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Top UN Official Accuses Hamas of Gaza Aid Obstruction

Displaced Palestinians collect water from the Ita charitable water station, amid ongoing water shortages and limited access to water sources, in Khan Younis, Gaza Strip, 13 July 2026. EPA/HAITHAM IMAD
Displaced Palestinians collect water from the Ita charitable water station, amid ongoing water shortages and limited access to water sources, in Khan Younis, Gaza Strip, 13 July 2026. EPA/HAITHAM IMAD
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Top UN Official Accuses Hamas of Gaza Aid Obstruction

Displaced Palestinians collect water from the Ita charitable water station, amid ongoing water shortages and limited access to water sources, in Khan Younis, Gaza Strip, 13 July 2026. EPA/HAITHAM IMAD
Displaced Palestinians collect water from the Ita charitable water station, amid ongoing water shortages and limited access to water sources, in Khan Younis, Gaza Strip, 13 July 2026. EPA/HAITHAM IMAD

A senior UN official on Monday accused Hamas of interfering with humanitarian deliveries in Gaza and intimidating aid workers, warning that the group's actions were making relief operations increasingly dangerous.

Hamas continues to control parts of Gaza, even after Israeli forces expanded their presence across more than 60 percent of the territory.

In a statement, UN Deputy Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Ramiz Alakbarov, said he "strongly" condemns the obstruction of humanitarian operations by Gaza's de facto authorities, referring to Hamas.

Hamas's actions "endangered humanitarian personnel, intimidated workers delivering life-saving food assistance and disrupted life-saving humanitarian operations", AFP quoted him as saying.

Armed men linked to Hamas allegedly on Saturday forced their way into a food distribution point in Jabalia, in the northern Gaza Strip, the UN statement said.

Militants "also entered a WFP (World Food Program) warehouse and reportedly assaulted two truck drivers who were delivering humanitarian supplies", it added.

Alakbarov said "these incidents are not isolated" and "reflect an increasingly dangerous pattern of intimidation, violence and obstruction, including smuggling attempts, targeting and abusing humanitarian operations".

He warned that such actions were hampering the delivery of life-saving assistance at a time when civilians across Gaza faced severe hardships.

A ceasefire was reached in Gaza between Israel and Hamas in October following two years of war, which was sparked by the Palestinian militants' unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.

The second phase of the ceasefire, which was to involve Hamas' disarmament and a gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, has been stalled for months.

Israeli forces have expanded their presence in recent months, taking control of more than 60 percent of the territory.

Hamas still exerts control over the remaining area, but last week announced it was dissolving its 15-member body that had governed the strip for nearly two decades.

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Arab World

Al-Zaidi: Iraq Will Not Become a Platform to Harm Others

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi delivers his speech at the event in Baghdad. (INA)
Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi delivers his speech at the event in Baghdad. (INA)
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Al-Zaidi: Iraq Will Not Become a Platform to Harm Others

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi delivers his speech at the event in Baghdad. (INA)
Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi delivers his speech at the event in Baghdad. (INA)

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi stressed on Monday that his government is forging ahead in building a “free” and “sovereign” Iraq, adding that international coalition forces will complete their withdrawal on September 30.

“Since assuming responsibility for the government, we have pledged to move toward building a fully sovereign Iraq in which the people enjoy all the foundations of respect, dignity and security, and whose citizens cooperate in protecting the country and safeguarding its wealth and the future of its generations,” he said during a speech at an event in Baghdad marking the Prophet Muhammed’s birthday.

Iraq will declare the completion of its sovereignty over its entire territory on September 30, he announced, reported Iraq’s state news agency INA.

Moreover, he said: “Iraq should not be a platform for harming others.”

“Our region has lived for decades amid ongoing tensions that have led to divisions in the approaches and governing visions of the countries of the Arab and Islamic world,” remarked al-Zaidi.

“Our government program included a clear approach to construction and reform, combating corruption and strengthening a productive working environment, alongside building security institutions operating under the framework of the Constitution.”

Earlier, al-Zaidi received in Baghdad Commander of German Forces Deployed Abroad Gunter Schneider.

The PM highlighted “the importance of transitioning toward multidimensional relations with the coalition countries.”

The meeting reviewed preparations for completing the withdrawal of coalition forces from Iraq.

Al-Zaidi commended Germany’s longstanding role in assisting Iraq in its fight against terrorism, particularly during the war on ISIS.

Arab World

Sharaa Says Syria 'Shakes Off Dark Stain' with Removal from US Terror List

FILE PHOTO: US President Donald Trump shakes hands with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa during a bilateral meeting alongside the NATO leaders summit at the Bestepe Presidential Compound in Ankara, Türkiye, July 8, 2026. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: US President Donald Trump shakes hands with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa during a bilateral meeting alongside the NATO leaders summit at the Bestepe Presidential Compound in Ankara, Türkiye, July 8, 2026. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst/File Photo
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Sharaa Says Syria 'Shakes Off Dark Stain' with Removal from US Terror List

FILE PHOTO: US President Donald Trump shakes hands with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa during a bilateral meeting alongside the NATO leaders summit at the Bestepe Presidential Compound in Ankara, Türkiye, July 8, 2026. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: US President Donald Trump shakes hands with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa during a bilateral meeting alongside the NATO leaders summit at the Bestepe Presidential Compound in Ankara, Türkiye, July 8, 2026. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst/File Photo

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa hailed early on Tuesday the United States' removal of his country from the state sponsors of terror list, a major sanctions relief step.

"Today, Syria shakes off a dark stain and tears away a painful chapter of its past to embark on a path of development, reconstruction and rebuilding," Sharaa said in a speech.

Washington's decision on Monday rescinded a decades-old designation that came with severe economic restrictions, marking another step in warming ties between the countries following the 2024 ouster of Bashar al-Assad.

The Treasury Department announced corresponding sanctions relief.

Sharaa expressed his "many thanks to the President of the United States of America, Donald Trump, and to all the friendly and supportive nations that stood by us.”

The US Department of State also revoked its designation of the al-Nusra Front -- latterly known as Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) -- as a global terrorist organization.

The United States had initially announced in July its intent to delist Syria as a state sponsor of terrorism, a move seen as a vote of confidence in Sharaa.

Monday's move gave Syria's "a path to prosperity,” according to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

The action "eliminates the final major barriers for private sector investment in Syria and promotes Syria's economic recovery and reintegration into the global economy," he said in a statement.

Syrian Foreign Minister Assad al-Shaibani described Washington's delisting as a "historic milestone" and said it reflected "the new Syrian state's commitment to international peace and security.”

Finance Minister Mohammed Barnieh described the move as a "success for Syrian diplomacy," according to the official news agency SANA.

It "opens a major and long-awaited door to strengthening Syria's integration into the global economic and financial system, attracting investment and modern technologies, and supporting development opportunities.”

Arab World

Lebanese Authorities Extend Residency of Iran’s Ambassador

Iranian Ambassador to Syria Mohammad Reza Sheibani, shows his ink-stained finger as he votes in the first round of the Iranian presidential election on June 14, 2013 at the Iranian embassy in the Syrian capital, Damascus. (AFP)
Iranian Ambassador to Syria Mohammad Reza Sheibani, shows his ink-stained finger as he votes in the first round of the Iranian presidential election on June 14, 2013 at the Iranian embassy in the Syrian capital, Damascus. (AFP)
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Lebanese Authorities Extend Residency of Iran’s Ambassador

Iranian Ambassador to Syria Mohammad Reza Sheibani, shows his ink-stained finger as he votes in the first round of the Iranian presidential election on June 14, 2013 at the Iranian embassy in the Syrian capital, Damascus. (AFP)
Iranian Ambassador to Syria Mohammad Reza Sheibani, shows his ink-stained finger as he votes in the first round of the Iranian presidential election on June 14, 2013 at the Iranian embassy in the Syrian capital, Damascus. (AFP)

Lebanese authorities extended on Monday the residency of former Iranian Ambassador Mohammad Reza Sheibani, who defied the country’s expulsion order earlier this year.

Now viewed as regular civilian, not a diplomat, the authorities extended his stay by six months.

A security source told Asharq Al-Awsat that General Security chief Hassan Choucair, within his legal capacity, proposed granting him residency.

He informed the concerned political authorities, meaning the president, prime minister and interior minister, before approving the residency.

Lebanese Foreign Ministry sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that the ministry was not informed of the intention to grant him residency.

They stressed that Foreign Minister Youssef Raggi’s position "is clear and not up for debate" that Iran must respect the expulsion order.

The ministry had in March withdrawn its approval of the ambassador's accreditation, giving him 72 hours to leave the country, drawing Hezbollah's condemnation.

The expulsion stemmed from what the Lebanese state described as Tehran's violation of diplomatic norms and established practices between the two countries.

It is "a measure against the ambassador for violating diplomatic protocol and his obligations as an appointed ambassador to Lebanon".

The ministry accused him of making statements "interfering in Lebanon's internal politics and evaluating the decisions taken by the government".

The government has accused Hezbollah of dragging Lebanon to war after it fired rockets at Israel on March 2 in wake of the killing of Iran's supreme leader Ali Khamenei at the beginning of the US-Israel war on Iran.

Hezbollah called the expulsion a "sin" and demanded the authorities "immediately reverse" the move.