RAQQA, Syria: The neighbors reported a foul smell coming from the house next door. The house, which the Daesh group had used as a school for its “cubs,” had been untouched ever since the militants were chased out of the Syrian city two years ago. Weeds grew around an abandoned car in its courtyard.
Even before the first responders felt the soft ground of the courtyard, they knew what was underneath: the latest mass grave in Raqqa, the former capital of the Daesh group’s self-declared “caliphate.”
On the first day of digging, they pulled out two bodies. Within a few days, that was up to nearly 20, including women and children, who had been stacked up in holes in the courtyard garden.
The discovery, seen by Associated Press journalists over the weekend, was the 16th mass grave found in Raqqa since Daesh militants were driven out in the summer of 2017. Even as Raqqa’s people gradually rebuild, the graves found in houses, parks, destroyed buildings are a grim reminder of the horrors perpetrated by the militants and the massive violence inflicted on the city to remove them.
During their rule, the extremists carried out mass killings, public beheadings and other atrocities. Women and men accused of adultery were stoned to death, while men believed to be gay were thrown from the tops of buildings and then pelted with stones.
More death came in the years-long aerial and ground campaign to liberate Raqqa, waged by Kurdish-led forces backed by airstrikes from the US-led coalition. The assault destroyed nearly 80% of Raqqa.
So far, 5,218 bodies have been exhumed from mass graves or from under the ruins of destroyed buildings around Raqqa, said Yasser Khamis, who leads the team of first responders. Of those, around 1,400 were Daesh fighters, distinguishable by their clothes and including some foreigners, he said. Of the remainder, 700 have been identified by their loved ones, mainly because they were the ones who buried the bodies.
Khamis said limited resources have slowed the search and made it difficult to determine the cause of death for most. But those killed have died in airstrikes, land mine explosions, mass killings or they were Daesh fighters or victims buried by the group. Some were recently exhumed with handcuffs.
The dead found in the latest grave were likely killed in the last days of the furious battles for Raqqa, buried in a rush during the fighting. The house is located in Raqqa’s Bedouin District, scene of one of the last Daesh stands against the siege.
The house was built in a traditional Arab style, with a courtyard in the center surrounded by rooms. The outside walls were pockmarked with bullet holes. Daesh had used it as a school during its rule, and school notebooks and children desks were strewn around the rooms.
In the garden in the courtyard, diggers pulled a new body from the ground Saturday as an AP team visited the site. It had a uniform on it, sign of an Daesh fighter. Digging ended Monday, with a total of 19 bodies found, including three women and two children.
Ibrahim Al-Mayel, a digger, said many of the bodies they had found had been piled roughly on top of each other in the ground.
Such house burials account for most of the city’s mass graves as civilians buried their dead where they could, unable to go far as fighting intensified. Other graves in the same district — two in homes, two in gardens — have yielded 90 bodies.
At least two mass graves have been found in open areas in the city — a public park and a training compound— or on the city’s edges, where fighters buried their own or people they killed. The grave in the park held at least 1,400 bodies, according to Khamis. His teams are still digging up bodies in a mass grave outside the city, where they found more than 700 so far.
“I expect that this Arab house is the last location within the city. We will then focus on the countryside,” Khamis said of the latest discovery.
Raqqa was the seat of the militant’s self-proclaimed caliphate, which at its height in 2014 stretched across a third of both Syria and Iraq. This year, the last village held by the group was retaken, in eastern Syria, though the militants are still present along the border and stage attacks.
In Syria’s 8-year-old civil war, more than 100,000 people have been detained, abducted or gone missing, according to the UN, most of them disappeared by the government. Tens of thousands have likely vanished into mass graves, many of them victims of IS. Khamis said his team has recorded 2,000 people missing from Raqqa, based on family reports. But he said the number doesn’t reflect the full reality, since many families gave up on their missing, couldn’t reach Khamis’ team or moved to other areas.
His team only began collecting samples from bodies three months ago, hoping that new training and DNA technology would be available to help identify them. That means only 1,600 bodies of the 5,200 found had samples taken from them before reburial. “We need a lot more,” he said.
In his offices in Raqqa, plastic bags carrying bone, teeth or hair samples were labelled and identified by location and number. International human rights groups say they are concerned local forensic groups are not getting the support, expertise and resources they need. Identifying the missing and preserving evidence for possible prosecutions is critical for Syria’s future, they say.
“The worst thing I saw in my life at these graves is a man who comes looking for his child and can’t find him,” said Hwaidi Munawakh, one of the gravediggers.
He has worked on nine of Raqqa’s mass graves. From one of them, he pulled out one of his cousins, a woman killed in an airstrike during the final battle for the city.
Syria’s Raqqa still finding the dead, 2 years after Daesh fall
Syria’s Raqqa still finding the dead, 2 years after Daesh fall
- The dead found in the latest grave were likely killed in the last days of the furious battles for Raqqa, buried in a rush during the fighting
- In Syria’s 8-year-old civil war, more than 100,000 people have been detained, abducted or gone missing, according to the UN, most of them disappeared by the government
A look at the Gaza ceasefire deal that mediators had announced
DOHA: Key mediator Qatar said on Wednesday that 33 hostages held by Hamas in Gaza would be released in the first stage of a ceasefire deal aimed at ending the war in the Palestinian territory.
Two sources close to Hamas earlier told AFP that Israel would release about 1,000 Palestinian prisoners, while an Israeli government spokesman said hundreds would be released.
Below are the key details of the expected initial phase of the deal according to Qatari, US, Israeli and Palestinian officials and media reports:
Qatar said Wednesday that Israel and Hamas had agreed to a ceasefire in Gaza starting on Sunday and a hostage and prisoner exchange after 15 months of war.
Thirty-three Israeli hostages will be released in the first, 42-day phase of the agreement that could become a “permanent ceasefire,” said Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani.
Those first released would be “civilian women and female recruits, as well as children, elderly people... civilian ill people and wounded,” he said.
Israeli government spokesman David Mencer said on Tuesday Israel was “prepared to pay a heavy price — in the hundreds” in exchange for the 33 hostages.
An anonymous Israeli official said “several hundred terrorists” would be freed in exchange for the hostages, with the final number depending on how many of the 33 hostages are alive.
Two sources close to Hamas told AFP that Israel would release about 1,000 Palestinian prisoners, including those with “lengthy sentences.”
Sheikh Mohammed said the number of Palestinian prisoners to be released in exchange for the Israeli hostages in the second and third phases would be “finalized” during the initial 42 days.
The 33 are among the 94 hostages held in Gaza since Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, which triggered the ongoing war. The total includes 34 captives the Israeli military has declared dead.
According to the Times of Israel, Israeli officials believe the 33 hostages are alive, though confirmation from Hamas is pending.
Gaza humanitarian situation, by the numbers
- At least 1.9 million people are displaced
- 92 percent of housing units are destroyed
- 68 percent of the road network is destroyed or damaged
- There are “zero” fuel reserves to operate generators at hospitals
- 88 percent of school buildings need rebuilding or major repairs
- Food aid amounting to three months’ of rations for Gaza’s population are waiting to enter
During the initial, 42-day ceasefire Israeli forces will withdraw from Gaza’s densely populated areas to “allow for the swap of prisoners, as well as the swap of remains and the return of the displaced people,” Qatar’s prime minister said.
Negotiations for a second phase would commence on the “16th day” after the first phase’s implementation, an Israeli official said.
This phase would cover the release of the remaining captives, including “male soldiers, men of military age, and the bodies of slain hostages,” the Times of Israel reported.
Israeli media reported that under the proposed deal, Israel would maintain a buffer zone within Gaza during the first phase.
Israeli forces were expected to remain up to “800 meters inside Gaza stretching from Rafah in the south to Beit Hanun in the north,” according to a source close to Hamas.
Israeli forces would not fully withdraw from Gaza until “all hostages are returned,” the Israeli official said.
Haaretz newspaper reported that Israel would allow the movement of residents from southern Gaza to the north.
The source close to Hamas said Israeli forces would withdraw from the Netzarim corridor westward toward Salaheddin Road to the east, enabling displaced people to return through an electronic checkpoint equipped with cameras.
“No Israeli forces will be present, and Palestinian militants will be barred from passing through the checkpoint during the return of displaced persons,” he said.
Joint mediators Qatar, the United States and Egypt will monitor the ceasefire deal through a body based in Cairo, Sheikh Mohammed said, urging “calm” in Gaza before the agreement comes into force.
There was “a clear mechanism to negotiate phase two and three,” Sheikh Mohammed added.
“We hope that this will be the last page of the war, and we hope that all parties will commit to implementing all the terms of this agreement,” Qatar’s prime minister said as he unveiled the deal.
Under the arrangements outlined by Qatar, the details of phases two and three will be “finalized” during the implementation of phase one.
US President Joe Biden said the as-yet unfinalized second phase would bring a “permanent end to the war.”
Biden said phase two would comprise an exchange for the release of remaining hostages who are still alive, including the male soldiers. Then all remaining Israeli forces would withdraw from Gaza, the US president said.
Netanyahu says Gaza ceasefire is still not complete, hours after US and Qatar announce deal
- ’Final details’ of Gaza deal being worked out, Netanyahu’s office says
- Mediators will next head to Cairo for talks on implementing the ceasefire
JERUSALEM — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the ceasefire agreement with Hamas is still not complete and final details are being worked out.
“An official statement by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will be issued only after the completion of the final details of the agreement, which are being worked on at present,” his office said in a statement released at midnight.
Netanyahu has not said explicitly whether he accepts the deal announced hours earlier by Qatar’s prime minister and President Joe Biden.
In a statement, Netanyahu said he would only issue a formal response “after the final details of the agreement, which are currently being worked on, are completed.”
Netanyahu’s statement comes hours after the United States and Qatar announced the deal, which would pause the devastating 15-month war in Gaza and clear the way for dozens of hostages to go home. The conflict has destabilized the Middle East and sparked worldwide protests.
Egyptian, Qatar and US negotiators will head to Cairo on Thursday for further talks on implementing all aspects of the ceasefire deal, according to a senior US official.
The official said the negotiators are focused on making sure expectations are clear to both Israel and Hamas, and that implementation of the agreement is carried out as smoothly as possible.
The official was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity.
Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Gaza’s second-largest militant group after Hamas, hailed the ceasefire deal as “honorable.”
Hamas had needed the group’s support for the deal in order to avoid a potential disruption in the process.
“Today, our people and their resistance imposed an honorable agreement to stop the aggression,” Palestinian Islamic Jihad said in a statement.
The group said the deal between Israel and Hamas includes the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza as well as an “honorable” prisoner exchange. It said that militant groups in Gaza “will remain vigilant to ensure the full implementation of this agreement.”
Palestinian Islamic Jihad’s fighters took part in the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel and have since been battling Israeli forces in Gaza.
Gazans celebrate
Large crowds of joyful Palestinians took to the streets in Gaza when the agreement was announced, cheering and honking car horns.
“No one can feel the feeling that we are experiencing now, an indescribable, indescribable feeling,” said Mahmoud Wadi in central Gaza’s Deir Al-Balah before joining a chanting crowd.
The Israel Hamas-war has killed more than 46,000 Palestinians in Gaza, according to health authorities there. The Health Ministry does not distinguish between fighters and civilians, but says women and children make up more than half the fatalities.
Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza began on Oct. 7, 2023, when militants stormed into southern Israel and killed about 1,200 people and abducted around 250. A third of the 100 hostages still held in Gaza are believed to be dead.
UN Security Council calls on countries to stop arming Houthis as Red Sea attacks continue
- Resolution drafted by Greece and US calls for root causes of the attacks to be addressed, including ‘conflicts contributing to regional tensions’
- Russia abstains from vote, describes draft resolution as ‘highly unbalanced and politicized’ because it fails to denounce attacks on Yemeni sovereignty by US, UK and Israel
NEW YORK CITY: The UN Security Council on Wednesday adopted a resolution that extends by six months the requirement for the secretary-general to provide monthly reports on attacks by the Houthis in Yemen against ships in the Red Sea.
The reporting obligation was established by the adoption of Resolution 2722 in January 2024, which was introduced in response to the repeated attacks on commercial shipping. The Iran-backed Houthis vowed to continue targeting vessels until Israel ended its war in Gaza.
The attacks prompted retaliatory strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen by the US, UK and Israel. Meanwhile, the EU launched Operation Aspides, a defensive mission based in Greece that aims to safeguard and escort vessels in the Red Sea but does not participate in any offensive action.
The text of the extension resolution was drafted by Greece and the US, the co-penholders on the issue of the Red Sea crisis. Twelve members of the Security Council voted in favor, while Algeria, China and Russia abstained.
A source at the Russian mission in New York told Arab News that although the safety of maritime navigation is of the utmost importance to Moscow, it considered the language of Resolution 2763 to be “highly politicized and unbalanced” because it failed to mention “the attacks on the sovereignty of Yemen” in the form of airstrikes by the US, UK and Israel.
The text of the resolution, which was seen by Arab News, demands that the Houthis immediately cease all attacks against merchant and commercial vessels and release the cargo ship Galaxy Leader and its crew. The Houthis hijacked the vessel in November 2023 and 25 crew members remain detained by the group.
The new resolution also emphasizes the need “to address the root causes of these attacks, including the conflicts contributing to regional tensions and the disruption of maritime security.”
It notes the use of advanced weaponry by the Houthis and demands that UN member states stop supplying the group with arms.
Greece’s permanent representative to the UN, Evangelos Sekeris, told fellow council members that the “Houthis’ constant attacks against vessels are still disrupting international commercial shipping. Maritime security conditions remain degraded and are expected to further deteriorate, while rerouting of shipping companies continues in favor of safer but costlier alternative maritime routes.”
Sekeris lamented that fact that “we are still witnessing the Houthis’ ongoing aggressiveness and escalatory actions through launching unjustified attacks, with the systematic use of advanced weaponry such as anti-ballistic missiles and drones, even against civil infrastructure, including oil terminals under the control of the government of Yemen.”
He added: “The humanitarian repercussions are severe. We need to put an end to this, by looking thoroughly into the origins of the use of advanced weaponry and by preserving the applicability of the targeted arms embargo.”
This year, Greece, which has a keen interest in maritime security, took over from Japan as the co-penholder on the issue of the Red Sea crisis.
Maritime security is also a key concern for Denmark, Pakistan, Panama and Somalia, who took their seats as newly elected nonpermanent members of the Security Council at the start of this year.
Ships owned or operated by companies from Denmark, Greece and Panama have been targeted by the Houthis in the Red Sea, while Pakistan has participated in maritime-security operations in the Western Indian Ocean. Somalia has been dealing with piracy off its coast for several years.
UN chief calls for major aid boost to ease ‘immense’ Palestinian suffering, as he welcomes Gaza ceasefire
- Efforts to end the occupation and implement a 2-state solution should also be a top priority, says Secretary-General Antonio Guterres
NEW YORK CITY: Following the announcement on Wednesday of a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, the secretary-general of the UN said the primary focus now must be efforts to alleviate the “immense suffering” of civilians in the territory.
Antonio Guterres called for a “major increase” in the amount of urgent, lifesaving humanitarian aid for “the countless Palestinians” who continue to suffer.
“It is imperative that this ceasefire removes the significant security and political obstacles to delivering aid across Gaza so that we can support a major increase in urgent, lifesaving humanitarian support,” he said. “The humanitarian situation is at catastrophic levels.”
After weeks of painstaking negotiations in Doha, the ceasefire agreement was announced by the prime minister of Qatar, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, who said it would come into effect on Sunday.
The deal includes the phased release of dozens of hostages held by Hamas and hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in Israel, and will enable hundreds of thousands of displaced people in Gaza to return to what is left of their homes.
It also promises to clear the way for a surge in the amount of much-needed humanitarian aid entering the enclave, which has been devastated by 15 months of conflict.
As he welcomed the announcement of the ceasefire agreement and hostage deal, and praised the mediators for their “unwavering commitment,” Guterres called on all parties to ensure the agreement is fully implemented.
The deal is a “critical first step,” he said as he stressed the need to intensify efforts to achieve broader objectives, such as maintaining the unity, contiguity and integrity of the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Palestinian unity is vital for lasting peace and stability, he added, and ensuring unified Palestinian governance must remain a top priority.
“I urge the parties and all relevant partners to seize this opportunity to establish a credible political path to a better future for Palestinians, Israelis and the broader region,” Guterres said.
“Ending the occupation and achieving a negotiated two-state solution, with Israel and Palestine living side by side in peace and security, in line with international law, relevant UN resolutions and previous agreements, remain an urgent priority.
“Only through a viable two-state solution can the aspirations of both peoples be fulfilled.”
Guterres paid tribute to the civilians who lost their lives during the conflict, including UN personnel and humanitarian workers.
“The United Nations is steadfast in its commitment to supporting all efforts that promote peace, stability and a more hopeful future for the people of Palestine and Israel, and across the region,” he added.
UAE mediates exchange of 50 Russian, Ukrainian war captives
- UAE mediated the exchange of 2,583 captives since the Russian-Ukrainian war began in February 2022
- Foreign Ministry says successful exchange reflects both sides’ trust in Emirati leadership, diplomacy
LONDON: UAE mediation efforts resulted in a new exchange of 50 prisoners of war between Russia and Ukraine on Wednesday.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that Moscow and Kyiv exchanged 25 Ukrainians and 25 Russians captured during the war between the neighboring states.
It brings the total number of captives exchanged through UAE mediation efforts to 2,583 since the war began in February 2022.
The UAE has long supported diplomatic efforts to resolve the conflict between Moscow and Kyiv, Emirates News Agency reported.
The UAE Foreign Ministry said that the success of the eleventh captive exchange since 2024 reflects Russia and Ukraine’s trust in the Emirati leadership and diplomacy.
Abu Dhabi is committed to a peaceful resolution to the war in Eastern Europe and addressing its humanitarian impacts on refugees and captives, the ministry added.
Additionally, the UAE successfully facilitated the exchange of two prisoners between the US and Russia in December 2022.
