United News of Bangladesh

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has once again rejected a U.S. proposal to relocate Palestinians from Gaza, stating that Israel should be responsible for covering the damage caused in the region and financing its reconstruction. While in Malaysia on Monday, Erdogan emphasized that the idea of forcing Palestinians, who have lived in the region for centuries, to leave is not to be taken seriously. He condemned the suggestion, likening it to a second Nakba—the mass displacement of Palestinians during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war. On his four-day tour through Malaysia, Indonesia, and Pakistan, Erdogan also drew attention to the extensive destruction in Gaza, urging Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government to focus on compensating for the estimated $100 billion in damages instead of attempting to find a new home for Gaza's people.  

Egypt will convene an emergency summit of Arab nations on February 27 to discuss the “latest serious developments” in the Palestinian territories, the country’s foreign ministry announced on Sunday. The summit follows Egypt’s efforts to rally regional opposition against a proposal reportedly linked to former US President Donald Trump, which suggests relocating Palestinians from Gaza to Egypt and Jordan while placing the coastal territory under US control. According to the statement, the summit was convened after extensive consultations between Egypt and Arab nations, including Palestine, which formally requested the meeting. Coordination efforts also involved Bahrain, the current chair of the Arab League. On Friday, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty engaged with regional counterparts, including officials from Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, to reinforce opposition to any forced displacement of Palestinians. War-torn Lebanon forms its first government in over 2 years Last week, Trump floated the idea of US administration over Gaza, proposing to transform the war-torn region into the “Riviera of the Middle East” after relocating its Palestinian residents to neighboring countries. The suggestion has sparked global condemnation, with Arab nations firmly rejecting the plan and reiterating their commitment to a two-state solution, ensuring an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel. Source: With input from Arab News

Lebanon’s new prime minister on Saturday formed the country’s first full-fledged government since 2022. President Joseph Aoun announced in a statement that he had accepted the resignation of the former caretaker government and signed a decree with new Prime Minister Nawaf Salam forming the new government. Salam’s cabinet of 24 ministers, split evenly between Christian and Muslim sects, was formed less than a month after he was appointed, and comes at a time where Lebanon is scrambling to rebuild its battered southern region and maintain security along its southern border after a devastating war between Israel and the Hezbollah militant group. A U.S.-brokered ceasefire deal ended the war in November. Lebanon is also still in the throes of a crippling economic crisis, now in its sixth year, which has battered its banks, destroyed its state electricity sector and left many in poverty unable to access their savings. Hamas releases 3 more Israeli hostages for dozens of Palestinian prisoners under Gaza ceasefire Salam, a diplomat and former president of the International Court of Justice, has vowed to reform Lebanon’s judiciary and battered economy and bring about stability in the troubled country, which has faced numerous economic, political, and security crises for decades. Though Hezbollah did not endorse Salam as prime minister, the Lebanese group did engage in negotiations with the new prime minister over the Shiite Muslim seats in government, as per Lebanon’s power-sharing system. Lebanon’s new authorities also mark a shift away from leaders that are close to Hezbollah, as Beirut hopes to continue improving ties with Saudi Arabia and other Gulf nations that have been concerned by Hezbollah’s growing political and military power over the past decade. In early January, former army chief Aoun was elected president, ending that position’s vacuum. He was also a candidate not endorsed by Hezbollah and key allies. Aoun has shared similar sentiments to Salam, also vowing to consolidate the state’s right to “monopolize the carrying of weapons,” in an apparent reference to the arms of Hezbollah.

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Hamas-led militants released three more hostages, all Israeli civilian men, on Saturday, and Israel was to free dozens of Palestinian prisoners as part of a fragile agreement that has paused the war in the Gaza Strip. The three hostages — Eli Sharabi, 52; Ohad Ben Ami, 56; and Or Levy, 34 — appeared gaunt and frail as armed Hamas fighters led them from a white van onto a stage set up in the town of Deir al-Balah. They appeared to be in poorer physical condition than any of the 18 other hostages released so far during the ceasefire. All were abducted during the Hamas-led attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, that sparked the war. Before a crowd of hundreds of people, Hamas fighters pointed a microphone at each of the three in turn and made them make a statement, before handing them over to waiting Red Cross officials. It was the first time hostages freed during this phase of the ceasefire have been made to make public statements during their release. U.S. President Donald Trump's stunning proposal to transfer the Palestinian population out of Gaza, welcomed by Israel but vehemently rejected by the Palestinians and most of the international community, does not appear to have affected the current phase of the truce, which runs until early March. But it could complicate talks over the second and more difficult phase, when Hamas is to release dozens more hostages in return for a lasting ceasefire. Hamas may be reluctant to free more captives — and lose its main bargaining chip — if it believes the U.S. and Israel are serious about depopulating the territory, which rights groups say would violate international law. Hours before Saturday's release, dozens of masked and armed Hamas fighters, some driving white pickup trucks with guns mounted on them, lined up at the location of the exchange near the territory's main north-south highway in Central Gaza. This was the fifth swap of hostages for prisoners since the ceasefire began on Jan. 19. Before Saturday, 18 hostages and more than 550 Palestinian prisoners had been freed. “The disturbing images from the release of Ohad, Eli, and Or serve as yet another stark and painful evidence that leaves no room for doubt — there is no time to waste for the hostages,” said the Hostages Families Forum, a group representing relatives of most of the hostages. The first phase of the ceasefire calls for the release of 33 hostages and nearly 2,000 prisoners, the return of Palestinians to northern Gaza and an increase in humanitarian aid to the devastated territory. Last week, wounded Palestinians were allowed to leave Gaza for Egypt for the first time since May. Who was released on Saturday?Sharabi and Ben Ami were both taken hostage from Kibbutz Beeri, one of the hardest-hit farming communities in the Hamas attack. Levy was abducted from the Nova music festival, where he was taking shelter in a saferoom when the militants arrived. Sharabi’s wife and two teenage daughters were killed during the Oct. 7, 2023, attack, while his brother Yossi was also abducted and died in captivity. Levy’s wife was also killed during the attack. His now 3-year-old son has been cared for by relatives for the past 16 months. Ben Ami, a father of three, was kidnapped with his wife, Raz. Raz Ben Ami was released during a weeklong ceasefire in November 2023. Relatives of the hostages cheered, clapped and cried as they watched live footage of their loved ones being released. Or Levy's brother, Michael, said his brother’s young son, Almog, was already informed his father was on his way. “Mogi, we found daddy,” Michael Levy said he told the boy, using his nickname, in an interview with Israeli Channel 12. “We haven’t seen happiness like that in him for a long time." The 183 Palestinian prisoners to be released by Israel on Saturday include 18 people serving life sentences for committing deadly attacks, 54 serving long-term sentences and 111 Palestinians from Gaza who were detained after the Oct. 7 attack. All are men, ranging in age from 20 to 61. While Israel considers them to be terrorists, Palestinians view them as heroes battling Israeli occupation. Virtually every Palestinian has a friend, relative or acquaintance who has been imprisoned. More than 100 hostages were released during a weeklong ceasefire in Nov. 2023. More than 70 are still in Gaza, and Israel has said 34 of those are believed to have been killed in the initial attack or to have died in captivity. Israel says Hamas has confirmed that eight of the 33 to be released in the first phase of the ceasefire are dead. Ceasefire is holding but next phase is uncertainIt is not clear whether Israel and Hamas have begun negotiating a second phase of the ceasefire, which calls for releasing the remaining hostages and extending the truce indefinitely. The war could resume in early March if an agreement is not reached. Israel says it is still committed to destroying Hamas, even after the militant group reasserted its rule over Gaza within hours of the latest ceasefire. A key far-right partner in Netanyahu’s coalition is calling for the war to resume after the ceasefire’s first phase. Hamas says it won’t release the remaining hostages without an end to the war and a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. In the Oct. 7 attack that started the war, some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, were killed. More than 47,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s retaliatory air and ground war, over half of them women and children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which does not say how many of the dead were militants. The Israeli military says it killed over 17,000 fighters, without providing evidence. It blames civilian deaths on Hamas because its fighters operate in residential neighborhoods. Senior militants among Palestinian prisoners set for releaseOf the 72 security prisoners being released Saturday, five hail from east Jerusalem, 14 from the Gaza Strip and the remaining 53 from the occupied West Bank. Seven are set to be transferred to Egypt ahead of further deportation. A total of 47 prisoners will be freed Saturday from Ofer prison, in the West Bank, and transferred to Palestinian custody at the Betunia crossing point near the administrative center of Ramallah where scores of relatives, friends and supporters were preparing a hero’s welcome. The Palestinian security prisoners were detained over offenses ranging from bomb attacks to involvement in militant organizations, in some cases dating back decades. Among them is Iyad Abu Shakhdam, 49, who has been locked up for nearly 21 years over his involvement in Hamas militant attacks in crowded civilian areas that killed dozens of Israelis during the Palestinian uprising of the early 2000s. That included a notorious 2004 suicide bus bombing in Israel’s southern desert city of Beersheba that killed 16 people, including a 4-year-old child. Another is Jamal al-Tawil, a prominent Hamas politician in the occupied West Bank and former mayor of the village of al-Bireh, abutting Ramallah. He has spent nearly two decades in and out of Israeli jail, with the military reporting his last arrest in 2021 over his alleged participation in violent riots and efforts to entrench Hamas' leadership in the West Bank. He was transferred to administrative detention, a repeatedly renewable six-month period in which suspects are held without charge or trial. Israel captured the West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem in the 1967 Mideast war. The Palestinians want all three territories for their future state.

President Donald Trump’s plan to seek U.S. ownership of the Gaza Strip and move out its population infuriated the Arab world. It stunned American allies and other global powers and even flummoxed members of Trump’s own party. The reaction in Israel was starkly different. The idea of removing hundreds of thousands of Palestinians from Gaza — once relegated to the fringes of political discourse in the country — has found fertile ground in an Israeli public traumatized by Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attacks and grasping for ways to feel secure again after the deadliest assault in their country’s history. Jewish Israeli politicians across the spectrum either embraced the idea wholeheartedly or expressed openness to it. Newspaper columns praised its audacity and TV commentators debated how the idea could practically be set in motion. The country’s defense minister ordered the military to plan for its eventual implementation. Whether or not the plan becomes reality — it is saddled with obstacles, not to mention moral, legal and practical implications — its mere pronouncement by the world's most powerful leader has sparked enthusiasm about an idea once considered to be beyond the pale in the Israeli mainstream. “The fact that it has been laid on the table,” said Israeli historian Tom Segev, “opens the door for such a clear crime to become legitimate.” To be sure, many of those who expressed openness to the plan said it seemed unfeasible for a multitude of legal and logistical reasons. And they say the departures should be voluntary, perhaps an acknowledgment of claims by critics, among them the U.N. secretary-general, that forced expulsions could amount to “ethnic cleansing.” And many others, including liberal Israelis and Palestinian citizens of Israel, voiced opposition to it. The liberal daily Haaretz, in an editorial Thursday, urged Israelis to “oppose transfer." “Even if Trump disregards international law, it’s crucial to remind Israelis that the forced expulsion or transfer of civilians violates international humanitarian law, constitutes a war crime and amounts to a crime against humanity,” the editorial said. Int’l opposition grows as Israel plans Palestinian relocation from Gaza In a joint Washington news conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday, Trump said he envisioned the U.S. taking control of the Gaza Strip, having its people relocate to other places and rebuilding the war-battered coastal enclave into the “Riviera of the Middle East.” The proposal sparked outrage in the Middle East, including in Egypt and Jordan, two close U.S. allies at peace with Israel that Trump has suggested take in the Palestinians. Netanyahu, meanwhile, called Trump’s plan “remarkable” and the “first good idea” that he had heard. “The actual idea of allowing first Gazans who want to leave, to leave. I mean, what’s wrong with that?” Netanyahu told Fox News. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz took it a step further, asking the military to craft a plan for a potential exodus. Katz has given few details on how such a plan would work. Even Netanyahu's rivals indicated openness. Benny Gantz, a former defense minister and centrist opposition figure, said Trump’s proposal showed “creative, original and intriguing thinking.” Opposition leader Yair Lapid, also a centrist, told Israeli Army Radio “in general, it’s good.” Both said the details and practicability of the plan were complicated and needed to be studied, and they urged Trump and Netanyahu to focus on freeing the hostages who remain in Gaza. For Palestinians, Trump's proclamation triggered painful memories of the expulsion or flight from their homes in what is now Israel in the 1948 war that led to its creation. It also resurfaced the trauma of further displacement wrought by the 1967 Mideast war, when Israel occupied the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. UN chief rejects 'any form of ethnic cleansing' in Gaza Staying steadfast on their land is a key component of the Palestinian identity. In fact, many Palestinian refugees dream of returning to the lands in Israel from which they were originally displaced — something Israel says would threaten its existence as a Jewish majority state. Segev says the concept of driving people off their land is not foreign to the Israeli consciousness. He says Israel's founding leaders felt they needed to clear Palestinians off the land to ensure the security and stability of the state. But in modern Israel, the idea has been promoted only by fringe elements, most prominently the slain radical Rabbi Meir Kahane. The American-born Kahane's views got him banished from the Israeli parliament and led the U.S. to outlaw his group, the Jewish Defense League. Now, however, Kahane's once radical positions are the mainstay of far-right political parties, including one led by a disciple of his, that have been key to Netanyahu’s rule. They were thrilled to have someone as powerful as Trump adopt their idea, which they have billed as “voluntary emigration,” a term the Palestinians say is a euphemism for forced transfer. Trump’s backing will likely embolden these hard-liners. When Hamas attacked on Oct. 7, Israelis were already in a yearslong shift away from support for Palestinian statehood and many had adopted an approach, promoted by Netanyahu, that the conflict was unsolvable and could only be managed through sporadic wars and military operations. The shock of Hamas’ attack — militants killed 1,200 and took about 250 hostages, parading some through Gaza to cheering crowds — brought the Palestinian issue back to the fore and prompted in Israelis an openness to more radical ideas as long as they help restore a sense of security. Trump's suggestion the US 'take over' the Gaza Strip is rejected by allies and adversaries alike Sefi Ovadia, a broadcaster on a popular Israeli talk radio morning show, told his audience Thursday that he had “moral reservations” to the idea before Oct. 7, but that since the attack, he no longer does. Ben Caspit, a widely read columnist, wrote in the Maariv daily that “every Israeli, barring the most delusional ones on the outer reaches of the left, ought to welcome this initiative.” Trauma from Hamas' attack has prompted many Israelis to believe that a way to end the Palestinian-Israeli conflict is to “remove Gaza from the equation," said Shmuel Rosner, a senior fellow at the Jewish People Policy Institute, a Jerusalem think tank. “It was a fringe idea in Israel before Oct. 7 and in some cases it was an illegitimate idea,” Rosner said of Trump's plan. “Oct. 7 changed everything."

Israel has started making arrangements for the departure of Palestinians from Gaza, despite widespread international opposition to President Trump's proposal to evacuate the region's population, reports AP> Behind the scenes, Egypt has been actively lobbying against the plan, warning that it could jeopardise its peace agreement with Israel, officials said. UN chief rejects 'any form of ethnic cleansing' in Gaza Trump's administration has already scaled back elements of the plan, stating that the relocation would be temporary, though there are limited details on how or when it would occur. In a recent social media post, Trump claimed that Israel would hand Gaza over to the U.S. following the war, with no U.S. soldiers needed for the redevelopment of the area. Palestinians strongly oppose the proposal, fearing that Israel would block their return as refugees. Egypt has expressed concerns that the expulsion would destabilise the region and endanger its peace deal with Israel, which has been a key element of regional stability and American influence for decades. Saudi Arabia, another major U.S. ally, has also rejected the forced transfer of Palestinians, stating it would not normalise relations with Israel without the creation of a Palestinian state that includes Gaza. While Trump and Israeli officials present the proposed relocation as voluntary, Palestinians are resolute in their desire to remain in their homeland. Trump and Israeli officials have not detailed their response to Palestinians who refuse to leave, though human rights organisations argue that the plan would amount to ethnic cleansing, involving the forced removal of a civilian population. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz announced Thursday that he has instructed the military to make preparations for facilitating the emigration of large numbers of Palestinians from Gaza via land crossings, as well as arrangements for sea and air exits. However, no immediate signs of such preparations have been observed on the ground. Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi has not publicly responded to Trump's proposal but has conveyed Egypt's opposition through multiple channels to both the U.S. and Israel. The Egyptian government has called the relocation plan a “blatant violation” of international law and warned that it poses a threat to Egypt's national security. Hamas, which controls most of Gaza, has condemned the plan, asserting that any U.S. takeover of Gaza would be viewed as an occupation, implying potential armed resistance. It remains uncertain if this will affect the upcoming release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners. Initially, Trump suggested resettling most of Gaza's population elsewhere permanently, with the U.S. taking responsibility for rebuilding the region. However, U.S. officials later scaled back the proposal, stating the relocation would be temporary, with no commitment to deploying U.S. troops or using American taxpayer funds for reconstruction. Egypt has made clear that it believes Palestinians do not need to be relocated for Gaza's reconstruction to proceed and reiterated its support for the creation of a Palestinian state. Israel, however, opposes Palestinian statehood and insists on maintaining control over Gaza and the occupied West Bank. In a recent editorial, Egypt's state-run daily, Al-Ahram, warned that the independence of Arab nations, their unity, and territorial integrity are under serious threat due to the proposal. Trump's suggestion the US 'take over' the Gaza Strip is rejected by allies and adversaries alike European countries, including Spain and Ireland, have rejected calls to absorb Palestinians. Spain's Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares firmly stated that Gaza belongs to its people, while Ireland reaffirmed its stance that the goal must be to ensure the safe return of Palestinians to their homes.

It is vital to stay true to the bedrock of international law and "avoid any form of ethnic cleansing" in Gaza, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned on Wednesday. At its essence, the exercise of the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people is about the right of Palestinians to simply live as human beings in their own land, Guterres told a UN committee meeting. "We have seen the realization of those rights steadily slip farther out of reach. We have seen a chilling, systematic dehumanization and demonization of an entire people," he said in remarks at the 2025 session of the committee on the exercise of the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people. "In the search for solutions, we must not make the problem worse," Guterres warned. "It is vital to stay true to the bedrock of international law. It is essential to avoid any form of ethnic cleansing." Trump's suggestion the US 'take over' the Gaza Strip is rejected by allies and adversaries alike Guterres' speech came one day after US President Donald Trump proposed that Palestinians will resettle elsewhere and the United States will take over and gain "long-term ownership position" in the war-torn enclave. But the UN chief didn't mention Trump or his proposal during his address. During the meeting, Guterres also called for a full ceasefire in Gaza following the first phase of a truce deal between Israel and Hamas. "First, we must keep pushing for a permanent ceasefire and the release of all hostages without delay," he said. "We cannot go back to more death and destruction." Highlighting the importance of the two-state solution, the UN chief said, "A viable, sovereign Palestinian State living side-by-side in peace and security with Israel is the only sustainable solution for Middle East stability." Guterres also voiced his concern over the escalating situation in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. "I am gravely concerned by rising violence by Israeli settlers and other violations," he said. The UN chief stressed the violence must stop, and international law must be respected, and accountability ensured. Reiterating the UN's full commitment to the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people, Guterres called on the international community to work toward preserving the unity, contiguity, and integrity of the occupied Palestinian territory and the recovery and reconstruction of Gaza. Trump floated his plan during a joint press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday, suggesting that the United States could take control of Gaza and relocate Palestinians, which has sparked widespread defiance and condemnation. At Wednesday's noon briefing, when asked if Guterres believes Trump's plan amounted to ethnic cleansing, Stephane Dujarric, spokesperson for the UN secretary-general, responded, "Any forced displacement of people is tantamount to ethnic cleansing.

President Donald Trump's proposal that the United States “take over” the Gaza Strip and permanently resettle its Palestinian residents was swiftly rejected and denounced on Wednesday by American allies and adversaries alike. Trump's suggestion came at a White House news conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who smiled several times as the president detailed a plan to build new settlements for Palestinians outside the Gaza Strip, and for the U.S. to take “ownership” in redeveloping the war-torn territory into “the Riviera of the Middle East.” “The U.S. will take over the Gaza Strip, and we will do a job with it too,” Trump said. “We'll own it and be responsible for dismantling all of the dangerous unexploded bombs and other weapons on the site, level the site, and get rid of the destroyed buildings, level it out, create an economic development that will supply unlimited numbers of jobs.” The comments came amid a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, during which the militant group has been turning over hostages in exchange for the release of prisoners held by Israel. Egypt, Jordan and other American allies in the Middle East have already rejected the idea of relocating more than 2 million Palestinians from Gaza elsewhere in the region. Saudi Arabia, an important American ally, weighed in quickly on Trump's expanded idea to take over the Gaza Strip in a sharply worded statement, noting that its long call for an independent Palestinian state was a “firm, steadfast and unwavering position.” “The kingdom of Saudi Arabia also stresses what it had previously announced regarding its absolute rejection of infringement on the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, whether through Israeli settlement policies, annexation of Palestinian lands or efforts to displace the Palestinian people from their land,” the statement said. Similarly, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told reporters in Canberra, Australia, that his country has long supported a two-state solution in the Middle East and that nothing had changed. “Australia's position is the same as it was this morning, as it was last year, as it was 10 years ago,” he said. Trump's aid freeze shocks Syria camp housing IS-linked families Trump has already made waves — and upset longtime allies — suggesting the purchase of Greenland, the annexation of Canada and the possible takeover of the Panama Canal. It was not immediately clear whether the idea of taking over the Gaza Strip was a well thought out plan, or an opening gambit in negotiations. Albanese, whose country is one of the strongest American allies in the Asia-Pacific region, seemed frustrated to even be asked about the Gaza plan, underscoring that his policies "will be consistent." “I'm not going to, as Australia's prime minister, give a daily commentary on statements by the U.S. president,” he said. “My job is to support Australia's position.” New Zealand's Foreign Ministry said in a statement that its “long-standing support for a two-state solution is on the record” and added that it, too, “won't be commenting on every proposal that is put forward.” Hamas, which sparked the war with its Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel, said Trump's proposal was a “recipe for creating chaos and tension in the region." “Instead of holding the Zionist occupation accountable for the crime of genocide and displacement, it is being rewarded, not punished,” the militant group said in a statement. In its attack on Israel, Hamas killed some 1,200 people, primarily civilians, and took about 250 hostages. Israel's ensuing air and ground war has has killed over 47,000 Palestinians, more than half of them women and children, according to local health authorities who do not say how many of the dead were fighters. The war has left large parts of several cities in ruins and displaced around 90% of Gaza’s population of 2.3 million people. 15 dead in northern Syria car bomb blast In the U.S., opposition politicians quickly rejected Trump's idea, with Democratic Sen. Chris Coons calling his comments "offensive and insane and dangerous and foolish.” The idea “risks the rest of the world thinking that we are an unbalanced and unreliable partner because our president makes insane proposals,” Coons said, noting the irony of the proposal coming shortly after Trump had moved to dismantle the U.S. Agency for International Development. “Why on earth would we abandon decades of well-established humanitarian programs around the world, and now launch into one of the world’s greatest humanitarian challenges?” Coons said. Democratic Rep. Rashida Tlaib, a Palestinian American member of Congress from Michigan, accused Trump in a social media post of “openly calling for ethnic cleansing” with the idea of resettling Gaza's entire population.

Ahmad Abdullah Hammoud was fortunate to have some stored food to sustain his family after a U.S.-funded organisation abruptly halted its aid efforts at the vast tent camp in northeastern Syria, where they have been confined for nearly six years, reports AP. His family is among 37,000 individuals, primarily women and children, with alleged links to the Islamic State group at the bleak, garbage-littered al-Hol camp. The Trump administration’s unprecedented freeze on foreign aid triggered chaos and uncertainty, further deteriorating already dire humanitarian conditions. USAID Trade Activity's Easy Export Series Equips Bangladeshi Exporters with Essential Food Safety Knowledge for Successful Export in EU, GCC, and US Markets For years, human rights organisations have reported on the harsh living conditions and widespread violence in the camp, which primarily accommodates wives and children of IS fighters as well as supporters of the militant group. Following the aid freeze announced shortly after Trump took office, U.S.-funded humanitarian programmes worldwide began shutting down, including the organisation overseeing much of al-Hol’s operations under the supervision of the U.S.-led coalition against IS. Blumont, a U.S.-based organisation, temporarily suspended operations, according to the camp's director. The group had been providing vital supplies, including bread, water, kerosene, and cooking gas. Blumont did not respond to queries. “We were distressed when Blumont stopped its activities," said Hammoud, who denies any affiliation with IS and had taken refuge in an IS-controlled area after being displaced during Syria's civil war. “Believe me, we found no food. Even bread arrived only at 2 p.m.,” said another camp resident, Dirar al-Ali. Camp director Jihan Hanan informed The Associated Press that other aid agencies, including the World Health Organization, had also halted some operations. “It is a disgraceful decision,” Hanan remarked regarding the Trump administration’s action, adding that some residents insisted they should be allowed to leave if food could not be provided. Blumont distributes 5,000 bags of bread daily at a cost of approximately $4,000, a burden local authorities in the Kurdish-run enclave cannot shoulder, she noted. Uncertain Future Hanan stated that Blumont received a two-week waiver from the Trump administration and resumed operations on 28 January. However, it remains unclear what will happen once the waiver expires. Mazloum Abdi, the commander of the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) that control northeastern Syria, said he had raised concerns about the aid freeze with officials from the U.S.-led coalition. “We are close to finding an alternative to this decision,” Abdi said, adding that an exemption could be granted for northeastern Syria. The U.S. aid freeze comes as IS seeks to exploit the vacuum created by the fall of Assad’s government in early December to insurgents. Another cut in food supplies could spark riots among camp residents, potentially benefiting IS, which still maintains sleeper cells within the camp. Hanan revealed that the camp had received intelligence from the U.S.-led coalition, the Iraqi government, and the SDF indicating that IS was planning an attack on the camp following Assad’s downfall. Security has been reinforced, and the situation is under control, she assured. The SDF manages 28 detention centres in northeastern Syria, holding approximately 9,000 IS members. According to Hanan and an official at the largest detention facility in the northeastern city of Hassakeh, security at al-Hol and these detention centres is unlikely to be affected by the U.S. aid freeze. Al-Hol’s main section houses around 16,000 Iraqis and 15,000 Syrians. In a separate, heavily guarded area known as the Annex, an additional 6,300 individuals from 42 countries—primarily wives, widows, and children regarded as the most fervent IS supporters—reside. The camp lacks paved roads and is strewn with rubbish. Teenagers and children, with little to occupy them, pass the time playing football or aimlessly wandering. Children in the Annex hurled stones at visiting Associated Press journalists, shouting, “You are a Satan” and “The Islamic State is lasting.” ‘Sustenance Comes from God’ A Chinese woman in the Annex, who identified herself as Asmaa Ahmad and said she was from China’s western Xinjiang region, described her husband as “an Islamic State martyr” who was killed in 2019 in Baghouz, eastern Syria, where IS lost its final stronghold. Ahmad, living in the camp with her four children, expressed reluctance to return to China due to fears of persecution. When asked about the temporary halt of U.S. aid, she responded, “Sustenance comes from God.” She added that she was awaiting rescue by IS members. Al-Hol is the most dangerous place in the world, asserted camp director Hanan, urging countries to repatriate their citizens to prevent children from being indoctrinated with extremist ideologies. “This place is not suitable for children,” she warned. For years, the U.S. military has been advocating for countries with citizens in al-Hol and the smaller Roj Camp to repatriate them. “Without international repatriation, rehabilitation, and reintegration efforts, these camps risk creating the next generation of ISIS,” said Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla, head of U.S. Central Command, during a visit to al-Hol in mid-January. Hanan mentioned that since Assad’s fall, many Syrians in the camp had expressed a desire to return to areas now controlled by Syria’s new rulers. Camp authorities decided that any Syrian wishing to leave may do so. USAID website goes offline in Trump administration's 2-week-old freeze on foreign aid worldwide Even if the camp’s population declines, “there will be a catastrophe” if U.S. aid is suspended again, she cautioned.

At least 15 people lost their lives, and dozens were injured on Monday when a car bomb detonated on the outskirts of a northern Syrian city, according to local civil defence and a war monitor, reports AP. The explosion occurred near the city of Manbij, where the bomb-laden vehicle went off next to another vehicle transporting agricultural workers. The local Syrian civil defence reported that 14 women and one man were killed, while 15 more women sustained injuries, some in critical condition. However, the Britain-based war monitor, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, claimed that 18 women and one man had died. Aid freeze deepens crisis at Syria’s Al-Hol camp Despite the fall of President Bashar Assad in December, Manbij, located in northeastern Aleppo province, remains plagued by violence. Turkish-backed factions known as the Syrian National Army continue to engage in clashes with the U.S.-backed Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces. On Saturday, another car bombing in Manbij resulted in the deaths of four civilians and left nine others wounded, according to SANA, which cited civil defence officials. Syria's interim president lands in Saudi Arabia on first trip abroad