human rights violations

Egypt presses Israel to reopen Rafah crossing for goods: Report

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Trucks loaded with humanitarian aid on the Egyptian side of the Rafah crossing wait to cross into the Gaza Strip early on October 15, 2025, after Israel said it would allow the crossing to reopen for humanitarian aid to enter from Egypt into the Palestinian territory. [STR/AFP via Getty Images]

Egypt is pressing for the reopening of the Rafah border crossing with Gaza to allow goods into the enclave, the Israeli Broadcasting Authority reported Wednesday, Anadolu reports.

“By contrast, Israel insists on limiting the entry of goods to the Kerem Shalom crossing, which is under its control,” the broadcaster said.

Israel’s security establishment and political leadership have informed the US and Nikolay Mladenov, the high representative of the Peace Council, of their unified position “not to allow the entry of goods into the Gaza Strip except through the Kerem Shalom crossing,” the broadcaster said, citing an unnamed Israeli source.

On Feb. 2, Israel reopened the Palestinian side of the Rafah crossing, which it has occupied since May 2024, on a limited basis and under tight restrictions.

Following a closure of nearly 20 days after the outbreak of the US-Israeli war on Iran on Feb. 28, Israel reopened the crossing on March 19 under the previous operating mechanism and with strict restrictions.

READ: Hamas threatens withdrawal from Gaza understandings amid continued Israeli air strikes

The crossing currently operates on a limited basis for pedestrians only. Dozens of patients, wounded Palestinians and other humanitarian cases are intermittently allowed to leave under tight Israeli monitoring and restrictions.

Thousands of Palestinians in Gaza are still awaiting permission to travel for medical treatment.

Egypt had not officially commented on the Israeli broadcaster’s report as of 0930GMT.

Before Israel’s genocide in Gaza, hundreds of Palestinians traveled daily through Rafah to Egypt, while hundreds of others returned to the enclave. The crossing was operated by Gaza’s Interior Ministry and Egyptian authorities without Israeli intervention.

Since the start of Israel’s genocide in Gaza on Oct. 8, 2023, around 73,000 Palestinians have been killed and more than 173,000 injured, while nearly 90% of the enclave’s civilian infrastructure has been destroyed.

READ: Egyptian foreign minister, Board of Peace envoy discuss next phase of Gaza ceasefire

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Orcas discuss rotting brain, front Orca says Sundown Syndrome is a dead givaway and he wishes someone would Lock Him Up
Orcas discuss rotting brain, front Orca says Sundown Syndrome is a dead givaway and he wishes someone would Lock Him Up

Continue ReadingEgypt presses Israel to reopen Rafah crossing for goods: Report

Iran, Oman reached ‘preliminary understandings’ on Hormuz transit, says Iranian official

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A view of the vessels passing through Strait of Hormuz following the two-week temporary ceasefire reached between the United States and Iran on the condition that the strait be reopened, seen in Oman on April 08, 2026. [Shadi J. H. Alassar – Anadolu Agency]

Iran’s deputy foreign minister said Wednesday that Iran and Oman have reached an understanding on nearly all issues on future Strait of Hormuz arrangements, adding that a final understanding is “on the verge of being finalized.”

Their understanding includes the location of entry and exit routes for maritime traffic, Kazem Gharibabadi said in remarks carried by Iran’s state-run news agency IRNA.

He added, however, that “this understanding does not mean the complete opening of the Strait of Hormuz.”

It represents “rather a new and different model from the past 60-year practice,” he said.

“In order to enter a second phase, Iran needs to assess whether the US is truly prepared to return to its commitments or not,” he said.

Iran’s ongoing talks with Oman are also focused on “future administration arrangements” aimed at defining a long-term framework for managing the Strait of Hormuz, he added.

READ: ‘US interference’ delaying Strait of Hormuz deal with Oman: Report

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Orcas discuss rotting brain, front Orca says Sundown Syndrome is a dead givaway and he wishes someone would Lock Him Up

Continue ReadingIran, Oman reached ‘preliminary understandings’ on Hormuz transit, says Iranian official

UK’s Burnham faces pro-Palestinian backlash over chief of staff appointment

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Britain’s new Prime Minister Andy Burnham delivers his first speech outside 10 Downing Street in central London after being invited by King Charles III to form a new government. [Marcin Nowak – Anadolu Agency]

Less than a month into office, British Prime Minister Andy Burnham is facing backlash over several Cabinet appointments, with pro-Palestinian activists urging his government to impose sanctions on Israel.

Among the appointments that have drawn criticism is James Purnell, whom Burnham selected as his new chief of staff. His role as chair of the Labour Friends of Israel (LFI) group from 2002 to 2004 has sparked anger.

In an interview with Anadolu Agency, Councillor Jonathan Purcell, a deputy leader of Greens in Tower Hamlet Council, said it’s “absolutely clear” where Burnham’s priorities lie.

“James Purnell is the former Labor Friends of Israel chair. If that isn’t a demonstration of where he stands on this issue, then I don’t know what is,” he said.

He urged Burnham to stop selling arms to Israel, “including the supply of arms sales to Israel.”

He must also immediately sanction ministers and remove the opacity around the spy flights taking off from RAF Akrotiri, a British air base in the Greek Cypriot Administration, over Gaza, he said.

Kerie Anne, branch secretary of Tower Hamlet Unison, the largest trade union in the UK, said she expects a “strong stand” on Israel from this government.

“Give Israel a really hard time boycotting divestment and sanctions because of its genocidal activity,” she added.

The British government has been “far too soft” on Israel, and it’s just “unacceptable,” she said.

For Anne, the UK needs to institute a serious boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) regime on Israel.

“We are championing BDS, but we need our government to lead it at a national level,” she noted.

READ: UK charity regulator opens inquiry into funding of illegal Israeli settlements

‘Bitterly disappointing’

John McLoughlin, a local British pensioner, criticized the ongoing financial ties with Israel, saying it is “bitterly disappointing.”

“I’m now a pensioner, I am receiving pension from the pension funds. I don’t believe that our pension fund should be invested in companies committing genocide,” he added.

He claimed that the UK needs a change in policy about Palestine, and expressed that he is also “very concerned” that Burnham, like the previous prime minister, is talking about increased spending on arms, and that includes armaments that go to Israel.

“They should stop supplying arms. They should stop investing and involving companies like Palantir here in UK public services,” said McLoughlin.

The chief of staff appointment was also criticized over Purnell’s lobbying links as he was former chief executive of Flint Global, a registered lobbyist.

Eighteen months ago, Purcell said the London’s Tower Hamlet council passed a motion to divest from arms companies complicit in the genocide.

“The reason why that is so important is because there are workers in this council who have made it absolutely clear that they do not want to be complicit in Israel’s genocide or its illegal occupation of Palestine,” he added.

WATCH: Gaza Ceasefire Falters as Trump Remains Trapped in Israel-First Agenda | Palestine This Week

What has Burnham said so far?

Last month, roughly 10 days before assuming his role as the country’s 59th prime minister, Burnham apologized for the Labour Party’s stance on Gaza.

He said the party “didn’t get it right” and needs to “do better” under his leadership.

“Labour’s initial response to the treatment of Gaza caused huge hurt. We got it wrong and I am sorry for that.”

In an interview with Guardian, he noted that he would put more pressure on the Israeli government, including through further sanctions on individuals and entities, as well as a potential ban on the trade of goods with illegal settlements.

He also called what is happening in Gaza “unbearable suffering” saying it is a “scar on our collective conscience.”

He also commented on continued and illegal occupier violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, stressing that the UK is exploring measures against Israeli settlements.

“There are potential measures that I’m looking at in terms of the settlements in the West Bank, and those will be looked at an announced in due course,” Burnham told TLDR news on Saturday.

READ: Over 600 Palestinians detained by Israel in West Bank raids last month: Advocacy group

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dizzy: I am actively monitoring Andy Burnham & Co (and much more besides actually). It appears that there is a spin machine operating that makes unfounded claims which are contradicted by actions. Basically, you can’t have any faith in anything that’s claimed from number 10.

UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham admits to blatently lying and engaging in deception to become leader of the UK Labour Party and Prime Minister.
UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham admits to blatently lying and engaging in deception to become leader of the UK Labour Party and Prime Minister.
Orcas discuss rotting brain, front Orca says Sundown Syndrome is a dead givaway and he wishes someone would Lock Him Up
Orcas discuss rotting brain, front Orca says Sundown Syndrome is a dead givaway and he wishes someone would Lock Him Up
Continue ReadingUK’s Burnham faces pro-Palestinian backlash over chief of staff appointment

Indian vessel sinks after Red Sea attack off Yemen, all 14 crew rescued

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A protestor lifts a mock drone with flags of Yemen and Palestine under a billboard depicting the picture of targeting an Israel-linked ship by Yemen’s Houthi forces in the Red Sea, during a demonstration staged against the latest aerial attacks hit Yemen’s port city of Hudaydah by Israel and its ongoing war on Palestine, on July 26, 2024, in Sana’a, Yemen. [Mohammed Hamoud/Getty Images]

An Indian vessel sank after coming under attack in the Red Sea by an explosives-laden boat off Yemen’s western coast, with all 14 crew members rescued, Yemen’s government-aligned National Resistance Forces announced on Tuesday, Anadolu reports.

The forces’ December 2 news agency said the Faize Noore Oliya was attacked while sailing about 13 nautical miles south of Al Hudaydah, in the Red Sea, causing it to sink.

The agency did not give details about the circumstances of the attack or identify the party responsible.

It said the Yemeni Navy and Coast Guard carried out a joint rescue operation that saved all 14 crew members, including 13 Indian sailors and one Yemeni.

No casualties were recorded, and the crew members were transferred to a safe location where they received medical assistance, the report added.

The outlet did not specify the vessel’s flag or ownership, identifying it only as an Indian ship. No group had claimed responsibility for the attack as of 1415GMT.

The National Resistance Forces are deployed along Yemen’s western coast near the Bab al-Mandab Strait and are led by Tareq Saleh, a member of the Presidential Leadership Council.

The incident comes amid renewed threats to maritime navigation in the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandab Strait following a resurgence of attacks on commercial vessels last month.

On July 20, the Houthi group announced what it described as a “naval blockade” on Saudi Arabia. Riyadh warned that it would respond firmly to any threat targeting its vessels.

The Bab al-Mandab Strait is a strategic waterway linking the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and the Arabian Sea. Al Hudaydah, which is controlled by the Houthis, lies on the eastern coast of the Red Sea near major international shipping lanes.

READ: Yemen’s Houthis claim drone attack on Saudi airport

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Donald Trump calls for help from NATO allies in securing the Strait of Hormuz despite saying on 7 March 2026 that they don't need people to join wars after they've already won. He's challenged with the claim that he lies as much as the IDF.
Donald Trump calls for help from NATO allies in securing the Strait of Hormuz despite saying on 7 March 2026 that they don’t need people to join wars after they’ve already won. He’s challenged with the claim that he lies as much as the IDF.
Orcas discuss rotting brain, front Orca says Sundown Syndrome is a dead givaway and he wishes someone would Lock Him Up
Orcas discuss rotting brain, front Orca says Sundown Syndrome is a dead givaway and he wishes someone would Lock Him Up
Continue ReadingIndian vessel sinks after Red Sea attack off Yemen, all 14 crew rescued

Israeli army launches renewed raids in southern Syria

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Elements of the Israeli military camp with armored vehicles along the strategic connecting road between the villages of Jamla and Saysoun in the western countryside of the Daraa Governorate in southern Syria on June 28, 2026. [Enver Asfur – Anadolu Agency]

The Israeli army on Tuesday launched a renewed wave of raids in southern Syria, according to the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA), Anadolu reports.

Israeli forces advanced into the village of Mariya in the Yarmouk Basin area of Daraa province in southwestern Syria, SANA reported.

They carried out a limited incursion into the western part of the village and searched several civilian homes before withdrawing from the area without making any arrests, the agency said.

Since Monday, the Israeli army has also continued earthmoving operations and work to reopen an old dirt road north of Wadi al-Raqad from the direction of Mariya village, using a bulldozer accompanied by a tank and a pickup truck, it added.

Southern Syria has witnessed recurring Israeli incursions and attacks for months, including raids, searches and arrests.

The Israeli violations intensified following the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in December 2024, when Israel declared the collapse of the 1974 Disengagement Agreement and seized control of the Syrian buffer zone.

READ: Hezbollah chief says ‘no obstacle’ to public meeting with Syrian leadership

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Donald Trump calls for help from NATO allies in securing the Strait of Hormuz despite saying on 7 March 2026 that they don't need people to join wars after they've already won. He's challenged with the claim that he lies as much as the IDF.
Donald Trump calls for help from NATO allies in securing the Strait of Hormuz despite saying on 7 March 2026 that they don’t need people to join wars after they’ve already won. He’s challenged with the claim that he lies as much as the IDF.
Orcas discuss rotting brain, front Orca says Sundown Syndrome is a dead givaway and he wishes someone would Lock Him Up
Orcas discuss rotting brain, front Orca says Sundown Syndrome is a dead givaway and he wishes someone would Lock Him Up

Continue ReadingIsraeli army launches renewed raids in southern Syria