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Yazidis in the Iraqi town of Sinjar held a march where they hung up photographs of their victims killed at the hands of militants of the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) during their control of the Nineveh Governorate and the war to liberate Mosul in the years 2016 and 2017.

Participants called on the Iraqi government to honour its earlier commitments towards the Yazidi community, which include a reconstruction plan and programmes to improve their living conditions and service facilities.

Sinjar residents say that the situation in the district is tragic, adding that they have been left with nothing but a huge legacy from the battle to rid the nearby city of Mosul of ISIS remnants.

“The situation is still tragic. We have not and will not leave after the genocide that occurred on August 3rd, 2014, when ISIS was a calamity on all Iraqis and was more ferocious and crueller. It exterminated the Yazidis and Sinjaris who migrated and were taken captive, killed and martyred. But in reality, it was a genocide,” Mohammed Khalil Qassem, a member of parliament and former mayor of Sinjar, said.

“Today, what Sinjar district is going through is a political, geographical, service, and economic genocide, and a rights genocide. The Iraqi government has issued a huge number of decisions and agreements regarding Sinjar, but they remained ink on paper. For example, where is the Sinjar agreement that was included in the government programme of Mr. al-Sudani (Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani), and what did Mr. Al-Sudani do regarding the Sinjar agreement that included five essential paragraphs for Sinjar?” he added.

Qassem said that they will take their cause to the Iraqi and international judiciaries.

“We will resort to the Iraqi judiciary, and we have full confidence in it. We will resort to international courts. We have put pressure on countries, and you will soon witness international pressure for Sinjar and the Yazidis. The Iraqi government must implement a humanitarian and international programme for the benefit of Iraq,” he continued.

Maysar Khalaf is a Yazidi Iraqi who took part in the demonstration in Sinjar. He had lost several family members who were killed at the hands of ISIS militants.

According to Khalaf, participating in such events is an inevitable duty to restore rights and remember the victims.

“When the date of 03-08-2014 came, ISIS gangs killed many Yazidis here, and carried out executions in all of Sinjar district, especially Adnaniya district, where the people of the district resisted ISIS with a desperate resistance. ISIS militants killed many people, and it became our duty, we the families of the victims, to carry out this stand for all Yazidis without exception,” Khalaf said.

Iraqis will commemorate the tenth anniversary of the beginning of the ISIS massacres against hundreds of thousands of Yazidis in Sinjar district, Nineveh Governorate, on August 3rd.

Iraqi Yazidis Protest in Commemoration of ISIS’ Crimes in Sinjar

Palestinians carried out the burial of a man on Wednesday after he was shot dead in the city of Nablus, the West Bank.

The victim’s family say that he was killed by an Israeli force, who shot him during a raid on the city, as escalating Israeli military operations in the West Bank continue since the beginning of the war on the Gaza Strip in October 2023.

Palestinian media reported that the deceased, Ramadan Sadek (47), died affected of his wounds few hours after he was shot during the Israeli forces’ incursion of the area of Khallet al-Amoud in Nablus.

“He was sitting near his house with his nephews, chatting, when they were surprised by the entry of the \[Israeli\] army. The area witnessed the hurling of stones at the Zionist patrols that were firing, so he was martyred,” Hilal Sadek, Ramadan’s nephew, said while recalling the incident.

Burial of a Palestinian Man Whose Family Accuse Israeli Forces of Killing in Nablus

Fishermen in al-Khawkhah, in the Yemeni province of al-Hodeidah, rely on the shark fishing season in spite of all the risks involved as sharks bring good income under tough economic conditions.

Shark fishing requires skill, bravery and patience. The season begins in May and continues for several months. Fishermen have been working hard to make the best use of the season as sharks are being sold at relatively high prices. Locals buy shark meat while the fins are being exported at high rates for east Asian countries.

Mohamed Ahmed Saad has received the fishing business from his father. He never stopped sailing for 40 years to pursue his source of income. He depends on the shark fishing season to make some profits regardless of all risks involved.

“During the shark fishing season, we stay in the sea for four to five days. It takes time and effort. We throw our fishing tools into the sea with the bait and wait until the morning to pull the robe and at the end of it we get the sharks. When the wind is strong and northern, the risk increases. When heavy rain falls along with winds or the southwestern winds, the risk becomes greater too,” he explained.

As boats are anchored, carriers flow in to move the valuable fishing to the dock, where awaiting merchants from al-Hodeidah and other provinces check the fish and buy whatever is good for them.

Abu Mohamed Jamil, a fisherman who returned from a fishing journey that took about a week, spoke about the money and efforts being exerted by fishermen to return with sharks.

He said he might gain three to four million riyals in one journey and sometimes returns empty-handed and would have to afford the fishermen’s wages.

Jamil Jal’oum, a representative of fishermen in al-Khawkhah, said the prices of fish are up from 100,000 to 300,000 riyals and sometimes could hit 400,000 and 500,000 riyals because of the scarcity of fins and their globally-high price.

_(One U.S. dollar equals 250.34 Yemeni riyals)_

Yemen’s Shark Fishing Season Good Chance to Make Money, But Risks Involved

Students of the thanawiya amma (high school) in the Gaza Strip on Monday held a press conference outside the Shohada’ al-Aqsa Hospital in which they accused Israel of “confiscating” their right to education and denying them the chance to take their exams.

Samar Khodeir, a female high school student, read out a statement in the name of the students in which she appealed to the international community and global organizations to work on bringing the war to an end and guaranteeing the right of the young people of Gaza to education.

“We appeal to the international community and global organizations to bring the war on Gaza to an end and intervene to come up with practical and effective solutions to rescue our educational future by all means so we may catch up with our peers in the other part of the homeland (West Bank) and the world at large,” she said.

The press conference coincided with the announcement of the thanawiya amma exam results for the students in the West Bank while the students in Gaza could not take the exam due to the Israeli war on Gaza since October 7, 2023.

Khodeir called on the world to work on guaranteeing the right of Gaza students to education and rescuing them from “the hell” they were going through.

“We demand our right to education and an aspiring future and to provide security and peace for all of us. With extreme agony, we appeal to all foundations of the international community and all free people of the world to save whatever can be saved after all the death we clearly witnessed. Save us from this hell we are going through every day,” she noted.

“We refuse to become nothing but numbers in victim tallies. We reject the policies of a destructive Israel to hamper the educational process. We demand recognition of our dignity as individuals dreaming of a bright future and durable peace,” added Khodeir.

The ministry of education and higher education in Ramallah announced the results of the thanawiya amma exams for the students in the West Bank. The 39,000 students of the same stage of education in the Gaza Strip did not take the exam because of the Israeli war on the enclave that started with the beginning of the school year.

The ministry announced that 10,000 students and 400 teachers in Gaza have been killed in Israeli attacks.

Gaza’s High School Students Blame Israel for Missing Exams

Thousands in the Golan Heights’ Majdal Shams region paid their last respects to 11 young boys and girls killed when a missile landed in a soccer pitch on Saturday.

Israel accused Hezbollah of having fired the missile from Lebanon while the Lebanese group denied responsibility for the attack.

Israeli Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi said on Sunday that the army was enhancing readiness “for the next stage in the fighting in northern Israel” after a rocket landed on Majdal Shams.

Israeli army spokesman Avichay Adraee quoted Halevi, who toured the attack site, as saying, “We are increasing our readiness for the next stage of the fighting in the north, as we are simultaneously fighting in Gaza. We know how to attack even very far from the State of Israel. There will be more challenges, we will raise our readiness. When required we will act strongly.”

“We know exactly where the rocket was launched from. We examined here on the wall of the soccer field the remains of the rocket, and we know to say that it is a Falaq rocket with a fifty-three-kilogram warhead.

“This is a Hezbollah rocket. And whoever fires such a rocket into an urban area wants to kill civilians, wants to kill children,” Halevi says in a video statement from the scene.

Israeli newspaper the Times of Israel said bodies of 11 out of a total 12 killed in the attack on Majdal Shams have been carried to their final resting place.

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on Saturday approved a military operation against Hezbollah and gave instructions for carrying it out in the aftermath of the missile attack on Majdal Shams, according to the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth.

Daily exchange of fire across the borders has been lately mounting between the Israeli army and Lebanese group Hezbollah, which erupted after Israel waged its war on the Gaza Strip on October 7, 2023.

Thousands Mourn 11 Killed in Missile Attack on Golan’s Majdal Shams

The local residents of al-Qamishli, northeastern Syria, bade final farewell to Aldar Abdel-Nafi’e Hussein, one of 12 young men who died of thirst in the Algerian desert after their car broke down while attempting to migrate to Europe from Libya.

Footage of the Arab World Press (AWP) showed grieving locals who were waiting for the car carrying Hussein’s body to arrive amid weeping by his relatives.

The Algerian Ghawth Search and Rescue Organization had said earlier this month that it had found a vehicle with 12 bodies of Syrian young people in the area of Bolqbur in the Algerian desert days after the car had been reported missing.

Media reports indicated that Algeria’s southern borders, particularly with Libya and Niger, were witnessing activities by illegal immigrants smuggling networks in trips that sometimes ended in loss in the desert and death of thirst.

The members of these networks leave the immigrants to continue their trips on foot under tough weather conditions.

Syria’s Qamishli Locals Mourn Young Man Who Died of Thirst in Algerian Desert

Patients in the Yemeni province of Taiz are gravely concerned due to lack of fuel that is almost running out and could cause the al-Thawra Hospital, the main one in the city, to go out of service, posing a great risk to the lives of patients with kidney failure who need regular dialysis sessions.

“I receive two dialysis sessions per week. I was told we might not have any more sessions due to disrupted fuel supply. I used to have three sessions per week. If diesel is not available, this means we will die,” said Fouad Qahtan, a patient with kidney failure.

“We appeal to supporters and the health ministry to give top priority to the issue of diesel fuel,” he added.

The harm is not confined to kidney failure patients. It included visitors of other wards in the hospital, like Mohamed Aly Saleh, a diabetes patient.

“I came to the hospital for three days and each time I was told that the hospital cannot provide services due to lack of diesel fuel. This is the only hospital in Taiz,” said Saleh.

“Al-Thawra hospital is the last one. If it stops, patients will die. Fuel supply was disrupted. There are many people who suffer from kidney failure and heart and chest diseases,” he added.

Abdel-Rahim al-Sam’i, the director of al-Thawra Hospital in Taiz, warned that the health facility will likely stop providing any services if fuel ran out.

“The disrupted fuel supply in al-Thawra Hospital in Taiz will cause many wards to go out of service. The most dangerous of all, which poses a risk to the citizens lives in the same hour and same minute, is the kidney dialysis center. Kidney dialysis cannot be delayed,” he explained.

“If patients do not get two dialysis sessions per week, sediments will accumulate in their bodies and death will be certain. Moreover, the fuel capacity to operate the hospital as a whole is 45,000 liters, which means other wards will also go out of service,” noted Sam’i.

Earlier this month, Yemeni Minister of Health Qassem Bahaibah, warned the health system in the country could collapse due to an acute decrease in funding for health support by more than 70%.

He stressed that the health sector was in a pressing need for immediate and sustainable interventions to guarantee basic health services are provided to millions of citizens who depend on them to stay alive.

Fuel Scarcity Likely to Stop Yemen’s Taiz Hospital Services

Built in 1952, the Khan Younis Municipal Stadium in Gaza is no longer a venue for sports events but has rather become an unequipped shelter centre for displaced Palestinians fleeing the Israeli bombardment in various parts across the Strip.

Packed mainly with displaced Palestinians from the eastern areas of the Gaza Strip, the stadium, whose facilities and surrounding buildings were destroyed, lacks safe drinking water, bathrooms, and other necessities of life.

Mohammed Qadih, a displaced Palestinian who fled to the stadium, said, “We were forcibly displaced in the evening, and we only found roads to sleep on sought refuge in the nearest place. Among the very close places that we took refuge in was this stadium. We set up our tents in it and have been staying here for 3 days. It is a shelter devoid of water, bathrooms, or aid.”

He added, “No one has contacted us to send us relief, especially for infants, pregnant women and women who lack money. A very large number of people here lack the money to help them support themselves. No one cares about us.”

Qadih continued, “We appeal to the whole world and all the free people of the world, not only the Arab countries but all the countries of the world that claim humanity and are compassionate towards animals, cats and dogs, which they view with a human dimension, to look at the Palestinian people who are now being struck by bombs, planes, tanks, and the most powerful American weapons without anyone caring about us.”

Umm Abdullah al-Najjar is another displaced Palestinian in the stadium who recalled better times.

She said, “This stadium used to host \[sports\] tournaments. Players practiced football in it, and it was a destination for athletes of all ages. Now it has become a shelter for the displaced from the eastern regions, such as Khuzaa, Abasan, Bani Suheila, Abasan al-Saghira, and the rest of the eastern regions. They fled to this stadium that you see.”

She added, “The displaced are spread throughout the stadium, where they stay in tents. The sun beats down us from everywhere. There are displaced people of all ages here, and there is no water or food. Our living conditions are not suitable for humans. I swear to God, we have to travel a long distance to the Nasser Medical Complex to fetch water. There is no drinking water available, so we are forced to drink salty water. We are helpless. We were displaced from Khuzaa in the far east of the Strip.”

Khan Younis Stadium Overwhelmed with Displaced Palestinians from Eastern Gaza Strip

Osama al-Sharmi, Yemen’s Deputy Minister of Information, said that the Israeli strikes targeting Houthi locations on Saturday harmed Yemen’s infrastructure and the legitimate government rather than weakened the Iranian-backed Houthi militia.

In an interview with AWP, al-Sharmi said that the Israeli assault hampered the Yemeni government’s efforts to regain control over the Houthi-ruled Yemeni coast.

The Yemeni official said, “We view Israel’s strikes as violent strikes, through which Israel wants to restore the previous balance of deterrence that existed between it and the pro-Iranian camps and groups in the Arab region, but we were harmed by them as the Yemeni people, and as a Yemeni government.”

Al-Sharmi accused Houthi militias of turning the coastal city of Hodeidah into “a platform for launching Iranian missiles.”

“The gravest thing that the Houthi militia is doing now on the western coast of Yemen is turning the city of Hodeidah into a platform for launching, storing, and reassembling missiles that come from Iran,” he continued.

Al-Sharmi said, “The Houthi militia is threatening international navigation, practicing piracy, clearly executing Iranian plans, and using our people in Hodeidah as human shields. Our infrastructure is used \[by the Houthi militia\] as a means to launch its missiles, drones, and boats against international trade and navigation.”

The Yemeni official called on “the international community to understand that Iran is using the Houthi group as a platform to threaten and blackmail the world and pass on many of its files, including the Iranian nuclear file, the ballistic missile file, and the sanctions on Iran.”

Al-Sharmi warned, “We will get stuck in a never-ending vicious cycle unless the international community supports the legitimate government in liberating its entire territory from the Houthi group, ending the Iranian threats from Yemen at least, and liberating at least the entire western coast in the near future.”

He concluded, “Our message to the international community is that it is possible. The liberation of the entire western coast is possible with minimal resources. We just want the green light, no more and no less.”

Israeli aircraft bombed Houthi targets near the Port of Hodeidah on Saturday. The rebel group said that the strikes hit the power station, the port, and fuel tanks, killing at least six people and wounding dozens.

The Israeli raid came a day after a Houthi drone attack was launched against Israel, which killed one person in Tel Aviv.

"Houthis Turned Hodeidah into a Platform for Launching Iranian Missiles", Says Yemeni Official 

Former Secretary General of the Lebanese Higher Council for Privatisation, Ziad Hayek, announced his presidential bid in a press conference held at the journalists’ syndicate in Beirut on Monday.

The Lebanese presidency post has been vacant since the end of the former president Michel Aoun’s tenure in October 2022, as the numerous parliamentary sessions that took place to elect his successor were all marked by failure.

Hayek said that he met with leaders of all Lebanese political parties to demonstrate and discuss his presidential programme.

He similarly called on parliamentarians to set their political differences aside in order to elect a new President at a time when Lebanon is struggling with a deteriorating security and economic situation.

“I performed my duty by touring \[to meet\] all national leaders and political parties, without any exception, and presented to them my vision for getting Lebanon out of the dark tunnel we are in. They all know me, and I have long experience as a first-class employee in the executive authority, and I spent 13 years in the government palace, directly reporting to four heads of government,” Hayek said during the presser.

“I was a member of several ministerial committees over many years in which I dealt with all political parties on many issues, so I am not far from politics. I have lived closely and know its ramifications. I have close ties with all political parties, and they know my integrity and reputation,” he added.

The former governmental official stressed that his candidacy comes as no surprise, adding that the current challenges the country is facing dictate the necessity of electing a new president.

“My candidacy is nothing new. I was nominated two years ago, and of course I am in constant and continuous communication with all political parties. There is nothing new for politicians with everything I talked about today,” he confirmed.

“It \[electing a president\] is an urgent necessity for several considerations: the collapsed economy, secondly the social and security problems we face, the situation in the south, and fourthly the Syrian displacement and its repercussions on the Lebanese economy and society, and relations with sisterly Syria, and all of these matters we need to address,” Hayek added.

Former Lebanese Senior Official Announces Presidential Candidacy

 Saleh Ali al-Jaash was forced to travel a long distance away from his usual fishing spot off the coasts of Rudum district in the Shabwah province, southeastern Yemen, due to an oil spill that has polluted the water and killed marine life in the area.

The coasts of Ayn Bamabad are facing an environmental disaster after large quantities of crude oil spilled over hundreds of meters due to a dilapidated oil pipeline that links the production fields in the area of Ayadh, west of Shabwah, to the export port in Nashima overlooking the Arabian Sea.

Jaash complained, “We have been harmed a lot by this oil slick. Our livelihoods rely on fishing in the area of Nashima. We have not seen any officials follow up on the developments on the ground or explain what is happening.”

He continued, “Oil spots have started to show up on some fish, and others are migrating from the Nashima and Jaalah areas. This has forced fishermen to sail longer distances despite high fuel prices. We had to leave and travel a long way, away from our homes and areas.”

Fishermen are demanding serious action to address the catastrophic effects of the environmental pollution off the Shabwah coast and the damage caused to marine life amid fears of future risks if the problem is not quickly remedied.

Fisherman Farish Bamabad urged relevant authorities to quickly intervene to handle the effects of the oil spill and prevent its spread to other areas in the sea, which he described as the sole source of income for him and his family.  
“There is damage from this oil spill. It certainly affects the sea, fishermen, customers and citizens,” he said in an agonized tone.

Fishermen in the area reported that oil slicks have formed on the water surface near the coasts of Ayn Bamabad, Jaalah and Bir Ali, which are all key habitats for migratory birds and many marine creatures.

They also noted the smell of diesel suddenly invading the coastal air while clumps of crude oil have piled up on the beach alongside perished birds and fish.

Community activist Mohamed Abed warned of the dangers of the oil slick and its short-term effects on the health and environment, accusing the authorities of “failing to act quickly and seriously before the problem worsens.”

He said, “The oil spill off the coasts of Shabwah, in the area of Ayn Bamabad is an environmental disaster for the marine ecosystem. It has severely harmed fishermen who rely on fishing as their only source of income.”

Abed continued, “We, the people of Rudum district and Shabwah province, call for increased awareness and urge the relevant authorities to expedite the treatment of this spill to avoid greater harm and the possibility of it spreading to other areas and causing further damage to marine life and coral reefs.”

Oil spills impact the productivity of fisheries and lead to reluctance of customers to buy fish due to contamination concerns. They also cause fishing activities to cease in polluted areas as fishermen fear damaging their equipment and tools.

Oil Spill Off Yemen’s Shabwah Coast Threatens Local Fishermen’s Livelihoods

Television footage obtained by the Arab World Press (AWP) showed fires and thick smoke billowing during the initial moments after an Israeli airstrike targeting the western Yemen port of Hodeidah on Saturday, followed by a series of raids on several targets in the province.

“The Israeli bombing raids on Hodeidah targeted the Houthi political security building, arms depots and a power station,” a Yemeni military source told AWP.

The source added, “The raids targeted the port of Hodeidah, government facilities taken by the Houthi group to store oil, weapons and ammunition as well as gatherings of Houthi militants in several areas in the Houthi-controlled city of Hodeidah.”

The source confirmed that Israeli airstrikes targeted a dock, and tanks for unloading oil derivatives that were stored in large quantities at Hodeidah port, which has been controlled by the Houthi group for nine years.  
“A huge fire erupted in the mobile and fixed tanks,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Houthi group’s military spokesman, Yahya Sarea, announced on Sunday that “important” targets in the southern Israeli city of Eilat were bombarded with a number of rockets, adding the strikes “achieved their goals successfully.”

“The Israeli attack on Hodeidah will not dissuade Yemen from its firm stance towards the plight of the Palestinian people,” he said.

Sarea warned, “The response to the Israeli aggression on our country is inevitably coming and it will be immense and great.”

The military source stated, “Our naval operations against Israeli, U.S. and British ships, or those heading towards the Palestinian ports will not stop unless the aggression on Gaza ceases and the blockade is lifted.”

Al-Masirah TV channel, which belongs to the Houthis, on Sunday quoted a medical official as saying the Israeli raid on Hodeidah on Saturday killed three people and injured 87 others.

Footage of First Moments After Bombing of Yemen’s Hodeidah Port

Markets in the south-western Yemen city of Taiz are recovering as locals of al-Houban and areas under the control of the Houthi group as commodities and goods were available at lower prices.

Ahmed al-Hemeidi, who owns a store selling fabrics, said trade activities have been reinvigorating in the city since the blocked roads between al-Houban and Taiz were reopened last month.

“Customers flowed into Taiz for shopping, making the best use of the exchange rate differential. I have received a large number of shoppers,” he said.

Fouad Jammi comes to central Taiz on a daily basis to buy his needs on the market, where commodities are available at rates less than his original area of al-Houban after the road between the two cities were reopened following nine years of closure.

“After the blocked roads were open and we entered Taiz, we noticed that the prices of commodities in the city were much less compared to other areas. We obtained prices here in central Taiz much less than outside. Things became better than outside Taiz,” he indicated.

Abu Jayyad keeps was optimistically watching the crowded roads in Taiz, where he lives, and wished the resumed economic activities would help decrease currency exchange rates and prices of commodities are brought down.

“We are witnessing a great recovery on the markets after customers flowed in from al-Houban and the areas under the Houthis’ control. Prices went up thanks to a flurry of buying and selling activities in the city,” he said.

“The Saudi riyal and U.S. dollar exchange transactions have been on the rise, denoting a siege on the city. I think if the currency exchange rate becomes unified, it will decrease. If it decreases, there would be more demand,” he added.

However, the crowdedness that hit Taiz after years of stagnation due to the war and blockade sparked concerns by some citizens, including Abdel-Rahman al-Aghbari, who said the presence of a large number of people in the city caused some crises.

“The flow of Houban people into the city caused us several crises. First, they went on a shopping spree over consumer commodities, pushing their prices up. Second, they caused a crowd,” he complained.

Qassem Ibrahim, Director of Taiz Governorate’s Media & Public Relations Department, blamed the Houthi group for the price hike and citizens’ frail purchasing power in the areas under its control due to duties they levy on the people under several pretexts.

“The prices in the areas under Houthis’ control are high due to the extortion they are practicing under numerous religious terms. This has troubled merchants and consequently led to a price hike,” he explained.

“Moreover, the purchasing power is plummeting and the currency is scarce as the citizens in Houthi areas were unable to get money easily. This has brought about a recovery on the markets of the liberated Taiz city and a trade boom in all activities,” noted Ibrahim.

Taiz Markets See Boom as Houban Shoppers Flow

Along with his family of six, Mohammed Nasrallah made the long and dangerous journey on foot from al-Shujaiya in the north of the Gaza Strip towards Khan Younis in the south, to escape famine and the ongoing Israeli bombardment.

The Palestinian man explained, “We’ve been in this state of continuous displacement for nine months until we decided to come to the south. We got sick of the situation we were in, and everyone advised us to flee towards the south.”

Mohammed added, “I was forced to flee with my children due to extreme hunger, thirst and helplessness. I have six family members with me, and I am unable to support them. Prices in Shujaiya have rocketed, so I moved towards the south.”

After walking under the scorching summer sun for hours, Mohammed’s children were given juice cartons to quench their thirst upon their arrival at the Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis.

Recounting their ordeal, the children’s mother Nida Nasrallah said, “There is famine in al-Shujaiya. No water, no food, nothing. We lived there with difficulty. They did not spare any home, loved one, brother, or father. We lived in famine in al-Shujaiya.”

Nida lost the ability to feed her children or protect them from the continuous Israeli airstrikes, prompting the family’s decision to move south and away from the recurrent bombardments and evacuation orders.

She continued, “The children ask me for things, but I always say that I have no money or means. Their situation is heartbreaking. The day before yesterday we were targeted with missiles and today, we were forced to move towards the south. We crossed the Salah al-Din Road, and the \[Israelis\] were in front of us.”

Nida added, “There are many families in the Salah al-Din area. On our way out, the Israelis struck us with missiles, shells, stun grenades, and bullets. Also, on our way out of al-Shujaiya, they dropped a bomb from a drone, and three people were martyred in front of us.”

Despite the widespread destruction amidst the ongoing Israeli airstrikes and military operations since the beginning of the war last October 7, estimates indicate that there are about 350,000 people currently in northern Gaza.

On Foot: Palestinian Family Escapes ‘Famine’ in Shujaiya to Khan Younis

Many Iraqis are converting their vehicles to Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) systems due to their lower consumption costs and environmental benefits compared to gasoline fuel.

Despite several accidents involving cars using LPG, Zaid Naamah al-Musawi, PR and Media Officer at the Najaf branch of the Iraqi General Company for Gas Filling and Services, stresses that the system is completely safe.

He said, “As for the safety and security aspects, the fact is that car gas systems are imported from reputable sources, Turkish and Italian. The General Company for Gas Filling and Services has sought to import the system from these sources, which have very high safety aspects. In case of any defect in the gas system, it gets disconnected to prevent gas leakage.”

Al-Musawi confirmed the increasing demand for LPG systems, and said, “We advise all citizens to add this system and be part of this vital and important project, even though this project is currently witnessing significant demand. Because of this demand, the General Company for Gas Filling and Services has sought to open workshops and many other outlets to keep pace with the demand for liquid gas systems.”

At a car conversion centre in Najaf, Mazen Laftah Jabbar was among drivers installing an LPG system to his car. He said that he was encouraged by what he heard about the system.

He added, “From what we heard, it is a good quality system and the staff working here are highly experienced. Today we added a gas system to my vehicle to reduce consumption and expenses because the price of gas is much lower than gasoline.”

Sarmad al-Nadawi, the owner of a conversion workshop in Najaf, said, “The gas system has health and environmental benefits, especially the octane boost. Octane rating in gas systems reaches 110, compared to super gasoline where it reaches 90, and this greatly supports the engine in terms of performance fuel consumption.”

Iraqis Convert Cars to Run on Gas to Combat Increasing Fuel Prices

Israeli bombardment of the Bab Tnieh power station in Sahl al-Khiam, also known as the Marjeyoun power station, has left several towns in southern Lebanon without water and electricity.

The damaging strikes affected the area’s main supply of water at the Wazzani station, adding further burdens to the residents of towns that have been severely affected by the ongoing Israeli bombings since October 2023.

Sylvana Samaan, a resident of Marjeyoun, says that she had been receiving electricity for no more than seven hours a day through privately installed electric generators since the public Lebanon Electricity Company’s services were cut off.

“After what happened in Marjeyoun, and the bombing that targeted the Lebanon Electricity Company, we began to buy more water. We used to buy it once a week. Now we take it three times a week, and the electricity has been cut off, even alternative electricity through generators. We were receiving electricity until a.m., but the crisis became much greater,” she added.

Mahmoud Shaghouri, another resident of Marjeyoun, witnessed the Israeli bombing of the power station.  
“Two missiles hit there and did not explode, then they started bombing around the \[power\] station but did not hit it, behind the station,” he said.

According to Wassim Daher, General Director of the South Lebanon Establishment, Israel is intentionally cutting off water-generating resources to put the southern Lebanese residents under pressure.

“It is not the first targeting of electricity in the region. They targeted it in the town of Taybeh, which is close to Marjeyoun. The goal of cutting off electricity is to cut off water, which has become clear. The entire area was affected. Between Wazzani, Taybeh, Khiam, and Marj al-Khoukh, which supplies all of Marjeyoun, the water was cut off there,” Daher told AWP.

Daher explained that towns in the area were usually provided with electricity for 16 hours a day, during which they were uninterruptedly supplied with water, adding that alternative generators cannot meet this capacity given the frequency and diversity of Israeli attacks.

“We are running the generators, but they will not cover the need, and people will go through inevitable suffering, but we hope that the electricity company will be able to take the initiative and fix it \[the damages\] quickly,” he continued.  
On Sunday, the Lebanon Electricity Company said in a statement that the Israeli army targeted the Marjeyoun power station with artillery shells on Saturday, “which led to severe damage to transformers, cells, and high-voltage networks, causing them to be out of service”.

It added that it is assessing the station's technical status to take appropriate measures.

Israeli Strikes Leave Southern Lebanon Towns Without Water and Electricity

The five-day preparatory meeting to launch a political dialogue in Sudan was concluded at the headquarters of the African Union (AU) in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa on Monday.

The final communique, signed by 14 Sudanese political blocs, expressed support for the state institutions, stressing that the top priority at present is for the immediate end to the war, easing delivery of humanitarian aid in urgent and unhindered manner and abiding by the Jeddah agreement signed on May 11, 2023.

The statement condemned “the flagrant violations committed by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), the foreign forces that support the rebellion and all atrocities and repercussions of the war.”

The conferees called for “forming an interim caretaker government whose tasks, line-up and timing will be subject to consultations among all sides concerned, taking into consideration the former transitional period experiences and without any partisan quota systems.”

During the meeting, Lawrence Korbandy, the special envoy of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) to Sudan, renewed calls on the two sides of the conflict – the army and the RSF – to get into serious negotiations to bring an end to the war.

“We are reiterating the call on the two sides of the conflict to get engaged in negotiations without any preconditions. This conflict will not end except through negotiations,” he stressed.

Altom Hajo, the chairman of the central body of the Sudan Revolutionary Front (SRF), demanded that Sudan’s seat at the AU be restored so the sides that rule Sudan on the ground may take part in discussing the current crisis and reaching a solution to it.

“Basically, we demanded that Sudan must return to its previous status. The AU already has an attitude towards the rulers and the sovereignty \[Transitional Sovereignty Council\] in Sudan,” Hajo said in statements to the Arab World Press (AWP).

“Wisdom requires that a ban on the Sudanese government and political forces should be lifted. They actually exist on the ground and even the United Nations recognizes them \[the government\],” he added.

Mohamed Ibn Chambas, Chairperson of the African Union High-Level Panel of the Resolution of the Conflict in Sudan (HLP-Sudan), had said IGAD and the AU urged all Sudanese sides to place the country’s interests above all considerations and to work together to end the war between the army and the RSF.

“IGAD and the AU are committed to work with the parties concerned in Sudan in order to reach a reconciliatory solution to the current crisis,” he said, emphasizing that a solution to the crisis can never be military.  
The HLP-Sudan chief indicated that the AU will continue working with all sides concerned in order to set up a committee planning for an all-encompassing Sudanese dialogue.

Chambas warned that further infighting could exacerbate the suffering of the Sudanese people.

Sudanese Politicians’ Meeting in Addis Ababa Urges Interim Govt., End to War

The Khan Younis municipality headquarters in the southern Gaza Strip, hosted the signing of an agreement with the Palestinian National Committee for Partnership and Development (NCPD) to provide repair and maintenance services for water networks damaged in the Israeli war since October 2023.

The project costs $54,000, donated by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as part of Operation Chivalrous Knight 3 to give citizens in the Strip access to water under the harsh conditions due to the war.

Mohamed Rabie, NCPD Chairman, said during the signing ceremony, “We came here today to the Khan Younis municipality to sign an agreement to repair the dilapidated water pipes that were damaged during the recent aggression against Khan Younis. The municipality had made appeals to have these lines repaired as the governorate already suffers from an acute water shortage.”

He noted, “Khan Younis is considered the largest governorate with displaced people, as it, and the area of al-Mawasi have over one million displaced people. This urgent response came from the UAE through Operation Chivalrous Knight 3 to provide water for all citizens in the Gaza Strip.”

International organizations say the majority of citizens in the Gaza Strip, estimated at 2.3 million, live as displaced persons amid dire conditions since the outbreak of the war.

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