Region

Israeli occupation forces continue their aggression on the city of Tulkarm and its refugee camps, Tulkarm and Nur Shams, for the 16th consecutive day, amidst escalating military operations accompanied by widespread destruction of infrastructure and properties, arrests, and forced displacement of thousands of camp residents.Palestinian News Agency (WAFA) reported that occupation forces are imposing a tight siege on Tulkarm and Nur Shams camps, reinforcing presence of armored vehicles and patrols around their peripheries and neighborhoods, conducting raids on homes, many of which are now empty due to forced displacement of their residents. The raids include heavy and indiscriminate live-fire, especially at night.The occupation forces are also continuing to seize homes and high-rise buildings inside camps and their surroundings, particularly on Nablus Street near northern entrance, and on Al-Muqataa Street linking the camp to eastern part of the city. These buildings are being turned into military posts and sniper positions.Furthermore, on Monday night, Israeli occupation forces sent additional military reinforcements to Nur Shams camp, where they spread in neighborhoods of Jabal Al-Salihine and Jabal Al-Nasr, conducting raids on homes after blowing up their doors, searching them, and vandalizing their contents.WAFA added that Nur Shams camp is witnessing a worsening humanitarian crisis, as occupation forces have forced its residents, including women, children, the elderly, and the sick, to flee. Dozens of families were seen leaving the camp after being forced to abandon their homes at gunpoint, amid random firing of live bullets and sounds of explosions occurring intermittently.The displacement movement concentrated in Maslakh, Al-Manshiya, Jabal Al-Salihine, and Jabal Al-Nasr neighborhoods, which become almost empty of their residents. The occupation forces directed each group of displaced families to specific areas, including the city, Dhannaba area, and the town of Anabta.Palestinian citizens, particularly the elderly and some families in the targeted neighborhoods, continue to appeal to relevant authorities to intervene and save their lives after their homes were partially demolished while they were inside.

The arrest of two Palestinian booksellers in Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem drew widespread condemnation on Monday, with supporters showing up at court and foreign governments expressing dismay.About 60 people gathered in the morning outside the Jerusalem court where Mahmud and Ahmad Muna appeared for an arraignment, in a show of solidarity with the duo who were arrested on Sunday.They both work for the Educational Bookshop, a cultural institution in east Jerusalem, which Israel has occupied since 1967 and annexed in a move not recognised by most of the international community.Some Israeli rights groups showed their support for the Munas online, with one organisation, B'Tselem, calling on the authorities to "immediately release them from detention and stop persecuting Palestinian intellectuals".Husam Zomlot, the Palestinian ambassador to Britain, urged the international community and publishers to push for their release.Sami Abou Shahadeh, a historian and leader of an Arab nationalist party in Israel's parliament, asked in a post on X: "Why is it that Israel feels so threatened by books?"Palestinians "may be entering a new stage of oppression, with (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu and his people feeling that they have no red lines", said Abou Shahadeh.Israeli officers searching the branches of the Educational Bookshop "arrested two residents of east Jerusalem suspected of selling books containing incitement and support for terrorism", the police said in a statement.It said police were asking for an eight-day extension of the booksellers' detention, which the court granted -- for one day.The statement also mentioned books on "nationalist Palestinian themes", including a colouring book titled "From the River to the Sea", an expression some see as a call for Israel's destruction and others view as a demand for Palestinian liberation and equality for all between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean.The Muna family's lawyer, Nasser Odeh, said "hundreds of books" had been seized on Sunday including "history books, and the works of various writers including Israelis and internationals".Several residents said they saw Israeli police at the shop on Sunday afternoon."It was for more than two hours," Hazem Abu Najib told AFP, calling the raid "crazy"."It's a famous place, even Israelis come," he said."When I see that bookstores are attacked... I feel miserable."Outside the court, the solidarity rally drew Israeli anti-government activists, political figures like Arab Israeli leader Ayman Odeh and regular clients at the Educational Bookshop.Sidra Ezrahi, an Israeli-American in her 80s, called the arrests "unbelievable"."We've been coming to this bookshop not for years but for generations," she said, adding the arrests were "exactly what fascist states are doing".US writer Nathan Thrall held up a sign with the word "Palestine" written on it in Arabic, followed by "Confiscate me" in English."When the police came and raided this bookstore, they... took any book that had the word 'Palestine' on the cover," said Thrall."It is absolutely a continuation of a slide into authoritarianism... but it's a slide from a situation that was already totalitarian to begin with."The European Union delegation "expressed deep concern at the Israeli police raid... and the arrests" of the Munas, in a statement on X.The French consulate in Jerusalem denounced "a blatant attack... against basic democratic values".Francesca Albanese, UN special rapporteur for the Palestinian territories, said she was "shocked" by the raid that targeted "an intellectual lighthouse and family-run gem resisting Palestinian erasure under apartheid".Odeh, the Munas' lawyer, told AFP that in recent years Israeli authorities have escalated their actions against Palestinian cultural institutions in east Jerusalem.Israel claims all of Jerusalem as its "indivisible" capital, though the United Nations considers its annexation of the city's eastern sector illegal. The Palestinians see east Jerusalem as the capital of their future independent state.Meanwhile, the Educational Bookshop was open on Monday, according to AFP journalists, with relatives of the Munas saying they hoped that they would walk free on Tuesday.

Palestinian resistance movement Hamas on Monday announced it would stop releasing Israeli hostages until further notice over what the group said were Israeli violations of the ceasefire agreement.The unexpected announcement comes amid growing doubts over an already fragile ceasefire even as families of the Israeli hostages urge the government to stick to the deal and Gazans try to start rebuilding their lives in the shattered enclave.Hamas was to release some Israeli hostages on Saturday in exchange for Palestinian prisoners as had happened over the past three weeks.Hamas military wing spokesperson Abu Ubaida said Israeli violations had included Israel delaying Palestinians from returning to northern Gaza, targeting Palestinians with Israeli shelling and gunfire and stopping aid from entering the strip.The ceasefire has largely held since it began January 19, although there have been some incidents where Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces. The amount of humanitarian aid into Gaza has increased since the ceasefire, aid agencies say.Ubaida said the next scheduled release of hostages on Saturday would be postponed until Israel complies with the ceasefire agreement and "compensates for the past weeks".Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said Hamas' announcement violated the ceasefire deal and that he had instructed the military to prepare at the highest level of readiness in Gaza and to defend Israeli communities.An Israeli official said the prime minister was holding security consultations. The security cabinet of select ministers, including defence, national security and foreign affairs, would meet Tuesday morning, the official said.Two Egyptian security sources said mediators fear a breakdown of the ceasefire agreement. Qatar and Egypt brokered the deal alongside the US.Earlier, the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had said an Israeli delegation had returned from ceasefire talks in Qatar.There were no immediate details on the reason for the return from the talks, which are intended to agree the basis for a second stage of the multi-phase ceasefire agreement and hostage-for-prisoner exchange reached last month.US President Donald Trump's statements that Palestinians should be moved out of Gaza, leaving the coastal enclave to be developed as a waterfront real estate project under US control have upended expectations for the postwar future.Gazans have no right of return: TrumpUS President Donald Trump said Palestinians would not have the right of return to the Gaza Strip under his proposal to redevelop the enclave, according to excerpts from a Fox News interview.Trump added that he thought he could make a deal with Jordan and Egypt to take the displaced Palestinians, saying the US gives the two countries "billions and billions of dollars a year."Asked if Palestinians would have the right to return to Gaza, Trump told Fox: "No, they wouldn't because they're going to have much better housing."Trump's plan for Gaza 'doomed'Hamas' Gaza chief Khalil al-Hayya said Monday that the plans of the West, the United States and US President Donald Trump for the Gaza Strip were "doomed". "We will bring them down as we brought down the projects before them," he said during a commemoration of the 46th anniversary of the Iranian revolution in Tehran.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Sunday labelled as "a scandal" US President Donald Trump's plans for the war-ravaged Palestinian territory of Gaza.Trump sparked global outrage by suggesting on Tuesday that Washington should take control of the Gaza Strip, clear out its inhabitants and turn it into "the Riviera of the Middle East".Scholz, speaking in a pre-election TV debate, branded the plan "a scandal" and said "the relocation of a population is unacceptable and against international law".His conservative election rival Friedrich Merz said "I share this assessment".But Merz added that Trump's announcement is "part of a whole series of proposals coming from the American government"."We have to wait and see what is really meant seriously and how it will be implemented. There is probably a lot of rhetoric involved."

Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Jasem Mohamed AlBudaiwi discussed on Monday with Secretary-General of the Digital Cooperation Organization (DCO) Deemah AlYahya ways to enhance cooperation between the two sides.During their meeting, the discussions included following up on the latest developments in the memorandum of understanding between the two sides, with the aim of enhancing cooperation in the fields of digital transformation, developing technological infrastructure, and supporting digital innovation in a way that contributes to achieving sustainable development and enhancing the digital economy in the GCC countries.The two sides discussed ways to support joint initiatives to enhance digital innovation, develop technological infrastructure, and stimulate the digital economy by coordinating efforts and exchanging knowledge between the GCC countries and the DCO member states.At the end of the meeting, the two sides expressed aspiration for more constructive cooperation in the future, which would contribute to achieving common goals and enhance their position in the fields of technology and digital innovation.

The Palestinian Journalists Syndicate confirmed today that the Israeli occupation committed 110 crimes and violations against the Palestinian press sector during the month of January, which resulted in the deaths of seven journalists in the Gaza Strip.In a press statement, it stated that the first month of this year witnessed a serious and continuous escalation against the Palestinian media field in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, as the occupation's missiles targeted the homes and places of journalists, killing seven of them in a clear targeting of the truth that the occupation is working to hide.The statement added that the occupation's killing methodology claimed the lives of nine journalists' families, including sons, fathers, mothers, wives and siblings, and destroyed about six homes of journalists and their families with aircraft missiles.She reported that the Freedoms Committee of the Syndicate documented six injuries among journalists as a result of missile shrapnel in the Gaza Strip and bullets in the West Bank, along with 15 incidents of journalists being targeted with bullets for the purpose of intimidation. It also documented that 40 journalists were prevented from working and covering the events, 17 of whom were subjected to tear gas and sound bombs. Three journalists were arrested, two were interrogated, and three were beaten.It is noteworthy that 200 Palestinian journalists have been martyred since the beginning of the Israeli occupation

Egypt has condemned the remarks made by the Israeli Prime Minister to US media channel on Saturday, noting that they included deliberate and unacceptable allegations and misleading statements that contradict the efforts it has been making since the beginning of the aggression on the Gaza Strip, and its delivery of urgent humanitarian aid to the Palestinian people.Egypt's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Emigration indicated, in a statement, that these remarks aim to cover up and divert attention from the flagrant violations committed by Israel against civilians and the destruction of vital Palestinian facilities, including hospitals, educational institutions, power stations and drinking water, in addition to the use of siege and starvation as a weapon against civilians.The Ministry stressed Egypt's complete rejection of any statements targeting the displacement of the Palestinian people to Egypt, Jordan or Saudi Arabia, expressing its solidarity with the people of Gaza who cling to their land despite all the horrors they are exposed to in order to defend their just and legitimate cause. The Ministry also affirmed adherence to the firm Egyptian and Arab constants based on the right of the Palestinian people to establish their state on the borders of June 4, 1967, with East Jerusalem as its capital. (

The Muslim World League (MWL) strongly condemned the absurd statements issued by the Israeli Prime Minister calling for the displacement of Palestinians.The MWL Secretary-General Sheikh Dr. Mohammad bin Abdulkarim Al-Issa denounced in a statement these barbaric statements that reflect disregard for all international norms and laws, an infringement on the sovereignty of states, and a disregard for the rights of the Palestinian people to establish their independent state on their lands.He noted the great efforts made by Saudi Arabia to support the Palestinian cause, and standing firmly against the horrific crimes in Gaza, especially the summits it hosted in this regard as an effort to mobilize world opinion to support the legitimate Palestinian right to self-determination and the establishment of an independent state on its occupied lands.

Two Palestinian women, one of them pregnant, were killed by Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank yesterday, the Palestinian health ministry said, as Israel stepped up raids on fighters in the area.The ministry said Israeli forces in Nur Shams in the northern West Bank shot 23-year-old Sundos Jamal Mohammed Shalabi, who was eight months pregnant and whose unborn child did not survive, and critically wounded her husband. The Israeli military said the incident was being probed by its military police criminal investigation unit.Details of the deaths were not immediately clear. The Palestinian state news agency cited eyewitnesses as saying that Shalabi and her husband were shot as they were trying to leave their home.Another woman, aged 21, was shot dead in a separate incident, the Palestinian health ministry said.The Israeli military said its forces were scanning a house for a fighter and that they called on inhabitants to exit the building. The woman did not come out and was fatally wounded when they used force to breach the door, the military said.It added that it regrets harm to civilians, which it tries to prevent.Earlier yesterday, the military announced it was expanding a counter-terrorism operation in the north of the West Bank to Nur Shams, a historic refugee camp close to the Palestinian town Tulkarm. Israel’s military, police and intelligence services started the counter-terrorism operation in Jenin on January 21, described by officials as a “large-scale and significant military operation”.The operation expanded to Tulkarm, Al Faraa and Tamun, with the military saying it was targeting fighters.Israel, viewing the West Bank as part of a multi-front war against foreign-backed groups established around its borders, launched the operation after reaching a ceasefire in its war in Gaza against the Palestinian Hamas group.Thousands of Palestinians have fled West Bank homes in the wake of the military campaign and widespread destruction.Palestinians have said the Israeli campaign is one of the most destructive in recent memory. Dozens of Palestinians have been killed, according to the Palestinian Authority’s Health Ministry.

A Hamas official said Israeli troops completed their withdrawal yesterday from a strategic road cutting through the Gaza Strip, part of a fragile truce deal that Israel said it was implementing.But diplomatic tensions were high after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appeared to suggest in an interview that a Palestinian state could be established on Saudi territory, drawing the ire of Saudi Arabia and other Arab nations.As negotiations are set to begin on the next phase of the Gaza ceasefire, which is intended to pave the way for a permanent end to the war, Palestinians yesterday were able to cross the Netzarim Corridor, where an Israeli checkpoint used to stand.An official from the Hamas-run interior ministry said: “Israeli forces have dismantled their positions... and completely withdrawn their tanks from the Netzarim Corridor on Salaheddin Road, allowing vehicles to pass freely in both directions.”AFP journalists saw no troops in the area as cars, buses, pickup trucks and donkey carts travelled both north and south along the road.Gaza resident Mahmoud al-Sarhi said that “arriving at the Netzarim Corridor meant death until this morning”.This is “the first time I saw our destroyed house,” he told AFP of his home in the nearby Zeitun area.“The entire area is in ruins. I cannot live here.”A senior Hamas official said Israel’s Israeli withdrawal from Netzarim had been scheduled for yesterday under the terms of the truce that took effect on January 19. Asked about yesterday’s withdrawal, an Israeli security official told AFP on condition of anonymity: “We are preparing to implement the ceasefire agreement according to the guidelines of the political echelon.”This came as Gaza’s civil defence agency said Israeli forces shot dead three civilians in Gaza City north of Netzarim yesterday, with the military saying it fired “warning shots” and hit Palestinians who had approached troops.

Authorities in Iran ordered schools and offices in at least 10 provinces to close yesterday to conserve energy amid a severe cold snap and heavy snowfall, state media reported.Freezing temperatures have gripped the northern half of the country over the past few days, causing a spike in energy consumption.“All government offices and schools are closed on Sunday, and remote learning has been arranged for students,” the state news agency IRNA announced.Among the provinces affected are Lorestan in the west, Semnan in the east and Gilan in the north.Some parts of Gilan, around 130 kilometres north of Tehran, saw snow fall to a depth of 220 centimetres, meteorologist Mohammad Dadras told the Fars news agency.The shutdown decision followed a similar measure on Saturday, when authorities ordered closures in more than 20 of the country’s 31 provinces because of the extreme weather.The capital also saw closures on Saturday but those affected reopened yesterday — a working day — despite the wintry conditions.IRNA said yesterday some areas of Tehran received up to 30 centimetres of snow overnight.The snowfall caused widespread traffic disruption, and some residents cleared snow as others enjoyed snowball fights in city parks.Snow is not unusual for Tehran in February, but the combination of heavy snow and sudden temperature drops caught many people off guard. Heavy snow and rain across most of the country yesterday also led to road closures.IRNA reported travel disruptions in 25 provinces, with the heaviest impacts in the north and west where authorities advised people to stay at home for the next 24 hours.Temperatures in at least 19 provinces fell to zero degrees Celsius or lower yesterday, IRNA said.Iran often orders educational institutions and offices to close during winter, citing extreme weather and fuel shortages.

Arab League has strongly denounced the remarks of the Prime Minister of the Israeli occupation's government on relocating the Palestinians to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, stressing that the logic the occupation's government pursues is rejected and entirely separated from reality.In a statement on Sunday, Secretary-General of the Arab League, Ahmed Aboul Gheit, stated that the Palestinian State will never be established on territories other than the land of Palestine that was occupied in 1967, with East Jerusalem as its capital and the West Bank and the Gaza Strip as its region without separating them.

No immediate comment from Israeli military on withdrawalIsrael established corridor in early months of the warCorridor had cut off Gaza's north from southThousands of Palestinians return north in recent weeksThe Israeli military has withdrawn from an area of Gaza known as the Netzarim corridor that bisects the enclave, Hamas said on Sunday, a move that was expected under the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas.An Israeli security source, requesting anonymity as they were not authorised to speak publicly, confirmed the Israeli military was withdrawing from its positions in central Gaza.Israeli forces had already reduced their presence there.Hamas celebrated the withdrawal as a victory and the Hamas-run police force deployed to the area to manage the flow Palestinians crossing through. The Israeli military had no immediate comment.Reuters footage showed what appeared to be Israeli military vehicles moving away from the coast and towards the Israeli border.Since the early months of the war Israeli forces had occupied the roughly 4 mile-long corridor south of Gaza City that stretches from the Israeli border to the Mediterranean Sea.The corridor cut off Gaza's northern communities, including its largest metropolitan area, from the south.Thousands of Palestinians have streamed through the corridor in recent weeks, returning to their homes in the north from southern Gaza where they had sought shelter from the war.Some who crossed over have described their shock after seeing the destruction of communities and discovering what they said were human remains in areas where Israeli forces had withdrawn.Much of northern Gaza has become a wasteland following Israel's devastating campaign.After finding their homes destroyed, some Gazans have gone back to the south, while others have set up tents where their homes once stood.Former American soldiers employed as private contractors have been deployed to inspect vehicles passing through the corridor in recent weeks following the ceasefire agreement that was implemented on January 19 after more than 15 months of war.Crowds of people were seen traversing the corridor on Sunday as Hamas announced the Israeli military had withdrawn, while a long line of cars gathered, waiting to pass through.

The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) has strongly condemned and denounced the statements made by Israeli occupation forces against the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and their demand to establish a Palestinian state within Saudi territory.In a statement Sunday, Secretary-General of the GCC, Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi said that these dangerous and irresponsible statements confirm the approach of the Israeli occupation forces in their lack of respect for international laws and treaties, as well as the sovereignty of nations.He reaffirmed the firm and steadfast stance of the Kingdom and the GCC countries in supporting the Palestinian people in obtaining their legitimate rights, and the significant and valuable efforts exerted by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the GCC countries in regional and international forums to support the Palestinian cause."These efforts focus on the necessity of a two-state solution, supporting Palestinian sovereignty over all Palestinian territories occupied since June 1967, establishing an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital, and ensuring the right of return for refugees, in accordance with the Arab Peace Initiative and international resolutions," Albudaiwi stated.The GCC Secretary-General renewed his call for the international community to seriously and decisively stand against these aggressive Israeli statements, which pose a threat and danger to the security and stability of the region and the world at large.

The Palestinian Ministry of Health announced today that the Israeli occupation forces (IOF) shot dead a pregnant Palestinian woman with her unborn child, during the occupation's aggression against Nour Shams refugee camp, east of Tulkarm, the West Bank.Wafa news agency reported the ministry as saying that, the 23-year-old Sundus Jamal Shalabi, who was eight months pregnant, was murdered alongside the child she was carrying, adding that her husband sustained critical head injuries from live gunfire.The ministry further indicated that medical teams in Tulkarm were unable to save the unborn child due to the IOF's obstruction of access to medical care, noting that the young woman and her unborn child arrived at the hospital dead, while her husband was transferred to a hospital in Ramallah due to the severity of his condition.As the Israeli occupation murders Sundus Shalabi, the total number of Palestinians murdered by the IOF in Tulkarm during the ongoing Israeli assault has now reached six martyrs

The Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has announced that the Arab Republic of Egypt will host an emergency Arab summit on February 27, 2025, in Cairo.In a statement issued by the Egyptian Foreign Ministry, it confirmed that the summit will be convened in coordination with the Kingdom of Bahrain, the current president of the Arab League summit, and the General Secretariat of the Arab League.The ministry added that the decision to hold the summit followed extensive consultations and coordination at the highest levels with Arab countries, including the State of Palestine, which requested the summit. The summit will address the new and dangerous developments concerning the Palestinian cause.

A Palestinian was wounded by gunfire and dozens were suffocated during clashes with Israeli occupation forces in the occupied West Bank.Local sources said that Israeli forces stormed the village of Tell, southwest of Nablus, firing live ammunition and toxic gas canisters, which resulted in a young Palestinian man being injured by a bullet fragment in his leg and several others suffering from suffocation.Dozens of Palestinians also suffocated during an incursion by Israeli forces into the city of Hebron.According to local sources, Israeli forces raided the city and stormed the homes of two released detainees, firing sound bombs and toxic gas canisters towards citizens, including inside the home of one detainee where women and children were present. This caused dozens to suffer from suffocation, and several were transferred to the hospital for treatment.Meanwhile, clashes broke out between Palestinians and occupation forces in the town of Azzoun, east of Qalqilya.Palestinian sources said that the occupation forces entered the town from its northern main entrance, deploying their vehicles in the neighborhoods, which led to confrontations. No injuries or arrests have been reported so far.Israeli forces also stormed the town of Abu Dis, east of occupied Jerusalem.The Jerusalem Governorate issued a brief statement confirming the incursion but did not report any arrests.The incursions and arrests in the West Bank has significantly increased since the start of the genocide war against Gaza in October 2023. These operations have targeted various regions and thousands of young people, becoming one of the key instruments of Israel's collective punishment policy against Palestinians in the West Bank. (

Lebanon’s premier named a new government yesterday, the presidency announced, bringing to a close more than two years of caretaker authorities.Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said he hoped to head a “government of reform and salvation”, pledging to rebuild trust with the international community after years of economic collapse blamed on corruption and mismanagement.His new government faces the daunting task of implementing reforms needed to unlock funding from international donors after years of crisis, overseeing a fragile Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire and rebuilding the country.“I hope this will be a government of reform and salvation,” Salam said in a televised statement moments after his cabinet was announced.His government will strive to “restore trust between citizens and the state, between Lebanon and its Arab surrounding, and between Lebanon and the international community”, he said.President Joseph Aoun signed a decree “to form a government of 24 ministers”, the presidency said in a post on X.Before the new government can exercise its powers, it needs to draft a ministerial statement that must be submitted to a confidence vote in parliament within 30 days.Lebanon’s 128-seat parliament is mostly dominated by traditional, sectarian-based parties.The government will hold its first session on Tuesday morning, the presidency said in a post on X.The new government includes five women, among them Tamara Elzein, who has been secretary-general of Lebanon’s National Council for Scientific Research, and Haneen Sayed, who has worked as a specialist for the World Bank. It also includes well-known figures like Ghassan Salame, a former United Nations envoy to Libya.Former lawmaker Yassine Jaber, who has close ties to Hezbollah ally the Amal movement, was named finance minister - a strategic portfolio long dominated by the two parties.His naming had been leaked and criticised by some as a boon for powerful parliament speaker Nabih Berri, who heads Amal.Long the dominant force in Lebanese politics, Hezbollah suffered losses in a war with Israel that saw its leader Hassan Nasrallah killed in a massive air strike in September. Hezbollah suffered another seismic blow with the ouster on December 8 of Bashar al-Assad in Syria, a close ally.After more than two years of political stalemate, the weakening of Hezbollah allowed former army chief Aoun, widely believed to be Washington’s preferred candidate, to be elected president and Salam approved as his premier.The US embassy in Beirut welcomed the government formation, adding that “the Lebanese people deserve a government that will rebuild Lebanese state institutions, fight corruption, and implement needed reforms”. A day earlier, US Deputy Special Envoy for the Middle East Morgan Ortagus warned against any Hezbollah presence in Lebanon’s new government after meeting Aoun in Beirut, saying the group was “defeated” in its war with Israel. European Union ambassador to Lebanon Sandra De Waele welcomed Salam’s “commitment that it (the government) will have a reformist agenda,” which she said is “necessary for Lebanon’s future”.The international community has long demanded reforms to unlock financial aid after Lebanon’s economic meltdown began in 2019.

More than 100 Palestinians freed into Gaza yesterday returned to the territory to find it rendered unrecognisable by 15 months of war, while for many the fate of their loved ones was unknown. “How is my family? Are they still alive?” one prisoner asked, calling out from a bus window as prisoners arrived in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip. “Have there been martyrs in my family?” he shouted again before a voice in the crowd responded. “They are all ok,” came the reply. In total, 183 Palestinians were released from Israeli prisons yesterday in exchange for three Israelis held in Gaza in the fifth such swap as part of an ongoing ceasefire in Gaza. Of those released, 41 returned to the West Bank city of Ramallah, four were released in Israeli-annexed East Jerusalem, seven were deported to Egypt and 131 were sent to Gaza. Stepping off the Red Cross chartered coaches in the Palestinian territory, some looked weary and weak, while others exulted, looking to catch a glimpse of a familiar face. Family members, friends and loved ones in the crowd surged towards the returning prisoners, wanting to touch them, shake their hands or film the scene on their phones. In the background, loudspeakers blasted political chants, sometimes echoed by the crowd. Khadra al-Daghma, on the verge of collapse, struggled to make her way to her son before falling into his arms as he kissed her forehead. ‘WAITED FOR THIS DAY’ “I’m so happy,” she said, struggling to find words. “I waited for this day to come for 15 years.” All around her, teary-eyed relatives and freed prisoners, some of whom had not seen each other in decades, were hugging and crying. “He’s changed so much,” al-Daghma said after holding her son Amar, who was arrested in 2009, in her arms. Following Hamas’s unprecedented storming of Israel in 2023, the Israeli army relentlessly bombarded Gaza for more than 15 months. The territory has now been left in ruins. With over 48,000 dead and 111,000 wounded, according to Hamas’s Ministry of Health, the population has been left drained and traumatised by the relentless violence. Over 90% of Palestinians in Gaza were displaced at least once during the war, according to the UN. Of those who returned home after a ceasefire took effect on January 19, many have had to pitch tents next to their old homes, which they found destroyed. The contrast between the land they left and the one they are returning to is stark for returning prisoners. “During our six months of detention, we were completely cut off from the world, we got no information on the war in Gaza”, Mohammed, a freed prisoner who declined to share his last name, said. “The scale of the destruction shocked us, Gaza is in ruins, there is rubble everywhere,” he said. “With the (Israeli) occupation of Gaza, I’m afraid they’ll arrest us again at any moment,” the recently freed prisoner added.

Lebanon formed a new government on Saturday, in a step intended to bring the country closer to accessing reconstruction funds following a devastating war between Israel and Hezbollah.Speaking to reporters at the presidential palace, new Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said the 24-member cabinet would prioritise financial reforms, reconstruction and the implementation of a United Nations resolution seen as a cornerstone to stability on the Lebanese border with Israel.The announcement came after more than three weeks of talks with rival political parties in Lebanon.US deputy Middle East envoy Morgan Ortagus said on Friday that the US considered Hezbollah's involvement in the new cabinet a "red line" and thanked Israel for dealing devastating blows to the group, in a controversial statement that sparked protests in Lebanon.But ultimately, Hezbollah's ally Amal - which is headed by Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri - was allowed to choose four of the new cabinet's members, including the finance minister Yassin Jaber, and give its nod of approval to a fifth.The cabinet is now charged with drafting a policy statement - a broad outline of the upcoming government's approach and priorities - and will then need a vote of confidence from Lebanon's parliament to be fully empowered.Lebanese president Joseph Aoun, who enjoyed US backing as army commander, was elected as president on January 9 and nominated Salam to form a new government days later. Salam had been serving as the head of the International Court of Justice.