Jia Kurd to Asharq Al-Awsat: Moscow Meeting Legalizes Turkish Occupation


The head of Foreign Relations at the Kurdish The Autonomous Administration of North and East Syrian (AANES), Badran Jia Kurd (Asharq Al-Awsat)
The head of Foreign Relations at the Kurdish The Autonomous Administration of North and East Syrian (AANES), Badran Jia Kurd (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Jia Kurd to Asharq Al-Awsat: Moscow Meeting Legalizes Turkish Occupation


The head of Foreign Relations at the Kurdish The Autonomous Administration of North and East Syrian (AANES), Badran Jia Kurd (Asharq Al-Awsat)
The head of Foreign Relations at the Kurdish The Autonomous Administration of North and East Syrian (AANES), Badran Jia Kurd (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Badran Jia Kurd, a Kurdish official who heads the foreign relations department of The Autonomous Administration of North and East Syrian (AANES), has warned that the new agreements between Damascus and Ankara "will be at the expense of the Syrian people."

On Tuesday, the quartet meeting at the level of deputy foreign ministers of Türkiye, Russia, Iran, and Syria agreed to continue consultations regarding Syria.

Jia Kurd explained to Asharq Al-Awsat that without clear criteria for a comprehensive political solution to the Syrian situation, any consensus would lead to the political legitimization of the Turkish occupation.

He stressed that these meetings target the Kurdish Autonomous Administration project, saying it was a new attempt to push Syria towards civil war.

The official said the recent meeting in Moscow comes in a preliminary context to improve diplomatic relations between Damascus and Ankara and is a continuation of the Astana meetings.

He noted that the Syrian people do not have high hopes for such meetings, noting that the crisis has become "global," and bilateral or tripartite meetings cannot determine the basic features of the final political solution, especially since the Syrian decision has been usurped.

The meetings are "a waste of time" and a "lost bet on time," said Jia Kurd, adding that such "suspicious meetings cannot bring about a political solution that guarantees the rights of all Syrians."

He believes the talks would further complicate matters in light of Türkiye's destructive role in Syria.

The Kurdish official indicated that the authorities agreed with Damascus in demanding the complete and total withdrawal of Turkish forces from the Syrian territories and the need to stop interfering in internal affairs.

He explained that any process of reconciliation and normalization must occur under international law and the standards governing relations between countries, which would otherwise legitimize the occupation.

Jia Kurd called on the Syrian regime to launch a genuine dialogue with all the Syrian factions, urging Syria to be an active country and engage with its regional and global regions.

The Syrian regime needs to overcome the internal crisis and formulate a new policy for the country, setting guarantees and creating conditions for the return of all Syrians to their areas of origin.

However, the official ruled out reaching "new consensuses" under the current circumstances saying the conditions are not appropriate and not ready for such talks amid the ongoing Turkish occupation of the Syrian lands.

Jia Kurd denied that these meetings would turn overnight into a stabilizing factor and offer solutions amid Türkiye's continued occupation and the endless support for terrorist and extremist groups that commit massacres daily against the people.



Senior Hamas Commander Killed in Israeli Strike

File photo of Samir Abu Younis
File photo of Samir Abu Younis
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Senior Hamas Commander Killed in Israeli Strike

File photo of Samir Abu Younis
File photo of Samir Abu Younis

Hamas' armed wing said on Sunday that a senior commander who helped plan and oversee the October 7, 2023, attack on Israel had been killed in an Israeli airstrike.

The Al-Qassam Brigades identified the commander as Samir Abu Younis, 53, the commander of its Rafah brigade, and said he was killed on Saturday.

The Israeli military said ⁠on Sunday it ⁠had struck a senior commander in Hamas' armed wing but did not identify him.

Medics said Abu Younis was killed and others were wounded in an airstrike that targeted him in a street in ⁠the Mawasi area of Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip.

Hamas said Abu Younis joined Hamas' armed wing in 1991 and had held several senior operational roles in Rafah before becoming commander of the brigade.

Hamas said his funeral would be held on Sunday afternoon in Khan Younis.

An October 2025 ceasefire halted major fighting but has not stopped Israeli attacks ⁠or ⁠secured Hamas' disarmament.

Gaza health authorities say at least 1,600 Palestinians have been killed since the ceasefire went into effect. Five Israeli soldiers have been killed during the same period.

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


EU Urges ‘Immediate, Unimpeded’ Flood Aid to Gaza

 Displaced Palestinians walk through a rain-soaked tent camp following heavy rainfall in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, Saturday, Nov. 7, 2026. (AP)
Displaced Palestinians walk through a rain-soaked tent camp following heavy rainfall in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, Saturday, Nov. 7, 2026. (AP)
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EU Urges ‘Immediate, Unimpeded’ Flood Aid to Gaza

 Displaced Palestinians walk through a rain-soaked tent camp following heavy rainfall in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, Saturday, Nov. 7, 2026. (AP)
Displaced Palestinians walk through a rain-soaked tent camp following heavy rainfall in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, Saturday, Nov. 7, 2026. (AP)

The European Union on Saturday demanded Israel grant urgent access for aid groups to Gaza to help the victims of devastating floods there.

"We urge Israel to allow immediate, unimpeded access and sustained distribution of humanitarian assistance and early recovery support at scale, and to reopen all Gaza border crossings," it said in a statement.


Israeli Drone Strike Kills 2 Palestinians in Gaza

 Palestinians walk through a tent camp housing displaced people amid buildings destroyed by Israeli strikes during the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza City, Sunday, Nov. 8, 2026. (AP)
Palestinians walk through a tent camp housing displaced people amid buildings destroyed by Israeli strikes during the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza City, Sunday, Nov. 8, 2026. (AP)
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Israeli Drone Strike Kills 2 Palestinians in Gaza

 Palestinians walk through a tent camp housing displaced people amid buildings destroyed by Israeli strikes during the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza City, Sunday, Nov. 8, 2026. (AP)
Palestinians walk through a tent camp housing displaced people amid buildings destroyed by Israeli strikes during the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza City, Sunday, Nov. 8, 2026. (AP)

An Israeli drone strike killed two Palestinians in the Gaza Strip on Saturday, hospital officials said.

The drone struck two Palestinians walking down a street in Jabaliya, on the northern edge of Gaza City, said Mohamed Abu Selmiya, director of Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, where the casualties were taken.

The American field hospital said several other people were wounded but did not provide a number.

Asked about the attack, the Israeli military said it had struck two Hamas fighters in the area.

Near-daily Israeli fire and airstrikes have continued in Gaza more than a year after Israel and Hamas reached a ceasefire deal.

At least 1,600 Palestinians have been killed since the ceasefire, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. The ministry, part of the Hamas-run government, maintains detailed records and is seen as generally reliable by UN agencies and independent experts. It does not distinguish between civilians and combatants in its toll but says women and children make up around half the dead.