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Hamas officials say Israel delaying aid delivery to Gaza, may affect hostages' release

Hamas officials say Israel delaying aid delivery to Gaza, may affect hostages' release
Displaced Palestinians cross a checkpoint manned by Hamas security at the Nezarim corridor as people make their way from the south to the northern parts of the Gaza Strip, on Salah al-Din road, in Mughraqa in central Gaza, on January 29, 2025. (AFP)
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Updated 29 January 2025

Hamas officials say Israel delaying aid delivery to Gaza, may affect hostages' release

Hamas officials say Israel delaying aid delivery to Gaza, may affect hostages' release

CAIRO: Two Hamas officials on Wednesday accused Israel of delaying the delivery of vital humanitarian aid to Gaza, as agreed in the ceasefire deal, and warned that it could impact the release of hostages.
"We warn that continued delays and failure to address these points (delivery of key aid) will affect the natural progression of the agreement, including the prisoner exchange," a senior Hamas official told AFP, while another offical said the group had asked mediators to intervene in the issue. Both spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter.


Jannik Sinner crowned champion at Six Kings Slam in Riyadh after fierce battle with Alcaraz

Jannik Sinner crowned champion at Six Kings Slam in Riyadh after fierce battle with Alcaraz
Updated 17 min 2 sec ago

Jannik Sinner crowned champion at Six Kings Slam in Riyadh after fierce battle with Alcaraz

Jannik Sinner crowned champion at Six Kings Slam in Riyadh after fierce battle with Alcaraz
  • Novak Djokovic was forced to retire from his match against Taylor Fritz after a grueling first set

RIYADH: Jannik Sinner claimed the title at the second staging of the Six Kings Slam in Riyadh with a commanding performance against Carlos Alcaraz in the final, solidifying his place as one of the dominant forces in men’s tennis.

In front of a packed and electrified crowd at ANB Arena, Sinner outplayed Alcaraz in straight sets, showcasing clinical precision and relentless aggression from the baseline. The Italian was in imperious form from the first point, breaking early and maintaining control throughout the match.

“I was looking forward to this match,†Sinner said in the post-match press conference. “It was a great performance from my side, but also, you know, seeing the electric audience today was very nice to be part of this match.â€

Sinner, who now adds another elite-level title to his growing collection, praised both the crowd and the tournament's atmosphere. 

“The whole week has been very, very nice. To me and to all the players, the atmosphere has been amazing since day one. We feel it as competitors – when someone needs a little bit of support, they’re ready to do that. It was a very balanced audience. I'm very happy to be part of this second staging of Six Kings Slam,†he said.

Italy's Jannik Sinner hits a return against Spain's Carlos Alcaraz during the final the Six Kings Slam exhibition tennis tournament in Riyadh on October 18, 2025. (AFP)
Spain's Carlos Alcaraz in action against Italy's Jannik Sinner during the final the Six Kings Slam exhibition tennis tournament in Riyadh on October 18, 2025. (AN photo by Abdulrahman bin Shalhoub)

The final marked another chapter in the burgeoning rivalry between Sinner and Alcaraz, two of the sport’s brightest young stars. While Alcaraz showed flashes of brilliance — especially in the second set — he was ultimately unable to match Sinner’s consistency and tactical execution.

“Well, I just, I try to compete,†Alcaraz said following the loss. “It was really disappointing for me … after the first, I just told myself, ‘Okay, go there, try to compete, improve your game.’ I was making a few mistakes. I played a little bit better, but it wasn’t enough.â€

Despite the defeat, the Spaniard maintained a forward-looking mindset. “I think this match is going to give me great feedback. When I’m coming back home, I’ll practice the things that I need before the next tournament. I’ll try to get the best feedback that I can from this match.â€

Earlier in the day, the tournament’s third-place playoff delivered an unexpected twist as Novak Djokovic was forced to retire from his match against Taylor Fritz after a grueling first set. The highly anticipated clash — just weeks after their US Open quarterfinal — lived up to expectations early, with both players locked in a tense battle that lasted over an hour and 15 minutes.

Fritz Taylor hits a return against Novak Djokovic in their third place match at the ANB Arena in Riyadh on Saturday. (AN photo by Abdulrahman bin Shalhoub)
Novak Djokovic in action during his third place match against Taylor Fritz at the ANB Arena in Riyadh on Saturday. (AN photo by Abdulrahman bin Shalhoub)

Fritz edged the opening set via a tiebreak, but before the second could begin, Djokovic withdrew due to physical discomfort. Reflecting on the set, the Serbian legend remarked, “It was one of the longest sets I’ve played.â€

While the retirement brought an abrupt end to the contest, Fritz’s resilience and form were evident throughout a high-quality first set.

The Six Kings Slam, which brings together six of the world’s top-ranked players in a unique invitational format, has quickly become a marquee event on the tennis calendar. With its star-studded lineup, electric crowd energy, and sold-out arena, the tournament once again delivered world-class tennis to a growing fanbase in the Middle East.

As Sinner hoisted the trophy under the Riyadh lights, one thing became clear: the future of men’s tennis is not just promising — it's already here.


Netanyahu says Gaza war not over until Hamas disarms

Netanyahu says Gaza war not over until Hamas disarms
Updated 19 October 2025

Netanyahu says Gaza war not over until Hamas disarms

Netanyahu says Gaza war not over until Hamas disarms
  • “When that is successfully completed... then the war will end,†he told the right-wing Israeli Channel 14
  • Hamas has so far resisted the idea and since the pause in fighting has moved to reassert its control over Gaza

GAZA CITY, Palestinian Territories: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned on Saturday that the war in Gaza would not be over until Hamas was disarmed and the Palestinian territory demilitarized.
His declaration came as Hamas’s armed wing, the Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades, handed over the remains of two further hostages on Saturday night under a US-brokered ceasefire agreement.
Netanyahu’s office said late Saturday that a Red Cross team had received the remains of two hostages from Hamas and handed them to Israeli forces in Gaza, from where they would be taken to Israel to be identified.
The issue of the dead hostages still in Gaza has become a sticking point in the implementation of the first phase of the ceasefire. Israel has linked the reopening of the key Rafah crossing to the territory to the recovery of the hostages’ remains.
Netanyahu cautioned that completing the ceasefire’s second phase was essential to ending the war and involved the disarming of Hamas and the demilitarization of the Gaza Strip.
“When that is successfully completed — hopefully in an easy way, but if not, in a hard way — then the war will end,†he added in an appearance on right-wing Israeli Channel 14.
Hamas has so far resisted the idea and since the pause in fighting has moved to reassert its control over Gaza.
The US State Department on Saturday said it had “credible reports†that Hamas was planning an imminent attack against civilians in Gaza, warning that would be a “ceasefire violation.â€
“Should Hamas proceed with this attack, measures will be taken to protect the people of Gaza and preserve the integrity of the ceasefire,†it said in a statement, without elaborating on the nature or target of such an attack.

Rafah crossing closed

Under the ceasefire deal brokered by US President Donald Trump, Hamas has so far released all 20 living hostages, along with the remains of nine Israelis and one Nepalese.
In exchange, Israel has released nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and 135 other bodies of Palestinians since the truce came into effect on October 10.
Hamas has said it needs time and technical assistance to recover the remaining bodies, which it says are buried under Gaza’s rubble.
Netanyahu’s office said he had “directed that the Rafah crossing remain closed until further notice.â€
“Its reopening will be considered based on how Hamas fulfils its part in returning the hostages and the bodies of the deceased, and in implementing the agreed-upon framework,†it said, referring to the week-old ceasefire deal.
Hamas warned late Saturday that the closure of the Rafah crossing would cause “significant delays in the retrieval and transfer of remains.â€

Digging latrines 

Further delays to the reopening could also complicate the task facing Tom Fletcher, the UN head of humanitarian relief, who was in northern Gaza on Saturday.
“To see the devastation — this is a vast part of the city, just a wasteland — and it’s absolutely devastating to see,†he told AFP.
Fletcher said the task ahead for the UN and aid agencies was a “massive, massive job.â€
He said he had met residents returning to destroyed homes who were trying to dig latrines in the ruins.
“We have a massive 60-day plan now to surge in food, get a million meals out there a day, start to rebuild the health sector, bring in tents for the winter, get hundreds of thousands of kids back into school.â€

Gaza killings continue 

Some violence has persisted despite the ceasefire.
Gaza’s civil defense agency, which operates under Hamas authority, said on Saturday that it had recovered the bodies of nine Palestinians — two men, three women and four children — from the Shaaban family after Israeli troops fired two tank shells at a bus.
Two more victims were blown apart in the blast and their remains have yet to be recovered, it said.
At Gaza City’s Al-Ahli Hospital, the victims were laid out in white shrouds as their relatives mourned.
“My daughter, her children and her husband; my son, his children and his wife were killed. What did they do wrong?†demanded grandmother Umm Mohammed Shaaban.
The Israeli military said it had fired on a vehicle that approached the so-called “yellow line,†to which its forces withdrew under the terms of the ceasefire, and gave no estimate of casualties.
 


Pakistan and Afghanistan agree to immediate ceasefire during peace talks in Doha

Pakistan and Afghanistan agree to immediate ceasefire during peace talks in Doha
Updated 19 October 2025

Pakistan and Afghanistan agree to immediate ceasefire during peace talks in Doha

Pakistan and Afghanistan agree to immediate ceasefire during peace talks in Doha
  • The agreement was arrived at during a round of negotiations mediated by Qatar and Turkiye on Saturday, Qatar’s foreign ministry said in a statement
  • Clashes have killed dozens and wounded hundreds in the worst violence between the two neighbors since the Taliban seized power in Kabul in 2021

ISLAMABAD/KABUL: Afghanistan and Pakistan have agreed to an immediate ceasefire during talks hosted by Doha, Qatar’s foreign ministry announced early on Sunday, after the South Asia neighbors extended a ceasefire following a week of fierce border clashes.

The agreement was arrived at during a round of negotiations mediated by Qatar and Turkiye on Saturday, the ministry said in a statement.

The two neighbors also agreed to hold follow-up meetings in the coming days “to ensure the sustainability of the ceasefire and verify its implementation in a reliable and sustainable manner,†the statement added.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Ceasefire extended for duration of peace talks

• Kabul says Pakistan conducts airstrikes after truce extended

• Pakistan says strikes killed dozens of militants

Earlier, both sides said they were holding peace talks in Doha on Saturday as they seek a way forward after the clashes killed dozens and wounded hundreds in the worst violence between the two countries since the Taliban seized power in Kabul in 2021.
“As promised, negotiations with the Pakistani side will take place today in Doha,†Afghan government spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said, adding that the Kabul team led by Defense Minister Mullah Muhammad Yaqoob had arrived in Doha.

Pakistan’s foreign office said earlier that Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif would lead discussions with representatives of the Afghan Taliban.
“The talks will focus on immediate measures to end cross-border terrorism against Pakistan emanating from Afghanistan and restore peace and stability along the Pak-Afghan border,†it said.
The ground fighting between the one-time allies and Pakistani airstrikes across their contested 2,600-km (1,600-mile) frontier were triggered after Islamabad demanded that Kabul rein in militants who had stepped up attacks in Pakistan, saying they operated from havens in Afghanistan.
The Taliban denies giving haven to militants to attack Pakistan and accuses the Pakistani military of spreading misinformation about Afghanistan and sheltering Daesh-linked militants to undermine its stability and sovereignty. Islamabad denies the accusations.
Militants have been waging a war for years against the Pakistani state in a bid to overthrow the government and replace it with their strict brand of Islamic governance system.
On Friday, a suicide attack near the border killed seven Pakistani soldiers and wounded 13, security officials said.
“The Afghan regime must rein in the proxies who have sanctuaries in Afghanistan and are using Afghan soil to perpetrate heinous attacks inside Pakistan,†the Pakistan Army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, said on Saturday, addressing a graduation ceremony of cadets.

Afghanistan withdraws from cricket series over strikes
The Afghan government spokesperson said Pakistan had conducted airstrikes in Afghanistan hours after the ceasefire, which began on Wednesday, was extended on Friday for as long as the talks continued.
He said the attacks targeted civilians, adding that Kabul reserved the right to respond but that Afghan fighters had been directed to refrain from retaliating to respect the negotiating team. Afghanistan withdrew from the Twenty20 international tri-series in Pakistan next month following the death of three local cricketers that the Afghanistan Cricket Board said were due to military strikes in Paktika province.
Pakistan’s Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said in a post on X on Saturday that Pakistan had struck “verified†camps of Islamist militants along the border areas and rejected that the strikes had targeted civilians.
He said militants had attempted to launch multiple attacks inside Pakistan during the ceasefire period.
He said more than 100 militants were killed by Pakistani security forces, the majority of them in strikes against a militant group that he said had carried out Friday’s suicide attack on the military camp.
Reuters could not independently verify the militant death toll given or any targets. 

 


US warns Hamas planning attack on Palestinian civilians in apparent violation of Gaza ceasefire

US warns Hamas planning attack on Palestinian civilians in apparent violation of Gaza ceasefire
Updated 19 October 2025

US warns Hamas planning attack on Palestinian civilians in apparent violation of Gaza ceasefire

US warns Hamas planning attack on Palestinian civilians in apparent violation of Gaza ceasefire

WEST PALM BEACH, Florida: The US State Department said Saturday that it has “credible reports†that Hamas could violate the ceasefire with an attack on Palestinian civilians in Gaza.
If the attack takes place, it “would constitute a direct and grave violation†of the agreement forged by President Donald Trump to end the two-year war between Israel and Hamas, the statement said.
No further details were disclosed about the potential attack.
â€Should Hamas proceed with this attack, measures will be taken to protect the people of Gaza and preserve the integrity of the ceasefire,†the State Department said.
Trump previously warned on social media that “if Hamas continues to kill people in Gaza, which was not the Deal, we will have no choice but to go in and kill them.â€

 


Dozens arrested in Tunisia anti-pollution protests: activists

Dozens arrested in Tunisia anti-pollution protests: activists
Updated 18 October 2025

Dozens arrested in Tunisia anti-pollution protests: activists

Dozens arrested in Tunisia anti-pollution protests: activists
  • Thousands have rallied in the southern coastal city in recent days calling for the closure of a phosphate processing plant, which they say is behind a rise in gas poisonings and other pollution-related health problems

TUNIS: Police in Gabes, Tunisia have arrested dozens of people in demonstrations against a chemical factory which locals blame for pollution and a range of health issues, a local campaign group and a lawyer said Saturday.
Thousands have rallied in the southern coastal city in recent days calling for the closure of a phosphate processing plant, which they say is behind a rise in gas poisonings and other pollution-related health problems.
“The arrests targeted night protesters,†said Mehdi Talmoudi, a lawyer and member of the local branch of the Tunisian Bar Association.
“While daytime demonstrations have been largely peaceful, those at night have seen occasional clashes with security forces and burning tires,†he told AFP.
Talmoudi said the exact number of arrests was not known.
But Khayreddine Debaya, coordinator of the local campaign group Stop Pollution, said “over 100 people were taken into custody†by early Saturday.
“Police arrested more than 70 people just last night, and more by dawn,†he said. “Some were taken from their homes.â€
Other Tunisian activists on social media have also condemned “a wave of arrests.â€
Locals in Gabes have held several rallies urging the closure of the factory, which processes phosphate to make fertilizers.
They say it has recently been releasing more toxic gases and radioactive waste into the sea.
Authorities earlier this year said they would ramp up production at the plant, despite a 2017 promise to gradually shut it down.
Early on Saturday, the Tunisian presidency said President Kais Saied had summoned parliament speaker Brahim Bouderbala and the head of the second parliamentary chamber, Imed Derbali, to discuss “the environmental situation†in Gabes, among other issues.
Saied said “work was underway to find urgent solutions to pollution.â€
Saied has vowed to revive the phosphate sector, long hindered by unrest and underinvestment, calling it a “pillar of the national economy.â€
Taking advantage of rising world fertilizer prices, Tunisia now wants the plant’s output to increase more than fourfold by 2030, from less than three million tons a year to 14 million tons.