Friday, December 19, 2025

Middle East

Syrian president arrives in US for first visit in nearly 6 decades

Syrian interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa has arrived in Washington to attend the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly, marking the first official visit by a Syrian leader to the United States since 1967, Syria TV reported on Sunday.

Hamas releases ‘farewell photo’ of 47 Israeli hostages amid Gaza war

Palestinian group Hamas has released a photo showing 47 Israeli captives, announcing it was taken at the start of Israel’s latest military offensive in Gaza City.

Qatar files complaint to International Civil Aviation Organization over Israeli aerial attack

Qatar has submitted an official letter to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) condemning Israel’s air attack in Doha, which targeted the residential premises of Hamas political bureau members and resulted in casualties.

Israel forced displacement of over quarter-million Palestinians from Gaza City: Report

Israel has forcibly displaced 270,000 Palestinians from Gaza City toward the south under threat of bombardment and genocide, the Gaza Government Media Office announced Saturday.

Criminal complaint filed against German Chancellor, FM for aiding Israel’s genocide in Gaza

A group of lawyers filed a criminal complaint against German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and his key ministers on Friday, accusing them of aiding and abetting Israel’s genocide in the Gaza Strip.

US plans $6bn in new weapons sales to Israel: WSJ

The Donald Trump administration is seeking congressional approval to sell nearly $6 billion in arms to Israel, the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday.

US ends deportation protections for Syrians

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has announced it would end protections from deportation for Syrians living in the U.S., paving the way to return citizens to a country recently ravaged by war.

US vetoes UN Security Council Gaza ceasefire demand for sixth time

The United States has vetoed a crucial United Nations Security Council resolution demanding a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, as Israel expanded its scorched-earth offensive on Gaza City.

Israeli army to flood Gaza City with explosive-laden robots: Report

The Israeli military is preparing to deploy an “unprecedented” number of explosive-laden, remote-controlled vehicles into Gaza City, according to a report by Walla news outlet.

79,000 Israelis left occupied territories in 2024, outnumbering newcomers: Official figures

Around 79,000 Israelis left the occupied territories last year, a figure significantly up from a year earlier, amid rising regional tensions over Tel Aviv’s ongoing war on the Gaza Strip.

Saudi Arabia and Pakistan ink mutual defence pact

Saudi Arabia signed on Wednesday a mutual defence pact with nuclear-armed Pakistan, amid growing fears in the Persian Gulf over the US’s willingness to constrain Israeli belligerence.

Syria’s president says negotiations with Israel could lead to results ‘in days’

Syria’s President Ahmed al-Sharaa has stated that security talks with Israel are a “necessity” and could lead to results in the “coming days”.

Britain to formally recognize Palestinian state after Trump’s visit: Report

The United Kingdom will formally recognize a Palestinian state this weekend after US President Donald Trump concludes his state visit, The i Paper reported Wednesday, citing government sources.

EU proposes suspension of trade concessions with Israel over war in Gaza

The European Commission, the European Union’s main executive body, has presented a much anticipated and delayed proposal to “suspend certain trade-related provisions of the Association Agreement between the EU and Israel” in response to Tel Aviv’s war on the Gaza Strip.

American judge orders deportation of activist Mahmoud Khalil to Syria, Algeria

An immigration judge in the United States has ordered that pro-Palestine activist Mahmoud Khalil, who played a leading role in protests last year against Israel’s war on the Gaza Strip at the prestigious Columbia University, be deported to Algeria or Syria.

Gaza death toll surges past 65,000

The death toll in the Gaza Strip has climbed to 65,062, with 165,697 others injured, since Israel launched its genocidal war on the enclave in October 2023, the Health Ministry announced Wednesday.

Families of American citizens killed by Israel say Trump administration refuses to investigate

The Donald Trump administration has failed to make any "forward movement" on the investigations into the killing of several US citizens in Israel, Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal stated on Tuesday on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC.

Top aid groups urge world leaders to stop Israel’s genocide in Gaza

The heads of more than 20 aid agencies working in Gaza have called on world leaders to “urgently intervene” in the Gaza war, following the first-ever determination by a United Nations commission that Israel is perpetrating genocide in the devastated territory.

Netanyahu says Israeli army started ‘intensive operation in Gaza City’

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told a Tel Aviv court Tuesday that the military had launched an “intensive operation in Gaza City”, public broadcaster KAN reported.

Gaza death toll from hunger rises to 428

The death toll from hunger in the Gaza Strip has climbed to 428, including 146 children, as Israel’s closure of all border crossings pushes the enclave deeper into famine, the Health Ministry announced Tuesday.

Actual Gaza death toll is ten times as high as officially reported: UN

The actual death toll from Israel’s military operations in the Gaza Strip is at least 680,000, or ten times as many as officially reported, United Nations special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories, Francesca Albanese, told a briefing.

Trump warns Hamas against using Israeli hostages in Gaza as ‘human shields’

United States President Donald Trump has warned Hamas against moving the Israeli hostages in the Gaza Strip above ground to hinder Israel’s military campaign, renewing his call for their release.

Israel informed Trump of Qatar attack beforehand: Axios

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had informed US President Donald Trump of plans to attack Hamas leaders in Qatar before the attack took place, contradicting White House claims that it was notified only after missiles were launched, Axios reported Monday.

Dozens of Israeli economists warn Gaza reoccupation to spark ‘severe economic crisis’

Dozens of leading economists have warned that a full military reoccupation of the Gaza Strip would push Israel into an unprecedented economic downturn.

Top UN legal investigators conclude Israel committing genocide in Gaza

The United Nations top investigative body on Palestine and Israel ruled on Tuesday that Tel Aviv is guilty of the crime of genocide in the Gaza Strip, in the most authoritative pronouncement to date.

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