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Arab World

Palestinians Report Israeli Strike on School Ahead of Diplomatic Talks

Palestinians react following a strike at a UN-run school sheltering displaced people, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestinian group Hamas, in the Jabalia refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip November 4, 2023. (Reuters)
Palestinians react following a strike at a UN-run school sheltering displaced people, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestinian group Hamas, in the Jabalia refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip November 4, 2023. (Reuters)
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Palestinians Report Israeli Strike on School Ahead of Diplomatic Talks

Palestinians react following a strike at a UN-run school sheltering displaced people, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestinian group Hamas, in the Jabalia refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip November 4, 2023. (Reuters)
Palestinians react following a strike at a UN-run school sheltering displaced people, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestinian group Hamas, in the Jabalia refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip November 4, 2023. (Reuters)

Palestinians reported a deadly Israeli strike on a Gaza City area school serving as a shelter on Saturday, as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was due to hear Arab demands for a ceasefire in a meeting in Jordan.

Witnesses said an Israeli strike hit Al-Fakhoura school in Jabalia refugee camp, killing and wounding many of the evacuees who had taken shelter there. At least 15 people died and dozens more were wounded, Mohammad Abu Selmeyah, the head of al-Shifa Hospital, said of the school incident.

Reuters pictures of the aftermath showed broken furniture and other belongings lying on the ground, patches of blood and people crying.

"People were preparing breakfast, when suddenly bombing started. I found my two girls, one of them was martyred and her head was hit, the second was wounded in her leg... the other girl as well was wounded with shrapnel," one man said in video footage obtained by Reuters.

The ministry of health in Gaza said another Israeli missile strike killed two women at the door of the Nasser Children Hospital. Several more people were injured, it said.

The Israeli military had no immediate comment on either reported strike and Reuters was not immediately able to verify any more details.

Hours earlier, Gaza health officials had said 15 people were killed in an Israeli air strike on an ambulance on Friday evening that was part of a convoy carrying injured Palestinians at Gaza's biggest hospital, al-Shifa.

Israel's military said it had identified and hit an ambulance "being used by a Hamas terrorist cell" and that a number of Hamas fighters were killed.

The Palestinian health ministry challenged Israel to provide proof that the ambulance was carrying militants. Israel said it intended to release additional information.

Israel's ground forces encircled Gaza City on Thursday after stepping up a bombing campaign it says aims at wiping out Hamas, after the militant group killed 1,400 people and took more than 240 hostage in an Oct. 7 assault in southern Israel.

Israel last month ordered all civilians to leave the northern part of the Gaza Strip, including Gaza City, and head to the south of the enclave, which it has also continued to bomb.

Israel has accused Hamas of hiding among civilians throughout the enclave and concealing command centers and tunnel entrances in al-Shifa, something Hamas and the hospital denies.

Gaza's living conditions, already dire before the fighting, have deteriorated further. Food is scarce, residents have resorted to drinking salty water, medical services are collapsing and Gaza health officials say more than 9,250 Palestinians have been killed.

Israel's military began widespread ground operations a week ago and in its latest update it said a combined tank and combat engineering unit carried out a "pinpoint raid" in the southern Gaza Strip "to map out buildings and neutralize explosives".

The UN humanitarian office OCHA estimates that nearly 1.5 million of Gaza's 2.3 million people are internally displaced.

Lebanon's caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati emphasized the urgency of a ceasefire in Gaza when he met Blinken in Amman on Saturday, Lebanon state news agency said.

Blinken, in turn, emphasized his efforts to halt military operations for humanitarian reasons and to address the issue of prisoners.

On Saturday Blinken is also due to meet the Saudi, Qatari, Emirati and Egyptian foreign ministers, as well as Palestinian representatives in Amman, the Jordanian foreign ministry said.

The Arab leaders will stress the "Arab stance calling for an immediate ceasefire, delivering humanitarian aid and ways of ending the dangerous deterioration that threatens the security of the region", the ministry said in a statement.

Washington has maintained robust military and political support for Israel, while calling on its ally to take steps to avoid civilian deaths and address Gaza's humanitarian crisis.

Israel says no pause unless hostages are freed

Hamas has prepared for a protracted war in Gaza and believes it can hold up Israel's advance long enough to force its arch enemy to agree to a ceasefire, two sources close to the organization's leadership said.

The group is also seeking a tangible concession, such as the release of Palestinian prisoners in exchange for Israeli hostages, the sources said.

Hamas official Izzat El Reshiq on Saturday urged Arab leaders and people to pressure Israel and the US administration by cutting diplomatic ties, expelling ambassadors and leveraging oil and economic interests to support the people in the Gaza Strip.

Blinken met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday and called for a humanitarian pause in fighting that he said would facilitate work to release hostages, allow aid into Gaza but not prevent Israel from defending itself.

In a televised address, Netanyahu rejected the idea of a pause unless hostages were freed.

A senior Biden administration official said on Friday the US had "indirect engagement" aimed at freeing the hostages.

Explaining why it was taking "so long" to get foreign nationals out, the official said Hamas initially conditioned the release of foreigners on wounded Palestinians being able to exit as well, but one-third of the Palestinians on the list turned out to be Hamas members.

While Blinken was in Israel, the leader of Lebanon's Iran-backed Hezbollah group warned the United States that if Israel did not stop its assault on Gaza, the conflict could widen into a regional war.

Hassan Nasrallah, in his first speech since the Israel-Hamas conflict erupted, also threatened the US, hinting his paramilitary group was ready to confront American warships in the Mediterranean.

A heavily armed ally of Hamas, Hezbollah has been engaging Israeli forces on the Lebanon-Israel border in the biggest flare-up since it fought a war with Israel in 2006.

Other Iran-aligned groups have entered the fray since Oct. 7, with Iran-backed Shiite groups firing on US forces in Iraq and Syria, and Yemen's Houthis launching drones at Israel.

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Arab World

Source Reveals to Asharq Al-Awsat Names of Some Members of Gaza Technocrat Committee

Palestinians displaced by the Israeli military offensive shelter in an UNRWA school, in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, August 19, 2025. (Reuters)
Palestinians displaced by the Israeli military offensive shelter in an UNRWA school, in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, August 19, 2025. (Reuters)
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Source Reveals to Asharq Al-Awsat Names of Some Members of Gaza Technocrat Committee

Palestinians displaced by the Israeli military offensive shelter in an UNRWA school, in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, August 19, 2025. (Reuters)
Palestinians displaced by the Israeli military offensive shelter in an UNRWA school, in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, August 19, 2025. (Reuters)

An informed Palestinian sources revealed that an agreement has been reached on the majority of the members of the technocratic committee will run the Gaza Strip.

The source, who is a member of the Palestinian civil society, told Asharq Al-Awsat that the 18-member committee will be comprised of Gaza residents who are businessmen, academics or involved in civil society.

The approved members have been informed to head to Cairo, which they will do on Wednesday.

Asharq Al-Awsat learned that the members include Ali Shaath, who served as secretary at the Palestinian Authority's Transportation Ministry, Abdulkarim Ashour, a civil society activist, Aed Yaghi, Director of the Palestinian Medical Relief Society (PMRS) in Gaza, Ayed Abou Ramadan, Chair of the Gaza Chamber of Commerce, and Jaber al-Daour, President of Palestine University.

Other members include Bashir al-Rayyes, an engineering consultant, Omar Shemali, engineer Ali Barhoum, and lawyer Hana Tarazi.

It remains to be seen if Israel has approved the names of the committee, said the source.

Changes could be introduced if objections are made.

Egypt has been intensifying its efforts with all Palestinian parties, American mediators and Israel to speed up the formation of the committee that will run Gaza temporarily and be affiliated with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' government.

Hamas is gearing up to transfer control to the committee once it is finalized.

Arab World

Aoun, Hezbollah Ties Cool as Contacts Stay at Minimum

Supporters of Hezbollah hold portraits of its general secretaries on the first anniversary of the assassination of Hassan Nasrallah. (Reuters file)
Supporters of Hezbollah hold portraits of its general secretaries on the first anniversary of the assassination of Hassan Nasrallah. (Reuters file)
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Aoun, Hezbollah Ties Cool as Contacts Stay at Minimum

Supporters of Hezbollah hold portraits of its general secretaries on the first anniversary of the assassination of Hassan Nasrallah. (Reuters file)
Supporters of Hezbollah hold portraits of its general secretaries on the first anniversary of the assassination of Hassan Nasrallah. (Reuters file)

Relations between Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Hezbollah have grown visibly strained, with contacts confined to what ministerial sources described as “the bare minimum.”

The chill has deepened following Aoun’s recent remarks on Hezbollah’s weapons, which widened the rift between the two sides and triggered pointed criticism from the group at the president.

In a televised interview last week marking the first anniversary of his election, Aoun said that “the role of weapons outside the state has ended with the presence of the army, and their continued existence has become a burden on their own environment and on Lebanon as a whole, with no remaining deterrent role.”

In response, former Hezbollah-aligned minister Mohammed Fneish said in a television interview that the party had “reservations on the president’s recent positions,” adding: “We disagree with him in form and substance in some passages. We are not another party. We are a resistance force that played a major role in liberating Lebanon.”

Cool communication

Ministerial sources familiar with Aoun’s position stressed that “the stances he expressed are not new, but the current circumstances may differ from previous ones.”

Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat, the sources said the remarks stem from the president’s conviction that weapons outside the framework of the state no longer serve any purpose, that their role has ended, and that they have become a burden on everyone, including the Shiite community and Hezbollah’s own base.

“This is, ultimately, a description of an existing reality,” the sources said.

They added that reactions from Hezbollah’s supporters were expected, but would not prevent communication from continuing, since maintaining contact serves the interests of both sides, particularly Hezbollah.

Aoun and Salam

In recent years, Hezbollah had sought to maintain good relations with Aoun. Its lawmakers voted for him during the presidential election session after months of backing Suleiman Franjieh’s candidacy.

The group’s leadership even opened discreet talks with Aoun on what became known as the “national security strategy,” though these discussions yielded no results. Channels of communication remain open on the issue of weapons north of the Litani River, amid Hezbollah’s refusal to cooperate on this file.

Since the cabinet approved a decision last August restricting weapons to the state, Hezbollah’s leadership and supporters have focused their criticism on the government in which the group is represented.

Ties have worsened between Hezbollah and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, whom the group did not back during parliamentary consultations that named him as premier last year.

A natural reaction

Political writer Dr. Kassem Kassir, who closely follows Hezbollah’s position, said the reaction of the party's supporters to Aoun’s remarks was “a natural response,” particularly because the president did not take into account what he described as the "role of the resistance in protecting Lebanon."

He added that calls to end the role of weapons were made without offering guarantees for what would follow or proposing alternative options.

Kassir told Asharq Al-Awsat that the stance of Hezbollah’s supporters did not necessarily reflect the position of the leadership. Communication channels remain open, but contacts have failed to produce a unified vision.

He added that Hezbollah has formal reservations about the performance of the government and the state, especially regarding Israeli negotiations and what it views as concessions made without guarantees or tangible results.

Duality in rhetoric

University professor and lawyer Ali Murad said that segments of Hezbollah’s supporters on social media adopt an extreme accusatory tone toward anyone who disagrees with them, leaving no room for nuance.

However, he argued that the problem goes beyond the supporters themselves and lies in the political rhetoric and mobilization Hezbollah has relied on for decades, "which entrenched a culture that recognizes only black and white and promotes accusations of betrayal, either fully with us or fully against us."

Murad told Asharq Al-Awsat that the "real issue lies in Hezbollah’s dual rhetoric."

He said the party "is fully aware that the reality has become extremely difficult following major losses and a military defeat on one hand, and the broader retreat of the Axis of Resistance on the other. As a result, a clear contradiction has emerged between what Hezbollah says and what it actually believes."

This contradiction, Murad said, is evident in the speeches of Hezbollah’s secretary general Sheikh Naim Qassem, which reflect two parallel narratives. "One acknowledges reality to a degree while maintaining rejection of handing over weapons. The other is a mobilizing discourse rooted in an earlier era, before the pager operation and the 'support front' war."

“What Aoun said falls in this direction,” Murad said, arguing that Hezbollah in its former state has ended and has become a burden on Lebanon, the Shiite community, and the residents of the south.

"Persisting with the same rhetoric today amounts to rejecting reality and practicing denial, a form of political arrogance reflected by both supporters and the group’s media circles."

No interest in breaking ties

Murad said what angered Hezbollah’s supporters most was “the truth they do not want to acknowledge,” namely that Hezbollah’s role has ended, that it has exited the deterrence equation, and that it can no longer achieve Lebanon’s objectives on its own.

“The president stated a truth that needed to be said,” he said.

Asked whether the relationship between Hezbollah and Aoun was nearing a breaking point, Murad said it was not in Hezbollah’s interest to sever political ties with the president, or even with the prime minister.

He noted that the group understands that the actions of both officials serve Lebanon’s interests and, in particular, the interests of the south.

In some respects, he added, this approach also spares Hezbollah and its base the risks of "fatal choices that could lead to a bleak outcome if denial or political self-destruction were to prevail."

Arab World

Palestinian Factions Hold Indirect Talks in Cairo on Second Phase of Gaza Ceasefire

A general view shows destruction in the Bureij camp in the central Gaza Strip on January 9, 2026 following Israeli attacks. Gaza's civil defense agency said Israeli attacks in the Palestinian territory killed at least 13 people, including five children, despite a ceasefire that has largely halted the fighting. (AFP)
A general view shows destruction in the Bureij camp in the central Gaza Strip on January 9, 2026 following Israeli attacks. Gaza's civil defense agency said Israeli attacks in the Palestinian territory killed at least 13 people, including five children, despite a ceasefire that has largely halted the fighting. (AFP)
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Palestinian Factions Hold Indirect Talks in Cairo on Second Phase of Gaza Ceasefire

A general view shows destruction in the Bureij camp in the central Gaza Strip on January 9, 2026 following Israeli attacks. Gaza's civil defense agency said Israeli attacks in the Palestinian territory killed at least 13 people, including five children, despite a ceasefire that has largely halted the fighting. (AFP)
A general view shows destruction in the Bureij camp in the central Gaza Strip on January 9, 2026 following Israeli attacks. Gaza's civil defense agency said Israeli attacks in the Palestinian territory killed at least 13 people, including five children, despite a ceasefire that has largely halted the fighting. (AFP)

A Palestinian source from the Fatah movement told Asharq Al-Awsat on Tuesday that “indirect” meetings among Palestinian factions have begun in Cairo to discuss advancing the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement, particularly the formation of the committee to run the enclave, ahead of a broader meeting scheduled for Wednesday.

The second phase of the ceasefire, which came into force on Oct. 10, includes key provisions such as the disarmament of Hamas, the formation of a Board of Peace to oversee the peace process in the territory, the establishment of a technocratic committee to run Gaza’s affairs, and the deployment of an international stabilization force.

The Palestinian source stated that eight Palestinian factions are currently in Cairo, including Fatah and Hamas, to explore ways to advance the stalled second phase.

Fatah may skip the factions’ meeting

The source said discussions include the formation of the technocratic committee, the Palestinian police force to be deployed in the enclave, and related structures, noting that differences remain and that Fatah refuses to meet directly with Hamas.

A second informed Fatah source told Asharq Al-Awsat that the movement may not take part in Wednesday’s planned factions’ meeting.

A Palestinian source stated on Monday that consultations in Cairo were expected to finalize the administration committee and present factions with proposed names, particularly following recent developments involving changes to some nominees in response to Israeli objections.

On Tuesday, another informed Palestinian source stated that an agreement had been reached on the names of most members of the technocratic committee.

In televised remarks late on Sunday, Hamas politburo member Mohammed Nazzal said a delegation from the movement would discuss follow-up on the implementation of the ceasefire agreement amid “major difficulties hindering its application and continued Israeli violations.”

Mediators’ contacts

The Gaza administration committee has moved to the forefront of ceasefire mediation efforts, amid anticipation of decisive US decisions on announcing the Board of Peace and the technocratic committee, as well as Wednesday’s factions’ meeting in Cairo.

Those intensive contacts by mediators “require real US pressure and Palestinian consensus to translate them into momentum for the second phase and to overcome Israeli obstacles,” an Egyptian expert told Asharq Al-Awsat.

Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed Al Ansari said at a press conference on Tuesday that Doha is working with mediators to accelerate progress toward the second phase of the ceasefire, accusing Israel of obstructing the deal.

“Israel must answer one question: why is the Gaza agreement delayed?” Al Ansari said, adding that “the complexities on the table today require moving forward to the second phase of the agreement, and our contacts are continuous and daily to push the deal ahead.”

Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani and Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty stressed during a phone call the importance of announcing the formation of the temporary Palestinian technocratic committee, in parallel with establishing the international stabilization force, ensuring the flow of humanitarian aid, and creating conditions for early recovery and reconstruction, said a statement by Egypt’s Foreign Ministry on Tuesday.

Abdelatty and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan also agreed during a phone call on Tuesday on “the need to intensify regional and international efforts to ensure the consolidation of the ceasefire and to move forward with the transition to the second phase of the US president’s plan.”

In a separate call with Palestinian Vice President Hussein al-Sheikh, Abdelatty reaffirmed Egypt’s support for deploying the international stabilization force and technocratic committee, which would help create the conditions necessary for restoring the Palestinian Authority’s role.

Abdelatty also spoke by phone with German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul, who is close to Israel, to discuss Gaza.

Mukhtar Ghobashi, Secretary General of the Al-Farabi Center for Strategic Studies, said mediators’ contacts must be followed by genuine and serious US pressure to announce second-phase decisions, whether on forming the administration committee or the Board of Peace.

Ghobashi said Cairo is keen to push the second phase forward, as reflected in the intensive contacts, but that progress hinges on US pressure, Palestinian consensus, and imminent US decisions this week to end the tragedy in the enclave, for which Israel bears full responsibility.