ENTEBBE: Sudanese rebels on Sunday released at least 125 prisoners they had captured in fighting with government forces, most of them soldiers, an AFP journalist said.
Their release was secured thanks to mediation from Uganda, while the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) played a facilitating role.
The rebel Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) had captured the prisoners in Blue Nile and South Kordofan states, where the group has been fighting Sudanese government forces for years.
The longest-held prisoners had been captured in June 2009 and the most recent about six months ago.
While the ICRC said 125 people had been freed, Sudanese military spokesman Brig. Ahmed Khalifa Al-Shami put the number at 127 — including 109 soldiers and 18 civilians.
“The Sudanese Army recognizes this as a positive step toward achieving peace in the country,” Shami said in a statement.
Ethnic minority rebels in Blue Nile and South Kordofan have been fighting government forces since 2011, accusing President Omar Bashir’s Arab-dominated government of politically and economically marginalizing the two regions.
Fighting in the two areas and in Darfur has left tens of thousands of people dead and displaced millions.
Khartoum announced a unilateral cease-fire in June 2016 in all three conflict zones, which it extended by six months in January.
UN officials say that for years Blue Nile and South Kordofan have been no-go areas for aid officials, leaving thousands of people without access to humanitarian relief.
In a statement, the ICRC said it had “facilitated the release and repatriation of 125 people.”
The agency said it had transported the released prisoners from South Sudan to Entebbe in Uganda and onward to Sudan.
“The entire transfer operation took place over four days,” the ICRC said, adding that it had followed a request from Kampala, Khartoum, Juba and the SPLM-N.
“We are very pleased that these people will finally return to their families,” the ICRC’s head of delegation in Sudan, Gerard Peytrignet, said.
Sudan rebels free 125 prisoners captured in fighting
Sudan rebels free 125 prisoners captured in fighting
Top US general says risk of broader war eases a bit after Israel-Hezbollah exchange
- Iran has vowed severe response to Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh’s killing which too place last month
- Israel’s war on Gaza since last year has killed over 40,000 people, leveled huge swathes of territory
ABOARD A US MILITARY AIRCRAFT: The near-term risk of a broader war in the Middle East has eased somewhat after Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah exchanged fire without further escalation but Iran still poses a significant danger as it weighs a strike on Israel, America’s top general said on Monday.
Air Force General C.Q. Brown, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, spoke to Reuters after emerging from a three-day trip to the Middle East that saw him fly into Israel just hours after Hezbollah launched hundreds of rockets and drones at Israel, and Israel’s military struck Lebanon to thwart a larger attack.
It was one of the biggest clashes in more than 10 months of border warfare, but it also ended with limited damage in Israel and without immediate threats of more retaliation from either side.
Brown noted Hezbollah’s strike was just one of two major threatened attacks against Israel that emerged in recent weeks. Iran is also threatening an attack over the killing of a Hamas leader in Tehran last month.
Asked if the immediate risk of a regional war had declined, Brown said: “Somewhat, yes.”
“You had two things you knew were going to happen. One’s already happened. Now it depends on how the second is going to play out,” Brown said while flying out of Israel.
“How Iran responds will dictate how Israel responds, which will dictate whether there is going to be a broader conflict or not.”
Brown also cautioned that there was also the risk posed by Iran’s militant allies in places such as Iraq, Syria and Jordan who have attacked US troops as well as Yemen’s Houthis, who have targeted Red Sea shipping and even fired drones at Israel.
“And do these others actually go off and do things on their own because they’re not satisfied — the Houthis in particular,” Brown said, calling the Shia group the “wild card.”
Iran has vowed a severe response to the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, which took place as he visited Tehran late last month and which it blamed on Israel. Israel has neither confirmed or denied its involvement.
Brown said the US military was better positioned to aid in the defense of Israel, and its own forces in the Middle East, than it was on April 13, when Iran launched an unprecedented attack on Israel, unleashing hundreds of drones, cruise missiles and ballistic missiles.
Still, Israel, the US and other allies managed to destroy almost all of the weapons before they reached their targets.
“We’re better postured,” Brown said. He noted Sunday’s decision to maintain two aircraft carrier strike groups in the Middle East, as well as extra squadron of F-22 fighter jets.
“We try to improve upon what we did in April.”
Brown said whatever plans Iran’s military might have, it would be up to Iran’s political leaders to make a decision.
“They want to do something that sends a message but they also, I think ... don’t want to do something that’s going to create a broader conflict.”
STRUGGLING WITH GAZA FALLOUT
US President Joe Biden’s administration has been seeking to limit the fallout from the war in Gaza between Hamas and Israel, now in its 11th month. The conflict has leveled huge swathes of Gaza, triggered border clashes between Israel and Lebanon’s Iranian-backed Hezbollah movement and drawn in Yemen’s Houthis.
Brown traveled on Monday to the Israeli military’s Northern Command, where he was briefed on the threats along Israel’s borders with Lebanon and Syria. In Tel Aviv, he met Israel’s Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and its Chief of the General Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi.
Asked about Lebanese Hezbollah’s military might, particularly after the strikes by Israel, Brown cautioned “they still have capability.”
The current war in the Gaza Strip began on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas gunmen stormed into Israeli communities, killing around 1,200 people and abducting about 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.
Since then, Israel’s military campaign has driven nearly all of the Palestinian enclave’s 2.3 million people from their homes, giving rise to deadly hunger and disease and killing at least 40,000 people, according to Palestinian health authorities.
Top US general says risk of broader war eases a bit after Israel-Hezbollah exchange
- Brown said the US military was better positioned to aid in the defense of Israel, and its own forces in the Middle East, than it was on April 13, when Iran launched an unprecedented attack on Israel
ABOARD A US MILITARY AIRCRAFT: The near-term risk of a broader war in the Middle East has eased somewhat after Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah exchanged fire without further escalation but Iran still poses a significant danger as it weighs a strike on Israel, America’s top general said on Monday.
Air Force General C.Q. Brown, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, spoke to Reuters after emerging from a three-day trip to the Middle East that saw him fly into Israel just hours after Hezbollah launched hundreds of rockets and drones at Israel, and Israel’s military struck Lebanon to thwart a larger attack.
It was one of the biggest clashes in more than 10 months of border warfare, but it also ended with limited damage in Israel and without immediate threats of more retaliation from either side.
Brown noted Hezbollah’s strike was just one of two major threatened attacks against Israel that emerged in recent weeks. Iran is also threatening an attack over the killing of a Hamas leader in Tehran last month.
Asked if the immediate risk of a regional war had declined, Brown said: “Somewhat, yes.”
“You had two things you knew were going to happen. One’s already happened. Now it depends on how the second is going to play out,” Brown said while flying out of Israel.
“How Iran responds will dictate how Israel responds, which will dictate whether there is going to be a broader conflict or not.”
Brown also cautioned that there was also the risk posed by Iran’s militant allies in places such as Iraq, Syria and Jordan who have attacked US troops as well as Yemen’s Houthis, who have targeted Red Sea shipping and even fired drones at Israel.
“And do these others actually go off and do things on their own because they’re not satisfied — the Houthis in particular,” Brown said, calling the Shia group the “wild card.”
Iran has vowed a severe response to the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, which took place as he visited Tehran late last month and which it blamed on Israel. Israel has neither confirmed or denied its involvement.
Brown said the US military was better positioned to aid in the defense of Israel, and its own forces in the Middle East, than it was on April 13, when Iran launched an unprecedented attack on Israel, unleashing hundreds of drones, cruise missiles and ballistic missiles.
Still, Israel, the US and other allies managed to destroy almost all of the weapons before they reached their targets.
“We’re better postured,” Brown said. He noted Sunday’s decision to maintain two aircraft carrier strike groups in the Middle East, as well as extra squadron of F-22 fighter jets.
“We try to improve upon what we did in April.”
Brown said whatever plans Iran’s military might have, it would be up to Iran’s political leaders to make a decision.
“They want to do something that sends a message but they also, I think ... don’t want to do something that’s going to create a broader conflict.”
STRUGGLING WITH GAZA FALLOUT
US President Joe Biden’s administration has been seeking to limit the fallout from the war in Gaza between Hamas and Israel, now in its 11th month. The conflict has leveled huge swathes of Gaza, triggered border clashes between Israel and Lebanon’s Iranian-backed Hezbollah movement and drawn in Yemen’s Houthis.
Brown traveled on Monday to the Israeli military’s Northern Command, where he was briefed on the threats along Israel’s borders with Lebanon and Syria. In Tel Aviv, he met Israel’s Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and its Chief of the General Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi.
Asked about Lebanese Hezbollah’s military might, particularly after the strikes by Israel, Brown cautioned “they still have capability.”
The current war in the Gaza Strip began on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas gunmen stormed into Israeli communities, killing around 1,200 people and abducting about 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.
Since then, Israel’s military campaign has driven nearly all of the Palestinian enclave’s 2.3 million people from their homes, giving rise to deadly hunger and disease and killing at least 40,000 people, according to Palestinian health authorities.
UN warns Libya faces economic collapse amid central bank crisis
- The UN mission has called for the suspension of unilateral decisions, the lifting of force majeure on oil fields, the halting of escalations and use of force, and the protection of Central Bank employees
TRIPOLI: The United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) issued a statement late on Monday expressing deep concern “over the deteriorating situation in Libya resulting from unilateral decisions.”
Disputes over control of Libya’s Central Bank have raised alarms about the potential misuse of the country’s financial resources.
“UNSMIL is convening an emergency meeting for all parties involved in the Central Bank of Libya crisis in order to reach a consensus based on political agreements, applicable laws, and the principle of the central bank’s independence,” the statement said.
The UN mission has called for the suspension of unilateral decisions, the lifting of force majeure on oil fields, the halting of escalations and use of force, and the protection of Central Bank employees.
Libya’s economy is heavily reliant on oil revenue, and there have been moves to impose force majeure on oil fields, effectively cutting off the country’s primary source of income.
Earlier on Monday, Libya’s eastern-based administration ordered the closure of oilfields in eastern Libya, which account for almost all the country’s production, halting both production and exports after tensions flared over the Central Bank’s leadership.
There has been no confirmation of these actions from the internationally recognized government in Tripoli or from the National Oil Corp. (NOC), which controls the country’s oil resources.
Hospital in central Gaza empties out as Israeli forces draw near
- Israeli evacuation orders now cover around 84 percent of Gaza’s territory, according to the United Nations
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip: One of Gaza’s last functioning hospitals has been emptying out in recent days as Israel has ordered the evacuation of nearby areas and signaled a possible ground operation in a town that has been largely spared throughout the war, officials said Monday.
The Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir Al-Balah is the main hospital serving central Gaza. The Israeli military has not ordered its evacuation, but patients and people sheltering there fear that it may be engulfed in fighting or become the target of a raid.
Also on Monday, Israeli strikes in Gaza City and Khan Younis killed at least 19 people, according to local officials, and fighting between Israel and Hezbollah resumed across the Lebanon border.
Israeli forces have invaded several hospitals in Gaza over the course of the 10-month-old war, accusing Hamas of using them for military purposes, allegations denied by Palestinian health officials.
Israeli evacuation orders now cover around 84 percent of Gaza’s territory, according to the United Nations, which estimates that around 90 percent of Gaza’s population of 2.3 million have been forced from their homes. Many have been displaced multiple times.
The evacuation orders have reduced the size of the humanitarian zone declared by Israel at the start of the war while crowding more Palestinians into it. Thousands of Palestinian families have packed into tent camps along the beach where aid groups say food and clean water are scarce and disease spreads quickly.
The most recent satellite images available from PlanetLabs and analyzed by The Associated Press show the increase in tent density along the beachfront since July 19.
AP reporters saw people fleeing the hospital and surrounding areas on Monday, many on foot. Some pushed patients on stretchers or carried sick children, while others held bags of clothes, mattresses and blankets. Four schools in the area were also being evacuated.
“Where will we get medicine?” Adliyeh Al-Najjar said as she rested outside the hospital gate. “Where will patients like me go?”
Fatimah Al-Attar fought back tears as she left the hospital compound heading in the direction of the tent camps. “Our fate is to die,” she said. “There is no place for us to go. There is no safe place.”
The UN Office for Humanitarian Affairs known as OCHA said that since Friday the Israeli military has issued three evacuation orders for over 19 neighborhoods in northern Gaza and in Deir al Balah, affecting more than 8,000 people staying in these areas.
The order covers an area including or near UN and other humanitarian centers, the Al Aqsa hospital, two clinics, three wells, one water reservoir and one desalination plant, said Jens Laerke, a spokesman for OCHA.
“This effectively upends a whole lifesaving humanitarian hub,” Laerke said.
Doctors Without Borders, an international charity known by its French acronym MSF, said an explosion around 250 meters (yards) from the hospital on Sunday caused panic, accelerating the exodus.
“As a result, MSF is considering whether to suspend wound care for the time being, while trying to maintain life-saving treatment,” it said on the platform X.
The hospital says it was treating over 600 patients before the evacuation orders, which apply to residential areas about a kilometer (0.6 mile) away. Around 100 patients remain, including seven in intensive care and eight in the children’s ward.
The Israeli military said it was operating against Hamas in Deir Al-Balah and working to dismantle its remaining infrastructure there. It said the evacuation orders were issued to protect civilians, and did not include nearby hospitals or medical facilities. It said it had also informed Palestinian health officials that the facilities did not need to be evacuated.
The army has excluded hospitals from past evacuation orders, but patients and others have still fled, fearing for their safety.
Israel’s military said Monday that its forces were expanding operations on the outskirts of Deir Al-Balah and had discovered weapons in a residential apartment and dismantled an underground Hamas tunnel about 700 meters (765 yards) long.
Local health officials said an Israeli airstrike hit a group of people on the seashore in Gaza City, killing at least seven men while they were fishing.
Another strike hit a vehicle inside the Israeli-declared humanitarian zone near the southern city of Khan Younis, killing at least five people, according to a Kuwaiti field hospital, where the bodies were taken.
The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request for comment on those attacks.
Monday night, a strike hit a house in Maghazi, a refugee camp near Deir Al-Balah, and killed at least seven people, including four children and a woman, according to hospital records and AP journalists who counted the bodies. Ambulances recovered the bodies that were taken to Al Aqsa hospital.
The war began on Oct. 7 when Hamas-led militants attacked Israeli army bases and farming communities. The militants killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and dragged around 250 hostages back to Gaza.
Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed over 40,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, and caused heavy destruction across much of the territory. Hamas is still holding around 110 hostages, about a third of whom are believed to be dead, after most of the rest were freed in a ceasefire last year.
Israel has continued carrying out strikes across Gaza as the United States, Egypt and Qatar have tried to broker a lasting ceasefire and the release of the remaining hostages. Major gaps remain despite several months of high-level negotiations.
Hospitals have repeatedly been turned into battlegrounds, both literally and in the rival narratives surrounding the war.
Israel’s army has raided a number of medical facilities since the start of the war and has provided some evidence that militants were inside some of them. Medical staff deny the allegations and accuse the army of reckless disregard for civilians.
Hospitals can lose their protected status under international law if they are used for military purposes, but any operations against them must be proportional and seek to spare civilians.
Only 16 of Gaza’s 36 hospitals are even partially functioning, according to the World Health Organization, even as they treat casualties from daily Israeli airstrikes across the territory. The difficulty of importing and distributing humanitarian aid in Gaza has contributed to widespread hunger and disease outbreaks, further stressing the health sector.
Israel says Hezbollah thwarted but situation on Lebanon border ‘not sustainable’
- “Maybe — just maybe — Israel’s success at foiling Hezbollah’s retaliation might pave the way to concessions by Hamas in the negotiations over a hostage deal, given the failed bid to see the war expanded to engulf the entire region,” wrote Avi Issacharoff
JERUSALEM: Israeli officials and media reacted with satisfaction on Monday after a long-expected missile attack by the Iranian-backed Hezbollah movement appeared to have been largely thwarted by pre-emptive Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon.
Both Hezbollah and Israel seemed content to let Sunday’s attack, in retaliation for the killing of a senior Hezbollah commander in Beirut last month, count as settled for the moment.
Israeli government spokesperson David Mencer said Hezbollah had suffered a “crushing blow” from the Israeli strikes but that a longer lasting solution was still needed.
“The current situation is not sustainable,” he told a briefing, referring to the tens of thousands evacuated from their homes in northern Israel, a situation mirrored on the other side of the border in southern Lebanon. “Israel will do its duty and return its population to our sovereign territory.”
Hopes that children might return for the start of the new school year in September have evaporated, with financial assistance for residents evacuated from their homes extended to Sept. 30.
However there was some optimism that the exchange of fire, which did not cause the kind of extensive damage many in Israel had feared, might help talks aimed at halting the fighting in Gaza and bringing Israeli and foreign hostages home.
Palestinian militant group Hamas has said it will not agree to a deal that allows Israeli troops to remain in the band of territory at the southern edge of the Gaza Strip along the border with Egypt. But some commentators said Sunday’s exchange of fire might prove that Hamas lacked the kind of support it would need to push the conflict outside Gaza.
“Maybe — just maybe — Israel’s success at foiling Hezbollah’s retaliation might pave the way to concessions by Hamas in the negotiations over a hostage deal, given the failed bid to see the war expanded to engulf the entire region,” wrote Avi Issacharoff, a commentator in Israel’s biggest-selling daily Yedioth Ahronoth.
Early Sunday, around 100 Israeli jets hit dozens of Hezbollah launch sites in southern Lebanon, destroying thousands of rockets the military said were aimed at Israel. Hezbollah did launch hundreds of missiles, but most were intercepted or fell in open areas.
Exchanges of fire continued on Monday, but were muted by comparison.
Israel said it struck a Hezbollah military structure in southern Lebanon, and that a number of suspicious aerial targets had entered its territory from Lebanon. Most of the targets were intercepted and there were no injuries.
Hezbollah denied that its response on Sunday to the killing of its senior commander Fuad Shukr had been defused, but said the operation had been completed successfully, drawing hopes that a line might be drawn under the incident, at least for now.
Iran, which has vowed retaliation against Israel for the assassination in Tehran last month of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh, also said it was not looking to fuel regional tensions.
