In letter to AFP, Blinken says Gaza journalists must be ‘protected from harm’

Relatives and colleagues of two Palestinian journalists Hasouna Slim and Sari Mansoor, killed in an Israeli strike, mourn over their bodies during their funeral in Deir al-Balah in the southern Gaza Strip on November 19, 2023. (AFP/File)
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Updated 13 December 2023
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In letter to AFP, Blinken says Gaza journalists must be ‘protected from harm’

  • At least 63 journalists and media workers have been killed since war broke out after Oct. 7, according to Committee to Protect Journalists
  • AFP and other media groups had written to Blinken in October urging help in protecting journalists on the ground in Gaza

PARIS: The United States will always insist on the need to protect journalists reporting from Gaza during the conflict between Israel and Hamas militants, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a letter to Agence France-Presse on Tuesday.
AFP and other international media groups had written to Blinken in late October urging his help in protecting journalists on the ground in Gaza after several were killed since the outbreak of fighting.
“The United States has and will continue to underscore with Israel, and with all countries, that journalists must be protected from harm,” Blinken wrote.
“We stand unequivocally for the protection of journalists during armed conflict and mourn those who have been killed or injured.”
Since the war between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas began in October, at least 63 journalists and media workers — 56 Palestinian, four Israeli and three Lebanese — have been killed, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists.
AFP and the other media groups also urged Blinken’s help in evacuating their employees from Gaza as Israeli bombards the territory in retaliation for the attack by Hamas on October 7 that killed 1,200 people, according to Israeli figures, and saw around 240 hostages taken.
Israel imposed a total shutdown of the territory’s borders on October 9.
“US citizens’ and foreign nationals’ continued safe passage out of Gaza remains our top priority, and we are working with Egypt, the UN, and Israel to facilitate their ability to exit Gaza safely,” Blinken wrote.
Around 100 French lawmakers mainly from left-wing parties on Monday sent a letter to Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne also calling for all possible efforts to secure the exit of AFP journalists stranded in Gaza.
The Hamas-run health ministry on Tuesday updated its death toll since the Gaza war began to 18,412 people, mostly women and children.


Abu Dhabi crown prince holds talks with Brazilian president on sidelines of BRICS summit

Updated 10 sec ago
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Abu Dhabi crown prince holds talks with Brazilian president on sidelines of BRICS summit

  • Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan emphasized that the 50-year bond highlights the UAE and Brazil’s commitment to collaboration
  • Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva underscored the strength and depth of the bilateral relations between Abu Dhabi and Brasilia

LONDON: Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, the crown prince of Abu Dhabi, and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, discussed ways to strengthen ties between the UAE and Brazil during a meeting on the sidelines of the 17th BRICS Summit.

Sheikh Khaled emphasized the UAE’s pride in its strategic relationship with Brazil, a pioneering partnership built on decades of cooperation, mutual respect, and shared interests, the Emirates News Agency reported.

He stressed that the 50-year bond highlights both nations’ commitment to collaboration and sustainable development.

BRICS was founded in 2009 by Brazil, Russia, India and China. South Africa became a member the following year, and in late 2023 Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran and the UAE accepted invitations to join.

Rio de Janeiro is hosting the 17th edition of the summit on Sunday and Monday.

The Brazilian president underscored the strength and depth of the bilateral relations between his country and the UAE.

The meeting was attended by several Emirati officials, including Reem Al-Hashimy, minister of state for international cooperation; Thani bin Ahmed Al-Zeyoudi, minister of foreign trade; and UAE Ambassador to Brazil Saleh Ahmad Salem Alsuwaidi.


Influential far-right minister lashes out at Netanyahu over Gaza war policy

Updated 06 July 2025
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Influential far-right minister lashes out at Netanyahu over Gaza war policy

  • Bezalel Smotrich’s comments come a day before Israeli leader is due to hold talks in Washington with President Donald Trump

JERUSALEM: Israel’s far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich sharply criticized on Sunday a cabinet decision to allow some aid into Gaza as a “grave mistake” that he said would benefit the militant Palestinian group Hamas.

Smotrich also accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of failing to ensure that Israel’s military is following government directives in prosecuting the war against Hamas in Gaza. He said he was considering his “next steps” but stopped short of explicitly threatening to quit the coalition.

Smotrich’s comments come a day before Netanyahu is due to hold talks in Washington with President Donald Trump on a US-backed proposal for a 60-day Gaza ceasefire.

.”.. the cabinet and the Prime Minister made a grave mistake yesterday in approving the entry of aid through a route that also benefits Hamas,” Smotrich said on X, arguing that the aid would ultimately reach the Islamist group and serve as “logistical support for the enemy during wartime.”

The Israeli government has not announced any changes to its aid policy in Gaza. Israeli media reported that the government had voted to allow additional aid to enter northern Gaza.

The prime minister’s office did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. The military declined to comment.

Israel accuses Hamas of stealing aid for its own fighters or to sell to finance its operations, an accusation Hamas denies. Gaza is in the grip of a humanitarian catastrophe, with conditions threatening to push nearly a half a million people into famine within months, according to UN estimates.

Israel in May partially lifted a nearly three-month blockade on aid. Two Israeli officials said on June 27 the government had temporarily stopped aid from entering north Gaza.

Pressure

Public pressure in Israel is mounting on Netanyahu to secure a permanent ceasefire, a move opposed by some hardline members of his right-wing coalition. An Israeli team left for Qatar on Sunday for talks on a possible Gaza hostage and ceasefire deal.

Smotrich, who in January threatened to withdraw his Religious Zionism party from the government if Israel agreed to a complete end to the war before having achieved its objectives, did not mention the ceasefire in his criticism of Netanyahu.

The right-wing coalition holds a slim parliamentary majority, although some opposition lawmakers have offered to support the government from collapsing if a ceasefire is agreed.

The war erupted when Hamas attacked southern Israel in October 2023, killing around 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages. Israel’s retaliatory war in Gaza has killed over 57,000 Palestinians, according to the enclave’s health ministry.

Most of Gaza’s population has been displaced by the war, a humanitarian crisis has unfolded, and much of the territory lies in ruins.


Gunmen on skiffs attack ship in Red Sea off Yemen: monitors

Updated 15 min 30 sec ago
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Gunmen on skiffs attack ship in Red Sea off Yemen: monitors

  • The incident occurred 51 nautical miles (94 kilometers) southwest of the Yemeni port of Hodeida, said the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations

DUBAI: Gunmen on small boats fired rocket-propelled grenades and small arms at a commercial vessel in the Red Sea off Yemen on Sunday, monitors said, in the latest attack on the vital shipping lane.
The incident occurred 51 nautical miles (94 kilometers) southwest of the Yemeni port of Hodeida, said the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations.
“The vessel has been engaged by multiple small vessels who have opened fire with small arms and self-propelled grenades. (The) armed security team have returned fire and situation is ongoing,” said UKMTO, which is run by the Britain’s Royal Navy.
UK-based security firm Ambrey reported the merchant vessel “was approached and attacked by eight skiffs while transiting northbound in the Red Sea” before being attacked with small arms and rocket-propelled grenades.
Hodeida is controlled by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis, though no one has claimed responsibility for the assault.
The Houthis, who have controlled large swathes of Yemen for more than a decade, began firing at Israel-linked shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden in November 2023, weeks after the start of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.
They broadened their campaign to target ships linked to the United States and Britain after military strikes by the two countries began in January 2024.
In May, the group struck a ceasefire with the United States but vowed to continue targeting Israeli ships in the Red Sea, despite agreeing to the truce that ended weeks of intense American strikes targeting the group.
The Houthis have attacked dozens of commercial vessels since launching their anti-shipping campaign and have prompted some freight companies to detour around southern Africa to avoid the Red Sea, a vital route that normally carries about 12 percent of global trade, according to the International Chamber of Shipping.


GCC countries’ Expo 2025 participation reflects heritage, secretary-general says

Updated 06 July 2025
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GCC countries’ Expo 2025 participation reflects heritage, secretary-general says

OSAKA: Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi, secretary-general of the Gulf Cooperation Council, said during his visit to Expo 2025 Osaka that the GCC countries’ pavilions showcase their cultural heritage and national visions. 

Albudaiwi, who also visited the Japan Pavilion alongside the GCC pavilions on Saturday, added that they showcase the countries’ influence in global events and enhance international cooperation, according to the Saudi Press Agency. 

The secretary-general also shared that the GCC’s participation highlights its members’ strategic planning, stressing the importance of creating strong relations with nations worldwide.

The GCC members’ pavilions offer experiences that combine heritage with technology, reflecting their commitment to their identity while embracing innovation.

Various countries from the GCC are participating in Expo 2025 Osaka, such as Saudi Arabia, which has the second-largest pavilion after Japan, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman, and Qatar. 

Expo 2025 Osaka began in April and will conclude in October. 


Tight security in Iraq as Shiite pilgrims gather in Karbala for Ashoura commemoration

Updated 06 July 2025
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Tight security in Iraq as Shiite pilgrims gather in Karbala for Ashoura commemoration

  • The event on Sunday comes in the wake of unprecedented regional escalation
  • Although the occasion is religious in nature, some participants chanted against Israel and the United States as they processed through the streets of Karbala

BAGHDAD: Tens of thousands of pilgrims arrived in the Iraqi city of Karbala on Saturday ahead of Ashoura, the holy day on which Shiite Muslims commemorate the martyrdom of Imam Hussein, grandson of the Prophet Muhammad.
The annual pilgrimage is one of the largest religious events in the Shiite world.
Ashoura holds deep religious and historical significance for Shiites, marking the 680 AD Battle of Karbala, in which Imam Hussein, along with his family and companions, was killed after he refused to pledge allegiance to the Umayyad caliphate, cementing the schism between Sunni and Shiite Islam. For Shiites, the commemoration has come to symbolize resistance against tyranny and injustice.
The event on Sunday comes in the wake of unprecedented regional escalation, following the recent Israel-Iran war, as well as other dramatic developments including the fall of Syria’s former president Bashar Assad — an ally of Iran — in December and the killing of Hassan Nasrallah, longtime leader of the Lebanese Shiite militant group Hezbollah.
The streets of Karbala were carpeted in red and lined with stations offering food and water to the pilgrims, who came from Iraq’s provinces and from abroad, including large numbers from Iran, the Gulf states, Lebanon and Pakistan.
Black-clad men, women, and children gathered around the shrines of Imam Hussein and his brother Abbas, performing traditional mourning rituals including chest-beating, elegies, and lamentations.
Although the occasion is religious in nature, some participants chanted against Israel and the United States as they processed through the streets of Karbala. Many banners also expressed support for the ” Axis of Resistance,” a cluster of Iran-backed factions and governments.
Iraqi Interior Minister Abdul Amir Al-Shammari arrived in Karbala on Saturday and held an extended meeting at the operations command headquarters with senior security and intelligence officials and representatives of the Popular Mobilization Forces, a coalition of mostly Shiite militias that are officially under the command of the Iraqi military.
The interior ministry said in a statement that the session focused on tightening control over the city’s entrances and intensifying intelligence and field operations to safeguard the massive crowds.
Members of the Islamic State and other groups following an extreme interpretation of Sunni Islam, who consider Shiites to be apostates, have carried out attacks during Ashoura gatherings in Iraq and other countries in the region over the years.
“The resistance’s weapons are what protected Iraq, and they will not be surrendered— no matter how great the internal or external pressure,” Abu Ali Al-Askari, a spokesperson for Iraq’s powerful Kataib Hezbollah militia, which is closely aligned with Iran, said during the commemorations.
His remarks came amid renewed national debate over the future role of armed factions in Iraq, especially in the wake of the recent regional escalations.
The government of northern Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdish region said in a statement Saturday that a drone had crashed overnight in an open area near the regional capital of Irbil and that “some groups affiliated with the Popular Mobilization Forces carry out such attacks with the aim of creating chaos.”
It called for the federal government in Baghdad “to put an end to these acts of sabotage and take the necessary legal action against their perpetrators.”
The Iraqi army responded in a statement that the accusation against the PMF was “unacceptable” and “issued in the absence of evidence” and said it could “provide hostile parties with justifications to undermine Iraq’s stability.”