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Abul Gheit: Rejecting Ceasefire in Gaza Gives Israel ‘License to Kill’

UN Security Council meeting to discuss the situation in Gaza (EPA)
UN Security Council meeting to discuss the situation in Gaza (EPA)
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Abul Gheit: Rejecting Ceasefire in Gaza Gives Israel ‘License to Kill’

UN Security Council meeting to discuss the situation in Gaza (EPA)
UN Security Council meeting to discuss the situation in Gaza (EPA)

Arab League Secretary-General Ahmad Abul Gheit said on Saturday that the failure of the UN Security Council to agree on a permanent ceasefire in Gaza is equivalent to providing Israel with a “license to kill.”
The Arab League chief also said that the adoption of a resolution in the Security Council regarding the delivery of aid to the Gaza Strip came "late".
The Security Council, criticized for its failure to take any concrete action on the war in Gaza, passed Friday a resolution that called for humanitarian aid in Gaza without a ceasefire to facilitate its delivery.
“The UNSC Resolution is an attempt to prevent famine in the Gaza Strip and to save people, especially women and children, from a catastrophic situation, but it is not enough to stop Israel’s war machine, particularly it does not include a ceasefire,” Abul Gheit said in a statement.
He said the decision came after stalling and delay at the request of Israel, stressing that what is required is not only the introduction of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip, but also primarily the protection of civilians from the continuous bombing, achieving a sustainable ceasefire, and immediately starting a major relief operation to include hundreds of thousands of people who lack the minimum necessities for life.
“Every step to alleviate the suffering of civilians in Gaza is in the right direction, but addressing the humanitarian catastrophe cannot be achieved through partial measures or palliatives to absorb the anger of world public opinion over what is happening in Gaza,” according to the Arab League chief.
Abul Gheit then affirmed that rejecting an immediate ceasefire is a “license to kill,” explaining that Arab efforts will not stop to reach an end to the war. He called on the US to reassess the situation and take the correct decision from both a humanitarian and political standpoint instead of being led by the desire of the Israeli extreme right to inflict collective punishment and revenge against 2.3 million people in the Gaza Strip.
On Friday, the Security Council adopted an amended version of the UAE-penned resolution to avoid a veto by the US.
The resolution demands the immediate, safe and unhindered delivery of humanitarian assistance directly to the Palestinian civilian population throughout the Gaza Strip.
The reference to “urgent and permanent cessation of hostilities” was removed from the initial text of the resolution.
Later, Moscow requested an amendment to reinstate the call for an “urgent suspension of hostilities,” which Washington opposed.
This is the second time that the Security Council succeeds in passing a resolution on Gaza.
On November 15, the Council approved a resolution calling for a “humanitarian ceasefire.”
In the past two months, five texts calling for a humanitarian ceasefire were rejected, including two vetoed by the US.

 

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Arab World

Karak Church Attack Suspects Hid in Abandoned House for 60 Hours

A building shows signs of gunfire at the site where Jordanian security forces arrested three suspects in connection with the deadly church shooting, in the Al-Judayyda area of Karak, Jordan, October 26, 2026. REUTERS/Alaa Al Sukhni
A building shows signs of gunfire at the site where Jordanian security forces arrested three suspects in connection with the deadly church shooting, in the Al-Judayyda area of Karak, Jordan, October 26, 2026. REUTERS/Alaa Al Sukhni
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Karak Church Attack Suspects Hid in Abandoned House for 60 Hours

A building shows signs of gunfire at the site where Jordanian security forces arrested three suspects in connection with the deadly church shooting, in the Al-Judayyda area of Karak, Jordan, October 26, 2026. REUTERS/Alaa Al Sukhni
A building shows signs of gunfire at the site where Jordanian security forces arrested three suspects in connection with the deadly church shooting, in the Al-Judayyda area of Karak, Jordan, October 26, 2026. REUTERS/Alaa Al Sukhni

Jordanian sources confirmed that the perpetrators of the Hamoud Church attack, who were arrested early Monday, had been hiding in an abandoned house in the village of Jdeideh, neighboring Hamoud, where the terrorist attack killed nine people and wounded dozens of churchgoers who had gathered to offer condolences.

Sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that the terrorists had remained inside the abandoned house for 60 hours, managing to conceal their presence without attracting the attention of nearby residents. The house is located six kilometers from Hamoud village.

The same sources said the perpetrators watched the funeral procession for the victims of the Hamoud Church attack pass by from their hiding place.

They added that the three suspects were two brothers and their cousin.

Large-Scale Security Operation

Providing details of the operation to arrest the three terrorists, the sources said security forces used drones and remotely controlled robots.

During the operation, the terrorists opened fire from the roof of the house where they were hiding, targeting drones in an attempt to prevent them from pinpointing their location through aerial mapping.

Security forces also deployed robots into the confrontation area to verify whether the targets had been hit.

Security personnel had earlier helped evacuate residents from the area surrounding the suspects' hideout without drawing attention, allowing the terrorists to remain unaware of the preparations for the operation.

The suspects had taken refuge in a house abandoned by its occupants after they were forced to leave following a murder, as the victim's family sought either revenge or reconciliation.

The perpetrators chose the house to increase their chances of evading the security forces.

The shooting of churchgoers bore the hallmarks of takfiri extremist organizations that may have links to foreign groups, an issue investigators are expected to clarify.

Security Statement

Jordan's Public Security Directorate announced that joint special investigation and raid teams, working alongside other security agencies, had located the three terrorists responsible for the "cowardly attack" against Jordanian citizens at a church in Hamoud village, Karak Governorate, early Monday.

The directorate said the suspects were located following continuous search and combing operations.

In a statement, it confirmed that the three terrorists had barricaded themselves inside an abandoned house, refused to surrender and opened fire on security personnel.

Security forces responded in accordance with the rules of engagement, eventually gaining control of the situation and arresting all three suspects after they were wounded. No members of the security force were injured.

The directorate added that a quantity of firearms and ammunition was seized following the arrests and a search of the premises.

Arab World

Israeli Strike in Gaza Kills Three Including Child

Children react as people take cover from a reported drone strike while they were queuing to receive meals from a charity kitchen in the Jabalia camp for Palestinian refugees in the northern Gaza Strip on October 24, 2026. (AFP)
Children react as people take cover from a reported drone strike while they were queuing to receive meals from a charity kitchen in the Jabalia camp for Palestinian refugees in the northern Gaza Strip on October 24, 2026. (AFP)
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Israeli Strike in Gaza Kills Three Including Child

Children react as people take cover from a reported drone strike while they were queuing to receive meals from a charity kitchen in the Jabalia camp for Palestinian refugees in the northern Gaza Strip on October 24, 2026. (AFP)
Children react as people take cover from a reported drone strike while they were queuing to receive meals from a charity kitchen in the Jabalia camp for Palestinian refugees in the northern Gaza Strip on October 24, 2026. (AFP)

Three Palestinians, including a young girl, were killed Monday in an Israeli airstrike on a camp for displaced people in the southern Gaza Strip, medical sources and first responders said.

Civil defense spokesman Mahmoud Bassal said a total of 11 people had been killed and 50 wounded by Israeli fire and airstrikes in Gaza over the past 24 hours.

"We transported three martyrs, including a child, following an Israeli airstrike targeting a camp for displaced people in the Al-Mawasi area, west of Khan Younis," Bassal told AFP.

Nasser Hospital in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis confirmed the three deaths.

"Their bodies were torn apart by direct hits from shrapnel from the Israeli missile," the hospital said, adding that several wounded people, including a child and a woman, had also come in for treatment.

The hospital identified the deceased as Hossam al-Zamli, Tamer Abu Sneima, and Jouri al-Soufi, a young girl. The Gaza education ministry gave her age as seven.

Israel's military told AFP it was looking into reports of the strike.

A security source in Gaza told AFP that "several tanks and military vehicles, accompanied by a military bulldozer, advanced on Monday morning into the area west of the Yellow Line in the eastern part of Deir al-Balah", in central Gaza.

After a US-brokered ceasefire took hold in Gaza in October 2025, the so-called Yellow Line was established to divide the areas under Israeli control -- more than 60 percent of the territory -- from those under Hamas control.

The military advance Monday coincided with "heavy gunfire by the occupation forces towards the eastern and northern areas" of Deir al-Balah, home to hundreds of displaced families, the source added.

Since the ceasefire began last year, more than 1,500 people have been killed in Gaza, according to the territory's health ministry.

The war began on October 7, 2023, following an unprecedented attack by Hamas on southern Israel that killed 1,221 people, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.

Israel responded with a massive military campaign that has destroyed much of Gaza and killed more than 74,500 people, according to the territory's health ministry, which operates under Hamas and whose figures are considered accurate by the United Nations.

Arab World

Mass Outages in Sudan After RSF Drones Hit Five Power Stations

People walk through a vegetable market in El Obeid, as drought and heat linked to El Nino threaten harvests, livestock, and water supplies in Sudan's war-affected Kordofan region, El Obeid, North Kordofan, Sudan, September 13, 2026. (Reuters)
People walk through a vegetable market in El Obeid, as drought and heat linked to El Nino threaten harvests, livestock, and water supplies in Sudan's war-affected Kordofan region, El Obeid, North Kordofan, Sudan, September 13, 2026. (Reuters)
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Mass Outages in Sudan After RSF Drones Hit Five Power Stations

People walk through a vegetable market in El Obeid, as drought and heat linked to El Nino threaten harvests, livestock, and water supplies in Sudan's war-affected Kordofan region, El Obeid, North Kordofan, Sudan, September 13, 2026. (Reuters)
People walk through a vegetable market in El Obeid, as drought and heat linked to El Nino threaten harvests, livestock, and water supplies in Sudan's war-affected Kordofan region, El Obeid, North Kordofan, Sudan, September 13, 2026. (Reuters)

Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces launched a coordinated drone attack Monday against five power stations, causing mass power outages across the country's east, a government official told AFP.

The drones hit two power stations each in the states of Al-Jazira and Gedaref, and one in White Nile state, "resulting in power outages across large parts of these three states", the official said on condition of anonymity.

All three states are controlled by the Sudanese army, which has since April 2023 been at war with its former ally, the RSF.

The United Nations has repeatedly warned that regular attacks on power stations threaten health and services for millions of people, already facing the world's largest hunger crisis.

An AFP correspondent in Al-Jazira state reported the electricity had been out since 2 am (0000 GMT).

Babiker Youssef, a resident of Al-Fao in Gedaref, said the power there had also been out since the same time.

"My son is diabetic, his insulin has to be stored in the fridge," he told AFP over the phone, scared he would not be able to replace the medication if it spoils.

"We have no idea when the power will come back," he added.

Electricity has been cut for days at a time after past paramilitary drone strikes on power stations and hydroelectric dams, compounding the suffering of nearly 20 million people facing extreme hunger.

- 'Losing our stock' -

Sudan's war is currently being fought primarily via drones, with both sides launching sophisticated attacks from across the country, killing dozens of civilians at a time.

In the first three weeks of October alone, drone strikes killed over 300 people and injured hundreds more, according to a UN tally.

Africa's third-largest country, home to an estimated 50 million people, has been ravaged by the war, which aid workers estimate has killed more than 200,000 people.

The majority of Sudan's hospitals have been forced shut, at least eight million children are out of school and swathes of the country cannot access basic services.

"The electricity had just started to improve three months ago, the power station the militia had destroyed was just repaired and we had hope our irrigation pumps would finally start running again," a 54-year-old farmer, Abdelhafez Daafallah, told AFP over the phone from Al-Jazira's Al-Junaid town.

"We hoped we would be able to finally get back to farming, but now the station has been hit," he said, frustrated after nearly four years unable to till his land.

Farmers in Al-Jazira have struggled to rehabilitate and re-plant their land since the army recaptured the state from the RSF last year.

Further east, in Gedaref, grocer Ibrahim Mohammed, 37, said he was "already facing power cuts for hours before the strike".

"Now I have chicken in the fridge, we either lose our entire stock, or will be forced to sell it off at any price, which is still a loss."

Sudan is also grappling with unprecedented inflation and a currency in freefall, having lost over 25 percent of its value in recent weeks.