King Salman highlights Saudi success in eradicating terrorism

Arab News

September 3, 2017

Makkah, Sept 3: Saudi King Salman on Saturday said the Kingdom has made great strides in protecting Muslim holy sites from terror attacks.

“The arms of terrorism have sought to harm the holy sites without any consideration to their sanctities,” he said during a reception in Makkah for dignitaries attending the annual Hajj pilgrimage.

“However, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia — with Allah's help and in cooperation with the Kingdom's brothers and friends — have achieved great successes in eradicating terrorism and drying up its sources firmly and persistently,” he was quoted by the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) as saying.

Saudi air defense forces had in the past intercepted ballistic missiles launched from Yemen that targeted the holy city of Makkah.

Security forces have also arrested dozens of suspects linked to a suicide bomb attack in the holy city of Madinah during Ramadan last year.

“The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia represents the heart of the Muslim world. Therefore, it feels the pains of Muslims everywhere, strives to achieve unity, cooperation and solidarity in our Muslim world, and achieves security and peace in the whole world,” King Salman said.

On Friday, during a reception for Gulf and Saudi officials on the occasion of Eid Al-Adha, the king paid tribute to members of security forces, who lost their lives protecting the Kingdom.

He also congratulated Hajj pilgrims and cited security forces and all agencies concerned for a job well done in ensuring a smooth Hajj.

More than 2.35 million faithful participated in this year’s Hajj, including more than 1.75 million, from all corners of the globe, the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah has said. No untoward incident has been reported this year.

The Kingdom has deployed more than 100,000 security personnel to keep pilgrims safe this year.

King Salman said Saudi Arabia had devoted all its material and human resources to ensure the safety of pilgrims who come from all over the world to perform the five-day ritual, a religious duty to be undertaken once in a lifetime by every able-bodied Muslim who can afford the journey.

"We are determined, with God's permission, to continue to provide the highest level of services for the two holy mosques ... to ensure the safety of those who seek the sacred house of God," he said.

As pilgrims took turns to complete the last rites of Hajj, the king returned to Jeddah.

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Israel killing Palestinian children in Gaza every day despite ceasefire: UNICEF

News Network

November 22,2025

The Israeli regime’s forces have killed two Palestinian children in the Gaza Strip every day since the ceasefire began in early October, UNICEF has warned.

The UN children’s agency said on Friday that Israeli forces continue to attack Palestinians in Gaza even though the agreement was meant to stop the killing.

“Since 11 October, while the ceasefire has been in effect, at least 67 children have been killed in conflict-related incidents in the Gaza Strip. Dozens more have been injured. That is an average of almost two children killed every day since the ceasefire took effect,” UNICEF spokesperson Ricardo Pires said in Geneva, reminding that each number in the statistics represents a child whose life had ended violently.

“These are not statistics,” he said. “Each child had a story, a family, and a future that was stolen from them.”

Data from Palestinian factions, human rights groups, and government bodies recorded since the US-brokered ceasefire deal went into effect on October 10 show that Israeli forces have carried out numerous attacks, each constituting a separate ceasefire violation.

UNICEF teams say they repeatedly continue to witness heart-wrenching scenes of fearful Palestinian children sleeping outdoors with amputated limbs, while others live as orphans in flooded, makeshift shelters.

“I saw this myself in August. There is no safe place for them. The world cannot normalize their suffering,” Pires said, lamenting that the UN could “do a lot more if the aid that is really needed was entering faster.”

The UNICEF spokesperson warned that with the advent of winter, the risks for hundreds of thousands of displaced children will increase.

He warned, “The stakes are incredibly high” for children as winter acts as a threat multiplier, where children have no heating, no insulation, and few blankets. He said respiratory infections rise.

“Too many children have already paid the highest price,” Pires said. “Too many are still paying it, even under a ceasefire. The world promised them it would stop and that we would protect them.”

“Now we must act like it,” the UNICEF spokesperson added.

Since the Israeli regime launched its genocidal war against Palestinians in Gaza in October 2023, it has killed nearly 70,000 people in the territory, most of them women and children, and injured over 170,000 more, while reducing most of the structures in the enclave to rubble.

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