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Israel Increases Work Permits for Gaza Palestinians

Palestinian workers from Gaza cross the Beit Hanoun (Erez) border crossing to work in Israel. (DPA)
Palestinian workers from Gaza cross the Beit Hanoun (Erez) border crossing to work in Israel. (DPA)
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Israel Increases Work Permits for Gaza Palestinians

Palestinian workers from Gaza cross the Beit Hanoun (Erez) border crossing to work in Israel. (DPA)
Palestinian workers from Gaza cross the Beit Hanoun (Erez) border crossing to work in Israel. (DPA)

The number of entry permits for Palestinian workers from Gaza will increase to 20,000, Israel’s Defense Minister Benny Gantz told military reporters on Thursday.

Gantz further linked the implementation of any key civilian development projects in the coastal enclave with the return of Israelis held in Hamas captivity.

In June, Israel approved issuing 2,000 additional permits for Palestinian workers, raising the figure to 14,000, which later reached 20,000.

The Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee approved the decision following discussions.

This decision comes in line with Israel’s strategic plan to maintain calm.

In return for its implementation, the minister asked the Palestinian Authority to implement trust-building measures.

“We ask it to expand its security activity in in Area A and halt its petitions to the International Criminal Court at The Hague.”

According to Israeli sources, the plan is part of the government’s decision to maintain economic peace while ignoring political peace.

Israel seeks to pressure the ruling Hamas movement against any possible escalation by improving the economic situation in Gaza.

Earlier this year, the number of Gazan workers in Israel did not exceed 5,000. Since then, it has been rising by a few thousands every few months.

Political authorities believe the gradual increase in the number of Palestinian workers will prompt Hamas to consider any escalation since it will take into account that the thriving labor movement is a major factor in supporting the economy.

Workers bring to the enclave up to 90 million shekels per month, in light of the difficult and deteriorating economic situation there.

However, military authorities insist that when Hamas decides to escalate tension it will not consider any economic factor.

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Arab World

Hezbollah Denies Any Link to Cell Dismantled in Syria

A man waves Hezbollah flag at the Tahrir Square in Baghdad on September 26, 2026, to mark the second anniversary of killing of Hezbollah's former chief Hassan Nasrallah, in a major strike by Israel on Beirut's southern suburbs in Lebanon. (AFP)
A man waves Hezbollah flag at the Tahrir Square in Baghdad on September 26, 2026, to mark the second anniversary of killing of Hezbollah's former chief Hassan Nasrallah, in a major strike by Israel on Beirut's southern suburbs in Lebanon. (AFP)
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Hezbollah Denies Any Link to Cell Dismantled in Syria

A man waves Hezbollah flag at the Tahrir Square in Baghdad on September 26, 2026, to mark the second anniversary of killing of Hezbollah's former chief Hassan Nasrallah, in a major strike by Israel on Beirut's southern suburbs in Lebanon. (AFP)
A man waves Hezbollah flag at the Tahrir Square in Baghdad on September 26, 2026, to mark the second anniversary of killing of Hezbollah's former chief Hassan Nasrallah, in a major strike by Israel on Beirut's southern suburbs in Lebanon. (AFP)

Hezbollah denied on Wednesday any connection to a cell that Syrian authorities said they had dismantled in the country's south and which they accused of being affiliated with the Lebanese group.

A statement from the Iran-backed movement's media office said it "categorically denies any relationship or connection between Hezbollah and the alleged cell" and emphasized that "it has no presence whatsoever on Syrian territory and has no involvement in any security or military activity there".

On Tuesday, Syria said intelligence services and security forces "thwarted a sabotage plot in the Yarmuk basin in Daraa (province) and arrested a Hezbollah-affiliated cell composed of three individuals".

Authorities said the cell attempted "to prepare rocket launch platforms with the aim of carrying out attacks to destabilize security and stability", without specifying the target.

The Yarmuk basin area, where state media has previously reported Israeli incursions and shelling, borders the Israeli-occupied Syrian Golan Heights, as well as Jordan.

Earlier on Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had said there were "indications" that Israel's enemies could try to attack ahead of elections scheduled for late October.

Syria's new authorities, who ousted longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in 2024, are hostile to Hezbollah, which is a sworn enemy of Israel and fought on Assad's side during the Syrian civil war.

Authorities have previously said they dismantled several Hezbollah-linked cells preparing attacks in Syria, accusations the group has denied.

In Wednesday's statement, Hezbollah accused Israel of seeking to disrupt ties between Lebanon and Syria.

It called on Syrian authorities "to identify the real beneficiary of escalating tensions between the two countries, namely the Israeli enemy".

Last month, Hezbollah's chief Naim Qassem said he had no objection to meeting openly with Syria's leadership.

In June, responding to a question about whether he would sit at the table with Hezbollah, Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa said that "if this serves Lebanon's interests and safeguards Syria's interests, why not".

Arab World

US Removes Syria from Arms Export Ban

A large Syrian flag flutters above Tishreen Park in Damascus on June 4, 2025. (AFP)
A large Syrian flag flutters above Tishreen Park in Damascus on June 4, 2025. (AFP)
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US Removes Syria from Arms Export Ban

A large Syrian flag flutters above Tishreen Park in Damascus on June 4, 2025. (AFP)
A large Syrian flag flutters above Tishreen Park in Damascus on June 4, 2025. (AFP)

The Trump administration is removing Syria from a list of countries that are not allowed to purchase or import US weaponry, a step that is part of a monthslong process of easing sanctions on the new government in Damascus and its leaders.

In a notice published Wednesday in the Federal Register, the State Department said it was amending its International Traffic in Arms Regulations, or ITAR, so that Syria no longer was among the nations subject to a policy of denial for licenses and other approvals needed for the sale of US weapons and munitions.

The change effective Thursday means that arms sales requests from Syria will now be considered on a case-by-case basis.

President Donald Trump acted last year to ease economic sanctions on Syria that had been in place for decades during now-ousted President Bashar al-Assad’s rule. In August, Secretary of State Marco Rubio rescinded Syria’s designation as a state sponsor of terrorism, helping paving the way for the latest step in drawing closer to the current government.

The State Department has also announced plans to reopen the US Embassy in Damascus. It has been closed for 14 years.

With Syria’s removal from the ITAR blacklist, only seven countries remain subject to the policy of denial for licenses for US arms exports: Belarus, China, Cuba, Iran, Myanmar, North Korea and Venezuela.

Syria’s interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa overthrew the Assad government nearly two years ago and has embarked on a policy of change that has impressed the Trump administration. His moves have led to hopes of eventual stability in a country that was wracked by civil war and the ISIS insurgency that engulfed northeast and western Iraq for years.

Wednesday’s withdrawal of US forces from Iraq may mean that the Syrian government plays a greater role in preventing an ISIS resurgence.

Arab World

Blast at Syrian Gas Pipeline, Power Stations Hit

The explosion put three power stations out of service, the Syrian Electricity Company said in a statement. (SANA)
The explosion put three power stations out of service, the Syrian Electricity Company said in a statement. (SANA)
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Blast at Syrian Gas Pipeline, Power Stations Hit

The explosion put three power stations out of service, the Syrian Electricity Company said in a statement. (SANA)
The explosion put three power stations out of service, the Syrian Electricity Company said in a statement. (SANA)

A blast at a gas pipeline near the Syrian capital Damascus late Wednesday sparked a massive fire and put three power stations out of service.

It came two days after an explosion caused by sabotage at a gas pipeline in the country's east.

The official SANA news agency first reported Wednesday's explosion saying a "detonation was heard in Eastern Ghouta, near Damascus".

A government source told AFP it was an "explosion in a gas pipeline near the Tishrin power plant" that sparked a "huge fire".

Tishrin is a 630-megawatt hydropower project located on the Euphrates River.

The explosion put three power stations out of service, the Syrian Electricity Company said in a statement.

"The shutdown of these plants will lead to a decrease in the amount of electricity produced and a temporary increase in rationing hours," it said.

The explosions come at a time of rising protests over rising fuel prices, which authorities blame on the regional war with Iran.

Syria's oil, gas and electricity production have been heavily affected by the civil war that ravaged the country between 2011 and 2024.

Syria used to produce 30 million cubic meters of gas per day for electricity generation, compared to only 8.5 million now.

The domestic gas needs are estimated at between 22 and 25 million cubic meters per day, according to Energy Minister Mohammad al-Bashir.