Middle East & North Africa

MAKKAH MUKARMA , Jun 20 (APP):The Pakistan Hajj Medical Mission’s main hospital here at Aziziyah, in collaboration with Saudi authorities, has been providing medical facilities to over 5,000 pilgrims daily.

Besides the main hospital, nine dispensaries manned by some 521 doctors and paramedical staff were providing free of charge medical assistance to the Hajj pilgrims in the holy city, Brig Dr. Shahamad Ali, Director of Pakistan Hajj Medical Mission told APP on Tuesday.

CAIRO, June 19 (Xinhua) -- Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi met with visiting EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell on Monday, discussing bilateral relations and regional hotspot issues.

During their meeting, Sisi highlighted the diverse and longstanding ties between the two sides, and Egypt's willingness to continue cooperation with the bloc, according to an Egyptian presidency statement.

DOHA, June 19 (Xinhua) -- Qatar and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) announced Monday the reopening of their respective embassies and consulates with immediate effect. The detente was broadly welcomed by regional leaders and analysts.

Qatar's embassy in Abu Dhabi and its consulate in Dubai, as well as the UAE's embassy in Doha, will reopen on Monday, according to the Qatar News Agency (QNA).

RAMALLAH/GAZA, June 19 (Xinhua) -- The Palestinians strongly condemned the Israeli government's decision to expedite the process for building settlements in the West Bank.

During a weekly cabinet meeting on Sunday, the Israeli government authorized pro-settlement Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich to assume main responsibility for settlement planning and construction in the West Bank, and shortened political approval process for settlement planning and construction that had been in place for 25 years.

20 June 2023; MEMO: The CEO of the Saudi SCOPA defence company, Fawaz Al-Aqeel, yesterday announced the signing of an agreement with the French Airbus company to manufacture civilian and military helicopters in the kingdom.

Al-Aqeel said the project will provide more than 8,500 jobs, adding that the company expects investments worth more than 25 billion riyals ($6.67 billion) over 20 years, Saudi state TV Al-Ekhbariya reported.

20 June 2023; MEMO: The Israeli army yesterday announced that its Apache helicopter was hit by Palestinian resistance fighters while it attacked the city of Jenin in the northern occupied West Bank; seven military vehicles also sustained damages, Anadolu news agency reported.

The army said the Apache helicopter was hit by Palestinian fire during the operation in Jenin, but it continued to operate.

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli forces killed a Palestinian man in fighting in the occupied West Bank, Palestinian officials said as the death toll from clashes earlier in the city of Jenin rose to six. The fatalities were the latest in a surge of violence that has wracked the region.

The Palestinian Health Ministry said late Monday that 21-year-old Zakaria al-Zaoul was shot in the head in the town of Husan, west of Bethlehem. The official Palestinian news agency Wafa reported that he was killed during clashes with the military.

19 June 2023; MEMO: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said yesterday that Tel Aviv has informed the United States of its opposition to "interim deals" being made on the "Iranian nuclear program".

19 June 2023; MEMO: Qatar and the UAE have announced today that they have resumed full diplomatic relations, with the reopening of their respective embassies. Qatar's Embassy in Abu Dhabi and Consulate in Dubai, as well as the UAE Embassy in Doha have now resumed operations.

19 June 2023; MEMO: An Israeli settler smashed the stained-glass windows of the room believed by Christians to have hosted the Last Supper in Jerusalem, known as the Cenacle.

The Israeli suspect, whose name has not been made public, threw the stones directly towards the building's windows on Thursday, smashing them. He was detained by a security guard and taken for questioning.