

“Worsening the Crisis”

Assem al-Nabeeh, spokesperson for the Gaza Municipality, said the city—like the rest of the Strip—is facing a severe thirst crisis due to renewed Israeli military operations and incursions into some areas.

He explained to Asharq Al-Awsat that the Israeli-run “Mekorot” water line, which supplied nearly 70% of Gaza City’s needs, was shut down last Thursday. As a result, the city and other municipalities have lost access to groundwater wells, which were previously powered using fuel.

“Some alternative water sources have also been destroyed by airstrikes or ground operations,” he added, citing the complete destruction of wells in Gaza City’s al-Zaytoun neighborhood as a deliberate move to deepen the humanitarian crisis.