23 aug 2016
Arab Organization for Human Rights in UK (AOHR) called on Egypt to announce the fate of the four abducted Gazans who were kidnapped by armed men north of Sinai after they had passed Rafah border crossing into an Egyptian-controlled area a year ago.
Each of Yaser Zanoun, Hussein al-Zebdeh, Abdullah Abu al-Jebain and Abduddayem Abu Lebdeh were heading to Cairo international airport escorted by Egyptian security forces within a group of Palestinians who were granted permissions to travel via Rafah crossing on August 19, 2015.
On their way and while they were in a bus heading to the airport, they were kidnapped after armed men had called their names, according to eyewitnesses.
On August 22 this year, Al-Jazeera satellite channel published photos for Zanoun and Abu Lebdeh while detained with a group of prisoners almost naked in one of the Egyptian security headquarters in the country.
Bardawil: Egypt put difficult conditions for releasing the abducted four
The Hamas leader Salah al-Bardawil revealed that Egyptian authorities put difficult conditions on his Movement for releasing the abducted four Gazans, saying that many brokers intervened in vein.
In a statement to Al-Jazeera satellite channel, Bardawil said Egypt has to bring the four Gazans, who were kidnapped within Egyptian land hundreds of meters far from Rafah crossing, to trial if it has charges against them.
He demanded releasing their location according to international norms and regulations.
Al-Jazeera channel published a leaked photo that shows Abduldayem Abu Lebdeh and Yaser Zanoun, two of the four abducted men, held under tough conditions in Lazoghli prison in Cairo.
The spokesman of al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas Movement, said in a festival in Rafah on Monday that al-Qassam has been exerting efforts for returning the four kidnapped Palestinians.
Each of Yaser Zanoun, Hussein al-Zebdeh, Abdullah Abu al-Jebain and Abduddayem Abu Lebdeh were heading to Cairo international airport escorted by Egyptian security forces within a group of Palestinians who were granted permissions to travel via Rafah crossing on August 19, 2015.
On their way and while they were in a bus heading to the airport, they were kidnapped after armed men had called their names, according to eyewitnesses.
On August 22 this year, Al-Jazeera satellite channel published photos for Zanoun and Abu Lebdeh while detained with a group of prisoners almost naked in one of the Egyptian security headquarters in the country.
Bardawil: Egypt put difficult conditions for releasing the abducted four
The Hamas leader Salah al-Bardawil revealed that Egyptian authorities put difficult conditions on his Movement for releasing the abducted four Gazans, saying that many brokers intervened in vein.
In a statement to Al-Jazeera satellite channel, Bardawil said Egypt has to bring the four Gazans, who were kidnapped within Egyptian land hundreds of meters far from Rafah crossing, to trial if it has charges against them.
He demanded releasing their location according to international norms and regulations.
Al-Jazeera channel published a leaked photo that shows Abduldayem Abu Lebdeh and Yaser Zanoun, two of the four abducted men, held under tough conditions in Lazoghli prison in Cairo.
The spokesman of al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas Movement, said in a festival in Rafah on Monday that al-Qassam has been exerting efforts for returning the four kidnapped Palestinians.
Al-Jazeera satellite channel on Monday unveiled a leaked photo showing two young men of the four Palestinian passengers who had been kidnapped last year by masked gunmen in Rafah area.
The picture shows a group of detained young men sitting on the floor of a long corridor in Cairo's Lazoghli prison, where two Palestinian abductees, Abdul-Dayem Abu Lebdeh and Yasser Zanoun, have been identified among them.
The picture reflected the miserable incarceration conditions and the inhumane treatment of prisoners in the jail.
Masked gunmen, believed to be from an Egyptian security apparatus, had kidnapped the two young men along with Abdullah Abu al-Jubain, and Hussein al-Zebdeh on August 18, 2015.
The four abducted young men were traveling legally for study and treatment in Turkey and kidnapped from abroad a passenger bus after it crossed the Egyptian side of the Rafah border crossing.
The picture shows a group of detained young men sitting on the floor of a long corridor in Cairo's Lazoghli prison, where two Palestinian abductees, Abdul-Dayem Abu Lebdeh and Yasser Zanoun, have been identified among them.
The picture reflected the miserable incarceration conditions and the inhumane treatment of prisoners in the jail.
Masked gunmen, believed to be from an Egyptian security apparatus, had kidnapped the two young men along with Abdullah Abu al-Jubain, and Hussein al-Zebdeh on August 18, 2015.
The four abducted young men were traveling legally for study and treatment in Turkey and kidnapped from abroad a passenger bus after it crossed the Egyptian side of the Rafah border crossing.
22 aug 2016
Egyptian Foreign Ministry issues statements denying that FM Samah Shoukry denied any connection between the killing of Palestinian children and terror while speaking to a group of high school students at the Foreign Ministry headquarters in Cairo; Samah was reported to have said that Israel isn't connected to terrorism, which has no agreed-upon definition; Egyptian foreign minister lambasted in Arabic media for comments.
A spokesperson of the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ahmed Abu Zeid, issued a statement on Monday evening condemning what he described as attempts in the media to twist of Egyptian Foreign Minister Samah Shoukry’s words into implying that the killing of Palestinian children did not constitute terror.
“Anybody who has ears can check the video of the meeting with the high school students that is available on the Facebook page of the the spokesman of the Foreign Ministry and be sure that the question posed by the children had no connection whatsoever to the murder of innocent Palestinians,” the statement read.
“The question was a theoretical and general one regarding the reason that the international community does not define Israeli actions against Palestinians as terror. The minister answered that there is no international consensus on the specific legal definition of terror and that there is an international debate regarding the distinction between legal meanings and state meanings of the term ‘terror.’”
The statement was issued after Egyptian Foreign Minister Samah Shoukry spoke with Egyptian high school students at the Foreign Ministry headquarters in Cairo when he was asked why the Egyptian government doesn't define Israeli and American actions in the Middle East as terrorism.
The student also inquired as to why attacks occur all over the Arab world, but not in Israel.
"We can look at this issue and define it as a 'rule by force,'" the foreign minister answered. "However, there is nothing to suggest that there is any connection between Israel and terrorist organizations. There is nothing that leads to this conclusion."
He continued, saying "Of course Israel, in keeping with its history, is very strong in terms of security. Since 1948, for some perspective, that same society has been dealing with a lot of challenges which have instilled in it the concept of security, the takeover of land, and the control of border crossings."
Shoukry clarified in his discussion with the students that "the international community has yet to come to a consensus as to what constitutes terror. Under a political framework, illegitimate military actions are also considered illegitimate by the international community. The state's intervention into the affairs of other states goes against the UN charter. In order for a specific action to be considered terror, it must be a consensus amongst the international community, as there is no exact legal definition regarding what is terror."
The discussion with the high schoolers grabbed headlines all over Egyptian and Arabic media, with the London based "al-Arabi al-Jadida" writing in its headline "Samah Shoukry: the murder of Palestinian children by Israel isn't terrorism."
The newspaper also pointed out the fact that the Egyptian Foreign Ministry website only says that Shoukry met with high schoolers at the Foreign Ministry Headquarters, but says nothing about the questions posed by the students.
Meanwhile, Turkish news agency Antalya reported that a delegation Israelis left Cairo following a meeting which lasted several hours. According to the report, the Israelis met with high ranking Egyptian officials to discuss renewing the peace process between Israel and the Palestinians.
A spokesperson of the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ahmed Abu Zeid, issued a statement on Monday evening condemning what he described as attempts in the media to twist of Egyptian Foreign Minister Samah Shoukry’s words into implying that the killing of Palestinian children did not constitute terror.
“Anybody who has ears can check the video of the meeting with the high school students that is available on the Facebook page of the the spokesman of the Foreign Ministry and be sure that the question posed by the children had no connection whatsoever to the murder of innocent Palestinians,” the statement read.
“The question was a theoretical and general one regarding the reason that the international community does not define Israeli actions against Palestinians as terror. The minister answered that there is no international consensus on the specific legal definition of terror and that there is an international debate regarding the distinction between legal meanings and state meanings of the term ‘terror.’”
The statement was issued after Egyptian Foreign Minister Samah Shoukry spoke with Egyptian high school students at the Foreign Ministry headquarters in Cairo when he was asked why the Egyptian government doesn't define Israeli and American actions in the Middle East as terrorism.
The student also inquired as to why attacks occur all over the Arab world, but not in Israel.
"We can look at this issue and define it as a 'rule by force,'" the foreign minister answered. "However, there is nothing to suggest that there is any connection between Israel and terrorist organizations. There is nothing that leads to this conclusion."
He continued, saying "Of course Israel, in keeping with its history, is very strong in terms of security. Since 1948, for some perspective, that same society has been dealing with a lot of challenges which have instilled in it the concept of security, the takeover of land, and the control of border crossings."
Shoukry clarified in his discussion with the students that "the international community has yet to come to a consensus as to what constitutes terror. Under a political framework, illegitimate military actions are also considered illegitimate by the international community. The state's intervention into the affairs of other states goes against the UN charter. In order for a specific action to be considered terror, it must be a consensus amongst the international community, as there is no exact legal definition regarding what is terror."
The discussion with the high schoolers grabbed headlines all over Egyptian and Arabic media, with the London based "al-Arabi al-Jadida" writing in its headline "Samah Shoukry: the murder of Palestinian children by Israel isn't terrorism."
The newspaper also pointed out the fact that the Egyptian Foreign Ministry website only says that Shoukry met with high schoolers at the Foreign Ministry Headquarters, but says nothing about the questions posed by the students.
Meanwhile, Turkish news agency Antalya reported that a delegation Israelis left Cairo following a meeting which lasted several hours. According to the report, the Israelis met with high ranking Egyptian officials to discuss renewing the peace process between Israel and the Palestinians.
18 aug 2016
Palestinian families voiced deep concern over the fate of their four sons who were kidnapped by anonymous gunmen near the Rafah border crossing, on the Egyptian borders.
Youngsters Yasser Fathi Zanoun, Hussein Khmeis al-Zabdeh, Abdullah Sai’id Abu al-Jabeen, and Abdul Dayem Abu Labdeh were kidnapped as they tried to pass through the Rafah border crossing on August 19, 2015.
Unidentified assailants stopped an Egyptian deportation bus and forced the four young men out before they dragged them to an unknown location.
A year has passed by, and the fate of the four youths remains hidden in the vaults of a labyrinthine mystery.
Youngsters Yasser Fathi Zanoun, Hussein Khmeis al-Zabdeh, Abdullah Sai’id Abu al-Jabeen, and Abdul Dayem Abu Labdeh were kidnapped as they tried to pass through the Rafah border crossing on August 19, 2015.
Unidentified assailants stopped an Egyptian deportation bus and forced the four young men out before they dragged them to an unknown location.
A year has passed by, and the fate of the four youths remains hidden in the vaults of a labyrinthine mystery.
17 aug 2016
by Fedaa al-Qedra/Al Ray Palestinian Media Agency
“You would never let my baby die if someone could save him.”
These were the words that the mother of three-month-old Ahmed Abu Nahal used to appeal for the opening of Gaza’s borders, so that her baby could go for treatment.
Days later, the baby passed away as Egypt kept its borders closed, now for more than a month.
Ahmed Abu Nahel, a three-month-old baby, spent more time in bed than at his mother’s breast because he was suffering of enlarged heart and liver, and weakness in heart muscles.
The baby was receiving his treatment at al-Rantisi hospital, in Gaza, but the lack of medicines and medical equipment made Gaza’s doctors unable to help him.
The Palestinian doctors in Gaza decided to transfer him, to get treatment in the Israeli hospitals, but the Israelis refused to receive him due to the serious deterioration in his condition.
The Palestinian doctors contacted Turkish hospitals to receive Ahmed. They accepted to receive him, but the tightened closure of Rafah crossing prevented him from travelling.
The child’s health couldn’t bear to wait any more. Ahmed was seriously threatened by death.
The National Committee to Break the Siege sent appeals to the Egyptian authorities to open the border: “Ahmed is dying.” “Save him.” And, his mum was crying, “Please don’t let my baby die in my hands. I can do nothing .” But, no one answered their calls.
Ahmed’s story captured the hearts and thoughts of many people, here, who were all waiting for what the passing time would bring. Would Ahmed wait and be saved or die?
Actually, something happened and I have to tell you. His small heart couldn’t bear any more …Ahmed died.
The illegal and inhumane blockade is destroying our future, every time someone dies.
The Rafah and Israeli border crossings are almost always closed. This situation has led to a humanitarian catastrophe .
According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, more than 145 types of medicine ran out of stock, and more than one thousand patients were unable to reach to the Egyptian hospitals. This means that death has threatened their lives and they now may join the list of the siege victims.
The story of Ahmed is one of but hundreds. His has story ended, but the pain of thousands of child patients in Gaza still continues.
They need medication … life. Will humanity respond?
Ahmed’s soul was a letter to the world to help in lifting the unjust siege imposed on this narrow coastal enclave. Don’t let us die .Open the door of the biggest open air prison and let us live.
“You would never let my baby die if someone could save him.”
These were the words that the mother of three-month-old Ahmed Abu Nahal used to appeal for the opening of Gaza’s borders, so that her baby could go for treatment.
Days later, the baby passed away as Egypt kept its borders closed, now for more than a month.
Ahmed Abu Nahel, a three-month-old baby, spent more time in bed than at his mother’s breast because he was suffering of enlarged heart and liver, and weakness in heart muscles.
The baby was receiving his treatment at al-Rantisi hospital, in Gaza, but the lack of medicines and medical equipment made Gaza’s doctors unable to help him.
The Palestinian doctors in Gaza decided to transfer him, to get treatment in the Israeli hospitals, but the Israelis refused to receive him due to the serious deterioration in his condition.
The Palestinian doctors contacted Turkish hospitals to receive Ahmed. They accepted to receive him, but the tightened closure of Rafah crossing prevented him from travelling.
The child’s health couldn’t bear to wait any more. Ahmed was seriously threatened by death.
The National Committee to Break the Siege sent appeals to the Egyptian authorities to open the border: “Ahmed is dying.” “Save him.” And, his mum was crying, “Please don’t let my baby die in my hands. I can do nothing .” But, no one answered their calls.
Ahmed’s story captured the hearts and thoughts of many people, here, who were all waiting for what the passing time would bring. Would Ahmed wait and be saved or die?
Actually, something happened and I have to tell you. His small heart couldn’t bear any more …Ahmed died.
The illegal and inhumane blockade is destroying our future, every time someone dies.
The Rafah and Israeli border crossings are almost always closed. This situation has led to a humanitarian catastrophe .
According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, more than 145 types of medicine ran out of stock, and more than one thousand patients were unable to reach to the Egyptian hospitals. This means that death has threatened their lives and they now may join the list of the siege victims.
The story of Ahmed is one of but hundreds. His has story ended, but the pain of thousands of child patients in Gaza still continues.
They need medication … life. Will humanity respond?
Ahmed’s soul was a letter to the world to help in lifting the unjust siege imposed on this narrow coastal enclave. Don’t let us die .Open the door of the biggest open air prison and let us live.
12 july 2016
The Jordanian professional syndicates condemned the visit of the Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri to Israel and his meeting with Israeli officials in Occupied Jerusalem.
In a press statement on Monday, the Jordanian syndicate council said that the visit shocked the Arab, and especially the Jordanian people, since it came a time of escalating Israeli crimes against the Palestinian people and the ceaseless illegal construction of settlements as well as the repeated storming of the Aqsa Mosque.
The council perceived the visit of Shukri along with Benjamin Netanyahu to Occupied Jerusalem as an implicit recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
It forms an unprecedented Arabic stand toward the Israeli occupation of Jerusalem, the statement highlighted. The council called on Egypt to defend the Palestinian Question rather than providing a cover for the Israeli schemes at the expense of the Palestinian just cause.
In a press statement on Monday, the Jordanian syndicate council said that the visit shocked the Arab, and especially the Jordanian people, since it came a time of escalating Israeli crimes against the Palestinian people and the ceaseless illegal construction of settlements as well as the repeated storming of the Aqsa Mosque.
The council perceived the visit of Shukri along with Benjamin Netanyahu to Occupied Jerusalem as an implicit recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
It forms an unprecedented Arabic stand toward the Israeli occupation of Jerusalem, the statement highlighted. The council called on Egypt to defend the Palestinian Question rather than providing a cover for the Israeli schemes at the expense of the Palestinian just cause.
11 july 2016
Former Israeli official tells news agency Israel has been attacking terror targets in the peninsula in cooperation with Egypt.
Israeli drones have reportedly struck terror targets in the Sinai Peninsula several times over the past few years, in cooperation with Egypt, a former Israeli official told Bloomberg in a story published on Monday.
Over the past few years, jihadists affiliated with the ISIS' Sinai branch have made claims that Israel was conducting airstrikes in the Peninsula from time to time using drones, among others, as part of its security cooperation with President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi's regime.
These claims were made more official in recent months in a detailed article in one of the terror organization's publications, al-Naba.
The Egyptian army has been continuing all the more forcefully with its operation to eradicate terrorism in the Sinai Peninsula, particularly in its northern region. Al-Sisi, on his part, has reportedly shown a greater willingness to cooperate with Israel for shared interests.
One such example is al-Sisi's decision to flood and destroy hundreds of tunnels running from the Gaza Strip to the Sinai Peninsula, something that benefited Israel, as well. According to IDF Deputy Chiefo-of-Staff Yair Golan, the two countries have also begun to share intelligence on a much larger scale.
So far, the Egyptian army has been successful in stopping the spread of the ISIS Sinai branch to Central and, more importantly, Southern Sinai. And yet, the terror attacks in the peninsula persist, as the Egyptian army has been suffering great losses.
Responding to Egypt's wish for coperation, Israel has allowed Egypt to deploy additional troops and weapons to Sinai to combat this threat, which deviates from the peace agreement between the two nations.
Israeli drones have reportedly struck terror targets in the Sinai Peninsula several times over the past few years, in cooperation with Egypt, a former Israeli official told Bloomberg in a story published on Monday.
Over the past few years, jihadists affiliated with the ISIS' Sinai branch have made claims that Israel was conducting airstrikes in the Peninsula from time to time using drones, among others, as part of its security cooperation with President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi's regime.
These claims were made more official in recent months in a detailed article in one of the terror organization's publications, al-Naba.
The Egyptian army has been continuing all the more forcefully with its operation to eradicate terrorism in the Sinai Peninsula, particularly in its northern region. Al-Sisi, on his part, has reportedly shown a greater willingness to cooperate with Israel for shared interests.
One such example is al-Sisi's decision to flood and destroy hundreds of tunnels running from the Gaza Strip to the Sinai Peninsula, something that benefited Israel, as well. According to IDF Deputy Chiefo-of-Staff Yair Golan, the two countries have also begun to share intelligence on a much larger scale.
So far, the Egyptian army has been successful in stopping the spread of the ISIS Sinai branch to Central and, more importantly, Southern Sinai. And yet, the terror attacks in the peninsula persist, as the Egyptian army has been suffering great losses.
Responding to Egypt's wish for coperation, Israel has allowed Egypt to deploy additional troops and weapons to Sinai to combat this threat, which deviates from the peace agreement between the two nations.
10 july 2016
Egypt’s Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry has flown to Israel, on Saturday, to discuss the resumption of the stalled peace talks between Israel and Palestine.
Unofficially, Shoukry may also discuss Egypt’s concerns about the recent visit of Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu to African countries.
The Egyptian Foreign Ministry reports that Shoukry will meet Israeli officials including Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The Ministry announced that Shoukry and his Israeli counterparts will be discussing “regional issues of mutual concern”.
Peace talks between Israel and Palestine were suspended after Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas announced the formation of a Palestinian Unity Government composed of Al-Fateh and Hamas in 2014.
In the light of a Palestinian government that includes Hamas, Israel rejected further talks and rejected to accept a Unity Government. Ironically, Israel has, at the very least in its beginning, financed Hamas in order to weaken secular PLO member parties. The unity government has since run into problems and the Hamas and Al-Fateh rivalry continues.
On May 17, Egypt’s President called for the resumption of the stalled peace talks. His calls were welcomed by the Palestinian Authority and came within the context of the preparations for the international conference on Palestine and Israel in Paris, France.
Shoukry may also discuss another “regional issue of mutual concern”. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s recent Africa tour prompted concerns among Egyptian analysts and scholars who noted that Israel’s outreach to Nile Basin States could complicate negotiations about water rights and the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam.
Unofficially, Shoukry may also discuss Egypt’s concerns about the recent visit of Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu to African countries.
The Egyptian Foreign Ministry reports that Shoukry will meet Israeli officials including Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The Ministry announced that Shoukry and his Israeli counterparts will be discussing “regional issues of mutual concern”.
Peace talks between Israel and Palestine were suspended after Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas announced the formation of a Palestinian Unity Government composed of Al-Fateh and Hamas in 2014.
In the light of a Palestinian government that includes Hamas, Israel rejected further talks and rejected to accept a Unity Government. Ironically, Israel has, at the very least in its beginning, financed Hamas in order to weaken secular PLO member parties. The unity government has since run into problems and the Hamas and Al-Fateh rivalry continues.
On May 17, Egypt’s President called for the resumption of the stalled peace talks. His calls were welcomed by the Palestinian Authority and came within the context of the preparations for the international conference on Palestine and Israel in Paris, France.
Shoukry may also discuss another “regional issue of mutual concern”. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s recent Africa tour prompted concerns among Egyptian analysts and scholars who noted that Israel’s outreach to Nile Basin States could complicate negotiations about water rights and the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam.
23 june 2016
Egyptian authorities on Thursday exceptionally opened Rafah border crossing with Gaza to enter the body of Fatma al-Sheikh Khalil, 75, who passed away at an Egyptian hospital last Tuesday.
Sheikh Khalil is called “Khansaa” of Palestine since five of her sons were killed by the Israeli occupation forces.
Palestinians bade her farewell in Rafah amid large attendance of Palestinian factions’ leaders.
The Egyptian authorities have been continuing its complete closure of Rafah crossing since the summer of 2013. 28,000 Palestinians have been deprived of their right of travel. Most of them are patients and students.
Sheikh Khalil is called “Khansaa” of Palestine since five of her sons were killed by the Israeli occupation forces.
Palestinians bade her farewell in Rafah amid large attendance of Palestinian factions’ leaders.
The Egyptian authorities have been continuing its complete closure of Rafah crossing since the summer of 2013. 28,000 Palestinians have been deprived of their right of travel. Most of them are patients and students.
20 june 2016
A 13-year-old Palestinian girl at dawn Monday was injured by Egyptian bullet fire in southern Gaza Strip.
According to the inhabitants of the Rafah city, to the south of the Gaza Strip, the Egyptian army opened fire on Palestinian civilian homes in Tel al-Sultan neighborhood, wounding a child.
Palestinian medics said the casualty, identified as Malak al-Kadhi, was rushed to the Abu Youssef al-Najar hospital in Rafah so as to be urgently treated for the wounds inflicted by Egyptian bullet fire.
A number of Palestinians, including children, were killed or wounded by the Egyptian army and naval forces along the borders with Gaza.
According to the inhabitants of the Rafah city, to the south of the Gaza Strip, the Egyptian army opened fire on Palestinian civilian homes in Tel al-Sultan neighborhood, wounding a child.
Palestinian medics said the casualty, identified as Malak al-Kadhi, was rushed to the Abu Youssef al-Najar hospital in Rafah so as to be urgently treated for the wounds inflicted by Egyptian bullet fire.
A number of Palestinians, including children, were killed or wounded by the Egyptian army and naval forces along the borders with Gaza.