The controversy arose after the pictures of the foreign female runner in the women-only event during the Asian Championships in the Iranian capital Tehran went viral.
No explanation has been provided on the reason behind the female runner’s failure to observe the Islamic dress code.
In a decree, Hashemi appointed Alireza Khosravi as the caretaker of the federation.
The freed hostages headed to the Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv to reunite with their families. The released Israelis include 34-year-old Sharon Aloni Cunio and her 3-year-old twin daughters. Cunio’s husband is still held by Hamas.
All of the Israelis freed on Monday are from kibbutz Nir Oz, one of the communities attacked by Palestinian fighters on October 7.
Israel’s prison authority announced in the early hours of Tuesday that 33 Palestinians were released from Israeli prisons to East Jerusalem and the West Bank.
The Israeli government announced in a statement that 50 Palestinian women were added to “the list of prisoners eligible to be released in the event that a release of additional Israeli hostages is carried out”.
The announcement came after the four-day truce between Israel and Hamas that was due to expire on Monday night has been extended by another 48 hours, according to Qatar, which mediated the negotiations.
The original deal to suspend hostilities was struck as the UN and human rights groups have been increasingly accusing Israel of indiscriminate bombardment of the Gaza Strip.
Israel launched its military operation in the Gaza Strip on October 7, following a deadly attack by Hamas on Israeli communities, which killed more than 1,200 people, mostly civilians. Over 14,800 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since the fighting erupted, according to local officials.
“I don’t think that, in the foreseeable future, the dialogue will return to how it was before its unilateral suspension by the US,” Ryabkov told reporters on the sidelines of an international policy forum in Moscow on Monday.
Ryabkov added that Moscow is still considering whether to respond to an informal request from Washington to restart communication about “strategic stability”. The diplomat stated last month that Russia had received a letter on the matter. If Moscow decides to send a formal reply, “our American colleagues will unlikely find something looking like a concession.”
“Unilateral concessions from our side are out of the question,” Ryabkov stressed, adding, “Right now, it’s not even an issue of concessions or the search for compromises, but whether there is any sense in communications of that sort.”
Russia maintains that it is open to dialogue with the US on nuclear weapons and other issues, but only as equals. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said this month that Washingston should stop “lecturing” Moscow for useful negotiations to happen.
The unprecedented tensions between Russia and the US unfolded after Moscow launched its military operation in Ukraine in February 2022.
Washington has since imposed sweeping sanctions on Moscow and provided weapons and other aid to Kiev. President Joe Biden has said that the US would continue backing Ukraine for “as long as it takes”.
Russia insists that the deliveries of Western-made heavy weapons to Kiev makes the US and other NATO countries de facto direct participants in the conflict.
According to one of the statements distributed by State Department Spokesman Matthew Miller, Blinken “welcomed President Aliyev’s commitment to conclude a durable and dignified peace agreement between Azerbaijan and Armenia”. The top US diplomat pointed out that “this long-standing conflict has caused Azerbaijanis and Armenians” and “underscored the benefits that peace would bring to everyone in the region”.
In addition, Blinken discussed US-Azerbaijan bilateral relations with Aliyev, “noted recent points of concern,” and touched on “opportunities to strengthen cooperation”.
In another statement on the US Secretary of State’s conversation with Pashinyan, it is noted that Blinken “discussed US support for efforts to reach a durable and dignified peace agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan”. At the same time, the top US diplomat reaffirmed “the United States’ ongoing support for Armenia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity” and pointed to “efforts to increase bilateral cooperation with Armenia”.
On November 18, at the opening ceremony of the fall session of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly in the Armenian capital, the country’s Prime Minister stated that Yerevan and Baku had been able to agree on the basic principles of a peace agreement. Two days later, at a press conference following talks with his Iraqi counterpart Abdul Latif Rashid, the Azerbaijani president said that he was waiting for the Armenian side’s response to the peace treaty proposals that Baku had submitted to Yerevan more than two months ago.
On September 19, tensions flared up again in Nagorno-Karabakh. Baku announced it was launching what it described as “local anti-terrorist measures” and demanded the withdrawal of Armenian troops from the region. Yerevan, in turn, said there were no Armenian forces in Karabakh, calling what was happening “an act of large-scale aggression”.
On September 20, an agreement on the cessation of hostilities was reached. On September 21, representatives of Baku and the Armenian population of Karabakh met in the Azerbaijani city of Yevlakh “to discuss reintegration issues.”
On September 28, Nagorno-Karabakh Republic President Samvel Shahramanyan signed a decree officially dissolving the unrecognized state effective January 1, 2024. The local ethnic Armenian population has been advised to consider the reintegration proposals being put forward by Baku and decide for themselves whether to remain or to relocate, most likely to nearby Armenia.
The US and its allies in the EU are using a wide range of “geopolitical engineering” tools, which include, among other things, “unleashing trade and economic wars”, Lavrov told the Primakov Readings International Forum.
“The activities of the World Trade Organization, primarily for settling disputes, have been blocked by Western countries. Such fundamental legal foundations of world economic relations as free competition and the immunity of property have been destroyed,” the Russian diplomat noted.
Lavrov went on to assert that the American currency has long been used as a weapon, adding that “destructive actions” by Western nations have resulted in producing the opposite effect to the intended one. The diplomat argued that US-led sanctions aimed at isolating Russia and crippling its economy in reality have stimulated the “strengthening of multipolarity in international affairs”.
According to Lavrov, there is a growing awareness in the world that “no one is immune” in the face of the “aggressive actions of Washington and Brussels”.
He added that not only Russia but many other countries are now “consistently” reducing their dependence on Western currencies by switching to alternatives for foreign-trade settlements.
The global trend towards using national currencies in trade instead of the US dollar began to gain momentum last year after Ukraine-related sanctions saw Russia cut off from the Western financial system and also saw its foreign reserves frozen.
As multipolarity takes shape, more nations are working on creating new transport corridors and supply chains. Meanwhile, an “unfair” and “unbalanced” model of globalization has become outdated, Lavrov continued.
Iravani made the remark in a Monday letter to Secretary General of the United Nations Antonio Guterres and the rotating president of the Security Council.
His letter came in response to an earlier letter by the Israeli envoy to the world body, claiming that Iran’s launch of the Noor-3 satellite using Qased (Messenger) Space Launch Vehicle (SLV) on September 27, 2023 was in violation of UN Security Council Resolution 2231.
“The claim in the letter is completely unfounded as Iran has never taken any activity inconsistent with the Security Council Resolution 2231,” the Iranian ambassador said.
Iravani added, “Iran has made it clear time and again that all activities related to its missile and space programs are fully in compliance with its legitimate rights under international law.”
“Moreover, Iran has consistently maintained that its missile and space programs fall outside the purview and competence of Security Council Resolution 2231 (2015) and its annexes,” he noted.
Iran’s UN envoy stated that the Israeli regime’s baseless claim is aimed at diverting attention from “heinous crimes committed by this apartheid regime against the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip.”
“Accusing Iran of destabilizing activities in the region appears to be nothing more than a desperate attempt by the Israeli regime to evade accountability for war crimes, genocide, and crimes against humanity that have been committed and are being committed in the occupied Palestine.”
Iravani concluded his letter by urging the international community “and, in particular, the United Nations Security Council to hold the Israeli regime accountable for these atrocities”.
Earlier in October, Iravani had written a similar letter to the UN chief and the Security Council’s president after Britain, Germany and France claimed in a letter to the UN that Iran’s space activities, including the launch of Qased satellite carrier, violated the Security Council’s resolutions.
“We reiterate, once again, that Iran is determined to continue its activities related to ballistic missiles and space launch vehicles, both of which are within its inherent rights under international law and are necessary for the preservation of its security as well as socioeconomic interests,” he said in that letter.
“We caution against any politically driven approach used by certain developed countries with space programs that seek to demonize the use of space technology for peaceful purposes by developing countries under absurd pretexts such as proliferation concerns,” the Iranian diplomat added.
The sum comprises roughly 107 billion shekels of defense expenditures, 22 billion shekels of damage compensation, and 25 billion shekels of other civilian expenditures.
Additionally, interest on government debt is expected to reach 8 billion shekels, while loss of tax revenue due to the conflict is estimated at 35 billion shekels.
The forecast was formulated under the premise that the conflict’s direct impact on the Israeli economy would persist into 2024 with decreasing intensity.
According to the forecast, Israel’s GDP is expected to grow by 2 percent in 2023 and 2024, lower than the growth assessments of 2.3 percent for 2023 and 2.8 percent for 2024 in last month’s forecast.
Due to the expected high expenses and the sharp decrease in tax collection, the bank projected that the government’s debt would rise from 60.5 percent of GDP in 2022 to 63 percent in 2023 and further to 66 percent by the end of 2024.
Speaking to the press ahead of a meeting of NATO foreign ministers, he was asked whether the US-led bloc would be able and willing to arm Ukraine for another counteroffensive against Russian forces in the spring.
Stoltenberg claimed that NATO members are “unwavering” in their commitment to Kiev, pointing to the “unprecedented” quantities of arms and equipment sent by these states to Ukraine, and to upcoming weapons deliveries – including air defense systems and fighter jets, as well as recent pledges by Germany and the Netherlands to commit a combined €10 billion (nearly $11 billion) in military aid to Kiev next year.
However, the NATO chief admitted that “even with this substantial, significant military support from NATO allies, [the Ukrainians] have not over the last year been able to move the front line”.
“And that just reflects the fact that we should never underestimate Russia,” he continued. “Their defense industry is on a war footing, they’re able to resupply their forces with ammunition and new capabilities…which makes it hard to achieve the territorial gains we hope for.”
Earlier in the press conference, the secretary-general rejected the notion that the conflict is currently at a “stalemate”, as the commander-in-chief of Ukraine’s armed forces, General Valery Zaluzhny, put it earlier this month. However, Stoltenberg said that the situation on the front line is “extremely difficult”, with “intense fighting” and “high casualty numbers”.
Ukraine’s long-promised counteroffensive failed to break Russia’s elaborate network of defensive fortifications, resulting in the deaths of at least 103,000 Ukrainian troops between early June and mid-November, according to the latest figures from the Russian Defense Ministry. In exchange for these losses, Ukraine managed to reclaim only 400 square kilometers out of more than 100,000 held by Russia, according to a report by French newspaper Le Monde last month.
Despite Stoltenberg’s insistence that “[Russian President Vladimir] Putin does not win this war,” Western officials are increasingly convinced that Ukraine cannot hope to recapture all of its former territory and will inevitably have to seek a peace deal with Russia, according to recent media reports. Nevertheless, President Volodymyr Zelensky maintains that he will not negotiate with the Kremlin, even as some aides reportedly view his belief in a military victory as “delusional”.
Qatar is working on further extending the truce between Hamas and Israel beyond Wednesday based on the Palestinian group’s ability to continue releasing 10 hostages per day, Doha’s foreign ministry spokesperson Majed Al-Ansari said on Tuesday.
Talks are also under way for a permanent ceasefire too, Egyptian and Qatari officials told the Wall Street Journal.
“We are working to strengthen the Qatari mediation role in reaching a truce and then a permanent ceasefire,” Ansari added.
Israel believes there are 173 people who were taken captive on October 7 who are still in Gaza, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office told CNN Tuesday.
Out of the abductees, 17 are foreigners and the rest are Israeli citizens.
The Israeli hostages include six children under the age of 18. The Hostages and Missing Families Forum believes there are also three 18-year-olds being held, who are legally children, under the United Nations definition.
Ahead of the fifth day of an Israel-Hamas truce, Hamas has so far freed 69 hostages and Israel has released 150 Palestinian detainees. Of all the Palestinians released so far, 98 were detained without charge, 119 were children under the UN definition, and the remaining 31 were women.
CIA Director Bill Burns is back in Qatar on Tuesday for meetings with Qatari officials as well as his Israeli and Egyptian counterparts, according to multiple sources.
“Director Burns traveled to Doha for meetings about the ongoing Israel-Hamas war, including continued discussions on the hostages,” a US official said.
Another person familiar with the trip said Burns would be joined in Doha by the director of Israel’s Mossad, David Barnea, and the Director of Egyptian General Intelligence, Abbas Kamel.
Burns has been a central player in the Joe Biden administration’s effort to negotiate a deal for Hamas to release hostages and has been in regular contact with Barnea, who was designated by the Israelis as the point person for hostage negotiations.
Burns was in Doha earlier this month on November 9 meeting with Qatari leadership and Barnea to go over the “emerging arrangement”, a senior administration official stated. A week and a half later Burns called into a meeting in Doha led by the White House’s top Middle East advisor, Brett McGurk, as the finishing touches were being put on the agreement that would see at least 50 hostages released over four days.
More people could die from diseases than from Israeli bombings in Gaza if the health system is not put back on its feet quickly, a World Health Organisation spokesperson has said.
“Eventually we will see more people dying from disease than from bombardment if we are not able to put back together this health system,” the WHO’s Margaret Harris stated on Tuesday.
She described the collapse of Al Shifa Hospital – the largest medical facility in Gaza – as a “tragedy” and voiced concern about Israeli forces detaining some of its medical staff.
The Israeli government has been given a list of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza, who are anticipated to be released Tuesday as part of the extended truce, as reported by Israel’s Army Radio.
According to Axios, the list includes 10 hostages.
As of now, there has been no official response from the prime minister’s office regarding this matter.
Israel has agreed to add 50 female Palestinian prisoners to the roster of those scheduled for release in the event more Israeli hostages are freed from Gaza, the Israeli prime minister’s office announced on Tuesday.
This announcement followed the one from Qatari mediators that the initially agreed four-day truce, aimed at facilitating a swap of Israeli hostages for Palestinian detainees and due to end after Monday, has been prolonged for an additional two days.
The number of Palestinians killed has passed the 15,000 mark, a Palestine spokesperson for the media office of the Palestinian Authority said.
The spokesperson added that among the dead are more than 6,150 children and 4,000 women.
An additional 7,000 Palestinians are missing and believed to be under rubble or their fate is unknown. At least 4,700 children and women are missing.
In an interview with Al Jazeera, the official spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Qatar, Majed al-Ansari, said that the original deal allowed for a one-day extension of the truce for every additional 10 Israelis released.
“We have from Hamas a confirmation now that 20 extra hostages will be released in the next two days,” the Qatari foreign ministry spokesman stated.
“On the Palestinian side, that would mean that … 60 Palestinians will be released from Israeli prisons,” he added.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s trip to NATO headquarters this week will include additional stops in the Middle East.
“After Brussels, Secretary Blinken will travel this week to Skopje, Israel, the West Bank, and Dubai,” a senior State Department official said.
During those meetings, Blinken will “stress the need to sustain the increased flow of humanitarian assistance to Gaza, secure the release of all hostages and improve protections for civilians in Gaza”, the official added.
Blinken will also talk with leaders about “the future of Gaza and the need to establish an independent Palestinian state”, the official said, adding that Blinken will aim to “continue efforts to prevent the conflict from spreading”.
Israel’s defense minister said the military will fight with a stronger force after the truce when it returns to combat against Hamas.
Yoav Gallant stated the operation will be carried out across the entire Gaza Strip.
“You have a few days. When we return to fighting, we will apply the same force and more … and we will fight across the whole of the (Gaza) Strip,” Gallant said while addressing a group of Israeli soldiers on Monday.
He made the comments before Qatar announced an agreement had been reached to extend the Israel-Hamas truce in Gaza by two additional days.
“Remember that while you are organizing and resting and researching, the enemy is also doing the same. You will meet something that is a little more ready,” Gallant continued.
“Therefore, they will first meet the bombs of the Air Force, and after that the shells of the tanks and the artillery and the paws of the D9 (bulldozers), and finally the shooting of the infantry fighters, we will fight in the entire strip,” the minister added.
More than 14,800 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks in Gaza between October 7 and November 23, according to figures from the Palestinian Ministry of Health in the West Bank, which draws its data from Hamas-run health authorities in the Gaza Strip.
The statement said at least 6,000 children and 4,000 women were killed. More than 30,000 people have been injured, the statement read.
The Ministry of Health added it is having difficulties in updating casualty numbers “due to a breakdown in services and communication in hospitals in the north of Gaza”.
A British-Palestinian surgeon who treated patients at hospitals in Gaza estimates that between 700 and 900 children have had limbs amputated since the start of the Israel-Hamas war on October 7.
Dr Ghassan Abu-Sittah said he recently returned to London after spending several weeks at hospitals in the enclave. Speaking at a news conference in London, he described carrying out surgeries on children without any anesthetic or basic medical supplies.
“My estimate is that there are now between 700 and 900 children with amputations of limbs, in some of whom multiple limbs have been amputated,” he added
Abu-Sittah said he felt guilty for leaving others behind and said some of his medical colleagues had been killed since he left.
He also rejected claims made by the Israel Defense Forces that Hamas had a command center beneath Al-Shifa hospital.
“I have been working in Shifa on and off at every war since 2009,” he continued, adding that in 2014 the International Committee of the Red Cross informed them that Israel had threatened to bomb the hospital, which is the largest in Gaza.
“At no stage — even when I had to gown down to the infamous radiology department with the CT scans and the MRI scans — I have never seen any indication that there was something other than your typical, barely functioning, third-world, governmental hospital,” he stated.
These forests of are the remnants of the third geological period, which covered an area of about 2 million hectares from Astara in Gilan Province to Giladaghi in Golestan Province.
The scenery of Hyrcanian broadleaf forests in autumn is unique.
More in pictures:
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