Palestinian medics say Israeli airstrikes on refugee camp in Rafah kills 35

Fire rages following an Israeli strike on an area designated for displaced Palestinians in Rafah , southern Gaza Strip, in this still picture taken from a video on May 26, 2024. (REUTERS/Reuters TV)
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Updated 27 May 2024
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Palestinian medics say Israeli airstrikes on refugee camp in Rafah kills 35

  • The attacks came two days after the International Court of Justice ordered Israel to end its military offensive in Rafah
  • Israel’s army confirmed the strike and said it hit a Hamas installation and killed two senior Hamas militants

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip: Palestinian health workers said Israeli airstrikes killed at least 35 people Sunday and hit tents for displaced people in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, and “numerous” others were trapped in flaming debris. Gaza’s Health Ministry said women and children made up most of the dead and dozens of wounded.

The attacks came two days after the International Court of Justice ordered Israel to end its military offensive in Rafah, where more than half of Gaza’s population had sought shelter before Israel’s incursion earlier this month. Tens of thousands of people remain in the area while many others have fled.
Footage from the scene of the largest airstrike showed heavy destruction. Israel’s army confirmed the strike and said it hit a Hamas installation and killed two senior Hamas militants. It said it was investigating reports that civilians were harmed. Defense Minister Yoav Gallant was in Rafah on Sunday and was briefed on the “deepening of operations” there, his office said.




A Palestinian wounded in an Israeli bombardment on the Gaza Strip is brought to Al Aqsa hospital in Deir al Balah, central Gaza Strip, on May 26, 2024. (AP) 

A spokesperson with the Palestinian Red Crescent Society said the death toll was likely to rise as search and rescue efforts continued in Rafah’s Tal Al-Sultan neighborhood about two kilometers (1.2 miles) northwest of the city center.
The society asserted that the location had been designated by Israel as a “humanitarian area.” The neighborhood is not included in areas that Israel’s military ordered evacuated earlier this month.
The airstrike was reported hours after Hamas fired a barrage of rockets from Gaza that set off air raid sirens as far away as Tel Aviv for the first time in months in a show of resilience more than seven months into Israel’s massive air, sea and ground offensive.
There were no reports of casualties in what appeared to be the first long-range rocket attack from Gaza since January. Hamas’ military wing claimed responsibility. Israel’s military said eight projectiles crossed into Israel after being launched from Rafah and “a number” were intercepted, and the launcher was destroyed.
Earlier Sunday, dozens of aid trucks entered Gaza from southern Israel under a new agreement to bypass the Rafah crossing with Egypt after Israeli forces seized the Palestinian side of it earlier this month. Israel’s military said 126 aid trucks entered via the nearby Kerem Shalom crossing.
But it was not immediately clear if humanitarian groups could access the aid — including medical supplies — because of fighting. The crossing has been largely inaccessible because of Israel’s offensive in Rafah. United Nations agencies say it is usually too dangerous to retrieve the aid. The World Health Organization last week said an expanded Israeli incursion in Rafah would have “disastrous” impact.”
“With the humanitarian operation near collapse, the secretary-general emphasizes that the Israeli authorities must facilitate the safe pickup and delivery of humanitarian supplies from Egypt entering Kerem Shalom,” the spokesperson for UN chief Antonio Guterres said in a statement.
Egypt refuses to reopen its side of the Rafah crossing until control of the Gaza side is handed back to Palestinians. It agreed to temporarily divert traffic through Kerem Shalom, Gaza’s main cargo terminal, after a call between US President Joe Biden and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi.
The war between Israel and Hamas has killed nearly 36,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and fighters in its count. Israel blames civilian deaths on Hamas because the militants operate in dense, residential areas.
Around 80 percent of Gaza’s 2.3 million people have fled their homes, severe hunger is widespread and UN officials say parts of the territory are experiencing famine.
Hamas triggered the war with its Oct. 7 attack into Israel, in which Palestinian militants killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and seized some 250 hostages. Hamas still holds some 100 hostages and the remains of around 30 others after most of the rest were released during a ceasefire last year.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Israel must take over Rafah to eliminate Hamas’ remaining battalions and achieve “total victory” over the militants, who recently regrouped in other parts of Gaza.
The war has also heightened tensions in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Palestinian authorities on Sunday said Israeli forces shot dead a 14-year-old boy near the southern West Bank town of Saeer. The Israeli army said the Palestinian male was shot dead after trying to stab Israeli forces at Beit Einun Junction.
Southern Gaza largely cut off from aid
Southern Gaza has been largely cut off from aid since Israel launched what it called a limited incursion into Rafah on May 6. Since then over 1 million Palestinians, many already displaced, have fled the city.
Northern Gaza receives aid through two land routes that Israel opened during global outrage after Israeli strikes killed seven aid workers in April.
A few dozen trucks enter Gaza daily through a US-built floating pier, far below the 150 trucks a day that officials hoped for. Aid groups say 600 trucks a day are needed.
Israeli man detained over mutiny threat
Israel’s military said it had detained a suspect over a widely circulated video in which a man dressed as a soldier threatens mutiny. The man says tens of thousands of soldiers were ready to disobey the defense minister over his suggestion that Palestinians should govern Gaza after the war, and pledged loyalty to Netanyahu alone.
Israeli military spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said the man has been removed from reserve duty. It was not clear when or where the video was made. The prime minister’s office released a brief statement condemning all forms of military insubordination.


PM meets UAE, US investors as Pakistan navigates tricky economic recovery path

Updated 4 sec ago
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PM meets UAE, US investors as Pakistan navigates tricky economic recovery path

  • Sharif discusses investments with DP World CEO, US businessman and hedge fund manager 
  • PM is currently in the UAE to attend World Governments Summit taking place from Feb. 11-13

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday met with investors from the US and United Arab Emirates (UAE), his office said, as Islamabad seeks to attract foreign funds and projects to help shore up its $350 billion economy.
Sharif is currently in the UAE to attend the World Governments Summit taking place from Feb. 11-13. On the sidelines, the premier is meeting foreign companies and investors as the South Asian nation, currently bolstered by a $7 billion facility from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) granted in September, navigates a narrow economic recovery path.
In one meeting, Sharif met with the Dubai-owned ports and logistics company DP World’s CEO Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem and discussed ongoing and future investments.
“Sharif appreciated DP World’s investment in Pakistan and its role in enhancing trade and logistics infrastructure,” the PM said in a statement, reiterating Pakistan’s commitment to the early completion of projects under two Inter-Governmental Framework Agreements (GAs) signed in Jan. 2024 to strengthen relations in the marine and logistics sectors, including the establishment of a freight corridor and an economic zone near Karachi, the Pakistani commercial capital. 
“[Sharif] said that Pakistan’s strategic location provides an ideal opportunity for DP World to expand its operations and emulate successful projects like Jebel Ali Port in Pakistan,” the PM office said.
Under the IGAs, DP World is developing a dedicated freight corridor to run from Karachi Port on the Arabian Sea, passing through Karachi, Pakistan’s most populous city, to the Pipri Marshalling Yard, approximately 45km away. The corridor will improve efficiency, transport times, and reduce the overall cost of logistics. State-run Pakistan Railways and Port Qasim Authority will act on behalf of the Pakistan government for the development of the corridor. 
A second framework agreement was signed with Pakistan’s ministry of maritime affairs to dredge the navigation channel. DP World will carry out the capital dredging on behalf of the government of Dubai. 
The framework agreement will also see the development of an economic zone at Port Qasim, which aims to attract more than US $3 billion foreign direct investment. DP World, on behalf of the government of Dubai, will carry out the development of the economic zone, with the aim of maximizing economic activity in Pakistan. 
DP World began operations in Pakistan in 1997 at the Qasim International Container Terminal (QICT) – the first of its kind in the country – and has since transformed the facility into a leading gateway for global trade in the region.
Separately, Sharif also met US businessman and Texas hedge fund manager Gentry Beach, who is close to the family of American President Donald Trump. Beach visited Pakistan last month and discussed investments in the real estate, energy and minerals sectors.
“Beach, while recalling his recent visit to Pakistan, described the government’s policies as conducive for business and investment and expressed keen interest in investing in various sectors,” Sharif’s office said in a statement, adding that the US investor had pledged to “implement his investment plans in Pakistan at the earliest.”


PM directs authorities to expedite identification of Pakistanis in shipwreck off Libyan coast

Updated 11 February 2025
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PM directs authorities to expedite identification of Pakistanis in shipwreck off Libyan coast

  • Boat carrying 65 passengers capsized near port of Marsa Dela in northwest of Libya’s Zawiya city
  • Shehbaz Sharif vows stern action against human traffickers, expresses condolences to families 

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has directed the foreign ministry to expedite the identification process of Pakistanis aboard a ship carrying 65 passengers that had capsized near the coast of Libya, his office said on Tuesday, vowing stern action against human traffickers. 

A boat capsized near the port of Marsa Dela in the northwest of Zawiya city in Libya, the foreign office confirmed on Monday, prompting the Pakistani government to activate a crisis management cell to confirm if any Pakistanis were on board.

The latest tragedy comes weeks after at least 13 Pakistanis died when a boat carrying 86 migrants to Europe capsized near the coast of Morocco on Jan. 16. Each year, thousands of Pakistanis pay traffickers large sums for risky and illegal journeys to Europe, hoping to find work and send money back to their families. Many also take these perilous routes to escape conflicts and religious persecution.

“The prime minister has directed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to expedite the identification of the deceased Pakistanis and provide all possible assistance to the affected individuals,” the PM’s Office (PMO) said in a press release. “The prime minister has requested a report on the incident from the relevant authorities.”

Calling for strict action against people involved in human trafficking, Sharif said no negligence would be tolerated in this regard. He assured that the government was undertaking comprehensive measures to combat the crime.

Sharif expressed condolences to the families of the deceased and also prayed for the souls of those who had died in the incident. 

Pakistan has intensified its crackdown on human trafficking rings facilitating dangerous sea journeys for migrants, as many of its nationals frequently drown on overcrowded boats in the Mediterranean, the world’s deadliest migrant route. 

In 2023, 262 Pakistanis were among the hundreds who died when a vessel sank off Greece’s Pylos. Recently, five Pakistanis perished in a shipwreck near Gavdos on Dec. 14.


Erdogan to visit Pakistan from Feb. 12-13 to strengthen cooperation in bilateral trade and investment

Updated 11 February 2025
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Erdogan to visit Pakistan from Feb. 12-13 to strengthen cooperation in bilateral trade and investment

  • Turkish president to co-chair Pakistan-Turkiye High Level Cooperation Council session with PM Shehbaz Sharif, says FO
  • HLSCC focuses on trade, investment, banking, finance, culture, tourism, energy, defense, agriculture and other sectors

ISLAMABAD: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will visit Pakistan with a high-level delegation from Feb.12-13, Pakistan’s foreign office said on Tuesday, during which he will co-chair the session of a high-level strategic cooperation council focusing on bilateral trade, investment and other priority sectors between the two countries, and oversee the signing of several agreements. 
The Pakistan-Turkiye High Level Cooperation Council (HLSCC) was established in 2009 as a framework for consultations at the highest political level between the two sides. Several joint standing committees under the HLSCC cover vital sectors such as trade, investment, banking, finance, culture, tourism, energy, defense, agriculture and others. 
Six sessions of the HLSCC have been conducted since it was founded, with the last one held in Islamabad from Feb. 13-14, 2020. 
Erdogan’s high-level delegation will comprise ministers, senior officials and corporate leaders, the foreign office said. 
“During the visit, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and President Erdogan will co-chair the 7th Session of the Pakistan-Turkiye High Level Strategic Cooperation Council (HLSCC),” the foreign office said. “At the conclusion of the Session, a Joint Declaration and a number of important agreements/MoUs are expected to be signed. The two leaders will also address a joint press stakeout.”
Erdogan will hold bilateral meetings with Sharif and President Asif Ali Zardari, the foreign office said, adding that the Turkish president will address the Pakistan-Turkiye Business and Investment Forum with Sharif. The forum will bring together leading investors, companies and businesspersons from both sides, the statement said. 
“The visit of Turkish President and the holding of the 7th Session of the HLSCC would serve to further deepen the brotherly relations and enhance multifaceted cooperation between the two countries,” the foreign office said. 
Turkiye and Pakistan enjoy cordial relations with one another that has expanded to cooperation in several sectors between the two nations. Both agreed to enhance the bilateral trade volume to $5 billion last year in May when Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan arrived in Pakistan’s capital on a two-day visit. 
Pakistan has been eagerly reaching out to international partners and close allies since last year in its quest to escape a prolonged macroeconomic crisis by strengthening cooperation in business, investment and other sectors. 
Pakistan’s economic crisis has drained its financial resources, weakened its national currency and triggered inflation in the country. The South Asian country has repeatedly stated its desire to achieve sustainable economic growth through foreign trade and investment, long-term reforms and by promoting exports.


PM says Pakistan prioritizing skill development, increased funding on International Day of Women in Science

Updated 11 February 2025
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PM says Pakistan prioritizing skill development, increased funding on International Day of Women in Science

  • International community marks day on Feb. 11 to highlight gender gap in all levels of science and technology
  • Pakistan PM says government undertaking initiatives to train women in robotics, AI and digital solutions

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Tuesday that empowering females is a “national priority” and essential for the nation’s economic well-being and development, as the world marks International Day of Women and Girls in Science. 

The world marks Feb. 11 each year as the International Day of Women and Girls in Science to highlight the significant gender gap in all levels of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) disciplines around the world. 

In conservative Pakistan, some rural areas are still ruled by a patriarchal system of male village elders who wield significant influence in their communities and bar women from seeking educational and employment opportunities. 

“For us empowering women and girls in science is a national priority and an all-out effort is being made to create an enabling environment and providing equal opportunities, to ensure that women become key drivers of progress and innovation in the 21st century,” Sharif said in a message shared by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO). 

He said the Pakistani government has prioritized programs that focus on skill development, support for women-led start-ups and greater access to research funding. 

“Initiatives include training in robotics, AI and digital solutions, scholarships and programs encouraging innovation and entrepreneurship,” the PMO said. 

Sharif highlighted the underrepresentation of women in science and technology, noting that they make up less than 30 percent of the world’s researchers and only 22 percent in the field of AI, citing data from the UNESCO Institute for Statistics.

Despite the challenges in conservative Pakistan, some women have made significant contributions to science globally. Dr. Nergis Mavalvala, a Pakistani American astrophysicist, was part of the team that achieved the scientific milestone of detecting gravitational waves, ripples in space and time hypothesized by physicist Albert Einstein a century ago. Dr. Tasneem Zehra Husain, a theoretical physicist, science writer and educator, made headlines around the world when she became the first Pakistani woman to earn a PhD in string theory. 


Saudi warships join international fleet review as Pakistan concludes AMAN-25 naval exercise

Updated 28 min 54 sec ago
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Saudi warships join international fleet review as Pakistan concludes AMAN-25 naval exercise

  • Over 30 warships, including Royal Saudi Navy’s HMS Jazan and HMS Hail take part in international fleet review
  • Five-day exercise featured harbor and sea phases, various drills and operations to enhance naval cooperation

KARACHI: Saudi warships took part in an international fleet review at the Arabian Sea off the coast of Karachi on Tuesday as Pakistan concluded its multinational naval exercise AMAN-25, which aimed to strengthen maritime security and cooperation and featured participation from over 60 countries. 

A fleet review is a formal inspection of a navy’s fleet by high-ranking officials. The international fleet review in Karachi, marking the finale of the five-day naval exercise, was attended by senior military and diplomatic officials including Pakistan’s Army Chief General Syed Asim Munir and Saudi Ambassador Nawaf bin Said Al-Malki.

“This international fleet review marks the conclusion of exercise AMAN-25,” Rear Admiral Abdul Munib, Pakistan Navy’s fleet commander, said. “In 2007, we started AMAN exercise series, and this one is the ninth edition of the exercise.”

Munib said 28 countries participated in the first AMAN edition while during last year’s exercise, 50 countries took part. He said in the 2025 edition the number of participating countries swelled to over 60. 

The AMAN exercise is conducted every two years under the “Together for Peace” theme. Over 30 warships, including the Royal Saudi Navy’s HMS Jazan and HMS Hail along with 16 air units took part in the international fleet review. 

The naval exercise began on Feb. 7 and consisted of harbor and sea phases, featuring various drills and operations to enhance interoperability among the naval forces. The last day of the sea phase included aerial operations, replenishment-at-sea exercises, counter-piracy demonstrations, and live-fire exercises followed by a spectacular fly-past.

Captain Humayun Yaqoob, commanding officer of Pakistan Navy ship PNS Moawin, emphasized the strategic importance of the event. 

“The basic purpose of this exercise is ‘Together for Peace’. All these 60 nations, they are here. They are together with us for peace,” Yaqoob said. “It [exercise] is giving a message. It is the confidence of the international community that this exercise is a meaningful platform.”

Pakistan Navy's PNS Tippu Sultan and PNS Taimur frigate warships lead the Naval vessels of participating countries during the sea phase of Pakistan Navy's 9th Multinational Maritime Exercise AMAN-25 under the slogan "Together for Peace," in the Arabian Sea near Karachi, Pakistan, on February 10, 2025. (REUTERS)

The AMAN-25 exercise was complimented by the inaugural AMAN Dialogue, held from Feb. 9-10, which brought together naval chiefs, coast guard officials and defense representatives to discuss challenges in the Indian Ocean. Topics included strategic competition, piracy, narco-trafficking, climate change, and the use of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and unmanned systems.

Pakistan’s Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal underscored the importance of collaboration in the region during the dialogue. 

“The Indian Ocean should not be a rivalry playground but a center of opportunities for all nations,” he said. “Pakistan prefers collaboration over confrontation, and Aman-25 is an example of mutual trust and shared prosperity.”

The Indian Ocean remains a focal point of geopolitical competition, with China expanding its naval presence and the United States strengthening defense ties with India. Pakistan, through AMAN-25, positioned itself as an advocate for cooperative maritime security, engaging regional and global partners to ensure stability in waters crucial for global trade.

The event also included counterterrorism drills at sea, with special forces from various nations conducting visit, board, search and seizure (VBSS) operations, amphibious exercises, and combat search-and-rescue missions.

As the exercise concluded on the last day, participating warships including those from Saudi Arabia, Bangladesh, China, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Oman, Sri Lanka, UAE and the US paid a ceremonial mark of respect to the chief guest on PNS Moawin, Pakistan’s army chief.