Search form

You are here

  • Home
  • AS IT HAPPENED: Pope Francis visits Erbil, Mosul on third day of Iraq apostolic tour


AS IT HAPPENED: Pope Francis visits Erbil, Mosul on third day of Iraq apostolic tour

1 / 16
Pope Francis stands up before holding a prayer at the Grand Immaculate Church in Qaraqosh, Iraq on March 7, 2021. (Reuters)
2 / 16
Pope Francis is greeted by people as he arrives at the Immaculate Conception Church in Qaraqosh. (AFP)
3 / 16
Pope Francis faces the public at a square near the ruins of the Syriac Catholic Church of the Immaculate Conception (Al-Tahira-l-Kubra) in Mosul on March 7, 2021. (AFP)
4 / 16
Pope Francis speaks at the ruins of the Syriac Catholic Church of the Immaculate Conception (Al-Tahira-l-Kubra) in Mosul on March 7, 2021.
5 / 16
Iraqis gather in the ruins of the Syriac Catholic Church of the Immaculate Conception (Al-Tahira-l-Kubra) in the northern city of Mosul ahead of the Pope Francis’ visit on March 7, 2021. (AFP)
6 / 16
Pope Francis greets Iraqis dressed in traditional outfits upon his arrival at Irbil airport on March 7, 2021. (AFP)
7 / 16
Iraqi women dressed in traditional outfits hold palm leaves as they welcome Pope Francis upon his arrival at Irbil airport on March 7, 2021. (AFP)
8 / 16
Pope Francis is greeted by children up on his arrival at Baghdad’s Saint Joseph Cathedral on the second day of the first papal visit to Iraq on March 6, 2021.
9 / 16
Worshippers sit in the courtyard outside Baghdad’s Saint Joseph Cathedral ahead of a mass attended by Pope Francis on March 6, 2021. (AFP)
10 / 16
Pope Francis stands with of Iraqi religious figures during an interfaith service at the House of Abraham in the ancient city of Ur on March 6, 2021. (AFP)
11 / 16
Grand Ayatollah Ali Al-Sistani meets with Pope Francis at his home in Najaf, Iraq on March 6, 2021. (Ayatollah Sistani’s Media Office/AFP)
12 / 16
Pope Francis holds a mass at Franso Hariri Stadium in Erbil, Iraq, March 7, 2021. (Reuters)
13 / 16
Pope Francis walks with an incense censer as he leads mass at the Franso Hariri Stadium in Arbil, on March 7, 2021. (AFP)
14 / 16
Pope Francis blesses a statue of the Virgin Mary that was vandalized by Daesh in Karemlash as he celebrates mass in Irbil. (AP)
15 / 16
Chanters sing religious hymns during mass at the Franso Hariri Stadium in Arbil, on March 7, 2021. (AFP)
16 / 16
Pope Francis leads a mass at the Franso Hariri Stadium in Erbil, Iraq March 7, 2021. (Reuters)
Short Url

https://arab.news/nvqh3

Updated 07 March 2021
Arab News
Follow

AS IT HAPPENED: Pope Francis visits Erbil, Mosul on third day of Iraq apostolic tour

  • Pope Francis spent much of Saturday in the air, touching down in three Iraq cities
Updated 07 March 2021
Arab News

DUBAI:  Pope Francis vowed Sunday to keep Iraq in his heart, as he concluded the largest mass and final public event of a historic trip meant to encourage the country's dwindling Christian community and deepen interfaith dialogue.

The pontiff celebrated among thousands of smiling worshippers in a sports stadium in the Kurdistan region's capital Erbil, after visiting Christian survivors of Daesh’s reign of terror.

The 84-year-old was driven in his white, windowless "pope-mobile" into the stadium, where jubilant worshippers sat socially distanced on white chairs spread out on the greens.

Others stood, craning their necks to catch a glimpse of Francis, in the stands ringing the Franso Hariri Stadium, named after an Iraqi Christian politician who was assassinated by extremists 20 years ago.

Follow live coverage of his third day itinerary below (All times GMT)




Pope Francis leads a mass at the Franso Hariri Stadium in Erbil, Iraq March 7, 2021. (Reuters)

1516: Pope Francis promised thousands gathered for mass on Sunday in the Kurdish regional capital Erbil, the last public event of his historic trip, that he would keep Iraq in his heart.
"In my time among you, I have heard voices of sorrow and loss, but also voices of hope and consolation," he said.
"Now the time draws near for my return to Rome. Yet Iraq will always remain with me, in my heart."




Pope Francis blesses a statue of the Virgin Mary that was vandalized by Daesh in Karemlash as he celebrates mass in Irbil. (AP)

1345: Pope Francis blesses a statue of the Virgin Mary that was restored after Daesh chopped of the head and hands.

The statue was transported from the church in Keramlis, a Christian village on the Nineveh Plains, to a place of honor on the altar for Sunday’s Mass.

Keramlis, an ancient Assyrian town less than 18 miles (30 kilometers) southeast of Mosul, fell to Daesh in August 2014, two months after the extremists took Mosul and surrounding areas, sending most inhabitants fleeing. In Keramlis, they destroyed the interior of St. Adday church and decapitated the statue of the Madonna.




Pope Francis holds a mass at Franso Hariri Stadium in Erbil, Iraq, March 7, 2021. (Reuters)

1300: Pope Francis celebrated mass on Sunday with several thousand worshippers spread across a stadium in the Kurdistan regional capital of Erbil, the largest liturgy of his trip to pandemic-hit Iraq.
With vaccinations still extremely limited in Iraq and fears the mass could become a super-spreader event, authorities restricted attendance at the Franso Hariri stadium, which usually holds 20,000 people.




Pope Francis walks with an incense censer as he leads mass at the Franso Hariri Stadium in Arbil, on March 7, 2021. (AFP)

1030: Pope Francis’s meeting with the Qaraqosh community ends, and he will be on his way back to Erbil where he will later celebrate Holy Mass at the Franso Hariri stadium before heading to Baghdad.

1008: Pope Francis is urging Iraq’s long-suffering Christians to forgive the injustices committed against them by Muslim extremists and to continue persevering to rebuild the country after years of war and sectarian conflicts.
Speaking to a packed Church of the Immaculate Conception, Francis said “forgiveness” is a key word for Christians. “The road to a full recovery may still be long, but I ask you, please, not to grow discouraged. What is needed is the ability to forgive, but also the courage not to give up.”




Pope Francis delivers his speech during a meeting with the Qaraqosh community at the Church of the Immaculate Conception. (AP)

0940: Pope Francis meets Christians in an ancient church torched by the Daesh group when it swept into the northern Iraqi town of Qaraqosh in 2014. After the militants were ousted from the town in 2016, the Immaculate Conception Church’s (Al-Tahera) imposing marble floors and columns were restored and the faithful gathered there to welcome the pontiff.




Pope Francis arrives at the Immaculate Conception Church to a warm welcome. (AP)

Watch Pope Francis travel to the Church of the Immaculate Conception in Qaraqosh where he was greeted by the faithful:

 

 

 

0928: Pope Francis receives a rousing welcome as he arrives at the Immaculate Conception Church.




Pope Francis greets faithful as he arrives to hold a mass at the Immaculate Conception Church. (Iraqiya TV/Reuters TV via Reuters)

0910: Pope Francis arrives in Qaraqosh and is enroute to the Immaculate Conception Church.

WATCH: Residents of the Iraqi Christian enclave of Qaraqosh wait for the arrival of Pope Francis. Click on Twitter link below.

READ: Pope Francis’ visit provides moral support to Christians of Iraq’s Qaraqosh




People arrive to attend a mass to be held by Pope Francis near the Grand Immaculate Church in Qaraqosh, northern Iraq. (Reuters)

0804: Pope Francis has left Mosul and is off to the small Christian village of Qaraqosh north of Iraq to visit the Immaculate Conception church.




Iraqi Catholics wait for Pope Francis inside the restored Immaculate Conception church. (Screengrab)

0733: Pope Francis prays for “victims of war” outside a centuries-old church in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul, heavily damaged by the Daesh group.
The 84-year-old pontiff said the exodus of Christians from Iraq and the broader Middle East “does incalculable harm not just to the individuals and communities concerned, but also to the society they leave behind.”
“How cruel it is that this country, the cradle of civilization, should have been afflicted by so barbarous a blow, with ancient places of worship destroyed and many thousands of people – Muslims, Christians, Yazidis — who were cruelly annihilated by terrorism — and others forcibly displaced or killed,” Francis said.
The Rev. Raed Kallo, the only priest in Iraq’s second largest city, shared his story among the crowd and before the pontiff. He fled along with most of his congregation of 500 Christian families when Daesh overran the city in June 2014.




Pope Francis releases a white dove during a prayer for war victims in Mosul. (Reuters)


But he said he returned three years ago, after the extremists were defeated by Iraqi and international forces in a grueling campaign that left much of the city in ruins. He said: “My Muslim brothers received me after the liberation of the city with great hospitality and love.”
But he said only around 70 Christian families reside in Mosul today. The rest are afraid to return and many have emigrated abroad.
Also addressing the crowd was Gutayba Aagha, a Muslim and the head of the Independent Social and Cultural Council for the Families of Mosul. In words welcomed by Francis, he said: “In the name of the council I invite all our Christian brothers to return to this, their city, their properties, and their businesses.”




Pope Francis prays for war victims at Hosh Al-Bieaa (Church Square) in Mosul. (Reuters)

0709: Pope Francis is now at the Hosh Al-Bieaa (Church Square) in Mosul, where he will lead a prayer of suffrage for the victims of the war.




Pope Francis arrives at the ruins of the Syriac Catholic Church of the Immaculate Conception (Al-Tahira-l-Kubra) in Mosul. (AFP)

0655: Pope Francis arrives via helicopter in Mosul, once a stronghold for Daesh and where Christians now number little more than a few dozen families.

MOSUL WAITS FOR POPE FRANCIS




Iraqi children dressed in costumes wave national flags near the ruins of the Syriac Catholic Church of the Immaculate Conception (Al-Tahira-l-Kubra) in Mosul on March 7, 2021. (AFP)




Iraqis gather in the ruins of the Syriac Catholic Church of the Immaculate Conception (Al-Tahira-l-Kubra) in the northern city of Mosul ahead of the Pope Francis’ visit on March 7, 2021. (AFP)

WATCH: Preparations at Hosh Al-Bieaa (Church Square) in Mosul, where Pope Francis will lead a prayer of suffrage for the victims of the war. Click on Twitter link below.

0523: Pope Francis arrives in Irbil, and is welcomed by Prime Minister Mansour Barzani of the autonomous region of Iraqi Kurdistan and other civil authorities of the region.

READ: Pope Francis’ visit brings Iraqi Kurdistan’s safe-haven status into sharp focus




Pope Francis gets a warm welcome from Iraqis dressed in traditional outfits upon his arrival at Irbil airport on March 7, 2021. (AFP)

- with agencies

Topics: Pope Francis in Iraq Pope Francis Iraq Irbil

Related

Update photos
Middle-East
AS IT HAPPENED: Pope Francis meets Grand Ayatollah Ali Al-Sistani
Special photos
Middle-East
Pope Francis’ visit brings Iraqi Kurdistan’s safe-haven status into sharp focus

Security deployed as wartime Bethlehem readies for another somber Christmas

This aerial picture shows the scene at the Manger Square outside the Church of the Nativity in the biblical city of Bethlehem.
Updated 50 min 35 sec ago
AFP
Follow

Security deployed as wartime Bethlehem readies for another somber Christmas

  • Missing for a second consecutive year were the decorations, bustling tourists and crowds of pilgrims that were staples of Christmases past
Updated 50 min 35 sec ago
AFP

BETHLEHEM: Palestinian security forces deployed around the Church of the Nativity in the West Bank holy city of Bethlehem on Tuesday, as the faithful prepared for another solemn Christmas overshadowed by the war in Gaza.
An unusual calm enveloped Manger Square, the heart of the Palestinian city dominated by the revered church that marks the site where Christians believe Jesus Christ was born.
The white-walled compound and its surrounding plaza were empty, save for a few vendors selling coffee and corn and a significant contingent of journalists, an AFP reporter saw.
Missing for a second consecutive year were the decorations, bustling tourists and crowds of pilgrims that were staples of Christmases past, reflecting the somber mood as the war between Israel and Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip drags on.
The fighting in Gaza — which is separated from the occupied West Bank by a swath of Israeli territory — erupted after Hamas’s deadly attack on Israel on October 7 last year.
Traditionally, a grand Christmas tree would light up Manger Square, but local authorities opted against elaborate celebrations for a second year.
“This year we limited our joy,” Bethlehem mayor Anton Salman told AFP.
“We want to focus on the Palestinian reality and show the world that Palestine is still suffering from the Israeli occupation, still suffering from the injustice.”
Prayers, including the church’s famed midnight mass, will still be held in the presence of the Catholic Church’s Latin Patriarch, but the festivities will be of a more strictly religious nature than the festive celebrations the city once held.
Despite the gloomy mood, some Christians in the Holy Land — who number about 185,000 in Israel and 47,000 in the Palestinian territories — are finding refuge in prayer.
“Christmas is a feast of faith... We’re going to pray and ask God to end our suffering,” Salman said.
Vendors in front of the local municipality building, the Bethlehem Peace Center, waited for customers in vain behind pots full of steaming coffee.
Mohammad Awad, 57, has been selling coffee for more than 25 years at the foot of the Mosque of Omar, whose elegant minaret stands directly opposite the Church of the Nativity.
“Business was good before the war, but now there’s no one,” the vendor lamented. “I hope the war in Gaza will end soon and that tourists will return.”
While most streets were quiet, a handful of visitors could still be seen in the area.
“On one hand, it’s sad that there are so few people,” said Christiana von der Tann, a German who came with her husband to spend the holidays with her daughter, a journalist in Tel Aviv.
“But then you can access the Church of the Nativity as you can freely go inside... That’s the advantage.
“But it’s very sad for the people here, it’s very sad they can’t sell their goods. They’ve got a really hard time.”
Violence across the Israeli-occupied West Bank has surged since the war in Gaza broke out, but Bethlehem has remained largely quiet, even though the fighting has taken a toll on the now predominantly Muslim city.
Foreign tourists, on whom Bethlehem’s economy almost entirely relies, stopped coming due to the war. And an increase in restrictions on movement in the form of Israeli checkpoints is also preventing many Palestinians from visiting.
“Last night, there was a rocket attack in Tel Aviv and it was a little scary,” said Tann.
“We had to go to a shelter room. That was a special experience. You don’t forget that you are in a country at war.”

Topics: xmas2024 Bethlehem

Related

Middle-East
Bleak Christmas in Bethlehem as families quit West Bank
Middle-East
Israel approves new settlement on UNESCO site near Bethlehem

Lebanese Christians celebrate Christmas, hoping for election of president in 16 days

Updated 24 December 2024
Najia Houssari 
Follow

Lebanese Christians celebrate Christmas, hoping for election of president in 16 days

  • Maronite Patriarch calls for return to ‘active positive neutrality’ for sake of country
Updated 24 December 2024
Najia Houssari 

BEIRUT: Maronite Patriarch Bechara Boutros Al-Rahi emphasized in his Christmas message to the Lebanese on Tuesday the importance of “not giving in to despair or hopelessness, no matter how severe the circumstances or challenges may be.”

Speaking on the eve of the most significant date in the Christian calendar, Al-Rahi said: “There is no salvation for Lebanon except through returning to the culture of active positive neutrality, which aligns with the nature of its political system. This would ensure Lebanon has one army, not two; one policy, not two. Lebanon would not enter wars, conflicts, or alliances, but instead maintain its sovereignty and defend its land against any aggressor through its own capabilities, without interfering in the affairs of other countries.”

Al-Rahi’s address this year came in the wake of a destructive war between the Israeli army and Hezbollah that left thousands in Lebanon dead and wounded. The ceasefire agreement, now in its 28th day, continues to face repeated violations by Israeli forces, however.

Meanwhile, the reconstruction of damaged areas in Beirut, its southern suburb, the south of Lebanon, and Bekaa remains dependent on the availability of funds — whether from the state or Hezbollah, which is still reeling from losses on several fronts.

Israel continues its unilateral war against southern Lebanon, exploiting the 60-day withdrawal period from the border area by conducting demolitions and explosions in villages.

Al-Rahi reiterated that neutrality “enables Lebanon to play its effective role as a place of meeting and dialogue between cultures and religions, and as a defender of peace and understanding in the region.”

On Tuesday, Beirut and other regions of the country witnessed high congestion in the streets and stores. Beirut Rafic Hariri International Airport also saw increased activity with thousands of expatriates returning to spend the holiday season with their families.

Lebanese citizens are looking forward hopefully to Jan. 9, the date set for a parliamentary session to elect a president — the Maronite position that has been vacant for two years and two months due to political disagreements between Hezbollah and its allies on one side and the party’s opponents on the other.

Al-Rahi expressed his optimism about the election of a president “after a shameful vacuum that contradicts the constitution, and without any justification other than the lack of self-confidence among the nation’s MPs, waiting for the name to come from abroad. This is a great injustice.”

Parliament speaker Nabih Berri extended his congratulations to the Lebanese people, particularly to the Christian community, on the occasion. In a statement, he urged everyone “to approach all our issues with a Christmas spirit characterized by compassion, love, humility, tolerance, reconciliation, and openness.” Berri also met with Prime Minister Najib Mikati to discuss the developments in southern Lebanon.

Meanwhile, the Foreign Ministry, through Lebanon’s permanent mission to the UN in New York, has submitted a complaint to the Security Council, protesting Israel’s repeated violations of the declaration of a cessation of hostilities and related obligations concerning enhanced security arrangements for the implementation of Resolution 1701, commonly referred to as the ceasefire arrangements.

The complaint lists more than 816 Israeli incursions, both terrestrial and aerial, occurring between Nov. 27 and Dec. 22.

Lebanon stated in its complaint that “Israeli violations, including shelling of Lebanese border villages, booby-trapping of homes, destruction of residential areas, and obstruction of roads, undermine efforts for de-escalation and avoidance of military escalation.

“These actions pose a serious threat to international efforts aimed at achieving security and stability in the region and complicate Lebanon’s efforts to implement the provisions of Resolution 1701, while also hindering the deployment of the Lebanese army in the south.”

The complaint also stressed Lebanon’s “commitment to international resolutions and the implementation of the cessation of hostilities arrangements,” noting that it “has fully complied with international calls to calm the situation, and continues to show the utmost restraint and cooperation in order to avoid falling back into the hell of war.”

Lebanon called on “the countries sponsoring the cessation of hostilities arrangements to take a firm and clear position regarding Israel’s violations, and to take action to ensure that Israel respect its obligations under the declaration of cessation of hostilities and relevant international resolutions.”

It also requested the “enhancement of support for UNIFIL forces and the Lebanese Army to ensure the protection of its sovereignty and create the security conditions necessary for the restoration of stability and the return to normal life in the south.”

Italian army chief Lt. General Luciano Portolano arrived in Beirut to spend Christmas Eve with his country’s unit in UNIFIL.

He met with his Lebanese counterpart Gen. Joseph Aoun. Lebanon’s Army Command said their discussions focused on “ways to enhance cooperation between the armed forces of the two countries and the coordination between the Lebanese Army and UNIFIL.”

Topics: Lebanon

Sudan’s war is ‘deepening and widening’ a famine crisis, hunger monitoring report says

Updated 24 December 2024
AP
Follow

Sudan’s war is ‘deepening and widening’ a famine crisis, hunger monitoring report says

  • Sudan has been roiled by a 20-month war that has killed more than than 24,000 people and driven over 14 million people
Updated 24 December 2024
AP

CAIRO: Famine is spreading in Sudan due to a war between the military and a notorious paramilitary group that has wrecked the country and created the world’s largest displacement crisis, a global hunger-monitoring group said Tuesday.
The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, or IPC, said it detected famine in five areas, including in Sudan’s largest displacement camp, Zamzam, in North Darfur province, where famine was found for the first time in August.
“This marks an unprecedented deepening and widening of the food and nutrition crisis, driven by the devastating conflict and poor humanitarian access,” an IPC report said.
As well as in the Zamzam camp, which hosts more than 400,000 people, famine was also detected in two other camps for displaced people, Abu Shouk and Al-Salam in North Darfur, and the Western Nuba Mountains, IPC’s report said.
Five other areas in North Darfur are projected “with reasonable evidence” to experience famine in the next six months, including el-Fasher, the provincial capital of North Darfur, it said. Seventeen areas in the Nuba Mountains and the northern and southern areas of Darfur are at risk of famine, it added.
The report said some areas in Khartoum and the east-central province of Gezira “may be experiencing” famine-like conditions. It said experts were unable to confirm whether famine threshold has been surpassed due to lack of data.
Ahead of the IPC’s report, Sudan’s government said it had suspended its participation in the global system, according to a senior United Nations official with knowledge of the move.
In a letter dated Dec. 23, Agriculture Minister Abu Baker Al-Beshri accused the IPC of “issuing unreliable reports that undermine Sudan’s sovereignty and dignity,” said the UN official, who spoke in condition of anonymity.
Sudan has been roiled by a 20-month war that has killed more than than 24,000 people and driven over 14 million people — about 30 percent of the population — from their homes, according to the United Nations. An estimated 3.2 million Sudanese have crossed into neighboring countries, including Chad, Egypt and South Sudan.
The war began in April 2023, when long-simmering tensions between its military and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces exploded into open fighting in the capital, Khartoum, before spreading to other urban areas and the western Darfur region. The conflict has been marked by atrocities, including ethnically motivated killing and rape, according to to the UN and rights groups. The International Criminal Court is investigating alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity.
There is widespread hunger, with food in markets now scarce and prices have spiked. Aid groups also say they’re struggling to reach the most vulnerable as warring parties limit access, especially in North Darfur province.
Dervla Cleary, a senior emergency and rehabilitation officer at the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization, said 638,000 people are experiencing famine.
“The situation in Sudan is just awful. It is unacceptable in a world like today,” she said. “We need the violence to stop so people can access food, water, health, nutrition and agriculture.”
According to the IPC report, a total of 24.6 million Sudanese — half of the population — faces high levels of acute food insecurity.
Sudan is the third country where famine was declared in the past 15 years, along with South Sudan and Somalia, where a 2011 major famine was estimated to have killed a quarter of a million people — half of them children under 5 years old.
The IPC comprises more than a dozen UN agencies, aid groups, and governments that use its monitoring as a global reference for analysis of food and nutrition crises.
The organization has also warned that large parts of Gaza’s Palestinian population face the threat of famine.

Topics: Sudan

Qatar says sanctions on Syria must be lifted quickly

Updated 24 December 2024
AFP
Follow

Qatar says sanctions on Syria must be lifted quickly

Updated 24 December 2024
AFP

DOHA: Qatar called on Tuesday for the quick removal of sanctions on Syria following the ousting of president Bashar Assad by Islamist-led rebels.
“We call for intensified efforts to expedite the lifting of international sanctions on Syria,” foreign ministry spokesperson Majed Al-Ansari told a regular briefing.
Qatar’s call came a day after a high-level delegation visited Damascus. The Qatari embassy there reopened on Sunday, ending a 13-year rift between the two countries.
“Qatar’s position is clear,” Ansari said. “It’s necessary to lift the sanctions quickly, given that what led to these sanctions is no longer there and that what led to these sanctions were the crimes of the former regime.”
Doha was one of the main backers of the armed rebellion that erupted after Assad’s government crushed a peaceful uprising in 2011.
Unlike several of its neighbors, Qatar had remained a stern critic of Assad and did not renew ties with Syria despite its return to the Arab diplomatic fold last year.
The international community has not rushed to lift sanctions on Syria, waiting to see how the new authorities exercise their power.

Topics: Fall of Assad

Israeli forces kill two Palestinians in West Bank refugee camp

Israeli army soldiers positioned at the entrance of the Tulkarm camp for Palestinian refugees inspect a vehicle.
Updated 24 December 2024
Reuters
Follow

Israeli forces kill two Palestinians in West Bank refugee camp

  • Khawla Abdo, a 53-year-old woman, was killed as a result of shelling by Israeli forces, while Fathi Saeed Odeh Salem, an 18-year-old man, was shot in the abdomen and chest
Updated 24 December 2024
Reuters

JERUSALEM: Israeli forces killed two Palestinians in a dawn raid on Tuesday on a refugee camp near the city of Tulkarm in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, Palestinian and Israeli officials said.
Khawla Abdo, a 53-year-old woman, was killed as a result of shelling by Israeli forces, while Fathi Saeed Odeh Salem, an 18-year-old man, was shot in the abdomen and chest, the Palestinian Health Ministry said.
The Israeli military said earlier it killed one Palestinian in a “counter-terrorism” operation in Tulkarm, while its forces arrested 18 other wanted individuals and confiscated dozens of weapons.
Hundreds of Palestinians and dozens of Israelis have been killed in the West Bank since the Oct. 7, 2023 attack by Hamas militants on southern Israel triggered the war in Gaza and a wider conflict on several fronts.
The official Palestinian news agency WAFA said Israeli forces prevented ambulance crews from reaching Salem by opening fire on him.
Bulldozers also demolished infrastructure in Tulkarm camp, including homes, shops, part of the walls of Al-Salam mosque, which they barricaded off, and part of the camp’s water network, it said.

Topics: War on Gaza Israel Palestinians West Bank

Related

Middle-East
Palestinian officials accuse Israeli settlers of mosque arson in West Bank
Update
Middle-East
West Bank man killed in clashes with Palestinian security: medic

Latest updates

Pakistan’s Imran Khan demands ‘time frame’ for progress in talks with government
Iran lifts ban on WhatsApp and Google Play, state media says
Security deployed as wartime Bethlehem readies for another somber Christmas
This aerial picture shows the scene at the Manger Square outside the Church of the Nativity in the biblical city of Bethlehem.
Pakistan Railways starts manufacturing new coaches after technology transfer from China
Sudan’s war is ‘deepening and widening’ a famine crisis, hunger monitoring report says

Search form

Print Edition
Read pdf version Subscribe now
© 2024 SAUDI RESEARCH & PUBLISHING COMPANY, All Rights Reserved And subject to Terms of Use Agreement.