Author: Anadolu Agency
More than 90,000 displaced Palestinians are currently taking shelter in 115 UN-run facilities across the Gaza Strip amid a humanitarian crisis caused by Israel’s 19-month onslaught, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) said on Sunday. “An already dire situation is deteriorating due to bombardment and the siege blocking the entry of humanitarian and commercial supplies,” UNRWA said in a statement. Since March 2, 2025, Israel has kept all Gaza border crossings closed, blocking the entry of essential food, medical, and relief supplies, exacerbating an already dire humanitarian situation, according to multiple reports from international organizations and rights groups. The…
The Turkish Foreign Ministry said Sunday it is closely following the case of a Turkish PhD student who was detained in the US last month after writing a pro-Palestinian article for a student newspaper. Rumeysa Ozturk, 30, was one of four students who wrote an op-ed in The Tufts Daily at Tufts University, criticizing the school’s response to student activists demanding the school “acknowledge the Palestinian genocide,” disclose investments and divest from companies with ties to Israel. Ozturk was apprehended by masked immigration officials March 25 in a Boston, Massachusetts, suburb and subsequently driven to Vermont before being put on…
China and Egypt held their first joint air force drill, Chinese media reported on Sunday. Named “Eagles of Civilization 2025,” the joint air force exercise kicked off at an air base in Egypt on Saturday morning, with China deploying fighter jets, early warning aircraft, tanker aircraft and helicopters to the drill, state-run CCTV reported. The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force’s J-10C fighter jet, YU-20 aerial tanker aircraft and KJ-500 early warning aircraft are participating in the ongoing exercise, while the Egyptian side has deployed the MiG-29 fighter jets. The exercise featured a long-distance maneuvering. The drill holds significant…
Citing a string of “serious incidents” that resulted in soldiers’ deaths and accidental shootings, Israel’s Chief of General Staff Eyal Zamir on Sunday instructed a temporary halt to all military training exercises, lasting a day but possibly longer, public broadcaster KAN reported. The incidents, which occurred over recent weeks, involved soldier fatalities and ammunition mishaps, with a focus on prioritizing troop safety. Among the accidents were an unintended burst of machine gun fire inside a Namer armored vehicle and a military vehicle striking a landmine, the broadcaster noted. Other incidents included a troop carrier overturning in a water channel, a…
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Sunday wished a happy Easter to all Christians celebrating this religious holiday. “I extend my sincere congratulations to our Christian citizens, who belong to various churches and denominations, on the occasion of Easter,” Erdoğan said in a statement. “As members of a civilization rooted in respect and love, we place great importance on ensuring that all our citizens—who have made Anatolia a land of peace for thousands of years—can freely practice their own religion, culture, and traditions,” he continued. The president wished that the spirit of peace and love brought by Easter, a symbol…
As Sudan’s brutal conflict grinds into its third year, the head of the Sudanese Red Crescent Society has issued a dire warning about the escalating threats facing humanitarian workers struggling to aid millions in need under relentless and dangerous conditions. In a blunt assessment, SRCS Secretary-General Aida al-Sayed Abdullah highlighted the daily risks endured by volunteers and staff navigating violence and devastation to deliver lifesaving support. “It’s very difficult to say that we have any insurance for the protection of the staff, of the volunteers, because the war in Sudan doesn’t respect anything – no international humanitarian law, no emblem,…
As Sudan’s brutal conflict grinds into its third year, the head of the Sudanese Red Crescent Society has issued a dire warning about the escalating threats facing humanitarian workers struggling to aid millions in need under relentless and dangerous conditions. In a blunt assessment, SRCS Secretary-General Aida al-Sayed Abdullah highlighted the daily risks endured by volunteers and staff navigating violence and devastation to deliver lifesaving support. “It’s very difficult to say that we have any insurance for the protection of the staff, of the volunteers, because the war in Sudan doesn’t respect anything – no international humanitarian law, no emblem,…
Israeli authorities have denied Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa permission to visit Palestinian towns and villages in the occupied West Bank that have been repeatedly targeted by illegal settlers, a Palestinian official said Saturday. Mouayed Shaban, head of the Colonization and Wall and Resistance Commission, told Anadolu that Israel refused to coordinate Mustafa’s planned visit to the villages of Burqa and Deir Dibwan, east of Ramallah, and Duma and Qusra, south of Nablus. These areas have faced continual attacks by illegal settlers, exacerbated by the Israeli military’s involvement. Shaban explained that, under agreements between the Palestinian Authority and Israel, the…
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…