Hajj pilgrims observe first day of Jamarat ritual, celebrate Eid al-Adha, sacrifice animals

News Network
July 9, 2022

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Mina: Early Saturday (July 9) morning, Hajj pilgrims began to move to the Grand Mosque in Makkah for Tawaf Al-Ifadha, celebrating Eid Al-Adha.

Prior to that, they had stoned the Jamarat Al-Aqaba, sacrificed animals, and had their heads shaved for the 10th day of Dul Hijjah, which marks Eid-Al-Adha. 

The pilgrims threw seven pebbles each at the Jamarat Al-Aqaba wall in a ritual symbolizing the devil’s stoning.

Hajj authorities, including emergency services of the Presidency of State Security, health workers, civil defense, and Saudi Red Crescent Society teams are all in attendance for the benefit of pilgrims, as well as officials and volunteers representing different government agencies.

Security services are also on hand to ensure that congestion is kept to a minimum and to manage the flow of the approximately 899,353 pilgrims who are at the holy sites to perform this year’s Hajj, according to the General Authority for Statistics. 

The movement of pilgrims towards the Jamarat Bridge and the surrounding area saw a safe flow, as the pilgrims were taken in groups to the stoning area according to plans set in advance. The plans also ensure a safe and flexible movement for the pilgrims throughout their journey.

All the pilgrims had spent the previous night resting in their tents in Mina on the first day of the stoning. 

On Friday, the spokesman for Hajj and Umrah, Hisham Saeed, confirmed in a press conference that all plans for the event were prepared in advance with all relevant authorities, and that his ministry is following schedules with specific times to ensure the smooth movement of crowds in the various stages, beginning from the day of Tarwiyah in Mina, then on to Arafat and Muzdalifah before transporting them back to Mina for the stoning process at the Jamarat Bridge and other Hajj services.
 

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Agencies
February 7,2025

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US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order slapping sanctions on the International Criminal Court (ICC) for what he called baseless investigations targeting America and its close ally Israel over genocide in Gaza.

Trump's order said on Thursday the court in The Hague had "abused its power" by issuing an arrest warrant for Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who held talks with the US president on Tuesday.

The order also said the tribunal had engaged in "illegitimate and baseless actions targeting the United States and Israel," referring to ICC’s probes into US war crimes in Afghanistan and Israel's onslaught on Gaza.

The order includes asset freezes and travel bans against ICC officials, employees, and their family members, along with anyone deemed to have helped the court's investigations.

Last November, the ICC issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his former minister of military affairs, Yoav Gallant.

The warrants are for "crimes against humanity and war crimes committed from at least 8 October 2023 until at least 20 May 2024."

The court’s Pre-Trial Chamber I issued warrants of arrest for Netanyahu and Gallant "for crimes against humanity and war crimes committed from at least 8 October 2023 until at least 20 May 2024, the day the Prosecution filed the applications for warrants of arrest”, it confirmed in a statement Thursday.

It was the first instance in the court's 22-year history it had issued arrest warrants for Western-allied senior officials.

In its statement, the ICC's Pre-Trial Chamber I, a panel of three judges, said it has rejected appeals by Israel challenging its jurisdiction.

Trump imposed financial sanctions and a visa ban during his first term on the ICC's then-prosecutor, Fatou Bensouda, and other senior officials and staff in 2020.

Trump’s then-administration made the move after Bensouda launched an investigation into allegations of war crimes against US soldiers in Afghanistan.

President Joe Biden lifted the sanctions soon after taking office in 2021.

In January 2024, the international court of justice (ICJ) ruled that Israel must take all measures within its power to prevent genocide in Gaza. However, the regime has ignored the court's verdict.

Cuba has now officially declared its intention to join South Africa’s case against Israel at the ICJ.  Cuba is the 14th country to join the case.

 In December 2023, South Africa initiated legal proceedings against Israel, accusing it of breaching the Genocide Convention in its treatment of Palestinians in Gaza.

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News Network
February 11,2025

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The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) has warned that Israel's military offensive in the West Bank has escalated forced displacement of Palestinians at an alarming level, impacting over 76,000 people in the area.

In a statement released on Monday, the agency reported that Israel's so-called “Iron Wall” military raid has resulted in the near-complete evacuation of several key refugee camps.

UNRWA expressed deep concern over the forced displacement of the communities, describing the situation as "escalating at an alarming pace" due to increasingly coercive and dangerous living conditions.

“The use of air strikes, armored bulldozers, controlled detonations, and advanced weaponry by the Israeli forces has become commonplace,” UNRWA stated, adding that these methods appear to be a spillover from the ongoing conflict in Gaza.

The agency reiterated that "civilians and civilian infrastructure must be protected at all times and that collective punishment is never acceptable."

Since January 21, the Israeli regime has carried out military operations in Jenin, Tulkarm, and Tammun in the northern West Bank, killing over 30 Palestinians, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.

The operation, which began in the Jenin refugee camp, has now reached its third week, marking the longest military campaign in the West Bank since the second Intifada.

UNRWA reported that the offensive has spread to the Tulkarm, Nur Shams, and Far’a refugee camps, which collectively house approximately 76,600 Palestinian refugees.

Israeli forces are reportedly intensifying their operations in the occupied West Bank, particularly in Jenin, where local sources say the occupation forces are targeting Palestinian residents and their property, leading to violent confrontations with Palestinian fighters.

Eyewitnesses have reported hearing explosions in the eastern neighborhoods of Jenin, while Israeli forces have prevented ambulances from accessing the area. Video footage has emerged showing Israeli bulldozers destroying paved roads in the region.

The grave situation has been compounded by the Israeli military's actions in surrounding towns, such as Jaba, where three individuals were detained during a Monday incursion.

The Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, stated that their fighters are actively confronting Israeli forces in the nearby Tulkarm and Nur Shams refugee camps.

UNRWA's updates indicate that the ongoing offensive has already displaced around 40,000 individuals in the West Bank, contributing to a humanitarian crisis that has left thousands without shelter or basic necessities.

Under Israel’s parliament (Knesset) law enacted on January 30, UNRWA no longer has any contact with the Israeli authorities, hindering the ability to address critical issues related to civilian suffering and the urgent need for humanitarian aid.

Since the onset of Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza on October 7, 2023, Israel has significantly increased its violence in the West Bank, killing more than 900 Palestinians in the occupied territory.

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News Network
February 2,2025

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British-Palestinian surgeon Ghassan Abu Sitta says Israeli authorities considered the destruction of medical facilities and the healthcare system in the Gaza Strip as preliminary preparation for a plan of genocide in the besieged coastal territory.

Israel “placed the destruction of the healthcare system in Palestine at the core of its military doctrine from the beginning, in order to make the Gaza Strip uninhabitable,” he said.

Abu Sitta stated that the occupying Israeli regime launched its onslaught against the Gaza Strip with a plan to destroy the entire healthcare system and its various components.

He added that “Israel did not only target buildings but also destroyed 33 out of 36 hospitals that were providing services throughout the region.”

The British-Palestinian surgeon continued that “Israel killed a thousand healthcare workers, doctors, nurses, and lab technicians to eliminate an entire generation of healthcare professionals.”

The doctor explained that the Israeli military destroyed the Gaza healthcare system by demolishing water treatment and sewage facilities. Additionally, it destroyed the homes of residents, leaving people more susceptible to infectious diseases.

Abu Sittah emphasized that Israel considers the destruction of the healthcare system in Gaza as a precursor to the genocide project.

 “I do not know of any war in modern history where the systematic destruction of the healthcare system was central to the doctrine of the warring armies, but the destruction of the healthcare system played a pivotal role in disrupting life in Gaza from Israel’s perspective,” he stated.

The British-Palestinian doctor underlined the need to prosecute Israeli officials, soldiers, and politicians in The Hague for their destruction of the healthcare system in Gaza.

“Otherwise, every future war will follow the model of Gaza, as the destruction of the healthcare system played a central role in the management of the war,” Abu Sittah pointed out.

He stated that Interpol should issue arrest warrants against Israeli soldiers, leaders, and politicians, stressing that the International Criminal Court (ICC) should adopt the same measure.

The British-Palestinian surgeon emphasized that world countries, especially in the West, should arrest Israeli soldiers and politicians once they travel there.

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