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Two New Candidates Run for Presidential Election in Egypt

A banner depicting Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi is seen outside a polling station during the referendum on draft constitutional amendments (File photo: Reuters)
A banner depicting Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi is seen outside a polling station during the referendum on draft constitutional amendments (File photo: Reuters)
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Two New Candidates Run for Presidential Election in Egypt

A banner depicting Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi is seen outside a polling station during the referendum on draft constitutional amendments (File photo: Reuters)
A banner depicting Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi is seen outside a polling station during the referendum on draft constitutional amendments (File photo: Reuters)

Two new figures, opposition activist and head of Egypt's liberal Constitution Party (al-Dostour) Gameela Ismail and Chairman of the Egyptian Social Democratic Party Farid Zahran, have announced they were running for the upcoming presidential elections in Egypt.

Ismail informed her party of her decision to enter the presidential race in response to a request from its supreme body. She has called for an extraordinary general assembly on October 4 to vote on her candidacy.

On Wednesday, Egypt's National Election Authority (NEA) announced that it had completed the "logistical procedures" for the upcoming elections, emphasizing it will maintain an equal distance from all candidates.

NEA executive director Ahmed Bendari stated that the Authority will guarantee the full rights of all candidates who meet the nomination requirements.

Zahran announced that his party held an urgent meeting to review its stance on the upcoming presidential election, as NEA is set to announce its timetable on Monday.

The meeting was attended by 134 members out of the party's total 143.

According to a party statement, "after a ten-hour meeting, 75 percent of members voted in favor of Zahran running for president, 15 percent objected, and 10 percent abstained."

The Civil Democratic Movement, an opposition coalition comprising 12 parties and public figures, seeks to agree on a single candidate.

If Gameela Ismail runs for the presidency, she will become the first Egyptian woman to do so.

President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has not announced his intention to run for another term.

To date, five political figures, including head of the Wafd Party Abdel-Sanad Yamama, former MP and member of the Wafd Party's Higher Council Fouad Badrawi, head of the People's Republican Party Hazem Omar, chairman of the Democratic Peace Party Ahmed el-Fadaly, and former MP and former head of leftist al-Karama Party Ahmed Tantawi have said they have plans to run in the upcoming elections.

Egyptian expert Abdel Moneim Said told Asharq Al-Awsat that Egyptian parties are taking the elections seriously and should continue efforts to agree on one candidate.

During a press conference, the National Election Authority laid down rules stipulating that a candidate for the presidency must be endorsed by at least twenty parliament members or supported by no less than 25,000 citizens who have the right to vote in at least fifteen governorates.

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Arab World

Türkiye Calls Israel’s Recognition of Somaliland ‘Illegitimate’

This handout photograph taken and released by the Turkish presidential press service on December 30, 2025, shows Türkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (R) and Somalia's President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud (L) shaking hands before their meeting in Istanbul. (Photo by Handout / Turkish Presidential Press Service / AFP)
This handout photograph taken and released by the Turkish presidential press service on December 30, 2025, shows Türkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (R) and Somalia's President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud (L) shaking hands before their meeting in Istanbul. (Photo by Handout / Turkish Presidential Press Service / AFP)
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Türkiye Calls Israel’s Recognition of Somaliland ‘Illegitimate’

This handout photograph taken and released by the Turkish presidential press service on December 30, 2025, shows Türkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (R) and Somalia's President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud (L) shaking hands before their meeting in Istanbul. (Photo by Handout / Turkish Presidential Press Service / AFP)
This handout photograph taken and released by the Turkish presidential press service on December 30, 2025, shows Türkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (R) and Somalia's President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud (L) shaking hands before their meeting in Istanbul. (Photo by Handout / Turkish Presidential Press Service / AFP)

Türkiye’s president on Tuesday called Israel's recognition of Somaliland "illegitimate and unacceptable" as he hosted a visit by his Somali counterpart.

"Preserving the unity and integrity of Somalia in all circumstances holds special importance in our view. Israel's decision to recognize Somaliland is illegitimate and unacceptable," Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in a press conference alongside Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud.

Israel sparked criticism last Friday when it said it was officially recognizing Somaliland -- a breakaway territory in Somalia's north.

The declaration was a first for the territory, which in 1991 had unilaterally declared secession from Somalia.

Israel's move has drawn widespread criticism from the African Union, Egypt and the European Union, which insist on war-torn Somalia's sovereignty.

Türkiye has frequently clashed with Israel over a range of issues, especially over the conflict in Gaza and Israeli obstruction of aid to the Palestinian territory.

Mohamud said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's "aggressive position, which also includes Somalia, is unacceptable".

He called Netanyahu's Somaliland declaration "a violation of international law" and "the start of insecurity and instability, especially for Somalia and the African region".

Arab World

10 Countries Warn of ‘Catastrophic’ Gaza Situation

Palestinians stand next to a tent set up on the rubble of buildings destroyed during Israeli air and ground operations in the Sheikh Radwan neighborhood, in Gaza City, Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025. (AP)
Palestinians stand next to a tent set up on the rubble of buildings destroyed during Israeli air and ground operations in the Sheikh Radwan neighborhood, in Gaza City, Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025. (AP)
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10 Countries Warn of ‘Catastrophic’ Gaza Situation

Palestinians stand next to a tent set up on the rubble of buildings destroyed during Israeli air and ground operations in the Sheikh Radwan neighborhood, in Gaza City, Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025. (AP)
Palestinians stand next to a tent set up on the rubble of buildings destroyed during Israeli air and ground operations in the Sheikh Radwan neighborhood, in Gaza City, Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025. (AP)

The foreign ministers of 10 nations on Tuesday expressed "serious concerns" about a "renewed deterioration of the humanitarian situation" in Gaza, saying the situation was "catastrophic". 

"As winter draws in, civilians in Gaza are facing appalling conditions with heavy rainfall and temperatures dropping," the ministers of Britain, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Iceland, Japan, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland said in a joint statement released by the UK's Foreign Office. 

"1.3 million people still require urgent shelter support. More than half of health facilities are only partially functional and face shortages of essential medical equipment and supplies. The total collapse of sanitation infrastructure has left 740,000 people vulnerable to toxic flooding," the statement added. 

The ministers said they welcomed the progress that had been made to end the bloodshed in Gaza and secure the release of Israeli hostages. 

"However, we will not lose focus on the plight of civilians in Gaza," they said, calling on the government of Israel to take a string of "urgent and essential" steps. 

These included ensuring that international NGOs could operate in Gaza in a "sustained and predictable" way. 

"As 31 December approaches, many established international NGO partners are at risk of being de-registered because of the government of Israel's restrictive new requirements," the statement said. 

It also called for the UN and its partners to be able to continue their work in Gaza and for the lifting of "unreasonable restricts on imports considered to have a dual use". 

This included medical and shelter equipment. 

The foreign ministers also called for the opening of crossings to boost the flows of humanitarian aid into Gaza. 

While welcoming the partial opening of the Allenby crossing, they said other corridors for moving goods remained closed or severely restricted for humanitarian aid, including Rafah. 

"Bureaucratic customs processes and extensive screenings are causing delays, while commercial cargo is being allowed in more freely," the statement said. 

"The target of 4,200 trucks per week, including an allocation of 250 UN trucks per day, should be a floor not a ceiling. These targets should be lifted so we can be sure the vital supplies are getting in at the vast scale needed," it added. 

Arab World

UN Condemns Israel's Moves against Agency for Palestinian Refugees

UNRWA center targeted by Israeli shelling in northern Gaza (DPA)
UNRWA center targeted by Israeli shelling in northern Gaza (DPA)
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UN Condemns Israel's Moves against Agency for Palestinian Refugees

UNRWA center targeted by Israeli shelling in northern Gaza (DPA)
UNRWA center targeted by Israeli shelling in northern Gaza (DPA)

The United Nations warned Tuesday that recent actions by Israel against the UN agency for Palestinian refugees risked depriving millions of people of basic services such as education and healthcare.

Israel's parliament passed new legislation on Monday formally stripping the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) of diplomatic immunity, and barring Israeli companies from providing water or electricity to the agency's institutions, AFP reported.

According to UNRWA, the legislation also grants the Israeli government the authority to expropriate the agency's properties in East Jerusalem, including its headquarters and main vocational training center.

UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini condemned the legislation as "outrageous", decrying it on social media as "part of an ongoing, systematic campaign to discredit UNRWA and thereby obstruct the core role that the agency plays providing human-development assistance and services to Palestine refugees".

Filippo Grandi, the outgoing head of the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, and a former UNRWA chief, also criticised the move as "very unfortunate".

In an interview with AFP, he highlighted that UNRWA, unlike other UN agencies, provides basic public services such as education and healthcare to the millions of registered Palestinian refugees it serves across Gaza and the West Bank, as well as in Lebanon, Jordan and Syria.

"If you deprive those people of those services... then you had better find a substitute," he said, warning: "I think it would be very difficult."

"At the moment, there is a great risk that millions of people will be deprived of basic services if UNRWA is further deprived of space to work, and resources to work."

Israel has been ratcheting up pressure on UNRWA over the past two years.

It has accused the agency of providing cover for Hamas militants, claiming that some UNRWA employees took part in the militant group's October 7, 2023 assault on Israel, which sparked the war in Gaza.

A series of UN-linked internal and external investigations found some "neutrality-related issues" at UNRWA, but stressed Israel had not provided conclusive evidence for its headline allegation.

Grandi criticised the torrent of accusations that have swirled around the agency.

"UNRWA is a very indispensable organization in the Middle East," he said.

"Contrary to much of the frankly baseless rhetoric that we have heard in the past couple of years, UNRWA is a force for peace and stability," he added.

"In a region in which you need every bit of stability and efforts towards peace, it would be really irresponsible to let such an important organization decline further."