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Egypt, Iraq Cooperate over Water Scarcity

The dried-up shore of an irrigation canal near the village of Sayyed Dakhil, to the east of Nasariyah city some 300 kilometres south of Baghdad. (AFP)
The dried-up shore of an irrigation canal near the village of Sayyed Dakhil, to the east of Nasariyah city some 300 kilometres south of Baghdad. (AFP)
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Egypt, Iraq Cooperate over Water Scarcity

The dried-up shore of an irrigation canal near the village of Sayyed Dakhil, to the east of Nasariyah city some 300 kilometres south of Baghdad. (AFP)
The dried-up shore of an irrigation canal near the village of Sayyed Dakhil, to the east of Nasariyah city some 300 kilometres south of Baghdad. (AFP)

Egypt and Iraq are cooperating over “water scarcity” issues, trying to optimize the usage of limited water sources, in light of the significant decline of their per capita share of water.

Egypt has been in dispute with Ethiopia for nearly a decade over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) established on the Nile River.

Iraq has been suffering from a decline in the water level of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers since 2003, as a result of the policies adopted by Turkey and Iran to change the paths of the tributaries and build giant dams.

The Egyptian-Iraqi Technical Advisory Committee on Water Resources and Irrigation held its first meeting in Cairo on Monday to discuss opportunities to boost joint cooperation of water management in order to achieve sustainable development objectives in light of the great challenges.

In March, Egyptian Minister of Water Resources, Mohamed Abdel-Aty visited Baghdad to participate in the first International Water Conference, during which he agreed with his counterpart Mahdi Rashid al-Hamdani to expedite the activation of a memorandum of understanding in the field of water resources.

Undersecretary of the Egyptian Ministry of Water Resources, Ragab Abdel Azim, who headed his country's delegation, reviewed the water challenges facing Egypt, and the efforts that the state is currently making to confront these problems. Technical Undersecretary of the Iraqi Ministry of Water Resources, Hussein Abdul Amir Bakka headed the Iraqi delegation.

They reviewed the challenges facing Egypt at the societal and governmental levels and the implementation of major projects, such as the national project for the rehabilitation of canals, the national project for the transformation to modern irrigation systems, and the expansion of the use of smart irrigation applications.

Egypt and Iraq signed a memorandum of understanding in October 2020, covering several areas of cooperation, including modern irrigation techniques, treatment, aquatic weed control, river and beach hydraulics, including water and sediment quality, institutional reform, and protecting beaches.

For his part, Bakka listed the challenges facing the water sector in Iraq, such as climatic change, declining rainfall and rising temperatures.

Bakka explained the efforts made to overcome these challenges. He discussed his country's experience in snow monitoring in upstream countries, monitoring and communication systems of waterways, rehabilitating dams, as well as modeling and monitoring underground reservoirs.

Cairo and Baghdad agreed to establish a working group of technicians and prepare for the visit of an Egyptian technical delegation to Iraq next August to conduct several field visits. The Egyptian delegation also invited Iraq to participate in the fourth edition of Cairo Water Week, scheduled between October 24 and 28.

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Arab World

Israeli Raid in the West Bank Leaves 1 Palestinian Dead and 4 Wounded

Israeli soldiers take positions during clashes with Palestinians in the West Bank city of Nablus, Sunday, May 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Majdi Mohammed)
Israeli soldiers take positions during clashes with Palestinians in the West Bank city of Nablus, Sunday, May 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Majdi Mohammed)
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Israeli Raid in the West Bank Leaves 1 Palestinian Dead and 4 Wounded

Israeli soldiers take positions during clashes with Palestinians in the West Bank city of Nablus, Sunday, May 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Majdi Mohammed)
Israeli soldiers take positions during clashes with Palestinians in the West Bank city of Nablus, Sunday, May 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Majdi Mohammed)

One Palestinian man was killed and four others seriously wounded during an Israeli military raid in the Israeli-occupied West Bank city of Nablus on Sunday, the Palestinian Red Crescent said.

The Palestinian Health Ministry said the man’s wife was in labor at a local hospital when she was informed of his death.

The Red Crescent said five people were hit by gunfire during an Israeli military operation. Nayef Firas Ziad Samaro, 26, was killed, according to the Health Ministry, and his body was brought to the hospital where his wife was giving birth. Additionally, a 12-year-old was shot in the shoulder, according to the Red Crescent, The AP news reported.

The raid took place as schools were letting out for the day, in an area crowded with civilians, witnesses said.

Israel's military in a statement said it responded to a confrontation in the Nablus area in which several “terrorists” threw rocks toward soldiers. Soldiers fired and “several hits were identified.”

Palestinians, rights groups and international observers are warning about the worsening violence, where young Palestinian men are being killed with increasing regularity amid a broader climate of arson, vandalism and the displacement of farming communities near Jewish settlements and outposts in the West Bank.

At least 42 Palestinians have been killed since the start of the year, according to the United Nations humanitarian office. Armed settlers were responsible for at least 11 of those fatalities.

Arab World

Yemen’s Workers Face Harsh Unemployment and Unrelenting Hardship

A person (L) buys snacks from a mobile cart in Sanaa, Yemen, 27 April 2026. EPA/YAHYA ARHAB
A person (L) buys snacks from a mobile cart in Sanaa, Yemen, 27 April 2026. EPA/YAHYA ARHAB
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Yemen’s Workers Face Harsh Unemployment and Unrelenting Hardship

A person (L) buys snacks from a mobile cart in Sanaa, Yemen, 27 April 2026. EPA/YAHYA ARHAB
A person (L) buys snacks from a mobile cart in Sanaa, Yemen, 27 April 2026. EPA/YAHYA ARHAB

As the world marks International Workers’ Day on May 1 each year, workers in Yemen have, for years following the Houthi coup and ensuing war, faced a starkly different reality marked by daily hardship and a struggle for survival amid economic and humanitarian conditions among the worst globally.

Workers in Sanaa and other cities told Asharq Al-Awsat that the day is no longer an occasion to celebrate professional achievements or press for improved rights. Instead, it has become a moment to reflect on the scale of the challenges they face, from widespread unemployment to declining wages and the absence of social protection.

Some said their conditions, and those of their families, have continued to deteriorate for a twelfth consecutive year, as they struggle daily to secure basic needs amid rising prices, scarce job opportunities, and a lack of even minimal services. They noted that wages in remaining sectors such as construction, transport, and other freelance work no longer match the effort required or the cost of basic living.

As workers called on relevant authorities and international organizations to intervene to ease their suffering, sources within the labor union federation under Houthi control in Sanaa said the occasion comes this year as more than one million Yemeni public sector employees, supporting hundreds of thousands of families, continue to endure harsh conditions, alongside 8 million daily wage workers now living below the poverty line as a result of the coup and ongoing conflict.

The sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that the Houthi group continues to deepen the suffering of millions of daily wage workers in areas under its control through policies of systematic corruption targeting what remains of the economic sector.

Struggle for Survival

“Mahmoud,” a construction worker in Sanaa, said: “We do not celebrate Workers’ Day like people in other countries. We live it as just another day of struggling to earn a living.” Mahmoud, a father of three, works long hours for meager pay that does not cover even his children’s basic needs. “We go out every day looking for work and may return with nothing. Life has become very harsh,” he said.

“Essam N.,” a pseudonym for a taxi driver, described his situation: “Fuel prices keep rising while our income is declining. I work long hours and still cannot cover expenses. Sometimes I think about leaving the job, but there is no alternative.”

He said he has worked in the profession for more than 10 years but has never experienced conditions as severe as those today.

Abdullah, 39, a street vendor in the Bab al-Yemen area of Sanaa, said: “We used to sell and earn reasonably well years ago, but now people can barely buy anything. Everyone is suffering, not just us.”

These accounts reflect a grim reality facing thousands of workers in Yemen, where daily hardship intersects with a lack of prospects amid a deepening crisis that has exhausted all, alongside ongoing calls to improve workers’ conditions and guarantee their basic rights.

Deep Crisis

Economic specialists say the crisis facing workers in Yemen is no longer a temporary reflection of war, but has become a deep structural crisis. They say the continued decline in economic activity, weak investment, and the division of financial institutions are all factors exacerbating unemployment and limiting the market’s ability to recover.

According to data from ESCWA, Yemen is classified among low-income countries with a fragile economy, directly affecting job creation and widening poverty.

Economists say the continuation of the war and the decline in economic activity have worsened workers’ suffering, with many projects halted, job opportunities shrinking, and unemployment rising, particularly among youth. They warn that the persistence of this situation could expand poverty and deepen reliance on the informal economy.

In parallel, unofficial estimates indicate unemployment rates have risen to unprecedented levels, especially among young people, with thousands finding themselves outside the labor market without real opportunities. With many productive and service sectors halted due to years of conflict, employment opportunities have sharply contracted, pushing many toward temporary or unstable work.

The World Bank said in its reports on Yemen that about one in six working-age individuals is unemployed. The outlook is bleaker for youth unemployment, which the International Labour Organization estimates exceeds 25 percent across the Arab region, and is expected to be higher in Yemen given the ongoing conflict and the contraction in economic activity.

Arab World

Israel Attacks Southern Lebanon after New Evacuation Warning

This photograph taken from the southern Lebanese area of Marjayoun shows smoke rising from the site of Israeli airstrikes that targeted the village of Zawtar al-Sharqiyah, on May 3, 2026. I(Photo by AFP)
This photograph taken from the southern Lebanese area of Marjayoun shows smoke rising from the site of Israeli airstrikes that targeted the village of Zawtar al-Sharqiyah, on May 3, 2026. I(Photo by AFP)
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Israel Attacks Southern Lebanon after New Evacuation Warning

This photograph taken from the southern Lebanese area of Marjayoun shows smoke rising from the site of Israeli airstrikes that targeted the village of Zawtar al-Sharqiyah, on May 3, 2026. I(Photo by AFP)
This photograph taken from the southern Lebanese area of Marjayoun shows smoke rising from the site of Israeli airstrikes that targeted the village of Zawtar al-Sharqiyah, on May 3, 2026. I(Photo by AFP)

Israel carried out heavy airstrikes in south Lebanon on Sunday after issuing new evacuation warnings for villages beyond the area it occupies, despite a truce with Lebanon intended to halt fighting with Hezbollah.

"For your safety, you must evacuate your homes immediately and move away from the villages and towns by at least 1,000 meters into open areas," the military's Arabic-language spokesman Avichay Adraee posted on X.

The warning covers more than 10 villages and towns including several in the district of Nabatieh, which lies north of the Litani River, south of which Israel has stationed troops.

Israeli military chief of staff Eyal Zamir has threatened to strike Hezbollah "beyond the yellow line.”

"Any threat, anywhere, against our communities or our forces -- including beyond the yellow line and north of the Litani -- will be eliminated," he said during a visit to Israeli troops this week.

The Israeli military said Sunday it was conducting operations against Hezbollah following what it described ⁠as a violation of their April 17 ceasefire agreement, warning that anyone near Hezbollah fighters or facilities could be at risk.

Lebanon's state-run National News Agency later reported a series of Israeli strikes across southern Lebanon, including on towns not mentioned in the evacuation warning.

Hezbollah, has kept up its drone and rocket attacks against Israeli troops in Lebanon and on northern Israel.

It has recently begun using cheap drones controlled by fiber-optic cable, making them largely immune to electronic jamming, to conduct daily attacks.

These drones have a range of several dozen kilometers, which puts Israeli troops in Lebanon and communities in northern Israel under threat.