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LONDON: Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani received the Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs Hakan Fidan at Lusail Palace in Doha on Sunday.
During the meeting, the two leaders discussed significant regional and international developments, especially those concerning Gaza, the Palestinian territories, and Syria.
Sheikh Tamim and Fidan reviewed strategic relations between Doha and Ankara, as well as ways to strengthen and develop ties, the Qatar News Agency reported.
DUBAI: Iran will continue talks with the UN nuclear watchdog and the two sides will probably have another round of negotiations in the coming days, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei told state media on Monday.
International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors have been unable to access Iranâs nuclear sites since Israel and the US bombed them during a 12-day war in June, despite IAEA chief Rafael Grossi stating that inspections remain his top priority.
âWe had talks (with the IAEA) last week. These talks will continue and there will be another round of talks between Iran and the agency probably in the coming days,â Baghaei said.
Tehran has accused the IAEA of effectively paving the way for the Israel-US attacks with a report on May 31 that led the IAEAâs 35-nation Board of Governors to declare Iran in breach of its non-proliferation obligations.
The Islamic Republic has long denied Western suspicions of a covert effort to develop nuclear weapons capability, saying it remains committed to the Non-Proliferation Treaty that mandates peaceful uses of atomic energy for signatories.
âThe level of our relations (with the IAEA) has changed after the events that took place, we do not deny that. However, our relations...remain direct,â Baghaei said during a televised weekly news conference.
Last month, Iran enacted a law passed by parliament suspending cooperation with the IAEA. The law stipulates that any future inspections of Iranian nuclear sites needs approval by Tehranâs Supreme National Security Council.
CAIRO: Fearing an Israeli onslaught could come soon, some Palestinian families began leaving eastern areas of Gaza City, now under constant Israeli bombardment, for points to the west and some explored evacuating further south.
Israelâs plan to seize control of Gaza City has stirred alarm abroad and at home where tens of thousands of Israelis held some of the largest protests seen since the war began, urging a deal to end the fighting and free the remaining 50 hostages held by Palestinian militants in Gaza.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has described Gaza City as Hamasâ last bastion. But, with Israel already holding 75 percent of Gaza, the military has warned that expanding the offensive could endanger hostages still alive and draw troops into protracted and deadly guerrilla warfare.
In Gaza City, many Palestinians have also been calling for protests soon to demand an end to a war that has demolished much of the territory and wrought a humanitarian disaster, and for Hamas to intensify talks to avert the Israeli ground offensive.
An Israeli armored incursion into Gaza City could see the displacement of hundreds of thousands of people, many of whom have been uprooted multiple times earlier in the war.
âThe people of Gaza City are like someone who received a death sentence and is awaiting execution,â said Tamer Burai, a Gaza City businessman.
âI am moving my parents and my family to the south today or tomorrow. I canât risk losing any of them should there be a surprising invasion,â he told Reuters via a chat app.
A protest is scheduled for Thursday in Gaza City by different unions, and people took to social media platforms vowing to participate, which will raise pressure on Hamas.
The last round of indirect ceasefire talks ended in late July in deadlock with the sides trading blame for its collapse.
Diplomatic deadlock
Israel says it will agree to cease hostilities if all the hostages are released and Hamas lays down its arms â the latter demand publicly rejected by the Islamist group until a Palestinian state is established.
Gaps also appear to linger regarding the extent of an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and how humanitarian aid will be delivered around the enclave, where malnutrition is rife and aid groups warn of unfolding famine.
On Saturday, the Israeli military said it was preparing to help equip Gazans with tents and other shelter equipment ahead of relocating them from combat zones to the south of the enclave. It did not provide further details on quantities or how long it would take to get the equipment into the enclave.
Palestinian economist Mohammad Abu Jayyab said at least 100,000 new tents would be needed to house those heading to central and southern areas of the coastal strip should Israel begin its offensive or the army orders Gaza Cityâs entire population to evacuate.
âThe existing tents where people are living have worn out, and they wouldnât protect people against rainwater. There are no new tents in Gaza because of the (Israeli) restrictions on aid at the (border) crossings,â Abu Jayyab said.
He said some families from Gaza City had begun renting property and shelters in the south and moved in their belongings.
âSome people learned from previous experience, and they donât want to be taken by surprise. Also, some think it is better to move earlier to find a space,â Abu Jayyab added.
The UN humanitarian office said last week 1.35 million people were already in need of emergency shelter items in Gaza.
The war began when Hamas-led militants stormed across the border into southern Israel on October 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages back to Gaza, according to Israeli tallies.
More than 61,000 Palestinians have since been killed in Israelâs ensuing air and ground war in Gaza, according to local health officials, with most of the 2.2 million population internally displaced.
Five more Palestinians have died of malnutrition and starvation in the past 24 hours, the Gaza health ministry said on Monday, raising the number of people who died of those causes to 263, including 112 children, since the war started.
Israel disputed the figures provided by the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory.
DUBAI: Dubai police said on Monday they caught three thieves just hours after they stole a precious pink diamond worth $25 million.
âThe Dubai Police General Command has foiled the theft of a very rare pink diamond, valued at $25 million,â the police said in a statement shared by the United Arab Emiratesâ official news agency WAM.
A diamond trader who had brought the jewel from Europe was lured to a villa by a crime gang under the pretense of a viewing by a potential wealthy client, police said.
But the gem was stolen when the diamond dealer arrived for the bogus inspection, the statement added.
Within eight hours three people from an unspecified Asian country were arrested âthanks to the efforts of specialized and field teams, and by using the latest artificial intelligence technologies,â police said.
Video footage shared by the Dubai Media Office showed the three men with their faces blurred after their arrest as well as CCTV footage of the gang.
Dubai is an important hub for diamond trading. Tightly controlled and policed, the UAE prides itself on its security and stability.
ISTANBUL: At least four migrants died after falling into the sea from their rubber dinghy on Monday off the western coast of Turkiye, officials said.
The incident took place off the coast of the Karaburun district, the coast guard command said in a statement.
Officials rescued two migrants and found four bodies, and were still searching for more missing with the help of a helicopter, drone, five boats and a larger vessel.
It was not immediately clear how many migrants the boat carried or what their nationality was.
Many migrants embark on the short but perilous route between the Turkish coast and the nearby Greek islands of Samos, Rhodes and Lesbos, which serve as entry points to the European Union.
