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Israeli PM reacts to possible ICC arrest warrant

By
IFP Media Wire
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Benjamin Netanyahu

Earlier this week, British journalist Douglas Murray published an article in the New York Post claiming that the ICC, which is investigating Hamas’ attack against Israel on October 7 and Tel Aviv’s response to it, is planning to bring individual war-crimes cases against Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and one of the country’s top military commanders, most likely the chief of the general staff.

Netanyahu has shared Murray’s article on X (formerly Twitter), insisting that as long as he is in power, “Israel will never accept any attempt by the ICC to undermine its inherent right of self-defense.”

“The threat to seize the soldiers and officials of the Middle East’s only democracy and the world’s only Jewish state is outrageous. We will not bow to it,” he added.

Israel’s military operation in Gaza is a “just war against genocidal terrorists”, which will continue until victory is achieved, the prime minister insisted.

“While the ICC will not affect Israel’s actions, it would set a dangerous precedent that threatens the soldiers and officials of all democracies fighting savage terrorism and wanton aggression,” he warned.

According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, the death toll from Israel’s airstrikes and ground offensive in the Palestinian enclave has already reached 34,400 people, with 77,500 others wounded.

The ICC launched an investigation into alleged war crimes by the Israeli military and Palestinian armed groups in the occupied West Bank and Gaza back in 2021. The probe covers the events since 2014. The Hague-based court insists that violations committed during the Israeli-Palestinian escalation which followed the October 7 attack are also within the jurisdiction of its investigation.

Israel’s Channel 12 reported last week that Netanyahu’s government had known about the possible ICC warrants even before Murray’s article and held an “emergency discussion” on the issue at the prime minister’s office involving several ministers and legal experts.

Israel is not a member of the ICC and does not recognize its jurisdiction, but the Palestinians joined the organization in 2015. If warrants against Netanyahu and other Israeli officials are issued, the 124 ICC member-states would be obliged to arrest them if they set foot in their countries.

Israel hit zones in Gaza it had declared ‘safe’: Report

By
IFP Media Wire
-
Gaza War

The outlet examined seven deadly airstrikes between January and April filmed by its camera crews in the city of Rafah and the Al-Mawasi humanitarian zone and which resulted in the deaths of Palestinian civilians.

“The crews compiled the GPS coordinates of each strike, all of which hit an area identified by the Israeli military as an evacuation zone in an online interactive map it published on Dec. 1,” NBC wrote, noting that this map has not been updated and remains accurate, according to the IDF.

The map in question had previously been criticized by international humanitarian organizations and by Palestinians, as being confusing and hard to read, with many pointing out that at most times it isn’t even accessible to civilians on the ground, due to regular cellphone and internet blackouts.

Human Rights Watch program director Sari Bashi has told NBC that the attacks highlighted in the outlet’s investigation are not isolated.

“People are fleeing to roads that the government told them to use to places where the Israeli government told them to go. And when they go there, they get killed” Bashi added.

In one example provided by NBC, the IDF dropped leaflets in Gaza on December 18, telling residents to go to Rafah’s Tal Al Sultan, Al Zuhur and Al Shaboura neighborhoods, designating them as safe. The outlet’s investigation found that all three locations were later hit by airstrikes, resulting in the deaths of dozens of civilians.

When asked by NBC to comment on the seven highlighted airstrikes, the IDF reportedly claimed in an email to the outlet that it was “not aware of any strike at the provided coordinates and times”.

The IDF launched its offensive in Gaza following the October 7 Hamas attack on Israeli territory, which resulted in the deaths of over 1,200 people and saw some 250 taken hostage.

Israel’s response has so far claimed the lives of over 34,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health authorities.

British troops may be deployed in Gaza under guise of aid delivery: Report

By
IFP Media Wire
-

The report, published by the British state media broadcaster BBC on Saturday, said British forces – known as “wet boots”– would drive trucks along a temporary causeway and deliver aid to a secure distribution area on land.

British Defense Secretary Grant Shapps affirmed that the UK continues to take “a leading role in delivering support in coordination with the United States and other international allies.

He also stated that London intends to establish more humanitarian aid routes, while not confirming the UK’s future role once the corridor is open.

Meanwhile, the United States has said no American forces would be stationed ashore, adding that an unnamed “third party” would be responsible for carrying out aid deliveries from the pier to shore.

The UK is understood to be considering tasking British troops with the operation, as the country has been involved in planning the sea-borne aid operation.

However, the British government said a final decision has not yet been made, adding that the prime minister should examine the issue to whether deploy boots on the ground or simply have workforces to drive aid trucks to Gaza’s shore.

The Israeli military has reportedly vowed to ensure security for the operation and enhance the entry of humanitarian aid to Gaza.

This comes even though the occupying regime continues to obstruct the delivery of aid into Gaza amid its genocidal war on the blockaded territory which started in early October last year.

Israel launched the war on Gaza on October 7 after the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas carried out the surprise Operation Al-Aqsa Storm against the occupying entity in response to the occupying regime’s intensified crimes against the Palestinian people.

Since the start of the offensive, the Tel Aviv regime has killed at least 34,400 Palestinians, mostly women and children. Another 77,500 individuals have sustained injuries as well.

Israel has also imposed a “complete siege” on Gaza, cutting off fuel, electricity, food, and water to the more than two million Palestinians living there.

At least 5 Iranians killed in bus crash in Armenia

By
IFP Editorial Staff
-

According to media reports, the passengers were going to Iran from Armenia’s capital Yerevan, when the bus drove off a ravine near the administrative district of Khotanan in Syunik Province.

The head of administrative district Rafael Grigoryan told Armenia’s NEWS.am that the bus had problems with the brakes.

The video footage of the accident scene shows rescuers deployed to the site of the accident.

Grigoryan said that the injured were rushed to a medical center.

Hamas video shows US, Israeli captives alive in Gaza

By
IFP Media Wire
-
Israel Hostage

In the video, Siegel, who appears to be speaking under duress, pleads for Netanyahu to negotiate a hostage release agreement with Hamas. This is the first video released of Siegel since he was kidnapped by Hamas alongside his wife from their home in Kibbutz Kfar Aza on October 7.

Miran said “I have been here for 202 days”, which suggests the video was filmed on Thursday.

This is the second hostage video released by Hamas in recent days. On Wednesday, the group released a video of Israeli-American hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin, who had been kidnapped from the Nova music festival on October 7.

In the undated video, Goldberg-Polin is shown with part of his left arm missing several inches above the hand.

In a video released Saturday by the Hostages Families Forum Headquarters, Siegel’s family reacted to the latest footage from Hamas.

“Keith, I love you, we will fight until you return,” said his wife Aviva, who was released in November as part of the last hostage deal after 51 days in captivity.

“Seeing my father today only emphasizes to all of us how much we must reach a deal as soon as possible and bring everyone home,” his daughter, Ilan, stated, adding, “I demand that the leaders of this country watch this video and see (our) father crying out for help.”

The hostage forum called the proof of life of Siegel and Miran “the clearest evidence that the Israeli government must do everything to approve a deal for the return of all the hostages before Independence Day (May 14). The living should return for rehabilitation, and the murdered should receive a dignified burial”, the group said in a statement.

“Now is the time for the government and its leader to prove through actions their commitment to the citizens of Israel who await the return of the hostages. The Israeli government must not miss this opportunity to bring them all home!” the statement added.

Hamas gunmen broke into the home of Omri Miran, his wife, and two daughters at Nahal Oz Kibbutz on October 7. Miran was abducted, but his family survived.

Officials from Egypt and Israel told CNN on Friday that an Egyptian delegation was in Israel as part of an effort to advance the stalled negotiations aimed at releasing hostages and implementing a ceasefire in Gaza.

US top diplomat to travel to Saudi Arabia to discuss Gaza war

By
IFP Media Wire
-
Antony Blinken

Blinken’s trip on Monday comes as Egypt, Qatar, Israel and Hamas have not managed to reach a cease-fire and the release of hostages over having different demands.

Apart from discussions about a cease-fire in Gaza, Blinken will talk about the increased delivery of humanitarian aid into Gaza and the “importance” of it being “sustained”.

“The Secretary will discuss ongoing efforts to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza that secures the release of hostages and how it is Hamas that is standing between the Palestinian people and a ceasefire,” State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a statement on Saturday.

“He will discuss the recent increase in humanitarian assistance being delivered to Gaza and underscore the importance of ensuring that increase is sustained.”

“The Secretary will also emphasize the importance of preventing the conflict from spreading and discuss ongoing efforts to achieve lasting peace and security in the region, including through a pathway to an independent Palestinian state with security guarantees for Israel,” Miller added.

U.S. officials are pushing for the release of around 40 hostages held by Hamas of the more than 100 for a six-week cease-fire and freeing Palestinian prisoners.

“The Secretary will participate in a Ministerial meeting of the Gulf Cooperation Council to advance coordination on regional security,” Miller continued.

“At the World Economic Forum’s special meeting on Global Collaboration, Growth, and Energy for Development, the Secretary will coordinate with our partners to ensure continued progress on climate change mitigation and the global energy transition.”

Blinken previously met with Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in March where he discussed the need to increase the flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza.

6 popular traditional breads of Iran’s Kerman Province listed as a heritage

By
Seyedeh Maryam Hosseini Lahijani
-

In recent years, local and traditional breads have gained many fans. Here, we are going to introduce some popular breads in Kerman Province:

1-Kornoon Bread

Kornoon is the most famous traditional bread of Kerman Province. This bread is one of the most high-quality and delicious traditional breads of the province. It is popular in the cities of Shahrbabak, Anar, Rafsanjan and other northern regions of the province.

To bake this bread, 2 types of ovens are used on the ground or 70 to 80cm above the ground. After the oven is heated enough, the prepared dough is spread on the stones at the bottom of the oven in trays weighing approximately 700-800 grams and the oven door is closed. After some 20 minutes or half an hour, the bread is going to be of a high quality.

Kornoon is often consumed alongside traditional dishes such as Bozqormeh, various dishes made with curd, Eshkeneh, etc.

Kornoon Bread

2-Tiri Bread

Tiri bread is very popular among nomads, especially shepherds, because it can be baked quickly and with ease. Tiri is one of the traditional breads that can be easily made at home.

To bake it, trays of the dough are spread on flat stone slabs or metal containers that are previously spread by a hot fire oven in a short time.

Tiri bread is easy to digest due to its thinness and small size. It also has a long shelf life  if it dries.

Tiri Bread 

3-Kopoo Bread

Kopoo is the other Kermani bread, which often has dates or potatoes in the middle of the dough, and is known as Kopoo with dates or potatoes.
This bread is very delicious and popular with people because of its taste. Kopoo is mostly baked in Zarand and Kerman cities.

Kopoo bread can be prepared at home using a gas oven or in nature, and it has a high nutritional value.

Kopoo Bread

4-Kermani Taftoon Bread

The recipe for baking Kermani Taftoon bread is similar to that of Taftoon breads in other parts of the country. However, in Kerman, some spices and vegetables are used to make it and Kermani Taftoon is baked in clay ovens with wood fire.

This bread is consumed with nutritious foods such as broth, curd, and Bozqormeh. The consumption of this bread is so high that some bakeries also make it alongside other breads.

5-Roqan Joushi Bread

Roqan Joushi (boiled oil) is a type of bread that is native to Kerman. The bread is mostly baked for charity for the dead.

To prepare Roqan Joushi, dough, water and milk are mixed with instant dough powder and placed in a warm environment to create bubbles, and then flour is added to it. The next stage is to add eggs, baking powder and special spices such as black seeds, coriander seeds, cumin, salt and turmeric to this dough and to place it in a warm environment.

After the dough is ready, it is cut into small circles, which are put in boiled oil until they are completely done. Roqan Joushi bread is also decorated with pistachio nut powder or sugar.

6-Sweet and fatty Bread of Sirjan

Sirjan’s sweet and fatty bread is made from local wheat and has a special recipe. Oil, sugar, in some cases, milk are used to prepare the dough of this type of bread, which makes it very scrumptious and popular.

Fatty and sweet bread is mostly consumed during Nowruz and on such occasions as religious holidays and during the holy month of Ramadan, when people bake it to entertain guests.

Other breads are also baked in different parts of the vast province of Kerman.

Introduction to Kerman Province

Kerman is the largest province of Iran with its provincial capital being the city of Kerman. Kerman province is located in Iran’s southeast and it’s capital is one of the historical and cultural cities of Iran. Kerman province has 7 monuments listed as UNESCO world
heritage sites, including Prince Mahan’s garden, Meymand (Shahrbabak) Rocky Village, Bam Citadel, Lut Desert, two caravanserais and three aqueducts.

The province ranks first in Iran in this respect. Stone Garden, Ganj Ali Khan Bath and traditional bazaars are other tourist attractions of the city.

Israelis demand release of Gaza captives, early elections

By
IFP Media Wire
-
Israel Hostage

The Israeli broadcasting authority reported that the protesters gathered at Kaplan Square, calling for a hostage swap deal with Palestinian factions in the besieged enclave and for early elections.

Families of hostages held in Gaza also participated in the protests, delivering speeches in front of the demonstrators, according to the broadcasting authority.

According to the Israeli daily newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth, clashes erupted between police and protesters at Kaplan Square.

Thousands of more Israelis also gathered on Begin Street in front of the Defense Ministry in Tel Aviv.

Many people also demonstrated near the home of Israeli President Isaac Herzog in West Jerusalem, demanding the return of those held in Gaza and calling for early elections, according to Yedioth Ahronoth daily.

Additionally, thousands of Israelis protested near the residence of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Caesarea and thousands more in Haifa.

Demonstrations in Israel have intensified after a video released by Al-Qassam Brigades showed two hostages held in Gaza demanding the Israeli government to make a hostage swap deal to secure their release.

In response to the video, families of the hostages announced in a statement: “Israel must choose between (invading) Rafah or a deal (with Hamas),” the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth reported.

The families urged government members to release the hostages held in Gaza, even if it means ending the war.

Tel Aviv believes 134 Israelis are being held in Gaza, while Israel is holding some 9,000 Palestinians in its jails.

Israel has killed more than 34,300 Palestinians since an Oct. 7, 2023 cross-border attack by Hamas in which some 1,200 Israelis were killed and around 250 hostages taken.

A previous deal in November saw the release of 81 Israelis and 24 foreigners in exchange for 240 Palestinians, including 71 women and 169 children.

The US, Qatar and Egypt have tried to broker an agreement to release the remaining Israeli captives.

The conflict has pushed 85% of Gaza’s population into internal displacement amid acute shortages of food, clean water, and medicine, while 60% of the enclave’s infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which in January issued an interim ruling that ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.

Iraqi TikTok star shot dead in Baghdad

By
IFP Media Wire
-

The attack took place in the Zayouna area east of Baghdad on Friday night, and was captured on video by a surveillance camera and shared on social media. The video shows a gunman riding a motorcycle shooting and killing Sawadi on the spot. A Baghdad police source confirmed the authenticity of the video to CNN.

The country’s Interior Minister announced on Friday that it was “forming a specialized work team to find out the circumstances of the killing of a woman known on social media by unknown assailants”.

Sawadi was popular on TikTok, where she shared videos of herself dancing to pop music in form-fitting clothes. In the past, these videos were deemed inappropriate by Iraq’s judiciary. Sawadi was sentenced to six months in prison for “the crime of producing and publishing several films and videos containing obscene and indecent language, violating public decency and morals”, an Iraqi judiciary statement said.

Other Iraqi social media personalities have previously been targeted in deadly attacks.

Most recently, another popular Iraqi TikTok personality, Noor Alsaffar, known as Noor BM, was shot dead in Baghdad in September 2023, an Iraqi security source told CNN at the time.

Alsaffar, who had over 370,000 followers across Instagram and TikTok, posted short videos about fashion, hair, and makeup, also often dancing to music.

Following news of the shooting, many posted comments lamenting Alsaffar’s death, though others applauded it, celebrating the man who fired the shot.

Alsaffar’s killing came as Iraq’s parliament has passed a law criminalising same-sex relationships with a maximum 15-year prison sentence.

Official: Iran has become regional economic, industrial hub

By
IFP Editorial Staff
-
Iran car industry

Aliabadi noted that Iran’s foreign trade amounts to 153 billion dollars, of which 50 billion dollars account for non-oil exports.

He was speaking at the inauguration of the Iran Expo Exhibition in Tehran on Saturday.

Aliabadi said the most important goal of the exhibition is to expand international cooperation among participating countries.

He added that holding an exhibition with the participations of guests from 100 countries will help us get to know each other and will pave the way for doing business with ease.

According to the Iranian minister, neighboring, African and Muslim countries as well as other friendly nations are the priority for expanding relations.

Aliabadi noted that Iran is now an observer member of the World Trade Organization and we have constructive interactions with other countries through participating in regional and international agreements.

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