عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Arab World

Egypt Strongly Condemns Israel’s Allegations about Rafah Crossing

18 March 2023, Egypt, Cairo: Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry speaks during a press conference at Tahrir Palace. (dpa)
18 March 2023, Egypt, Cairo: Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry speaks during a press conference at Tahrir Palace. (dpa)
TT
TT

Egypt Strongly Condemns Israel’s Allegations about Rafah Crossing

18 March 2023, Egypt, Cairo: Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry speaks during a press conference at Tahrir Palace. (dpa)
18 March 2023, Egypt, Cairo: Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry speaks during a press conference at Tahrir Palace. (dpa)

Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry strongly condemned on Tuesday Israel's attempt to blame Egypt for the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

Shoukry added in a statement that Israel's seizure of the Rafah border crossing from Gaza into Egypt as well as its military operations in the area were the main reasons for aid being unable to enter Gaza.

Shoukry stressed that his country "categorically rejects" Israel’s policy of "twisting facts and shirking responsibility".

"Israel alone is responsible for the humanitarian catastrophe the Palestinians are facing in Gaza," he stated.

"Israel must assume its legal responsibilities as an occupying power and allow the entry of aid through land crossings under its control," he demanded.

Earlier, Israel said it was up to Egypt to reopen the Rafah Crossing and allow humanitarian relief into the Gaza Strip.

"The key to preventing a humanitarian crisis in Gaza is now in the hands of our Egyptian friends," Israel's Foreign Affairs Minister Katz said in comments circulated to reporters.

Katz said he had spoken with his British and German counterparts about "the need to persuade Egypt to reopen the Rafah crossing", adding he would also speak with Italy's foreign minister later on Tuesday.

The Palestinian group Hamas, which has been running Gaza, will not "control the Rafah crossing", Katz said, citing security concerns over which Israel "will not compromise".

Egypt has consistently said the crossing has remained open from its side throughout the conflict that began between Israel and Hamas on Oct. 7.

Cairo has been one of the mediators in stalled ceasefire talks, but its relationship with Israel has come under strain since Israeli forces seized the Rafah Crossing on May 7.

The United Nations and other international aid agencies said the closing of two crossings into southern Gaza - Rafah and Israeli-controlled Kerem Shalom - had virtually cut the enclave off from outside aid.

The UN had already warned, prior to the closing of the two crossings, that Gaza is on the brink of famine.

Israel launched its current Gaza offensive following an attack on Oct. 7 by Hamas-led gunmen who rampaged through Israeli communities near the enclave, killing some 1,200 people and taking more than 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.

The Palestinian death toll in the war has now surpassed 35,000, according to Gaza health officials.

Most Viewed

 
 
Arab World

UK to Call for Toll-free Strait of Hormuz, Wants Lebanon in Ceasefire Deal

British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper prepares to speak during a virtual summit at the Foreign & Commonwealth Office in London, England, April 2, 2026. Leon Neal/Pool via REUTERS
British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper prepares to speak during a virtual summit at the Foreign & Commonwealth Office in London, England, April 2, 2026. Leon Neal/Pool via REUTERS
TT
TT

UK to Call for Toll-free Strait of Hormuz, Wants Lebanon in Ceasefire Deal

British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper prepares to speak during a virtual summit at the Foreign & Commonwealth Office in London, England, April 2, 2026. Leon Neal/Pool via REUTERS
British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper prepares to speak during a virtual summit at the Foreign & Commonwealth Office in London, England, April 2, 2026. Leon Neal/Pool via REUTERS

British Foreign ‌Secretary Yvette Cooper will say on Thursday that shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, which carries around a fifth of the world's oil and gas, must be toll-free, countering a push by Iran to control the vital waterway.

Iran has ‌said it ‌wants to charge fees ‌for ⁠ships to pass through ⁠the Strait of Hormuz. Before the US-Israeli war with Iran, the strait was formally treated as an international waterway.

"The fundamental freedoms of the ⁠seas must not be unilaterally ‌withdrawn or ‌sold off to individual bidders. ‌Nor can there be any place ‌for tolls on an international waterway. Freedom of navigation means navigation must be free," Cooper will say ‌in an annual foreign policy speech at Mansion ⁠House ⁠in London, according to advance extracts.

Cooper will also repeat calls by world leaders for Lebanon to be included in a two-week ceasefire agreed between Iran and the US on Tuesday. Israel on Wednesday launched its biggest attacks yet on Lebanon, targeting the Iran-backed Hezbollah militia.

Arab World

Trial of Syrian Man Accused of Torture during Syria’s Civil War Begins in the Netherlands

FILE -A boy steps over pictures of Syrian President Bashar Assad and his late father, Hafez Assad, right, Salamiyah, east of Hama, Syria, Dec. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed, File) 
FILE -A boy steps over pictures of Syrian President Bashar Assad and his late father, Hafez Assad, right, Salamiyah, east of Hama, Syria, Dec. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed, File) 
TT
TT

Trial of Syrian Man Accused of Torture during Syria’s Civil War Begins in the Netherlands

FILE -A boy steps over pictures of Syrian President Bashar Assad and his late father, Hafez Assad, right, Salamiyah, east of Hama, Syria, Dec. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed, File) 
FILE -A boy steps over pictures of Syrian President Bashar Assad and his late father, Hafez Assad, right, Salamiyah, east of Hama, Syria, Dec. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed, File) 

A Syrian man accused of crimes against humanity denied dozens of charges of torture and sexual violence in the opening of his trial in the Netherlands on Wednesday, according to AP.

 

The 58-year-old, identified only as Rafiq al Q. due to Dutch privacy regulations, claimed he was being conspired against and refuted accusations of being a supporter of former Syrian President Bashar Assad.

 

Prosecutors at the District Court of The Hague said he was a member of the pro-Assad National Defense Force and worked as the lead interrogator for the paramilitary group at the Salamiyah city in Syria between 2012 and 2014.

 

The defendant accused the nine victims in the case, the witnesses and the Dutch police of lying. “All of them are conspiring against me,” he said, speaking through an interpreter.

 

He told judges that he had worked as a civil servant in the central city of Salamiyah and denied involvement in torture.

 

During one exchange, the man attempted to submit evidence, waving a piece of paper at the presiding judge. His lawyer, André Seebregts, said it wasn’t clear what the evidence was, to which the defendant replied: “I don’t tell my lawyer everything.”

 

The trial is based on universal jurisdiction, a legal principle that allows suspects to be prosecuted for international offenses such as war crimes even if they are committed in another country.

 

The defendant claimed asylum in the Netherlands in 2021 and lived in the small town of Druten in the eastern part of the country when he was arrested in 2023.

 

The Netherlands has prosecuted several Syrians for war crimes and crimes against humanity during the Syrian conflict.

 

In 2024, a Dutch court convicted a former high-ranking member of a pro-Syrian government militia of illegal detention and complicity in torture. Another Syrian man was convicted in 2021 of war crimes for his role in the summary execution of a prisoner.

 

Syria’s conflict started with peaceful protests against Assad’s government in March 2011, but quickly morphed into a full-blown civil war, lasting nearly 14 years, after the government’s brutal crackdown on protesters.

 

In 2024, insurgents of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham marched to Damascus and removed Assad from power.

 

Since then, Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa has improved relations with Western countries and last year became the first Syrian head of state to visit Washington since Syria’s independence in 1946.

 

The Netherlands and Canada have brought a separate case against Syria at the United Nations’ top court, accusing Damascus of a yearslong campaign of torturing its own citizens. In 2023, the International Court of Justice ordered the government to “take all measures within its powers” to prevent torture.

 

Hearings will continue for another two weeks and the court is expected to issue a verdict on June 9th.

 

 

Arab World

Arab League Condemns Israeli Attacks on Lebanon, Welcomes US-Iran Ceasefire Agreement

Arab League
Arab League
TT
TT

Arab League Condemns Israeli Attacks on Lebanon, Welcomes US-Iran Ceasefire Agreement

Arab League
Arab League

The Arab League on Wednesday welcomed a newly agreed temporary ceasefire between the United States and Iran, calling it an important step toward de‑escalation, while sharply condemning ongoing Israeli attacks on Lebanon as a grave violation of international law that threatens to undermine the truce and regional stability.

Secretary-General of the Arab League Ahmed Aboul Gheit strongly condemned the Israeli attacks on Lebanon that left hundreds of civilians dead and injured. He accused Israel of seeking to undermine the ceasefire agreement between the United States and Iran.

In a statement issued Wednesday, Aboul Gheit said that while the international community is working to de-escalate tensions and the region is seeking a path toward a sustainable settlement, Israel continues to pursue policies that undermine efforts to restore stability, through its ongoing escalation in Lebanon.

The secretary-general reiterated the Arab League’s call—based on the council’s declaration issued on March 29—urging key international actors to pressure Israel to immediately halt its attacks on Lebanon and comply with relevant international resolutions.

He also reaffirmed the Arab League’s full solidarity with Lebanon and its people.

Earlier, Aboul Gheit welcomed the agreement between the United States and Iran on a two-week ceasefire, describing it as an important step in the right direction to prevent the region from sliding into catastrophic scenarios.

He stressed the need for Iran to immediately halt all military attacks, reopen the Strait of Hormuz to maritime navigation, and ensure the security of energy supplies.

He emphasized that any future arrangements between the United States and Iran must safeguard the interests of Arab Gulf states affected by Iranian attacks, respect their sovereignty, and take into account their security requirements.

Spokesperson Gamal Roshdy conveyed the secretary-general’s reaffirmation that regional security is indivisible and that the principles outlined in the joint Arab vision for security and cooperation remain the foundation for sustainable peace.