Gaza rescuers say Israeli air strikes kill 25

Gaza rescuers say Israeli air strikes kill 25
A displaced Palestinian woman cooks near an unexploded ordnance, with explosive materials removed and left behind by Israeli troops (AFP)
Short Url
Updated 20 April 2025

Gaza rescuers say Israeli air strikes kill 25

Gaza rescuers say Israeli air strikes kill 25
  • The overall death toll in the Gaza war has reached 51,201
  • Israel resumed its aerial and ground assault on Gaza on March 18

GAZA:: Gaza’s civil defense agency reported that Israeli air strikes since dawn on Sunday have killed at least 25 people across the Gaza Strip, including women and children.
Israel resumed its aerial and ground assault on Gaza on March 18, reigniting fighting after a two-month ceasefire that had paused more than 15 months of war in the coastal territory.
“Since dawn today, the occupation’s air strikes have killed 20 people and injured dozens more, including children and women across the Gaza Strip,” Mahmud Bassal, spokesman for the civil defense agency told AFP.
In a separate statement later, the agency reported that five people were killed in an Israeli drone strike on a group of civilians in eastern Rafah.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday vowed to continue the war and bring home the remaining hostages held in Gaza without yielding to Hamas’s demands.
“We are at a critical stage of the campaign, and at this point, we need patience and determination to win,” Netanyahu said in a statement, rejecting calls from the militants to end the war and withdraw troops from Gaza.
Since Israel resumed its offensive last month, at least 1,827 people have been killed in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry.
The overall death toll in the Gaza war has reached 51,201, the majority of them civilians, according to the ministry, figures the UN considers reliable.
The war broke out after Hamas’s unprecedented attack on Israel in October 2023, which resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people on the Israeli side, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.
During that attack, Palestinian militants abducted 251 people, 58 of whom are still held hostage in Gaza, including 34 the military says are dead.


Turkish Foreign Minister: Israel is working to stir chaos in Syria

Turkish Foreign Minister: Israel is working to stir chaos in Syria
Updated 12 sec ago

Turkish Foreign Minister: Israel is working to stir chaos in Syria

Turkish Foreign Minister: Israel is working to stir chaos in Syria

DUBAI: Turkish Foreign Minister said Syria is heading toward stability and developing constructive international relations on Wednesday. 

"Israel is working to stir chaos in Syria," he added.


Jordan authorities seize half a million Captagon pills in smuggling attempt 

Jordan authorities seize half a million Captagon pills in smuggling attempt 
Updated 5 min 18 sec ago

Jordan authorities seize half a million Captagon pills in smuggling attempt 

Jordan authorities seize half a million Captagon pills in smuggling attempt 

CAIRO: Jordanian Customs and the anti-narcotics department foiled an attempt to smuggle a total of 517,000 Captagon pills into the country, according to Petra News Agency. 

The Karameh Customs Center said Wednesday the seized drugs were professionally hidden inside metal trays that seemed to be designed specifically for the purpose of smuggling. 

The drugs were carried inside a truck arriving from a neighboring country, it added.     

At dawn, the Jordanian military also thwarted another drug smuggling attempt in which smugglers loaded balloons with drugs and controlled them using primitive devices. The seized items were transferred to the competent authorities.


Iraqi embassy in Washington reaffirms sovereignty amid new Iran border pact and US pressure

Iraqi embassy in Washington reaffirms sovereignty amid new Iran border pact and US pressure
Updated 18 min 17 sec ago

Iraqi embassy in Washington reaffirms sovereignty amid new Iran border pact and US pressure

Iraqi embassy in Washington reaffirms sovereignty amid new Iran border pact and US pressure
  • The remarks come in the wake of a new security pact signed between Iraq and Iran in Baghdad earlier this week
  • The timing of the agreement underscores the complex balancing act facing Baghdad. While deepening ties with Tehran, the Iraqi government is also under intensifying US pressure

WASHINGTON: The Iraqi Embassy in Washington reiterated on Wednesday, Baghdad’s right to independently conclude agreements and memoranda of understanding, asserting the country’s full sovereignty in the face of growing regional and international scrutiny.
According to the Iraqi News Agency, the embassy said Iraq “has the right to enter into agreements in accordance with its constitution and national laws, in a manner consistent with its supreme interests.” It emphasized that Iraq’s decisions are rooted in its “independent national will” and that the country “is not subordinate to the policies of any other state.”
The remarks come in the wake of a new security pact signed between Iraq and Iran in Baghdad earlier this week, aimed at tightening coordination along their shared border. The agreement, reached during the visit of Iranian official Ali Larijani, builds on a March 2023 deal to enhance security in Iraq’s Kurdish region, which Tehran accuses of harboring armed opposition groups.
Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani, who oversaw the signing, framed the pact as part of broader cooperation to secure both countries’ frontiers and promote regional stability. Iraqi officials say the measures are intended to curb cross-border infiltration by Iranian Kurdish groups accused by Tehran of fomenting unrest, and may include provisions for the extradition of opposition leaders.
The timing of the agreement underscores the complex balancing act facing Baghdad. While deepening ties with Tehran, the Iraqi government is also under intensifying US pressure to rein in pro-Iran militias, dismantle advanced weapons systems in their possession, and return militia-held territories to state control.


Houthi drones target Israel amid Gaza tensions, attack fails

Houthi drones target Israel amid Gaza tensions, attack fails
Updated 44 min 6 sec ago

Houthi drones target Israel amid Gaza tensions, attack fails

Houthi drones target Israel amid Gaza tensions, attack fails

DUBAI: The Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen claimed responsibility for launching six drones toward Israel on Tuesday evening, targeting Haifa, the Negev Desert, Eilat, and Beersheba.

The Israeli military said at least one drone was intercepted off the coast of Eilat, while the others likely fell short. No damage or casualties were reported.

Though the attack failed, it highlights the Houthis’ continued efforts to project force beyond Yemen amid regional tensions linked to the Gaza conflict.


Yemen appeals for urgent global aid as hunger crisis deepens

Yemen appeals for urgent global aid as hunger crisis deepens
Updated 47 min 11 sec ago

Yemen appeals for urgent global aid as hunger crisis deepens

Yemen appeals for urgent global aid as hunger crisis deepens
  • Yemen’s UN envoy Abdullah Al-Saadi said the loss of oil revenues, which once made up 70 percent of public income, has crippled state services and worsened living conditions for millions

DUBAI: Following the UN warning that food insecurity in Yemen has reached “disastrous” levels, the country’s government told the Security Council it is on the brink of economic collapse and urgently needs international support to avert further humanitarian catastrophe.

Yemen’s UN envoy Abdullah Al-Saadi said the loss of oil revenues, which once made up 70 percent of public income, has crippled state services and worsened living conditions for millions already struggling with hunger and displacement, state news agency SABA reported on Tuesday. 

Nearly half of Yemen’s children under five suffer acute malnutrition, with many already dying in displacement camps, the UN said. The government warned that the economic crisis, compounded by conflict, climate shocks, and declining aid, is pushing more people toward famine and eroding any prospects for recovery.

Al-Saadi urged donor nations and organizations to step up funding ahead of a planned international food security conference in October, saying Yemen “stands on the threshold of a difficult phase” and cannot stabilize without sustained external assistance.