UNITED NATIONS: UN officials on Thursday urged the warring parties in Yemen to renew their truce after seven years of devastating war between the Yemeni government and the Iranian-backed Houthis.
The truce, in effect since April 2 and extended on an emergency basis twice, expired on October 2 without the Yemeni government and Houthis reaching an agreement to roll it over for another six months.
“As I continue to work with both sides to find solutions, I urge them to demonstrate the leadership and flexibility required to reach an extended and expanded agreement,” pleaded UN special envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg.
The Swedish diplomat, speaking via video to the UN Security Council, welcomed the fact that “the parties have shown restraint since the expiration of the truce on October 2, as we have fortunately not witnessed any major escalation.”
Speaking from Yemen, the UN assistant secretary general for humanitarian affairs, Joyce Msuya of Tanzania, denounced “the havoc that this conflict has wreaked on civilians.”
“For their sake, I urge the parties to avoid any escalation in violence and to engage with the special envoy to agree on an extended and expanded truce,” she said.
Speaking from the Yemeni coastal area of Hodeidah, Msuya said that she met “Yousef, a 12-year-old boy who lost both of his legs after stepping on a land mine a few weeks ago. He had to travel two long hours to get to the hospital, and now... will need lifelong support and assistance.”
The conflict in Yemen has plunged it into one of the world’s worst humanitarian tragedies, which successive truces have helped to alleviate, according to humanitarian organizations.
According to the UN, the war has left hundreds of thousands dead and millions displaced, with a large part of the population close to famine.
Talks on a final peace accord have stalled.
UN experts urge warring sides to renew truce in Yemen
https://arab.news/6a98w
UN experts urge warring sides to renew truce in Yemen
- The truce, in effect since April 2 and extended on an emergency basis twice, expired on October 2
- UN assistant secretary general for humanitarian affairs denounced havoc that conflict has wreaked on civilians
Israel police to deploy around Al-Aqsa for Ramadan, Palestinians report curbs
- The Al-Aqsa compound is a central symbol of Palestinian identity and also a frequent flashpoint
JERUSALEM: Israeli police said Monday that they would deploy in force around the Al-Aqsa Mosque during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which begins this week, as Palestinian officials accused Israel of imposing restrictions at the compound.
Over the course of the month of fasting and prayer, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians traditionally attend prayers at Al-Aqsa — Islam’s third-holiest site, located in east Jerusalem, which Israel captured in 1967 and later annexed.
Arad Braverman, a senior Jerusalem police officer, said forces would be deployed “day and night” across the compound, known to Jews as the Temple Mount, and in the surrounding area.
He said thousands of police would also be on duty for Friday prayers, which draw the largest crowds of Muslim worshippers.
Braverman said police had recommended issuing 10,000 permits for Palestinians from the occupied West Bank, who require special permission to enter Jerusalem.
He did not say whether age limits would apply, adding that the final number of people would be decided by the government.
The Palestinian Jerusalem Governorate said in a separate statement it had been informed that permits would again be restricted to men over 55 and women over 50, mirroring last year’s criteria.
It said Israeli authorities had blocked the Islamic Waqf — the Jordanian?run body administering the site — from carrying out routine preparations, including installing shade structures and setting up temporary medical clinics.
A Waqf source confirmed the restrictions and said 33 of its employees had been barred from entering the compound in the week before Ramadan.
The Al-Aqsa compound is a central symbol of Palestinian identity and also a frequent flashpoint.
Under long?standing arrangements, Jews may visit the compound — which they revere as the site of their second temple, destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD — but they are not permitted to pray there.
Israel says it is committed to maintaining this status quo, though Palestinians fear it is being eroded.
Braverman reiterated Monday that no changes were planned.
In recent years, a growing number of Jewish ultranationalists have challenged the prayer ban, including far?right politician Itamar Ben-Gvir, who prayed at the site while serving as national security minister in 2024 and 2025.
