UN: Israeli strikes displace over 737k in Gaza since March
Citing the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, spokesperson Stephanie Tremblay reported at a news conference that "between July 8 and 15, more than 11,500 people were newly displaced"....
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Malay Mail
a few seconds ago
- Malay Mail
Why Saudi Arabia's execution numbers are surging in 2025
DUBAI, July 28 — Saudi Arabia has escalated its use of capital punishment, executing more than 200 people so far this year — putting the kingdom on track to surpass last year's record. Experts say the surge in executions comes as the Gulf state aims to crack down on drug trafficking. The Arab world's largest economy is also one of the biggest markets for captagon, an illicit stimulant that was Syria's largest export under Bashar al-Assad — according to the United Nations. Assad was ousted in December. Saudi Arabia is on course for breaking its record of 338 people put to death last year — the highest since public records first documented the cases in the early 1990s. Here's a quick rundown of what to know about the death penalty's use in Saudi Arabia. Why the surge now? Since the beginning of 2025, Saudi Arabia has executed 144 people for drug-related offences — representing a vast majority of the 217 people put to death this year. Analysts link the spike to the kingdom's 'war on drugs' launched in 2023, with many of those first arrested only now being executed following their legal proceedings and convictions. Saudi Arabia resumed executions for drug offences at the end of 2022, after suspending the use of the death penalty in narcotics cases for around three years. It executed 19 people in 2022, two in 2023, and 117 in 2024 for narcotics-related crimes, according to an AFP tally. Since launching its war on drugs, the country has increased the presence of police checkpoints on highways and at border crossings, where millions of pills have been confiscated and dozens of traffickers arrested. 'It's clear that Saudi Arabia opted to double down on arrests... and harsh penalties for those perceived to be affiliated with drug trades inside Saudi Arabia,' said Caroline Rose, a senior analyst at the New Lines Institute in Washington. Saudi officials did not respond to AFP's questions regarding this issue. Who is being executed? Foreigners are largely bearing the brunt of the campaign to date. Saudi Arabia has long relied on millions of foreign workers to help build its vast infrastructure projects, serve as domestic help for families and staff hotels and other sectors linked to the hospitality industry. 'Foreign nationals are particularly vulnerable to due process and fair trial violations in the context of the death penalty,' said Jeed Basyouni, from the London-based rights organisation Reprieve. So far this year, 121 foreigners have been executed — mostly for drug-linked crimes. Earlier this month, Amnesty International lambasted the spike in executions. 'We are witnessing a truly horrifying trend, with foreign nationals being put to death at a startling rate for crimes that should never carry the death penalty,' said Kristine Beckerle, the group's deputy director for the Middle East and North Africa. Saudis are also being executed, with three put to death in the past week after being convicted of terrorism charges. This year, 96 Saudis have been executed out of the 217 individuals put to death. Is it working? Well, it's hard to say. Saudi Interior Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Nayef vowed at the start of the campaign that 'drug dealers and smugglers will not survive it'. And last month, Saudi public security director Mohammed al-Bassami said the war on drugs 'has achieved tangible positive results, with strong blows to drug dealers and smugglers', according to the prominent Okaz newspaper. However, there is little data provided to back up these claims and daily arrests continue. 'There is no evidence to substantiate the use of the death penalty as a deterrent, particularly for drug crimes,' said Reprieve's Basyouni. Do the executions clash with reforms? Saudi Arabia is spending big on tourist infrastructure and top sports events such as the 2034 World Cup as it tries to diversify its oil-reliant economy. But activists say the kingdom's continued embrace of capital punishment undermines the image of a more open, tolerant society that is central to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Vision's 2030 reform agenda. Saudi authorities say the death penalty is necessary to maintain public order and is only used after all avenues for appeal have been exhausted. The kingdom drew global condemnation after the 2018 murder and dismemberment of US-based Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, a government critic, at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. After briefly unsettling US relations, President Donald Trump has whole-heartedly embraced Saudi Arabia and focused more on signing business deals than criticising its rulers over rights issues. During a tour of the Gulf countries in May, Trump gushed over the crown prince saying: 'I like you too much!'. — AFP
New Straits Times
11 hours ago
- New Straits Times
Erdogan hails Macron for decision to recognise Palestinian state
ISTANBUL: Turkey's president on Sunday welcomed a move by his French counterpart to recognise Palestinian statehood, in a phone call between the two leaders, the Turkish presidency said. "During a telephone conversation, President (Recep Tayyip) Erdogan congratulated French President (Emmanuel) Macron on his decision to recognise Palestine as a state," it said in a statement. "A two-state solution is essential for a durable peace in the region," Erdogan said. Macron said Thursday that his country would formally recognise a Palestinian state during a UN meeting in September, the most powerful European nation to announce such a move. Macron's announcement drew condemnation from Israel, which said it "rewards terror", while US President Donald Trump dismissed the decision as pointless.
The Star
12 hours ago
- The Star
UN aid chief welcomes 'humanitarian pauses' in Gaza
GENEVA (AFP): The United Nations' aid chief welcomed Israel's announcement Sunday of secure land routes into Gaza for humanitarian convoys, and said the UN would try to reach as many starving people as possible. "Welcome announcement of humanitarian pauses in Gaza to allow our aid through," UN emergency relief coordinator Tom Fletcher said on X. "In contact with our teams on the ground who will do all we can to reach as many starving people as we can in this window." Israel declared a "tactical pause" in fighting in parts of Gaza on Sunday and said it would allow the UN and aid agencies to open secure land routes to tackle a deepening hunger crisis. The military also said it had begun air-dropping food into the Palestinian territory and dismissed allegations of using starvation as a weapon against civilians. It said it had coordinated with the UN and international agencies to "increase the scale of humanitarian aid entering the Gaza Strip". UN emergency relief coordinator Tom Fletcher welcomed the pauses, saying on social media he was in "contact with our teams on the ground who will do all we can to reach as many starving people as we can in this window". The charity Oxfam's regional policy chief Bushra Khalidi called the move a "welcome first step" but warned it could prove insufficient. "Starvation won't be solved by a few trucks or airdrops," she said. "What's needed is a real humanitarian response: ceasefire, full access, all crossings open, and a steady, large-scale flow of aid into Gaza. "We need a permanent ceasefire, a complete lifting of the siege." - 'Life's wish' - In Gaza City's Tel al-Hawa district, 30-year-old Suad Ishtaywi said her "life's wish" was to simply feed her children. She spoke of her husband returning empty-handed from aid points daily. "We hope the aid comes in today, because hunger is killing us day by day," said 44-year-old Mohammed al-Daduh, also in Gaza City. "Egypt said it would send aid, but we don't know if Israel will allow it in." AFP journalists saw Egyptian trucks crossing from Rafah, with cargo routed through Israel's Kerem Shalom checkpoint for inspection before entering Gaza. The daily pause -- from 10:00 am to 8:00 pm -- will be limited to areas where Israel says its troops are not currently operating -- Al-Mawasi, Deir el-Balah and Gaza City. Israel said "designated secure routes" would also open across Gaza for aid convoys carrying food and medicine. The military said these operations, alongside its campaign against Palestinian armed groups, should disprove "the false claim of deliberate starvation". Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and former Israeli defence minister Yoav Gallant, citing "reasonable grounds" to suspect war crimes including starvation -- charges Israel vehemently denies. Since Israel imposed a total blockade on March 2, the situation inside Gaza has deteriorated sharply. More than 100 NGOs warned this week of "mass starvation". Though aid has trickled in since late May, UN and humanitarian agencies say Israeli restrictions remain excessive and road access inside Gaza is tightly controlled. Before Israel's airdrop of seven food pallets, the United Arab Emirates said it would resume aid flights, and Britain said it would partner with Jordan and others to assist. - 'Immediate' airdrops - On Saturday alone, the Palestinian civil defence agency said over 50 more Palestinians had been killed in Israeli strikes and shootings, some as they waited near aid distribution centres. In a social media post, the military announced it "carried out an airdrop of humanitarian aid as part of the ongoing efforts to allow and facilitate the entry of aid into the Gaza Strip". Humanitarian chiefs are deeply sceptical airdrops can deliver enough food safely to tackle the hunger crisis facing Gaza's more than two million inhabitants. A number of Western and Arab governments carried out airdrops in Gaza in 2024, when aid deliveries by land also faced Israeli restrictions, but many in the humanitarian community consider them ineffective. "Airdrops will not reverse the deepening starvation," said Philippe Lazzarini, head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA. "They are expensive, inefficient and can even kill starving civilians." Separately, the Israeli navy brought an activist boat, the Handala operated by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, into the part of Ashdod, after intercepting and boarding it late Saturday to prevent it attempting to breach a maritime blockade of Gaza. The legal rights centre Adalah told AFP its lawyers were in Ashdod but had been refused access to the detained crew, 21 activists and journalists from 10 countries. Media restrictions in Gaza and difficulties in accessing many areas mean AFP is unable to independently verify tolls and details provided by the civil defence agency and other parties. Israel launched its military campaign in Gaza after Hamas's October 2023 attack resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures. The Israeli campaign has killed 59,733 Palestinians, mostly civilians, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory. - AFP
