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Hundreds of Palestinian Red Crescent staff marched in the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah on Monday to protest the killing of medical workers in Gaza over the past 19 months of war.Gathering in the city’s Clock Square, medical personnel, support staff and volunteers wore white and orange vests and waved flags bearing the Red Crescent’s emblem. The demonstration marked World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day, usually observed on May 8, and called for the “protection for medical and humanitarian workers”.In a statement released Monday, the Red Crescent said 48 of their staff members have been killed in Gaza and the West Bank since the war began on October 7, 2023 — including 30 who “were killed while performing their humanitarian duty wearing the Red Crescent emblem”.Protesters carried symbolic white shrouds bearing the names and pictures of the dead, as well as signs demanding the release of three staff members who have been detained by the Israeli army for over a year.Some 1,400 humanitarian and medical workers have been killed in Gaza since the beginning of the war, according to the statement, which added that “dozens of medical personnel working in Gaza… were detained while performing their humanitarian duties.”It highlighted a particularly deadly attack in March in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, when 15 first responders including eight Red Crescent paramedics were killed by the Israeli army.The first responders were answering distress calls after Israeli air strikes.The incident drew international condemnation, including concern about possible war crimes from UN human rights commissioner Volker Turk.An Israeli military investigation, the results of which were published, acknowledged “professional failures” and “violations of orders” during the shooting. 

A creeping Israeli presence is nothing new for the Bedouins who inhabit the arid hills east of Jerusalem, but a recently approved road in the area means the spectre of annexation now looms large. Israeli authorities in March green lit the construction of a separate route for Palestinian vehicles to bypass a central stretch of the occupied West Bank –- one of the territory’s most disputed parcels of land.Israel has promoted the project as a way to further facilitate settlement expansion in the area near Jerusalem, which it considers its “eternal and indivisible” capital.But Palestinians warn the move threatens to further isolate their communities and undermines hopes for a contiguous future state with east Jerusalem as its capital.”If they open a road there, that’s it, this area will be annexed,” said Eid Jahaleen, who lives in the Bedouin village of Khan al-Ahmar.The village, a cluster of shacks and tents some 10 kilometres (6 miles) from Jerusalem’s Old City, sits surrounded by Israeli settlements.”It’s going to be hard to reach out to the outside world. No Palestinian services will be allowed to get in here,” he said. – Territorial continuity –”If you want clothes, food for your home, (Israel) will be the one to open the gate.”Israeli settlements are considered illegal under international law.Outposts — unauthorised structures under Israeli law that often precede the establishment of a settlement — have spread rapidly across the West Bank since Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu returned to power in late 2022, leading a hardline, pro-settler coalition.After a new outpost appeared just 100 metres away, Jahaleen said he has “settlers on all sides”.Israel heavily restricts the movement of West Bank Palestinians, who must obtain permits from authorities to travel through checkpoints to cross into east Jerusalem or Israel.Far-right ministers have in recent months openly called for Israel’s annexation of the territory.The alternative bypass would mean Palestinian vehicles driving north-south through the West Bank could travel directly between Palestinian towns rather, without passing the large Israeli settlement of Maale Adumim.Israel has hailed the move as enabling settlement development between Maale Adumim and Jerusalem on a super-sensitive land corridor known as E1.Israel has long had ambitions to build on the roughly 12 square kilometres, but the international community has repeatedly warned it could deal a fatal blow to a future Palestinian state.Maale Adumim’s Mayor Guy Yifrach said the Palestinian bypass would reduce congestion on the current highway between the settlement and Jerusalem and “allow for a natural urban continuity” between the two.Plans exist to build 4,000 housing units, schools, health clinics and a country club on E1, Yifrach said, but added they had not yet been approved. Khan al Ahmar, E1 and Maale Adumim all lie within a planned section of Israel’s separation barrier for which construction has been frozen for years.Israel says the barrier -– made up of ditches, roads, razor wire, electronic fences, checkpoints and concrete walls –- is necessary to prevent Palestinian attacks. For Palestinians, the structure further separates them and drastically reduces their freedom of movement.- Isolated enclaves – Aviv Tatarsky, from the Israeli anti-settlement organisation Ir Amim, said that once the road is built, Israel could go ahead with constructing the barrier as planned.”They want to create this de facto annexation, which means take the space around Maale Adumim and make it an integral part of Jerusalem, of Israel,” he said.By creating an alternative route for Palestinians to travel through the West Bank, Israel could argue that expanding Jewish settlements in the area would not compromise the contiguity of Palestinian territory, Tatarsky added.For Mohammad Matter, from the Palestinian Authority’s Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission, the road “has nothing to do with making life easier for Palestinians”.The bypass will trace the northern edge of Matter’s village of Al Eizariya, and he fears it will further squeeze Palestinians into isolated enclaves, connected only through transport corridors.”They (Israel) are realising their vision: Israelis walk up high and Palestinians walk through valleys or tunnels,” he said.

Hamas’s armed wing said it would release on Monday a US-Israeli hostage held in Gaza since October 2023, even as Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed an “intensification” of fighting in the war-ravaged territory.The Palestinian militant group on Sunday said it would release US-Israeli soldier Edan Alexander, ahead of a visit by US President Donald Trump to the region, and as the group revealed it was engaged in direct talks with Washington towards a ceasefire.On Monday Hamas’s armed wing, the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, said it had “decided to release the Zionist soldier holding American citizenship, Edan Alexander, today”, spokesman Abu Obeida said on Telegram.Netanyahu had earlier said that “Israel has not committed to a ceasefire of any kind or the release of terrorists but only to a safe corridor that will allow for the release of Edan”.Negotiations for a possible deal to secure the release of all hostages would continue “under fire, during preparations for an intensification of the fighting”, Netanyahu added.An Israeli official said the military was “preparing” for the return of Alexander, “who will be transferred by a special unit to the initial reception facility in Re’im” near the Gaza border in southern Israel.- ‘Opportunity to breathe’ -Hamas had said Alexander, the last living hostage in Gaza with American citizenship, would be released “as part of efforts towards a ceasefire” and the reopening of aid crossings.A source close to the militant group told AFP on Monday that Hamas had decided not to hold a public ceremony for the handover.A Hamas source meanwhile said that mediators informed the group that Israel would pause military operations for the handover of the 21-year-old soldier.”Hamas was informed that at exactly 9:30 am, Israel began halting its reconnaissance, drone, and warplane flights, as well as combat operations, to create a safe corridor for the transfer and handover of Edan,” the source said.The pause offered a much-needed respite for residents of the war-battered territory.Somaya Abu Al-Kas, 34, who had been displaced to the southern city of Khan Yunis, said that “a little while ago, calm settled over Gaza, there was no shelling, and no nearby aircraft, which is very rare”.”We are tired of the shelling, and any ceasefire, even if temporary, we consider it an opportunity to breathe and gather ourselves,” said the 34-year-old But Um Mohammed Zomlot, also displaced in Khan Yunis, said that “despite the calm, we are cautious”. “Everyone is afraid that the shelling might resume suddenly after the prisoner is released,” said Zomlot, 50.Gaza’s civil defence agency had earlier reported at least 10 killed in an overnight Israeli strike on a school housing displaced people.- ‘Good faith gesture’ -The Hostages and Missing Families Forum, the largest grouping of hostages’ relatives in Israel, called for a gathering at the plaza dubbed Hostages Square in Tel Aviv, ahead of Alexander’s anticipated release.”We must not leave anyone behind!” the group said in a statement.Trump, who is due in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, hailed the “monumental news” of Alexander’s release in a post on social media, describing it as a “good faith gesture”.”Hopefully this is the first of those final steps necessary to end this brutal conflict,” he added.Egypt and Qatar, who along with the US have mediated talks between Hamas and Israel, also welcomed the development, describing it in a joint statement as a “a gesture of goodwill and an encouraging step toward a return to the negotiating table”.Earlier, two Hamas officials told AFP that talks were ongoing in Doha with the United States and reported “progress”.Of the 251 hostages seized during Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, 58 are still held in Gaza, including 34 the Israeli military says are dead.Israel ended a two-month ceasefire on March 18, ramping up its bombardment of the territory.Earlier this month, the Israeli government approved plans to expand its Gaza offensive, with officials talking of retaining a long-term presence there.Hamas’s 2023 attack on southern Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said on Monday that at least 2,749 people have been killed since Israel resumed its campaign, bringing the overall death toll since the war broke out to 52,862.burs-fec-acc/jsa

The Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) on Monday announced its dissolution, saying it was ending its armed struggle against the Turkish state and drawing a line under its deadly four-decade insurgency. Founded in the late 1970s by Abdullah Ocalan, the PKK took up arms in 1984, beginning a string of attacks against the Turkish state that would cost more than 40,000 lives. The PKK “has decided to dissolve.. and end its armed struggle,” it said in a statement issued a week after its leadership held a three-day congress in the mountains of northern Iraq.”The PKK has fulfilled its historical mission” and brought “the Kurdish issue to a point where it can be resolved through democratic politics,” it said. The move was welcomed as an “important step towards a terror-free Turkey” by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s AKP party which said made clear that the disarmament process would be “meticulously monitored”.The European Union called on “all parties to seize the moment” and begin “an inclusive process based on dialogue and reconciliation”. The announcement came after an appeal by Ocalan, who on February 27 urged his fighters disarm and disband in a letter from Istanbul’s Imrali prison island, where he has been held since 1999.He also asked the PKK to hold a congress to formalise the decision.”This is not the end, it is a new beginning,” PKK executive committee member Duran Kalkan told the congress in remarks quoted by the pro-Kurdish Mezopotamya news agency.- ‘A turning point’ -AKP spokesman Omer Celik said if the decision was “implemented in practise in all its dimensions” it would open the door to a new era. “The full and concrete implementation of the decision to dissolve and surrender arms… will be a turning point,” he said.Top Erdogan aide Fahrettin Altin warned it would take time, saying the goal of a terror-free Turkey was “not a short-term or shallow process.. nor is it a process that will end overnight”, he wrote on X. The president of Iraq’s Kurdistan region, Nechirvan Barzani — who is a crucial powerbroker in Kurdish affairs and has close ties with Turkey — hailed the move as a boost for regional security. The PKK decision “demonstrates political maturity and paves the way for a dialogue that promotes coexistence and stability in Turkey and the region,” he said in a statement. In its statement, the PKK said the decision “offers a strong basis for lasting peace and a democratic solution” while stressing it was “essential” for Turkey’s parliament to “play its role with historic responsibility”. The declaration was the culmination of seven months of work to renew long-stalled talks that began in October when Ankara offered Ocalan an unexpected olive branch. Although key players in the process had initially mooted a possible early release for Ocalan, who has spent more than 25 years serving life in solitary confinement, it was unlikely he would leave Imrali prison island. “The conditions of his detention will be eased.. meetings with the (pro-Kurdish party) DEM and his family will also be more frequent,” an AKP source told the pro-government Turkiye daily.”Ocalan himself has said he did not want to leave Imrali,” he said. Were he to be released, Ocalan’s life would likely come under immediate threat. – ‘Huge win for Erdogan’ -“If the PKK announces it is disbanding and finalises the process without any road accidents, that will be a huge win for Erdogan,” Gonul Tol of the Washington-based Middle East Institute told AFP. She said seeking a rapprochement with the Kurds was very much related to domestic politics, coming just months after Erdogan’s AKP suffered a blow at the ballot box. Analysts say a deal with the Kurds could allow Erdogan to amend the constitution and extend his term in office, while simultaneously driving a wedge between pro-Kurdish parties and the rest of Turkey’s opposition. “The main driver behind this Ocalan opening has always been about consolidating Erdogan’s rule. Because if this whole process succeeds, he will go into the 2028 elections as a stronger candidate who is facing a divided opposition,” Tol said. The PKK, designated a terrorist group by Ankara, Washington and Brussels, has waged an insurgency against the Turkish state since 1984.Its original aim was to carve out a homeland for Kurds, who make up about 20 percent of Turkey’s 85 million people. 

Pakistan stocks surged Monday with the benchmark index nine percent higher after a weekend ceasefire agreement with neighbour India following days of confict. The benchmark KSE-100 Index opened at 117,104.11 points, up 9,929.48 points, or 9.26 percent, prompting an hour-long trading suspension because limits had been reached.”Today’s sharp surge in the stock market stems from a …

Pakistan stocks surge after ceasefire with India Read More »

The Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) on Monday announced its dissolution, saying it was ending its armed struggle against the Turkish state and drawing a line under its deadly four-decade insurgency. Founded in the late 1970s by Abdullah Ocalan, the PKK took up arms in 1984, beginning a string of attacks against the Turkish state that would cost more than 40,000 lives. “The 12th PKK Congress has decided to dissolve the PKK’s organisational structure and end its method of armed struggle,” the group said in a statement published by the pro-Kurdish ANF news agency. The move was welcomed by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s AKP party as an “important step”, but it warned the process would be “meticulously monitored” by the government.The historic announcement came after an appeal by Ocalan, who on February 27 urged his fighters disarm and disband in a letter from Istanbul’s Imrali prison island, where he has been held since 1999.He also asked the PKK to hold a congress to formalise the decision, which it did last week in Iraq’s Kandil mountains, when it declared a ceasefire.There its leader took “decisions of historic importance concerning the PKK’s activities”, ANF had reported on Friday. “This is not the end, it is a new beginning,” PKK executive committee member Duran Kalkan told delegates in remarks quoted by the pro-Kurdish Mezopotamya news agency.AKP spokesman Omer Celik said if the decision were “implemented in practise and realised in all its dimensions” it would open the door to a new era. – ‘Huge win for Erdogan’ -“The PKK’s decision to dissolve itself and lay down its arms following the call from Imrali is an important step towards a terror-free Turkey,” Celik said. “The full and concrete implementation of the decision to dissolve and surrender arms… will be a turning point,” he added, saying the process would be “meticulously monitored” by the government. The declaration was the culmination of seven months of work to renew long-stalled talks that began in October when Ankara offered Ocalan an unexpected olive branch. “If the PKK announces it is disbanding and finalises the process without any road accidents, that will be a huge win for Erdogan,” Gonul Tol of the Washington-based Middle East Institute told AFP. She said seeking a rapprochement with the Kurds was very much related to domestic politics, coming just months after Erdogan’s AKP suffered a blow at the ballot box. Analysts say a deal with the Kurds could allow Erdogan to amend the constitution and extend his term in office, while simultaneously driving a wedge between pro-Kurdish parties and the rest of Turkey’s opposition. “The main driver behind this Ocalan opening has always been about consolidating Erdogan’s rule. Because if this whole process succeeds, he will go into the 2028 elections as a stronger candidate who is facing a divided opposition,” Tol said. In a weekend speech, Erdogan hinted the dissolution could be announced at any moment, saying that “We are advancing with firm steps on the path toward the goal of a terror-free Turkey”. The PKK, designated a terrorist group by Ankara, Washington and Brussels, has waged an insurgency against the Turkish state since 1984.Its original aim was to carve out a homeland for Kurds, who make up about 20 percent of Turkey’s 85 million people.