Region

Saudi Arabia's Cabinet on Tuesday affirmed full support for the decisions of the Extraordinary Arab Summit in Cairo that rejected the displacement of Palestinians from their land, and aimed to end the disastrous repercussions resulting from the war.It reiterated the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination and to obtain their legitimate rights, including their right to establish their independent state on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital.During the weekly Cabinet session chaired by HH Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud in Riyadh, ministers condemned the Israeli occupation government's decision to stop the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza, calling on the international community to assume its responsibilities towards these serious violations, activate international accountability mechanisms, and ensure sustainable access to aid.

Muslim World League welcomed the decisions made during the Extraordinary Arab Summit, on the Developments of Palestinian Cause, which was held in Cairo on Tuesday.In a statement, the League expressed its full support for the resolutions issued by the summit, which uphold the Palestinian people's right to freedom, dignity, and independence while deterring the Israeli occupation government from its brutal practices and ongoing violations of relevant international legitimacy resolutions.The League emphasized the statements firm rejection of the displacement of the Palestinian people from their land, under any name, circumstance, justification, or pretext, as well as any attempts to annex any part of the occupied Palestinian territories. It reaffirmed the importance of fully implementing the ceasefire agreements second and third phases and supporting international coalition efforts to achieve the two-state solution.Additionally, the League highlighted the statements emphasis on the necessity of enforcing the ceasefire agreement in Lebanon and condemning Israeli attacks on Syria.

Jordan began Monday evacuating the first batch of sick children and their families from the Gaza Strip.This process includes transporting 2,000 sick children from Gaza to Jordan to receive the necessary treatment by specialized medical teams in Jordanian public and private hospitals, where they will be returned to Gaza upon completion of their treatment trip in Jordan.The children from Gaza were evacuated to Jordan by air and land via ambulances that arrived from Jordan.King Abdullah II of Jordan announced, during his meeting with US President Donald Trump in Washington last February, that his country would receive 2,000 children from the Gaza Strip who are suffering from cancer and who are suffering from a difficult medical condition for treatment

The Israeli military announced yesterday it had expanded its weeks-long offensive in the occupied West Bank to more areas of Jenin city, saying troops killed three fighters although Palestinian officials reported two dead.On its 43rd day, Israeli forces “expanded the operation in northern Samaria to additional areas in Jenin”, the military said, using the Biblical name for that part of the West Bank.It said that a local Hamas leader and another Palestinian fighters were killed in an exchange of fire with troops during an overnight raid in Jenin.Later, during an inspection of the premises where the fighters had been, troops killed a third armed man “who posed an immediate threat” to them, the military said.Jenin governor Kamal Abu al-Rub told AFP that two Palestinians were killed during the raid in the eastern neighbourhood of the city.“Two citizens were martyred, and many young men were arrested”, he said.The military said troops had arrested three Palestinian suspects.The Palestinian health ministry identified one of the dead as Aser Saadi, matching the name of the Hamas leader in the Israeli army statement.The health ministry said the 21-year-old’s body was taken away by troops after he was shot.The head of the Jenin government hospital, Wisam Baker, said that a man identified as Jihad Alawneh was declared dead on arrival at the facility early yesterday.Baker said that Alawneh, 25, had bled out after being shot in the thigh.Governor Abu al-Rub said the raid had caused “devastation and massive destruction” in Jenin’s eastern neighbourhood, “which has not experienced an Israeli assault like this before”.He said that the main electricity line was cut off, dozens of families were forced to leave, and army bulldozers had left behind a trail of damage.The Israeli offensive in the northern West Bank began on January 21 around refugee camps regarded as bastions of Palestinian fighters, but has since expanded to more areas, displaced tens of thousands of people and saw the first deployment of Israeli tanks in the territory in 20 years.Yesterday afternoon, an AFP journalist said Israeli troops and armoured personnel carriers were still in Jenin’s eastern neighbourhood.Firefighters worked to extinguish a fire in an apartment hit during the raid, its facade charred and some of its walls destroyed.Pools of blood had accumulated in several rooms of the apartment, the journalist said.Abu al-Rub said that “more than 50 families were forced to flee and evacuate their homes because the Israelis took over their houses and buildings, turning them into military barracks”.“All the streets in the eastern neighbourhood were bulldozed”, said the governor, including areas that before yesterday did not see army bulldozers ripping through roads in what the military says aims to clear explosives.Bassem Hardan, a resident of the neighbourhood, told AFP that after initially ignoring army calls for his family to leave, “they called our neighbours and told them to get out within two minutes before they demolish the building”.Dubbed “Iron Wall” by the Israeli military, the operation in the northern West Bank began days after a ceasefire took effect in Gaza, a separate Palestinian territory.Israel has occupied the West Bank since 1967 and its troops carry out regular raids there.The ongoing operation has involved raids in multiple refugee camps near the cities of Jenin, Tulkarem and Tubas, where Palestinian armed groups have a strong presence.

Israel’s block on deliveries into the war-stricken Gaza Strip has led to price increases and fears of food shortages, prompting punitive measures from the Hamas-run authorities against merchants, according to Hamas sources and witnesses.Members of the Hamas-run police force were deployed in local markets across Gaza, asserting their presence on the ground despite a 15-month Israeli aerial and ground offensive against the Palestinian fighter group.They questioned and detained merchants, ordering them not to raise prices during a standoff over a ceasefire deal, and seized supplies that were later resold at lower prices, the four sources and witnesses said.Local authorities also urged residents to report misconduct by merchants, saying that food supplies in Gaza would last just two weeks.“Punishing junior sellers in markets is good, but Hamas must act against the big merchants who control what we eat,” said one witness, asking not to be named for fear of retribution.Israel announced on Sunday that it was stopping the entry of goods into Gaza, citing a dispute with Hamas over how to proceed with the phased, US-backed ceasefire that brought a halt to heavy fighting in January.Hamas has urged mediators to pressure Israel to begin talks on the second stage and reopen Gaza’s crossings. Israel’s foreign minister said yesterday that Hamas had been using aid to continue fighting Israel. Israel says Gaza has enough food for many months. Humanitarian agencies, however, say supplies for food, medicine and shelter in Gaza are limited and that stranded aid might spoil. Philippe Lazzarini, head of UN Palestinian relief agency UNRWA, said Israel’s suspension of deliveries threatened lives among Gaza’s 2.3mn population, exhausted by war.“Aid and these basic services are non-negotiable. They must never be used as weapons of war,” Lazzarini said in a post on X.At a soup kitchen in Gaza’s Khan Younis, where dozens of children holding pots lined up to receive soup, organisers said the suspension of deliveries would hit their provision of free meals for 20,000 people.The meals were meant to cover the fasting month of Ramadan, which began on Saturday. But merchants had raised meat prices, meaning the menu had to change. “The kitchen’s administration prepared a plan for the month of Ramadan, but the closure of the crossings has disrupted all the plans,” said one of the organisers, Abu Omar.“On the first day of Ramadan, we served approximately 1,200 to 1,400 portions of meat and rice, but the closure of the crossings and the disappearance of goods in the markets led to us serving ‘mujadara’ (a rice and lentil dish) and soups today,” Abu Omar told Reuters.

Arab leaders adopted an Egyptian reconstruction plan for Gaza on Tuesday that would cost $53bn and avoid resettling Palestinians, in contrast to US President Donald Trump's "Middle East Riviera" vision, according to a copy of the plan.Egyptian president Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said that the proposal had been accepted at the closing of a summit in Cairo.Sisi said at the summit he was certain that Trump would be able to achieve peace in the conflict that has devastated the Gaza Strip.The major questions that need to be answered about Gaza's future are who will run the enclave and which countries will provide the billions of dollars needed for reconstruction.Sisi said Egypt had worked in cooperation with Palestinians on creating an administrative committee of independent, professional Palestinian technocrats entrusted with the governance of Gaza.The committee would be responsible for the oversight of humanitarian aid and managing the Strip's affairs for a temporary period, in preparation for the return of the Palestinian Authority (PA), he said.The other critical issue is the fate of the Palestinian resistance group Hamas.Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who heads the PA, said he welcomed the Egyptian idea and urged Trump to support such a plan that would not involve displacing Palestinian residents.Abbas, in power since 2005, also said he was ready to hold presidential and parliamentary elections if circumstances allowed, adding his PA was the only legitimate governing and military force in the Palestinian Territories.An architect of the 1993 Oslo peace accords with Israel that raised hopes of Palestinian statehood, Abbas has seen his legitimacy steadily undermined by Israeli settlement building in the occupied West Bank, which he oversees.In a speech at the summit, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan said international guarantees were needed that the current temporary ceasefire would remain in place, and supported the PA's role in governing the strip.Egypt, Jordan and Gulf Arab states have for almost a month been consulting over an alternative to Trump's ambition for an exodus of Palestinians and a U.S. rebuild of Gaza, which they fear would destabilise the entire region.Egypt's Reconstruction Plan for Gaza is a 112-page document that includes maps of how its land would be re-developed and dozens of colourful AI-generated images of housing developments, gardens and community centres. The plan includes a commercial harbour, a technology hub, beach hotels and an airport.

Secretary-General of the Arab League Ahmed Aboul Gheit emphasised on Tuesday the necessity of ending the Israeli occupation and establishing the Palestinian state to ensure security and stability for the region's peoples. He highlighted the importance of avoiding a renewed war in Gaza.In his speech during the opening session of the Extraordinary Arab Summit hosted by Egypt at the request of Palestine to discuss developments in the Palestinian cause and ways to support the Palestinian people, Aboul Gheit stated that reconstruction would only be possible when the weapons fall silent and the Israeli entity fully withdraws from the sector.He noted that the past decades have proven that any circumvention of the requirements for a just peace will only lead to further suffering for all.He stressed the need to confront plans for a new Nakba against Palestinians and support the Palestinian people's right to independence, freedom, dignity, and self-determination like other peoples of the world.Aboul Gheit pointed out that the Palestinian issue cannot remain unresolved. He explained that holding on to the occupation system and the apartheid regime in the Palestinian territories, whether in the West Bank or Gaza Strip, will only lead to fragile and temporary stability. Everyone will continue to live in successive cycles of violence until the core issue of ending the Israeli occupation and establishing the Palestinian state is addressed as the only way to achieve peace in the entire region. Lasting peace will contribute to the stability of all the region's peoples.He clarified that the presence of the Palestinian people on their land is not the cause of the ongoing conflict as some may think. The notion of displacing them is rejected because it sows the seeds of a new, unending conflict and adds to the old historical injustice.Aboul Gheit noted that the Arab countries have taken significant steps towards paving the way for a just and comprehensive solution since the launch of the Arab Peace Initiative in 2002. The initiative was followed by practical steps showing clear intent and determination for a permanent and comprehensive settlement in the region. The initiative is still in place, and peace remains a strategic option for Arabs for a better future in the Middle East.

The extraordinary Arab League Summit kicked off Tuesday in Cairo, Egypt, at the request of the State of Palestine.The summit focuses on the latest developments in the Palestinian cause and ways to support the Palestinian people.The Arab leaders are discussing a unified Arab stance against displacement, emphasizing the need for collective action.The summit aims to reach a consensus on measures to prevent displacement, outline a plan for the reconstruction of Gaza without removing Palestinians from their land, and support the continuation of the ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip.

Israeli warplanes launched Monday airstrikes on the vicinity of the Syrian coastal city of Tartous .Syrian news agency (SANA) reported that the airstrikes have not resulted in any casualties so far.It indicated that civil defense teams are working at the targeted sites.Media outlets reported that the airstrikes that rocked the city of Tartous targeted a military site near the port of Tartous, and the explosions caused columns of smoke.

Israeli fire killed at least two people in Rafah and wounded three others in Khan Younis in the south of Gaza, raising fears among Palestinians that the ceasefire could collapse altogether after Israel imposed a total blockade on the shattered enclave.A first phase of a ceasefire between Israel and Palestinian Hamas group that began in January ended over the weekend with no agreement on what will happen next.Hamas says an agreed second phase must now begin, leading to a permanent Israeli withdrawal and an end to the war. Israel has instead offered a temporary extension into April, with Hamas to release more hostages in return for Palestinian detainees, without immediate talks on Gaza’s future.Later yesterday, Hamas official Osama Hamdan said Israel’s demand to extend the first phase of the ceasefire was pushing things back to “square zero”.“The mediators and guarantors bear full responsibility for preventing (Israeli Prime Minister) Netanyahu from sabotaging all efforts made to reach the agreement and for protecting the agreement from collapsing,” Hamdan told a news conference.Two Israeli government officials said mediators had asked Israel for a few more days to resolve the standoff.“Israel has negotiated in good faith since the beginning of this administration to ensure the release of hostages held captive by Hamas fighters,” White House National Security Council spokesman Brian Hughes said when asked about the aid blockade and ceasefire standoff.“We will support their decision on next steps given Hamas has indicated it’s no longer interested in a negotiated ceasefire,” Hughes said.Israel raised the stakes on Sunday by imposing a total blockade on all supplies, including food and fuel, meant to sustain the 2.3mn Gazans living among the ruins after the 15-month conflict.Hundreds of lorries carrying supplies were backed up in Egypt and denied permission to enter. Gaza residents said shops had been swiftly emptied of all supplies and the price of a sack of flour had more than doubled overnight.“Where will our food come from?” asked Salah al-Hajj Hassan, a resident in Jabalia, on Gaza’s northern edge where families have returned to destroyed homes to live in the rubble. “We are dying, and we don’t want war or the alarm bells of displacement or the alarm bells of starving our children.”Residents said Israeli tanks stationed near the eastern and southern borders of Gaza intensified gunfire and tank shelling into the outskirts throughout the night.A Palestinian official with a group allied to Hamas told Reuters a state of alert had been declared among fighters.At least two people were killed by Israeli drone fire in Rafah, and three people were wounded by a helicopter that fired on Khan Younis, medics said.In a statement, the Israeli military said its forces fired at a motorboat in the coastal area of Khan Younis violating security restrictions in the area and posing a threat.Netanyahu’s office said on Sunday it had adopted a proposal by US President Donald Trump’s envoy, Steve Witkoff, for a temporary ceasefire for the holy month of Ramadan, ending around April 20.The truce would be conditional on Hamas releasing half of the remaining living and dead hostages on the first day, with the remainder released at the conclusion if an agreement is reached on a permanent ceasefire.Hamas says it is committed to the originally agreed ceasefire that had been scheduled to move into a second phase, with negotiations aimed at a permanent end to the war, and hostages could be released only under that plan.The Hamas-run Gaza interior ministry called on residents to provide information about merchants raising food prices in the wake of the new blockade.

The emergency Arab summit in Egypt today is essential to unify Arab positions on Palestine and to present an implementable alternative to prevent transfer schemes, according to diplomats and experts.In statements to Qatar News Agency (QNA), diplomats and experts said the summit is key to pave the ground for the Palestinian people to get their legitimate rights, primarily the establishment of an independent state on the borders of June 4, 1967, with East Jerusalem as its capital.They hailed the roles played by both Qatar and Egypt in supporting the Palestinian people at all levels, especially by reaching a ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip.They added that the efforts by Qatar and Egypt served established an international position supporting the Palestinians and their just and legitimate cause, and alleviated the tragic scene that affected the Gaza Strip and its residents during the brutal war launched by the Israeli occupation on the Strip since October 7, 2023.They expected the summit would facilitate an Arab position to deal with all developments of the Palestinian issue, starting with the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip until it becomes a permanent ceasefire, reaching the stage of reconstruction in Gaza.In this context, Egypt’s former Permanent Representative to the UN in Geneva ambassador Mohammed Mounir Zahran said that the emergency Arab summit is being held at a crossroads for the Palestinian cause, especially after the dangerous developments that occurred in the Gaza Strip and the current efforts to implement the Gaza ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement in its three stages.Zahran praised the Qatari-Egyptian co-operation, which led to reaching a ceasefire agreement to protect the Palestinian people, noting that the two countries made sincere efforts that culminated in reaching this agreement, in co-operation with the US.He stressed the need to continue implementing the agreement in the Gaza Strip after the complete destruction and genocide it witnessed, highlighting the importance of immediately starting to rebuild the entire Gaza Strip and holding the Israeli occupation responsible in this regard, while compensating the Palestinian people for the massacres they were subjected to during that war.Meanwhile, Egypt’s Former Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs ambassador Hussein Haridi said the summit would focus on formulating an Arab position to deal with all developments of the Palestinian issue, starting with the implementation of the three phases of the Gaza ceasefire deal to be a permanent ceasefire and to facilitate the reconstruction phase.Haridi told QNA that the role played by Qatar and Egypt was a lever for an international position supporting the Palestinians and their just cause and legitimate rights, considering that if it were not for this co-ordination and co-operation between the two brotherly countries and the joint mediation they carried out, the situation would have been much worse than it is now.He stressed the urgent need for a unified, strong and decisive Arab position against forced or voluntary displacement of Palestinians.The US administration now knows the Arab position, and Egypt has prepared a draft plan for the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip. The emergency Arab summit will discuss the Egyptian paper, and it is hoped that it will be ratified and become the project that will be presented at that summit, Haridi said.In turn, Egypt’s former Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs ambassador Rakha Ahmed Hassan said in a statement that this summit is exceptional and has a specific topic, which is the Palestinian issue in all its branches, as it will address the war on the Gaza Strip and its results and the existing proposal regarding reconstruction. In this context, it will discuss the Egyptian-Arab plan with all its provisions regarding the reconstruction of the Strip, adding that financing this plan requires an international conference in which all countries contribute. He also expressed his hope that the emergency Arab summit will direct an appeal to the international community and the UN to oblige the Israeli occupation to rebuild hospitals, schools and infrastructure.He added that the Arab summit will also discuss the guarantees for implementing the ceasefire agreement in its three stages, stressing the need for the emergency Arab Summit to open the horizon for the right of the Palestinian people to establish their independent state on the borders of June 4, 1967, with East Jerusalem as its capital, as this represents the only way to stability and peace in the Middle East.In this context, Hassan praised the fruitful co-operation between Qatar and the Arab Republic of Egypt to achieve the ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip as a model to be followed for its positive results, the latest of which was obligating the Israeli Prime Minister to implement the terms of the agreement.In the same context, Professor of Political Science at Cairo University Dr Hassan Salama stressed in a similar statement to QNA the importance of holding the Arab Summit and other Arab meetings at the current stage to adopt a unified Arab position on the ground. Salama called for the need for real Arab co-ordination on the ground amid the critical moments that require giving importance to achieving priorities, primarily the Arab national security as a whole. (QNA)

Assistant Secretary-General and Head of the Economic Affairs Sector in the Arab League ambassador Dr Ali bin Ibrahim al-Malki stressed the importance of holding the extraordinary Arab Summit in Cairo today to come up with visions that enhance the Arab position of supporting legitimate Palestinian rights at all levels.In an interview with Qatar News Agency (QNA), he explained that the extraordinary Arab summit comes at a delicate and sensitive time, especially in light of the recent developments in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, as well as the ongoing developments in the regional and international arenas. He noted that the summit aims to unify Arab visions to come up with clear and effective positions that can be implemented on the ground, starting with the entry of humanitarian aid needed by the Gaza Strip.The assistant secretary-general and head of the Economic Affairs sector considered that what the Gaza Strip was exposed to reveals an approach to changing the demographic map of the State of Palestine, as it witnessed the destruction of all aspects of life in it since the war was launched by the Israeli occupation on Oct. 7, 2023.In this regard, he stressed the need for Arab visions to agree and unify at the Arab summit, especially in the field of Gaza reconstruction, noting that reconstruction or providing aid will be on different tracks, the most important of which is the entry of basic and necessary materials into the sector.After that, there will be a plan or mechanism to rebuild Gaza according to Arab visions, international resolutions, and the outcomes of Arab summits. Then, there will be a path related to restoring economic life that guarantees a sustainable economy in the Gaza Strip and Palestine in general.On the role of Qatar and Egypt in reaching a ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip in co-operation with the US, he indicated that the two brotherly countries have made clear and appreciated efforts since the start of the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip in October 2023.He also referred to the efforts made by the two countries to co-ordinate their efforts, whether at the level of international forums or with influential countries or powers, to protect the Palestinian people, for cease fire, to consolidate and sustain it, and to confront the displacement of the Palestinian people. He stressed the need to consolidate the ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip and implement all its provisions, and then move to the next step regarding the need to bring in aid, reconstruction, and other matters.He noted there have been moves since the beginning of the war in October 2023 by Arab countries to mobilise support and aid for the Palestinian people, whether at the bilateral level between countries or at the level of the Arab League.Arab efforts to mobilise support for the Palestinian people will continue at all levels, and international efforts will be intensified to achieve the aspirations of the Palestinian people, obtain all their legitimate and just rights, and to confront all attempts aimed at undermining them, he underlined.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun arrived in Saudi Arabia yesterday for his first trip abroad since taking office earlier this year, the presidency and Saudi media said.Aoun, a former army chief, was elected on January 9, ending a more than two-year power vacuum amid a crippling political and economic crisis.Aoun said he would meet Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler, later.“I look forward with great hope to the talks I will hold with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman this evening,” the Lebanese presidency posted on X, as Saudi TV station Al Arabiya also reported his arrival.He said he hoped their talks would “pave the way for a later visit in which agreements strengthening co-operation between the two brotherly countries will be signed”, a statement from the presidency said.Aoun told Saudi newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat on Friday that he would “seek, if possible, to reactivate military aid”. The president added that he chose Saudi Arabia as his first destination because of its “historic links” with Lebanon and its role as a regional and global player. “I hope and expect that Saudi Arabia will help us reset relations in the interest of both countries and overcome recent obstacles,” he said.He voiced hopes of “building normal economic ties”, saying Lebanon could align with “Vision 2030” – Riyadh’s initiative to diversify its economy beyond oil.“This would allow the Saudis to return to their second home, Lebanon, while Lebanese look forward to reconnecting with Saudi Arabia,” he said.

Food, medicine and shelter stockpiles in Gaza are limited and aid intended for Palestinians in desperate need may spoil following Israel's suspension of deliveries to the enclave, humanitarian agencies said Monday.Israel blocked the entry of aid trucks into Gaza on Sunday as a standoff over the truce that has halted fighting for the past six weeks escalated."Much of what has come in over the past few weeks has already been distributed...Now, already we are seeing price increases", a UN official in Gaza said.Medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres warned that the suspension of aid will add significant pressure on the two million Palestinians in the enclave who are still suffering from shortages of essential goods following 16 months of war.More than 300 trucks loaded with aid were stopped from crossing the border from Egypt on Sunday, according to the International Federation of the Red Cross.Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu threatened Hamas Monday with unimaginable consequences if it did not return hostages held in Gaza, while the Palestinian resistance group accused his government of sabotaging the truce.The first phase of the fragile ceasefire ended over the weekend but talks over its future have hit an impasse after six weeks of relative calm in the Gaza Strip that included exchanges of Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners and an influx of badly needed aid into the devastated territory.

Mediators make effort to salvage the ceasefire dealIsrael imposes blockade on all supplies to GazaHamas says Israel pushes things into square zeroGaza stores emptied and price of sack of flour more than doublesIsraeli fire killed at least two people in Rafah and injured three others in Khan Younis in the south of Gaza, raising fears among Palestinians that the ceasefire could collapse altogether after Israel imposed a total blockade on the shattered enclave.A first phase of a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas that began in January ended over the weekend with no agreement on what will happen next.Hamas says an agreed second phase must now begin, leading to a permanent Israeli withdrawal and an end to the war. Israel has instead offered a temporary extension into April, with Hamas to release more hostages in return for Palestinian detainees, without immediate talks on Gaza's future.Later on Monday, Hamas official Osama Hamdan said Israel's demand to extend the first phase of the ceasefire was pushing things back to "square zero"."The mediators and guarantors bear full responsibility for preventing (Israeli Prime Minister) Netanyahu from sabotaging all efforts made to reach the agreement and for protecting the agreement from collapsing," said Hamdan in a news conference.Two Israeli government officials said mediators had asked Israel for a few more days to resolve the standoff.Israel raised the stakes on Sunday by imposing a total blockade on all supplies, including food and fuel, to sustain the 2.3 million Gazans living among the ruins after the 15-month conflict.Hundreds of lorries carrying supplies were backed up in Egypt and denied permission to enter. Gaza residents said shops had been swiftly emptied of all supplies and the price of a sack of flour had more than doubled overnight."Where will our food come from?" said Salah al-Hajj Hassan, a resident in Jabalia, on Gaza's northern edge where families have returned to destroyed homes to live in the rubble. "We are dying, and we don't want war or the alarm bells of displacement or the alarm bells of starving our children."Residents said Israeli tanks stationed near the eastern and southern borders of Gaza intensified gunfire and tank shelling into the outskirts throughout the night.A Palestinian official with a group allied to Hamas told Reuters a state of alert had been declared among fighters.At least two people were killed by Israeli drone fire in Rafah, and three people were wounded by a helicopter that fired on Khan Younis, medics said.Netanyahu's office said on Sunday it had adopted a proposal by U.S. President Donald Trump's envoy, Steve Witkoff, for a temporary ceasefire for the Muslim holy month of Ramadan and Jewish feast of Passover, ending around April 20.The truce would be conditional on Hamas releasing half of the remaining living and dead hostages on the first day, with the remainder released at the conclusion if an agreement is reached on a permanent ceasefire.Hamas says it is committed to the originally agreed ceasefire that had been scheduled to move into a second phase, with negotiations aimed at a permanent end to the war, and hostages could be released only under that plan.The Hamas-run Gaza interior ministry called on residents to provide information about merchants raising food prices in the wake of the new blockade.Tamer al-Burai, a Gaza businessman, said that with shops suddenly empty, the price of a sack of flour had risen to 100 shekels ($28) from 40 shekels. Prices for cooking oil, fuel, and vegetables had also surged."It is catastrophic and things might become worse if the ceasefire isn't resumed or there is no intervention by the local authorities against greedy merchants," he told Reuters via a chat app.Salama Marouf, head of the Gaza government media office, urged Gazans not to panic, saying there was enough food in markets for at least two weeks. The economy ministry had initiated an effort to compel merchants not to increase prices.Aid agencies have warned that goods could spoil and that they don't have limitless means to stockpile goods on the Gaza border."Aid is arriving at our warehouses every day... We have warehouse capacity for now, but we cannot be sure how long that will continue", operations coordinator for the International Federation of the Red Cross in Egypt Jurgen Hogl, told Reuters.

A number of countries and international and regional organizations expressed their strong condemnation and denunciation of the Israeli occupation's prevention of the entry of humanitarian and relief aid into the Gaza Strip, considering it a flagrant violation of all international charters and laws, especially international humanitarian law.For his part, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called today for the immediate resumption of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip.UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urges all parties to make the necessary efforts to avoid a return to hostilities in Gaza, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in a statement.For its part, the European Union condemned the Israeli occupation's decision to prevent the entry of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip, considering that this could lead to humanitarian consequences.The European Union said in a statement that work must be done to achieve a permanent ceasefire while ensuring the reconstruction of Gaza, renewing the call to ensure full, rapid, safe and unrestricted access for humanitarian aid to the Strip.For its part, the Gulf Cooperation Council stressed that the Israeli occupation forces’ halt to the entry of aid into the Gaza Strip violates all international conventions and laws, and deepens the humanitarian crisis experienced by the Palestinian people in the Strip.Mr. Jassim Mohammed Al-Badawi, Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council, called on the international community to intervene immediately and pressure the occupation forces to lift the unjust restrictions imposed on aid, and to work to ensure the arrival of urgent relief to meet the basic needs of the Palestinian people, especially during the holy month of Ramadan.For its part, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia expressed its condemnation and denunciation of the decision of the Israeli occupation government to stop the entry of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip, and to use it as a tool for blackmail and collective punishment, which is a flagrant violation of international law and a direct violation of the rules of international humanitarian law, in light of the humanitarian catastrophe that the Palestinian people are facing.In a statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Saudi Arabia renewed its call on the international community to stop these serious Israeli violations, activate international accountability mechanisms, and ensure sustainable access to aid.For its part, Egypt condemned the decision issued by the Israeli government to stop the entry of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip and close the crossings used for humanitarian relief work.The Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed, in a statement, that these measures constitute a flagrant violation of the ceasefire agreement, international humanitarian law, the Fourth Geneva Convention, and all religious laws.She stressed that there is no justification, circumstance or logic that could allow the use of starving innocent civilians and imposing a siege on them, especially during the month of Ramadan, as a weapon against the Palestinian people.In a related context, the Jordanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned in the strongest terms Israel's decision to stop the entry of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip and to close the crossings used for this purpose, which is considered a flagrant violation of international law, international humanitarian law, and the Fourth Geneva Convention on the Protection of Civilians in Time of War of 1949.Ambassador Sufian Qudah, the official spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, confirmed that the decision of the Israeli occupation government is a flagrant violation of the ceasefire agreement, which threatens to cause the situation to explode again in the Strip.Earlier today, the Israeli entity announced the suspension of the entry of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip and the closure of the crossings "until further notice." This was followed by the occupation army closing the Kerem Shalom crossing in the southern Gaza Strip and returning trucks loaded with relief supplies, goods and aid.

The Jordanian Armed Forces intercepted a drone attempting to smuggle narcotics into the country early Monday, according to a military source.The source stated that Border Guard forces, in coordination with military security agencies and the Anti-Narcotics Department, detected the drone and tracked its movements before engaging under rules of engagement, successfully bringing it down within Jordanian territory, according to (Petra) news agency.The confiscated materials were handed over to the relevant authorities for further investigation. Petra added.The Jordanian Armed Forces reaffirmed their commitment to safeguarding national security and preventing the infiltration of narcotics into the country. The military continues to deploy its full capabilities to counter smuggling attempts along Jordan's borders, Petra said.

Three civilians were killed and two others were injured Monday due to the explosion of a landmine in a vehicle they were traveling in, in al-Kabina Mountains area of Lattakia, northwestern Syria.The Syrian Civil Defense mentioned on its Telegram channel that its teams transported the injured to the nearest hospital and retrieved the bodies of the victims, handing them over to their families, according to Syria news agency (SANA).War remnants and mines continue to threaten the lives of civilians, causing severe injuries, undermining agricultural and economic activities, and hindering the return of civilians to their homes in vast areas of Syria.

Syrian President Ahmad al-Shara has assigned a seven-member committee to draft the constitutional declaration, as part of organizing the political transition phase in Syria.A statement by the Syrian presidency stated that based on the aspirations of the Syrian people to build their state on the foundations of law and based on the outcomes of the National Dialogue Conference, the president decided to form a committee of experts to undertake the task of drafting the “draft constitutional declaration that regulates the transitional phase.”The statement added that the committee will submit its proposal to the Syrian President after completing its work.It is noteworthy that the Syrian National Dialogue Conference, which was held on February 25, concluded with the acceleration of the issuance of a temporary constitutional declaration that is consistent with the requirements of the transitional phase, and ensures the filling of the constitutional vacuum, in a way that accelerates the work of the Syrian state apparatuses and accelerates the formation of a temporary legislative council that undertakes the tasks of the legislative authority, and the formation of a constitutional committee to prepare a draft of a permanent constitution for the country.

The International Committee of the Red Cross called yesterday on Israel and Hamas to maintain their ceasefire in Gaza to prevent the conflict-weary region from sinking back into despair.“The ceasefire agreement has saved countless lives and offered a beacon of hope amid unimaginable suffering.Any unravelling of the forward momentum created over the last six weeks risks plunging people back into despair,” it said in a statement, adding the truce was “essential”.Every effort must be made to maintain the ceasefire so that lives are spared from hostilities, humanitarian aid enters Gaza, and more families are reunited.The statement came as Israel said it was suspending the entry of supplies into Gaza and as deadly attacks were reported in the territory after Israel and Hamas hit an impasse of how to proceed further.