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Number of Israeli soldiers seeking psychological support amid Gaza war increases six-fold: Report

By
IFP Media Wire
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Israeli Army

The Ministry of Defence’s helpline has noted a dramatic increase in distress calls from reservists and soldiers, along with their families, the newspaper reported.

Just last week, the hotline received four inquiries with suicidal characteristics that required the immediate intervention of the police, the report added.

According to data by the NTL association which operates the helpline, between October 2022 and June 2023, before the war, the hotline was required to contact the police 35 times due to fear of suicide.

A year later, the number jumped to 86 – a 145 percent increase. The data shows that the number of references has also jumped six-fold compared to before the war, and that in recent weeks the number of requests at night has doubled.

The Israeli army has confirmed that tens of thousands of Israeli soldiers have called up a mental health hotline since the outbreak of the Gaza Strip on October 7.

Since Israel launched the war October last year in response to Operation Al-Aqsa Storm, around 39,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children, and injured more than 89,700 others.

Iran urges Europe to pursue policies independent of US for ties improvement

By
IFP Media Wire
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Nasser Kanaani

Speaking to reporters at a weekly press conference on Monday, Kanaani bemoaned the lack of sufficient dynamism in the relations between Iran and Europe considering their capacities.

Asked about Europe’s cold response to the result of the recent presidential elections in Iran, the spokesman said the cold relations or the failure to employ the existing capacities result from “Europe’s miscalculations or bowing to pressure from the US”.

Kanaani stated that the bilateral relations will definitely improve if the European governments adopt independent policies towards Iran and rid themselves of US influence.

Asked about the US presidential election result’s impact on Iran’s foreign policy, the spokesman reiterated that Tehran does not care who is in charge of the US administrations.

What matters is that the US has taken a hostile policy against Iran, Kanaani noted, adding, “A fundamental change in the US’ hostile policies could change the atmosphere.”

Israel sending Shin Bet operatives to France to protect its Olympic athletes

By
IFP Media Wire
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Olympic France

Around 88 Israeli athletes and their teams will be protected by Shin Bet due to alleged security concerns. However, not all will have a personal bodyguard, the Jewish Chronicle reported on Sunday.

Israel has been preparing the security details for the Olympics for “more than a year”, doubling the team’s security budget this year, Israel’s Culture and Sports Minister Miki Zohar told the Telegraph.

Former Shin Bet officer Lior Akerman also told the Telegraph that agents will be “equipped with weapons and technologies” and will receive support from local security and police forces.

According to Akerman, Shin Bet will manage the athletes’ security “at every stage and place”, from their arrival until they board the plane returning to Israel.

Israeli athletes have received threatening online messages in poorly written Hebrew, Israeli broadcaster Walla reported over the weekend. As many as 15 athletes and their teams are said to have received similar death threats via email, warning of fatal consequences if they came to France.

This comes amid growing calls from activists, politicians, and athletes demanding Israel’s expulsion from the world’s biggest sporting event, set to take place from July 26 to August 11.

Israel has continued its offensive on Gaza since an October 7 attack by Hamas. Nearly 39,000 Palestinians have since been killed, mostly women and children, and over 89,700 injured, according to local health authorities.

France’s interior minister also stated on Monday Israeli athletes will receive 24-hour protection during the Paris Olympics.

French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin said in a TV interview Israeli athletes would be protected around the clock during the Games, which begin on Friday.

At a pro-Gaza rally on Saturday, far-left France Unbowed (LFI) party lawmaker Thomas Portes was filmed saying Israel’s Olympic athletes were not welcome in France, and that there should be protests against their taking part in the Games.

On Monday, Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne told a meeting of European Union counterparts in Brussels: “I want to say that on behalf of France, to the Israeli delegation, we welcome you to France for these Olympic Games.”

Israel orders evacuation of Gaza residents in eastern Khan Younis despite designation as safe zone

By
IFP Media Wire
-
Gaza War

Israeli army spokesperson Avichay Adraee claimed in a statement that “the presence of multiple military operations and rocket fire from the eastern part of the humanitarian zone has made staying there dangerous”.

“Therefore, the army calls on residents who remain in the eastern neighborhoods of Khan Younis to evacuate immediately to the newly designated humanitarian area in Al-Mawasi,” he added.

Children, women, police officers among dead, search for more victims continue, according to local authorities

Two weeks ago, the Israeli army committed a massacre in Al-Mawasi, which it claimed was safe, resulting in the deaths of 90 Palestinians and the injuries of 300 in a series of airstrikes targeting tents and displacement shelters.

Flouting a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire, Israel has faced international condemnation amid its continued brutal offensive on Gaza since an Oct. 7 attack by Hamas.

Nearly 39,000 Palestinians have since been killed, mostly women and children, and over 89,700 injured, according to local health authorities.

Over nine months into the Israeli onslaught, vast tracts of Gaza lie in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water, and medicine.

China ambassador to Tehran says Chinese firms willing to invest in Iran

By
IFP Editorial Staff
-
Iran Trade

In a meeting with an Iranian media delegation, Zong Peiwu called on Iranian media to introduce the economic activities of Chinese companies in Iran and added that this cooperation is beneficial for both parties.

Referring to the comprehensive 25-year cooperation plan between the two countries signed in 2021, Zong Peiwu said that to implement this plan, we must successfully carry out the projects currently on the agenda. For instance, we can continue cooperation within the framework of China’s “Belt and Road Initiative.”

The Chinese ambassador also welcomed the export of high-quality agricultural products from Iran to his country and added that a channel for importing Iranian products was opened last year.

He stated that the volume of trade between Iran and China exceeds that of Iran and all European countries combined, adding that China has been Iran’s largest trading partner for several consecutive years, and Iran is one of China’s most important export destinations.

The Chinese ambassador also considered the role of international mechanisms such as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and BRICS important for deepening relations between Tehran and Beijing.

In another part of his speech, Zong Peiwu highlighted the importance of the Iran nuclear agreement (JCPOA) in preventing international proliferation and said that the JCPOA member countries that caused its failure and did not fulfill their promises must rectify their mistakes and pave the way for the revival of the JCPOA.

The Chinese ambassador also emphasized the creation of an independent Palestinian state with al-Quds as its capital, within the 1967 borders and based on United Nations Security Council resolutions.

Prominent Iranian actor Saeed Rad dies at 79

By
IFP Editorial Staff
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Saeed Rad

He succumbed to his injury after his physical condition and backache caused by falling on the ground deteriorated.

Negah Rad said, “The prosthesis used during the surgery did not fit well in his back and necessitated a new surgery. After that, despite doing physical therapy, he was no longer able to walk, and he also got a lung and bladder infection, and with his own consent, underwent an unsuccessful surgery again.”

Rad was born in 1944 in the Iranian capital Tehran and took up acting at the age of 25. He left Iran in 1986 and lived in Canada but returned in 2000 to pursue his career in his homeland.

Che (2014), Duel (2002), and Eagles (1984) are among the movies Rad acted in after the Islamic Revolution in 1979.

Official: Joint Iran-Saudi economic commission to be held soon

By
IFP Editorial Staff
-
Iran and Saudi Arabia Flags

Mehdi Safari made the remarks on Monday on the sidelines of an event dubbed “1020 Day of Jihadi Efforts”, that showcases the foreign policy achievements of the late Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi’s outgoing administration.

The development comes as Tehran and Riyadh have put behind a period of rocky relations on several issues and are seeking to forge stronger all-encompassing ties.

Safari said Iran has invited Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud to visit Iranian economic achievements and discuss investments in several projects.

He further highlighted the North-South corridor, the Caspian port, and Inch Bron railway as the administration’s achievements in transportation.

The deputy foreign minister also said Iran has made progress in its economic ties with BRICS countries, especially Russia.

Putin reassures Assad of Russia’s support for Syria’s sovereignty, territorial integrity

By
IFP Media Wire
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Putin and Assad

“I would like to reiterate that Russia will continue supporting the Syrian government in its efforts to defend the country’s state sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity, ensure national security and political stability. We are convinced that the further development of the entire spectrum of Russian-Syrian ties is in the interests of our peoples and will help consolidate peace and stability in the region and the entire word,” Putin said in a telegram that was posted on the Kremlin website.

Putin noted that over the past decades Moscow and Damascus have accumulated a vast experience of bilateral cooperation in various spheres and have reached considerable success in the fight against international terrorism in Syria.

“I wish you good health and every success, and wellbeing and prosperity to the Syrian people,” the Russian president emphasized.

Diplomatic relations between the former Soviet Union and Syria were established on July 21, 1944. The two countries signed the Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation in 1980. In 1991, Syria recognized Russia as a successor to the Soviet Union.

Relations between Russia and Syria downgraded considerably after the collapse of the former Soviet Union, but in the late 1990s and the beginning of the 2000s relations between the two countries invigorated. In 1999, Syrian leader Hafez Assad paid an official visit to Russia and his son Bashar Assad, who became Syria’s president in 2000, paid a state visit to Moscow in January 2005. His talks with Putin yielded a joint declaration on the further development of relations of friendship and cooperation between Russia and Syria. The first-ever visit to Syria by a Russian head of state (including the Soviet era) was paid by Dmitry Medvedev, the then Russian president, in May 2010. Putin visited Syria in the capacity of the Russian head of state in 2017 and 2020.

President-elect: States sanctioning Iran used to arm its enemy with chemical weapons

By
IFP Media Wire
-
Masoud Pezeshkian

Pezeshkian made the remarks in a post on X on Sunday., saying, “Those, who are enforcing sanctions on the people of Iran under hollow pretexts, are the same ones that used to provide chemical weapons to the country’s enemy.”

Pezeshkian passed the comments on the anniversary of the chemical bombardment of Zardeh Village in the western Iranian province of Kermanshah by invading Iraqi forces in July 1988.

At least 275 people were reportedly killed and some 1,146 others injured in the attack. The incident saw one of the bombs landing inside the village’s fountain, critically poisoning many of the locals.

The bombing took place during invasion of the country by neighboring Iraq, which was being led by former dictator Saddam Hussein.

The Iraqi military was being heavily armed by Western countries during the invasion that lasted from 1980 to 1988.

The weapon procurers included the United States, West Germany, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and France, which outfitted the military with chemical weapons among other types of deadly equipment.

An estimated 50,000 people died from the Iraqi forces’ ample deployment of the chemical arms against the Islamic Republic. Current estimates, though, put the number of the fatalities at more than 100,000, as the long-term effects continue to take their toll on those afflicted.

Netanyahu to meet Biden despite his withdrawal from presidential race: Report

By
IFP Media Wire
-
Biden Netanyahu

Netanyahu’s office confirmed that the prime minister would be traveling to the US on Monday, as scheduled. The Israeli leader is slated to address the US Congress on July 24, where he said he would present “the truth about our just war” in Gaza amid mounting pressure to secure a ceasefire and hostage deal with Hamas to stop the bloodshed.

The exact timing of the meeting between Biden and Netanyahu has yet to be established as the US president is still recovering from Covid-19 at his Delaware home, according to the source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

Initially, Biden allegedly did not want to give the Israeli prime minister “satisfaction” by stepping down before his visit to Washington, the New York Times claimed on Friday. Tensions between the two leaders have been rising since the US paused delivery of certain types of bombs to Israel in May amid calls to scale back the offensive in the densely populated city of Rafah in southern Gaza.

Netanyahu is reportedly also set to meet with Vice President Kamala Harris, who has been endorsed by Biden to become the new Democratic nominee for the November elections, according to the Washington Post.

On Sunday, Biden announced that he would not seek re-election following weeks of pressure over his mental and physical state. In a statement published on his X (formerly Twitter) page, he said that the decision was “in the best interest” of the Democratic Party and “the country”. However, he ruled out resignation, saying his intention is “to focus solely on fulfilling my duties as President for the remainder of my term”.

Following the announcement, Israeli President Isaac Herzog took to X to thank Biden for his “friendship and steadfast support for the Israeli people over his decades-long career”.

“As the first US President to visit Israel in wartime, as a recipient of the Israeli Presidential Medal of Honor, and as a true ally of the Jewish people, he is a symbol of the unbreakable bond between our two peoples,” Herzog wrote.

Israel’s Defense Minister Yoav Gallant also thanked Biden for his “unwavering support of Israel over the years”.

“Your steadfast backing, especially during the war, has been invaluable. We are grateful for your leadership and friendship,” he added, after wishing Netanyahu “good luck” during his upcoming trip to the US.

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