Region

Tuesday, March 19, 2024 | Daily Newspaper published by GPPC Doha, Qatar.

Region

Gulf Times

GCC, EU discuss Schengen Visa waiver for GCC citizens

Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Jasem Mohamed AlBudaiwi met in the Belgian capital, Brussels, with the Special Representative of the European Union (EU) for the Gulf region Luigi Di Maio.During the meeting, they discussed the GCC-European bilateral relations, including issues related to the visa waiver process for GCC citizens in the Schengen area.Additionally, views were exchanged on various regional and international bilateral issues, according to the GCC General Secretariat.Several topics were also discussed, including the preparations for the upcoming high-level forum on regional security and cooperation between the GCC and the EU, scheduled to be held in April. The meeting also covered the agenda items to be discussed during the meeting, with a particular focus on the dire situation in the Gaza Strip.The Secretary General said that the GCC countries look forward to strengthening cooperation between the GCC member states and the EU to support and enhance stability and development in the region and the world. He emphasised the necessity of enhancing all partnerships to address current challenges and developing aspects of cooperation that serve the interests of both sides. (QNA)

Palestinians mourn at the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah next to bodies of victims pulled from the rubble of the Tabatibi family home on Saturday, following overnight Israeli bombardment west of the Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip. AFP

Gaza truce talks to resume Sunday

The main UN aid agency operating in Gaza said Saturday that acute malnutrition was accelerating in the north of the Palestinian enclave as Israel prepared to send a delegation to Qatar for new ceasefire talks on a hostage deal with Hamas.The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) said one in three children under the age of 2 in northern Gaza is now acutely malnourished, putting more pressure on Israel over the looming famine.On Friday, Israel said it would send a delegation to Qatar on Sunday for more talks with mediators after Palestinian resistance movement Hamas presented a new proposal for a ceasefire with an exchange of hostages and prisoners.Efforts failed repeatedly to secure a ceasefire before Islam's holy month of Ramadan started a week ago, with Israel saying it plans to launch a new offensive in Rafah, the last relatively safe city in tiny, crowded Gaza after five months of war.On Friday, Netanyahu's office said he had approved an attack plan on Rafah, where than half of Gaza's 2.3mn residents are sheltering, and that the civilian population would be evacuated. It gave no time frame and there was no immediate evidence of extra preparations on the ground.Israeli strike kills 36 members of a familyAn Israeli strike on Friday night killed 36 members of a family in central Gaza, survivors told AFP Saturday.Displaced by Israeli bombardment, the Tabatibi family gathered in central Gaza to eat together during the first Friday night of Ramadan, a reunion that soon turned into a bloodbath.An air strike hit the building where they were staying as women prepared the pre-fasting meal, killing 36 members of the family, witnesses told AFP on Saturday.The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza, which provided the same death toll, blamed Israel for the strike in Nuseirat, as did survivors.Mohammed al-Tabatibi, 19, stood in the courtyard of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in nearby Deir al-Balah, where the bodies of his relatives were spread out."This is my mother, this is my father, this is my aunt, and these are my brothers," Tabatibi, whose left hand was injured in the strike, said through tears."They bombed the house while we were in it. My mother and my aunt were preparing the suhoor food. They were all martyred," he added before the bodies were stacked on a truck to be driven to a cemetery.Because there were not enough body bags, some of the dead -- including at least two children -- were wrapped in white cloth stained with blood, AFPTV footage showed.The strike in Nuseirat was one of 60 "deadly air strikes" reported overnight by the press office of the Hamas-run government, from Gaza City in the north to Rafah in the south."This is a bloody night, a very bloody night," said Salama Maarouf of the Hamas-run government media office.Yussef Tabatibi said the true toll of the strike that killed 36 members of his family could rise."Some of the martyrs we are unable to retrieve. We lack equipment, bulldozers, machinery, or anything else, " he told AFP, his hands and sweatshirt covered with dust from trying to clear rubble."We retrieve them only with our hands. We brought shovels and hammers, but to no avail. Look at the extent of the destruction."

SIGN UP FOR THE GULF TIMES NEWSLETTER
Our biggest stories, delivered to your inbox every day.
See all newsletters.

By signing up you agree to our User Agreement (including the class action waiver and arbitration provisions), our Privacy Policy & Cookie Statement and to receive marketing and account-related emails from GULF TIMES. You can unsubscribe at any time.