Eighty per cent of the wireless telephone network in Gaza has been damaged by the Israeli offensive on the Gaza Strip, Ammar Aker CEO of the Palestine Telecommunications (Paltel) Group said yesterday. Speaking to the Anadolu news agency, Aker said the continuous indiscriminate shelling had hit telecommunication towers and...

The Syrian government is raining explosive barrel bombs on civilians in defiance of a unanimous United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolution passed earlier this year, Human Rights Watch said. As of February, all parties to the conflict in Syria were prohibited from using barrel bombs and other weapons in...

The United Nations relief agency’s Commissioner General Pierre Krahenbuhl condemns killing children in their sleep The United Nations has condemned the overnight bombardment of a designated shelter, in which 15 civilians were killed, as a “serious violation of international law.” In a statement on Wednesday, the UN relief agency’s...

The decision of the Latin American countries to recall their ambassadors in Tel Aviv is a “deep disappointment”, says Israel. El Salvador on Wednesday became the fifth Latin American country to withdraw its ambassador from Israel in protest at Israel’s military offensive in Gaza. Brazil, Chile, Ecuador and Peru...

Yemeni protesters closed off a major road in the capital Sanaa today and set car tyres on fire in protest against rising petrol and diesel prices, witnesses said. The protests come following the government’s decision to raise the price of petrol by 75 per cent and diesel by 90...

Gallup World Poll says 60% of the while ethnic Turks are satisfied with Erdogan ‘s Leadership, this rate hits 67% Among ethnic Kurds. ​​Majority of Turkish population has confidence in Turkish PM and Presidential candidate Recep Tayyip Erdogan ‘s Leadership, a survey by U.S. based firm opinion poll, Gallup...

The full text of the speech made by Muhammad Al-Daif, General Commander of the Izz Ad-Din Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the Islamic Resistance Movement Hamas. In the name of Allah, Most Merciful Most Compassionate Praise be to Allah, the Lord all of worlds, Peace and prayer be...

The Palestinian death toll from a devastating Israeli onslaught on the Gaza Strip rose to 1283, according to a Health Ministry spokesman. “At least 54 Palestinians were killed in Israeli bombardments in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, taking the death toll to 1283,” Ashraf al-Qodra told Anadolu Agency. He...

International criticism of Israel appears to be increasing amid Gaza offensive as civilan fatalities continue to mount. Israel has criticized El Salvador, Peru and Chile for recalling their ambassadors in protest at ongoing attacks on the blockaded Gaza Strip. “El Salvador, Chile and Peru would have been much better...

Differences have emerged in recent days between the political and military sectors in Israel over the Israeli assault on the Gaza Strip, according to Israeli military analyst Amos Harel. One of the differences revolves around the inability of the military operation to achieve the latest goal set by Israeli...

Two US experts called on Arab countries to draft a UN resolution to impose an international ban on the export of arms to Israel in response to its “brutal aggression” on Gaza. They told the Anadolu news agency that the administration of President Barack Obama and the government of...

Israel’s embassy in Ireland was the subject of anger and scorn this week, as their official Twitter account shared Islamophobic memes as part of a hasbara (propaganda) offensive. The images “featured well-known statues and artwork associated with different European countries”, with slogans like ‘Israel now Dublin next’, along with...

Almost two thirds of the British public (62%) believe that the Israeli government is committing war crimes, a new YouGov poll has revealed. The survey, conducted 27-28 July, comes days after a separate poll carried out on behalf of The Sunday Times showed that 52% of the British public...

For those who lament the Palestinians’ use of violence and sigh, “But where is the Palestinian Gandhi?” –here is the answer: Israel delegitimizes all tools of resistance, including non-violence. In 2011, for example, the Israeli parliament passed legislation punishing any public call for an economic, cultural, or academic boycott...

Israeli forces kidnapped a Lebanese shepherd early on Wednesday in the town of Sheebaa in southern Lebanon, after capturing a herd of sheep the day before. Lebanon’s state news agency reported that shepherd Ismail Nabah was kidnapped by Israeli forces and taken to the Israeli occupied Shebaa Farms. UNIFIL,...

Washington said it was “deeply troubled” by the “humanitarian impact” of Israel’s bombing of the power plant in the Gaza Strip. State Department spokeswoman Jennifer Psaki said yesterday: “We’re deeply troubled by the humanitarian impact of reduced electricity in Gaza, particularly for emergency services, and urge all parties to...

Israeli tanks shelled diesel tanks holding three million cubic litres of fuel at Gaza’s only power plant, causing it to stop working completely, the vice president of the Energy Authority in Gaza Fathi Al-Sheikh Khalil said yesterday. “Gaza’s sole power plant has stopped working due to Israeli shelling last...

Ilan Pappé makes a succinct statement in the introduction to his latest book: “Indeed, Israel is one of a few states considered by many to be at best morally suspect or at worst illegitimate. What is challenged, with varying degrees of conviction and determination, is not the state itself...

As Israel’s war machine continues to advance unabated against Gaza, ravaging neighbourhoods, indiscriminately claiming lives, the world has begun to wake up from its media-induced stupor, so bloody and harrowing have been the crimes of Israel. Worse maybe than the butchering of children, the targeting of schools and hospitals,...

If war is a continuation of politics by other means, Israel’s aggression on the Gaza Strip has been a political disaster. Apart from its mass killing of civilians and destruction of homes, the Israeli army has accomplished nothing to write home about. On the contrary, it has suffered heavy...

At least ten Palestinian children were killed and 45 others injured on Monday by Israeli shelling of the western Gaza City Al-Shati Camp yesterday, a Palestinian Health Ministry official confirmed. He added that 45 injured victims had also arrived at the hospital, describing the conditions of some of the...

The Palestinian death toll from ongoing Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip rose to 1158 since July 7, the Health Ministry said Tuesday. “Some 100 Palestinians were killed in Israeli attacks on Tuesday, taking the death toll to 1158,” ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qodra told Anadolu Agency. He said that...

Israeli warplanes bombed on Tuesday morning the headquarters of the Al-Aqsa radio and TV stations belonging to Hamas in Gaza City, the Anadolu news agency reported. The agency quoted eye-witnesses as saying that the Israeli warplanes bombed the headquarters of the Al-Aqsa local TV station in al-Nasser neighbourhood in...

The first aid convoy dispatched by the Jordan Hashemite Charity Organization containing humanitarian and medical supplies has arrived in Gaza. Commander of the Jordanian field hospital, Colonel Barakat al-Aqeel said on Monday that the convoy was dispatched upon directives from King Abdullah II and was supervised by Crown Prince...

A call by the American Jewish Congress for Recep Tayyip Erdogan to return his 2004 Courage Award shows it is “blind towards the Israeli government’s brutality and occupation policies” in the Occupied Territories, the Turkish Prime Minister’s office has said in a letter to the organisation. Turkey’s Prime Minister’s...

Former Army Commander and Defence Minister, MK Shaul Kofaz, has submitted a proposal advocating for the demilitarisation of Gaza. The paper, titled “The Demilitarisation of the Gaza Strip: The Proper Endpoint for Israel of Operation Protective Edge”, calls for Hamas’s acquiescence to Israel and the international community in return...

The Palestinians’ refusal to accept the ceasefire initiative based on terms set by Israel is probably the first time that they have said no to Egyptian officials. Although all of the factions except Fatah rejected the proposal, its leader, Mahmoud Abbas, demanded that all of the resistance groups’ demands...

It is tough work being the Saudi ambassador to the UK. First, you have to stir yourself into action to deny the undeniable: The Israeli attack on Gaza comes with Saudi backing. That, in itself, is demeaning. But no sooner has your wrath been righteously expressed, than a colleague...

Jailed Egyptian ex-president Mohamed Morsi addressed the Egyptian people in a letter published by his son on the occasion of Eid ul-Fitr on Monday. Morsi wished Egyptians a happy Eid and urged them to continue their struggle. The ousted president hailed Egyptians for “the continuation of their revolution” and...

The Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) said on Monday that statements by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reflect his defeat, and that it will not scare Hamas or the Palestinians. In a written statement quoted by Anadolu, Hamas spokesperson Sami Abu Zuhri said that Israeli occupation forces “will pay...

Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff has described the ongoing Israeli offensive against the population of the Gaza Strip as a “massacre”. The bombardment and invasion has so far killed 1,085 Palestinians, the majority of whom were civilians. Rousseff was speaking during a forum organised by Folha de Sao Paulo newspaper....

The spokeswoman of the US State Department, Jennifer Psaki, said the US government is “surprised” and “disappointed” that the “confidential” draft US ceasefire proposal was leaked to the press. In the State Department’s daily press briefing on Monday, Psaki told reporters that the US and Egyptian proposals are similar...

Israel’s Prime Minister, Defence Minister and Army Chief of Staff have said that its army has lost its best officers and soldiers in the battles with the Hamas military wing in the Gaza Strip. “We knew we will have tough days ahead of us and today is one of...

A devastating Israeli military onslaught on the Gaza Strip has dominated mosque sermons in Egypt on the first day of Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of the fasting month of Ramadan. In the main sermon at Cairo’s Al-Azhar mosque, the preacher called for supporting the Palestinians in the...

The procession of the British embassy in Libya was subject to intense gunfire on Sunday as it left the capital Tripoli on the way to neighboring Tunisia, a Libyan Foreign Ministry official said. “The attack did not cause any human casualties, but the vehicles of the British mission were...

People around the world continue to express solidarity with Palestinians, holding mass demonstrations in major cities to demand an end to Israel’s brutal assault on the Gaza Strip. But although millions of people are taking to the streets, so far, only a handful of governments – mostly in Latin...

Israel’s failure to open a humanitarian corridor allowing aid and food for the besieged civilians in Gaza means that their willingness to “sincerely” participate in any temporary ceasefire should be questioned, said Turkey’s PM and presidential candidate Sunday in an interview with ‘Kanal 7’ television channel. “Israel continuously changes...

At this time of the year, streets of the Gaza Strip are usually busy with local residents spending the early hours of the first day of Eid al-Fitr outdoors for last-hour shopping or late-night outing. But it is different this year. With Israeli warplanes flying overhead and the sounds...

Palestinian resistance faction Hamas has accused Israel of rejecting proposals for a humanitarian truce during Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of the fasting month of Ramadan. “ occupation still rejects any humanitarian truce during Eid,” Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said in a press release on Monday. Hamas...

Israeli forces on Monday dispersed Palestinian protesters in the West Bank, who gathered to show support for the embattled Gaza Strip, which has been reeling under unabated Israeli attacks for three weeks now. Israeli forces fired teargas and rubber bullets to disperse demonstrators in the western Bil’in village following...

At least 91 Israeli soldiers have been killed since the launch of a deadly Israeli offensive in the Gaza Strip, Hamas’s armed wing has claimed. In a Monday statement, the Ezzeddin al-Qassam Brigades said that its fighters had killed 91 Israeli officers and soldiers in battles in the Gaza...

On the fourteenth night of Israel’s Operation Protective Edge, the spokesperson for the Qassam Brigades announced that Israeli soldier Shaul Aaron had been captured. Gaza’s streets echoed with cheering and joy. People shot bullets in the air to express their happiness and their counterparts in the West Bank filled...

Despite all the rhetoric about the Palestinian issue, such as it being “the Arab’s first cause”; the central, principal, existential and mother of causes; the initiator of revolutions and coups; and the justification for astronomical military spending, and so on; despite all of this, we, as Arabs and for...

Dozens of supporters of the ousted president Mohamed Morsi held a brief protest in front of the Memorial Statue in Nasr City neighborhood in Cairo on Saturday to commemorate a massacre that occurred in the same place last year. The protest only lasted for 15 minutes to avoid police...

A member of the Hamas political bureau, Mahmoud Zahar, said in a statement on Saturday that any international initiative for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip “must be commensurate with the sacrifices of the Palestinian people, and the Palestinian resistance groups’ outstanding capabilities”, the Anadolu news agency has reported....

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has said that his government supports the positions of the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas, “because it embraces the Palestinian cause and struggles for its people.” In an interview with a local TV channel on Saturday, Davutoglu stressed that his government supports any organisation or...

A British man who was kidnapped by unknown gunmen in the Yemeni capital Sanaa was freed on Saturday, the Anadolu news agency has reported. An anonymous Yemeni security source said that mediation efforts by the governor of Al-Jouf, Mohammed Bin Abboud, led to the release of Michael Harvey, an...

King Mohammed VI of Morocco has received a letter from the president of Mauritania in a move seen by many observers that could restore diplomatic relations between Rabat and Nouakchott. The relationship has been described as rigid and cold over the past few years. Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz sent...

A poll conducted by Rakin Saudi pollsters has disclosed that 95 per cent of the Saudi people support the continuation of Palestinian resistance factions. Only 3 per cent of those questioned disagreed with the groups. The poll, which included 2,000 Saudis and was published by the country’s leading pollster,...

Egyptian president and ex-army chief Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi insists to hinder any ceasefire in Gaza to please the Americans, an expert said. Durham University political scientist Dr Ahmed Tohamy accused “the coup authorities”, led by Sisi, of seeking to abort any Gaza ceasefire efforts “in a bid to monopolise the...