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A US- and Israeli-backed group operating aid sites in Gaza shut its facilities on Wednesday, as the Israeli army warned that roads leading to distribution centres were “considered combat zones”.The move by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) followed a string of deadly incidents near distribution sites it operates that drew sharp condemnation from the United Nations.Israeli bombardment on Wednesday killed at least 48 people across the Gaza Strip, including 14 in a single strike on a tent sheltering displaced people, the civil defence agency said.A day earlier, the civil defence and the International Committee of the Red Cross said 27 people were killed when Israeli troops opened fire near a GHF site in southern Gaza. The military said the incident was under investigation.Britain called for an “immediate and independent investigation”, echoing a demand from UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.UK Middle East Minister Hamish Falconer said the deaths of Palestinians as they sought food were “deeply disturbing”, calling Israel’s new measures for aid delivery “inhumane”.Israel recently eased its blockade of Gaza, but the United Nations says the territory’s entire population remains at risk of famine.- UN vote -The GHF said its “distribution centres will be closed for renovation, reorganisation and efficiency improvement work” on Wednesday and would resume operations on Thursday.The Israeli army warned against travelling “on roads leading to the distribution centres, which are considered combat zones”.The GHF, officially a private effort with opaque funding, began operations a week ago. The UN and major aid groups have declined to work with it, citing concerns it serves Israeli military goals.Israeli authorities and the GHF, which uses contracted US security, have denied allegations the army shot at civilians rushing to pick up aid packages.Food shortages in Gaza have propelled fresh international calls for an end to the war, but a truce between Israel and Hamas remains elusive.The United States, Israel’s key ally, used its veto power at the UN Security Council on Wednesday to block a resolution calling for a ceasefire and unrestricted humanitarian access in Gaza.- ‘A trap’ -At a hospital in southern Gaza, the family of Reem al-Akhras, killed in Tuesday’s shooting, mourned her death.”She went to bring us some food, and this is what happened to her,” her son Zain Zidan said through tears.Her husband, Mohamed Zidan, said: “This is not humanitarian aid — it’s a trap.”The Israeli military maintains that its forces do not prevent Gazans from collecting aid.Army spokesperson Effie Defrin said the Israeli soldiers had fired towards suspects who “were approaching in a way that endangered” the troops.UN human rights chief Volker Turk called attacks against civilians “unconscionable”, and said they “constitute a grave breach of international law and a war crime”.The International Committee of the Red Cross meanwhile said Gazans face an “unprecedented scale and frequency of recent mass casualty incidents”.- Activists’ boat -Scenes of hunger in Gaza have also sparked fresh solidarity with Palestinians, and a boat organised by an international activist coalition was sailing toward Gaza, aiming to deliver aid.The boat from the Freedom Flotilla Coalition departed Sicily on Sunday carrying a dozen people, including environmental activist Greta Thunberg, along with fruit juices, milk, tinned food and protein bars.Israel’s military said it stood ready to “protect” the country’s maritime space, with army spokesman Defrin saying “we are prepared” to handle the flotilla, without elaborating.In response, the Freedom Flotilla Coalition said it “strongly condemns Israel’s declared intent to attack” the boat, calling it a “threat”.Israel has stepped up its offensive in Gaza in what it says is a renewed push to defeat the Palestinian group Hamas, whose October 2023 attack sparked the war.The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said at least 4,335 people have been killed since Israel resumed its offensive on March 18, taking the war’s overall toll to 54,607, mostly civilians.Hamas’s 2023 attack on Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people, also mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.The army said three of its soldiers had been killed in northern Gaza, bringing the number of Israeli troops killed in the territory since the start of the war to 424.burs-lba/acc/ami/jhb/rlp

Stock markets advanced Wednesday despite data showing US private sector job growth slowing last month, reviving fears about the economy.Investors also shrugged off US President Donald Trump’s tough words on China and his doubling of tariffs on imports of steel and aluminum.Separate figures on Tuesday showed that US job openings unexpectedly rose in April, somewhat …

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Syria’s Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani condemned on Wednesday Israeli strikes in retaliation for overnight rocket fire, saying they were aimed at destabilising his country.Israel bombed southern Syria after the military reported that two projectiles were fired into Israeli territory, with media reports saying these were the first launched from Syria since the fall of longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in December.Two unknown groups claimed responsibility for the launches, while Syrian authorities denied responsibility and said they would “never be a threat” to anyone in the region.Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz held Syria’s leader “directly responsible”.There were no reports of casualties or damage on the Israeli side from the projectiles, which the military said triggered air raid sirens in the southern Golan Heights, a territory Israel seized from Syria in 1967 and annexed in 1981.The Israeli military said that the two projectiles “fell in open areas”, later announcing it struck “weapons” belonging to the Syrian government in retaliation.Shaibani said that the Israeli attacks were “coordinated provocations aimed at undermining Syria’s progress and stability”.”These actions create an opening for outlawed groups to exploit the resulting chaos,” the top Syrian diplomat told a news conference in Damascus alongside visiting EU Commissioner for the Mediterranean Dubravka Suica.”Syria has made its intentions clear: we are not seeking war, but rather reconstruction,” he added.- Israel blames Sharaa -The foreign ministry earlier said in a statement carried by the official SANA news agency that the Israeli shelling was a “blatant violation of Syrian sovereignty” that “aggravates tensions in the region”.”Syria has never been and will never be a threat to anyone in the region,” it said.The ministry said it could not confirm whether rockets were launched towards Israel, blaming “numerous parties… trying to destabilise the region”.Katz said in a statement that “we view the president of Syria as directly responsible for any threat or fire directed at the State of Israel”.Syria’s interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa led the Islamist group that spearheaded the offensive that toppled Assad.Following Assad’s overthrow, Israel moved its forces into the UN-patrolled demilitarised zone in the Golan, and has carried out hundreds of strikes against military targets in Syria.Israel says the strikes aim to stop advanced weapons from reaching Syria’s new authorities, whom it considers jihadists.A group called the “Martyr Mohammed al-Deif Brigades”, named after the Hamas commander killed by Israel in the Gaza Strip, released a video it said showed the moment the rockets landed in the occupied Golan Heights.A second group known as the “Islamic Resistance Front in Syria” claimed responsibility for launching the two rockets at Israel. The group was created a few months ago and called for action against Israel from south Syria.AFP was unable to verify the authenticity of their claims.- Escalation -SANA reported Israeli shelling “targeting the Yarmuk Basin, in the west of Daraa” province.The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor said bombardments had hit farmland in the province, without reporting casualties.Since taking over, Sharaa has said Syria does not want conflict with its neighbours, urging international pressure on Israel to halt its attacks.Analyst Bassam al-Suleiman said those benefiting from the escalation were “Iran and its militias”, former Assad allies with a past presence in Syria.A strong government in Damascus “apparently contradicts the Israeli vision for Syria” as a weak neighbour, he said.Israel’s recurring bombings of Syrian army infrastructure “hinders the emergence of a force capable of controlling all of Syria”, Suleiman added.Syria and Israel have technically been at war since 1948.US President Donald Trump last month lifted sanctions on Syria and expressed hope for eventual normalisation with Israel — though analysts say that remains unlikely.During a visit to Damascus last week, US Special Envoy for Syria Thomas Barrack proposed a “non-aggression agreement” as a starting point between the two countries.

US President Donald Trump said Wednesday it is “extremely hard” to reach a deal with China over a trade impasse that has roiled global markets, while his doubling of metal tariffs fueled tensions with key partners.Trump’s latest salvos came as ministers from Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries gathered in Paris to discuss …

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More than 1.5 million pilgrims joined Islam’s most important rite under a beating sun on Wednesday, as the hajj kicked off with the Saudi hosts scrambling to avoid last year’s 1,000-plus deaths in sweltering heat.With temperatures exceeding 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit), robed pilgrims slowly circled the Kaaba, the black cube at the heart of Mecca’s Grand Mosque which is Islam’s holiest site.Others arrived en masse in the sprawling tent city of Mina on Mecca’s outskirts, where they will stay overnight before the hajj’s high-point Thursday — prayers on Mount Arafat, where the Prophet Mohammed is believed to have delivered his final sermon.”You feel like you’re not in this world,” Khitam, a 63-year-old pilgrim, told AFP by phone, saying that “before hajj, I used to watch the Grand Mosque on TV all day.”Before entering Mecca, pilgrims must first enter a state of purity, called ihram, which requires special dress and behaviour.Men don a seamless shroud-like white garment that emphasises unity among believers, regardless of their social status or nationality.Women, in turn, wear loose dresses exposing just their faces and hands.Authorities said over 1.5 million pilgrims had arrived in Saudi Arabia for the hajj, one of the five pillars of Islam that must be performed at least once by all Muslims with the means.Officials have ratcheted up heat protection measures such as extra shade to avoid a repeat of last year, when 1,301 people died as temperatures hit 51.8C.”Last year, the heat was extremely intense, and people were lying on the streets, on the middle of the road and next to the walls,” Alaa Refai, a pilgrim from Iraq, told AFP, adding that he saw several dead people during the previous hajj.”This year the roads are empty,” he added.- Artificial intelligence -Following last year’s lethal heatwave, authorities have mobilised more than 40 government agencies and 250,000 officials to improve protection.Shaded areas have been enlarged by 50,000 square metres (12 acres), thousands of additional medics will be on standby and more than 400 cooling units will be deployed, Hajj Minister Tawfiq al-Rabiah told AFP last week.Artificial intelligence technology will help process the deluge of data, including video from a new fleet of drones, to better manage the massive crowds.”The scene in Mina this year was completely different. We noticed that most pilgrims kept to their… tents instead of exposing themselves to the sun,” Ibrahim bin Saleh Al-Mazni, from the Al-Furqan group for hajj tours, told AFP from Mina.”This reflects the success of the awareness campaign” of authorities he added, which have been striving to dissuade pilgrims from staying in the sun — with many faithful believing hardship was essential to hajj.Earlier this week, Saudi authorities called on pilgrims to stay inside their tents between 10:00 am and 4:00 pm on Thursday during the hajj’s climax at Mount Arafat, when the desert sun is at its harshest.There, pilgrims assemble on the high hill and its surrounding plain for hours of prayer and Koran recital, staying there until the evening.There is little to no shade on Mount Arafat, leaving pilgrims directly exposed to the blistering desert sun for hours.- ‘No hajj without permit’ -Authorities said most of the deaths last year were among unregistered pilgrims who lacked access to air-conditioned tents and buses.This year, they have cracked down on the unregistered, using frequent raids, drone surveillance and a barrage of text alerts.A billboard reading “No hajj without permit” greeted pilgrims as they arrived in Mecca.Hajj permits are allocated to countries on a quota basis and distributed to individuals by lottery.But even for those who can obtain them, the steep costs prompt many to attempt the hajj without a permit, even though they risk arrest and deportation if caught.Large crowds at the hajj have proved hazardous in the past, most notably in 2015 when a stampede during the “stoning the devil” ritual in Mina killed up to 2,300 people in the deadliest hajj disaster.Saudi Arabia earns billions of dollars a year from the hajj, and the lesser pilgrimage known as umrah, undertaken at other times of the year.

US President Donald Trump said he spoke to Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin Wednesday about Ukraine and Iran, warning that the Kremlin leader had “very strongly” pledged to respond to Kyiv’s stunning drone attack on Russian bombers.Trump said that there was no “immediate peace” on the horizon in Ukraine — which Russia invaded in 2022 — following what he described as a one hour and 15 minute call with the Russian president.On Iran, Trump said that Putin had offered to “participate” in talks on Tehran’s nuclear program, as Trump accused the Islamic republic of “slowwalking” its response to Washington’s offer of a deal.The call came three days after Ukraine conducted a massive, daring drone attack against Russian military airbases, saying it had destroyed several Russian nuclear-capable bombers worth billions of dollars.Trump said that he and Putin had “discussed the attack on Russia’s docked airplanes, by Ukraine and also various other attacks that have been taking place by both sides.” “It was a good conversation, but not a conversation that will lead to immediate Peace. President Putin did say, and very strongly, that he will have to respond to the recent attack on the airfields,” Trump said in his post.Trump did not say whether he had warned Putin off any such retaliation against Ukraine, which Washington has supported to the tune of billions of dollars in its fight against Russia.- ‘Definitive answer’ -The Republican has repeatedly alarmed Kyiv and Western allies by appearing to side with Putin over the war, and had a blazing Oval Office row with visiting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.But Trump has also showed growing frustration with Putin as Russia has so far derailed the US president’s efforts to honor a campaign pledge to end the war within 24 hours — even if he never explained how this could be achieved.The call between Trump and Putin did however show that Washington and Moscow may be eying cooperation on another key global issue — Iran.Trump said he believed they were both “in agreement” that Iran could not have a nuclear weapon, and that time was running out for Tehran to respond to US offers of a deal.”President Putin suggested that he will participate in the discussions with Iran and that he could, perhaps, be helpful in getting this brought to a rapid conclusion,” Trump said.The US president added: “It is my opinion that Iran has been slowwalking their decision on this very important matter, and we will need a definitive answer in a very short period of time!”Putin told his Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian that Moscow was ready to help advance talks on a nuclear deal, the Kremlin said on Tuesday.But Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said earlier Wednesday that Washington’s proposal was against Tehran’s national interest, amid sharp differences over whether Tehran can continue to enrich uranium.

Ireland’s prestigious Trinity College Dublin said on Wednesday that it would cut all links with Israel in protest at “ongoing violations of international and humanitarian law”.The university’s board informed students by email that it had accepted the recommendations of a taskforce to sever “institutional links with the State of Israel, Israeli universities and companies headquartered in Israel”.The recommendations would be “enacted for the duration of the ongoing violations of international and humanitarian law”, said the email sent by the board’s chairman Paul Farrell, and seen by AFP. The taskforce was set up after part of the university’s campus in central Dublin was blockaded by students for five days last year in protest at Israel’s actions in Gaza.Among the taskforce’s recommendations approved by the board were pledges to divest “from all companies headquartered in Israel” and to “enter into no future supply contracts with Israeli firms” and “no new commercial relationships with Israeli entities”.The university also said that it would “enter into no further mobility agreements with Israeli universities”. Trinity has two current Erasmus+ exchange agreements with Israeli universities: Bar Ilan University, an agreement that ends in July 2026, and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, which ends in July 2025, the university told AFP in an email.The board also said that the university “should not submit for approval or agree to participate in any new institutional research agreements involving Israeli participation”.It “should seek to align itself with like-minded universities and bodies in an effort to influence EU policy concerning Israel’s participation in such collaborations,” it added.Ireland has been among the most outspoken critics of Israel’s response to the October 7, 2023 attacks on southern Israel by Hamas militants that sparked the war in Gaza. Polls since the start of the war have shown overwhelming pro-Palestinian sympathy in Ireland.In May 2024, Dublin joined several other European countries in recognising Palestine as a “sovereign and independent state”.It then joined South Africa in bringing a case before the International Court of Justice in The Hague accusing Israel of committing genocide in Gaza — charges angrily denied by Israeli leaders.In December, Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Saar ordered the closure of the country’s embassy in Dublin, blaming Ireland’s “extreme anti-Israel policies”.The University of Geneva also announced Wednesday that it has ended its partnership with the Hebrew University of Jerusalem following student protests, saying it no longer reflected the institution’s “strategic priorities”.