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Israeli Intelligence Arrests Hamas Cell in Jerusalem

Religious Jews in a Jerusalem suburb during Purim celebrations (EPA)
Religious Jews in a Jerusalem suburb during Purim celebrations (EPA)
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Israeli Intelligence Arrests Hamas Cell in Jerusalem

Religious Jews in a Jerusalem suburb during Purim celebrations (EPA)
Religious Jews in a Jerusalem suburb during Purim celebrations (EPA)

The Israeli intelligence (Shin Bet) arrested a Palestinian cell in Jerusalem that transferred $250,000 from Turkey to finance alleged terrorist activities and pay families of martyrs and prisoners.

The Israeli Public Prosecution has submitted an indictment to a court in Jerusalem against four citizens from Sur Baher and Beit Hanina, on the outskirts of Jerusalem.

They were accused of running a terrorist group, encouraging terrorist activities, financing terrorism, tax offenses, and money laundering.

The Shin Bet claimed the detainees were assigned to carry out military operations that led to clashes during the holy month of Ramadan.

The Shin Bet and the Israeli police arrested the four suspects last month, but a media blackout was imposed, which was removed Friday during the trial.

The indictment named the detainees as freed prisoner Khaled Sabah, a senior Hamas official in Jerusalem, his two sons Munib and Musab and Firas Tawtah, claiming some were trained outside the country.

Tawtah is accused of using the Zakat Committee that he leads for funneling money to Hamas and collecting and distributing $8.6 million between 2007 and 2021.

The police claimed that Sabah had recently met with Khaled Atoun and Musa Ekry, Hamas top officials, who currently live and work in Turkey, and that they appointed Sabah in charge of "Hamas" funds in Jerusalem.

A sum of $250,000 was recently handed over to him for financing Hamas' activities during Ramadan, but he was unable to bring such a large sum across the border, and he started entering the money in small amounts.

The operators urged Sabah to find a way to enter the money, so he deposited it in a Turkish bank account and spent the amount from his Palestinian bank account.

Israeli authorities confiscated $246,000 in cash that was found in his home.

The indictment added that Sabah's two sons aided him as members of Hamas, and the money was transferred to Hamas activists and their families and persons convicted of offenses of terrorism and breach of public order.

The Shin Bet claimed Sabah met in Turkey with Hamas leaders, including Zakaria Najib, who was convicted of kidnapping the soldier Nahshon Waxman in 1994.

The indictment added that during his last month's visit to Turkey, Sabah's ​​responsibilities were expanded, and he was appointed as the head of Hamas in Jerusalem to advance its military activity in the city.

Sabah was asked to form and move military and organizational infrastructure in Jerusalem and prepare for Ramadan month.

It claimed that Mosab helped his father and formed a link with Hamas's leadership in Turkey, and Munib helped relay messages between the officials in Turkey and collected money on his father's behalf.

In 2012-2022, Tawtah collected nearly $150,000 for the charity to be transferred to the families and orphans affiliated with Hamas.

The charity had a total income of $8.6 million between 2007 and 2020, the indictment read, which were transferred to the martyrs' families.

The association also transferred a large part of the money to orphans not affiliated with Hamas.

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Arab World

Syria: Sharaa Visits Deir Ezzor after Flooding Caused by Rising Euphrates Levels

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa waves as he arrives to visit a flooded area after the Euphrates River overflowed its banks in recent days, in Deir Ezzor, Syria, Friday, May 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Omar Albam)
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa waves as he arrives to visit a flooded area after the Euphrates River overflowed its banks in recent days, in Deir Ezzor, Syria, Friday, May 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Omar Albam)
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Syria: Sharaa Visits Deir Ezzor after Flooding Caused by Rising Euphrates Levels

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa waves as he arrives to visit a flooded area after the Euphrates River overflowed its banks in recent days, in Deir Ezzor, Syria, Friday, May 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Omar Albam)
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa waves as he arrives to visit a flooded area after the Euphrates River overflowed its banks in recent days, in Deir Ezzor, Syria, Friday, May 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Omar Albam)

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa visited the province of Deir Ezzor on Friday, accompanied by a ministerial delegation, to assess the situation and humanitarian conditions there amid flooding due to rising water levels in the Euphrates River, state news agency SANA said.

Syrian naval forces deployed several boats and watercraft to Deir Ezzor Friday to assist with evacuation and transportation operations across both banks of the Euphrates following the sharp rise in the river's water level.

The Syrian Ministry of Defense announced the mobilization of its military units and relevant departments, in coordination with the Ministry of Emergency and Disaster Management, to help address the consequences.

On Thursday, Syria's energy ministry warned of rising water levels on the Euphrates River after flooding in the north and east following increased flows from neighboring Türkiye and recent rains.

The ministry said it was monitoring the situation on the Euphrates "in light of the significant and unprecedented increase in water flows from the Turkish side".

It said the increase was due to "the abundance of the current rainy season and the opening of floodgates at dams located along the river in Turkish territory".

A statement said government water authorities in Deir Ezzor, Raqa and Aleppo provinces had announced a "state of emergency" and were taking precautionary measures.

SANA reported flooding in urban and rural areas of Deir Ezzor province on Thursday, where an earthen bridge was submerged.

It had said several bridges in the province were out of service on Wednesday because of flooding which also affected farmland and homes, and had also reported flooding in neighboring Raqa province.

Turkish local media, quoting the regional water authority, reported "controlled water releases" from the Ataturk Dam after a rise in water levels due to heavy rainfall in recent months, with the spillway gates opened for the first time in seven years.

The Ataturk facility is one of Türkiye’s three major dams and was built to generate electricity and irrigate the region along the border with Syria.

The energy ministry in Damascus said that according to authorities managing the country's Euphrates Dam, Syria's dam storage capacities were almost full, "necessitating the continued release of large quantities of water".

Late Wednesday, the ministry posted an image showing the opening of the Euphrates Dam floodgates, saying they had not been used for around 40 years, and warned people to exercise caution.

Separately, Sharaa had previously apologized to the people of Deir Ezzor after remarks by his father, Hussein al-Sharaa, sparked backlash on social media. Critics said the comments, made during a podcast discussion about social divisions between urban and rural communities in Syria, were offensive to Deir Ezzor residents.

Hussein al-Sharaa later said his remarks were taken out of context and were intended to address the impact of past exclusionary policies, not to insult the province's residents.

Arab World

Asharq Al-Awsat Publishes Hamas Letter to Mediators as Cairo Meeting Looms

A Palestinian inspects the site of an Israeli strike in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, Friday, May 29, 2026. (AP)
A Palestinian inspects the site of an Israeli strike in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, Friday, May 29, 2026. (AP)
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Asharq Al-Awsat Publishes Hamas Letter to Mediators as Cairo Meeting Looms

A Palestinian inspects the site of an Israeli strike in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, Friday, May 29, 2026. (AP)
A Palestinian inspects the site of an Israeli strike in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, Friday, May 29, 2026. (AP)

Asharq Al-Awsat has obtained a document recently sent by Hamas to mediators regarding the ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip, where escalating Israeli violations have killed more than 930 Palestinians since the deal took effect on October 10.

Israel’s Channel 13 reported on Thursday evening, citing a regional diplomat who recently met Hamas leaders, that the Palestinian group would not accept disarmament and believed the United States would prevent Israel from carrying out any major military action in Gaza.

The report said Hamas had grown stronger, gained confidence, and was tightening its control over the enclave, especially after the withdrawal of Israeli forces.

A senior Hamas source told Asharq Al-Awsat that the reports were completely baseless.

The source said the movement had recently sent mediators a document on Israeli violations and its position on the political deadlock, in light of the negative stance of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government toward recent proposals by the mediators, as well as the roadmap put forward by the Board of Peace through its High Representative for Gaza, Nickolay Mladenov.

They also said Hamas had not recently held meetings with diplomatic officials in the region, apart from meetings held as part of negotiation rounds, with the participation of Mladenov and figures representing the US administration and the Board of Peace.

The source said the negotiation round, expected to take place before Eid al-Adha, had been postponed until after the holiday that started on Wednesday.

They said no specific date had been set for the round, but a delegation from the movement’s leadership was preparing to visit Cairo at Egypt’s invitation in the coming days, once the necessary arrangements were completed.

The source said messages of protest had been sent in the past period over Israel's continued escalation in killings and the targeting of people, adding that there had been no new positions.

Hamas sent the document to mediators in Egypt and sent copies to Qatar and Türkiye. Through those countries, it was relayed to other parties, including the Board of Peace and the US administration.

The Hamas document obtained by Asharq Al-Awsat.

The message

At the beginning of the document, dated May 20, Hamas referred to efforts made by mediators to bridge differences during the latest negotiation rounds in Cairo and Istanbul, which it said had succeeded in narrowing gaps.

The document said Israel’s measures, the expansion of its aggression, assassinations, and the targeting of Palestinians, the negotiating delegation, their families, and those connected to the negotiations had created a negative environment and strongly affected the course of talks, undermining mediators’ efforts to keep negotiations on their normal track.

The document criticized Mladenov’s recent briefing to the UN Security Council, saying it contained inaccurate points and held Hamas responsible for obstructing the negotiation process.

It said everyone knew the movement was fully committed to all provisions of the Sharm el-Sheikh agreement and that Israel was the party obstructing the deal and deliberately sabotaging mediators’ efforts.

The document affirmed Hamas and the Palestinian factions' commitment to the negotiation track and its importance. It said they were working seriously to develop ideas to help overcome the deadlock and saw the need to intensify cooperation with mediators to reach reasonable approaches.

Hamas urged mediators to pressure Israel to stop its daily violations of the agreement, which were obstructing the completion of the required tasks.

The document said that while consultations were underway to reach a suitable formula to present to mediators, Israel assassinated Ezzedine al-Haddad, the commander of the Qassam Brigades, Hamas’ armed wing. It said the killing disrupted communication and consultation.

Hamas hoped that once consultations were completed, it would communicate with mediators in the coming days to find a suitable formula to resume the negotiation process.

More than a month ago, Asharq Al-Awsat revealed the full details of the proposal, which was classified as a roadmap and aimed to complete what remained of the first phase while negotiating the provisions of the second phase.

Conditions set by Hamas and Israel obstructed the implementation of the roadmap. The two sides exchanged responses through mediators amid attempts to bridge their differences, and progress was later made.

But Netanyahu’s government’s demand to obtain a signed document on disarming Gaza before moving ahead with any steps stalled progress on the agreement again, especially as Israel also refrained from allowing the Gaza administration committee to enter the enclave and assume its duties.

Arab World

Eleven Children Killed, Injured Every 24 Hours in Lebanon, UN Says

Rubble lies around damaged building at the site of an Israeli strike in Tyre, Lebanon, May 28, 2026. (Reuters)
Rubble lies around damaged building at the site of an Israeli strike in Tyre, Lebanon, May 28, 2026. (Reuters)
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Eleven Children Killed, Injured Every 24 Hours in Lebanon, UN Says

Rubble lies around damaged building at the site of an Israeli strike in Tyre, Lebanon, May 28, 2026. (Reuters)
Rubble lies around damaged building at the site of an Israeli strike in Tyre, Lebanon, May 28, 2026. (Reuters)

Eleven children have been killed or injured on average every 24 hours in Lebanon over the last week, the UN's children's agency said on Friday, as Israel has expanded strikes across the country despite a ceasefire.

Heavy Israeli strikes hit towns and villages in southern Lebanon overnight on Wednesday and into ‌Thursday, after Israel declared ‌a new swathe of the ‌area ⁠a combat zone. ⁠It also struck a building in the southern suburbs of Beirut on Thursday.

A total of 77 children have been killed or injured in the last seven days, UNICEF said, citing figures provided by Lebanon's Ministry of Public ⁠Health. Since the ceasefire began on April ‌16, 55 children ‌have been killed and 212 injured, according to the ‌agency.

UNICEF spokesperson Ricardo Pires called for all ‌parties to fully respect the ceasefire.

"Under international humanitarian law, children and civilian infrastructure must be protected," he said.

The ceasefire announced by Washington was meant to ‌halt the fighting that has raged between Israeli troops and Iran-backed Hezbollah since ⁠March 2.

The ⁠UN's World Health Organization also said on Friday that the threat from the expansion of military activities raised grave health concerns for the Lebanese population.

Since the ceasefire took effect, a total of 27 attacks on healthcare facilities in Lebanon have been reported, resulting in 25 deaths and 42 injuries, according to the WHO. A total of 16 hospitals and 13 primary healthcare centers have been damaged in attacks, it added.