News Archives - Page 152 of 379

France Pulls Out Pro-Trump Program on Gaza Take Over

CrossFireArabia
February 6, 2025

French public broadcaster Franceinfo on Thursday pulled a controversial program aired as part of the coverage on US President Donald Trump’s plan to take over Gaza and resettle Palestinians.

Franceinfo aired a program on Wednesday night, discussing Trump’s remarks on Gaza including to turn the enclave into “Riviera of the Middle East.”

Franck Delvau, head of UMIH, a union that represents the hospitality industry, and journalist Michel Mompontet were hosted in the program.

Delvau expressed pleasure over Trump’s Riviera description, saying Gaza would need infrastructure and time to become a touristic destination.

Mompontet, for his part, asserted that Hamas and Hezbollah are a bigger obstacle to tourism in Gaza than the “bedbug problem.”

The broadcast drew backlash, with many users on social media calling it shameful.

In a statement to the French daily Liberation, the communications department of Franceinfo said the broadcast was inappropriate and that they are sorry for it. It said the program was removed from the website.

Trump’s shock remarks that the US will “take over” Gaza after relocating Palestinians to other countries such as Egypt and Jordan has been rejected by the Arab world and many other countries including France according to Anadolu.

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Jerusalem Before 1947

CrossFireArabia
February 6, 2025

Jerusalem before 1947 was Palestinian and then the Israelis with guns backed by western powers came and took it.

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Israel Hides True Soldier Deaths, Injuries

CrossFireArabia
February 6, 2025

The discrepancy between the number of Israeli soldiers killed and wounded during the genocidal war on Gaza and the official casualty figures reported by the army shows that the Tel Aviv regime is concealing the true extent of its losses in the Strip.

Speaking at Work Programs Conference of the ministry of military affairs on Sunday, Israel’s newly appointed chief of staff Major General Eyal Zamir admitted that the number of Israeli soldiers killed and wounded in Gaza is significantly higher than what the army has officially reported.

The Israeli military asserts that 844 soldiers have lost their lives and 5,696 have sustained injuries since the onset of the bloody Gaza onslaught on October 7, 2023.

In contrast, Zamir stated that there are a minimum of 5,942 officially recognized “bereaved families” – a designation used exclusively for the families of soldiers killed in action.

He also revealed that over 15,000 soldiers have been admitted to the rehabilitation system due to physical injuries and mental health problems, reinforcing assumptions that Israel has been deliberately underreporting its military losses as reported in PressTV.

This is not the first time that the actual casualties and damages sustained by the Israeli army far exceed the official figures.

Back in December last year, Haaretz reported that while the Israeli army claimed only 1,593 soldiers were wounded between October and December, hospital records showed the actual number was 10,548.

The newspaper had earlier exposed that about 1,000 wounded soldiers were being admitted to rehabilitation centers every month.

Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza has led to the death of at least 47,583 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injury of 111,633 others since early October 2023.

A ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement went into effect in Gaza on January 19, halting Israel’s aggressive campaign against the coastal region.

Since the beginning of Israel’s onslaught against Gaza in October 2023, at least 905 Palestinians have been killed across the occupied West Bank in attacks by Israeli forces and settlers.

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25 Centimeters of Snow Fall on Lebanon

CrossFireArabia
February 6, 2025

Lebanon has been hit by a snowstorm and heavy rains, in the worst weather conditions in a decade.

Snow covered several villages and towns in mountainous areas of the western Beqaa region in eastern Lebanon, the state news agency NNA reported on Thursday.

With snow accumulating up to 25 centimeters, several towns in the Rachaya district became isolated, NNA said.

Heavy rainfall was also reported in Lebanon’s coastal areas.

Après plusieurs semaines d’hiver sec, la tempête de neige tant attendue, Acil, est enfin arrivée. Les montagnes libanaises se sont réveillées sous un épais manteau blanc, transformant les villages en magnifiques paysages hivernaux. La neige s’accumule et les routes deviennent… pic.twitter.com/PTMOg9DWTf
— Ici Beyrouth (@Icibeyrouthnews) February 6, 2025

Municipal authorities and the army have deployed snowplows and heavy machinery to reopen several roads that were blocked by the snowstorm.

The Lebanese Meteorological Service said the country is experiencing cloudy weather that is causing the temperature to drop below the seasonal averages.

Several other Middle Eastern countries, including Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Palestine, Syria, and Türkiye, are also experiencing severe weather conditions with heavy rains and snowfall, particularly in their mountainous areas according to Anadolu.

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Aid, Urgency and Rebuilding Gaza

CrossFireArabia
February 6, 2025

The UN World Food Programme (WFP) on Thursday called for urgent action to rebuild Gaza and increase international support to boost humanitarian assistance.

WFP Deputy Executive Director Carl Skau appealed for an increase in international support to boost humanitarian assistance for millions of people in Gaza as they seek to rebuild their lives.

Saying that WFP has sent in more than 15,000 tons of food since the ceasefire began on Jan. 19, he noted that it is not enough.

“This is a strong step in the right direction but it is not enough,” Skau said in a statement following his two-day visit to Gaza.

“The scale of the needs is enormous and progress must be maintained. The ceasefire must hold. We cannot go back.”

While it is too early to focus on recovery, Skau stated that it is critical that WFP and the entire humanitarian community assist Gazans to become self-sufficient and boost their long-term resilience against hunger.

“The people of Gaza are unique in their strength, resilience and capacity to rebuild,” he said.

He went on to say that international assistance should increasingly be geared towards supporting them in their first steps towards rebuilding their lives which requires funding.

“We call on the international community and all donors to continue supporting WFP’s life-saving assistance at this pivotal momen,” according to Anadolu.