UN expert says Israel ‘genocide’ seeks ‘eradication’ of Palestinians from their land

Residents remove a body from the rubble of a building hit by an Israeli strike in Beit Lahia, in the northern Gaza Strip on Oct. 29, 2024. (AFP)
Short Url
Updated 29 October 2024
Follow

UN expert says Israel ‘genocide’ seeks ‘eradication’ of Palestinians from their land

  • UN rights expert Francesca Albanese: ‘Genocide of the Palestinians appears to be the means to an end’
  • Independent expert on rights in the occupied Palestinian territories has long faced harsh Israeli criticism

GENEVA: Outspoken UN rights expert Francesca Albanese reiterated Tuesday an allegation that Israel is committing “genocide” in Gaza, charging that the country is seeking the “eradication of Palestinians” from their land.
The independent expert on rights in the occupied Palestinian territories, who has long faced harsh Israeli criticism, said in a fresh report that “the genocide of the Palestinians appears to be the means to an end: the complete removal or eradication of Palestinians from the land so integral to their identity, and which is illegally and openly coveted by Israel.”


Syria says 120 Daesh detainees escaped prison; Kurdish website said 1,500 escaped

Updated 20 January 2026
Follow

Syria says 120 Daesh detainees escaped prison; Kurdish website said 1,500 escaped

  • The Syrian ministry said Syrian army units and ministry special forces entered Shaddadi following the breakout

CAIRO: Syria’s Interior Ministry ​said on Tuesday that about 120 Daesh detainees escaped from Shaddadi prison, after the Kurdish website Rudaw reported that a spokesperson for the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, ‌Farhad Shami, said ‌around 1,500 Daesh ⁠members ​had ‌escaped.
The Syrian ministry said Syrian army units and ministry special forces entered Shaddadi following the breakout. It said security forces had recaptured 81 of the escapees ⁠after search and sweep operations in ‌the town and surrounding ‍areas, with efforts ‍continuing to arrest the ‍remaining fugitives.
Earlier, the Syrian army said “a number of” Daesh militants had escaped a prison that had ​been under SDF control in the eastern city of Shaddadi, ⁠accusing the SDF of releasing them.
After days of fighting with government forces, the SDF agreed on Sunday to withdraw from both Raqqa and Deir Ezzor, two Arab-majority provinces they had controlled for years and the location of Syria’s main oil fields.