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Thousands of Palestinians returning to areas vacated by Israeli forces in Gaza Strip

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This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Hundreds of Palestinians continued returning from the south to the north, carrying their belongings along Rashid Street that connects the two parts of the enclave on the second day of the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip on October 11, 2025. [Stringer – Anadolu Agency]

Tens of thousands of Palestinians set off toward areas vacated by Israeli forces after a ceasefire took effect on Friday, according to an Anadolu correspondent, Anadolu reports.

Thousands of displaced civilians departed from southern Gaza to their homes northward, the majority on foot. Some made the hours-long journey using the few vehicles still running amid fuel shortages, along with animal-drawn carts, bicycles, and motorcycles.

Simultaneously, thousands returned to their homes in the central Gaza Strip and some eastern parts of Khan Younis in the south, following the withdrawal of Israeli forces.

The transfers from the south to the north were carried out via the coastal Al-Rashid Street in the west and Salah al-Din Road in the east.

Hundreds of displaced civilians had to set up tents on the rubble of their homes upon returning.

A gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces toward the yellow line was completed on Friday in accordance with US President Donald Trump’s plan.

The army forces withdrew from Gaza City in the north, excluding the Shejaiya neighborhood and some parts of the Al-Tuffah and Zeitoun neighborhoods; and the central and eastern parts of Khan Younis in the south. Palestinians were prevented from entering Beit Hanoun and Beit Lahia in northern Gaza.

The Gaza Government Media Office said on Saturday that more than 5,000 missions, including humanitarian, health, rescue, and relief operations, were carried out in the past 24 hours across Gaza governorates.

READ: Israel will allow Gaza residents to return to Gaza via Rafah crossing, 1st since war began

Trump announced Wednesday that Israel and Hamas agreed to the first phase of a 20-point plan he laid out on Sept. 29 to bring a ceasefire to Gaza, release all Israeli captives being held there in exchange for around 2,000 Palestinian prisoners, and a gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from the entire Gaza Strip.

The first phase of the deal came into force at 12 noon local time Friday (0900 GMT).

A second phase of the plan calls for the establishment of a new governing mechanism in Gaza without Hamas’ participation, the formation of a security force comprising Palestinians and troops from Arab and Islamic countries, and the disarmament of Hamas.

Since October 2023, Israeli attacks have killed nearly 67,200 Palestinians in the enclave, most of them women and children, and rendered it uninhabitable.

This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Post author:dizzy
Post published:11 October 2025
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Boris Johnson breached rules designed to stop abuse of contacts made in public office, watchdog finds

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https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2025/oct/10/boris-johnson-breached-rules-designed-to-stop-abuse-of-contacts-made-in-public-office-watchdog-finds

Boris Johnson refused to answer specific questions posed by the watchdog or provide factual denials to allegations of rule-breaking. Photograph: Imageplotter/Alamy

Johnson found to have breached rules after refusing to answer specific questions about allegations published by the Guardian

Boris Johnson breached rules designed to stop the abuse of contacts and access made in public office, an ethics watchdog has found.

Last month the Guardian published revelations about Johnson’s conduct since leaving office. The Boris Files, a trove of documents from the former prime minister’s private office seen by the Guardian, suggested he repeatedly broke rules forbidding him from exploiting for private gain contacts made in office.

Leaked documents suggested Johnson secretly lobbied the UAE for a billion-dollar private venture, amid plans to use an influential contact he had repeatedly hosted in No 10, and used senior contacts in the Saudi government he had met as prime minister to pitch the services of a consultancy firm.

After the Guardian’s stories were published, the Whitehall watchdog, the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments (Acoba), wrote to Johnson asking him to explain what he had done for the companies.

Johnson refused to answer specific questions or to provide factual denials to allegations of rule-breaking, while insisting all the rules had been followed at all times. His responses led Acoba’s chair, Isabel Doverty, to find him in breach of the rules.

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Continues at https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2025/oct/10/boris-johnson-breached-rules-designed-to-stop-abuse-of-contacts-made-in-public-office-watchdog-finds

Image of Elmo and former Prime Minister Tory idiot Boris Johnson — Image of Elmo (left) and former Prime Minister Tory idiot Boris Johnson (right)

Post author:dizzy
Post published:11 October 2025
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Greens Vote To Make ‘Abolish Landlords’ Party Policy

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Image of the Green Party's Carla Denyer on BBC Question Time. — Image of the Green Party’s Carla Denyer on BBC Question Time.

https://www.politicshome.com/news/article/green-party-passes-motion-committing-abolish-landlords

The Green Party has voted to make party policy a motion that seeks to “abolish landlords”.

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Carla Denyer, Green MP for Bristol Central, sought to stress that despite the motions “eye-catching” title, “it does not actually ‘abolish’ landlords”.

“It does, however, address the housing crisis, empowers tenants and improves their wellbeing. It contains a range of policies which, over time, would reduce the proportion of the housing market that is privately rented, and increase the proportion of socially rented homes.

“The policies, many of which were contained in our 2024 manifesto, include the introduction of rent controls and giving councils powers to buy properties when landlords sell,” she said.

Denyer added: “The motion also calls for the mass building of council homes, which was another manifesto commitment, and adds a proposal for a state-owned housing manufacturer to support these efforts and innovate on housing design and manufacture.”

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Original article at https://www.politicshome.com/news/article/green-party-passes-motion-committing-abolish-landlords

Post author:dizzy
Post published:5 October 2025
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“Elbit Out!” Activists launch campaign to expel arms company from Romania

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Original article by Ana Vračar republished from peoples dispatch under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 (CC BY-SA) license.

Palestine solidarity protest in Romania, 2025. Source: Solidaritate Romania-Palestina/Facebook

Palestine solidarity groups in Romania and beyond are launching a campaign to end ties with Israeli arms company Elbit Systems.

A coalition of Romanian and international groups standing in solidarity with Palestine has launched the “Elbit Out!” campaign, aiming to expel Israeli arms manufacturer Elbit Systems from Romania. Elbit is one of Israel’s largest arms manufacturers and is present in Romania with three companies, the organizers explain. “There, it manufactures components for weapons that have been tested on Palestinians and are partly still used in Gaza today.”

According to statements of Israeli officials, Elbit facilities in Brașov and Bacău, along with a production site in Măgurele outside Bucharest, made Romania the company’s third-largest manufacturing hub in 2021 – behind only Israel and the United States. The arms producer’s presence has been a constant for years, with early 2010s reports already highlighting its peculiar position in Romania.

“The continuation of these cooperative relations between Romania and the Israeli state violates Romania’s international legal obligations and the fundamental principles of human rights,” campaigners warn. “Through the arms trade, Romania is an active partner in genocide, in maintaining the apartheid regime, and in the systematic oppression of the Palestinian civilian population.”

Watch: Victory at Oldham: How Palestine Action shut down arms manufacturer Elbit

While the campaign is demanding Romanian authorities end ties with Elbit, it also stresses that complicity in Israel’s war crimes extends further. One issue is the scale of military exports from Romania to Israel. Activists point out that in the past two years alone, these have amounted to dozens of millions of euros. Such transfers have been another steady feature of the bilateral relationship. In 2012, Israel was Romania’s third-largest arms client. “While other export destinations decreased in volume, as all European arms export decreased due to the economic crisis, Israel continued to be a good customer of the Romanian arms industry,” Wendela de Vries from the Dutch campaign Stop Arms Trade noted in LeftEast in 2014. “It continued buying components for air-to-air missiles, military ground vehicles, and testing equipment for military planes.”

At the same time, Romania has consistently purchased Israeli military technology, much of it tested on Palestinians living under occupation. This cooperation has included technology exchange for drones and air defense systems, involving not only Elbit but also Israel Aerospace Industries and Rafael Advanced Defense Systems. Most recently, over €2 billion was awarded to Rafael in a contract for an air defense system to be deployed in Romania. The deal will draw funding from Romania’s strained public budget, but is also likely to benefit from the European Union’s recent armament programs, according to early reports.

Global aid flotilla 399 nautical miles away from Gaza, expected to reach on Sept. 30

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This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

A general view of the ships, anchored in a bay off the coast of Italy, while the Global Sumud Flotilla continues its preparations for departure towards Greece’s Crete, on September 16, 2025. [Niccolo Celesti – Anadolu Agency]

An international aid flotilla is less than 399 nautical miles away from the Gaza Strip, and is expected to reach the enclave on Sept. 30, organizers said on Sunday, Anadolu reports.

“Time moves and flotilla moves with it — every minute takes Global Sumud Flotilla nearer to Gaza and the justice it deserves,” the coalition said in a statement on the US social media company X.

It shared a map showing the vessels’ route to Gaza, noting that there are only 399 nautical miles left to reach the blockaded territory.

According to Wael Naouar, a spokesperson for the flotilla’s Maghreb fleet, the boats are expected to reach Gaza on Sept. 30 or Oct. 1. There might be delays depending on the weather conditions, he added.

The Global Sumud Flotilla, made up of about 50 ships, set sail earlier this month to break Israel’s blockade on Gaza and deliver humanitarian aid, particularly medical supplies, to the war-ravaged enclave.

According to a video shared by a Turkish activist onboard, a Greek Navy vessel has returned after accompanying the flotilla in international waters, as Italian and Spanish navies continue to provide protection for the activists on board.

READ: 130 public figures urge France, Belgium to protect Gaza aid flotilla

“The only thing between us and Gaza right now is the sea,” Ross Ykema, an activist from the Netherlands, said in a video statement.

Since March 2, Israel has fully closed Gaza’s crossings, blocking food and aid convoys and deepening famine conditions in the enclave. Only limited supplies are sporadically allowed in, and many are looted by armed groups that Gaza authorities accuse Israel of protecting.

Israel, as the occupying power, has a record of intercepting ships headed to Gaza, seizing vessels, and deporting activists. Critics describe such actions as piracy.

The Israeli army has killed over 66,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children, in Gaza since October 2023. The relentless bombardment has rendered the enclave uninhabitable and led to starvation and the spread of diseases.

READ: Freedom Flotilla Coalition launches new wave of boats from Italy to break Gaza blockade