Iraq PM reopens Mosul airport years after Daesh devastation

Iraq PM reopens Mosul airport years after Daesh devastation
This handout picture released by Iraq’s Prime Minister’s Media Office shows the traffic control tower of Mosul International Airport in northern Iraq during its re-opening on July 16, 2025. (AFP)
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Updated 16 July 2025
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Iraq PM reopens Mosul airport years after Daesh devastation

Iraq PM reopens Mosul airport years after Daesh devastation
  • The airport will serve as an additional link between Mosul and other Iraqi cities and regional destinations
  • The airport has not been operational since the militants seized Mosul

MOSUL, Iraq: Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani inaugurated Wednesday the city of Mosul’s newly restored airport, years after it was destroyed in the battle to dislodge the Daesh group.

Sudani’s flight landed at the airport, which is expected to become fully operational for domestic and international flights in two months.

“The airport will serve as an additional link between Mosul and other Iraqi cities and regional destinations,” the media office of the PM said in a statement.

In June 2014, the Daesh group seized Mosul, declaring its “caliphate” from the city after capturing large swathes of Iraq and neighboring Syria.

After years of fierce battles, Iraqi forces backed by a US-led international coalition dislodged the group from the city in July 2017, before declaring its defeat across the country at the end of that year.

The airport, which was heavily damaged in the battle, has not been operational since the militants seized Mosul.

In August 2022, then-prime minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi laid the foundation stone for the airport’s reconstruction.

Airport director Amar Al-Bayati told AFP that the “airport is now ready for domestic and international flights,” but no date has been announced for their resumption.

He added that the airport previously offered international flights, mostly to Turkiye and Jordan.

The airport now includes a main terminal, a VIP lounge and an advanced radar surveillance system, Sudani’s office said.

It’s expected to handle 630,000 passengers annually.


UAE president commends UK prime minister on statement to recognize Palestinian state

UAE president commends UK prime minister on statement to recognize Palestinian state
Updated 9 min 20 sec ago
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UAE president commends UK prime minister on statement to recognize Palestinian state

UAE president commends UK prime minister on statement to recognize Palestinian state
  • Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahya, Prime Minister Keir Starmer emphasize need for just, lasting peace between Israelis, Palestinians through 2-state solution

LONDON: UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan discussed with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer the developments in the Middle East, the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, and their commitment to enhancing regional security and stability.

During the call on Wednesday, the two sides emphasized the need for a just, lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians through a two-state solution in order to promote stability and a better future for the region.

He praised the British prime minister’s statements on Tuesday on recognizing the state of Palestine in the upcoming UN General Assembly in September.

Sheikh Mohammed called for an urgent ceasefire in Gaza and the unhindered delivery of humanitarian aid to help residents in the Palestinian coastal enclave.

The two leaders also discussed cooperation and ways to enhance ties between Abu Dhabi and London in various sectors.


Trump envoy Witkoff heading to Israel for Gaza talks, Axios reports

Trump envoy Witkoff heading to Israel for Gaza talks, Axios reports
Updated 5 sec ago
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Trump envoy Witkoff heading to Israel for Gaza talks, Axios reports

Trump envoy Witkoff heading to Israel for Gaza talks, Axios reports
  • Witkoff is expected to discuss the humanitarian crisis in Gaza

WASHINGTON: US envoy Steve Witkoff is expected to travel to Israel on Wednesday for talks on the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, Axios reported, citing two US officials.


Israeli minister hints at annexing parts of Gaza

Israeli minister hints at annexing parts of Gaza
Updated 14 min 20 sec ago
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Israeli minister hints at annexing parts of Gaza

Israeli minister hints at annexing parts of Gaza
  • The comment by security cabinet member Zeev Elkin came a day after Britain said it would recognize a Palestinian state in September

JERUSALEM/CAIRO: Israel could threaten to annex parts of Gaza to increase pressure on the militant group Hamas, an Israeli minister said on Wednesday, an idea that would deal a blow to Palestinian hopes of statehood on land Israeli now occupies.

The comment by security cabinet member Zeev Elkin came a day after Britain said it would recognize a Palestinian state in September unless Israel takes steps to relieve suffering in Gaza and reaches a ceasefire in the war with Hamas.

France, which said last week it will recognize a Palestinian state in September, and Saudi Arabia issued a declaration on Tuesday, also backed by Egypt, Qatar and the Arab League, outlining steps toward implementing a two-state solution. As part of an end to the Gaza war, they said Hamas “must end its rule in Gaza and hand over its weapons to the Palestinian Authority.”

Israel has denounced moves to recognize a Palestinian state as rewarding Hamas for its October 2023 attack that precipitated the war.

POSSIBLE ULTIMATUM TO HAMAS

Accusing Hamas of trying to drag out ceasefire talks to gain Israeli concessions, Elkin told public broadcaster Kan that Israel may give the group an ultimatum to reach a deal before further expanding its military actions.

“The most painful thing for our enemy is losing lands,” he said. “A clarification to Hamas that the moment they play games with us they will lose land that they will never get back would be a significant pressure tool.”

Mediation efforts aimed at reaching a deal that would secure a 60-day ceasefire and the release of remaining hostages held by Hamas ground to a halt last week, with the sides trading blame for the impasse.

Israel is facing mounting international pressure over the situation in Gaza, where a global hunger monitor has warned that a worst-case scenario of famine is unfolding. The Gaza health ministry reported seven more hunger-related deaths on Wednesday, including a two-year-old girl with an existing health condition.

MONSTROUS’

Families of Israeli hostages still held in Gaza appealed for no recognition of a Palestinian state to come before their loved ones are returned.

“Such recognition is not a step toward peace, but rather a clear violation of international law and a dangerous moral and political failure that legitimizes horrific war crimes,” the Hostages Family Forum said.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday said Britain’s decision “rewards Hamas’ monstrous terrorism.” Israel made similar comments last week after France’s announcement.

Two Hamas officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the demand for the group to hand its weapons to the PA, which now has limited control of parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Hamas has previously rejected calls to disarm, while Israel has ruled out letting the PA run Gaza.

Netanyahu said this month he wanted peace with Palestinians but described any future independent state as a potential platform to destroy Israel, so control of security must remain with Israel.

His cabinet includes far-right figures who openly demand the annexation of all Palestinian land. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said on Tuesday that reestablishing Jewish settlements in Gaza was “closer than ever,” calling Gaza “an inseparable part of the Land of Israel.”

AID GOING IN, BUT NOT ENOUGH

A two-year-old girl being treated for a build-up of brain fluid died overnight of hunger, her father told Reuters on Wednesday.

“Mekkah, my little daughter, died of malnutrition and the lack of medication,” Salah Al-Gharably said by phone from Deir Al-Balah. “Doctors said the baby has to be fed a certain type of milk...but there is no milk,” he said. “She starved. We stood helpless.”

The deaths from starvation and malnutrition overnight raised the toll from such causes to 154, including at least 89 children, since the war’s start, most in recent weeks.

On Sunday the Israeli military announced steps to ease the supply of food into Gaza, including daily pauses in military operations in some areas and corridors for aid.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said the United Nations and its partners had been able to bring more food into Gaza in the first two days of pauses, but the volume was “still far from enough.”

“Most aid is still being offloaded by crowds before reaching where it is supposed to go. But market monitoring shows prices for basic goods are starting to drop – which could point to better operating conditions if aid flows further increase,” it said in an update.

The war began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas attacked communities in southern Israel, killing some 1,200 people and taking another 251 hostage, according to Israeli tallies.

Since then, Israel’s offensive in the Gaza Strip has killed more than 60,000 people and laid waste to much of the territory, the Gaza health ministry says.


Thousands of carpets sunbathe at Turkish resort

Thousands of carpets sunbathe at Turkish resort
Updated 34 min 46 sec ago
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Thousands of carpets sunbathe at Turkish resort

Thousands of carpets sunbathe at Turkish resort
Hasan Topkara washed wool knotted carpets and rugs that come from across Turkiye
The wool, colored with natural vegetable dyes, takes on pastel tones and softens between the morning dew and the heat of the day

ANTALYA: Thousands of carpets and kilim rugs spread out in the sun form a festive and kaleidoscopic patchwork on the outskirts of Antalya, a coastal tourist city in southern Turkiye.

From June to September, in harvested fields cleared of stubble, merchants bring their cargo to age in the sun, tempering the bright hues of their natural colors and ridding them of undesirable elements.

Hasan Topkara washed wool knotted carpets and rugs that come from across Turkiye. He drives them, trims their fringes and stray strands if necessary, then spreads them out in the sunlight for three months, on the bare ground.

The wool, colored with natural vegetable dyes, takes on pastel tones and softens between the morning dew and the heat of the day.

According to Topkara, in the past, up to 60,000 carpets were processed in each three month drying season in the Dosemealti district.

But today he is one of the last ones to do so, with around 15,000 carpets stored side by side on a
40-hectare (100 acre) area.

Around 50 workers watch them day and night, turning them regularly and monitoring the weather. About 100 people rush in from the surrounding villages to help fold the carpets if there is rain.

In 45 minutes, everything must be put away in a sheltered place, then brought out again once the rain has stopped.

Once they have reached the desired shade, most of the carpets are sent to Istanbul and its historic
Grand Bazaar, from where they are frequently shipped abroad.

Over the years, Topkara’s field of colors has become a tourist attraction, especially after Turkish pop singer Mabel Matiz recorded a video clip for his song “Sarmasik” there in 2018.

Belgium says will take part in Gaza aid-drop plan

Belgium says will take part in Gaza aid-drop plan
Updated 45 min 36 sec ago
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Belgium says will take part in Gaza aid-drop plan

Belgium says will take part in Gaza aid-drop plan
  • A Belgian plane carrying medical supplies and food worth some 600,000 euros ($690,000) will fly “soon” to Jordan, and will remain on stand-by to conduct air drops in coordination with Amman

BRUSSELS: Belgium will take part in a multi-country operation coordinated by Jordan to airdrop aid to Gaza, the government announced Wednesday, as UN agencies warn the Palestinian territory is slipping into famine.

A Belgian plane carrying medical supplies and food worth some 600,000 euros ($690,000) will fly “soon” to Jordan, and will remain on stand-by to conduct air drops in coordination with Amman, the defense and foreign ministries said in a statement.

Belgium joins a string of Western nations including France, Spain and Britain looking to send aid into Gaza by air as fears mount of mass starvation in the territory.

“These airdrops are a first step, but they can in no way be a cover for the urgent need to facilitate access by land,” Belgian foreign minister Maxime Prevot said.

“I will continue to plead with the Israeli authorities to allow these deliveries to enter Gaza by road as quickly as possible.”

The World Food Programme, UNICEF and the Food and Agriculture Organization warned Tuesday that time was running out and that Gaza was “on the brink of a full-scale famine.”

Israel imposed a total blockade on Gaza on March 2 after ceasefire talks broke down. In late May, it began allowing a small trickle of aid to resume, amid rising fears of a wave of starvation.

Then on Sunday, faced with mounting international criticism, Israel began a series of “tactical pauses” while allowing aid trucks to pass through two border crossings into Gaza, and Jordanian and Emirati planes to conduct airdrops.

Deliveries have been ramped up, but the experts advising the UN said this effort would not prove enough unless aid agencies were granted “immediate, unimpeded” humanitarian access.