Saudi Cabinet deplores brutal attacks on civilians, hospitals

November 22, 2016

Riyadh, Nov 22: The Council of Ministers, chaired by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman, met in Riyadh on Monday and denounced the brutal shelling and heinous attacks on the Syrian people in Aleppo and its surroundings.

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The Cabinet deplored the severe damage caused to people and property, particularly hospitals and schools.

The attacks resulted in the demolition of buildings and civilians being deprived of relief assistance.

The ministers noted that such attacks are contrary to the principles, values and essence of international law and humane principles in general.

The ministers reaffirmed the decisions of the emergency meeting of the foreign ministers of the Organization of the Islamic Cooperation (OIC) that the Kingdom would defend the Two Holy Mosques and enforce a strict call for putting an end to the practices of the Houthi militias and their supporters and their persistence in launching ballistic missiles at Makkah. These were unpredictable threats to Islamic sanctity and hurt the feelings of Muslims.

At the beginning of the meeting, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques briefed the ministers on the contents of messages he had received from Algerian President Abdulaziz Bouteflika and the outcome of his meetings and talks with Algerian Premier Abdulmalik Al-Sallal, Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn, Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Abulghait, GCC Secretary-General Abdullatif Al-Zayani and Italian Interior Minister Engelo Alfano.

On reading the 52nd annual report of Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency (SAMA) for the fiscal year 2015, King Salman lauded the Kingdom’s vibrant financial situation which is attributed to strong security and stability in the country.

He also expressed his appreciation for SAMA’s efforts in the service of the country’s economy.

The Cabinet also hoped for a bright future in the forward march in accordance with the objectives of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 and the national transformation program, (NTP) which will make a tangible economic impact through its diversification of national economic resources.

The Cabinet highlighted the statement made by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Naif, deputy premier and minister of interior, on the importance of protecting children from the threats of human society that harm their innocence and breach their dignity and honor.

The Kingdom’s hosting of the National Forum for Preventing Children’s Sexual Abuse on the Internet reflects its interest and care for human rights in general and children’s rights in particular based on the teachings of Islam.

The Cabinet was also briefed on the points raised by Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, second deputy premier and minister of defense, about his chairing of the 15th meeting of the GCC defense ministers, citing that everybody is looking forward to seeing the GCC move onward, particularly in the defense field amid the current challenges engulfing the countries in the region which necessitate more coordination and work and the taking of prompt action.

It was also briefed on the Kingdom’s stand at the UN Framework Convention’s 22nd Conference on Climate Change held in Marrakech.

It said that it would remain committed to its firm role in facing the problem of climate change and meeting the world’s oil energy needs and also providing support for a gradual transformation toward a more sustainable environmental future.

The Cabinet lauded the outcome of the conference.

Also highlighted was the Kingdom’s assertion at the Africa Labor summit that the GCC seeks fruitful cooperation at the Arab-African level for consolidating partnerships in order to achieve the objectives of UN sustainable development which was approved in New York in 2015.

The Cabinet also lauded the outcome of the 33rd GCC ministers of labor and social affairs held in Riyadh.

It cited the initiatives and programs envisaged to contribute effectively to a number of issues pertaining to the labor and social development fields, including the GCC joint common market.

The Cabinet praised the results of the first Arab Gulf Security exercise held in Bahrain where the Kingdom took part upon instructions of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques.

Later, the Cabinet approved the following decisions:

Firstly, the Cabinet authorized the crown prince or his delegated authority to discuss with the Zambians a draft cooperation agreement between the governments of Saudi Arabia and Zambia on the fight against terrorism, organized crimes and illegal trafficking in drugs and psychotropic items and their smuggling.

Secondly on the privatization of sports clubs in the Kingdom, based on recommendations of the Council of Economic Affairs and Development.

The Cabinet approved the following: privatization of sports clubs joining the Saudi championship for Premier Football League clubs.

The General Authority for Sports will, in coordination with the ministers of commerce and investment and economy and planning, stipulate regulations and conditions whereby the sports companies will carry out their activities.

Formation of a committee to supervise the completion of the club privatization stages to be headed by the president of the General Authority for Sports and members composed of the deputy minister of economy and planning, commerce undersecretary for systems and regulations in addition to representatives of the Finance Ministry, Saudi Football Association, and the Professional League Association.

Thirdly, the Cabinet approved a memorandum of understanding between the Saudi Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Call and Guidance and the Ministry of Islamic Affairs in Maldives in the field of Islamic affairs and endowments.

Fourthly, the Cabinet authorized the Minister of Islamic Affairs, Call and Guidance, or whomever he authorizes, to discuss with Djibouti a draft memo of understanding between the Saudi Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Call and Guidance and the Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Culture and Endowments in Djibouti in the area of Islamic affairs.

Fifth, the Cabinet authorized the Minister of Foreign Affairs, or whomever he authorizes, to discuss with the Independent Permanent Commission on Human Rights at the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) a draft head office agreement between the Saudi government and the Independent Permanent Commission on Human Rights at the OIC.

Sixth, the Cabinet approved the establishment of diplomatic relations between Saudi Arabia and the Republic of Central Africa at the level of “non-resident ambassador”.

The Cabinet also approved an agreement on the employment of domestic workers between the Saudi Ministry of Labor and Social Development and the Ministry of Public Office in Chad.

Finally, the Cabinet approved the establishment of a national program to maximize the benefits of government incentives in the energy and water sectors aimed at reducing consumption of energy and water in order to ensure economic efficiency in the productive sectors.

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News Network
March 21,2024

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Israeli military siege, hunger, and diseases will soon become the main killer in Gaza, says commissioner- general of the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA).

Philippe Lazzarini, who heads the UNRWA for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, took to X on Wednesday to vent his concern for the growing hunger and spread of diseases as a result of the Israeli siege on the besieged strip.

He said starvation and illness may soon be the main killer in Gaza.

"This fabricated and catastrophic level of hunger can still be reversed by flooding Gaza with food and life-saving assistance," Lazzarini said.

"More than ever humanity requires political will,” the UNRWA chief added.

In a press release on March 19, UNRWA said that “famine is imminent in the Gaza Strip, especially for isolated populations in northern Gaza deprived of humanitarian aid.”

The statement noted that the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), in a latest food security outlook, concluded that up to 1.1 million people in Gaza are facing catastrophic levels of food insecurity.

“Nutrition screenings conducted in February by UNICEF and UNRWA show that rates of acute malnutrition among children in northern Gaza and Rafah have nearly doubled since January,” it said.

The Israeli regime has accused UNRWA staff of being involved in the October 7 attack by the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas against the occupied territories, prompting a number of its western allies to suspend funding for the UN agency.

On Wednesday, an agreement was reached by US congressional leaders and the White House on a massive funding bill will continue a ban on US funding for UNRWA until March 2025, Reuters reported.

Earlier this year the US, Canada, Australia, Britain, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Finland, Estonia, Japan, Austria and Romania  decided to cut their funding to the UNRWA, considered a lifeline for the Palestinians in Gaza.

France had also announced that it does not plan a new payment to fund UNRWA in the first quarter of 2024.

Condemning the suspension of funding, Lazzarini had said, “It would be immensely irresponsible to sanction an agency and an entire community…, especially at a time of war, displacement and political crises in the region.”

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News Network
March 25,2024

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The Israeli military has attacked desperate Palestinians lining up for humanitarian aid in Gaza City, killing at least 19 people and injuring 23 others in a new massacre against aid seekers. 

The Government Media Office in Gaza said in a statement that the carnage took place on Saturday near the al-Kuwait roundabout, southeast of Gaza City.

“The occupation army and tanks opened fire with machine guns at the hungry people who were waiting for bags of flour and aid in a remote place that did not pose a threat to the occupation,” the statement said.

Mahmud Basal, spokesman for the Civil Defense Department in Gaza, said there had been “heavy shooting at civilians” looking for food to help their families and children.

“There were very serious injuries, some of whom were injured by shrapnel. The reality is tragic, difficult, and challenging,” he added, saying the victims were taken to the nearby al-Ahli Arab hospital.

Speaking to Qatar-based Al Jazeera TV network, Alaa al-Khudary, a witness at the scene, said that Israeli forces shot at the crowd, leaving “many dead” and injuring others while they tried to get “a bite to eat” for their children.

However, the Israeli army claimed that the reports of its troops firing on a Gaza aid queue are “incorrect.”

In recent weeks, Israeli soldiers have conducted several deadly attacks on crowds of aid seekers in the besieged Gaza.

In mid-March the Israeli military opened fire on Palestinian civilians who had gathered in Gaza to obtain humanitarian aid, targeting them with gunfire from helicopters, tanks, and drones near the Kuwait roundabout on the outskirts of Gaza City, killing over 60 people and injuring 160 others.

In what is known as the “flour massacre”, the occupation forces killed 118 people and wounded 760 others as they opened fire on hundreds of Palestinians waiting for aid trucks in Gaza City’s al-Rashid Street on February 29.

Earlier this month, the Government Media Office in Gaza said that a total of 400 people have been killed in Israeli attacks on aid seekers since the beginning of Israel’s genocidal aggression against the Palestinian territory.

Israel waged its US-backed war on Gaza on October 7 after the Palestinian Hamas resistance group carried out a historic operation against the usurping entity in retaliation for the regime’s intensified atrocities against the Palestinian people.

So far, the Tel Aviv regime has killed at least 32,142 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injured 74,412 others.

Israel is intentionally starving the people in Gaza by blocking their access to food, a war crime under the Geneva Conventions and the Rome Statute.

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News Network
March 25,2024

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A Palestinian woman has recounted terrifying incidents after Israeli military forces raided al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City last week, saying the occupying regime’s soldiers are raping Palestinian women before killing them.

Jamila Al-Hisi, an eyewitness who was besieged in the medical complex and managed to finally get out, said on Saturday that women have been subjected to rape, starvation, torture, and extrajudicial execution, adding that the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is doing nothing.

She went on to say that Israeli troops have “forced 65 families to leave the area around the al-Shifa Medical Complex whilst burning and killing entire families,” noting that they have burned a building where Palestinian civilians were taking shelter.

“We don’t even have water to break our fast, and we don’t know where to go,” Hisi said, stressing that the displaced people in the compound have not found food or water for six days.

She further called on the Red Cross to provide water for the children and the sick who are being forced to drink dirty water and eat rotten food.

Palestinians are being forcibly displaced by Israeli occupation forces from the area surrounding al-Shifa Hospital in northern Gaza, Hisi said, adding, “We are trapped amid continued Israeli shelling.”

The latest development comes as the Israeli military continues to carry out air strikes and artillery shelling in and around the al-Shifa Hospital for the seventh day in a row.

On Monday, heavily armed Israeli forces stormed the al-Shifa hospital using tanks and drones, claiming that the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas is using the facility to “conduct and promote terrorist activity.” Later that day, Israel said that “terrorist forces” were firing at Israeli troops.

The Ministry of Health in Gaza said at the time that about 3,000 people were inside al-Shifa seeking refuge and that those attempting to leave were being targeted by snipers and fire from helicopters.

Ever since the Israeli military raided the hospital last week, reports have suggested unspeakable atrocities being carried out against the doctors, nurses, and general staff as well as the thousands of displaced people there.

Israelis have admitted to executing 140 people inside al-Shifa, including paramedics, patients and wounded whilst the siege is still ongoing after seven days with mass arrests.

Meanwhile, a group of Palestinian activists have circulated a shocking story about the Israeli soldiers raping a pregnant woman in the al-Shifa hospital, alongside Hisi’s revelation.

Watan-Palestinian activists quoted the husband of a woman who was raped by Israeli forces as saying that “They ordered her to undress and began to beat her… She told the military she was five months pregnant, not to beat her, but they continued to beat her.”

“After hours, they took out all the women except the pregnant woman, and her children… They took her in front of her husband and children and raped her, ordering the men not to close their eyes or they would be shot.”

Israel waged the war on the Gaza Strip on October 7 after Hamas carried out the surprise Operation Al-Aqsa Storm into the occupied territories in response to the occupying regime’s intensified crimes against the Palestinian people.

Since the start of the aggression, the Tel Aviv regime has killed at least 32,226 Palestinians, most of them women and children, and injured another 74,518 individuals.

Tel Aviv has also imposed a “complete siege” on Gaza, cutting off fuel, electricity, food, and water to the more than two million Palestinians living there.

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