Beirut explosion prompts Egypt to remove dangerous materials from its ports

Egyptian Finance Minister Mohamed Maait during a news conference in Cairo, Egypt, July 17, 2019. (Reuters)
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Updated 18 August 2020
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Beirut explosion prompts Egypt to remove dangerous materials from its ports

  • Egyptian Minister of Finance Mohammed Maait: We have already disposed of large quantities of stagnant, neglected and dangerous materials present in the ports
  • Mohammed Sayed Gad, an environmental expert, said that the Egyptian ports were previously used as a place to store harmful waste

CAIRO: The explosion at the Beirut port in Lebanon has moved the Egyptian government to review the quantities of dangerous materials present in its ports.

Egyptian Minister of Finance Mohammed Maait told Parliament: “We have already disposed of large quantities of stagnant, neglected and dangerous materials present in the ports.”

“There are materials that have been delivered to multiple ministries, including petroleum, defense and the interior. Next December, Egyptian ports will be completely cleaned of all stagnant, neglected and dangerous materials,” he said, according to a statement published by the ministry on the proceedings of the session.

The minister confirmed the review of containers of stagnant goods, containers and dangerous materials in all Egyptian ports, based on the mandate of President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi.

“We have accomplished a lot in this file, but there are things that need time and procedures. We have already gotten rid of huge quantities of stagnates, especially of prohibited materials such as weapons and fireworks,” he said.

Magdy Abdel Aziz, an advisor to the minister, said that the port cleansing process aims to get rid of all dangerous goods located therein, in addition to waste that may chemically interact with other items and lead to disasters.

He pointed out that the Ministry of Finance has formed a customs unit to follow up on the disposal of dangerous materials in the ports and explained that elimination methods would either involve destroying or selling/giving them away to government agencies that can benefit from them.

Mohammed Sayed Gad, an environmental expert, said that the Egyptian ports were previously used as a place to store harmful waste. He recalled a case from 2017 involving containers carrying toxic substances at the port of Al-Adabiya, in the Egyptian Governorate of Suez, east of the capital Cairo. The issue was neglected and would have likely led to disaster had it not been addressed. This incident is considered one of the most significant issues to face Suez in its recent history.

“This shipment represented an imminent threat to the entire city, and its stay in the city continued to pose a threat to the health of citizens, owing to the possibility of radioactive leakage from the shipment to areas surrounding its location,” he said. “The supervisory and security authorities issued instructions to all government agencies that they urgently examine all shipments and materials.” 

Gad also added that Egyptian Minister of Environment Yasmine Fouad recently issued instructions to the Central Department of Inspection and Environmental Compliance to pass through all establishments producing ammonium nitrate in all Egyptian governorates. The aim is to determine the extent to which these establishments adhere to the standards of the law in terms of transportation and storage methods. This comes as a result of campaigns carried out in cooperation with authorities represented by the General Administration of Environment and Surface Police and the General Authority for Industrial Development.

The minister also directed the regional branches of the Environmental Affairs Agency to inspect these facilities and prepare reports to be presented to the relevant authorities so that they may take the necessary measures in this regard.

“We have been heartened by the report that the Minister of Environment recently presented on the ministry’s efforts in the safe handling of hazardous materials,” Gad said.


Pope Leo appeals for Gaza ceasefire, laments deaths of children

Updated 5 sec ago
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Pope Leo appeals for Gaza ceasefire, laments deaths of children

VATICAN CITY: Pope Leo appealed on Wednesday for a ceasefire in Gaza, and called on Israel and Hamas militants to “completely respect” international humanitarian law.
“In the Gaza Strip, the intense cries are reaching Heaven more and more from mothers and fathers who hold tightly to the bodies of their dead children,” the pontiff said during his weekly general audience in St. Peter’s Square.
“To those responsible, I renew my appeal: stop the fighting,” said the pope. “Liberate all the hostages. Completely respect humanitarian law.”
Leo, elected on May 8 to replace the late Pope Francis, also appealed for an end to the war in Ukraine.

Italy demands Israel stops strikes, blasts expulsions of Gazans

Updated 25 min 39 sec ago
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Italy demands Israel stops strikes, blasts expulsions of Gazans

  • Antonion Tajani: ‘The bombings must stop, humanitarian assistance must resume as soon as possible, respect for international humanitarian law must be restored’

ROME: Italy’s foreign minister on Wednesday again urged Israel to stop its strikes on Gaza, while warning that expelling Palestinians from the territory “is not and never will be an acceptable option.”
“The legitimate reaction of the Israeli government to a terrible and senseless terrorist act has unfortunately taken on absolutely tragic and unacceptable forms, that we ask Israel to stop immediately,” Antonion Tajani told parliament, referring also to Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack on Israel.
“The bombings must stop, humanitarian assistance must resume as soon as possible, respect for international humanitarian law must be restored,” he said.
“Hamas must immediately free all the hostages which are still today in its in hands, and who have the right to return to their homes.”
Tajani also condemned US President Donald Trump’s plan for US control of Gaza and the forced displacement of the Palestinians living there.
“I want to reiterate today in this chamber with the utmost clarity – the expulsion of Palestinians from Gaza is not and will never be an acceptable option,” Tajani said.
“This is why we wholeheartedly support the Arab plan led by Egypt for the recovery and reconstruction of the (Gaza) Strip, which is incompatible with any hypothesis of forced displacement.”


Israel strikes Yemen’s Sanaa airport for 2nd time in a month

Updated 49 min 33 sec ago
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Israel strikes Yemen’s Sanaa airport for 2nd time in a month

  • Israel last struck the airport in Sanaa on May 6

DEIR AL-BALAH: The Israeli military said Wednesday it struck Yemen’s Sanaa airport for the second time in a month targeting the Houthis.

The strike came after the Houthis have fired several missiles at Israel in recent days without causing casualties or damage.

There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage in Sanaa.

Israel last struck the airport in Sanaa on May 6, destroying the airport’s terminal and leaving its runway riddled with craters. Some flights to Sanaa resumed on May 17.


At least 47 wounded, mostly by gunfire, as Palestinians crowd aid hub in Gaza

Updated 28 May 2025
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At least 47 wounded, mostly by gunfire, as Palestinians crowd aid hub in Gaza

  • The UN and other humanitarian organizations have rejected the new system, saying it won’t be able to meet the needs of Gaza’s 2.3 million people

GENEVA: A UN official says 47 Palestinians were wounded, mostly by gunfire, when crowd overran Gaza aid hub.

Ajith Sunghay, head of the UN Human Rights Office for the Palestinian territories, told reporters in Geneva that it appeared Israeli army fire had caused most of the injuries.

On Tuesday, crowds of Palestinians overwhelmed a new aid distribution hub set up by an Israeli and US-backed foundation. The crowd broke through fences and an Associated Press journalist heard Israeli tank and gun fire, and saw a military helicopter firing flares.

The distribution hub outside Gaza’s southernmost city of Rafah was opened the day before by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which has been slated by Israel to take over aid operations.

The UN and other humanitarian organizations have rejected the new system, saying it won’t be able to meet the needs of Gaza’s 2.3 million people and allows Israel to use food as a weapon to control the population. They have also warned of the risk of friction between Israeli troops and people seeking supplies.

Palestinians have become desperate for food after nearly three months of Israeli blockade pushed Gaza to the brink of famine.


Gaza rescuers say 16 killed in Israeli strikes Wednesday

Updated 28 May 2025
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Gaza rescuers say 16 killed in Israeli strikes Wednesday

  • Israel has stepped up its offensive in Gaza this month, aiming for ‘the defeat of Hamas’
  • At least 3,822 people had been killed in the territory since Israel ended a ceasefire on March 18

GAZA CITY, Palestinian Territories: Gaza rescuers said sixteen people were killed Wednesday in Israeli strikes across the besieged Palestinian territory where Israel intensified its operations this month.

“Sixteen people have been killed as a result of Israeli airstrikes on the Gaza Strip since dawn,” civil defense spokesman Mahmud Bassal said.

Among them, nine belonged to the family of photojournalist Osama Al-Arbeed and were killed in a strike on their home in Gaza’s north at 2:00 a.m., Bassal said.

He added that Arbeed was injured, noting that he is a videographer and editor at a local film production organization.

Another six members of the same family were killed in central Gaza in a strike that left 15 people wounded, “including children.”

One other person, a civilian per Bassal, was killed near the southern Gaza city of Khan Yunis.

When contacted by AFP, the Israeli military declined to comment on the strikes, saying it could not do so without precise coordinates.

Israel has stepped up its offensive in Gaza this month, aiming for “the defeat of Hamas,” more than 18 months after the group’s October 2023 attack on Israel triggered the war.

Some 1,218 people were killed in that attack, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.

Militants also took 251 hostages, 57 of whom remain in Gaza, including 34 who the Israeli military says are dead.

The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said on Monday that at least 3,822 people had been killed in the territory since Israel ended a ceasefire on March 18, taking the war’s overall toll to 53,977, mostly civilians.