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Israel orders army to plan to let Palestinians leave Gaza

Israel’s defence minister ordered the army on Thursday to prepare for “voluntary” departures from Gaza, as US President Donald Trump ruled out sending American troops to the territory.Trump had earlier proposed moving Palestinians out of Gaza, sparking uproar from leaders in the Middle East and beyond.Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said he instructed the military to formulate a plan for Palestinians to leave Gaza, which has been ravaged by more than a year of war.”I have instructed the IDF (military) to prepare a plan to enable voluntary departure for Gaza residents,” Katz said, adding they could go “to any country willing to accept them”.Trump announced his proposal for Gaza to audible gasps on Tuesday at a press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the first foreign leader to visit the White House since the inauguration.The United Nations warned any forced displacement of Palestinians would be “tantamount to ethnic cleansing”.Trump insisted “everybody loves” the plan, saying it would involve the United States taking over Gaza.Arab nations, however, firmly rejected it, and the US president offered few details on how more than two million Palestinians would be removed.His administration later appeared to backtrack, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio saying any transfer of Gazans would be temporary.But Trump doubled down on Thursday.”The Gaza Strip would be turned over to the United States by Israel at the conclusion of fighting,” he said on his Truth Social platform.”No soldiers by the US would be needed! Stability for the region would reign!!!”Rubio will pay his first visit to the Middle East as secretary of state later this month, visiting Israel, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Qatar from February 13, a senior US State Department official said Thursday.The top US diplomat has said those denouncing Trump’s proposal should “step forward and provide a solution”.Netanyahu on Thursday also voiced support for Trump’s plan, calling it “the first original idea to be raised in years”.Hamas’s spokesman condemned Trump’s statements as “absolutely unacceptable”.”Trump’s remarks about Washington taking control of Gaza amount to an open declaration of intent to occupy the territory,” Hazem Qassem said.”Gaza is for its people and they will not leave.A ceasefire deal reached last month is intended to halt the war in Gaza, which was triggered by the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, led by Palestinian militant group Hamas.- ‘Steadfast in our homeland’ -Katz said Trump’s plan “could create broad opportunities for Gaza residents who wish to leave… and also facilitate the advancement of reconstruction programs for a demilitarised, threat-free Gaza”.Far-right Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich — who vowed Wednesday to “definitively bury” the idea of a Palestinian state — said he welcomed Katz’s move.Palestinians residing in the coastal territory have vowed to remain. For them, any attempt to push them out of Gaza recalls the “Nakba”, or “catastrophe” — the mass displacement of Palestinians during Israel’s creation in 1948.”They can do whatever they want, but we will remain steadfast in our homeland,” said 41-year-old Gazan Ahmed Halasa.Some Israelis in Jerusalem welcomed Trump’s proposal, though others doubted it could be carried out.”I really like what he said, but in my wildest dreams… it’s hard for me to believe it will happen, but who knows,” said 65-year-old Refael.White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump wanted Palestinians to only be “temporarily relocated” out of Gaza.”It’s not a liveable place for any human being,” she said.But Trump, who also said he might visit Gaza, suggested it would not be rebuilt for Palestinians.- ‘Weakens’ ceasefire -Even before Tuesday’s announcements, Trump had suggested residents of Gaza should move to Egypt and Jordan, both of which have flatly rejected any resettlement of Palestinians on their territory.Egypt’s foreign ministry on Thursday said Israeli support for Trump’s plan “weakens and destroys the negotiations on a ceasefire agreement and incites a return to fighting”.Egypt, Qatar and the United States mediated the fragile January 19 ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. Talks resumed this week for the second phase of the truce, expected to herald a more permanent end to the fighting.Israel’s military offensive has left much of Gaza in ruins, including schools, hospitals and most civil infrastructure.In a bid to address the dire humanitarian situation, aid has been rushed into the territory, with more than 10,000 aid trucks entering since the ceasefire took effect, according to UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher.In neighbouring Lebanon, Israel said late Thursday it had struck two sites that allegedly contained weapons belonging to the Hezbollah group, a Hamas ally, despite a separate truce deal in that country. Lebanon’s state news agency NNA said Israel had carried out air strikes on the south and east of the country.burs-dv/sco/lb

Baghdad’s first skatepark offers boarders rare respite

Rukaya al-Zubaidi placed a cautious foot on a skateboard and then struggled to find her balance as others glided back and forth at Baghdad’s first park dedicated to the sport.”It’s only my second time skating, but I want to keep going, especially now we have the space for it here in Baghdad,” the 22-year-old said as loud music mixed with laughter from fellow boarders.After negotiating with authorities for five years, three organisations from Italy, Iraq and Belgium have now opened Baghdad’s first skatepark.It is not the first in the country, however: that honour went to the northern city of Sulaimaniyah.The new skatepark at the sports ministry in a Baghdad suburb provides a welcome means of escape for young people in a country that has endured decades of conflict and crisis.It also offers a rare respite from the often scrutinising gaze of conservative Iraqi society.Zubaidi, wearing a pink sweater, watched fellow enthusiasts, both professional and amateur, as they rolled on colourful boards in the open-air park.”When my friends first told me about skateboarding, I was scared,” she said — not just of falling but also because of what people might say and because her parents might not approve.”But when I tried it, it just filled me with a beautiful energy,” she added.The skatepark project “is about inclusivity and community, about having a place for everyone”, said Ishtar Obaid of Iraq’s “Forsah” association.Forsah, which means “opportunity”, was one of the three organisations that spearheaded the project.- ‘A new chapter’ -It provides a space “where people from different backgrounds” come together, and “that’s the beauty of sport”, said Obaid, who also advises Iraq’s Olympic committee.Her organisation plans to run skateboarding classes for children and trainers.”It is a new chapter for sports in Iraq,” Obaid said.When the authorities approved the project in late 2024, the associations including Make Life Skate Life, a Belgian-US charity that has set up skateparks in northern Iraq, Libya and India, built the new facility in just one month.Kjell Van Hansewyck of Make Life Skate Life said it was a “real struggle” to find a location for the skatepark.He described Baghdad as “a crowded city with a lot of pollution and traffic jams”, and lacking “public land and facilities for children”.The Iraqi capital is bustling with dozens of infrastructure and construction projects. Towering cranes and machinery dominate its streets, as new tunnels and bridges are being built.”It is like one big job site,” Van Hansewyck said.When authorities said they could provide space at the sports ministry, the groups could hardly turn down the offer, despite this meaning skaters would have to pass through security checkpoints.Van Hansewyck said the skatepark is “not visible from the streets”, which makes it difficult for people who want to check it out.But he is confident that passionate skaters will still promote the park and do everything possible to make it a major attraction.- ‘You become friends’ -Mohammad al-Qadi, 19, bought his first skateboard in 2019, the year he also joined a wave of nationwide anti-government protests.Baghdad was the vibrant epicentre of the movement. Protesters also organised cultural and sports events before the demonstrations were crushed in a brutal crackdown that saw more than 600 people killed.Since then, Qadi had only been able to skate on Baghdad’s busy streets. “When we took to the streets with our skateboards, people would call us bad boys,” he said.In conservative Iraq, skateboarding is widely viewed as an alternative sport adopted by rebellious youths — forcing many to shun it for fear of ruining their reputations.Qadi said this perception may have slightly improved, but until now local skaters still had nowhere to go.”When I feel pressured by my studies or in my personal life, I turn to skateboarding, which has never let me down,” he said.The new skatepark offers an “opportunity” for a break and a rethink, Qadi added.Hussein Ali, 18, has been skating for five years and said he hoped Iraq will eventually have a “national team” to compete in championships.Skateboarding was one of five sports that made an Olympic debut at the Tokyo 2020 games.For some in Iraq, skateboarding provides a sense of normality in a country where violence had long been a fact of life.For Ali, it is also a way to meet new people.”When you see someone else skating you simply reach out, and just like that, you become friends.”