Israel seeks to 'exterminate Palestinians'
An independent United Nations commission said on Tuesday that Israeli attacks on schools, religious and cultural sites in Gaza amount to war crimes and the crime against humanity of seeking to exterminate Palestinians.
"In killing civilians sheltering in schools and religious sites, Israeli security forces committed the crime against humanity of extermination," the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory said in a report.
17 killed at Gaza aid site
Israeli gunfire killed at least 17 Palestinians and wounded dozens as thousands of displaced people approached an aid distribution site run by a US-backed humanitarian group in central Gaza on Tuesday, local health authorities said.
Medics said the casualties were rushed to two hospitals, the Al-Awda Hospital in Nuseirat camp in central Gaza, and the Al-Quds in Gaza City, in the north.
Two killed in Nablus
Nablus. At least two Palestinians were killed Tuesday as Israel launched a large-scale military operation in the occupied West Bank city of Nablus, the Palestinian health ministry and the Israeli army said.
The military said troops opened fire and "eliminated" two Palestinians who had attempted to steal a soldier's weapon as the "counterterrorism operation" was underway in the old city of Nablus.
Meanwhile, Israel deported campaigner Greta Thunberg on a flight to Sweden via France on Tuesday, after detaining her along with other activists aboard a Gaza-bound aid boat.
Of the 12 activists on board the Madleen, which was carrying food and supplies for Gaza, four including Thunberg agreed to be deported, the rights group that legally represents some of them said in a statement.
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South Syria violence death toll tops 1,000: monitor
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Syrian govt says fighting in Sweida halted after tribal forces pull out
SWEIDA: Fighting in Syria's Sweida 'halted' on Sunday, the government said, after the southern city was recaptured by Druze fighters and state forces redeployed to the region where more than 900 people have been killed in sectarian violence. Druze fighters had pushed out rival armed factions from the city on Saturday, a monitor said, after the government ordered a ceasefire following a US-brokered deal to avert further Israeli military intervention. Sweida was 'evacuated of all tribal fighters, and clashes within the city's neighbourhoods were halted', Syria's interior ministry spokesman Noureddine al-Baba said in a post on Telegram. Israel had bombed government forces in both Sweida and Damascus earlier this week to force their withdrawal after they were accused of summary executions and other abuses against Druze civilians during their brief deployment in the southern province. More than 900 people have been killed in Sweida since last Sunday as sectarian clashes between the Druze and Bedouin drew in the Islamist-led government, Israel and armed tribes from other parts of Syria. Earlier Saturday, an AFP correspondent saw dozens of torched homes and vehicles and armed men setting fire to shops after looting them. But in the evening, Bassem Fakhr, spokesman for the Men of Dignity, one of the two largest Druze armed groups, told AFP there was 'no Bedouin presence in the city'. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor also said 'tribal fighters withdrew from Sweida city on Saturday evening' after Druze fighters launched a large-scale attack. Fighting nonetheless persisted in other parts of Sweida province, even as the Druze regained control of their city following days of fierce battle with armed Bedouin supported by tribal gunmen from other parts of Syria. Israel sceptical The deal between the Islamist-government and Israel had been announced by Washington early Saturday. US pointman on Syria Tom Barrack said interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu 'have agreed to a ceasefire' negotiated by the United States. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio later called on the Syrian government's security forces to prevent jihadists from entering and 'carrying out massacres', in a post on X. He also urged the Syrian government to 'hold accountable and bring to justice anyone guilty of atrocities including those in their own ranks'. Barrack, who is the US ambassador to Ankara, said the deal had the backing of Turkiye, a key supporter of Sharaa, as well as neighbouring Jordan. 'We call upon Druze, Bedouins and Sunnis to put down their weapons and together with other minorities build a new and united Syrian identity in peace and prosperity with its neighbours,' he wrote on X. Barrack later held a meeting in Amman with the Syrian and Jordanian top diplomats, during which they 'agreed on practical steps to support Syria in implementing the agreement', the US envoy said in a later post on X. The US administration, which alongside Turkiye and Saudi Arabia has forged ties with the president despite his past links with Al-Qaeda, was critical of its Israeli ally's recent air strikes on Syria and had sought a way out for Sharaa's government. Sharaa followed up on the US announcement with a televised speech in which he announced an immediate ceasefire in Sweida and renewed his pledge to protect Syria's ethnic and religious minorities. Clashes rage in Druze region as Syria struggles to enforce ceasefire 'The Syrian state is committed to protecting all minorities and communities in the country… We condemn all crimes committed' in Sweida, he said. The president paid tribute to the 'important role played by the United States, which again showed its support for Syria in these difficult circumstances and its concern for the country's stability'. But Israel expressed deep scepticism about Sharaa's renewed pledge to protect minorities, pointing to deadly violence against Alawites as well as Druze since he led the overthrow of longtime leader Bashar al-Assad in December. In Sharaa's Syria 'it is very dangerous to be a member of a minority – Kurd, Druze, Alawite or Christian', Foreign Minister Gideon Saar posted on X. Humanitarian corridors The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based war monitor, said at least 940 people had been killed in the violence since Sunday. They included 326 Druze fighters and 262 Druze civilians, 165 of whom were summarily executed, according to the Observatory. 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Express Tribune
6 hours ago
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Afghan refugees risk billions in losses
Afghan refugees arrive from Pakistan at the border in Spin Boldak district of Kandahar province on December 3, 2023. PHOTO: AFP Listen to article As the status of over one million Afghan citizens holding Proof of Registration (PoR) cards hangs in the balance after expiry of their stay limit last month, the refugees are worried about economic losses due to possible disposal of their assets in haste that they built in the past five decades. Although there is slow implementation of the Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Plan, the refugees are concerned that they may be forced to sell their valuable assets at throwaway prices in case the validity of their cards is not extended further. Due to security and economic considerations, the Pakistani authorities decided to repatriate all illegal foreign immigrants in November 2023. Pakistan has so far repatriated approximately 1.3 million Afghans and still there are about 1.6 million staying back, according to the data compiled by a United Nations entity. These include over one million refugees who have PoR cards but these documents expired on June 30, 2025. The government is considering two options, either giving a temporary extension or offering these PoR card holders a long-term visa, according to officials dealing with the subject. So far, no decision has been taken to extend the PoR cards but the government is working on a new visa policy for foreigners, said Chaudhry Talal, the Minister of State for Interior, while talking to The Express Tribune. The matter to give an extension had also been discussed in the federal cabinet but no decision was taken. Talal said that the new visa policy would offer incentives for foreign investment in Pakistan and the Afghan citizens can also take advantage of that. Beyond Boundaries, an initiative of the Centre for Research and Security Studies, has been working for the resolution of the Afghan refugees' issue. It is advocating a permanent solution to the problem so that the refugees who came to Pakistan after 1979 are not forced to sell their assets at discounted prices and these people can also positively contribute to the local economy. Only Dostokhail tribe people are holding approximately Rs52 billion in assets in Peshawar in the shape of movable and immovable properties in others' names, said Ahmad Shah, a trader from the tribe. Affluent Afghans should not be deported, as it is mutually beneficial for them as well as for Pakistan, said Ahmad Shah. Shah claimed that they are not allowed to own assets and cannot open bank accounts. But the central bank authorities said that thousands of PoR card holders were having bank accounts. Shah said that his tribe also contributed over Rs14 billion or $51 million in foreign remittances last year. These remittances are sent by the tribe members working in Europe, Canada, and the United States, he added. "Our family does not have any criminal record, and we are traders doing business in black tea, tyres, and batteries," said Ahmad Shah. "My children are born in Pakistan and they do not want to go back to Afghanistan," said Shah, who is worried about selling off his benami assets at throwaway prices if the government finally decides to repatriate all Afghan refugees. "We are traders because we do not have permanent residence status and cannot legally invest in Pakistan," said Mohammad Bakhtiar, another member from the Dostokhail tribe. However, for Pakistani authorities, $51 million in remittances is not much compared to the cost that they believe the Pakistani economy was paying due to the presence of Afghan refugees. The cost is in the shape of the role of Afghan refugees in illegal trade of currency and smuggling of goods under the Afghan Transit Trade Agreement. In the last fiscal year, Pakistan received a record $38.2 billion in foreign remittances that helped post a current account surplus of $2.1 billion. But there are questions on the sustainability of these remittances due to the federal government's decision to freeze subsidies for remittances. It has also reduced the benefits on foreign remittances, but a decision remains pending on who would foot the bill. Building foreign exchange reserves is the responsibility of the central bank, thus, it should be funding the scheme, Finance Secretary Imdadullah Bosal told the National Assembly Standing Committee on Finance this week. Bosal said that the federal government did not have funds to continue the Pakistan Remittances Initiative scheme. The secretary said that the finance ministry was working with the central bank to find a solution, as no money is kept in the new budget. "As against Rs89 billion budgeted allocation in the last fiscal year, the finance ministry received nearly Rs200 billion claims from the central bank ... that is quite a substantial chunk," said Bosal. He said one of the options was for the central bank to deduct the cost upfront from the profits it transfers to the federal government. However, the challenge is that it would still be treated as part of the primary expenses. After multiple rounds of background discussions, Beyond Boundaries has recommended streamlining visa processes for traders of Afghan origin and granting them residency, enabling them to invest in Pakistan.
