Middle East Monitor Latest news from the Middle East and North Africa

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  Pakistan providing Saudi Arabia ‘whatever support needed’ amid Houthi attacks: Army spokesman

  by Marwa A on October 19, 2026

  Pakistan is providing Saudi Arabia with “whatever support is needed” to defend the kingdom amid attacks by Yemen’s Houthi group, a Pakistani military spokesman said in an interview aired Sunday, Anadolu reports. “It’s non-negotiable; it’s absolute as far as Pakistan is concerned,” Pakistan Army spokesman Lt. Gen. Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry told Independent Arabia. “So whatever support is needed to do that is being provided and will be provided,” he said, adding that alliances do not publicly disclose the specifics or extent of military support. His remarks came amid Houthi attacks targeting Saudi oil and financial infrastructure, including airports, in recent weeks. Chaudhry said Saudi Arabia’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and the security of the two holy mosques were “paramount” for Pakistan.

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  How to Sell a Genocide: The Media’s Complicity in the Destruction of Gaza

  by Marwa A on October 19, 2026

  The dispute over whether Israel’s assault on Gaza amounts to genocide has largely been settled. Amnesty International, a UN commission of inquiry and the International Association of Genocide Scholars have all reached that conclusion, as have many leading scholars of genocide. The question that remains is how the greatest political crime of our time was allowed to happen. Adam H. Johnson’s How to Sell a Genocide goes a long way to explaining it. Published by Pluto Press with a foreword by the Palestinian American human rights lawyer Noura Erakat, the book covers the crucial period from October 2023 to October 2024, when Western audiences were primed for genocide. Johnson shows that the mainstream American media did much of the priming.

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  Egypt postpones until next week vote on military support for Saudi Arabia

  by Marwa A on October 19, 2026

  Egypt’s parliament has postponed for a week, until Oct. 26, a vote on authorizing military support to help defend Saudi Arabia if it requests assistance, Anadolu reports. Egypt’s parliament decided to postpone the vote during Monday’s session, which followed a similar meeting held on Sunday, reported state-run daily Akhbar el-Yom. The parliament had also adjourned Sunday’s session, deferring further deliberations until Monday. The discussions came at the request of Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi, who said on Saturday that Cairo would take all necessary measures to defend Saudi Arabia if it requests assistance. Saudi Arabia has recently come under attack by Yemen’s Houthi group. Yemen has been engulfed in conflict since the Houthis seized the capital Sanaa and several provinces in

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  Israel violating US-mediated framework agreement, Lebanese president says

  by EditorMehdi on October 19, 2026

  Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said Monday that Israel has failed to comply with a US-mediated framework agreement signed in June and continues daily violations in southern Lebanon, reaffirming his country’s commitment to a diplomatic solution, Anadolu reports. Aoun made the remarks during a meeting with Arab League Secretary-General Nabil Fahmy at the presidential palace in Baabda, east of Beirut, according to a statement from the Lebanese presidency. “The Israelis have not adhered to the framework agreement, and the south continues to face daily violations,” Aoun said. He stressed that continued Israeli violations would not achieve their objectives but would instead strengthen the Lebanese people’s determination to defend their land and rights. Aoun said the violations were obstructing the Lebanese state’s

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  Iran says 20 to 30 aircraft destroyed during war with US, Israel

  by EditorMehdi on October 19, 2026

  Between 20 and 30 aircraft were destroyed during Iran’s war with the US and Israel, the head of the country’s state-owned flag carrier said Monday, according to the semi-official Tasnim news agency. Taher Abdolhai, CEO of Iran Air, also known as HOMA, said at a news conference that Iran needs approximately 1,000 passenger aircraft but currently has only around 300. Of those, between 130 and 140 aircraft were operational before the war, with 20 to 30 destroyed during the conflict, he said. Abdolhai also said between 70 and 80 aircraft were targeted during the war. He claimed Israeli attacks had caused particularly severe damage to Iran Air aircraft, saying some planes belonging to other operators were struck by single missiles,

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  UK threatens sanctions against firms linked to Israel’s illegal settlements in West Bank

  by EditorMehdi on October 19, 2026

  British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband on Monday warned companies and individuals against bidding for construction projects linked to illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, citing potential sanctions, Anadolu reports. “We urge businesses and individuals not to proceed with bids for E1 construction tenders,” Miliband said in a statement. He warned that participation in the project could carry legal and reputational consequences, including the risk of involvement in serious breaches of international law. “I want to be very clear with those considering engaging in the tendering process: we have created new powers allowing us to sanction individuals and companies involved in the construction of illegal settlements such as E1,” Miliband said. READ: British premier defends sanctions on illegal Israeli settlements

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  Israel’s Ben-Gvir uses fines against mosques in election campaigning

  by EditorMehdi on October 19, 2026

  Extremist Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir on Monday used penalties imposed on mosques to promote his election campaign, boasting about a fine issued to a mosque in the southern town of Tel Sheva, Anadolu reports. The move comes amid intensifying competition among Israeli political parties ahead of elections scheduled for Oct. 27, with Arab parties accusing Ben-Gvir of exploiting measures against the Arab community in Israel for electoral purposes and to intimidate Arab voters. On Sunday, Israeli police, who fall under Ben-Gvir’s authority, raided Al-Rahma Mosque in the Abu Anza neighborhood of Tel Sheva and issued a fine over the alleged excessive volume of its loudspeakers. Posting a photo of the mosque on Telegram on Monday, Ben-Gvir said police

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  UN food agency cuts Gaza assistance by one-third amid funding shortages

  by EditorMehdi on October 19, 2026

  The UN World Food Program (WFP) announced Monday that funding shortages have forced it to cut food assistance in the Gaza Strip by around one-third, leaving half a million people without critical support as winter approaches, Anadolu reports. In a statement, the agency said it is now assisting 1.1 million vulnerable people in Gaza, down from 1.6 million last month, while food rations have been halved. Families receiving assistance will now get one food parcel instead of two, along with a smaller bag of wheat flour, it said. The number of daily hot meals has also dropped from 250,000 to 150,000, while families in hard-to-reach areas, including near the Israeli army-controlled “yellow line,” will receive meals every other day instead

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  Trump can strike Iran again. He cannot bomb Hormuz open

  by EditorMehdi on October 19, 2026

  A navy can control water. It can’t make a merchant captain sail through it. Warships stop missiles, sure, but no admiral can promise a shipping company that its crew, its cargo and its insurance cover will all survive the next voyage. That gap is the real problem in the US-Iran war, and airstrikes alone won’t close it. Look at what happened this month. Kpler data shows nearly 20.8 million barrels of oil passed through the strait on 8th October, but only 2.9 million on 11th October. A single day proves little, and Washington disputes independent tracking of the strait anyway. CENTCOM says about 97 percent of ships seeking to transit have done so without being hit. Still, the drop shows

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  When diplomacy arrived in Jakarta and justice did not

  by EditorMehdi on October 19, 2026

  The paradox has acquired a second dimension, and it is written in the ruins of Gaza. Indonesia, a nation that presents itself to the world as a rising democratic power and an indispensable partner for global stability, now positions itself as a moral voice for Palestine while presiding over a domestic order in which liberty is conditional, and dissent is reframed as betrayal.  Under President Prabowo Subianto, this is not a story of isolated abuses. It is the architecture of a state that has learned to speak the language of international responsibility while hollowing out the rights it claims to protect—at home and, increasingly, in its diplomatic conduct abroad. The same logic that shields Jakarta from scrutiny over West Papua

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  From TAPI to CASA-1000: How can Afghanistan benefit from energy corridors?

  by EditorMehdi on October 19, 2026

  In Herat, construction on the TAPI pipeline is advancing, raising questions about when local businesses and households might receive its gas. TOLOnews, citing Afghanistan’s Ministry of Mines and Petroleum, reported that nearly 25 kilometres of pipeline had been laid, with more of the route prepared for construction. For Afghan consumers, the practical questions concern supply: who will receive the gas, at what price, and through which distribution network? These questions deserve as much attention as construction milestones. TAPI and CASA-1000 could give Afghanistan a stronger role in regional energy trade. The challenge is to secure domestic gains from projects whose commercial logic extends well beyond its borders. Two corridors, different purposes TAPI is intended to carry Turkmen gas through Afghanistan

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  Resisting Erasure: Libraries in Palestine and Palestine in Libraries

  by EditorMehdi on October 19, 2026

  In the foreword to Resisting Erasure: Libraries in Palestine and Palestine in Libraries (Litwin Books, 2026), Emily Drabinksy writes about the difficulties encountered while indexing articles about settler colonialism and apartheid in the occupied West Bank in 2003. “The thesaurus I was required to use did not include such terms in relation to the territory known as Israel. In fact, Palestine did not exist at all, except as a historical formation.” Indexing anything related to Palestine under Arab-Israel conflict, Drabinski notes, erased the Palestinian experience while lending impunity to Israel’s violence and the US role in arming Israel.  Editors Nora Lester Murad and Mary L. Onorato situate the book within the impact of the metaphor and reality of war: the

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  The very stable genius, nine years later

  by EditorMehdi on October 19, 2026

  In January 2018, after a book questioned his mental fitness, the president of the United States sat down and wrote his own diagnosis. “My two greatest assets have been mental stability and being, like, really smart,” he tweeted. “I think that would qualify as not smart, but genius. And a very stable genius at that!” He was 71 years old. Nearly nine years and one reelection later, the self-assessment has not moved an inch. The facts around it have. Start with the war he promised would never happen. Trump campaigned twice on ending American wars, not starting them. In January, the US military struck targets across Venezuela and extracted President Nicolás Maduro, who now sits in a New York jail

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  Trump, Epstein, and the Netanyahu endorsement: The strange standards of Western shame

  by EditorMehdi on October 19, 2026

  There is something magnificently obscene about a civilization that treats association with a sex trafficker as a moral scandal but endorsement of a leader accused of genocide as statesmanship. Donald Trump’s enthusiastic endorsement of Benjamin Netanyahu ahead of Israel’s October 27 elections exposes a truth Western imperial power has long concealed beneath its civilizational pretensions: barbarism is supposedly what the darker nations do. Mass killing, when perpetrated by favored allies, becomes foreign policy. Jeffrey Epstein is a scandal. Benjamin Netanyahu is celebrated. One association invites repudiation; the other earns presidential endorsement. Behold the moral double standard of empire: depravity is condemned when it embarrasses power and defended when it serves it. Trump’s association with Epstein has become politically radioactive, prompting

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  What a Somali-British MP reveals about Europe’s hijab obsession

  by EditorMehdi on October 19, 2026

  What would George Orwell make of today’s debates over identity, integration, and the Muslim veil in Europe? It is an impossible question, of course. Orwell has been dead for more than seventy years. Yet one of literature’s great privileges is that it allows us to bring the dead back into contemporary arguments, if only as witnesses against our assumptions. To imagine Orwell’s answer, it is worth returning to his lesser-known observations from Morocco in 1938. His notes were never intended as a comprehensive study of Moroccan society, nor should they be treated as one today. Yet they remain striking precisely because they were written by an Englishman who arrived with inherited assumptions and left with a more complicated picture than

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  Overland lifelines under pressure: Iran’s trade with its neighbours

  by EditorMehdi on October 19, 2026

  Iran is turning to its land borders for ways to keep trade moving as the U.S. naval blockade constrains shipping. But these routes are best seen as a buffer, not a substitute for maritime trade. They can help move selected goods, give merchants more options, and support businesses in border regions. They cannot make up for lost oil revenue, and they depend on infrastructure and political cooperation that Iran cannot control alone. The recent suspension of trade at two crossings with Pakistan is a reminder that land routes, too, can be disrupted with little warning. The blockade and the shift to land The loss of crude exports is at the heart of the problem. Citing Vortexa, Reuters reported that Iran’s

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  Lavrov says Trump’s Gaza plan remains ‘ink on paper,’ calls for Palestinian statehood

  by EditorMehdi on October 19, 2026

  Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Sunday that US President Donald Trump’s plan for the Gaza Strip remains “ink on paper,” arguing that the principles outlined in the initiative have not been respected. Lavrov made the remarks during the ninth ministerial meeting of the strategic dialogue between Russia and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), held in Bahrain’s capital, Manama. According to remarks reported by Sputnik Arabic, Lavrov criticized the lack of progress in implementing the US-backed initiative and said the prospect of a political settlement leading to an independent Palestinian state remained distant. The Russian foreign minister also praised regional mediation efforts aimed at preventing further escalation, emphasizing the need for solutions that address the underlying causes of regional conflicts.

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  Iraq seeks to host talks between Iran and Gulf States in Baghdad

  by EditorMehdi on October 19, 2026

  Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein said Sunday that Baghdad is working to organise a meeting between Iran and Gulf states as part of diplomatic efforts to narrow differences and promote regional stability. Speaking at the conclusion of the 52nd session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), Hussein said Iraq was maintaining contacts with both sides to facilitate dialogue. “There are ongoing communications between Iraq, the Gulf states, and Iran aimed at bringing their perspectives closer together,” Hussein said, according to the Iraqi News Agency (INA). “We are working to hold a meeting in Baghdad between Iran and the Gulf states,” he added, without specifying a date or the level of representation expected. The

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  Gaza security-linked website warns of increased Israeli intelligence activity ahead of parliamentary elections

  by EditorMehdi on October 19, 2026

  A website affiliated with Palestinian armed groups’ security networks has warned of increased Israeli intelligence activity in the Gaza Strip ahead of Israel’s parliamentary elections scheduled for 27th October, raising concerns about possible targeted assassinations. On Sunday, Al-Majd Security, a website described as close to the security apparatus of armed groups in Gaza, reported that field observations and intelligence assessments indicated heightened Israeli surveillance activity across the territory. The website cited an increased presence of Israeli unmanned aerial vehicles, including surveillance drones locally known as zannana, as an indication of intensified intelligence operations. It also reported that other drones had been observed flying at low altitudes near residential areas, prompting concerns about potential surprise attacks. READ: Secret meeting held between US

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  Winter rains deepen Gaza’s humanitarian crisis as displaced families face severe shelter shortages

  by EditorMehdi on October 19, 2026

  The return of winter rains is worsening humanitarian conditions in the Gaza Strip, where widespread destruction, repeated displacement and shortages of adequate shelter have left hundreds of thousands of Palestinians exposed to cold weather and flooding. According to figures compiled by Arabi21 from government authorities and United Nations agencies, many displaced families are living in deteriorating tents or damaged buildings that provide little protection against rain and falling temperatures. Field assessments indicate that more than 162,000 of approximately 270,000 tents in Gaza have become worn out or completely unusable because of prolonged use and exposure to harsh weather. Gaza’s Ministry of Social Development has called for the urgent provision of 200,000 weather-resistant tents and 300,000 shelter kits, including thermal insulation

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  Ben-Gvir accuses Netanyahu of promising European countries to exclude his party from next government

  by EditorMehdi on October 19, 2026

  Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office on Sunday of assuring several European Union countries that his far-right Otzma Yehudit (Jewish Power) party would not be included in the next government. According to the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth, Ben-Gvir claimed to have obtained documented information indicating that Netanyahu’s office had communicated the commitment to European officials. “According to confirmed and documented information that has reached me in recent days, the Prime Minister’s office has formally pledged to several European Union countries that Ben-Gvir will not be part of the next government,” he said. Ben-Gvir added that the message had been conveyed to foreign ministers and other senior officials, informing them that Netanyahu did not intend

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  UNICEF says 60,000 children in Gaza have lost one or both parents during war

  by EditorMehdi on October 19, 2026

  Approximately 60,000 children in the Gaza Strip have lost one or both parents during the war, according to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), which warned of the lasting psychological and humanitarian consequences for children affected by the conflict. Speaking at a press briefing at the Palais des Nations in Geneva, UNICEF communications officer and deputy spokesperson Riccardo Pires said around 800,000 children remain displaced, with most living in tents or damaged buildings considered unsafe. Pires said nearly all displaced children require some form of mental health and psychosocial support to help them cope with the trauma of the war. He also reported that more than 340 children have been killed and hundreds injured in Gaza since the ceasefire was

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  Guardiola criticise Israeli policies, urges world not to stay silent over Gaza children’s suffering

  by EditorMehdi on October 19, 2026

  Former Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has renewed his support for the Palestinian people, calling for continued solidarity with them and urging the world not to remain silent over their suffering. In a video message published by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) on Sunday, the Spanish coach spoke about the humanitarian crisis facing Palestinians, particularly children who have lost their families and homes during Israel’s war on the Gaza Strip. READ: ‘This is our problem’: Guardiola speaks out on Gaza genocide, global injustice In the video, shared by UNRWA’s Spanish-language account on X, Guardiola stressed that the victims of the war were not just numbers, but people with names, families and dreams. He warned against

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  A year after El Fasher tragedy, atrocities continue to haunt Hemedti’s forces

  by EditorMehdi on October 19, 2026

  A year after El Fasher was overrun, the atrocities committed there continue to draw international scrutiny, as reports document the scale of serious violations by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) following their takeover of the city. The RSF is a Sudanese paramilitary force led by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti, which has been fighting the Sudanese army, led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, since April 2023. READ: IOM warns El Obeid risks becoming another El Fasher’ as fighting intensifies in Sudan The city’s fall came after a year-long siege marked by starvation and widespread atrocities. As reports of abuses and systematic crimes continue to emerge, Hemedti’s forces face mounting pressure at international forums over the suffering inflicted on victims in

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  Israeli media: 110,000 people evading military service

  by EditorMehdi on October 19, 2026

  The number of people classified as evading military service in the Israeli army has risen to around 110,000, up from about 75,000 at the beginning of 2026. Israeli public broadcaster Kan reported on Sunday evening that the increase followed the activation of tens of thousands of military call-up orders, with the number expected to rise further in the coming period. According to Israeli army estimates, ultra-Orthodox Jews, known as Haredim, account for around 80 per cent of those currently classified as evading military service. Despite the unprecedented number and a Supreme Court ruling stressing that the law must be enforced against draft evaders, enforcement measures remain largely frozen, with only limited exceptions. READ: Thousands of Haredim protest in Jerusalem against Israeli

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  Gaza education ministry calls for urgent international action to protect schoolchildren after 3 killed

  by EditorMehdi on October 19, 2026

  The Ministry of Education and Higher Education on Sunday called for urgent international action to protect schoolchildren in the Gaza Strip, warning of growing threats to their lives amid what it described as increasing targeting by Israeli forces. The ministry issued the statement after three students were killed by Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip over the past 24 hours. It stressed the urgent need to protect children and ensure their right to reach schools and other educational facilities and continue their education safely. The ministry said putting students’ lives at risk while travelling to and from school threatens their fundamental rights and requires immediate international intervention to stop attacks against them and ensure a safe learning environment. READ: UN chief

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  Egypt unveils new laser system to intercept drones in Sinai

  by EditorMehdi on October 19, 2026

  Israeli media outlets specialising in military affairs have reported the appearance of a new Egyptian laser system during Second Field Army exercises in Sinai, highlighting its ability to intercept drones and comparing it with similar systems worldwide. The Israeli platform Nziv Net reported that the Egyptian laser system, named EGY-HEL 01, was officially unveiled this month during live-fire exercises conducted by Egypt’s Second Field Army. The name is likely an abbreviation for Egyptian High-Energy Laser, version one, it said. The platform said the system was designed to intercept drones, primarily providing short-range air defence against unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), small drones and projectiles. READ: Sisi warns against threats to Saudi Arabia, says Gulf security is linked to Egypt’s national security It

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  Houthis declare Saudi airspace unsafe, exempting Mecca, Medina

  by EditorMehdi on October 19, 2026

  Yemen’s Houthis have warned employees, workers and citizens to stay away from Saudi oil facilities, declaring Saudi airspace unsafe except over the cities of Mecca and Medina. The Houthi-run Saba news agency quoted a military source as saying: “Saudi airspace is unsafe, except over Mecca and Medina.” The source added: “Those who have been warned have no excuse,” in a fresh threat amid continuing military escalation in the region. The military source also urged shareholders in Saudi oil giant Aramco to sell their shares, saying: “To avoid losses, we advise Aramco shareholders to withdraw their shares before it is too late.” The group gave no further details about the nature of the threats or any action it might take. READ: Saudi

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  Palestinian girl killed by Israeli army fire in central Gaza

  by Marwa A on October 18, 2026

  A Palestinian girl was killed by Israeli army fire in the central Gaza Strip on Sunday, the official Palestinian news agency WAFA reported, Anadolu reports. Medical sources said Misk Hazem al-Dalou died from wounds sustained when Israeli forces opened fire toward tents housing displaced Palestinians in the Maghazi refugee camp. Separately, Israeli military vehicles opened heavy fire toward tents sheltering displaced Palestinians in the al-Mawasi area of Rafah in southern Gaza. Israeli artillery also shelled areas northeast of Khan Younis. The attacks came despite a ceasefire in effect in Gaza since Oct. 10, 2025, amid continued Israeli violations of the agreement. At least 1,511 Palestinians have been killed and 5,375 injured in Israeli attacks since the ceasefire, according to Gaza’s

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  Vance acknowledges ‘failures’ in US handling of Iran war

  by Marwa A on October 18, 2026

  US Vice President JD Vance acknowledged “a lot of mistakes and a lot of fundamental failures” in the handling of the Iran war, as he faced questions over the conflict’s rising human and economic costs during a CBS News town hall, Anadolu reports. Vance made the remarks in response to Joey Amor, whose wife, Master Sgt. Nicole Amor, was among six US Army Reserve soldiers killed in an Iranian strike on a military site in Kuwait in the opening hours of the war that began in late February. At least 21 US service members have been killed and hundreds wounded so far. Amor questioned reports that the facility had not been adequately secured, demanding accountability from the Trump administration. “Though

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  EU condemns Israeli occupier attacks on Palestinians, European diplomats in occupied West Bank

  by Marwa A on October 18, 2026

  The EU on Sunday strongly condemned recent attacks by violent Israeli occupiers in the occupied West Bank, including attacks targeting European diplomats, Anadolu reports. In a statement, the EU’s diplomatic service acknowledged condemnations by several Israeli representatives but called for accountability and concrete measures to prevent further violence. “The EU strongly condemns the latest attacks by violent settlers in the West Bank, including on European diplomats,” the statement said. The bloc said it expected “full accountability as well as effective measures to prevent continued acts of violence and violent harassment against Palestinians, including during the ongoing olive harvest season, as well as against journalists.” It also urged Israel to comply fully with international humanitarian and human rights law and halt

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  Egyptian parliament adjourns session on potential military support for Saudi Arabia

  by Marwa A on October 18, 2026

  Egypt’s parliament adjourned a Sunday emergency session to discuss authorizing military support for Saudi Arabia, Anadolu reports. A second session to discuss the matter will be held on Monday, Egypt’s Al Qahera News channel reported, without revealing further details. The session came at the request of Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi, who said on Saturday that Cairo would take all necessary measures to defend Saudi Arabia if Riyadh requested assistance. Saudi Arabia has recently come under attack by Yemen’s Houthi group. Yemen has been engulfed in conflict since the Houthis seized the capital Sanaa and several provinces in September 2014. That prompted a Saudi-led coalition to intervene in March 2015 in support of the internationally recognized government. While a UN-brokered truce

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  California governor says US military aid to Israel must be conditioned

  by Marwa A on October 18, 2026

  California Governor Gavin Newsom said Saturday that US military aid to Israel “has to be conditioned,” describing the position as increasingly becoming the Democratic Party’s consensus as he campaigns in New Hampshire ahead of a potential 2028 presidential run, Anadolu reports. “Aid has to be conditioned,” Newsom told the Washington Examiner, citing settler violence in the occupied West Bank and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s policies, which he said undermine prospects for a two-state solution. “Bibi Netanyahu has done a remarkable job of really isolating himself from the rest of the world and increasingly from the American people,” Newsom said, adding that “the damage he’s done is incalculable.” Newsom called Israel’s war in Gaza a “moral catastrophe” but declined to

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  Gaza buries remains of 75 Palestinians recovered from rubble of homes destroyed by Israel

  by Marwa A on October 18, 2026

  Hundreds of Palestinians on Sunday attended the funeral of 75 people, including women and children, whose remains were recently recovered from beneath the rubble of homes destroyed by Israeli forces in Gaza City during the early months of Israel’s genocidal war, Anadolu reports. The funeral procession began outside the Daraj Sports Club before the remains were buried at Sheikh Radwan Cemetery in Gaza City. The remains, wrapped in Palestinian flags, had been laid out at the site Saturday evening to allow relatives to bid farewell. Abdullah al-Majdalawi, director of public relations and media for Gaza’s Civil Defense, told Anadolu that the remains had been recovered over recent weeks from several destroyed homes in the Daraj neighborhood in northeastern Gaza City.

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  Egypt’s defence council pledges ‘all forms of support’ to defend Saudi Arabia amid escalating Houthi attacks

  by Marwa A on October 18, 2026

  Egypt’s National Defence Council on Sunday pledged to provide Saudi Arabia with “all necessary and possible forms of support” to defend its security and stability amid escalating Houthi attacks on the kingdom, Anadolu reports. The council, chaired by President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi at the presidential palace in Cairo, reviewed “dangerous” regional developments, particularly the escalating attacks on Saudi Arabia, Egypt’s State Information Service (SIS) said in a statement. It declared Egypt’s “full solidarity” with Saudi Arabia, citing the historical ties between the two countries and stressing that Saudi national security is linked to Egyptian and Arab national security. The council decided to provide “all necessary and possible forms of support” to Saudi Arabia to defend its security and stability, protect

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  UK police take no further action against security adviser’s wife over Palestine Action post

  by Marwa A on October 18, 2026

  British police said Saturday they would take no further action against the wife of the government’s national security adviser over a social media post referencing the banned group Palestine Action, Anadolu reports. Sarah Helm, who is married to Jonathan Powell, wrote on the US social media company X on Thursday: “God help us authors who support Palestine and Palestine Action.” London’s Metropolitan Police said the post was “assessed by specialist officers and it was determined that it did not meet the criminal threshold,” the BBC reported. “No further police action will be taken,” the force added. The announcement came a day after police said they were assessing the post to determine whether further investigation was required. Helm was responding to

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  The language of extermination: NAZA, Artificial Intelligence and Gaza

  by Marwa A on October 18, 2026

  The 80-minute documentary NAZA, directed by Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, is chastening.  It examines the conduct of the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) during its ferocious, unremitting war in Gaza, drawing upon the interviews of 24 anonymised military and intelligence personnel.  The interviews were filmed on Tel Aviv rooftops at night, with profiles and voices appropriately altered.  The name of the documentary draws on a Hebrew acronym for nezek agavi or collateral damage, an obscene term used when counting the estimated number of civilians who will perish in a military strike.  Last month, the film won the Special Jury Prize at the 83rd Venice International Film Festival, receiving a standing ovation lasting 25 minutes. The interviewees focus on the terrifyingly

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  If Anne Frank were alive today

  by Marwa A on October 18, 2026

  Anne Frank would be 97 years old if she were alive in 2026. We know that her life was cut short by the German Gestapo. Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in Germany bears the mark of her last days, where she bade adieu to this world for good. She became a Holocaust celebrity throughout the world. She hid in the secret annex in her father’s business premises in Amsterdam. Children around the world grew up reading the diary she kept as her only companion to fight suffocation in her hiding place due to Nazi Germany’s Jewish pogrom. If she were alive today, what would she do? First, she would ask Hitler for which crime the Jews were killed? Then she would ask

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  Thousands rally in Tunis against President Saied

  by EditorMehdi on October 17, 2026

  Thousands of people protested against Tunisian President Kais Saied’s policies in Tunis on Saturday, calling for freedom of expression and the protection of civil liberties, Anadolu reports. The demonstration began outside the headquarters of the Tunisian General Labour Union (UGTT) and was organized by the union, civil society organizations and political parties. Protesters marched through the capital, chanting slogans opposing the government and demanding greater freedoms. They also called for Saied’s resignation. Representatives and supporters of various political groups, including the People’s Movement, the Ennahda Movement and the National Salvation Front, joined the march. At a rally outside the municipal theater at the end of the march, UGTT Secretary-General Salah Eddine Salmi said that if the authorities sidelined dialogue, the

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  Cosmic Breath: Global calls to prayer answer rising Islamophobia in London

  by EditorMehdi on October 17, 2026

  Tucked away just a stone’s throw from the relentless hum of Oxford Street, a new sonic sanctuary has taken root in central London. Joe Namy, an American-born Lebanese artist and composer whose practice encompasses sound, its history, and its physical impact on the built environment, has brought his multi-channel sound installation, Cosmic Breath, to the UK capital, Anadolu reports. The work is reimagined for Ibraaz’s Musalla, a space dedicated to spiritual practice as both lived experience and creative expression. Composed of recordings of the adhan—the Islamic call to prayer—the installation brings together historical and contemporary calls from different geographies, amplified through horn speakers like those mounted on mosque minarets. Played simultaneously, each speaker softly emits a different adhan recording, inviting

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  Belgium condemns attack by Israeli occupiers on Palestinians, diplomats in West Bank

  by EditorMehdi on October 17, 2026

  Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot on Saturday strongly condemned an attack by masked Israeli occupiers against Palestinians, diplomats and Catholic representatives in Taybeh in the occupied West Bank, Anadolu reports. “I condemn in the strongest terms the attack by masked settlers in Taybeh, in the occupied West Bank, against Palestinians, our Consul General, French and Polish diplomats as well as catholic representatives. A French mayor was assaulted and a Belgian vehicle damaged. Our team is safe,” Prevot said. He stressed that Palestinians face such violence daily, with occupiers also targeting journalists and diplomats. “Harvesting olives, reporting the news or carrying out diplomatic duties should never put anyone at risk of attack,” he said on US social media company X. READ: Israeli

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  Hegseth says Iran has choice between deal or ‘devastation’

  by EditorMehdi on October 17, 2026

  US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Saturday that Iran faces a choice between abandoning its “nuclear ambitions” and reaching a deal or facing devastating military action, Anadolu reports. “Iran’s going to have a choice to make real quick about whether they’re going to give those up at the table or face the kind of devastation that America can bring and will bring swiftly if necessary,” Hegseth told Reserve Officers’ Training Corps cadets and military recruits at the University of Tennessee. He accused Tehran of building a large conventional missile arsenal to deter military action while pursuing “nuclear ambitions,” arguing that US military strength was essential to forcing adversaries to negotiate. READ: Iran says renewed talks with US require ‘credible guarantees’ against

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  US Rep. Ilhan Omar challenges legality of FBI home search: WSJ

  by EditorMehdi on October 17, 2026

  The defense of US Congresswoman Ilhan Omar have challenged the legality of a search of her Washington home, demanding that federal prosecutors immediately return all seized property and provide recordings made during the operation, The Wall Street Journal reported on Saturday. In a letter sent late Friday, the Minnesota Democrat’s legal team argued that the search, conducted by Homeland Security Investigations agents early Monday under a federal judge-approved warrant, was “neither justified nor lawful.” According to the Journal, the investigation focuses partly on how Omar, 44, obtained US citizenship after arriving from Somalia decades ago. “There is no legitimate basis for any suggestion that she has violated any law concerning her citizenship status,” the letter said. Her lawyers alleged that

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  Israeli occupiers attack European diplomatic delegation in occupied West Bank

  by EditorMehdi on October 17, 2026

  Israeli occupiers attacked a diplomatic delegation comprising representatives from France, Belgium and Poland on Saturday while visiting the town of Taybeh, central occupied West Bank, causing injuries. The attack took place after an official ceremony marking the signing of a twinning agreement between the Palestinian town of Taybeh and the French town of Saint-Pierre, Taybeh Mayor Suleiman Khourieh told Anadolu Agency. The ceremony was attended by the French and Belgian consuls, a Polish representative whose name was not disclosed, and Saint-Pierre Mayor Christian Ravain. The attack targeted the delegation in the western part of the town, as well as Palestinians who were picking olives. It left several town residents injured and shattered the window of a vehicle belonging to the

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  Egyptian parliament to discuss authorizing action to defend Saudi Arabia if requested

  by EditorMehdi on October 17, 2026

  Egypt’s parliament will convene a plenary session on Sunday following a call by President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi for authorization to provide Saudi Arabia with defensive aid if requested, Anadolu reports. “In light of the president’s request, it has been decided to hold the council’s plenary session at 1 pm (1000GMT) tomorrow, Sunday, 18 October 2026,” Egypt’s Al-Ahram newspaper cited the parliament as saying in a Saturday statement. Speaking at the Egyptian Military Academy’s graduation ceremony in the New Capital on Saturday, Sisi said Egypt would take all necessary measures to defend Saudi Arabia if Riyadh requested assistance. READ: Sisi warns against threats to Saudi Arabia, says Gulf security is linked to Egypt’s national security He noted that any such action would require

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  Iran says renewed talks with US require ‘credible guarantees’ against new attacks

  by EditorMehdi on October 17, 2026

  Iran remains open to negotiations but requires “credible guarantees” before resuming talks, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Saturday, state news agency IRNA reported. “Iran does not accept coercion, threats and intimidation and will not relinquish its sovereign rights under pressure. But it remains ready for dialogue based on mutual respect and credible guarantees,” Araghchi told the 52nd session of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Council of Foreign Ministers in Baghdad. He said Iran negotiated “in good faith” over the past two years, but claimed diplomatic efforts were repeatedly followed by military attacks, creating “deep mistrust” over restarting negotiations without guarantees against a recurrence. Nevertheless, Araghchi said, Tehran has kept the door to diplomacy open. He referred to a

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  Palestinians in Gaza City protest Israeli military’s ‘Yellow Line’ expansion

  by EditorMehdi on October 17, 2026

  Palestinians gathered in eastern Gaza City on Saturday, to protest the Israeli military’s recent expansion of the “Yellow Line” buffer zone into residential neighborhoods, Anadolu reports. The “yellow line” is a notional line inside the Gaza Strip to which the Israeli army withdrew under the first phase of US President Donald Trump’s plan to end the war, under which a ceasefire took effect on Oct. 10, 2025. It separates areas in eastern Gaza that remain under Israeli army control from areas west of the line where Palestinians are allowed to move. The line separates areas occupied by Israeli forces in the east from areas where Palestinians are permitted to remain in the west. Israeli ceasefire violations have killed 1,488 Palestinians

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  Iranian lawmaker says indirect talks with US continuing through Qatar, Oman: Report

  by EditorMehdi on October 17, 2026

  Indirect talks between Iran and the US are continuing through mediation by Qatar and Oman, an Iranian lawmaker said Saturday, as Tehran-Washington tensions remain high, according to local media. Yaqoub Rezazadeh, a member of the Iranian parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, told the ILNA news agency that both sides had presented conditions through the mediators. “We have presented a set of conditions, and the other side has also presented a set of conditions. We are now waiting to see whether the conditions we announced will be accepted by the Americans,” Rezazadeh said. He said the contacts were being conducted with the involvement of Qatar and Oman. Rezazadeh said the negotiations were being overseen by Iran’s Supreme National Security

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  Israeli forces enter western Daraa countryside in southern Syria

  by EditorMehdi on October 17, 2026

  Israeli forces entered an area in the western countryside of Syria’s Daraa province on Saturday, according to the country’s state-run SANA news agency. A force consisting of two Israeli military vehicles entered the Wadi al-Ruqqad area, SANA reported. The incursion coincided with Israeli reconnaissance aircraft flying over the western part of the Yarmouk Basin, it said, adding that no attacks or arrests had been reported. On Friday, Israeli forces entered an area west of the al-Razaniya farm in neighboring Quneitra province and opened fire toward shepherds to prevent them from grazing before withdrawing. Israeli forces also entered and surrounded the town of Abidin in the Yarmouk Basin in western Daraa countryside on Friday. READ: Damascus rejects Israeli politicisation of Syria’s Druze

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  Iran’s IRGC says 2nd supertanker hits naval mine in Strait of Hormuz

  by EditorMehdi on October 17, 2026

  Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy said Saturday that a second supertanker had struck a naval mine and caught fire in the Strait of Hormuz, Anadolu reports. In a statement, the IRGC Navy said the tanker was carrying more than 2 million barrels of crude oil and had switched off its positioning and radar systems while attempting to use an “unauthorized” route. The mine strike caused a major explosion in the vessel’s engine room, leaving the tanker immobilized, the statement said. The IRGC did not identify the vessel or provide information about its crew, casualties, or possible environmental damage. READ: Strait of Hormuz transits remain 70% below pre-conflict levels: UK maritime agency The latest incident came after the IRGC said