The Ministry of Endowments (Awqaf) and Islamic Affairs will provide 300,000 Iftar meals for fasting persons during Ramadan at nine sites across Qatar through its ‘Iftar Al Saem’ scheme.This was announced during a press conference, held at Awqaf’s headquarters Saturday. The ministry said the number of sites may go up.Muhammad Yaqoub al-Ali, chairman of the Iftar Al-Saem Committee at Awqaf, said that the scheme is one of the most important community initiatives undertaken by Awqaf during Ramadan with the aim of spreading the spirit of solidarity and co-operation among members of society.“Providing Iftar for the fasting person has the same reward as the fasting person without detracting from the reward of the fasting person in any way. Fasting has a great reward as mentioned in the Holy Hadith,” he said.Al-Ali thanked the benefactors who supported the Iftar project and the great turnout to support the project to gain reward and recompense. Two benefactors supported the Iftar project by covering the full cost of the Iftar site located at Al Muraikh and the Eid Prayer Ground Street 23 at Al Attiyah of the Industrial Area. Each of these costs QR 700,000. Each of the sites provide 30,000 meals during the holy month.The remaining seven sites will be at Ain Khalid (Thursday and Friday Market), Al Sailiya (New Central Market), Al Rayyan (Eid Prayer Ground), Al Wakra (Opposite the Old Al Wakra Market), Al Khor (Othman Mosque), Bin Omran (Eid Prayer Ground) and Al Aziziya (Eid Prayer Ground).Al-Ali urged the benefactors to contribute to the Iftar project in the seven areas. “The donor’s interest in contributing to the Iftar sites for the fasting person will contribute to increasing the number of beneficiaries of the project or increasing the number of meals,” he said. The cost of one meal is QR 23. Donors can participate in the endowment and choose one of the table areas via the link: https://www.awqaf.gov.qa/ftr.Al-Ali said that the Iftar sites include air conditioned tents equipped for meals, according to the approved specifications and standards. The preparations are made to hold several advocacy activities before the call for Maghrib prayer.Through the project, Awqaf aims to strengthen the tradition of social solidarity and cohesion while implementing the conditions of the donors and helping the needy and the chaste to perform the duty of fasting. Also, it aims to alleviate the suffering of workers whose circumstances do not allow them to prepare the Iftar table at the appropriate time and invest in gatherings as an advocacy, awareness and educational opportunity.Awqaf Announces Launch of Iftar Fasting Campaign 2025

The State of Qatar and the Republic of Cameroon have signed an air services agreement, allowing for the designated airlines of the two countries to operate unlimited and unrestricted traffic rights for both passenger and cargo flights.The agreement was signed by Minister of Transport H.E. Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulla bin Mohammed Al Thani and Cameroon’s Minister of Transport Ngalle Bibehe Jean Ernest Massena.The pact comes in the context of connecting Qatar with more air services agreements that open airspaces for the national carrier to fly to more destinations around the world.Meeting after the signing ceremony, the two ministers discussed bilateral relations in the areas of transportation, civil aviation, air transportation, and ways to boost them.

A ceasefire in the Gaza war will begin on Sunday morning, mediator Qatar said after Israel's cabinet voted to approve the truce and hostage-prisoner release deal.Since Qatar and the United States, which mediated the deal along with Egypt, announced the agreement on Wednesday, Israeli strikes on Gaza have continued.The Huthis said they targeted the Israeli defence ministry, before air raid sirens sounded again in southern Israel in the afternoon and the military said it intercepted a missile launched from Yemen."As coordinated by the parties to the agreement and the mediators, the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip will begin at 8:30 am (0630 GMT) on Sunday," Qatar's foreign ministry spokesman Dr. Majed al-Ansari said.In more than 15 months of war between Hamas and Israel, there has been only one previous truce, for one week, in November 2023. That deal also saw the release of hostages held by the militants in exchange for Palestinian prisoners."The government has approved the hostage return plan," the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said after the cabinet vote.Netanyahu's office said the deal "supports achieving the objectives of the war".But Hamas said Israel had "failed to achieve its aggressive goals" and "only succeeded in committing war crimes that disgrace the dignity of humanity".Israel's justice ministry said 737 Palestinian prisoners and detainees would be freed as part of the deal's first phase -- none before 4pm (1400 GMT) on Sunday.Qatari Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs HE Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani has said an initial 42-day ceasefire would see 33 hostages released by Hamas in Gaza.The truce is to take effect on the eve of Donald Trump's inauguration for a second term as US president.Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas said the Palestinian Authority, which has partial administrative control in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, has completed preparations "to assume full responsibility in Gaza" after the war.Israel has expressed no definitive stance on post-war governance beyond rejecting any role for either Hamas or the PA.Outgoing US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Gaza should be under PA control.Ahead of the truce, displaced Gazans prepared to return home."I will go to kiss my land," said Nasr al-Gharabli, who fled his home in Gaza City for a camp further south. "If I die on my land, it would be better than being here as a displaced person."Jerusalem residents said the deal had been a long time coming."Hopefully a maximum amount of hostages will be coming back", said Beeri Yemeni, a university student. "Maybe this is the beginning of (the) end of suffering for both sides, hopefully," he said, adding that "the war needed to end like a long long time ago."Israel's cabinet endorsement of the deal came despite eight ministers voting against it, including far-right ministers Itamar Ben Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich.Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack on Israel triggered the war and resulted in the deaths of 1,210 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures.Of the 251 people taken hostage, 94 are still in Gaza, including 34 the Israeli military says are dead.Israel's retaliatory campaign has destroyed much of Gaza, killing 46,899 people, most of them civilians, according to figures from the Hamas-run territory's health ministry that the United Nations considers reliable.Mediators had worked for months to reach a deal but the efforts were fruitless until Trump's inauguration neared.Brett McGurk, the pointman for outgoing President Joe Biden, was joined in the region by Trump envoy Steve Witkoff in an unusual pairing to finalise the agreement, US officials said.Israeli authorities assume the 33 captives to be released in the first phase are alive, but Hamas has yet to confirm that.An Israeli military official said reception points had been established at Kerem Shalom, Erez and Reim, where hostages would be joined by doctors and mental health specialists before being "transported via helicopter or vehicle" to hospitals in Israel.Israel "is then expected to release the first group of Palestinian prisoners, including several with high sentences", a source said on condition of anonymity.Biden said an unfinalised second phase of the agreement would bring a "permanent end to the war".In aid-starved Gaza, humanitarian workers caution a monumental task lies ahead.Hundreds of trucks loaded with aid have lined up on the Egyptian side of the Gaza border.Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty said 600 trucks a day would enter Gaza after the ceasefire takes effect, including 50 carrying fuel.