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Israel Includes Gaza Americans in US Visa-waiver Pilot as Deadline Nears

Israeli and American flags stand during the final rehearsal for the ceremony to welcome US President Joe Biden ahead of his visit to Israel, at Ben Gurion International airport, in Lod near Tel Aviv, Israel July 12, 2022. REUTERS/Amir Cohen/File Photo
Israeli and American flags stand during the final rehearsal for the ceremony to welcome US President Joe Biden ahead of his visit to Israel, at Ben Gurion International airport, in Lod near Tel Aviv, Israel July 12, 2022. REUTERS/Amir Cohen/File Photo
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Israel Includes Gaza Americans in US Visa-waiver Pilot as Deadline Nears

Israeli and American flags stand during the final rehearsal for the ceremony to welcome US President Joe Biden ahead of his visit to Israel, at Ben Gurion International airport, in Lod near Tel Aviv, Israel July 12, 2022. REUTERS/Amir Cohen/File Photo
Israeli and American flags stand during the final rehearsal for the ceremony to welcome US President Joe Biden ahead of his visit to Israel, at Ben Gurion International airport, in Lod near Tel Aviv, Israel July 12, 2022. REUTERS/Amir Cohen/File Photo

Israel eased travel for Palestinian Americans from the Gaza Strip on Monday as part of final preparations for a deal enabling Israelis to enter the United States without visas, an Israeli official said.
As a condition for its accession to the US Visa Waiver Program (VWP), Israel has since July 20 loosened access through its borders, and in and out of the occupied West Bank, for Palestinian Americans in what the allies deem a pilot period, Reuters said.
The deadline for Israel to show compliance with the US conditions is Sept 30. If successful, it expects to be incorporated in the VWP by November - a respite for relations strained by disputes over Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's judicial reforms and policies on the Palestinians.
Gaza, whose governing Islamist Hamas is designated a terrorist group by Israel and the United States, was previously excluded from the pilot. The enclave is under an Israeli and Egyptian blockade and both maintain restrictions along their borders with it.
The exclusion stirred protests by Palestinian Americans and calls from Washington for a change in practice.
An Israeli official said that, as of Monday, Palestinian Americans living in Gaza and who are not deemed security threats will be able to enter Israel on a "B2" tourist visa, opening up the possibility of them taking flights out of its airports.
Israel previously said it intended to include Palestinian Americans living in Gaza - whose number it puts at between 100 and 130 - on Sept 15 but would try to bring the date forward.
The US Embassy in Jerusalem had no immediate comment.
As part of the pilot, Israel says it has already been letting Palestinian Americans leave Gaza by special buses to Jordan, from which they could travel elsewhere.
In another new policy, Israel says it is allowing Palestinian Americans from abroad who have first-degree relatives in Gaza to make once-yearly visits of up to 90 days.
Palestinian and US officials have assessed that the number of dual US nationals in Gaza may be several hundred. Asked about the apparent discrepancy in the figures, an Israeli official said most of those are not full-time Gaza residents.

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Arab World

Remnants of Assad's Chemical Weapons Program Recovered, Syrian Official Says

FILE PHOTO: A member of the former rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham stands guard near an image of Syria's Bashar al-Assad at the fourth division headquarters in Damascus, Syria, January 23, 2025 REUTERS/Yamam Al Shaar/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A member of the former rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham stands guard near an image of Syria's Bashar al-Assad at the fourth division headquarters in Damascus, Syria, January 23, 2025 REUTERS/Yamam Al Shaar/File Photo
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Remnants of Assad's Chemical Weapons Program Recovered, Syrian Official Says

FILE PHOTO: A member of the former rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham stands guard near an image of Syria's Bashar al-Assad at the fourth division headquarters in Damascus, Syria, January 23, 2025 REUTERS/Yamam Al Shaar/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A member of the former rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham stands guard near an image of Syria's Bashar al-Assad at the fourth division headquarters in Damascus, Syria, January 23, 2025 REUTERS/Yamam Al Shaar/File Photo

Syria's transitional leadership has located remnants of former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad's clandestine chemical weapons program, including raw materials and munitions similar to those used to carry out deadly gas attacks during the country's long-running civil war, a Syrian official told Reuters on Tuesday.

Syrian authorities have also taken into custody 18 suspects for alleged involvement in Assad's chemical weapons program, including high-level military, political and technical officials, said Mohamad Katoub, Syria's permanent representative to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) in The Hague, in an interview.

 

Arab World

Israeli Media Says Military Expands Ground Operations in Lebanon

The aftermath of an Israeli airstrike is seen in the southern Lebanese area of al-Hosh, near the coastal city of Tyre on May 26, 2026. (Photo by AFP)
The aftermath of an Israeli airstrike is seen in the southern Lebanese area of al-Hosh, near the coastal city of Tyre on May 26, 2026. (Photo by AFP)
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Israeli Media Says Military Expands Ground Operations in Lebanon

The aftermath of an Israeli airstrike is seen in the southern Lebanese area of al-Hosh, near the coastal city of Tyre on May 26, 2026. (Photo by AFP)
The aftermath of an Israeli airstrike is seen in the southern Lebanese area of al-Hosh, near the coastal city of Tyre on May 26, 2026. (Photo by AFP)

Israeli forces have begun operating beyond its so-called "Yellow Line" in south Lebanon, which runs around 10 kilometers (six miles) deep inside Lebanese territory, a military official confirmed to AFP on Tuesday. 

"The army is operating in a targeted manner beyond the Forward Defense Line in order to remove direct threats to the citizens of the State of Israel and Israeli troops, in accordance with the directives of the political echelon," the military official said when asked about reports that the military had begun ground operations beyond its demarcation line. 

"Specific details regarding soldiers' locations cannot be provided," the official added. 

Israeli troops have until now been operating inside an occupied self-declared "Yellow Line", where they have carried out large-scale demolitions despite a ceasefire in effect since April 17. 

Israel's left-leaning Haaretz newspaper and news site Ynet reported that troops had begun ground operations north of the Yellow Line in order to reduce the threat posed by Hezbollah's explosive drones. 

Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah have continued to exchange fire on a near-daily basis despite the ceasefire. 

Several strikes hit the southern Lebanese city of Nabatieh on Tuesday after an unprecedented Israeli evacuation warning, an AFP correspondent said, a day after at least 11 were killed in a strike in the country's east. 

Hezbollah meanwhile said it confronted Israeli troops trying to advance into a town that overlooks the city. 

Arab World

Tunisian President Blames Profiteering Networks for Rising Prices

Tunisians visit a livestock market as they prepare for Eid al-Adha, the Muslim feast of Sacrifice in the Ariana district near Tunis on May 25, 2026.(Photo by FETHI BELAID / AFP)
Tunisians visit a livestock market as they prepare for Eid al-Adha, the Muslim feast of Sacrifice in the Ariana district near Tunis on May 25, 2026.(Photo by FETHI BELAID / AFP)
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Tunisian President Blames Profiteering Networks for Rising Prices

Tunisians visit a livestock market as they prepare for Eid al-Adha, the Muslim feast of Sacrifice in the Ariana district near Tunis on May 25, 2026.(Photo by FETHI BELAID / AFP)
Tunisians visit a livestock market as they prepare for Eid al-Adha, the Muslim feast of Sacrifice in the Ariana district near Tunis on May 25, 2026.(Photo by FETHI BELAID / AFP)

Tunisia's presidency has blamed profiteering networks for the sharp rise in prices, which has become more acute ahead of Eid al-Adha.

Tunisians are facing mounting pressure from high sacrificial animal prices this year, despite a rainy season that ended five consecutive years of drought.

Markets are also witnessing an unusual increase in fruit and vegetable prices, prompting protests earlier this month over the rising cost of living and the erosion of purchasing power among broad segments of the population.

In a video published on its official Facebook page following a meeting between Tunisian President Kais Saied and security officials, the presidency said security forces had dismantled profiteering and hoarding networks in several regions of the country that had deliberately driven up prices "in an attempt to harm producers and consumers alike."

It added that this approach "represents a consistent state policy that will continue without hesitation until this criminal and outrageous rise in prices is completely eliminated."

Despite the security campaigns, prices in markets remained elevated on the eve of Eid al-Adha, including red meat prices, according to observations by a correspondent for the German Press Agency (dpa).

Tunisia's inflation rate stood at 5.5 percent in April, according to the latest official update, marking its highest level in about a year, and is expected to rise further this month.

The Tunisian General Labour Union (UGTT) had earlier warned of deteriorating purchasing power among Tunisians because of rising prices and the absence of effective policies for price monitoring and regulation.