Israel will allow foreign countries to drop aid into Gaza from Friday, army radio says
An Israeli military spokesperson did not immediately reply to a Reuters request seeking confirmation.
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French minister calls for end to GHF's militarised aid distribution in Gaza
French foreign minister Jean-Noel Barrot has said that the US and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation's (GHF) militarised distribution of aid has generated a bloodbath, and called for the cessation of its activities. 'I want to call for the cessation of the activities of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, the militarised distribution of humanitarian aid that has generated a bloodbath in distribution lines in Gaza, which is a scandal, which is shameful, and has to stop,' Barrot told reporters after meeting his Cypriot counterpart in Nicosia. Since May, Israeli forces have killed more than 1,330 Palestinian aid seekers, and over 8,818 others have been wounded, mainly at the GHF distribution sites. Israel continues to block all aid to Gaza, which has led to at least 155 Palestinians being starved to death.
Middle East Eye
13 minutes ago
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Iranian press review: Construction industry hit hard by Afghan workers' deportation
Construction stalls amid mass deportations The mass deportation of undocumented Afghan migrants from Iran has caused serious problems for the country's construction industry, which relies heavily on low-wage Afghan labour. The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) reported that daily returns of Afghans from Iran - which launched a mass deportation campaign earlier this year - had surged from around 5,000 to 30,000 since the start of the war with Israel. It noted that most of those returning had been forcibly deported. Iranian authorities say nearly 800,000 Afghans have been expelled since the campaign began in March. On 7 July, the UNHCR reported that nearly 450,000 Afghans had returned from Iran since the beginning of June. Local media quoted Iraj Rahbar, head of the Tehran Real Estate Developers Association, saying that the removal of Afghan workers has lowered productivity and led to the suspension of some building projects. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters Rahbar said that about 50 percent of construction workers in Tehran were Afghan, working as general labourers, builders, cement workers and stonemasons. He added that many employers preferred to hire Afghan workers because they accepted lower wages and were not insured, as they lacked legal immigration documents. Official Iranian figures show that more than five million Afghan migrants live in Iran. Some Iranian sources have accused Afghan refugees of spying for Israel. Spike in arrests of Iranians in the US Since Donald Trump returned to office, arrests and deportations of Iranian migrants in the United States have risen sharply. The number of arrests surged in the days following Washington's strikes on Iran's nuclear sites. Iran: Anti-Afghan sentiment is on the rise Read More » According to a report by BBC Persian, deportations of Iranians have increased more than tenfold since the start of Trump's new term and the rollout of his immigration policies, compared with the previous six years. From January to the end of June 2025, 92 Iran-born migrants were deported from the US. About a quarter of all Iranians arrested in the first half of the year were detained in the four days after the US strike on Iran's nuclear facilities during Israel's war on Iran. The report also notes that while 76 Iranians were arrested in the first 20 days of June, that number jumped to 303 in just four days following the US attack. In contrast, only nine Iranians were arrested in June of last year. Journalists face layoffs and pay cuts after war The Tehran Province Journalists' Association (TPJA), one of Iran's most influential media unions, has reported a rise in job losses and salary cuts among journalists following Israel's 12-day war on Iran. According to the association, more than 150 journalists from various media outlets, many of them well known, were laid off after the ceasefire, as economic pressures from the war took hold. By allowing Israel to bomb Iran, Trump is pushing Tehran to go nuclear Read More » Employers cited 'cost reduction', 'financial restructuring' and 'force consolidation' as reasons for the dismissals. News outlets affected include Rahpardakht, KhabarOnline, Eqtesad News, TejaratNews, Donyaye Eqtesad, EqtesadOnline, Eco-Iran, and Shahrvand. These organisations also implemented salary cuts for many remaining staff. The TPJA condemned the wave of layoffs, pointing out that many of the affected journalists had continued working during the war, reporting on conditions despite the dangers. In its report, the association said: 'While many journalists took on the responsibility of providing information with courage and commitment during the days of crisis, after the war they were met with a wave of ingratitude, job insecurity, reduced professional protection, and rushed decisions to cut wages and staff.' Environmental activists die in forest fires Khabat Amini has become the third environmental activist to die after wildfires swept through the Abidar forests. Amini was one of several volunteers who suffered serious burns while trying to contain the fire in the Abidar mountain area of western Iran last Thursday. He died four days later, on Monday, at Kowsar Hospital in Sanandaj. Before him, Chiako Yousefinejad, an activist from Sanandaj, and Hamid Moradi also succumbed to burns injuries. At least three other volunteers were severely injured and remain in the hospital. Despite the risks environmental activists face in Iran, including the threat of arrest and lengthy prison sentences, the Kurdistan Provincial Government has declared two days of public mourning in the province. Jamal Qaderi, an activist with the Chia Environmental Association in Kurdistan, criticised the government for failing to provide the resources needed to fight such fires. He told the Sharq daily: 'Government institutions are responsible for preventing fires in the Zagros forests, including in Kurdistan, and for putting them out by setting up and deploying air bases… We cannot tolerate another disaster like this.' *Iranian press review is a digest of news reports not independently verified as accurate by Middle East Eye.
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13 minutes ago
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Syrian foreign minister in Russia for first meeting since Assad's overthrow
Syria's foreign minister said his country wanted a 'correct and sound' relationship with Russia on Thursday as he visited Moscow in an apparent attempt to mend relations with the erstwhile enemy. In December, Syria's longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad was overthrown by rebels and he fled to Russia, which had been his staunch ally during the 14-year Syrian civil war. Moscow has had decades of close ties with Damascus, which deepened during its ultimately unsuccessful military intervention on Assad's behalf. These included several economic agreements. On Thursday, Syria's new foreign minister, Asaad al-Shaibani, spoke with his counterpart Sergey Lavrov about maintaining agreements struck with Assad's government, as well as the future of Russia's military bases in the country. 'The relationship between nations is a historical and humanitarian one, but some governments are spoiling this relationship,' Shaibani said at a news conference. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters 'We are here today to represent the new Syria, as we want to establish a correct and sound relationship between the two countries based on cooperation and mutual respect.' He added: 'Of course, there are a number of factors that determine and complicate these relations on the ground.' Russia's naval base in Tartus and its airbase at Hmeimim are Moscow's only official military outposts outside the former Soviet Union. They were key to Russia's support of the Assad government, which prevented his overthrow for many years after the 2011 uprising. Lavrov said Moscow was ready to help Syria rebuild after more than a decade of devastating conflict and to review 'agreements and contracts concluded under different conditions', and said their decision to remain allies 'doesn't depend on the political situation or changes of government'. Neither minister said whether there had been any discussion of the status of the military bases. Assurances Despite providing a haven for Assad, Russia has quickly moved to try to build connections with the new government in Syria. Footage released in January appeared to show Russia removing vehicles and containers from its base in Tartus on the Mediterranean coast. Why Syria needs to play the long game against Israel Read More » Russian President Vladimir Putin and Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa spoke for the first time in February, with the former saying he was ready to reconsider agreements signed between Russia and Syria under Assad. 'Vladimir Putin reaffirmed Russia's invariable readiness to help improve the socio-economic situation in Syria, including the provision of humanitarian aid to its residents,' the Russian presidency said at the time. Syrian Defence Minister Murhaf Abu Qasra is also part of the delegation to Moscow. In February, he told the Washington Post that this government was open to allowing Russia to retain its bases if there were 'benefits for Syria'. The status of Assad, however, could remain a sticking point. Shaibani called on Russia to support a 'transitional justice' process in Syria, possibly referencing Assad's presence in the country. He also said Syria had formed a committee to review existing agreements with Russia. In January, Sharaa reportedly requested Russia extradite Assad. The Russian government refused to comment on the matter at the time. Israeli attacks Shaibani's discussions with Lavrov also touched upon Israel's recent attacks on southern Syria. Since the fall of Assad, Israel has repeatedly bombed Syrian military targets, and invaded even more Syrian territory than the Golan Heights it occupied in 1967. Earlier this month, Israeli attacks intensified, which Israel said were done in support of the Druze minority. However, the raids only raised communal tensions, which broke out into sectarian clashes that killed about 1,200 Druze and Bedouin Syrians. Speaking alongside Lavrov, Shaibani said that Israel's attacks on Syria posed a serious threat to his country's recovery 'These attacks not only represent a clear violation of international law and the UN Charter, but also disrupt the process of reconstruction, exacerbate the suffering of civilians, and fuel cycles of violence and instability,' he said. 'We have received a commitment from Russia to reject these attacks and stand with Syria to prevent these violations.' Lavrov concurred with his counterpart and called on members of the international community to help de-escalate the situation. 'We have always been against the use of Syrian territory as an arena for geopolitical conflicts to settle scores between various countries,' he said. Russia and Israel have had a close working relationship in Syria, where Israeli attacks repeatedly struck Hezbollah and Iranian-linked targets. In 2019, Russia helped recover the remains of an Israeli soldier buried in Syria.
