GAZA STRIP: Israel hammered the Gaza Strip from the air, sea, and land Monday as the war in the Palestinian territory showed no sign of abating, with Hamas saying it was pulling out of truce talks.
Shells rained down on the neighborhoods of Tal Al-Hawa, Sheikh Ajlin, and Al-Sabra in Gaza City, AFP correspondents reported, while eyewitnesses said the Israeli army had shelled the Al-Mughraqa area and the northern outskirts of the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza.
Paramedics from the Palestinian Red Crescent said they had retrieved the bodies of five people, including three children, after Israeli air strikes in the Al-Maghazi camp, also in the central Gaza Strip.
Meanwhile, eyewitnesses reported Israeli gunship fire east of Khan Yunis, in southern Gaza, and shelling and Apache helicopter attacks in western areas of the southernmost city of Rafah.
The Israeli military said in a statement that it was continuing its activity throughout the coastal territory, and said it had conducted raids in Rafah and central Gaza that killed “a number of” militants, as well as air strikes throughout the strip over the past day.
It also said its naval forces had been firing at targets in Gaza.
The relentless bombardments came as prospects dwindled for a truce and hostage release deal being secured any time soon.
Hamas said on Sunday it was withdrawing from ceasefire talks.
The decision followed an Israeli strike targeting the head of Hamas’s military wing, Mohammed Deif, which the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said killed 92 people.
Deif’s fate remains unknown, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying there was “no certainty” he was dead while a senior Hamas official told AFP that Deif was “well and directly overseeing” operations.
Speaking after the strike on Al-Mawasi, a second senior official from the militant group cited Israeli “massacres” and its attitude to negotiations as a reason for suspending negotiations.
But according to the official, Haniyeh told international mediators Hamas was “ready to resume negotiations” when Israel’s government “demonstrates seriousness in reaching a ceasefire agreement and a prisoner exchange deal.”
Last week, US President Joe Biden had suggested a deal might be close, saying at a NATO summit that both sides had agreed to a framework he had set out in late May.
Hamas on Monday lashed out at the US, accusing it of supporting “genocide” by supplying Israel with “internationally banned” weapons.
“We condemn in the strongest terms the... American disdain for the blood of the children and women of our Palestinian people... by providing all types of prohibited weapons to the ‘Israeli’ occupation,” a statement from the Hamas government media office said.
Talks between the warring parties have been mediated by Qatar and Egypt, with US support, but months of negotiations have failed to bring a breakthrough.
The war was sparked by Hamas’s surprise October 7 attack on southern Israel, which resulted in the deaths of 1,195 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli figures.
The militants also seized 251 hostages, 116 of whom are still in Gaza including 42 the Israeli military says are dead.
Israel responded with a military offensive that has killed at least 38,584 people in Gaza, also mostly civilians, according to data provided by the Gaza health ministry.
The war and accompanying siege have devastated the Palestinian territory, destroying much of its infrastructure, leaving the majority of its 2.4 million residents displaced and causing a dire shortage of food, medicines and other basic goods.
Among the devastated facilities have been multiple schools. On Sunday, Israeli forces struck a UN-run school in Nuseirat camp that was being used as a shelter for displaced people but which the military said “served as a hideout” for militants.
The civil defense agency in Gaza said 15 people were killed in the strike, the fifth attack in just over a week to hit a school used as shelter by displaced Palestinians.
Israel hits Gaza from land, sea and air as Hamas halts talks
https://arab.news/br7r6
Israel hits Gaza from land, sea and air as Hamas halts talks
- Relentless bombardments come as prospects have dwindled for a truce and hostage release deal
- Israel's military offensive has killed at least 38,584 people in Gaza, according to its health ministry
Lebanese foreign minister: Israeli violations harm efforts to keep ceasefire
- More bodies recovered in Haret Hreik nearly 3 months after Israel’s deadly airstrikes
BEIRUT: Lebanon’s caretaker foreign minister, Abdallah Bou Habib, warned on Friday that continuing Israeli violations of Lebanese sovereignty undermined efforts to reinforce the ceasefire and diffuse tensions on the southern border.
He called on Western countries to “rapidly contribute to rebuilding what the Israeli war destroyed in Lebanon.”
Bou Habib had received calls from Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office Hamish Falconer, European Commissioner for Preparedness, Crisis Management and Equality Hadja Lahbib, and European Commissioner for the Mediterranean Dubravka Suica.
According to the Foreign Ministry, the discussion between Bou Habib and European officials focused on “ongoing Israeli violations of the ceasefire agreement.”
The minister promised to “seek to increase humanitarian assistance provided by the EU to Lebanon, enabling the country to address the war’s repercussions and impacts.”
Suica emphasized “the importance of supporting the Lebanese state’s capabilities, as this contributes to achieving long-term national stability.”
She also promised “continued European assistance to Lebanon, provided it is a priority on the EU’s agenda.”
Suica affirmed “the importance of electing a president and undertaking economic reforms in Lebanon, in cooperation with the International Monetary Fund, so that the EU could provide additional support.”
Also on Friday, the army chief said it remained “one of the few steadfast institutions in Lebanon, the rock of the nation, and one of the most critical factors ensuring its continuity.”
Army Commander Gen. Joseph Aoun was addressing first-year officer cadets at the military academy who recently joined the military institution as part of efforts to strengthen the Lebanese army’s capabilities to carry out its missions in the south and other regions.
Addressing the cadets, Gen. Aoun said that on graduation, they would “become a strength factor for the military units deployed across Lebanon and contribute to enhancing their professional performance, which has earned the trust of both Lebanese citizens and friendly nations.”
He added that Lebanon “protects the sects, not the other way around.”
Gen. Aoun urged the cadets to “disregard rumors aimed at undermining the army.”
He said: “Give your utmost effort, as your journey at the military academy is challenging but not impossible. Remember that armies are built for times of hardship, and sacrifice is our destiny, even to the point of martyrdom, should duty call. Let your party be Lebanon and your sect the military uniform.”
In other developments on Friday, Israeli forces continued their land violations of the ceasefire agreement.
Israeli troops directed heavy machine-gun fire toward the valleys between Qabrikha and Wadi Al-Salouqi near Ghandourieh, south of the Litani River.
The targeted area is not part of the region that remains occupied by Israel.
Israeli artillery bombed the outskirts of Halta, while the remaining houses in the border village of Kfarkila were detonated and bulldozed, sending tremors through neighboring areas.
Israeli forces also detonated houses located between the border villages of Blida and Aitaroun.
On Friday, Israeli forces withdrew from Bani Hayyan toward Markaba after they entered the area last Wednesday and bulldozed, detonated, and destroyed houses and roads.
Israeli army spokesperson Avichay Adraee reiterated via social media his reminder to “the residents of southern Lebanon that, until further notice, movement is prohibited south of a line of villages stretching from Mansouri to Shebaa and its surroundings.”
The restricted zone encompasses 63 border villages located south of this line.
UNIFIL and Lebanese army units were deployed in the valleys along the Litani River between Deir Seryan, Alman, El Qsair, Yohmor Al-Shaqif, and Zawtar Al-Sharqiya, while Israeli reconnaissance drones flew at low altitudes over the area.
Based on recommendations from the committee responsible for overseeing the ceasefire agreement, a security source said that “fixed checkpoints and posts for the Lebanese Army and UNIFIL will be established south of the Litani River, from Marjayoun to Qasmiyeh.”
Meanwhile, the recovery of bodies from Israeli attacks on Lebanon continued.
Civil Defense personnel in the Haret Hreik area of Beirut’s southern suburb retrieved three bodies in the morning from among seven missing persons still being searched for.
These people were killed in the heavy airstrikes that assassinated Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah on Sept. 27.
The bodies are set to undergo DNA testing to confirm their identities.
Civil Defense teams also recovered the body of a Syrian woman in the southern town of Khiam, which the Lebanese army entered after the withdrawal of Israeli forces.
The woman had been working at a dairy factory in the town when an Israeli air raid struck it.
UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert said that 2024 was a challenging year for Lebanon.
She said in a statement: “Far too many lives were lost, devastated and disrupted. The conflict, which inflicted untold suffering and trauma, has left deep wounds, trauma and widespread destruction.”
“The arduous healing process, picking up the pieces and rebuilding, has just begun.
“While considerable work lies ahead to ensure that the ceasefire arrangement endures and yields the dividends of security and stability that the Lebanese people deserve, 2025 offers the promise of opportunity and reason for hope,” she said.
Hennis-Plasschaert said “the UN continues to stand by Lebanon and its people through challenging times.”
On Thursday evening, merchants held a protest in the central commercial market of Nabatieh city, which Israeli airstrikes had destroyed.
They called on “the Lebanese government and relevant departments to expedite the payment of compensation to institutions, factories, commercial shops, self-employed individuals, pharmacies, poultry, beekeeping and livestock industries, as well as compensation for damaged contents, to restore the economic wheel across the south.”
Moussa Shmeisani, head of the Nabatieh Merchants Association, stressed the need to “speed up the removal of the rubble and debris from the heart of Nabatieh, approve settlements and grant tax exemptions for institutions and shops, to mitigate the losses suffered by merchants as a result of the aggression.”
‘We admire Saudi vision, aspire for similar progress in Syria,’ says Al-Sharaa
- Head of HTS says he seeks no dominance over Lebanon
DAMASCUS: Ahmed Al-Sharaa, the head of the new Syrian administration, praised progress made by Saudi Arabia and neighboring Gulf countries in an interview with Asharq Al-Awsat published on Friday.
Speaking to the newspaper’s Bissane El-Cheikh at the Presidential Palace in Damascus on Thursday, he praised the Gulf’s development, saying: “We admire the development in Gulf countries, particularly Saudi Arabia’s bold plans and vision, and we aspire to achieve similar progress for Syria.”
He added: “There are many opportunities for cooperation, especially in economic and developmental areas, where we can align our goals.”
During the interview, he also said that “the Syrian revolution ended with the regime's fall, and we will not allow it to spread elsewhere.”
Al-Sharaa stressed that Syria “will not be used to attack or destabilize any Arab or Gulf country.”
He said the Syrian opposition’s actions had “set the Iranian project in the region back by 40 years.”
Asked why Syria has yet to send a direct message to the Gulf and major Arab nations, Al-Sharaa responded by saying that his country has much to say to its Arab neighbors.
“Syria had become a platform for Iran to control key Arab capitals, spread wars, and destabilize the Gulf with drugs like Captagon,” he said.
He added: “By removing Iranian militias and closing Syria to Iranian influence, we’ve served the region’s interests—achieving what diplomacy and external pressure could not, with minimal losses.”
Al-Sharaa also criticized efforts to restore ties with the former Syrian regime, including its return to the Arab League in exchange for concessions.
“We were confident this would fail because we knew the regime would not make any genuine concessions or approach these overtures in good faith,” he said.
He claimed that during a meeting with Jordanian officials, the former regime was asked why it insisted on exporting Captagon to Jordan.
“The response was that it would not stop unless sanctions were lifted," Al-Sharaa said, adding “this is not how the regime operates.”
He emphasized that Gulf strategic security has since improved. “Today, the Iranian project in the region has been pushed back 40 years, making the Gulf more secure and stable.”
When asked if he would give reassurances on Syria not becoming a refuge for certain figures, Al-Sharaa dismissed concerns about hosting figures who cause concern for some Arab nations, saying Syria will not become a haven for controversial individuals.
“We are now focused on state-building. The revolution ended with the regime's fall, and we will not allow it to spread elsewhere. Syria will not be a platform to threaten or unsettle any Arab or Gulf country,” he said.
Al-Sharaa stressed that Syria seeks to rebuild and strengthen ties with Arab nations. “Syria is tired of wars and being used for others’ agendas. We want to restore trust and rebuild our country as part of the Arab world.”
On Syria’s relationship with its neighbor Lebanon, Al-Sharaa acknowledged concerns raised by Lebanese counterparts about him reaching Damascus, fearing it could strengthen one faction over another in Lebanon.
“We are not seeking any form of dominance over Lebanon,” he said. “We want a relationship based on mutual respect and exchange, without interfering in Lebanon’s internal affairs. We have enough work to do in our own country.”
Al-Sharaa emphasized Syria’s intention to maintain balanced relations, saying he aims “to stand equally with all Lebanese groups, and what pleases them, pleases us.”
Al-Sharaa was asked about a national dialogue conference and a new constitution to guide Syria’s future, and the mechanism that he plans to ensure inclusivity for all Syrians in the process, especially among the base of supporters and fighters who do not necessarily agree with his current moderate speech.
Al-Sharaa acknowledged differing opinions but emphasized he does not want to impose his personal views on Syrians.
“I believe in letting legal experts shape the relationship between citizens, with the law as the guide,” he said.
“Syria is diverse, and it's natural for there to be different opinions. This difference is healthy.”
Al-Sharaa stressed that the recent victory is for all Syrians, not one group over another.
“Even those we thought were loyal to the old regime expressed joy, as they had not been able to openly express their feelings before,” he noted.
He expressed confidence that Syrians, regardless of their background, are aware enough to protect their country.
“My aim is to reach a broad agreement and build a country where the rule of law helps resolve our differences,” Al-Sharaa concluded.
On the complex issue of forced disappearances and individuals missing in prisons and mass graves, Al-Sharaa said the previous regime was a criminal gang, not a political system.
“We fought a brutal group that committed crimes like arrests, forced disappearances, killings, displacement, starvation, chemical attacks, and torture,” he said.
He stressed that while the regime is gone, the focus should be on justice, not revenge.
“We must not approach this with a desire for vengeance,” he said.
Al-Sharaa stated that those responsible for crimes like the Saydnaya prison and chemical attacks must be held accountable.
“Their names are known and they must be pursued,” he said. He also affirmed that families have the right to file complaints against unknown perpetrators.
Al-Sharaa outlined efforts to address the issue of missing persons. “We’ve broken the barriers, and specialized organizations are now helping with this task,” he said.
A new ministry will be set up to track the fate of the missing, both the deceased and the living.
“This will also assist families with documents like death certificates and inheritance,” he added.
He acknowledged the challenge ahead but emphasized the need to uncover the truth. “This is a big task, but we must find the truth,” Al-Sharaa said.
When asked about hosting the interview at the People’s Palace, the same location where Bashar al-Assad once sat, Al-Sharaa responded with a light-hearted laugh.
“To be honest, I don’t feel comfortable at all,” he said. “But this is a place that should be open to the people, a site where they can visit and where children can play in these courtyards.”
* This article was originally published by Asharq Al-Awsat and can be read here.
Kurdish fighters in Syria face dual threats
- Suppressed for decades, the Kurds took advantage of the weakness of Bashar Assad’s government during the civil war
- But with the rise of the new authority following his ouster, they are left navigating a complex and uncertain future
BEIRUT: Kurdish fighters in northern Syria are increasingly under pressure from Turkish-backed armed groups while also fearing the new authorities in Damascus will upend their hard-won autonomy.
Suppressed for decades, the Kurds took advantage of the weakness of Bashar Assad’s government during the civil war, but with the rise of the new authority following his ouster, they are left navigating a complex and uncertain future.
As Islamist-led militants pressed their lightning 12-day offensive that toppled Assad on December 8, Turkish-backed fighters began a parallel operation against Kurdish-led forces in the north.
They quickly seized Tal Rifaat and Manbij, two key Kurdish-held areas in a 30-kilometer (17-mile) stretch along the Turkish border where Ankara wants to establish a so-called “security zone.”
Following a wave of fighting, a US-brokered truce took hold on December 11, although Kurdish forces say it has not been respected by Turkish forces in the area nor their proxies.
Kurdish fighters make up the bulk of the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) which was formed in 2015 and is seen as the Kurds’ de facto army.
The SDF spearheaded the fight that defeated Daesh group militants in Syria in 2019 and is still seen by the US as a “crucial” to prevent a militant resurgence in the area.
They have warned about a possible Turkish assault on the Kurdish-held border town of Kobani, also known as Ain Al-Arab, which has become a symbol of the fight against IS.
On Tuesday, SDF leader Mazloum Abdi proposed setting up a “demilitarized zone” in Kobani under US supervision.
There are also US troops in Syria as part of an international coalition against the militants, whose numbers doubled earlier this year to around 2,000, the Pentagon said Thursday.
As well as relying on pro-Turkish fighters, Ankara has between 16,000 to 18,000 troops in northern Syria, Turkish officials say, indicating they are ready for deployment “east of the Euphrates” if Kurdish fighters don’t disarm.
But Turkiye’s top diplomat Hakan Fidan on Wednesday said there would be no need for Ankara to intervene if the new government was to “address this issue properly.”
Observers say Ankara wants to take advantage of the Syrian upheaval to push Kurdish forces away from the border zone, seeing them as “terrorists” over their ties with the PKK which has fought a decades-long insurgency on Turkish soil.
Since 2016, the Turkish military has launched several operations in northern Syria targeting the YPG (the People’s Protection Units), which makes up the bulk of the SDF.
Turkish troops have remained in a large stretch of land on the Syrian side of the border.
Syria’s Kurds have made several gestures of openness toward the new authorities in Damascus, fearing for the future of their autonomous region.
They have adopted three-starred independence flag used by the opposition that is now flying over Damascus, and said Wednesday they were canceling customs and other taxes on goods moving between their area and the rest of Syria.
HTS’ military chief Murhaf Abu Qasra, whose nom de guerre is Abu Hassan Al-Hamawi, said Tuesday Kurdish-held areas would be integrated under the new leadership because Syria “will not be divided.”
“The region currently controlled by the SDF will be integrated into the new administration of the country,” he said.
WFP says three staff killed in aerial bombardment in Sudan
ROME: The UN’s World Food Programme (WFP) said Friday that three of its staff had been killed in an “aerial bombardment” in Sudan the previous day.
“WFP is outraged by the killing of three of its staff members in an aerial bombardment in Sudan on December 19, 2024,” the agency said in a statement on X.
“A WFP field office was hit during the attack. We are gathering more information and will provide updates as we learn more.”
A spokesman was unable to give more details when contacted by AFP.
War has raged since April 2023 between the Sudanese army under de facto ruler Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) led by his former deputy, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo.
The WFP on Thursday warned that Sudan risks becoming the world’s largest hunger crisis in recent history, with 1.7 million people across the country either facing famine or at risk of famine.
Turkiye will support Syria’s reconstruction, improve cooperation
- Turkish president says to intensify trade relations with Syria and Iraq ‘to bring new dynamism for both Syria and Turkiye in every respect’
ANKARA: Turkiye will do whatever necessary for the reconstruction of Syria following the ouster of Bashar Assad, including improving ties in trade, energy and defense, President Tayyip Erdogan said.
“We will intensify our trade relations with Syria and Iraq. This will bring new dynamism for both Syria and Turkiye in every respect,” Erdogan said, according to a transcript of remarks he made to journalists on his return flight from Egypt.
“We will collaborate in many areas, from defense to education and energy. Syria currently faces serious energy issues. But we will swiftly address all of these problems.”
