UN chief praises Egypt’s efforts to provide aid to Gaza Strip

The Secretary General of the United Nations Antonio Guterres attends a press conference in New York, New York, US. (REUTERS file photo)
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Updated 24 March 2024
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UN chief praises Egypt’s efforts to provide aid to Gaza Strip

  • Antonio Guterres meets President El-Sisi in Cairo to discuss crisis facing Palestinians
  • ‘Horror & starvation stalk the people of Gaza,’ he says on X

CAIRO: The head of the United Nations has praised Egypt for its efforts to achieve a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and its commitment to keeping the Rafah border crossing open since the start of the conflict.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was received by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi in Cairo on Sunday.

The pair discussed a range of international and regional issues, with an emphasis on developments in the Gaza Strip. They agreed that a two-state solution was the only path to achieving justice, security and stability and highlighted the need to create conditions conducive to its implementation, a presidential spokesperson said.

El-Sisi highlighted the danger linked to some countries’ decision to suspend funding for UNRWA, the UN agency that supports Palestine refugees, which has been seen as a form of collective punishment.

The meeting also discussed efforts to reach an immediate ceasefire, free hostages and implement humanitarian aid, whether by land, in coordination with the relevant UN agencies, or through air drops, particularly over northern areas of the Gaza Strip.

El-Sisi said he appreciated Guterres’ keenness to adhere to the principles of international law and international humanitarian law and continued efforts to urge the international community to act to help end the hostilities and protect civilians.

It was important for the UN Security Council to assume its responsibilities in these matters, he said.

Guterres, who visited the Rafah crossing on Saturday, praised Egypt for its efforts in leading the process of delivering aid to the people of Gaza in the face of severe obstacles and difficulties.

He reiterated the importance of a ceasefire for humanitarian purposes to enable the delivery and distribution of aid.

The meeting, which was also attended by Egypt’s Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, General Intelligence Service Director Maj. Gen. Abbas Kamel, UNRWA Commissioner General Philippe Lazzarini and UN Resident Coordinator in Egypt Elena Panova, rejected any displacement of Palestinians from their lands.

It also warned against any military operation in Rafah, which would have “catastrophic consequences.”

Guterres and Shoukry held extended talks after which they took part in a joint press conference.

The discussions dealt with a range of issues, most notably the need to end the war in Gaza and ensure the flow of humanitarian aid.

Guterres said that the manner in which Israel had carried out its military operations in the Gaza Strip violated international law and that it must remove obstacles to the relief effort.

He added that the UN was working to ensure sufficient funding for UNRWA to enable it to fulfill its obligations to the Palestinian people and said the only effective way to transfer aid to Gaza was via land crossings.

The international community was facing a credibility crisis as the attacks continued, Guterres said.

“Horror & starvation stalk the people of Gaza,” he wrote on X.

“Any further onslaught will make everything worse. Worse for Palestinian civilians, for the hostages, for all people of the region. It’s more than time for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire & the immediate release of all hostages.”

 


Iran president says will not halt nuclear activity ‘under any circumstances’

Updated 3 sec ago
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Iran president says will not halt nuclear activity ‘under any circumstances’

“We are ready to discuss and cooperate to build confidence in the field of peaceful nuclear activities,” said Pezeshkian

TEHRAN: Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian said Saturday his country will not halt nuclear activity “under any circumstances” amid ongoing fighting with Israel which hit nuclear sites.

“We are ready to discuss and cooperate to build confidence in the field of peaceful nuclear activities, however, we do not agree to reduce nuclear activities to zero under any circumstances,” said Pezeshkian during a phone call with French President Emmanuel Macron, according to the official IRNA news agency.

Cyprus police arrest man on spying, terror charges

Updated 35 min 25 sec ago
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Cyprus police arrest man on spying, terror charges

  • Police declined to provide extensive details, citing “national security,“
  • Local media said the suspect was seen acting suspiciously near a British air force base at Akrotiri

NICOSIA: Cyprus police said they arrested an individual on espionage and terror charges on Saturday, with local media reporting the suspect had ties to Iran.

Police declined to provide extensive details, citing “national security,” but local media said the suspect was seen acting suspiciously near a British air force base at Akrotiri, outside the southern coastal city of Limassol.

Cypriot news outlet Philenews reported the man had links to “Iranian operatives” and had arrived on the Mediterranean island last month posing as a British tourist.

It said the arrest in Limassol on Saturday was based on information from a foreign intelligence service.

“Following a coordinated operation today, an individual suspected of involvement in terrorism-related offenses was arrested,” said a brief police announcement.

The suspect appeared before a district court and was issued an eight-day remand order for “offenses related, among others, to terrorism and espionage,” the police statement added.

Philenews said high-resolution cameras, telephoto lenses, notes, computers and three mobile phones were discovered at the suspect’s apartment.

It described the suspect as being of Azeri descent, referring to an ethnic group present in Azerbaijan and northwest Iran.

The outlet also reported that two people believed to be linked to the case were arrested in Britain.

The British foreign and defense ministries did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Thanks to its location in the eastern Mediterranean, Cyprus has become a key transit hub for third-country nationals fleeing the region since the recent outbreak of hostilities between Israel and Iran.

It has also become a staging post for Israelis seeking to return home by air or sea after being stranded abroad by the start of the fighting.


IAEA says centrifuge workshop at Iran’s Isfahan nuclear site hit

Updated 21 June 2025
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IAEA says centrifuge workshop at Iran’s Isfahan nuclear site hit

  • “There was no nuclear material at this site and therefore the attack on it will have no radiological consequences,” Grossi said

VIENNA: The UN nuclear agency confirmed on Saturday that a centrifuge manufacturing workshop at Iran’s Isfahan nuclear site had been hit, in the latest strike amid Israel’s bombing campaign.


“A centrifuge manufacturing workshop has been hit in Esfahan, the third such facility that has been targeted in Israel’s attacks on Iran’s nuclear-related sites over the past week,” the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said in a statement quoting its chief Rafael Grossi.

“We know this facility well. There was no nuclear material at this site and therefore the attack on it will have no radiological consequences,” Grossi was quoted as saying.


Turkiye says Israel leading Middle East to ‘total disaster’

Updated 21 June 2025
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Turkiye says Israel leading Middle East to ‘total disaster’

  • “Israel is now leading the region to the brink of total disaster,” Fidan said
  • He called for an end to the “unlimited aggression” against Iran

ISATANBUL: Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Saturday accused Israel of leading the Middle East toward “total disaster” by attacking Iran on June 13.

“Israel is now leading the region to the brink of total disaster by attacking Iran, our neighbor,” he told a summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Istanbul.

“There is no Palestinian, Lebanese, Syrian, Yemeni or Iranian problem but there is clearly an Israeli problem,” Fidan said.

He called for an end to the “unlimited aggression” against Iran.

“We must prevent the situation from deteriorating into a spiral of violence that would further jeopardize regional and global security,” he added.

Speaking after Fidan, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused Western leaders of providing “unconditional support” to Israel.

He said Turkiye would not allow borders in the Middle East to be redrawn “in blood.”

“It is vital for us to show more solidarity to end Israel’s banditry — not only in Palestine but also in Syria, in Lebanon and in Iran,” he told the OIC’s 57 member countries.

The OIC, founded in 1969, says its mission is to “safeguard and protect the interests of the Muslim world in the spirit of promoting international peace and harmony.”


Iran says more than 400 killed since start of war with Israel

Updated 21 June 2025
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Iran says more than 400 killed since start of war with Israel

  • Attacks have claimed the lives of over 400 defenseless Iranians and left 3,056 others wounded

TEHRAN: Israeli strikes on Iran have killed more than 400 people since they began last week, Iran’s health ministry said in an updated toll on Saturday, as fighting raged between the two foes.

“As of this morning, Israeli attacks have claimed the lives of over 400 defenseless Iranians and left 3,056 others wounded by missiles and drones,” health ministry spokesman Hossein Kermanpour said in a post on X.