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War on Gaza

Israel launches a ground operation to retake part of a key corridor in northern Gaza

Israel launches a ground operation to retake part of a key corridor in northern Gaza
An Israeli soldier operates a tank at a position along Israel's southern border with the northern Gaza Strip, Mar. 19, 2025. (AFP)
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Updated 20 March 2025
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Israel launches a ground operation to retake part of a key corridor in northern Gaza

Israel launches a ground operation to retake part of a key corridor in northern Gaza
  • Israel used the Netzarim corridor as a military zone which bisected northern Gaza from the south.
Updated 20 March 2025
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DEIR AL-BALAH: Israel said Wednesday it launched a “limited ground operation” in northern Gaza to retake part of a corridor that bisects the territory, and the country’s defense minister warned that the army plans to step up the attacks that shattered a two-month ceasefire “with an intensity that you have not seen.”
The military said it had retaken part of the Netzarim corridor, which bisects northern Gaza from the south and from where it had withdrawn as part of the ceasefire with Hamas that began in January.
Defense Minister Israel Katz warned Palestinians in Gaza that the army would again order evacuations from combat zones soon, and that its attacks against Hamas would become more fierce if dozens of hostages held for more than 17 months weren’t freed.
The move appeared to deepen a renewed Israeli offensive in Gaza, which shattered a ceasefire with Hamas.
The Gaza Health Ministry said at least 436 people, including 183 children and 94 women, have been killed since Israel launched the strikes early Tuesday. It said another 678 people have been wounded.
The military says it only strikes militants and blames civilian deaths on Hamas because it operates in densely populated areas. Gaza’s Health Ministry records do not distinguish between civilians and combatants.
The military said in a statement that as part of the new offensive, it struck dozens of militants and militant sites on Wednesday, including the command center of a Hamas battalion.
The war in Gaza, which was paused in January by an internationally-mediated ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, has been among the deadliest conflicts ever for humanitarian workers, according to the UN.
The resumption of fighting launched by Israel early Tuesday risks plunging the region back into all-out war. It came weeks after the end of the first phase of the ceasefire, during which Israel and Hamas exchanged hostages for prisoners and were set to negotiate an extension to the truce that was meant to bring about an eventual end to the war.
But those negotiations never got off the ground. Hamas has demanded that Israel stick to the terms of the initial ceasefire deal, including a full withdrawal from Gaza and an end to the war. Israel, which has vowed to defeat Hamas, has put forward a new proposal that would extend the truce and free more hostages held by Hamas, without a commitment to end the war.

Topics: War on Gaza

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Israel parliament passes judicial reform law, opposition challenges

Israel parliament passes judicial reform law, opposition challenges
Updated 1 min 6 sec ago
AFP
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Israel parliament passes judicial reform law, opposition challenges

Israel parliament passes judicial reform law, opposition challenges
Updated 1 min 6 sec ago
AFP
JERUSALEM: Israel’s parliament Thursday passed a law expanding elected officials’ power to appoint judges, defying a years-long movement against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s contentious judicial reforms that saw massive street protests.
The approval comes as Netanyahu’s government, one of the most right-wing in Israel’s history, is locked in a standoff with the supreme court after beginning proceedings to dismiss Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara and Ronen Bar, head of the internal security agency.
The opposition, which swiftly filed a petition with the supreme court challenging the vote, views these judicial reforms as signs of Netanyahu’s authoritarian shift toward an illiberal democracy.
The legislation was approved by a vote of 67 in favor and one against, with the opposition boycotting the early-morning vote.
Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, has 120 lawmakers.
The overall judicial reform package had sparked one of the largest protest movements in Israel’s history in 2023 before being overtaken by the war in Gaza.
The war began following the deadly October 7, 2023 attack on Israel by the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip.
Yair Lapid, leader of the center-right Yesh Atid party, announced on social media platform X that he had filed an appeal with the supreme court against the law on behalf of several opposition parties, just minutes after the parliamentary vote.
According to Justice Minister Yariv Levin, who sponsored the bill, the measure was intended to “restore balance” between the legislative and judicial branches.
In his closing remarks ahead of the vote, Levin slammed the supreme court for what he described had “effectively nullified the Knesset.”
“It has taken for itself the authority to cancel laws and even Basic Laws. This is something unheard of in any democracy in the world,” said Levin, the key architect of the judicial reforms.
“But our supreme court didn’t stop at trampling the Knesset; it placed itself above the government. It can annul any government action, compel the government to perform any action, cancel any government appointment.”


Levin said with the new bill the country was “opening a new page.”
“It is hypocrisy and one-sided to say that the Knesset is forbidden to act while the court is allowed to act in the middle of a war,” Levin said.
“The days of appeasement and silencing are over, never to return. I am proud to stand here and demand justice, and I am even prouder to deliver justice.”
Currently, judges — including supreme court justices — are selected by a nine-member committee comprising judges, lawmakers, and bar association representatives, under the justice minister’s supervision.
Under the new law, which would take effect at the start of the next legislative term, the committee would still have nine members: three supreme court judges, the justice minister and another minister, one coalition lawmaker, one opposition lawmaker, and two public representatives — one appointed by the majority and the other by the opposition.
The government’s judicial reforms package, first unveiled in early 2023, had triggered massive street protests that effectively divided Israeli society.
Netanyahu’s detractors warn the multi-pronged package could pave the way for authoritarian rule and be used by Netanyahu to quash possible convictions against him in his ongoing corruption trial, an accusation the premier denies.
Protesters had rallied weekly against the government reforms since they were unveiled.
Rallies have once again erupted in key cities, and on Wednesday thousands protested against the bill before it was approved in parliament.
Netanyahu had slammed the opposition on Wednesday during a speech in parliament.
“You recycle the same worn-out and ridiculous slogans about ‘the end of democracy’. Well, once and for all: Democracy is not in danger, it is the power of the bureaucrats that is in danger.
“Perhaps you could stop putting spanners in the works of the government in the middle of a war. Perhaps you could stop fueling the sedition, hatred and anarchy in the streets.”

Algerian court sentences writer Boualem Sansal for five years

Algerian court sentences writer Boualem Sansal for five years
Updated 45 sec ago
AFP
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Algerian court sentences writer Boualem Sansal for five years

Algerian court sentences writer Boualem Sansal for five years
  • He was arrested in November and stood trial for undermining Algeria’s territorial integrity, after saying in an interview with a far-right French media outlet that France unfairly ceded Moroccan territory to Algeria during the colonial era
Updated 45 sec ago
AFP

ALGIERS: An Algerian court on Thursday sentenced French-Algerian writer Boualem Sansal, whose case has been at the heart of a diplomatic storm, to five years behind bars, an AFP journalist inside the courtroom said.
The author is known for his criticism of Algerian authorities as well as of Islamists.
He was arrested in November and stood trial for undermining Algeria’s territorial integrity, after saying in an interview with a far-right French media outlet that France unfairly ceded Moroccan territory to Algeria during the colonial era.
The statement, which echoed a long-standing Moroccan claim, was viewed by Algeria as an affront to its national sovereignty.
A court in Dar El Beida, near Algiers, sentenced “the defendant in his presence to a five-year prison term” with a fine of 500,000 Algerian dinars ($3,730).
Last week, prosecutors at an Algiers court requested a 10-year prison sentence for the novelist whose work has remained available in Algeria despite his criticism of the government.
Though Sansal was relatively unknown in France before his arrest, the trial has sparked a wave of support from French intellectuals and officials.
French President Emmanuel Macron has dismissed the accusations against Sansal as “not serious,” but had expressed confidence in Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune’s “clarity of vision” on the matter.
Macron has repeatedly called for the writer’s release, citing his fragile state of health due to cancer.
Sansal’s French lawyer, Francois Zimeray, condemned the decision in a post on X as “a sentence that betrays the very meaning of the word justice.
“His age and his health make every day he spends in jail even more inhuman. I appeal to the Algerian presidence: justice has failed, let humanity at least prevail.”


Algerian news site TSA has written that the trial was “not just about the fate of one man but also the immediate future of relations” between Algeria and its former colonial ruler.
Ties between the two countries have been strained over migration issues and since Macron recognized Moroccan sovereignty over the disputed territory of Western Sahara in July last year.
Western Sahara is mostly controlled by Morocco but claimed by the Algeria-backed pro-independence Polisario Front, which seeks a UN-backed self-determination referendum that has never materialized since a 1991 ceasefire.
At his trial last week, Sansal said he had not foreseen the potential repercussions of his comments on Algeria’s borders with Morocco.
He also denied any intent to harm Algeria, saying he merely “expressed an opinion” in the name of “freedom of expression,” according to Algerian newspaper Echorouk.
Algeria has blamed the French right and far right for fueling the dispute, arguing that French diplomacy is now led by hard-liners favoring its regional rival, Morocco.
In an apparent attempt to ease tensions, Tebboune said in an interview on Saturday that the case was “in good hands” and described Macron as his “sole point of reference” for repairing strained ties.
Prior to Thursday’s sentencing, analyst Hasni Abidi said the author might be granted a presidential pardon during upcoming Muslim or national holidays.

Topics: Algeria

Italy pledges 68 million euros in aid for Syria

Italy pledges 68 million euros in aid for Syria
Updated 40 min 2 sec ago
Reuters
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Italy pledges 68 million euros in aid for Syria

Italy pledges 68 million euros in aid for Syria
  • EU countries have also suspended a range of sanctions against Syria, including restrictions related to energy, banking, transport and reconstruction
Updated 40 min 2 sec ago
Reuters

ROME, March 27 : Italy has earmarked some 68 million euros ($73.20 million) to finance humanitarian projects and rebuild infrastructure in Syria, Rome’s foreign minister told lawmakers on Thursday, saying it was crucial to support the transition in Damascus.
“An initial package has been earmarked for humanitarian initiatives in the hospital and health sector, in infrastructure, and in strengthening food supply chains,” Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani told a parliamentary hearing.
“New cooperation projects will start in the coming weeks. And we also intend to organize a business forum aimed at reconstruction,” he added.
Earlier this month, donors at a European Union-led conference pledged 5.8 billion euros to help Syria’s new authorities with the challenges of the transition.
EU countries have also suspended a range of sanctions against Syria, including restrictions related to energy, banking, transport and reconstruction.
The new authorities this month issued a constitutional declaration that retains a central role for Islamic law in the country.
Tajani said the constitutional declaration represented a “positive step” and a “progressive and cautious” easing of sanctions should continue to foster institutional consolidation and economic recovery.

Topics: Syria Italy

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Police use force to break up protests at university in Turkiye’s capital

Police use force to break up protests at university in Turkiye’s capital
Updated 27 March 2025
AP
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Police use force to break up protests at university in Turkiye’s capital

Police use force to break up protests at university in Turkiye’s capital
  • At least 1,400 people were detained first six days of the protests, the interior minister said Tuesday
  • A group of students gathered to read a statement near the university gates, pro-opposition broadcaster Halk TV and local media reported
Updated 27 March 2025
AP
ISTANBUL: Police used pepper spray, plastic pellets and water cannon against protesters in Turkiye’s capital early Thursday, potentially reigniting tensions after two days of relative calm in the country’s biggest anti-government protests in over a decade.
The demonstrations began last week following the arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, a key rival to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Imamoglu, jailed on corruption charges many see as politically motivated, is also accused of supporting terrorism. The government insists the judiciary is independent, but critics say the evidence is based on secret witnesses and lacks credibility.
Early Thursday, student demonstrators tried to march and gathered to read a statement near the gates at Middle East Technical University, pro-opposition broadcaster Halk TV and local media reported. They were met by security forces who deployed pepper spray, water cannon and plastic pellets. A standoff ensued where the students hid behind a barricade of dumpsters until the police charged to detain them.
Melih Meric, a legislator with the Republican People’s Party or CHP, was seen soaked with water and suffering from pepper spray exposure. “My student friends only wanted to make a press statement, but the police strictly did not allow it, this is the result,” Meric said in social media videos.
Officials have not said how many people were detained.
Ozgur Ozel, the leader of party to which Imamoglu belongs, had promised that lawmakers would stand alongside protesters in the hope of lowering tensions. He also warned Tuesday that if the police provoked demonstrators he would “make a call for 500,000 people to (come to) the place that will disturb” the authorities the most.
At least 1,400 people were detained first six days of the protests, the interior minister said Tuesday.
Demonstrations involving hundreds of thousands have swept across major cities, including opposition-organized rallies outside Istanbul City Hall. Other major protests have been held in Istanbul’s districts of Kadikoy and Sisli districts in recent days.
Erdogan has accused the opposition of “sinking the economy” by calling for a boycott of companies it says support the governmen. The president said those responsible for hurting financial stability would be held “accountable.”
Meanwhile, Imamoglu, speaking from prison via social media Wednesday, denounced police violence against protesters, “I cannot call them police because my honorable police would not commit this cruelty to the young children of the nation,” he said.
Imamoglu has been confirmed as the main opposition party’s candidate for presidential elections due in 2028 but which could come earlier. He has performed well in recent polls against Erdogan, for whom his election as mayor of Turkiye’s largest city in 2019 was a major blow.

Hamas spokesperson Qanoua killed in Israeli airstrike, Al-Aqsa TV reports

Hamas spokesperson Qanoua killed in Israeli airstrike, Al-Aqsa TV reports
Updated 27 March 2025
Reuters
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Hamas spokesperson Qanoua killed in Israeli airstrike, Al-Aqsa TV reports

Hamas spokesperson Qanoua killed in Israeli airstrike, Al-Aqsa TV reports
  • Al-Qanoua was killed when his tent was targeted in Jabalia in northern Gaza
  • Earlier this week, Israel killed senior leaders Ismail Barhoum and Salah Al-Bardaweel
Updated 27 March 2025
Reuters

CAIRO: Hamas spokesperson Abdel-Latif Al-Qanoua has been killed in an Israeli airstrike in northern Gaza, Hamas-affiliated media said early on Thursday, the latest group figure to be killed since Israel resumed its operations in the enclave.
Al-Qanoua was killed when his tent was targeted in Jabalia, the Hamas-run Al-Aqsa television said. The same strike wounded several people, while separate attacks killed at least six in Gaza City and one in southern Gaza’s Khan Younis, medical sources said.
Earlier this week, Israel killed Ismail Barhoum, a member of Hamas’ political office, and Salah Al-Bardaweel, another senior leader.
Both Bardaweel and Barhoum were members of the 20-member Hamas decision-making body, the political office, 11 of whom have been killed since the start of the war in late 2023, according to Hamas sources.
Last week, Israel ended a two-month-old ceasefire by resuming bombing and ground operations, increasing pressure on Hamas to free the remaining hostages in its captivity.
At least 830 people, over half of them children and women, have been killed since Israel resumed major military strikes in Gaza on March 18, according to Gaza’s health ministry.
Israel and Hamas accused each other of breaching the truce. It had broadly held since January and offered respite from war for the 2.3 million inhabitants of Gaza, which has been reduced to rubble.
Hamas, which still holds 59 of the 250 or so hostages Israel says the group seized in its October 7, 2023 attack, accused Israel of jeopardizing efforts by mediators to negotiate a permanent deal to end the fighting.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he ordered strikes because Hamas had rejected proposals to secure a ceasefire extension. He repeated threats on Wednesday to seize territory in Gaza if Hamas failed to release the remaining hostages it still holds.

Topics: War on Gaza Hamas Israel Abdel-Latif Al-Qanoua Al-Aqsa television

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