NICOSIA: Cyprus has assisted in rescue of a small wooden boat crammed with more than 300 migrants that was floating adrift 203 kilometers (126 miles) west of the island nation, a Cypriot official said Tuesday.
Cyprus Joint Rescue Coordination Center (JRCC) Commander Andreas Charalambides told the Associated Press that the captain of the 18-meter (60 foot) boat sent out a distress call Monday afternoon after experiencing engine trouble.
A helicopter and three naval and police patrol vessels were scrambled to offer assistance to the boat that Charalambides said had departed from Lebanon three days ago and was trying to reach Italy with many women and children aboard.
Authorities couldn’t immediately determine the nationality of the migrants aboard the boat but there was no indication that any had experienced any health issues, Charalambides said. All the migrants were safely transferred aboard the Marshall Islands-flagged cargo ship Paolo Topic which was in the vicinity.
Charalambides said authorities had asked the captain of the 250-meter (820-foot) Paolo Topic to set sail for the Cypriot port of Limassol so that the migrants could disembark. But he said the captain opted, under the directions of the company that owns the ship, to head to his original destination of Istanbul.
In a separate rescue mission Tuesday, JRCC spokesman Andreas Zachariou said two patrol boats intercepted a boat with 177 migrants aboard about 56 kilometers (35 miles) off the southern coastal town of Larnaca. The boat, which included 67 women and children, had departed from Lebanon.
Zachariou said all the migrants are in good health and are in the process of being transferred to a migrants’ reception facility on the island.
Once a country that received refugees, Lebanon has become a launching pad for dangerous migration by sea to Europe. As the country’s economic crisis deepened, more Lebanese, as well as Syrian and Palestinian refugees have set off to sea, with security agencies reporting foiled migration attempts almost weekly.
Cyprus helps rescue 300 migrants aboard Italy-bound boat
https://arab.news/ycfh9
Cyprus helps rescue 300 migrants aboard Italy-bound boat
- The captain of the 18-meter boat sent out a distress call Monday afternoon after experiencing engine trouble
- Authorities couldn’t immediately determine the nationality of the migrants aboard the boat
Spain highlights importance of Gaza reconstruction
- Spain officially recognized Palestine as a state in May 2024, in a coordinated move alongside Ireland and Norway
RAMALLAH: The Palestinian prime minister, Mohammed Mustafa, and the Spanish foreign minister, Jose Manuel Albares, on Friday discussed the latest developments in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
During their telephone conversation they emphasized the need to intensify international efforts to end the Israeli occupation and halt attacks and settler violence, and to secure the release of Palestinian funds held by Israeli authorities.
They affirmed the importance of ongoing efforts relating to plans for the reconstruction of Gaza, and Europe’s significant role in this process. Mustafa and Albares highlighted the need to unify Palestinian institutions in Gaza with those in the West Bank, with the aim of establishing a Palestinian state in line with international resolutions, including last year’s New York Declaration.
They also discussed coordination between their countries, and the strengthening of Spain’s political, diplomatic and financial support for Palestine, and Mustafa thanked Spain for its ongoing support.
Spain officially recognized Palestine as a state in May 2024, in a coordinated move alongside Ireland and Norway. Estephan Salameh, the Palestinian finance and planning minister, is set to visit Spain this month to discuss enhanced cooperation, particularly in the areas of development and reconstruction. Meanwhile, Israel continues operating in the occupied West Bank.
The Palestinian Prisoners media office said on Friday that Israel carried out numerous raids across the territory, including the major cities of Ramallah and Hebron, according to The Associated Press.
Nearly 50 people were detained, following the arrest of at least 50 other Palestinians on Thursday, most of those in the Ramallah area.
As 2026 begins, the shaky 12-week-old ceasefire between Israel and Hamas has largely ended large-scale Israeli bombardment of Gaza.
But Palestinians are still being killed by Israeli fire, especially along the so-called Yellow Line that delineates areas under Israeli control, and the humanitarian crisis is compounded by frequent winter rains and colder temperatures.
On Friday, American actor and film producer Angelina Jolie visited the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and the Gaza Strip.
The only crossing between the territory and a country other than Israel, it remains closed despite Palestinian requests to reopen it to people and aid.
Jolie met with members of the Red Crescent on the Egyptian side of the Rafah border crossing and then visited a hospital in the nearby city of Arish to speak with Palestinian patients on Friday, according to Egyptian officials.
Aid groups say not enough shelter materials are getting into Gaza during the truce.
