Pope calls for new Gaza ceasefire as Israel intensifies raids

JEDDAH: Pope Francis said Sunday that he was saddened the truce in the Gaza Strip had been broken and urged those involved in the conflict to reach a new ceasefire deal as soon as possible.



Wounded and dead overwhelm southern Gaza hospital as Israelis step up attacks

GAZA: In southern Gaza’s Nasser Hospital, a young man cradled the lifeless body of his brother and then reached out to try to grab a medic running past him in the corridor.

“My brother!” the man yelled out, crying and slapping the floor as others crowded around him, seeking treatment for their wounded and mourning their loved ones on Sunday, the third day of renewed warfare and Israeli bombardment.




EU’s mission in Cairo praises Egypt’s role in supporting humanitarian aid to Palestinians

CAIRO: Annie Choi, the head of the EU’s delegation to Egypt, has praised Cairo’s role in facilitating the arrival of humanitarian aid in Gaza.

She has also welcomed Egypt’s role in peace negotiations.

Choi made the remarks during the opening of the “Youth for Reviving Humanity” initiative in Sharm El-Sheikh.

The initiative falls within the activities of the fifth edition of the World Youth Forum, which is taking place from Dec. 3-5.

She described the forum as “wonderful” and praised Egypt as a firm pillar in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.




Palestinian man killed in West Bank in settler raid

RAMALLAH: Israeli settlers attacked two Palestinian villages in the occupied West Bank, killing one man and torching a car, Palestinian authorities said.

The Palestinian ambulance service said a 38-year-old man in the town of Qarawat Bani Hassan, in the northern West Bank, was shot in the chest and died as residents confronted settlers and Israeli soldiers.

The Israeli military said soldiers arrived at the scene and used riot dispersal means and live fire to break up the confrontation between residents and settlers. 




Saudi FM, Gulf ministers take part in GCC Summit preparatory meeting in Doha

RIYADH: Saudi minister of foreign affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan was among ministers who met at a preparatory meeting in Doha on Sunday for the upcoming Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) ministerial meeting, Saudi Press Agency reported.

The meeting was chaired by Qatar’s Prime Minister and foreign minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani, who is also chairman of the current session of the ministerial council.

Other GCC foreign ministers and the group’s secretary-general, Jassim Albudaiwi, also took part in the session.