Daily slams Iranian pro-‘purification’ official as ‘deviant’

By

-

November 21, 2023

Iranian daily Jomhouri-e Eslami in an article on Tuesday laid into Sadegh Mahsouli, the head of the far-right Perseverance Front, for infuriating the public by “ignoring diversity of opinions in society and making every effort to consolidate power.”

“The way some parliamentary candidates are treated on the one hand, and the comments some political activists make about the parliamentary elections and the governance structure of the country, on the other, are issues that, if not addressed, will bring about a dangerous future for our country,” Jomhouri-e Eslami wrote.

The newspaper noted that the demand for “further purification” by Mahsouli, who was also the interior minister and minister of welfare and social security during former president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s tenure, is “illegal, and against freedom of speech and expression”, and will blow in the face of the goals supposed to propel by the Islamic Revolution.

The so-called purification move, which has already started and is moving ahead at full blast in Iran, is reportedly aimed at securing a parliament dominated by supporters of President Ebrahim Raisi.
Mahsouli himself has described the move as “meritocratic.”

Families of Gaza hostages reject talk of death penalty for Hamas detainees

By

IFP Media Wire

-

November 21, 2023

A number of suspected attackers were detained after members of the Palestinian armed group from Gaza killed more than 1,200 people in southern Israel and kidnapped about 240, Israel announced.

The proposal was advanced by the party of far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who posted on X on Monday: “The death penalty law for terrorists is no longer a matter of left and right. … [It’s] a moral and essential law for the State of Israel.”

Relatives of some of the people held by Hamas told a parliamentary panel that even discussing the death penalty could have catastrophic consequences for their loved ones held in Gaza.

“It would mean playing along with their mind games, and in return, we would get pictures of our loves ones murdered, ended, with the state of Israel and not them [Hamas] being blamed for it,” Yarden Gonen, whose sister Romi is among the hostages, told Ben-Gvir and his party colleagues.

“Don’t pursue this until after they are back here,” she continued, adding, “Don’t put my sister’s blood on your hands.”

The families of the hostages worry that even discussions of executions pose a danger to their relatives who have themselves already been threatened with execution at the hands of Hamas.

Gil Dilkma, a cousin to one of the captives, pleaded with Ben-Gvir to drop the legislation.

“Remove the law if you have a heart,” he stated.

Striking a similar note, the Missing Families Forum announced in a statement that such discussion “endangers the lives of our loved ones without promoting any public purpose”.

Another family member of one of the captives echoed this concern, shouting, “Stop talking about killing Arabs. Start talking about saving Jews!”

Some right-wing politicians responded to these objections with consternation. Almog Cohen, a member of the Israeli far-right Otzma Yehudit party shouted back, “You have no monopoly over pain”.

“You are silencing other families,” another far-right politician said.

Some Israeli politicians have argued in the past that more executions would serve to deter “terrorism”.

When a task force was established by Israel’s Ministry of Justice this month to find punishments “befitting the severity of the horrors committed” for those tried and convicted, the death penalty was refloated as an option.

Ben-Gvir called for capital punishment to be implemented, saying that doing this was “more critical now than ever … for the sake of those murdered and who fell in the line of duty and, no less, so that there will be no more people kidnapped”.

The conservative Likud party of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, however, has shown little interest in advancing the bill during its long rule.

The only court-ordered death sentence in Israel took place in 1962 when convicted Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann was executed by hanging. Israeli military courts, which often handle cases involving Palestinians, have the power to hand down the death penalty by a unanimous decision of three judges, but this has never been implemented.

Linor Dan-Calderon, three of whose relatives are being held captive, accused Ben-Gvir’s party of having “confused priorities”.

“You’ve gotten mixed up because we are a nation that pursues life not one that pursues revenge – even if in the past we did something to Eichmann,” she stated, adding, “I am simply asking you to drop this from the agenda.”

Ukraine rejects idea of talks with Russia

By

IFP Media Wire

-

November 21, 2023

“Is it difficult on the battlefield? Yes. But making friends or entering diplomatic table now with Russia? No!” he said in an interview with the Sun newspaper.

In his opinion, Russia is not ready to halt combat, “therefore, we are not speaking about peace at any price”.

On November 4, NBC News, citing US officials, reported that the US and EU had started talking with Ukraine about possible peace talks with Russia and what Kiev might have to give up for a compromise. According to the TV channel, the officials were “quietly talking to the Ukrainian government about what possible peace negotiations with Russia might entail”.

“The conversations have included very broad outlines of what Ukraine might need to give up to reach a deal,” it said. Some of the talks took place in October, NBC added.

Russia will not relent in its offensive against Ukraine because it does not feel that the entire world community has been willing to stop it, Zelensky stated.

The president said he believed Russia “will push until the United States and China together will tell them very, very seriously to go out of [our] territory”, adding that he believed Ukraine is now at the epicenter of the risk of starting World War III.

Russia, the Ukrainian leader continued, does not feel “afraid” because it has so far avoided the backlash of the whole world.

While most Western countries, including the US, have condemned Russia’s military operation against Kiev and imposed unprecedented sanctions, China and numerous countries of the Global South have embraced a neutral stance and maintained relations with Moscow intact.

Zelensky also attempted to temper the West’s expectations, admitting that Ukraine now has “a lot of challenges” and that Kiev “need[s] more successful results on the battlefield”.

“This is not a movie; it can’t be magic each day,” the former actor added.

His comments came amid Ukraine’s counteroffensive against Russia, which has been underway since early summer but has failed to gain any substantial ground. Moscow has estimated Kiev’s losses at 90,000 troops since the start of the push.

The Ukrainian president also stressed that Kiev would never agree to any settlement that would see it recognize Crimea and four other regions that overwhelmingly voted join Russia last autumn as part of the neighboring country. Kiev “will not be ready for such a peace plan… That is finishing the war from the side of Russia”, he explained.

The Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) also claimed in a statement on Monday Washington and London want Kiev to further expand its mobilization efforts, following the stalled summer counteroffensive, to supposedly demonstrate Russia’s “inability to prevail” in the Ukrainian conflict.

One of the suggestions backed by Western nations allegedly involves altering the draft age in Ukraine to allow Kiev to call teenagers and the elderly to arms.

The drastic measures are needed to substitute the heavy losses the Ukrainian troops have sustained during the largely unsuccessful summer offensive, the statement added.

“The American and British curators recommend that the Ukrainian … leadership lower the [minimum] draft age to 17 years and increase [the maximum one] to 70 years, as well as call more women to arms,” the SVR announced in the Monday statement, citing “reliable data” it had obtained.

Hamas leader says they are “close to reaching a truce agreement” with Israel

By

IFP Media Wire

-

November 21, 2023

Haniyeh’s statement comes after Hamas had delivered a response to mediators in Qatar.

“The movement delivered its response to the brothers in Qatar and the mediators, and we are close to reaching a truce agreement,” Haniyeh wrote.

Haniyeh did not provide additional details about the potential agreement.

The Hamas statement supports similar assertions from the White House. National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said Monday that negotiators are “getting close to the end” on the release of hostages held by Hamas – but he declined to elaborate on the details of a potential deal.

“I know that everybody’s interested in the numbers and who they’re going to be. We’re working that through literally in real time with both sides. So, I think it’s better if I just don’t speculate about what that pool is going to look like. Obviously, we are laser focused on the American citizens that we know are being held hostage, and we want them out, all of them, everybody should be out now,” Kirby added.

US President Joe Biden has also told reporters on Monday that he believed Israel and Hamas were close to brokering a deal to release captivates.

Hamas is believed to be holding at least 240 Israelis following a cross-border attack on Oct. 7. The Palestinian group has repeatedly announced it is ready to release the captives in return for thousands of Palestinians held in Israeli jails.

At least 13,000 Palestinians have been killed, including over 9,000 women and children, and more than 30,000 others injured in Israeli air and ground attacks since early October, according to the latest figures.

An Israeli blockade has also cut Gaza off from fuel, electricity and water supplies, and reduced aid deliveries to a small trickle.

The Israeli death toll, meanwhile, is around 1,200, according to official figures.

Erdogan urges Armenia to work with Turkey, Azerbaijan, warns on relying on west

By

IFP Media Wire

-

November 21, 2023

Some Western powers have yet to realize that the Karabakh War has changed the Caucasus and the entire region, Erdogan said in a press conference on Monday after a lengthy cabinet meeting in Ankara. He was referring to last month’s epilogue to the 2020 conflict, which saw Azerbaijan reclaim the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh, followed by the exodus of local ethnic Armenians.

“Those who incited Armenia for years and collected profit from the pain, troubles and conflicts of all the people living in this region actually inflicted the greatest damage on the Armenians,” Erdogan stated. While he did not name any names, the most prominent supporters of Yerevan in the West have been Paris and Washington.

“They abused Armenians, used them, and condemned them to insecurity by fueling unrealistic dreams. Armenia now needs to see and accept this fact,” Erdogan added.

“It is better for the Armenian people and rulers to seek security in peace and cooperation with their neighbors, not thousands of kilometers away.”

“No weapons and ammunition sent by Western countries can replace the peace that a permanent peace environment will provide,” Erdogan continued, urging Armenia to “accept the hand of peace extended by our Azerbaijani brothers.”

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has sought to forge closer ties with NATO in the aftermath of the Karabakh conflict, whose outcome he tried to blame on treaty ally Russia. Both Moscow and Yerevan are members of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO).

Earlier this month, Armenian deputy defense minister and chief of the general staff, Lieutenant-General Edvard Asryan, visited the US European Command HQ in Stuttgart, Germany. The visit was a “milestone” as the US and Armenia sought to “deliberately and incrementally develop our defense relationship,” EUCOM said in a statement afterward.

Yerevan has also reached out to Paris, making a deal last month to purchase unspecified new weapons systems from France. This has prompted Azerbaijan’s president Ilham Aliyev to declare that France would be responsible for any new conflict in the region. Aliyev also pulled out of the EU-hosted peace summit in Grenada in early October, accusing the bloc of hostility towards Baku.

Moscow has protested Armenia’s “hostile” actions and argued that there was nothing it could do to intervene in Nagorno Karabakh, not after Pashinyan himself explicitly and repeatedly recognized Azeri sovereignty over the disputed region.

Ukraine ‘concerned’ by western push for Russia talks: Kiev

By

IFP Media Wire

-

November 21, 2023

Russia Ukraine War — People react at the site of a restaurant building heavily damaged by a Russian missile attack, amid Russia's war on Ukraine, in central Kramatorsk, Donetsk region, Ukraine.

Danilov spoke via video link to the annual conference of the Halifax International Security Forum, a Washington, DC-based NGO funded in part by the Canadian government, on Monday.

“Ukraine is concerned by the fact that discussions among certain partners have intensified regarding the need for negotiations, consultations, meetings with the Russians to discuss the issues of the war in Ukraine, a ceasefire, etc,” Danilov said, according to a transcript posted by his office.

He attributed this to a “rudimentary fear” of Russia and argued that the West should follow Ukraine’s example instead, as Moscow “only understands the language of force”.

According to Danilov, the current conflict is “a struggle between democracy and tyranny”, with the West and Ukraine on one side, and Russia, China, Iran and North Korea on the other. If Russia is not defeated, the world should expect a new “axis of evil” within 15-20 years that would include “some European countries” as well, he insisted. “Ukraine and the Ukrainian people will fight to the end. We are sure of our victory”.

President Volodymyr Zelensky’s top security official described Ukraine’s ideal of victory as “controlled decomposition of Russia into several parts” leading not just to “regime change” in Moscow but the “de-sovereignization… denuclearization and demilitarization” of the neighboring country.

Meanwhile, he said, Ukraine needs more Western funding and support to restore its 1991 borders and become an economic powerhouse once more.

“Ukraine has every chance to become a strategic project of the West, which will demonstrate the full power of the vitality of democracy and the defense of universal values,” Danilov insisted, adding, “The West must confirm that it is and remains the First, and a victorious Ukraine will serve as a convincing narrative in the modern confrontation between slavery and freedom!”

Earlier on Monday, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin arrived in Kiev to offer moral support for Ukraine, but had no new military assistance to announce. Meanwhile, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen told the outlet CNBC that Ukraine is “utterly dependent” on US funding to keep paying the salaries of government workers, calling the continued funding of Kiev a “critical priority” for US national security.

Washington has blown through most of the congressionally approved funding for Ukraine and the White House has been trying to pressure Congress to pass more, so far with no effect.

The US has announced yet another military aid package for Ukraine worth some $100 million, after the Pentagon warned earlier this month that it was running critically low on funds allocated for Kiev and would soon be forced to begin reducing the tranches.

The latest package, announced on Monday, will include one High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) with additional ammunition, as well as Stinger anti-aircraft missiles and an unknown number of 155mm and 105mm artillery rounds. On top of that, the US military will supply Kiev’s forces with cold weather gear, TOW missiles and small arms ammunition.

Russian officials called Austin’s visit a “mission of moral support,” while Moscow’s ambassador to Washington Anatoly Antonov said the newly-announced “deadly gift” is designed to convince Ukrainian officials that “they are still in the game and masters count on them”.

“The message about another American arms supply to the regime is nothing more but a sedative pill prepared by overseas ‘benefactors’ for Zelensky. The situation on the front and in the Ukrainian state institutions is on the verge of complete collapse,” Antonov noted.

Ukraine is completely reliant on US aid for the functioning of both its military and civil society, US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen admitted on Monday, claiming that military assistance to Ukraine was a “critical priority” for US national security.

However, the Pentagon has already spent most of more than $60 billion allocated for Kiev, with only around $1 billion left. “We have had to meter out our support for Ukraine,” deputy Defense Department spokeswoman Sabrina Singh told reporters earlier this month, adding that, although the Pentagon will continue sending military aid packages, they are “getting smaller.”

Both the Pentagon and the White House have urged Congress to pass a new spending bill which includes aid for Ukraine so the supplies can continue, but no such legislation has been adopted so far.

UN chief describes deaths of civilians in Gaza as “unparalleled and unprecedented”

By

IFP Media Wire

-

November 21, 2023

Gaza War — A Palestinian woman inspects the bodies of victims outside Gaza City's Al-Shifa hospital who were killed in Israeli bombardment.

“What is clear is that we have had in a few weeks thousands of children killed. So this is what matters. We are witnessing a killing of civilians that is unparalleled and unprecedented in any conflict since I am secretary-general, ” Guterres said during a news conference on Monday.

When asked about his vision for the day-after in Gaza, Guterres rejected the possibility of a UN protectorate in the enclave, instead calling for a “multi-stakeholder approach” that will eventually lead to a two-state solution.

“Everybody needs to come together to make the conditions for a transition, allowing for the Palestinian Authority, a strengthened Palestinian Authority, to assume responsibility in Gaza,” he added.

Israel launched relentless air and ground attacks on the Gaza Strip following a cross-border attack by Hamas on Oct. 7.

At least 13,300 Palestinians have since been killed, including over 9,000 women and children, and more than 30,000 others injured, according to the latest figures.

Thousands of buildings, including hospitals, mosques, and churches, have also been damaged or destroyed in Israel’s relentless air and ground attacks on the besieged enclave.

The Israeli death toll, meanwhile, is around 1,200, according to official figures.

Palestinian presidency says focusing on stopping ‘barbaric’ Israeli aggression

By

IFP Media Wire

-

November 21, 2023

“The whole world is watching the brutal massacres carried out by the Israeli occupation army in the Gaza Strip by targeting children, women, the elderly, hospitals and places of worship, in addition to the crimes of the occupation army and terrorist colonists in the West Bank and Jerusalem,” Palestinian presidential spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeineh said in a statement.

Abu Rudeineh added that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s statements since the start of the Israeli onslaught on Gaza “prove that this government seeks to perpetuate its occupation of all the Palestinian territories.”

He reiterated the Palestinian presidency’s stance that “the only way to achieve peace and security is to recognize the rights of the Palestinian people in accordance with international legitimacy and international law and to end the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories.”

Israel has launched relentless air and ground attacks in the Gaza Strip following a cross-border attack by the Palestinian group Hamas on Oct. 7.

Authorities in Gaza confirmed Monday that the death toll from the ongoing Israeli attacks on Gaza since Oct. 7 has jumped to over 13,300. In a statement, the Gaza-based government’s media office said the death toll includes 5,600 children and 3,550 women. It added that it also includes 201 medical staff, 22 members of civil defense rescue teams and 60 journalists.

Thousands of buildings, including hospitals, mosques and churches, have also been damaged or destroyed in Israel’s relentless air and ground attacks on the besieged enclave.

The Israeli death toll, meanwhile, is around 1,200, according to official figures.

Israel-Palestine conflict LIVE: Health ministry says all hospitals in north Gaza out of service

By

IFP Media Wire

-

November 21, 2023

South African parliament votes to close Israeli embassy

South Africa’s parliament voted by a strong majority to close the Israeli embassy in South Africa, send the Israeli ambassador home, and suspend diplomatic relations with Israel.

The vote comes after Israel announced it was recalling its ambassador Eli Belotserkovsky from South Africa “for consultations”.

The African country has not had an ambassador in Israel since 2018. The vote is also largely symbolic and it would be up to the country’s president, Cyril Ramaphosa, to implement the deal.

Biden says a hostage deal is “very close” but cautions “nothing is done until it’s done”

US President Joe Biden confirmed on Tuesday that efforts to retrieve a group of civilian hostages held by Hamas in Gaza since October 7 are “now very close” following extensive negotiations over the past six weeks.

“We’re now very close. Very close. And could bring some of these hostages home very soon. I don’t want to get into the details of things because nothing is done until it’s done. When we have more to say, we will. But things are looking good at the moment,” Biden said during a meeting in the White House.

“We’ve been working on this intensively for weeks, as you all know,” Biden added, pointing to his own talks in recent days with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani and US officials on the ground in the region.

Netanyahu on hostages: ‘I hope there will be good news soon’

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated on Tuesday progress was being made on the release of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza.

“We are making progress. I don’t think it’s worth saying too much, not at even this moment, but I hope there will be good news soon,” he told reservists according to a statement from his office.

Netanyahu did not provide further details.

European Commission say review shows no evidence of funds going to Hamas

The European Commission announced on Tuesday a review of its development aid to Palestinians had found no evidence of funds going to Hamas and its programme would continue without delay.

“The review found no indications of EU money having directly or indirectly benefited the terrorist organisation Hamas,” stated Valdis Dombrovskis, commission executive vice president.

Four doctors killed in Israeli bombing of al-Awda Hospital

The Palestinian Red Crescent announced on Tuesday that Israeli bombing has killed at least four doctors in the al-Awda Hospital in north Gaza.

Dozens of others were wounded in the bombing.

Israel orders evacuation of Jordanian field hospital in Gaza

Jordan announced on Tuesday that Israel had ordered the evacuation of a Jordanian field hospital in Gaza, but added that it would not heed the order.

Prime Minister Bisher al Khasawneh also said Jordan’s army was increasing its presence along the border in view of the developments in Gaza, according to comments in state media.

Chinese President reiterates call for immediate ceasefire in Israel-Hamas war

The Chinese President has again reiterated calls for an immediate ceasefire of all parties in the Israel-Hamas conflict and for the release of detained civilians.

He made the comments while speaking Tuesday to a BRICS extraordinary virtual summit on the Palestinian-Israel issue.

“Under the current situation, it is timely and necessary for BRICS to sound a voice of justice and peace on the Palestine-Israel question,” Xi said, according to a readout from state news agency Xinhua.

Xi also called for all violence and attacks on civilians to be stopped, steps to be taken to ensure the safe and smooth passage of humanitarian relief, the provision of more humanitarian aid to people in Gaza and halting the “collective punishment” on the people of Gaza through forced migration and cutting off water, electricity and oil supplies.

“I have stressed multiple times that the ultimate way to solve the recurring conflicts between Palestine and Israel is the ‘two state solution’,” Xi continued, adding that without a just resolution to the Palestine question, there will be no lasting peace and stability in the Middle East.

Xi also called for a ceasefire and said a two-state solution was the only way out of the Israel-Hamas conflict in mid-October.

At the time he said China is willing to work with Egypt and Arab nations to “promote an comprehensive, just and lasting solution to the Palestinian issue”, according to CCTV.

Saudi crown prince calls on all countries to stop exporting arms to Israel

Saudi Arabia’s crown prince stated on Tuesday that all countries should stop exporting arms to Israel during the Brics summit.

Mohammed bin Salman made the comments at the virtual summit, where he said “The kingdom’s position is constant and firm; there is no way to achieve security and stability in Palestine except through the implementation of international decisions related to the two-state solution.”

He added that Saudi Arabia “rejects the forced displacement of Palestinians,” and that they demand “a serious and comprehensive peace process to solve the Palestinian issue”.

US trying to monopolize mediation efforts in Palestinian-Israeli settlement: Putin

The situation in the Gaza Strip shows that the United States is trying to monopolize the mediation functions in the Palestinian-Israeli settlement, Russian President Vladimir Putin said during an extraordinary BRICS summit on the conflict.

“All these events are, in fact, a direct consequence of the United States’ desire to monopolize the mediation functions in the Palestinian-Israeli settlement and its blocking of the activities of the Middle East Quartet of international mediators,” Putin said, Sputnik reported.

Putin commented on mass displacement of the local population and the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip.

“The death of thousands of people [in the Gaza Strip], mass displacements of civilian population and the humanitarian catastrophe that has broken out cause great concern,” Putin told the BRICS extraordinary summit on the situation in the Middle East.

“Participation of colleagues from the Middle East in today’s meeting, who have received the invitation to be full members of BRICS this year, is especially important. I want to use the moment to note their efforts on the normalization of the situation, and in particular I mean the “peace summit” in Egypt and the extraordinary Islamic summit in Saudi Arabia,” Putin also said.

It is important to prevent the geography of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict from expanding and to preserve the fragile interfaith peace in the region, Putin said.

“The most urgent task is to achieve a truly long-term and sustainable ceasefire,” Putin added.

Proper humanitarian pauses are required to ensure the safe release of hostages from the Gaza Strip, Putin said.

“I would like to emphasize that such humanitarian pauses, or better, of course, a full-fledged ceasefire, are necessary to continue efforts to release hostages and evacuate civilians and foreign citizens from the Gaza Strip,” Putin stressed.

Due to the sabotage of UN decisions, more than one generation of Palestinians has been brought up with a sense of injustice, Putin added.

“Because of the sabotage of the UN decisions, which clearly provide for the creation and peaceful coexistence of two independent and sovereign states, Israel and Palestine, more than one generation of Palestinians has been brought up in an atmosphere of injustice shown to their people. And the Israelis cannot fully guarantee the security of their state,” Putin said.

Putin commended the urgent convening of the BRICS summit on important international issues, a practice that was introduced by South Africa.

“The new format of emergency online meetings of leaders, proposed by President [of South Africa Cyril] Ramaphosa seems very promising. Moreover, this concerns not only the Middle East settlement, but also other topical issues on the global and regional agenda,” Putin told the BRICS extraordinary summit on the situation in the Middle East.

It is important to prevent the Israel-Palestine conflict from becoming a regional one, Putin said.

Russia will initiate contacts on the Palestine-Israel settlement during its upcoming chairmanship in BRICS, Putin said.

“We consider it extremely useful to continue the discussion within the framework of BRICS on the further development of the Palestinian-Israeli confrontation. If there are no objections, dear colleagues, then during the upcoming Russian presidency in the association next year, we will initiate possible contacts, including via video link, on this issue,” Putin said.

WHO: Plans underway to evacuate three hospitals in Gaza

A World Health Organisation (WHO) spokesperson said on Tuesday that three hospitals in Gaza have requested help with evacuating patients and said that planning was underway.

WHO spokesperson Christian Lindmeier stated that the three hospitals were Al Shifa, from which a group of babies has already been rescued, Indonesian Hospital and Al Ahli Hospital.

He added such an event was a last resort, as Israeli bombardment and siege has left patients without healthcare and staff unable to assist them.

“It’s robbing the entire population of the north of the means to seek health (care),” he told a Geneva press briefing.

Saudi FM in Moscow calls for ceasefire

Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister reiterated calls for a ceasefire during a meeting with Muslim and Arab League diplomats in Moscow on Tuesday.

“There is no excuse for such atrocities with the claim of self-defence,” Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud said, stating that there must be an “immediate ceasefire and end to the siege”.

“We cannot talk about the future of Gaza until we have a ceasefire and Israel stops the targeting of civilians,” he added.

Representatives from Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan and Palestine are also present at the meeting.

Talks to release captives ‘at closest point’: Qatar

Qatar’s foreign ministry spokesperson Majed al-Ansari said on Tuesday that negotiations to free captives taken by Hamas are at their “closest point”.

“We are at the closest point we ever have been in reaching an agreement,” he stated.

He added that they are currently at the “final stage”, and that he is “very optimistic and hopeful”.

2,600 patients, civilians, medical staff still inside besieged Indonesia Hospital: Gaza Health Ministry

At least 2,600 people, including patients, displaced civilians and medical staff, are still inside the besieged Indonesia Hospital in northern Gaza Strip.

In a statement, Ashraf al-Qudra, the spokesman of the Gaza-based Health Ministry, said, “400 injured and their attendants are still in the (Indonesia) hospital, in addition to 200 medical personnel and some 2,000 displaced people.”

Al-Qudra also stated that there are 259 injured people, a number of civilians and medical personnel still inside the Al-Shifa Hospital.

The health spokesman added there is no date yet for their evacuation from the Al-Shifa Hospital which is under complete Israeli control.

Al-Qudra confirmed that all hospitals in Gaza City and northern areas of the Gaza Strip are out of service from the Israeli ongoing onslaught against Gaza.

Netanyahu says return of hostages a “sacred and supreme” mission

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the return of Israelis taken hostage by Hamas on October 7 a “sacred and supreme mission”, in a statement on Tuesday as he faces growing anger from family members over the slow pace of progress in securing their release.

“Returning our hostages is a sacred and supreme mission – to which I am committed. We will not let go of the mission to return them, and it is my responsibility as well as the war cabinet’s,” he said.

Netanyahu released the statement after he and his war cabinet had met with the families of the hostages on Monday, saying that they “are always in my heart and guide my actions.”

The prime minister promised he would not stop fighting until the Israeli government brought them home and destroyed Hamas.

Three, including 2 reporters, killed near Israel border: Lebanese state media

At least two journalists and another person have been killed by a rocket strike near Lebanon’s border with Israel, according to the Lebanese state news agency.

The incident took place near the town of Tir Harfa, about 1.6km (1 mile) from the Israeli border, it added.

Later, Lebanon’s Al-Mayadeen television has confirmed two of its staff have been killed.

The state-run National News Agency reported “the death of three citizens – two journalists and another civilian – in enemy bombing” of the Tair Harfa area.

Al-Mayadeen added its “correspondent Farah Omar and cameraman Rabih Maamari were killed by an Israeli attack”.

Israeli army surrounds Jabalia

The Israeli military announced it has completed the encirclement of Jabalia in Gaza and is ready for the next phase.

In a statement, the military said it carried out attacks on 250 Hamas targets in the past day, including three tunnel shafts in the Jabalia area and killed dozens of Palestinian fighters.

Israeli attacks on residential areas and around hospitals are increasing, resulting in the killing of dozens of Palestinians.

Group of Muslim countries to push for Gaza ceasefire

A newly formed group made up of senior officials from several Muslim countries will visit the United Nations Security Council’s five permanent members and others to urge an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, a Turkish foreign ministry source stated on Tuesday.

The group includes foreign ministers and representatives from Turkey, Qatar, Egypt, Jordan, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, the Palestinian Authority, as well as the OIC Secretary General.

The source said the group had started talking with the permanent UN Security Council members – the United States, China, Russia, Britain, and France – with a visit to Beijing on Monday, and would also visit other countries.

“The primary goal of the contact group is for a ceasefire to be announced as soon as possible and for humanitarian aid to be sent to Gaza,” the source added.

All hospitals in north Gaza now out of service

The Palestinian Ministry of Health confirmed on Tuesday that all hospitals in north Gaza are now totally out of service.

“There are no medical services or help to anyone in north Gaza now,” Ashraf al-Qudra, a spokesperson for the ministry, stated.

Government media in Gaza: 253 mosques damaged by Israeli strikes so far

According to the government media in Gaza, that as of November 20, a total of 83 mosques were totally destroyed by Israeli strikes across the besieged enclave since the October 7 Hamas attack.

Meanwhile, 170 were also partially damaged, the report added.

Palestinians have accused Israel of deliberately targeting mosques in Gaza for destruction, while Israel advances many unsubstantiated claims that the mosques were being used by Hamas to shield them from strikes.

Israel names 2 more soldiers killed in Gaza, bringing death toll to 68

The Israeli military has released the names of two more soldiers killed fighting in the Gaza Strip, bringing its death toll to 68.

Captain Arnon Moshe Avraham Benvenisti Vaspi, 26 and Staff Sergeant Ilya Senkin, 20, both members of the Givati Brigade were killed fighting in Gaza, the military announced.

The Israeli military added another five soldiers were seriously wounded in fighting.

Hamas claims destruction of 60 Israeli military vehicles in Gaza in past 72 hours

The military wing of Hamas on Monday claimed that its fighters had destroyed 60 Israeli military vehicles in Gaza over the past 72 hours.

In a recorded message, Abu Obeida, the spokesman for the Al-Qassam Brigades, stated that among the targeted Israeli military vehicles, ten troop carriers were included in the attacks over the last three days.

He also noted that “fierce clashes” were taking place with the Israeli forces in several areas across the Gaza Strip.

“We suspect that the enemy [Israeli army] bombed its troops on the ground believing a number of its soldiers were arrested in an operation we had carried out against a troops carrier vehicle in Gaza City,” Obeida added.

At least 66 Israeli soldiers were killed since the start of the Israeli ground operation in Gaza on Oct. 27, according to Israeli media.

More than 1 million Gaza children going to bed hungry: Aid group

The charity Medical Aid for Palestinians announced that after six weeks of Israel’s siege on the territory, food is running out.

“We must stand together to protect Gaza’s children, who will go to bed tonight hungry,” the group said in a social media post, urging an immediate ceasefire.

After six weeks of Israel’s siege, food in Gaza is rapidly running out. There are severe shortages of fuel and clean water for cooking. We must stand together to protect Gaza’s children, who will go to bed tonight hungry.

Please take action and demand a #CeasefireNOW. pic.twitter.com/GNDDfg2w1P

— Medical Aid for Palestinians (@MedicalAidPal) November 20, 2023

6,000 foreign passport holders, 236 injured crossed from Gaza to Egypt since Oct. 7

Egyptian authorities on Monday said more than 6,000 foreign passport holders had crossed the Rafah border gate from Gaza into Egypt since the start of Israel’s attacks on the Gaza Strip on Oct. 7.

In a statement, the Press Center of the Egyptian State Information Service said 929 Egyptians had also crossed Rafah from Gaza.

It added that the total injured Palestinians who crossed the Rafah gate for medical treatment whether in Egypt or elsewhere has so far reached 236 along with 197 people escorting the injured, including many who have been flown to Turkey for treatment.

UN has ‘grave concerns’ about waterborne diseases

The United Nations announced it had “grave concerns” about dehydration and waterborne diseases particularly in northern Gaza, with more than 1.7 million Palestinians now displaced from their homes.

On average, there is now one shower unit for every 700 people and a single toilet for every 150 people at UN facilities, the office for the coordination of humanitarian affairs said in its latest update.

The UN also noted a sharp increase in Palestinians walking from northern to southern Gaza with injuries as Israel continues to pound the enclave.

One woman who had come from Jabalia refugee camp was seen walking south while pressing a towel against wounds in her abdomen. She attempted to receive treatment at the besieged Indonesian hospital, but was not admitted.

Israeli military reached heart of Gaza City “much earlier than Hamas expected”: IDF spokesperson

The Israeli military reached the heart of Gaza City “much earlier than Hamas had expected” and the forces continue to advance according to the plan, a spokesperson for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said Monday.

“We carried an offensive move that met the heart of Gaza City, through encirclement. It led to us getting to the city’s heart quickly, much earlier than Hamas had expected,” spokesperson Daniel Hagari stated in his daily briefing.

“The troops continue to advance according to the plan, this takes time,” he said, adding that “the war (operates) in stages.”

The Israeli army is looking for Hamas fighters in Zaytun and Jabalya in northern Gaza and is “currently encircling Jabalya and start dismantling the (Hamas) battalion there as well”, Hagari continued.

The spokesperson added that over the past few days, Israeli forces have been conducting face-to-face battles against the Zaytun battalion — one of the central battalions of Hamas operating in Zaytun in the northern Gaza Strip.

6 Americans serving in Israeli security forces have died since October 7: State Department

Six American citizens who were serving in the Israeli security forces have died in Israel and Gaza since October 7, State Department spokesperson Matt Miller stated Monday.

“There are a total of six American citizens who have died, not from the terrorist attacks on October 7, but in the month-plus since,” said Miller.

Five of them were members of the Israel Defense Forces and the sixth was a border officer, he added.

Four of the Americans serving with the IDF died in the Gaza Strip and a fifth was killed in northern Israel, the spokesperson continued.

50 journalists have been killed in Israel-Hamas war: Committee to Protect Journalists

At least 50 journalists and media workers have been killed since the bloody conflict between Israel and Hamas broke out last month, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Monday night, in what has been the deadliest month for journalists since the press freedom group began tracking deaths in 1992.

The mounting toll marked a “grim milestone”, and far surpasses the 15 journalists who have been killed in Russia’s ongoing war on Ukraine, according to the organization.

The organization has published the names of the slain journalists along with the circumstances of their deaths on its website.

Journalists in Gaza made an appeal on Monday for assistance and solidarity to enable them to persist in their work amid ongoing Israeli attacks.

Palestinian state ‘best guarantee’ of Israel’s security: EU foreign policy chief

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell stated Monday that the establishment of a Palestinian state would be the best way of ensuring Israel’s security.

The EU’s top diplomat told a meeting of foreign ministers from the EU that he had drawn “a fundamental political conclusion” from his discussions across the Middle East.

“I think that the best guarantee for Israel’s security is the creation of a Palestinian state,” Borrell said in a written summary of the EU meeting.

Borrell insisted Israel should not occupy Gaza after the war.

”Despite the huge challenges, we have to advance our reflections on the stabilisation of Gaza and the future Palestinian state,” he continued.

He added that “increased extremists and settlers’ violence against Palestinians” in the occupied West Bank raised the possibility of escalation in fighting outside of the Gaza Strip.

US Democrats urge Biden to pressure Israel over humanitarian aid for Gaza

A group of lawmakers led by Senators Tammy Baldwin, Tim Kaine and Chris Van Hollen wrote a letter to US President Joe Biden to immediately work toward the sustained delivery of water, food, fuel and other basic necessities.

“Eliminating the threat posed by Hamas and protecting civilians are not mutually exclusive aims. Indeed, International Humanitarian Law requires that civilians be protected during armed conflict,” the group wrote in a letter sent on Monday.

The letter also urged reopening the Kerem Shalom crossing between Israel and Gaza as well as the protection of civilians and ensuring civilians’ access to medical attention.

The letter was signed by at least eight other Senate Democrats.

Israel’s attacks on UN schools in Gaza ‘unacceptable’: UN

The UN on Monday reiterated concern over Israel’s attacks on two schools in Gaza, and said it was “unacceptable”.

“The coordinates of the schools have been communicated. The schools didn’t pop up overnight. They’ve been there for a long, long time. It is unacceptable that people seeking shelter under the UN flag be then confronted with these types of bombings,” Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, told a daily press briefing in New York.

The UN has repeatedly called for combatants not to use the UN facilities, and fire to or near the facilities, added Dujarric.

“I have no doubt there will be full investigations done in order to have accountability once this conflict is over,” he said, adding the only focus now in Gaza is the humanitarian situation.

When he was asked whether these schools have Hamas bases or weapons, Dujarric said the schools are there to shelter civilians, adding: “They’re not there to shelter combatants.”

Following Saturday’s Israeli attack on two UNRWA schools in Gaza, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Sunday stated he was “deeply shocked”, reaffirming that UN premises are “inviolable”.

Funeral held in Tehran for famous Iranian literary figure Mohammadali Eslami Nodooshan

By

IFP Editorial Staff

-

November 21, 2023

The renowned figure died last April in Canada at the age of 97. His body was temporarily buried there and after about 18 months, his remains arrived in Tehran on Sunday.

His funeral was held in front of the Faculty of Literature of the University of Tehran on Monday with a number of literary figures in attendance.

Nodooshan served as a professor for many years at the Faculty of Literature and the Faculty of Law in the University of Tehran.

According to his will, after holding ceremonies in Tehran and the central city of Yazd, where he was born, Nodooshan’s remains will be buried next to the graves of famous Iranian poets Attar and Omar Khayyam in Neyshabur, northeastern Iran.

1 of 28