News Archives - Page 26 of 355

Iran is Ready For War – VP Aref

CrossFireArabia
January 29, 2026

Iran’s Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref said on Thursday that the government considers itself to be in a “state of war readiness,” as tensions with the United States continue to escalate.

Addressing a meeting of government officials in Tehran, Aref said Iran “will not be the initiator of a war” but would defend itself “with full force,” adding that the end of any war “will not be determined by the enemies,” in an apparent reference to the US and Israel.

Referring to the 12-day war in June last year and recent regional developments, including the US military buildup in the Gulf and threats by President Donald Trump, Aref said the country remains in a “state of war readiness.”

He said the administration led by President Masoud Pezeshkian “adopted a wartime posture from day one,” adding that a “wartime economic plan” was implemented in the aftermath of the June war according to Anadolu.

Aref emphasized that Iran must remain prepared for a wartime situation in light of unfolding regional developments.

“Our strategy is that we never start a war, but if it is imposed on us, we will defend ourselves, and the end of the war will not be in the hands of the enemies. We believe in dialogue and logic, but if a war begins, its conclusion will no longer be decided by the enemies,” he said.

Commenting on diplomacy, Aref said the government has already declared its readiness for negotiations but is seeking firm guarantees.

“During the previous round of talks—which were also progressing well—the United States attacked the Islamic Republic of Iran. What guarantee is there that it will not do so again this time? If we are assured that they are seeking real negotiations and not using talks as a cover for greater mischief, then we will negotiate,” he said.

In a social media post on Wednesday, US President Donald Trump said a massive “armada” was on its way to Iran, while urging Tehran to immediately enter negotiations.

Trump’s statement led to speculation that a military strike on Iran is imminent, drawing strong reactions from Iranian officials.

Earlier on Thursday, Iran’s parliament speaker, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, echoed Aref’s remarks in an interview with CNN, saying Iran is not opposed to dialogue and diplomacy, but not under the shadow of war and threats.

According to reports, mediation efforts are underway to ease tensions between Iran and the US, with Türkiye leading the initiative.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is scheduled to visit Ankara on Friday.

News

A Child Killed Everyday in Ceasefire Gaza

CrossFireArabia
January 13, 2026

Airstrikes, drone attacks and hypothermia continue in Gaza despite the ceasefire, with more than 100 youngsters killed since early October, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said on Tuesday.

“That’s roughly a girl or a boy killed here every day during a ceasefire,” UNICEF spokesperson James Elder told reporters in Geneva.

“These children are killed from airstrikes, drone strikes, including suicide drones,” he said, speaking from Gaza City. “They’re killed from tank shelling, they’re killed from live ammunition, they’re killed from [remote-controlled] quadcopters.”

Mr. Elder pointed out that more children have also died of hypothermia in the last few days, as harsh winter conditions expose the most vulnerable Gazans.

Sheer cold kills six children

“We’ve now gone to six children who died of hypothermia just this winter,” he said. “I wish I could take a camera and show you 30, 40-kilometre [per hour] winds ripping through tents on the beach. It’s bitterly cold, it’s bitterly wet.”

The UNICEF spokesperson stressed that the ceasefire has allowed “genuine progress” in primary healthcare, with UNICEF and partners setting up the first health clinics in the north of the Strip and expanding immunization services.

But desperately needed medical evacuations of children remain at a standstill.

Mr. Elder noted “no noticeable improvement” both on approvals to get children with life-threatening injuries out of Gaza and in convincing more host countries take in the young patients.

He said that in his latest mission to the enclave, he spoke to many children and families denied evacuation despite completing an arduous, formal process.

These included a nine-year-old with shrapnel lodged in his eye who “will lose sight in an eye, maybe both”, a girl in Al Shifa hospital in Gaza City who “may well die” and another child whose leg needs amputating. “All three of those are absolute candidates for medical evacuation; all three of those have so far been denied,” Mr. Elder explained.

Before war erupted in Gaza following Hamas-led attacks in Israel on 7 October 2023, between 50 and 100 patients were evacuated from the enclave every day, according to the UN World Health Organization (WHO).

In an alert on Tuesday, the agency warned that extensive clearance procedures by the Israeli authorities continue to cause delays to deliveries of medicine and food.

“Some essential medical items are classified as ‘dual-use’ and denied entry,” WHO said in a post on X, in reference to goods that are primarily intended for civilian use but which the Israeli authorities believe could be diverted by Hamas or other militant groups for military purposes.

International NGO ban looms

The UNICEF spokesperson also highlighted the dangers of a recent Israeli ban on international NGOs, which will come into effect in the coming month and mean “blocking life-saving assistance”, he alleged. Mr. Elder also stressed the importance of allowing international media into the enclave, which has not been granted despite the ceasefire.

“There needs to be a lot more pressure on allowing international journalists to come in,” he said. “This is my seventh mission [to Gaza] and every time I see the 360-degree devastation, flattening of homes, my jaw drops.”

“It is absolutely as staggering yesterday as it was the first time I saw it more than two years ago,” he insisted.

Mr. Elder warned that two years of war have “left life for Gaza’s children unimaginably hard,” explaining that “the psychological damage remains untreated, and it’s becoming deeper and harder to heal, the longer this goes on”.

“A ceasefire that slows the bombs is progress, but one that still buries children is not enough,” he concluded as reported in UN News.

News

Expert: Israeli Demolished 2500 Gaza Homes Since The Ceasefire

CrossFireArabia
January 13, 2026

The Israeli occupation forces demolished more than 2,500 homes since the ceasefire was announced on 10 October, 2025 according to the Secretary-General of the Palestinian National Initiative, Dr. Mustafa Barghouti. He condemned the ongoing Israeli demolitions in the Gaza Strip, as a flagrant violation of all international laws and conventions.

Barghouti told Jordan 24 the continued policy of systematic demolition and destruction of homes and infrastructure is a war crime against humanity and clearly exposes the falsehood of the occupation’s claims that it is adhering to the ceasefire. He stressed the true aim of these Israeli policies is to deepen the humanitarian catastrophe, is clear collective punishment and create a wave of forced displacement out of Gaza.

Barghouti holds both the Israeli occupation government fully responsible for these crimes and that of the international community for failing to provide protection for the Palestinian people and for not compelling the Israeli occupation to immediately cease its violations.

Barghouti called for an immediate and complete halt to all demolitions and aggression against the Gaza Strip, the formation of an independent international commission of inquiry to hold those responsible for the crimes of demolition and destruction accountable, the provision of international protection for the Palestinian people, and guarantees for the unrestricted entry of relief and reconstruction materials.

He also stressed the necessity of holding the occupation accountable before international courts for its ongoing crimes against civilians, affirming that the occupation’s crimes will not break the Palestinian people’s resolve to remain steadfast on their land and thwart the plans of ethnic cleansing.

News

21 Children Die as Bitter Cold Swarms Gaza

CrossFireArabia
January 13, 2026

Deaths caused by extreme cold in the Gaza Strip have risen to 24, including 21 children, since the start of Israel’s genocidal war in October 2023, local authorities said Tuesday.

In a statement, the government media office said seven children have died since the beginning of the current winter season due to severe cold conditions, bringing the total number of cold-related deaths to 24 as of Jan. 13, 2026.

“All the victims were displaced Palestinians living in forced displacement camps,” the statement said.

The media office also reported that around 7,000 tents have been swept away by the ongoing low-pressure weather system battering the enclave.

It warned of “catastrophic humanitarian consequences” as freezing temperatures return to Gaza amid the continued Israeli onslaught and suffocating blockade, which have caused widespread destruction of homes and infrastructure and forced more than 1.5 million Palestinians into displacement camps lacking the most basic living conditions.

The office said the situation poses a serious threat to the lives of the most vulnerable groups, particularly children, citing a near-total absence of heating supplies, lack of safe shelter, and severe shortages of blankets and winter clothing, compounded by ongoing restrictions on the entry of humanitarian aid.

It held Israel fully responsible for the deaths, which the statement described as part of a broader policy of “slow killing, starvation, and forced displacement.”

The media office urged the international community, the United Nations, and humanitarian and human rights organizations to take immediate action to establish safe shelters, allow the unrestricted entry of heating and relief supplies, and prevent further loss of life according to Anadolu.

The Israeli army has killed more than 71,000 people, most of them women and children, and injured over 171,000 others in a brutal offensive since October 2023 that left the Gaza Strip in ruins.

Despite a ceasefire that began last Oct. 10, the Israeli army has continued its attacks, killing 447 Palestinians and wounding 1,246 others, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.

News

Trump on Gaza ‘Board of Peace’

CrossFireArabia
January 12, 2026

US President Donald Trump is expected to name world leaders who will form part of a “Board of Peace” to administer the Gaza Strip amid a fragile ceasefire implemented last October, according to reports.

“The Board of Peace is being formed,” Trump told the press aboard Air Force One on Sunday, the Anadolu news agency reported. “Essentially, it’s the most important leaders of the most important nations … You take the most important leaders and nations, that’s who the Board of Peace is going to be.”

The board, which is expected to be chaired by Trump and include around 15 world leaders, will supervise a yet-to-be-formed Palestinian technocratic government and oversee the reconstruction process in Gaza outlined in the US president’s 20-point plan.

Bloomberg reported on Sunday that the aim of the board “is to help form an interim government to replace Hamas and to attract a foreign security force as well as funds.”

Bulgarian Diplomat

It is unclear who will be named as members of the board. However, last week Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that Nickolay Mladenov, a Bulgarian politician and diplomat, “is set to become the Director of the Gaza Strip Board of Peace.” He made the statement following a meeting with Mladenov in Jerusalem.

https://www.palestinechronicle.com/bulgarian-diplomat-set-to-head-trumps-board-of-peace-for-gaza-reports/embed/#?secret=2RQi3w2cmE#?secret=9h5fDjeQXq

Countries expected to join the board include the UK, Germany, France, Italy, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Egypt and Türkiye, according to Anadolu.

Details Outlined

On Friday, Palestinian-American academic Dr. Bisharah Bahbah, who reportedly served as a mediator between Hamas and US officials, issued a statement addressed to the “people of Gaza,” on the latest developments.

Bahbah said it is expected that the Gaza Peace Council will be announced “within the next week, with its first official meeting to be held on the sidelines of the Davos meetings in the third week of this month.”

Palestinian factions, he added, are also expected to meet in Cairo next week, following the announcement of the Peace Council’s members.

“During the Cairo meeting, the names of an independent technocratic committee to manage Gaza’s affairs are expected to be announced. The committee is expected to consist of twelve members,” he stated.

Bahbah noted that “the main entities” responsible for managing the reconstruction process are expected to be formed in about thirty days.

Aid Bodies Targeted

He stated that Israel “is currently seeking to withdraw recognition from most international institutions providing aid to the Gaza Strip, arguing that these institutions are hostile to Israel.”

In the future, he noted, aid is expected to be distributed through mechanisms supervised by privately owned companies.

https://www.palestinechronicle.com/undermine-un-european-states-slam-israels-law-targeting-unrwa-ingos/embed/#?secret=HJjuaTh0BB#?secret=J3oYQpKZpz

After the last Israeli body was handed over, Israel “will no longer have a pretext to close the Rafah crossing,” he said, adding that he expects the crossing to be reopened immediately thereafter.

Bahbah emphasized that he is “fully aware” of the extent of the suffering of the Palestinian population “due to the lack of adequate food, healthcare, shelter, and other basic necessities of a dignified life.” He believed “this year will mark a fundamental turning point for the better.”

Staggering Death Toll

Trump unveiled a 20-point plan on September 29, 2025, aimed at ending Israel’s genocidal assault on Gaza.

Despite the ceasefire that took effect in October last year, Israel has killed 442 Palestinians and injured 1,240 more, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.

The total death toll since it launched its genocidal assault on Gaza two years ago has risen to 71,419, with 171,318 injured according to the Palestine Chronicle.