LONDON: The Norwegian Refugee Council has warned that 2,000 aid trucks are stuck in Egypt at the Rafah border crossing, with Palestinians in Gaza being “actively deprived” of essential goods.
Rafah is the last remaining area of Gaza yet to come under full assault by Israeli forces, with fears now mounting of an imminent operation to take the southern city.
The NRC’s head of operations in Gaza, Suze van Meegen, told the BBC: “The city of Rafah is now comprised of three entirely different worlds: the east is an archetypal war zone, the middle is a ghost town, and the west is a congested mass of people living in deplorable conditions.”
She said medical supplies, tents, water tanks and food are being held up at the border, and in some cases Palestinians in Gaza have been displaced as many as nine times since Israel launched its military operation last October.
“People have no choice but to put their faith in so-called ‘humanitarian safe zones’ designated by the forces that have killed their family members and destroyed their homes,” she added.
Israeli journalist Amos Harel told the BBC that he believes Israel is moving ahead with plans to occupy Rafah with tacit US support.
“It’s quite clear that the Americans are no longer trying to prevent Israel from occupying Rafah. So the Israelis may proceed carefully and not too quickly. But it’s less of a question of whether the Israelis are going to occupy Rafah. It’s quite clear that they are,” he said.
It comes despite earlier warnings by US President Joe Biden against Israel attacking “population centers,” and with the International Court of Justice set to rule on the legality of the Israeli campaign in Gaza after a case was submitted by South Africa in December accusing Israel of genocide.
2,000 aid trucks stuck at Rafah border: Norwegian Refugee Council
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2,000 aid trucks stuck at Rafah border: Norwegian Refugee Council
- Palestinians ‘actively deprived’ of essential items as Israel steps up operations in city
- Some in Gaza have been displaced as many as 9 times since October
UAE, Ecuador presidents discuss trade, regional issues in Abu Dhabi
- Talks also cover renewable energy, tourism, agriculture
- Daniel Noboa reaffirms Ecuador’s commitment to strengthening ties with UAE
LONDON: UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan and his Ecuadorian counterpart, Daniel Noboa, discussed strengthening cooperation in various fields during a meeting in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday.
Noboa, who won reelection earlier this month, reaffirmed his country’s commitment to strengthening ties with the UAE.
The discussions focused on cooperation on trade, renewable energy, sustainability, investment, tourism and agriculture, the Emirates News Agency reported.
The two sides emphasized the importance of leveraging opportunities for mutual growth and shared views on regional and international issues to ensure stability and prosperity, the report said.
Sheikh Mohamed said the UAE-Ecuador relationship aimed to enhance economic growth and that Abu Dhabi was eager to strengthen its economic partnerships with Latin American countries.
Israeli wildfires force evacuations, road closures on Memorial Day
- The main Route 1 Jerusalem to Tel Aviv highway was closed near the fire site
- TV footage showed fires along the highway and people abandoning cars and running from the fires
JERUSALEM: Wildfires due to extreme heat and winds broke out near Jerusalem on Wednesday, forcing the evacuation of communities and the closure of a main highway, as the country was observing Memorial Day and many Israelis visited gravesites.
The main Route 1 Jerusalem to Tel Aviv highway was closed near the fire site and police said three communities had been evacuated.
“Based on assessments of the fire’s spread, the district commander has instructed teams to prepare for the potential evacuation of additional communities, including deploying buses in case they are needed,” the police said in a statement.
TV footage showed fires along the highway and people abandoning cars and running from the fires.
Israel’s Fire and Rescue service said on Tuesday that due to extreme conditions that were increasing the likelihood of fires spreading and developing, it had prohibited the lighting of bonfires through May 7.
Israel’s 77th Independence Day begins tonight and there is a widespread custom to build bonfires and have barbecues. The rescue service said barbecues should only be lit in authorized areas.
Israeli media reported that 120 fire and rescue services had mobilized dozens of firefighting teams, aircraft and helicopters to try to contain the fires. They noted that 12 people were injured from smoke inhalation while Israel has asked at least five countries for help — Greece, Bulgaria, Croatia, Italy and Cyprus.
The military’s chief of staff said he had ordered Home Front Command, the Air Force and all IDF units to assist as needed to support the Israeli Police and Fire and Rescue Services.
Search and Rescue forces from the IDF Search and Rescue Brigade and Air Force fire trucks have been assisting in efforts to extinguish the fires in the Jerusalem Hills area and evacuate residents.
Sirens sounded at 0800 GMT on Memorial Day to commemorate fallen soldiers in Israel’s many wars since becoming a state in 1948.
UAE, Egypt sign MoU in ‘significant milestone’ for Arab space cooperation
- Agreement covers joint projects and knowledge exchange in areas such as satellite technology, earth observation and space research
- Signing coincided with the African Space Agency’s headquarters opening in Cairo
DUBAI: The UAE and Egypt have signed a memorandum of understanding to boost collaboration in peaceful space activities, marking what Emirati officials described as a “significant milestone” in Arab space cooperation, state news agency WAM reported on Wednesday.
The agreement was signed on the sidelines of the 11th meeting of the Arab Space Cooperation Group and the “NewSpace Africa” conference in Cairo, with the UAE delegation led by Salem Butti Al-Qubaisi, director-general of the UAE Space Agency.
“The MoU represents a significant milestone in Arab space cooperation and reflects the UAE’s strategic vision, which sees space as a gateway to sustainable development, knowledge exchange and innovative solutions to shared challenges,” Al-Qubaisi said.
He highlighted that partnering with Egypt reinforced the UAE’s commitment to investing in people, localizing scientific expertise and developing a competitive, innovation-driven knowledge economy. He said that these goals aligned with broader regional ambitions for prosperity and stability.
The MoU establishes a long-term framework for cooperation in civil space programs, including the exchange of expertise, research and technology, and the implementation of joint projects supporting both countries’ sustainable development goals.
Planned areas of collaboration include communications technologies, satellite navigation and timing, Earth observation, remote sensing, space situational awareness, remote asset management and R&D in emerging and advanced technologies.
The UAE delegation also attended the opening ceremony of the African Space Agency’s new headquarters at Egyptian Space City, an event that drew senior officials, ministers and space-sector leaders from across Africa.
At least 12 killed overnight by Israeli strikes in Gaza
- The pre-dawn strikes hit three houses in the urban Nuseirat refugee camp
- Israel has carried out daily strikes on Gaza since ending its ceasefire with Hamas last month
At least 12 people including children were killed overnight in Gaza by Israeli strikes, hospital workers said Wednesday.
The pre-dawn strikes hit three houses in the urban Nuseirat refugee camp, according to staff at the Al-Aqsa hospital, which received the bodies. Among the dead were three children, including two brothers whose bodies arrived in pieces, according to the hospital’s morgue.
Israel has carried out daily strikes on Gaza since ending its ceasefire with Hamas last month. It has cut off the territory’s 2 million Palestinians from all imports, including food and medicine, since the beginning of March in what it says is an attempt to pressure the militant group to release hostages.
The strikes come after more than two dozen people were killed earlier this week in Gaza City and Beit Lahiya.
Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza has killed more than 52,000 Palestinians, according to the territory’s Health Ministry.
UAE security services thwart attempt to illegally transfer weapons, military equipment to Sudanese Armed Forces
- UAE Attorney-General says security forces arrested a cell involved in unauthorized trafficking of military equipment to the Sudanese Armed Forces
ABU DHABI: UAE security services have foiled an attempt to illegally transfer weapons and military equipment to the Sudanese Armed Forces, the UAE's Attorney-General Hamad Saif Al Shamsi said on Wednesday.
Al Shamsi stated that the security services succeeded in preventing the transfer of a quantity of military equipment to the Sudanese Armed Forces following the arrest of members of a cell involved in unauthorised mediation, brokering and illicit trafficking of military equipment, without obtaining the necessary licences from relevant authorities.
The defendants were arrested during an inspection of ammunition in a private aircraft at one of the country’s airports.
The plane was carrying approximately five million rounds of (54.7 x 62mm) Goryunov-type ammunition.
Authorities also seized part of the financial proceeds from the deal in the possession of two suspects in their hotel rooms.
Al Shamsi said the investigation revealed the involvement of cell members from the Sudanese military leaders, including former intelligence Chief Salah Gosh, a former officer of the intelligence agency, a former advisor to the finance minister, and a political figure close to General Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan and his deputy Yasser Al-Atta. Several Sudanese businessmen were also implicated.
According to investigators, the cell members completed a military equipment deal involving Kalashnikov rifles, ammunition, machine guns, and grenades worth millions of dollars.
The arms were transferred from the Sudanese army to an importing company in the UAE using the HAWALADARS’ transfer method.
The transaction was facilitated through a company owned by a fugitive cell member working for the Sudanese Armed Forces, in coordination with Colonel Othman Al-Zubair, who is in charge of financial operations in the Sudanese military.
Fake contracts and commercial invoices were used to falsely claim the payments were for a sugar import deal.
The investigation concluded that these deals were carried out at the request of the Sudanese Armed Forces’ Armament Committee, chaired by Al-Burhan and his deputy Al-Atta, with their full knowledge and approval. The cell members were directly assigned to broker and finalise the transactions by Ahmed Rabie Ahmed Al-Sayed, a political figure close to the Sudanese Commander-in-Chief and responsible for issuing end-user certificates and approvals.
Investigators confirmed that Salah Gosh played a central role in managing illegal military equipment trafficking within the UAE, in coordination with other cell members.
The group earned $2.6m in profit margin above the actual value of the two deals, which was distributed among themselves and several accomplices. Gosh’s share was found in the possession of suspect Khalid Youssef Mukhtar Youssef, a former intelligence officer and Gosh’s ex-chief of staff.
The seized shipment had arrived at a UAE airport aboard a private aircraft from a foreign country.
The aircraft had landed to refuel and officially declared it was carrying a consignment of medical supplies.
However, the military cargo was discovered under the supervision of the Public Prosecution, based on judicial warrants issued by the Attorney General.
Authorities also seized copies of the contracts related to the two deals, forged shipping documents, as well as audio recordings and messages exchanged among the cell members.
The investigation uncovered several companies owned by a Sudanese-Ukrainian businessman, including one operating in the UAE.
These companies were found to have provided the Sudanese army with weapons, ammunition, grenades, and drones, in collaboration with the cell members and the military’s financial officer.
One of the companies is listed under US sanctions.
The ongoing investigations revealed that the group’s financial interests and profits are closely tied to the continuation of internal conflict in Sudan.
The Attorney-General stressed that this incident represents a grave breach of the UAE’s national security, turning its territory into a platform for illegal arms trafficking to a country experiencing civil strife, in addition to constituting criminal offenses punishable under law.
He concluded by stating that the Public Prosecution is continuing its investigation procedures in preparation for referring the suspects to urgent trial proceedings.
Final results will be announced upon the completion of the investigation.
