LONDON: A large group of Syrian refugees is gathering in Turkey in an attempt to form a convoy and enter the EU via Greece, The Guardian reported on Wednesday.
About 100,000 of the more than 3.5 million Syrians in Turkey are expected to join the so-called “Caravan of Light,” according to organizers.
Plans to assemble the group have been taking shape for several weeks through the messaging app Telegram. Participants have been advised to bring essentials for the journey, such as tents, sleeping bags and canned food.
Caravan organizers announced that the starting point for the movement is Edirne in the northeast of Turkey. From there, the refugees hope to build enough momentum to allow them to cross the border into Greece unhindered.
A major factor behind the formation of the caravan movement is growing anger among refugees at the way they are treated in Turkey. Organizers criticized “abhorrent racism” that has led to deadly attacks on Syrians.
Faris Mohammed Al-Ali, an 18-year-old Syrian, was killed in Turkey in an alleged racist attack this month, while Leyla Mohammed, 70, was the victim of an assault in May that provoked anger around the world.
“Syrian refugees have fled a bloody conflict, torture, enforced disappearance and other abhorrent abuses to seek safety in Turkey. It is appalling that they now find themselves facing further attacks,” said Sara Hashash of human rights group Syria Campaign.
Khairu, a 22-year-old Syrian who has lived in Turkey since 2018, told The Guardian: “There is no future for me and every Syrian here.” He fears “a sudden killing or barbaric deportation” and added that he simply wants to “live without the fear of tomorrow, because fear of tomorrow is a very slow death.”
However, there are concerns among some members of the 100,000-strong Telegram group that deportation to Syria might be used as a punishment if the refugees are caught attempting to cross into Greece.
Taha Elghazi, a prominent Syrian refugee activist in Turkey, said he understands the concerns among Syrians living in the country about racism and economic woes but warned that the caravan is likely to fail in its goals.
A clampdown by Turkish authorities along the border with Greece, as well as recent EU measures to tighten security, “mean that there will be brutal treatment of refugees when they are on this trip, and the caravan’s approach is not clear and it may endanger them,” he said.
Caravan leaders have urged the UN to take action to protect Syrian refugees from “all forms of physical, psychological and political abuse,” and called on the EU “to open their doors to this convoy or find immediate solutions.”
Yuko Narushima, a spokesperson for UNHCR, the UN’s refugee agency, told The Guardian: “We are concerned for the safety and well-being of those who decide to take part in this movement, which — based on previous experiences with similar organized movements around the world — would probably be risky and dangerous.”
100,000 Syrian refugees in Turkey plan to form caravan and cross border into Greece
https://arab.news/jf9ye
100,000 Syrian refugees in Turkey plan to form caravan and cross border into Greece
- Anger has been growing among refugees over the way they are treated, organizers said, including ‘abhorrent racism’ and economic woes
- Plans to assemble the group have been taking shape for several weeks through the messaging app Telegram
Egyptian foreign minister urges recognition of Palestine in talks with EU envoy to Middle East
- Badr Abdelatty met in Cairo with Christophe Bigot, EU special representative for the Middle East peace process
- Abdelatty’s remarks followed those of French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot, who said France is ‘determined to recognize the state of Palestine’
LONDON: Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty on Sunday emphasized the urgent need to recognize Palestinian statehood on the territories of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, with East Jerusalem as its capital.
He made his comment during a meeting in Cairo with Christophe Bigot, the EU’s special representative for the Middle East peace process. Abdelatty said that the establishment of a Palestinian state is the only way to achieve lasting peace, security and stability in the region, the Wafa news agency reported.
He hoped for the broader international recognition of the Palestinian state and for the organization of an international conference aimed at resolving the Palestinian issue through peaceful means.
Abdelatty’s remarks followed those of French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot, who said on Sunday during an interview with the French LCI news channel that France is “determined to recognize the State of Palestine,” emphasizing the urgent need for international action in light of the worsening humanitarian situation in Gaza.
A French-Saudi conference to drum up international support for the recognition of the state of Palestine was due to start in mid-June, but the organizers postponed it because of the Iranian-Israeli conflict and elevated tensions in the region.
“We are committed to recognizing the state of Palestine, and this will happen as part of a joint initiative that encourages all parties to create the necessary conditions for the establishment of that state,” Barrot said.
He called the killing of hundreds of Palestinian aid seekers by Israeli forces in recent weeks in Gaza “a disgrace and an affront to human dignity.”
Syria denies reports of assassination attempt on President Al-Sharaa
- SANA did not provide further details about the reported incident or its origins
DAMASCUS: Syria’s Ministry of Information on Sunday denied reports that an attempt was made on the life of interim President Ahmed Al-Sharaa during a recent visit to the southern city of Daraa, Syrian Arab News Agency reported.
A ministry source, quoted by state news agency SANA on Sunday, dismissed the claims as false, saying: “What was circulated by several media outlets about the Syrian Arab Army and Turkish intelligence foiling an assassination attempt on President Ahmad Al-Sharaa during his visit to Daraa is untrue.”
SANA did not provide further details about the reported incident or its origins.
Al-Sharaa has led the Syrian Arab Republic’s transitional administration since January, following the collapse of the Bashar Assad regime. Assad, who ruled Syria for nearly a quarter of a century, fled to Russia in December.
Israeli security service says 60 Hamas members arrested in West Bank
HEBRON: Israel’s security service said Sunday it had broken up a network of Hamas militants in the occupied West Bank suspected of planning attacks, arresting 60 of the group’s members.
The Shin Bet internal security agency said in a statement that “a significant, complex, and large-scale Hamas infrastructure was exposed” in the West Bank town of Hebron.
It said it broke up 10 militant cells that “operated to carry out attacks in various formats in the immediate time frame.”
Hamas leaders “worked to recruit, arm, and train additional Hamas operatives from the area to carry out shooting and bombing attacks against Israeli targets,” according to the statement.
Shin Bet said the three-month joint operation with the military and police was its biggest investigation in the West Bank “in the past decade.”
It said terrorism charges were being filed against the suspects.
Hamas did not immediately comment on the statement.
US embassy in Bahrain returns to normal operations
The US Embassy in Bahrain said on Sunday that it has returned to normal staffing and operations, according to a post by the embassy on X.
Shortly before this month’s 12-day war between Israel and Iran, the US military had allowed families of service members in Bahrain to depart the country temporarily.
Message for U.S. Citizens
— U.S. Embassy Manama (@USEmbassyManama) June 29, 2025
June 29, 2025
The U.S. Embassy in Bahrain has returned to normal staffing and operations. We continue to advise U.S. citizens in Bahrain to exercise caution and review security announcements as they are issued. pic.twitter.com/QkXLNdydwa
Gaza rescuers say Israeli forces kill 17, including children
- The Israeli military issued an evacuation order on Sunday for parts of Gaza City and nearby areas in the territory’s north
- Israel’s retaliatory military campaign has killed at least 56,412 people in Gaza, also mostly civilians
Gaza’s civil defense agency said Israeli air strikes and gunfire killed at least 17 people including three children in the war-stricken Palestinian territory on Sunday.
Civil defense spokesman Mahmud Bassal said that 16 people died in air strikes at five locations around the Gaza Strip, and another from Israeli fire near an aid distribution center.
The Israeli military said it was not able to comment on the reported incidents but said it was fighting “to dismantle Hamas military capabilities” in a campaign launched in 2023 against the Islamist militant group whose attack on Israel triggered the war.
Restrictions on media in Gaza and difficulties in accessing many areas mean AFP is unable to independently verify the tolls and details provided by rescuers.
Bassal said two children were killed in an air strike on their home in Gaza City’s Zeitun neighborhood in the early morning, and “the house was completely destroyed.”
A member of the family, Abdel Rahman Azzam, 45, said he was at home and “heard a huge explosion at my relative’s house.”
“I rushed out in panic and saw the house destroyed and on fire,” he added.
“We evacuated more than 20 injured people, including two martyrs — two children from the family. The screams of children and women were non-stop,” Azzam said.
“They bombed the house with a missile without any prior warning. This is a horrific crime. We sleep without knowing if we will wake up.”
Elsewhere, Bassal said a drone strike on a tent housing displaced people near the southern city of Khan Yunis killed five people including a child.
He said that other casualties included a young man killed “by Israeli fire this morning while waiting for aid” near a humanitarian distribution center in the southern city of Rafah.
The Israeli military issued an evacuation order on Sunday for parts of Gaza City and nearby areas in the territory’s north, warning of imminent action there.
The military “will operate with intense force in these areas, and these military operations will intensify and expand... to destroy the capabilities of the terrorist organizations,” military spokesman Avichay Adraee said in a statement posted on X.
He told residents to “evacuate immediately south” to Al-Mawasi area on the coast.
The civil defense agency later said an Israeli air strike hit a house in Gaza City, killing three people.
Israel launched its offensive in October 2023 in response to the deadly Hamas attack, which resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures.
Israel’s retaliatory military campaign has killed at least 56,412 people in Gaza, also mostly civilians, according to Hamas-run territory’s health ministry. The United Nations considers these figures to be reliable.
After claiming victory in a 12-day war against Iran that ended with a ceasefire on Tuesday, the Israeli military said it would refocus on its offensive in Gaza, where Palestinian militants still hold Israeli hostages.
