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Residents of the southern Sudanese city of El-Obeid have said they are living in fear as paramilitaries appear to prepare for an assault, with the army reporting shooting down a drone targeting the city on Saturday.The North Kordofan state capital, about 400km southwest of the national capital Khartoum, is a regional hub and a strategic prize for the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), at war with Sudan's army since April 2023.While the RSF announced Thursday it had accepted a truce proposal put forward by mediators, the UN subsequently said it saw "preparations for intensified hostilities", issuing a warning about the deteriorarting situation in the Kordofan region in particular."We are especially worried after what happened in El-Fasher," Soaad Ali, from El-Obeid's Karima neighbourhood, said referring to the RSF's capture of the last army stronghold in western Darfur after an 18-month siege.That takeover was followed by reports of mass killings, sexual violence, abductions and looting, triggering fears the conflict could spread into oil-rich Kordofan.El-Obeid, which hosts an airport, sits on a key supply route linking Darfur and Khartoum.Last month, the RSF captured Bara, north of El-Obeid, forcing more than 36,000 people to flee that town and four others in North Kordofan in less than a week, according to the UN.The group said last week it had massed forces in Bara to retake El-Obeid, "advising civilians to steer clear of military targets"."We are living in fear," said a resident of El-Obeid's Qubba neighbourhood, who asked to remain anonymous for security reasons."Officials try to reassure us, but... after what happened in Bara, our fears are growing."The fall of El-Fasher two weeks ago gave the RSF control of all five state capitals in the vast western region, in addition to parts of the south.The army controls most of Sudan's north, east and centre, including Khartoum.Since El-Fasher's fall, more than 80,000 people have fled the city and surrounding areas, according to the UN.The General Coordination for Displaced People and Refugees in Darfur, an NGO, said that more than 16,000 people had arrived in Tawila and were in dire need of food, water and medical care.El-Fasher had a population of around 260,000 before the RSF takeover.Little is known about the fate of thousands still trapped in the city, which has been largely cut off from communications.Mathilde Vu, advocacy manager for the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) in Sudan, told AFP that many families arriving in Tawila came with "children who are not their own".The children, she said, "have lost their parents on the way, either because they've... disappeared in a chaos, or they've been detained, or they've been killed".Survivors said that women and men were separated on the way out of El-Fasher, and that hundreds of men were detained in nearby towns.Army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan on Saturday visited displaced people from El-Fasher in Al-Dabba city, about 1,000km north.

Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa survived a gunfire attack targeting his motorcade as he was traveling in a convoy to Canar province, where he was scheduled to announce a series of infrastructure projects. The attack occurred after his convoy was confronted by hundreds of people protesting against rising fuel prices. Ecuador's Environment and Energy Minister Ines Manzano said that about 500 people suddenly appeared and began throwing stones at the president's motorcade, causing bullet holes in his vehicle, but Noboa was unharmed in the attack. The Minister added that five suspects have been arrested in connection with the assassination attempt. Authorities announced that the detainees will face charges of terrorism and attempted murder. Ecuador has been experiencing violent demonstrations for several days, protesting against the government's decision to raise diesel prices.

The Israeli occupation forces launched on Sunday a campaign of arrests and raids targeting 13 Palestinians in the occupied West Bank. According to the Palestinian News Agency WAFA, the occupation forces arrested seven Palestinians, including a child, from the city of Hebron, and arrested three people from west Salfit, a child and a Palestinian citizen from northwest Ramallah, and another from Balata refugee camp, after raiding and searching their homes. In a related development, Israeli occupation forces closed the iron gate they had installed at the entrance to the village of Atara, north of Ramallah, this morning. This arrest campaign comes as part of the escalating policy pursued by the Israeli occupation in the West Bank, which aims to terrorize Palestinians, restrict their movement, and persecute activists and freed prisoners.

Fourteen citizens were martyred and others injured on Wednesday in a series of Israeli airstrikes targeting several areas in the Gaza Strip. Medical sources reported that seven people were martyred and others were injured when Israeli warplanes bombed a house in the Daraj neighborhood, east of Gaza City.Six citizens were also martyred and others were injured when the al-Falah School, which houses displaced persons, was targeted in the al-Zeitoun neighborhood, southeast of the city.Meanwhile, Israeli forces set fire to buildings near the Islamic University, southwest of Gaza City, causing extensive damage, according to the Palestinian news agency (WAFA).A citizen was also martyred and several others were injured in an Israeli drone strike on the al-Jadid refugee camp, northwest of the al-Nuseirat refugee camp, in the central Gaza Strip.In addition, the health ministry's figures showed that September 2025 alone saw the martyrdom of 2,106 people in the Gaza Strip.

Israeli occupation warplanes launched a series of intense and violent airstrikes early Wednesday on various areas across the Gaza Strip, targeting residential homes and densely populated neighborhoods, resulting in dozens of martyrs and injuries. These strikes came in conjunction with the expansion of ground operations toward Gaza City. Palestinian sources reported that the bombing targeted displaced persons in Al-Mawasi area in the southern part of the Strip, which the occupation describes as a "safe zone." Medical sources said that two Palestinians were martyred and others were injured in an airstrike that targeted an apartment in 'Al-Zafer 5' tower in the Tel Al-Hawa neighborhood in southern Gaza City. A mother and her child were also killed in a similar strike on an apartment in the Habib building in Al-Shati Camp, west of the city. The airstrikes coincided with intense artillery shelling that targeted several neighborhoods in Gaza City, in addition to the detonation of booby-trapped armored vehicles inside residential buildings in the northern part of the city. In central Gaza Strip, media sources reported that Israeli airstrikes targeted a residential tower east of the Nuseirat camp, while Al-Awda Hospital announced the martyrdom of a Palestinian man, his wife, and their daughter following a strike on their home in the same camp. In southern Gaza, local media reported that Israeli helicopters targeted displaced persons in the Al-Sahaba Farm area in Al-Mawasi, Khan Yunis, resulting in several martyrs and injuries. These developments come after a bloody day on Tuesday, during which Gaza hospitals reported the arrival of 108 martyrs, including 91 in Gaza City alone.

One person was killed today in an Israeli airstrike targeting a car in southern Lebanon. The Lebanese Health Ministry's Health Emergency Operations Center reported that an Israeli drone strike on the town of Burj Qalawieh left one person dead in the southern town.

A Palestinian was martyred and several others were injured on Sunday morning following an Israeli airstrike targeting a vehicle west of Gaza City. Medical sources reported that the strike hit a vehicle near Al-Shifa Hospital, resulting in the martyrdom of one individual and injuries to others. In addition to the airstrike, Israeli artillery also shelled areas in the central Gaza Strip, including Nuseirat refugee camp, as well as the Al-Zaytoun and Al-Shujaiya neighborhoods in Gaza City.

French analysts and experts have affirmed that the Israeli attack targeting residential headquarters of several Hamas leaders in Doha on Tuesday is unjustifiable and contradicts all international conventions, treaties, and diplomatic norms. In exclusive statements to Qatar News Agency (QNA), the analysts stressed that such "aggressive acts" committed by the Israeli occupation at this critical time undermine the peace process and inflame tensions in the Middle East.They pointed out that the State of Qatar is a reliable compass in the geography of diplomacy, based on a culture of respect, cooperation, solidarity, and peace. For this reason, they stated that Qatar deserves the Nobel Peace Prize, not this unjust and treacherous attack.In this context, a strategic political analyst specializing in French and European affairs Yves Sintomer said that condemning this Israeli attack on Doha is the least any rational, peace-loving person can do, adding that what Israel has done is unjustifiable and contradicts all international treaties and diplomatic norms.This unjust attack comes at a critical time and undermines the peace process in the Middle East, especially with the ongoing genocide in Gaza, and considering Qatar's role as a serious and reliable peace mediator in the region, Sintomer said. Sintomer stressed the need for the international community to act to review the mechanisms for upholding international law and preventing violations, especially in light of this attack and the repeated violations committed by Israel in Gaza, Palestine, Lebanon, and other neighboring countries in the Middle East.Strategic expert in international relations and former director of the Africa and Middle East region at the French Development Agency Jean-Bernard Veron condemned the Israeli attack targeting the residential headquarters of several Hamas leaders in Doha, describing it as a new addition to a series of violations committed by Israel in the Middle East, disregarding even the most basic rules of international law.He said that if repeated Israeli violations of international laws continue, then these laws and treaties will lose their meaning and value, and will be repeatedly violated and disrespected by other nations, which will ultimately drag the region in the near future into endless conflicts, violence, and dangerous wars whose consequences and results are unknown.In a related context, Veron emphasized to QNA the significant role that the State of Qatar played and continues to play in mitigating tensions and conflicts in the Middle East, Asia, and even Africa through its effective contributions to the peace process and its promotion of a culture of dialogue and solidarity. For his part, financial and economic analyst and expert at Sorbonne University Dr. Camille Sari said that the Israeli attack on Doha is a rash and reckless reaction.It clearly demonstrates the confusion of Netanyahu and his extremist government, and their attempt to escape through the systematic killing, genocide, and starvation they are practicing in Gaza, he added. They also attempt to drag the region into a wider war and an endless wave of violence, because they know and are well aware that as soon as the war in Gaza ends, they and their extremist government will be tried and held accountable, he pointed out.He explained that the majority of Israeli society opposes Netanyahu's violations of international law, the Israeli army's genocide and starvation in Gaza, and the repeated attacks on Lebanon and other Middle Eastern countries, including the recent treacherous attack on Doha.They also want the war to end.Dr. Sari emphasized that Qatar plays a pivotal role in advancing the peace process not only in the Middle East but also globally, as evidenced by US President Donald Trump himself. He further said that Israel is a criminal and rogue state that has no respect for international law or treaties, and therefore does not hesitate to do anything to demonstrate its strength and arrogance. He pointed out that the most prominent evidence of this is its cold-blooded and deliberate killing of children and journalists, without any fear of accountability.

Speaking to Qatar News Agency (QNA) regarding the turning point in the Palestinian cause and the targeting of journalists in Gaza, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Qatar Press Center, Saad Al Rumaihi stated that the Israeli assaults on the Gaza Strip since October 7, 2023, represent a historic shift in the course of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, as the people of Gaza stood alone in the face of this brutal aggression that did not distinguish between people and stone.He added that the Palestinian people have recorded a heroic epic that will be immortalized in history. Now, as the second year nears its end, the struggle and resistance of Gaza's people continue, despite the imbalance of power between the two sides.Regarding the objective of the Israeli entity in continuing its aggression on the devastated Strip, Al Rumaihi stressed that people cannot learn the facts and what is happening on the ground and the course of battles, except through journalists and media professionals who deliver information to the public, as known in wars and major events.He added that they are unknown soldiers who stand bravely so that the world can see, hear, and read the news of these events and understand the reality and what is happening.Therefore, he accentuated, the Israeli occupation has deliberately silenced these voices as long as they convey to the world the true image and the tragedies faced by the people of Gaza.He highlighted that the occupation can only achieve this through the most heinous and extreme violations, unfortunately, through the physical elimination of these great journalists.He underscored that the Israeli assaults on Palestinian journalists clearly reveal Israel's insistence on imposing its unilateral media narrative, which contradicts the reality on the ground.In light of the world's failure and inability to enact binding laws to protect journalists and media professionals and defend them against Israeli arrogance, the Chairman of the Qatar Press Center affirmed in his statements to QNA, that the situation requires urgent action to protect journalists, so that the matter does not remain a mere dream difficult to achieve.Al Rumaihi confirmed that Israel continues its arrogance without any deterrent punishment from international bodies and organizations concerned with humanitarian and journalistic affairs.He reiterated the need to capitalize on the wave of international outrage and the storm of criticism directed at Israeli policy due to its continuous and deliberate targeting of civilians in the Gaza Strip, including journalists, emphasizing the importance of harnessing the growing global humanitarian sentiment toward the Palestinian cause and Al Aqsa Mosque.He pointed out that the demonstrations and sit-ins that have swept many countries around the world now reflect this solidarity, even in the United States of America, where university campuses have turned into platforms for defending Gaza and its people.He explained that the Qatar Press Center has sought and continues to support the steadfastness of the people of Gaza through numerous media initiatives, seminars, exhibitions, news coverage, and other means, which it considers a duty as it lives through these events and follows their developments.The Chairman of the Qatar Press Center concluded by emphasizing the necessity of standing by the Palestinian people, moving beyond mere condemnation and denunciation, which is all we currently possess.He added that specialized global organizations must exert more pressure on Israel to stop its aggression against the Palestinian people, enabling them to obtain their most basic rights to live in safety and dignity.With every Israeli assault on media workers in Gaza and the Palestinian territories, renewed calls emerge from all press unions, media, human rights, and legal organizations around the world for explicit condemnation of these repeated crimes, with the urgent need to put an end to them, so that Israel does not succeed in its attempts to silence voices and images and prevent the transmission of the truth about the crimes it commits against the Palestinian people.