Author: Anadolu Agency

The number of Israelis who signed petitions demanding the return of captives from Gaza even at the cost of halting the war climbed to nearly 140,000 as of Saturday, according to the campaign, which is gaining momentum across Israeli society. The movement, coordinated through the website Restored Israel, reflects growing frustration over the government’s military strategy and its failure to secure the release of captives. In the past 24 hours alone, over 10,000 new signatories joined the campaign. As of early Saturday, the total number of signatures had reached 138,434, up from 128,114 on Friday. The number is expected to…

Mt. Etna, Europe’s tallest active volcano, erupted again Friday evening on the Italian island of Sicily, sending ash and lava from its southeastern crater through early Saturday. The eruption began around 7 pm (1700GMT) at the southeastern crater, located at an altitude of 2,900 meters (9,514 feet), according to local media reports. The lava split into three flows moving southeast down the slope, Italian daily La Stampa reported. Residents said rumbling from the explosion was heard clearly in nearby villages. The Catania branch of Italy’s National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology confirmed the activity. An orange aviation alert was issued…

A group of illegal Israeli settlers assaulted Palestinian farmers on Friday who were working on their farms in the central occupied West Bank. Palestinian state news agency, Wafa, said the settlers attacked several Palestinians on their agricultural fields near the town of Deir Jarir in northeastern Ramallah. At least one Palestinian, who sustained injuries and bruises in the attack, was transferred to a hospital for treatment, said Wafa. Settlers, backed by the Israeli army, have escalated attacks on Palestinians and their properties in the West Bank in recent months, burning homes and farms with impunity as Israeli officials continue to…

The Israeli army killed at least seven more Palestinians in nighttime strikes Friday on a home and tents for the displacement across the Gaza Strip, according to media reports. Al-Aqsa radio said four people, including two children and a girl, were killed in a strike on a tent for the displaced in the Al-Mawasi area in western Khan Younis in southern Gaza. It said one person was killed and 20 others, including 15 children, were injured in a separate strike on a home in the Khan Younis refugee camp. And two people were killed and others injured in another strike…

Palestine on Saturday warned of growing incitement by Israeli far-right settler groups calling for the destruction of Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem. Palestine’s Foreign Ministry condemned an AI-generated video titled “Next Year in Jerusalem,” circulating on extremist Hebrew platforms. The video shows Al-Aqsa Mosque being bombed and replaced by a so-called Third Temple. In a statement, the ministry called the video “a systematic provocation aimed at escalating attacks on Islamic and Christian holy sites in occupied Jerusalem.” It said Israel’s far-right leadership feels “emboldened to advance its Judaization and colonial agenda amid weak international reactions to its ongoing genocidal…

The US State Department on Friday said it is tracking credible information regarding “potential imminent attacks” in Syria, including at locations popular with tourists. The State Department maintained its “Level 4: Do Not Travel advisory for Syria,” citing persistent threats including terrorism, civil unrest, kidnapping, armed conflict, and unjust detention. “No part of Syria should be considered safe from violence,” it said in a statement, warning that terrorist groups “continue to plot kidnappings, bombings, and other attacks in Syria.” “They may conduct attacks with little or no warning, targeting public events, hotels, clubs, restaurants, places of worship, schools, parks, shopping…

Lebanon’s Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem warned Israel on Friday evening not to continue its attacks on Lebanon, emphasizing that his group has options to respond to these attacks at the appropriate time if they continue. In a televised address, Qassem condemned Israel’s actions, saying it has carried out “over 2,700 attacks on Lebanon since the ceasefire was agreed upon (in November last year), despite having no justification for such hostilities.” He stressed that while Hezbollah has allowed room for diplomacy to address these violations, this opportunity is not open-ended. Directly addressing Israel, Qassem noted that Hezbollah has “multiple response options…

Arab countries strongly condemned on Saturday the circulation of an AI-generated video by extremist Israeli platforms showing the destruction of the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock, and the construction of the so-called Third Temple in their place. The Palestinian Foreign Ministry condemned the video, “Next Year in Jerusalem,” circulating on extremist Hebrew platforms. It shows the Al-Aqsa Mosque being bombed and replaced by a so-called Third Temple. The ministry called the video “a systematic provocation aimed at escalating attacks on Islamic and Christian holy sites in occupied Jerusalem.” It said Israel’s far-right leadership feels “emboldened to advance…

US President Donald Trump’s threat to cut federal funding for universities, including Harvard, has raised concerns for achool administrators. The threats to freeze funding, which began when his administration announced an investigation into $8.7 billion in grants given to Harvard by various organizations “to ensure the university is in compliance with federal regulations, including its civil rights responsibilities,” have sparked concerns for universities and higher education associations. According to media reports, some universities and educational institutions, including Princeton University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), have criticized the Energy Department’s (DOE) decision to impose a 15% spending cap on “indirect…

The US State Department on Friday said it is tracking credible information regarding “potential imminent attacks” in Syria, including at locations popular with tourists. The State Department maintained its “Level 4: Do Not Travel advisory for Syria,” citing persistent threats including terrorism, civil unrest, kidnapping, armed conflict, and unjust detention. “No part of Syria should be considered safe from violence,” it said in a statement, warning that terrorist groups “continue to plot kidnappings, bombings, and other attacks in Syria.” “They may conduct attacks with little or no warning, targeting public events, hotels, clubs, restaurants, places of worship, schools, parks, shopping…