RAMALLAH: The Palestinian health ministry said Israeli settlers shot dead a Palestinian man in the West Bank on Saturday, in the latest deadly attack on the occupied territory. Ali Majed Hamadneh, 23, died after settlers opened fire during a raid on the village of Deir Jarir, northeast of Ramallah, the ministry said. &quot;He was brought to the Palestine Medical Complex in a critical condition&quot; and later succumbed to his wounds, the ministry said on Telegram. Palestinian official news agency Wafa also reported the incident. &quot;Armed colonists, under the protection of Israeli forces, attacked Deir Jarir from its western entrance and opened fire toward residents in the area,&quot; Wafa reported. There was no immediate response from the Israeli police or military. There has also been a spike in deadly attacks by Israeli settlers in the West Bank since the start of the Iran war on Feb 28, Palestinian authorities and the United Nations have said. Prior to Saturday&#39;s attack, at least six Palestinians were killed since then in settler attacks, according to an AFP tally based on Palestinian health ministry figures. Recent surge has prompted criticism from influential rabbis, settler leaders, and even Israel&#39;s military chief Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir, who called the attacks &quot;morally and ethically unacceptable&quot;.

Middle East

A 23-year-old died after settlers opened fire during a raid on Deir Jarir near Ramallah, officials said, as escalating violence draws criticism; Israel's military chief Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir, called the attacks "morally and ethically unacceptable".

Palestinians say Israeli settlers kill man in raid on village 

Web Desk

ISLAMABAD: In a joint statement, the foreign ministers of Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, Indonesia, T&uuml;rkiye, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) condemned and rejected the continued restrictions imposed by Israel on the freedom of worship for Muslims and Christians in occupied Jerusalem, the foreign office (FO) of Qatar said on Tuesday. &ldquo;These continued Israeli measures constitute a flagrant violation of international law, including international humanitarian law, as well as of the legal and historical status quo, and represent an infringement on the unrestricted right of access to places of worship,&rdquo; the Qatari foreign office said in a statement. Israel restricted Muslim worshippers from accessing&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/eight-muslim-states-including-pakistan-condemn-israels-continued-closure-of-alaqsa-mosque" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Al-Aqsa Mosque</a>&nbsp;/ Al-Haram Al-Sharif, and prevented the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem and the Custos of the Holy Land from entering the Church of the Holy Sepulchre to celebrate the Palm Sunday Mass. Muslim countries reaffirmed their rejection of Israeli restrictions targeting Muslims and Christians, including preventing Christians from freely accessing the Church of the Holy Sepulchre to perform religious rituals, and urged Israel to immediately reopen Al-Aqsa Mosque, remove restrictions on access to Jerusalem&rsquo;s Old City, and refrain from obstructing worshippers. They called on Israel to immediately reopen Al-Aqsa Mosque, remove restrictions on access to Jerusalem&rsquo;s Old City, and refrain from obstructing worshippers. The statement stressed the need to respect the historical and legal status of Jerusalem and its holy sites, adding that Israel, as the occupying power, holds no sovereignty over occupied Jerusalem. The ministers also condemned the continued closure of Al-Aqsa Mosque to worshippers for 30 consecutive days, including during the holy month of Ramadan, describing it as a serious violation of international law and Israel&rsquo;s obligations as an occupying power. They warned of the risks such measures pose to regional and international peace and security. Earlier, Pakistan condemned Israel&#39;s continued closure of the gates of Al-Aqsa Mosque to Muslim worshippers, particularly during the holy month of Ramadan. Last month, Israel imposed restrictions on Palestinian worshippers from the occupied West Bank attending weekly Friday prayers at the mosque, and capped the number of worshippers at 10,000 during Ramadan. Israeli police also deployed around the mosque in force. The ministers reaffirmed that Al-Aqsa Mosque is a place of worship exclusively for Muslims, and that the Jerusalem Awqaf Department under Jordan&rsquo;s Ministry of Awqaf is the legal authority responsible for its administration and regulating access. The foreign ministers also urged the international community to take a firm stance to compel Israel to end its violations and unlawful practices against Islamic and Christian holy sites.

Muslim countries reaffirm their rejection of Israeli restrictions targeting Muslims and Christians, including preventing Christians from freely accessing the Church of the Holy Sepulchre to perform religious rituals.

Pakistan, 7 Muslim nations condemn Israel restrictions on worship in occupied Jerusalem

SYDNEY: A leading Australian arts festival apologized Thursday for disinviting a Palestinian author, retracting claims her attendance would be &quot;culturally insensitive&quot; following a mass shooting targeting Jews at Bondi Beach. The Adelaide Festival was forced to cancel its popular writers&#39; week on Tuesday as scores of participants pulled out over the treatment of author and academic Randa Abdel-Fattah. With many questioning whether the backlash might spell the end of the event for good, organizers changed tack and apologized. &quot;We have reversed the decision and will reinstate Dr Abdel-Fattah&#39;s invitation to speak at the next Adelaide Writers&#39; Week in 2027,&quot; festival organizers said in a statement. Australia&#39;s premier annual cultural event, which lures artists from around the world, unleashed the storm last week when it told Abdel-Fattah it did not &quot;wish to proceed&quot; with her appearance. &quot;We stated that this was because it would be culturally insensitive to allow her to participate,&quot; organizers said. &quot;We retract that statement. We apologize to Dr Abdel-Fattah unreservedly for the harm the Adelaide Festival Corporation has caused her.&quot; Abdel-Fattah said she accepted the apology. &quot;I accept this apology as acknowledgement of our right to speak publicly and truthfully about the atrocities that have been committed against the Palestinian people,&quot; she said. Abdel-Fattah has faced criticism over past statements, including a post on X in October 2024 saying: &quot;The goal is decolonization and the end of this murderous Zionist colony.&quot; Some 180 participants, including former New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern, boycotted the festival after it canceled Abdel-Fattah. Writers&#39; week director Louise Adler resigned in protest, saying the board had been swayed against her advice by the &quot;extreme and repressive efforts of pro-Israel lobbyists.&quot; Father-and-son gunmen allegedly killed 15 people in an ISIS-inspired attack targeting a Jewish festival at Sydney&#39;s Bondi Beach on December 14.

Australasia

Abdel-Fattah accepts apology; some 180 participants, including former New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern, boycott festival after it canceled the Palestinian writer.

Australian festival apologizes for cancelling Palestinian author

LONDON: The embassy of Palestine was officially inaugurated in London in a short ceremony on Monday, hailed by its ambassador as a &quot;profound milestone&quot; in British-Palestinian relations.&nbsp;&quot;We gather today to mark a historic moment - the inauguration of the embassy of the State of Palestine to the United Kingdom, with full diplomatic status and privileges,&quot; said ambassador Husam Zomlot in a speech outside what was previously known as the Palestinian Mission to the UK in west London.&nbsp;The official upgrading of the mission to embassy status came after the UK announced it would recognise the State of Palestine in September 2025, along with several other countries, including Australia and Canada, at a time of major international concern about the humanitarian situation in Gaza.&nbsp;Sporting a traditional black and white keffiyeh scarf, Zomlot told the ceremony this is &quot;not merely a change of name&quot;, but a &quot;change of direction&quot; towards Palestinian statehood.&nbsp;&quot;What a way to begin a new year together, marking a profound milestone in the British-Palestinian relations, and in the Palestinian people&#39;s long journey to freedom and self-determination,&quot; Zomlot said, before unveiling the embassy&#39;s new plaque.&nbsp;&quot;This is a day of hope, a day of steadfastness, and a day that reminds the world that peace is not only possible, it is inevitable... when rooted in justice, dignity, equality and mutual recognition.&quot;&nbsp;The UK&#39;s foreign ministry did not immediately respond to an AFP query on whether the UK planned to follow suit by opening a British embassy in the Palestinian territories.&nbsp;Speaking just after Zomlot at a lectern flanked by Palestinian and British national flags, UK diplomatic representative Alistair Harrison said the occasion represented a &quot;moment of hope&quot;.&nbsp;&quot;This is the beginning of a step change in our bilateral relationship,&quot; he said.&nbsp;&quot;I wish you ambassador, and your team, a very happy stay in what is now your embassy, and congratulations.&quot;&nbsp;A fragile ceasefire has been in place since October in Gaza, following a devastating war waged by Israel in response to Hamas&#39;s unprecedented deadly October 7, 2023, attack on Israel.

United Kingdom

Palestine opens its embassy in London, a landmark in British-Palestinian relations, signaling progress toward statehood and highlighting hope and justice amid humanitarian challenges in Gaza.

Palestinian embassy in UK officially inaugurated

ISLAMABAD: In 2025, Israel launched an unprecedented series of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/the-bitter-relationship-between-israel-and-arab-states" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">military attacks across six countries in the Middle East</a>, according to the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED).&nbsp; The data analysis group&rsquo;s report, &ldquo;Israel recalibrates its military campaigns in a region still on edge,&rdquo; highlights the growing scope and intensity of Israel&rsquo;s actions in the region. ACLED, an independent global conflict monitor, reported that Israel launched military attacks in Iran, Lebanon, Palestine, Qatar, Syria, and Yemen throughout the year, marking the widest geographic reach of any military worldwide in 2025. &ldquo;In 2025, Israel launched attacks in Iran, Lebanon, Palestine, Qatar, Syria, and Yemen,&rdquo; ACLED states, noting that between January 1 and November 28 alone, Israel &ldquo;undertook more than 12,500 military actions across the Middle East.&rdquo; Deadliest zone: Palestine (Gaza Strip and West Bank)ACLED identified the Palestinian territories, particularly Gaza, as the deadliest theater of Israel&rsquo;s military activity in 2025. &ldquo;Gaza remained the deadliest arena; the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/gaza-civil-defense-says-7-killed-in-israeli-strikes" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">IDF killed thousands</a>&nbsp;&mdash; the majority civilians &mdash; in strikes,&rdquo; the report details. Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) strikes reportedly killed over 16,100 Palestinians in Gaza. The report further stated that Israel broke a ceasefire in January and, by October, had &ldquo;confined Palestinians in Gaza to less than 25% of the enclave and was pushing to establish full control over Gaza City.&rdquo; In the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/14-countries-condemn-israels-expansion-of-west-bank-settlements" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">West Bank</a>, ACLED documented intensified Israeli military operations: &ldquo;The IDF conducted its largest operations in decades, displacing tens of thousands from the Jenin, Tulkarm, and Nur al-Shams camps.&rdquo; Lebanon: ongoing air and artillery strikesDespite a ceasefire, ACLED recorded that Israel continued to carry out air and artillery strikes in Lebanon. &ldquo;The IDF conducted nearly 1,600 air- and artillery strikes, as well as shooting attacks, in Lebanon,&rdquo; the report said. Israeli forces withdrew ground troops in February but continued &ldquo;hundreds of near-daily strikes, mainly in the south but also in the Bekaa Valley and Beirut,&rdquo; killing hundreds of Hezbollah fighters, including nearly 25 commanders. Iran: strategic campaignACLED describes Israel&rsquo;s campaign in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/iran-says-missile-programme-defensive-nonnegotiable" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Iran</a>&nbsp;as the most strategically consequential foreign operation of 2025. &ldquo;Israel launched a 12-day military campaign consisting of over 350 airstrikes across 27 provinces, including in the capital Tehran,&rdquo; the report notes. Targets included missile sites, military bases, nuclear facilities, and government buildings, with assassinations of senior military leaders and nuclear scientists. Syria: expanded presence and strikesIsrael maintained and expanded its&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/three-wounded-in-southern-syria-after-israeli-incursion-state-media" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">military presence in Syria</a>, according to ACLED. &ldquo;In Syria, the IDF targeted Syrian military assets despite al-Assad&rsquo;s ouster,&rdquo; the report says, noting that Israel &ldquo;established six additional outposts in the demilitarized buffer zone, deploying up to 15 kilometers inside Syria.&rdquo; Yemen: targeted operations against HouthisIn Yemen, Israel escalated its military campaign against Houthi forces. &ldquo;The IDF conducted operations on 16 separate days in 2025, killing over 120 people,&rdquo; ACLED states, highlighting strikes that decimated the Houthi de facto government and killed the military chief of staff. Qatar: Rare but significant targetACLED points out Israel&rsquo;s rare&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/qatar-says-us-claims-of-warnings-prior-to-doha-attack-are-%E2%80%98baseless%E2%80%99" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">military action in Qatar</a>, related to its pursuit of Hamas leaders. &ldquo;From Palestine to Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, Iran, and even Qatar, the Israel Defense Forces projected military power across the region in 2025,&rdquo; the report says. The strike in Qatar marked a diplomatic turning point affecting regional relations later in the year. ACLED concludes that Israel&rsquo;s 2025 military posture shifted from a status quo power to a more revisionist one, noting: &ldquo;Israel established or expanded buffer zones and military outposts in three countries.&rdquo; This data underscores the complex and far-reaching nature of Israel&rsquo;s military campaigns in the Middle East throughout 2025, marking one of the most active and geographically expansive years in recent regional history.

ACLED says Israel launched military attacks in Iran, Lebanon, Palestine, Qatar, Syria, and Yemen throughout the year.

Israel attacked six Muslim countries in 2025: Report

ISLAMABAD: An Israeli reservist soldier ran over a Palestinian man while he was praying by the roadside, according to footage broadcast by CNN.&nbsp;The incident, which has been widely reported by international media citing Reuters, shows the man being struck as he prayed, sparking condemnation and raising questions over the conduct of Israeli security personnel in the occupied territories.&nbsp;In a statement, the Israeli military said it had received footage showing an armed individual running over a Palestinian man, adding that the driver was a reservist whose military service had since been terminated.&nbsp;The military said the reservist acted in severe violation of his authority and that his weapon had been confiscated.&nbsp;Israeli media reported that the reservist was placed under house arrest following the incident.&nbsp;The Palestinian man was taken to hospital for medical checks after the incident, as per media reports.&nbsp;In a separate incident, the Palestinian news agency Wafa reported that Israeli forces on Friday fatally shot a Palestinian man east of Gaza City. The victim, identified as Uday al-Maqadma, was reportedly sitting near the entrance of a school when Israeli forces opened fire. He was taken to hospital in critical condition and later died of his injuries.&nbsp;Wafa said the killing comes amid continued Israeli military operations in Gaza and the occupied West Bank, where Israeli forces have carried out near-daily raids, arrests and use of live fire since the start of the war.&nbsp;Palestinian health officials say dozens of Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank during these operations, which Israeli authorities describe as security measures targeting militants.&nbsp;The agency also reported that two Palestinians were shot dead earlier this week in Gaza City&rsquo;s Shujaiya neighborhood during Israeli military activity in the area.

The footage, shared by CNN, shows the man being struck as he prayed, sparking condemnation and raising questions over the conduct of Israeli security personnel in the occupied territories.

Israeli reservist rams vehicle into praying Palestinian man

PARIS: Fourteen countries, including France, Britain, and Germany, condemned on Wednesday Israel&#39;s recent approval of new Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank.&nbsp;&quot;We, States of Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Iceland, Ireland, Japan, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain and the United Kingdom condemn the approval by the Israeli security cabinet of 19 new settlements in the occupied West Bank,&quot; said a joint statement released by the French foreign ministry.&nbsp;&quot;We recall our clear opposition to any form of annexation and to the expansion of settlement policies,&quot; it added.&nbsp;On Sunday, Israel&#39;s far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announced the authorities had greenlit the settlements, saying the move was aimed at preventing the establishment of a Palestinian state.&nbsp;In their statement, the countries stressed such unilateral actions &quot;violate international law&quot; and risk undermining a fragile ceasefire in Gaza as mediators push for the implementation of the second phase of the truce.&nbsp;The countries urged Israel &quot;to reverse this decision, as well as the expansion of settlements&quot;.&nbsp;They also reaffirmed their &quot;unwavering commitment to a comprehensive, just and lasting peace based on the two-state solution... where two democratic states, Israel and Palestine, live side-by-side in peace and security&quot;.&nbsp;Israel has occupied the West Bank following a war in 1967.&nbsp;Excluding east Jerusalem, which was occupied and annexed by Israel in 1967, more than 500,000 Israelis live in the West Bank, along with about three million Palestinian residents.&nbsp;Earlier this month, the United Nations said the expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank -- all of which are illegal under international law -- had reached its highest level since at least 2017.

Europe

Fourteen nations condemned Israel’s approval of new West Bank settlements, calling them illegal, urging reversal, warning of risks to the Gaza ceasefire, and reaffirming support for a two-state solution.

14 countries condemn Israel's expansion of West Bank settlements

GAZA CITY: Hamas said Saturday it was ready to hand over its weapons in the Gaza Strip to a Palestinian authority governing the territory on the condition that the Israeli army&#39;s occupation ends.&nbsp;&quot;Our weapons are linked to the existence of the occupation and the aggression,&quot; Hamas chief negotiator and its Gaza chief Khalil al-Hayya said in a statement, adding: &quot;If the occupation ends, these weapons will be placed under the authority of the state.&quot; Asked by AFP, Hayya&#39;s bureau said he was referring to a sovereign and independent Palestinian state.&nbsp;&quot;We accept the deployment of UN forces as a separation force, tasked with monitoring the borders and ensuring compliance with the ceasefire in Gaza,&quot; Hayya added, signalling his group&#39;s rejection of the deployment of an international force in the Strip whose mission would be to disarm it.

Hamas negotiator Khalil al-Hayya supports UN border-monitoring forces but rejects any international mission aimed at disarming the group.

Hamas to surrender arms to Palestinian authority if Israeli occupation ends

ISLAMABAD:&nbsp;Israel&#39;s military chief Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir dismissed several senior officers over their failure to prevent the October 2023 attacks by Hamas. Following an investigation, Zamir said late Sunday he had fired and also reprimanded several senior commanders over the military&#39;s failure &quot;to protect the civilians of the State of Israel.&quot; Israel&#39;s military chief on Nov. 10 called for a &quot;systemic investigation&quot; into the failures that led to Hamas&#39;s Oct. 7, 2023, attack, as the government dragged its feet on establishing a state commission of inquiry on the matter. &#39;A&nbsp;significant step&#39;Zamir made the call following the publication of a report by an expert committee he himself had appointed, which, according to him, marks the conclusion of the military&#39;s internal investigations into the Oct. 7 attacks. &quot;The expert committee&#39;s report presented today is a significant step toward achieving the comprehensive understanding that we, as a society and as an organization, require.&quot; Zamir was quoted as saying in the report. &ldquo;To ensure that such failures never recur, a broader understanding is needed &mdash; one that encompasses the inter-organizational and inter-hierarchical interfaces that have not yet been examined.&quot;

FILE: Israel's military chief Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir speaks during a funeral in Kfar Saba on November 11, 2025 (AFP)

Dismisses and reprimands senior officers over failures linked to Hamas’s October 2023 attack, urging broader investigation; Zamir made the call following the publication of a report by an expert committee he himself had appointed

Israeli military chief says army failed to protect Oct 7 attack

UNITED NATIONS: The UN Security Council will vote Monday on a resolution endorsing US President Donald Trump&#39;s Gaza peace plan, diplomats said.&nbsp; Last week, the Americans officially launched negotiations within the 15-member Security Council on a text that would follow up on a ceasefire in the two-year war between Israel and Hamas and endorse Trump&#39;s plan. A draft of the resolution seen Thursday by AFP &quot;welcomes the establishment of the Board of Peace,&quot; a transitional governing body for Gaza -- that Trump would theoretically chair -- with a mandate running until the end of 2027. It would authorize member states to form a &quot;temporary International Stabilization Force (ISF)&quot; that would work with Israel and Egypt and newly trained Palestinian police to help secure border areas and demilitarize the Gaza Strip. Unlike previous drafts, the latest mentions a possible future Palestinian state. The United States and several Arab and Muslim-majority nations, including Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Turkey, called Friday for the UN Security Council to quickly adopt the resolution. &quot;The United States, Qatar, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Pakistan, Jordan, and T&uuml;rkiye express our joint support for the Security Council Resolution currently under consideration,&quot; the countries said in a joint statement, adding they were seeking the measure&#39;s &quot;swift adoption.&quot; Friday&#39;s joint statement comes as Russia circulated a competing draft resolution to Council members that does not authorize the creation of a board of peace or the immediate deployment of an international force in Gaza, according to the text seen Friday by AFP. The Russian version welcomes &quot;the initiative that led to the ceasefire&quot; but does not name Trump. It also only calls on the UN secretary-general to submit a report that addresses the possibilities of deploying an international stabilization force in war-ravaged Gaza. The United States has called the ceasefire &quot;fragile,&quot; and warned Friday of the risks of not adopting its draft. &quot;Any refusal to back this resolution is a vote either for the continued reign of Hamas terrorists or for the return to war with Israel, condemning the region and its people to perpetual conflict,&quot; the US ambassador to the United Nations, Mike Waltz, wrote in The Washington Post. &quot;Every departure from this path, be it by those who wish to play political games or to relitigate the past, will come with a real human cost.&quot; While it seemed until now that Council members supported principles of the peace plan, diplomatic sources noted there were questions about the US text, particularly regarding the absence of a monitoring mechanism by the Council, the role of the&nbsp; Palestinian Authority, and details of the ISF&#39;s mandate. The Russian UN mission said in a statement that its alternative proposal differed by recognizing the principle of a &quot;two-State solution for the Israeli-Palestinian settlement.&quot; &quot;Unfortunately, these provisions were not given due regard in the US draft,&quot; it said.

Draft of the resolution "welcomes the establishment of the Board of Peace," AFP reports

Articles tagged with "Palestine"