Creating new perspectives since 2009
Items by Mohammed Asad
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Gaza stands in solidarity with detained journalists
The Palestinian Journalists Forum held a solidarity event outside the Red Cross headquarters in Gaza demanding the release of Alaa Al-Rimawi who was detained by occupation forces from his home in the occupied West Bank yesterday. Occupation forces detained Al-Rimawi, from the city of Ramallah in the central West Bank,…
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Palestinian uses art therapy to overcome trauma of paralysis
Karima Al-Najjar sits in her wheelchair and draws well-known Arab figures using a paper and pencil, it was her way to overcome the trauma she suffered as a result of an accident in her teens. The 30-year-old fell from the fourth floor when she was 17. She received incorrect treatment…
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Palestinian woman using fungus to end unemployment
After obtaining a university degree in Arabic and Media Studies, Alaa Al-Masri struggled to find a job in Gaza. The now 26-year-old decided to create job opportunities in her family’s back garden. In 2015, she established a team which aimed to set up pioneering projects scratch under the slogan ‘Challenge…
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Clean water and independence, Gaza’s desalination plant provides hope
The EU-funded small-scale desalination plant near Deir Al Balah in the besieged Gaza Strip is expected to provide clean water for the whole population of Gaza once completed. The first phase of the project is expected to provide 55 million cups of clean water annually, it will also see water being…
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Hamas registers its electoral list for parliamentary election
Hamas yesterday registered its electoral list for parliamentary election at the Central Elections Commission’s office in Gaza. Speaking to the media, the movement’s spokesman Abdel-Latif Al-Qanou announced the list was named “Jerusalem is Our Goal”. Al-Qanou also said that member of Hamas’ Political Bureau Khalil Al-Hayya is heading the list,…
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Israel’s siege of Gaza continues to leave Palestinians limbless
When Muhammad Al-Khalidi decided to set up a factory to manufacture prosthetic limbs in the Gaza Strip in 2015 he had no idea that everything he needed to get his business running was out of reach. Israel’s strict siege meant much of the equipment he needed could not be brought into the…
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Hamas delegation heads to Cairo for talks on restarting PLO
Delegations from Hamas have today headed to the Egyptian capital Cairo to discuss the upcoming elections and the reactivation of the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO). The meeting comes after a similar step was taken last month, when officials discussed the Palestinian elections and agreed to reconvene this month. Hamas’ delegation…
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Booby-trapped Israel drones responsible for death of 3 Gaza fishermen, probe finds
Booby-trapped Israeli drones exploded and led to the death of three Palestinian fishermen in the southern Gaza Strip on Sunday, findings of an investigation by the enclave’s Ministry of Interior revealed today. In a press conference to outline the outcomes of the report into the deaths, ministry spokesman Iyad Al-Bazm…
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Is this Gaza’s first female baker?
Palestinian Ruba Abu Al-Aish has defied customs and traditions in the Gaza Strip which have for years limited work in bakeries to men, by running her own business in the besieged enclave. “I am a married woman, I have two sons, and I graduated 14 years ago, during which time…
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Gaza’s civil defence teams call for end to Israel’s siege
The General Directorate of Civil Defence in Gaza today called on the international community to exert pressure on the Israeli occupation to force it to allow the entry of safety vehicles and equipment. The call came during a vehicle rally and press conference held to mark World Civil Defence Day.…
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Palestinians search for drowned Egypt sailors
Palestinian divers in the Gaza Strip have launched a search mission in an effort to locate the remains of Egyptian sailors lost at sea during stormy weather last week. “I joined this team with my fellow divers as part of a humanitarian mission that expresses Arabism, nationalism and loyalty from…
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Hamas: PA must end sanctions on Gaza ahead of elections
The Palestinian Authority must lift the sanctions it has imposed on the Gaza Strip in order to provide the enclave an equal standing in the upcoming elections, a senior Hamas official said today. Speaking at a press conference, member of the movement’s political bureau, Khalil Al-Hayya, called on the PA to lift…
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UNRWA: Hope for improved relations with US under Biden
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) announced today that it hopes the US will end its boycott of the international aid group when the administration of President-elect Joe Biden comes into power. During a press conference by UNRWA Commissioner-General, Philippe Lazzarini, at the agency’s headquarters…
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Broccoli lifts Palestinian women out of poverty
INTERVIEW: Ramallah’s Farmers’ Market is taking a stand against annexation Mother of two Fatime Barakeh who is 24-years-old and mother of five Bisan Qadieh who is 32 work six hours a day to reap the fruits of their labour. The women see this as an effort to support their families,…
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Flood waters damage Gaza strawberry crops
Farmers in the Beit Lahia area appealed to the Ministry of Agriculture and international organisations to save them from losses after three days of rain that led to the flooding of the irrigation stream around the fields. Greenhouses were flooded and soil erosion destroyed crops during the strawberry harvest season. The…
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Harvesting oysters in the Gaza Strip
Five metres below Gaza’s waters are treasures which few have explored. Palestinian fishermen know the area well, rocks off the Khan Yunis coast which house oysters. As a diver and photographer, I explore the sea off the Gaza coast and have harvested oysters at a depth of five to 15…
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Gaza awaits approval to export strawberries to Europe
Gaza’s red gold season is in full swing, with strawberries being picked and prepared for export and sale, however farmers are still waiting for the necessary approvals to allow the fruit to be sent to Europe. The fruits are undergoing laboratory tests to ensure quality and require Israeli approval for…
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Gaza photojournalists at the forefront of the coronavirus pandemic
As coronavirus spreads in the besieged Gaza Strip, photojournalists have been thrust into danger once again, having previously covered Israel’s numerous wars on the Strip, they now face an invisible adversary. Photographer for Agence-France Presse Mahmoud Al-Hams, who covered wars and revolutions in Arab countries, told MEMO that even the youngest photographers in Gaza…
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80 Palestinian prisoners have COVID-19, rights group warns
More than 80 Palestinian prisoners being held in Israeli jails have contracted coronavirus, the Wa’ed Association for Prisoners and Liberated Prisoners said in a press conference in Gaza today. The detainees are being held in the Gilboa prison and include prisoners who have existing medical conditions and the elders. The organisation said…
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Gaza schools launch second phase of reopening of schools
The Ministry of Education in Gaza resumed studies today for years 7-11 as part of the second phase of safe return to schools, in accordance with the safety and prevention measures against coronavirus. The ministry said yesterday that the second phase will take place in accordance with the same measures…
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Police wedding under lockdown in Gaza
Palestinian groom, Jihad Ahmad, wore his police uniform to his wedding to Ala’a. The couple had planned to have a traditional wedding with their family and loved ones, however with the onset of the coronavirus in the enclave, and the subsequent lockdown imposed, their plans had to be altered. Twenty-six-year-old…
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Gaza gets device to test 20,000 suspected coronavirus cases
The Ministry of Health in the Gaza Strip announced that it had detected new cases of the coronavirus in Gaza over the past 24 hours. According to the ministry, the number of active infections is currently 402, all from within the general population, the highest number since the coronavirus epidemic…
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Gaza’s water camp for autistic children
The Dolphin Water Sports Club in Gaza concluded its second swimming and water games camp on Saturday for children with autism. The camp was sponsored by the Higher Council for Youth and Sports. During the ceremony, Assistant Secretary-General of the Council, Abdel-Salam Haniyeh, stressed the importance of caring for autistic…
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Gaza on alert as 4 coronavirus cases detected
Gaza was placed on high alert yesterday after it reported its first case of the coronavirus outside of the quarantine facilities. In an emergency statement the Ministry of Health said: We regret to announce the detection of four coronavirus cases in a single family in the general population, outside of…