Middle East & North Africa

BEIRUT, Sept 29 (NNN-NNA) – The Lebanese army received yesterday, the first shipment of Qatar’s fuel donation, the military said in a statement.

The donation is part of Qatar’s efforts, to assist the Lebanese military, during the current financial crisis, the statement said, adding that, the remaining portion of the donation will be delivered in the upcoming months.

Late last month, the Qatar Fund for Development announced that, it would supply the Lebanese army with fuel aid, valued at 30 million U.S. dollars over a period of six months.

Sept 29 (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia is determined to secure a military pact requiring the United States to defend the kingdom in return for opening ties with Israel and will not hold up a deal even if Israel does not offer major concessions to Palestinians in their bid for statehood, three regional sources familiar with the talks said.

ISTANBUL, Sept. 29 (Xinhua) -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday that Türkiye's defense export target is to exceed 6 billion U.S. dollars in 2023.

Speaking at a technology festival in the western province of Izmir, Erdogan said his country has been implementing 850 different defense projects.

"With our defense industry initiatives, our exports are increasing exponentially," Erdogan said, addressing the visitors at TEKNOFEST, Türkiye's biggest aviation, space, and technology fair.

GAZA, Sept 28 (NNN-WAFA) – The Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), is planning to send an official request to the Palestinian Authority, to hold municipal elections in Gaza, for the first time in 18 years, a Palestinian official said yesterday.

Hazem Qassem, a Hamas spokesman, said in a press statement that, the group had agreed with all other Palestinian factions, to send a message to the government in Ramallah, demanding to hold municipal elections in Gaza.

JERUSALEM, Sept 28 (NNN-MA’AN) – At least 33 children were injured last night, when a school bus overturned at a crossroad west of Jerusalem, Israeli authorities said.

At least 33 passengers aged 8-12 were evacuated to hospitals, two of whom sustained serious injuries, one was in a moderate condition and 30 sustained light injuries, Zaki Heller, a spokesman for Israel’s Magen David Adom rescue service, said in a statement.

The condition of the driver was not immediately clear.

GAZA, Sept 28 (NNN-WAFA) – UN special coordinator, Tor Wennesland, yesterday, expressed his deep concern over the tensions on Gaza’s eastern border with Israel.

“I am deeply concerned by the escalating tensions in and around Gaza,” Wennesland, the UN special coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, wrote in a post on his X account, calling for efforts to avoid another conflict that will have grave consequences for all.

26 September 2023; MEMO: No one has a say in what women should wear, a UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) spokeswoman said on Tuesday, weighing in on France’s recent ban on headscarves for athletes in next year’s Olympic Games, Anadolu Agency reports.

27 September 2023; MEMO: Israeli media revealed that a young man had broken into a security room in front of the home of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to steal a bag of security equipment. The man was later arrested and charged with theft.

27 September 2023; MEMO: Georgetown University in Qatar plans to hold an international conference on Saturday to explore the root causes of the rising anti-Islamic sentiments, Anadolu Agency reports.

Themed “Global Histories and Practices of Islamophobia”, the two-day event will bring together a host of scholars, activists, policymakers and journalists.

27 September 2023; MEMO: The death toll from a deadly earthquake that hit Morocco earlier this month has neared 3,000, the government said Wednesday, Anadolu Agency reports.

There is an update on the death toll, the martyrs’ number has risen to 2,960

government spokesman, Mustapha Baitas, told journalists.

The last update by authorities on 13 September said the death toll was 2,946.