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UN says Israel killed 71 civilians in Lebanon since ceasefire

Update UN says Israel killed 71 civilians in Lebanon since ceasefire
Papal envoy, Italian prelate of the Catholic Church Paolo Borgia walks with a Lebanese priest in front of a building destroyed by Israeli bombing in the recent war, during his visit to the southern Lebanese town of Khiam on Palm Sunday on April 13, 2025. (AFP)
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Updated 15 April 2025

UN says Israel killed 71 civilians in Lebanon since ceasefire

UN says Israel killed 71 civilians in Lebanon since ceasefire
  • “Among the victims are 14 women and 9 children,” Al-Kheetan said, urging that “the violence must stop immediately“

GENEVA: Israeli forces have killed dozens of civilians in Lebanon since a ceasefire took effect late last year, including a number of women and children, the United Nations said Tuesday.
The UN rights office reported that Israeli military operations had killed and injured civilians in Lebanon in the four months since the fragile truce between Israel and Hezbollah on November 27.
“According to our initial review, at least 71 civilians have been killed by Israeli forces in Lebanon since the ceasefire came into effect,” rights office spokesman Thameen Al-Kheetan told reporters in Geneva.
“Among the victims are 14 women and 9 children,” he said, urging that “the violence must stop immediately.”
The delicate truce between Israel and Hezbollah came after more than a year of hostilities initiated by the Iran-backed militant group over the Gaza conflict, including two months of all-out war when Israel also sent in ground troops.
But months after the agreed end to fighting, Kheetan warned that people in Lebanon “people remain gripped by fear, and over 92,000 are still displaced from their homes.”
The rights office noted that Israeli strikes on Lebanese territory had hit civilian infrastructure since the ceasefire, including residential buildings, medical facilities, roads and at least one cafe.
The southern suburbs of Beirut were also hit in early April for the first time since the ceasefire took effect, in two different incidents, Kheetan said, adding that the area targeted was near two schools.
“A strike on a residential building in the early morning of April 1 killed two civilians and caused significant damage to neighboring buildings,” he said.
Two days later, “Israeli airstrikes hit a newly established medical center run by the Islamic Health Society in Naqoura in southern Lebanon, completely destroying the center and damaging two ambulances,” he said.
He added that “multiple Israeli airstrikes on several towns in the south of Lebanon reportedly killed at least six people” between April 4 and 8.
Israel had also faced attacks since the truce took effect, Kheetan said.
Since last November, at least five rockets, two mortars and a drone were launched from Lebanon toward northern Israel, he said, citing figures from the Israeli army, adding that “tens of thousands of Israelis are still reportedly displaced from the north.”
Kheetan demanded that all parties to the conflict “respect international humanitarian law, including the principles of distinction, proportionality and precaution.”
“There must be prompt, independent and impartial investigations into all allegations of serious violations of international humanitarian law, and those found responsible must be held to account.”


ֱ slams Israel's move to annex Palestinian land, block two-state solution

ֱ slams Israel's move to annex Palestinian land, block two-state solution
Updated 1 min 29 sec ago

ֱ slams Israel's move to annex Palestinian land, block two-state solution

ֱ slams Israel's move to annex Palestinian land, block two-state solution

RIYADH: ֱ on Friday condemned moves by Israeli authorities to push ahead with construction of settlements around the occupied city of Jerusalem.

In a statement, the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs also denounced pronouncements by Israeli officials to block internationally backed efforts to create a sovereign Palestinian state as part of a solution to the decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

"These decisions and statements confirm the continuation of the illegal expansionist policies of this Israeli government, its obstruction of the peace process, and the serious threat to the possibility of a two-state solution," the statement said.

Earlier Thursday, Israel's far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announced that work would start on a long-delayed settlement that would divide the West Bank and cut if off from East Jerusalem. 

Smotrich's office later doubled down by saying the move would “bury” the idea of a Palestinian state.

(Developing story)
 


EU, Norway, rights groups rap West Bank settlement plan

EU, Norway, rights groups rap  West Bank settlement plan
Updated 15 min 25 sec ago

EU, Norway, rights groups rap West Bank settlement plan

EU, Norway, rights groups rap  West Bank settlement plan
  • Palestinians fear land fragmentation will rob them of any chance to build a state of their own in the area

MAALE ADUMIM: Israeli far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announced work would start on a long-delayed settlement that would divide the West Bank and cut it off from East Jerusalem, a move his office said would “bury” the idea of a Palestinian state.

The Palestinian government, allies, and campaign groups condemned the scheme, calling it illegal and saying the fragmentation of territory would rip up peace plans for the region.
Standing at the site of the planned settlement in Maale Adumim on Thursday, Smotrich, a settler himself, said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump had agreed to the revival of the E1 development. However, there was no immediate confirmation from either.
“Whoever in the world is trying to recognize a Palestinian state today will receive our answer on the ground, not with documents nor with decisions or statements, but with facts. Facts of houses, facts of neighborhoods,” Smotrich said.
Israel froze construction plans at Maale Adumim in 2012, and again after a revival in 2020, because of objections from the US, European allies, and other powers who considered the project a threat to any future peace deal with the Palestinians.
Restarting the project could further isolate Israel, which has watched some of its Western allies condemn its military offensive in Gaza and announce they may recognize a Palestinian state.
Palestinians fear the settlement building in the West Bank — which has sharply intensified since the 2023 Hamas attack on Israel that led to the Gaza war — will rob them of any chance to build a state of their own in the area.
In a statement headlined “Burying the idea of a Palestinian state,” Smotrich’s spokesperson said the minister had approved the plan to build 3,401 houses for Israeli settlers between an existing settlement in the West Bank and Jerusalem.
In Maale Adumim, Smotrich said the plan would go into effect on Wednesday.
Breaking the Silence, an Israeli rights group established by former Israeli soldiers, said what it called a land grab “will not only further fragment the Palestinian territory, but will further entrench apartheid.”
Nabil Abu Rudeineh, the Palestinian president’s spokesperson, called on the US to pressure Israel to stop settlement building.
“The EU rejects any territorial change that is not part of a political agreement between the involved parties. So annexation of territory is illegal under international law,” European Commission spokesperson Anitta Hipper said.
Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide said the move by Smotrich, an ultra-nationalist in the ruling right-wing coalition who has long advocated for Israeli sovereignty over the West Bank, showed that Israel “seeks to appropriate land owned by Palestinians in order to prevent a two-state solution.”
Peace Now, which tracks settlement activity in the West Bank, said there were still steps needed before construction. 
However, if all goes through, infrastructure work could begin within a few months, and house building could start about a year later.
“The E1 plan is deadly for the future of Israel and for any chance of achieving a peaceful two-state solution. We are standing at the edge of an abyss, and the government is driving us forward at full speed,” Peace Now said in a statement.
Consecutive Israeli governments have initiated, approved, planned, and funded settlements, according to Israeli rights group Yesh Din.
Some settlers moved to the West Bank for religious or ideological reasons, while lower housing costs and government incentives drew others. 
They include American and European dual citizens.
Palestinians were already demoralized by the Israeli military campaign, which has killed more than 61,000 people in Gaza, according to local health authorities, and fear Israel will ultimately push them out of that territory.
About 700,000 Israeli settlers live among 2.7 million Palestinians in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. 
Israel annexed East Jerusalem in a move not recognized by most countries, but has not formally extended sovereignty over the West Bank. 
The UN and most world powers say settlement expansion has eroded the viability of a two-state solution by fragmenting Palestinian territory. 
The two-state plan envisages a Palestinian state in East Jerusalem, the West Bank, and Gaza, existing side by side with Israel.
Most of the global community considers all settlements illegal under international law.
Israel rejects this interpretation, saying the West Bank is “disputed” rather than “occupied” territory.
Britain, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand imposed sanctions in June on Smotrich and another far-right minister who advocates for settlement expansion, accusing both of them of repeatedly inciting violence against Palestinians in the West Bank. 


UAE joins Jordan, EU countries in Gaza humanitarian airdrops

UAE joins Jordan, EU countries in Gaza humanitarian airdrops
Updated 14 August 2025

UAE joins Jordan, EU countries in Gaza humanitarian airdrops

UAE joins Jordan, EU countries in Gaza humanitarian airdrops
  • Action is 71st of Operation Birds of Goodness, part of UAE’s Operation Chivalrous Knight 3 to help Palestinians
  • Aid includes essential food supplies donated by Emirati charities

LONDON: The UAE and Jordan, alongside Germany, Italy, Belgium, and France, carried out humanitarian airdrops on Thursday to help deliver relief to the 2 million Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

The aid airdrop was the 71st of Operation Birds of Goodness, part of the UAE’s Operation Chivalrous Knight 3 in support of Palestinians facing Israeli attacks, reported the Emirates News Agency.

The aid included essential food supplies which had been donated by charities in the UAE. Since the onset of the Israel-Hamas conflict in late 2023, the UAE has delivered 3,956 tonnes of various items, including food and essential supplies.

The initiative underscores the UAE’s commitment to supporting the Palestinian people, enhancing resilience, and promoting humanitarian assistance in crisis areas, added WAM.


Turkiye reports mass return by Syrians

Turkiye reports mass return by Syrians
Updated 14 August 2025

Turkiye reports mass return by Syrians

Turkiye reports mass return by Syrians
  • Turkiye’s interior ministry said 411,649 Syrians had so far returned
  • Around 2.5 million Syrian refugees still live in Turkiye

ISTANBUL: More than 410,000 Syrians who fled to Turkiye during the rule of Bashar Assad have returned home since he was overthrown in December, the government announced Thursday.
Turkiye’s interior ministry said 411,649 Syrians had so far returned, the rate picking up in recent weeks, with the immigration service recording 140,000 returns since mid-June.
In June Filippo Grandi, head of the UN refugee agency (UNHCR), said 600,000 Syrians had returned homme from neighboring countries.
Syria has seen outbreaks of violence in recent weeks, testing the authorities’ ability to contain inter-religious strife after the fall of Assad.
Around 2.5 million Syrian refugees still live in Turkiye, according to the latest figures, released in early August.
In 2021, Turkiye said up to 3.7 million Syrians had taken refuge in the country.


Sudan army chief rules out any compromise with RSF paramilitaries

Sudan army chief rules out any compromise with RSF paramilitaries
Updated 14 August 2025

Sudan army chief rules out any compromise with RSF paramilitaries

Sudan army chief rules out any compromise with RSF paramilitaries
  • Sudan’s war, now in its third year, has killed tens of thousands, displaced 13 million
  • So far, mediation efforts led by Washington and Riyadh have failed to secure a ceasefire in Sudan

PORT SUDAN: Sudan’s army chief on Thursday vowed there would be no compromise with paramilitary forces who have been at war with the regular army for more than two years amid a deepening humanitarian crisis.
Speaking on the centenary of the Sudanese armed forces, General Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan renewed his commitment to the “battle for dignity, to defeat the rebellion, and to make neither compromise nor reconciliation, whatever the cost.”
The remarks come just days after a confidential meeting in Switzerland between Burhan and US Africa envoy Massad Boulos.
According to two Sudanese government sources, the pair discussed a new US peace plan. So far, mediation efforts led by Washington and Riyadh have failed to secure a ceasefire.
The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, led by General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, have attempted to establish a parallel administration in western Sudan, on territory under their control.
The United Nations Security Council strongly condemned the move on Wednesday, calling it “a direct threat to Sudan’s unity and territorial integrity.”
Sudan’s war, now in its third year, has killed tens of thousands, displaced 13 million and plunged the nation into the world’s worst hunger and displacement crisis.
The European Union on Thursday called on all parties in the civil war in Sudan to “urgently” allow the entry of international aid, as the country weathers its worst outbreak of cholera in years.
“Civilians must be protected, and humanitarian access must be granted,” the EU said in a joint statement also signed by countries including Britain, Canada and Japan.