Latest from Al Arabiya
Al Arabiya
40 minutes ago
- Health
- Al Arabiya
Netanyahu denies report that Israeli troops have orders to shoot Palestinians seeking aid
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz emphatically rejected a report in the left-leaning Israeli daily Haaretz on Friday, which claimed Israeli soldiers were ordered to shoot at Palestinians approaching aid sites inside Gaza. They called the report's findings 'malicious falsehoods designed to defame' the military. More than 500 Palestinians have been killed and hundreds more wounded while seeking food since the newly formed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation began distributing aid in the territory about a month ago, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. Palestinian witnesses say Israeli troops have opened fire at crowds on the roads heading toward the sites. Reacting to the Haaretz piece, Israel's military confirmed that it was investigating incidents in which civilians had been harmed while approaching the sites. It rejected the article's allegations 'of deliberate fire toward civilians.' The foundation, which is backed by an American private contractor, has been distributing food boxes at four locations, mainly in the far south of Gaza, for the past month. 'GHF is not aware of any of these incidents but these allegations are too grave to ignore and we therefore call on Israel to investigate them and transparently publish the results in a timely manner,' the group said in a social media post. Palestinians trying to find food have frequently encountered chaos and violence on their way to and on arrival at the aid sites. Tens of thousands are desperate for food after Israel imposed a 2 1/2-month siege on Gaza, blocking all food, water and medicine from entering the territory pending the setup of the GHF sites. The bodies of eight people who died Friday had come to Shifa Hospital from a GHF site in Netzarim, although it was not immediately clear how they died, Dr. Mohamed Abu Selmyiha, the hospital's director, told The Associated Press. A GHF spokesperson challenged the report, saying they did not know of any incidents at or near their sites Friday. Twenty other bodies his hospital received Friday came from airstrikes across north Gaza, he said. Thousands of Palestinians walk for hours to reach the hubs, moving through Israeli military zones where witnesses say Israeli troops regularly open fire with heavy barrages to control the crowds. The Israeli military says it has only fired warning shots. Mohammad Fawzi, a displaced man from Rafah, told the AP that he was only able to get empty boxes, not food, from the aid site in the Shakoush area in Rafah when he trekked there early Thursday morning. 'We've been shot at since 6 a.m. up until 10 a.m. just to get aid and only some people were able to receive it. There are martyrs and injured people. The situation is difficult,' he said. The group Doctors Without Borders on Friday condemned the distribution system as 'a slaughter masquerading as humanitarian aid' and called for it to be immediately shut down. More than 6,000 people have been killed and more than 20,000 injured in Gaza since the ceasefire collapsed on March 18. Since the war began, more than 56,000 people have been killed and 132,000 injured, according to the health ministry. The Gaza Health Ministry doesn't distinguish between civilians and combatants, but has said that women and children make up more than half the 56,000 dead. Israel says it only targets militants and blames civilian deaths on Hamas, accusing the militants of hiding among civilians, because they operate in populated areas. The Israel-Hamas war started following the Hamas-led attack in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, when some 1,200 people were killed and around 250 taken hostage. About 50 of them still remain in captivity in Gaza. The latest deaths include six people killed and 10 wounded in Israeli strikes on a group of citizens near the Martyrs Roundabout in the Bureij Camp in central Gaza Strip, officials at Awda Hospital in Nuseirat said Friday. The United Nations chief meanwhile urged leaders to show 'political courage' and agree to a ceasefire like the one forged between Israel and Iran. Secretary-General António Guterres also urged a return to the UN's long-tested distribution system for aid in Gaza, where he said Israeli military operations have created 'a humanitarian crisis of horrific proportions.' 'The search for food must never be a death sentence,' Guterres stressed to UN reporters Friday.
Al Arabiya
40 minutes ago
- Business
- Al Arabiya
Wimbledon 2025: Coco Gauff Is Just 21 But Already Thinking About What To Do After Tennis
To be clear, Coco Gauff didn't bring up the word 'star' during a recent interview with The Associated Press – the reporter did. So as Gauff began to answer a question about balancing her life as a professional athlete with her off-court interests, she caught herself repeating that term. 'I definitely didn't know how it would look,' she began with a smile, 'before I got to be – I guess a star – feels weird to call myself that – but I definitely did want to expand outside of tennis. Always. Since I was young.' She still is young by just about any measure, and she is a really good tennis player – Gauff owns Grand Slam titles and a No. 2 ranking to prove it as she heads into Wimbledon, which begins Monday – but the 21-year-old American is also more than that. Someone unafraid to express her opinions about societal issues. Someone who connects with fans via social media. Someone who is the highest-paid female athlete in any sport, topping $30 million last year, according to with less than a third of that from prize money and most via deals with companies such as UPS, New Balance, Rolex, and Barilla. Someone who recently launched her own management firm. And someone who wants to succeed in the business world long after she no longer swings a racket on tour. 'It's definitely something that I want to start to step up for post-career. Kind of start building that process, which is why I wanted to do it early. Because I didn't want to feel like I was playing catch-up at the end of my career,' said Gauff, who will face Dayana Yastremska in the first round at the All England Club on Tuesday. 'On the business side of things, it doesn't come as natural as tennis feels. I'm still learning, and I have a lot to learn about,' Gauff said. 'I've debated different things and what paths I wanted to take when it came to just stimulating my brain outside of the court because I always knew that once I finished high school that I needed to put my brain into something else.' In a campaign announced this week by UPS, which first partnered with Gauff in 2023 before she won that year's US Open, she connects with business coach Emma Grede – known for working with Kim Kardashian on Skims and with Khloe Kardashian on Good American – to offer mentoring to three small-business owners. 'Coco plays a key role in helping us connect with those younger Gen-Z business owners – emerging or younger entrepreneurs,' Betsy Wilson, VP of digital marketing and brand activation at UPS, said in a phone interview. 'Obviously she's very relevant in social media and in culture, and working with Coco helps us really connect with that younger group.' While Grede helped the entrepreneurs, Gauff also got the opportunity to pick up tips. 'It's really cool to learn from someone like her,' Gauff said. 'Whenever I feel like I'm ready to make that leap, I can definitely reach out to her for advice and things like that. … This will help me right now and definitely in the long term.'
Al Arabiya
an hour ago
- Politics
- Al Arabiya
Poland's Duda arrives in Ukrainian capital Kyiv to meet Zelenskyy
Polish President Andrzej Duda arrived in Kyiv on Saturday for a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Duda's office said, as Kyiv aims to build support among allies at a critical juncture in its grinding war with Russia. Duda, a vocal supporter of Ukraine whose term ends in August, was greeted at the train station by Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, who called the Polish leader 'Ukraine's true friend.' Ukraine is struggling to fend off Russian advances on the battlefield and intensifying missile and drone attacks on its cities as diplomatic efforts to end the war, now in its fourth year, have faltered. Duda's successor, President-elect Karol Nawrocki says he remains committed to helping Ukraine's defense effort but opposes Kyiv joining Western alliances such as NATO.
Al Arabiya
an hour ago
- Politics
- Al Arabiya
Breaking: Mediator Qatar sees ‘window of opportunity' for Gaza truce: Spokesman
Qatar's foreign ministry spokesman says mediators are engaging with Israel and Hamas to build on momentum from this week's ceasefire with Iran and work towards a truce in the Gaza Strip. 'If we don't utilize this window of opportunity and this momentum, it's an opportunity lost amongst many in the near past. We don't want to see that again,' Majed al-Ansari said in a Friday interview with AFP.
Al Arabiya
2 hours ago
- Politics
- Al Arabiya
Thousands protest calling for Thailand PM Shinawatra's resignation
Thousands of anti-government protesters rallied in Bangkok on Saturday, demanding Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra resign after a leaked diplomatic phone call stirred public anger over her leadership. A Cambodian elder statesman leaked a call meant to sooth a border spat between the two nations in which Paetongtarn called him 'uncle' and referred to a Thai military commander as her 'opponent.' A key party abandoned Paetongtarn's coalition, accusing the 38-year-old dynastic premier of cow-towing to Cambodia and undermining Thailand's military, leaving her teetering with a slim parliamentary majority. Around 4,000 demonstrators filled roads ringing the capital's Victory Monument, waving Thai flags and cheering for speeches interspersed with live music. The crowd was mostly senior-aged and led by veteran activists of the 'Yellow Shirt' movement -- which helped oust Paetongtarn's father Thaksin in the 2000s -- as well as one of his former allies now among his harshest critics. 'I'm here to protect Thailand's sovereignty and to say the PM is unfit,' said 70-year-old protester Seri Sawangmue, who travelled overnight by bus from the country's north to attend. 'After I heard the leaked call, I knew I couldn't trust her,' he told AFP. 'I've lived through many political crises and I know where this is going. She's willing to give up our sovereignty.' Thailand has seen decades of clashes between the bitterly-opposed 'Yellow Shirts' who defend the monarchy and military and the 'Red Shirts' backing Thaksin, who they consider a threat to Thailand's traditional social order. Jamnong Kalana, 64, said she was once a 'Red Shirt' but had now changed her colors and was demanding Paetongtarn's resignation. 'I feel full of pain when I see a fellow Thai who doesn't love the country like I do,' she said. Make-or-break court cases Authorities said more than 1,000 police and 100 city officials had been deployed for the event which remained peaceful early on Saturday afternoon. Paetongtarn was visiting Thailand's flood-hit north but before departing Bangkok she told reporters: 'It's their right to protest, as long as it's peaceful.' The prime minister has been battered by controversy and abandoned by her largest backer the Bhumjaithai Party after her phone call with Cambodia's ex-leader Hun Sen leaked earlier this month. Tensions between the countries have soared after a border dispute boiled over into violence last month which killed one Cambodia soldier. Next week, both Paetongtarn and her father face legal battles that could reshape Thailand's political landscape. On Tuesday, the Constitutional Court will decide whether to take up a petition by senators seeking her removal over alleged unprofessionalism. That same day, her father is set to stand trial on royal defamation charges linked to decade-old remarks to South Korean media. Paetongtarn took office less than a year ago after her predecessor was disqualified by a court order and her father returned from exile after 15 years. She is the fourth Shinawatra-linked figure to become prime minister following her father, aunt and uncle-in-law.
