Author: tngadmin

Turkey and others have made efforts to end tensions between Israel and Palestine with the primary condition being Israel leaving Al-Aqsa Mosque, the former head of Hamas said on late Friday.

Khaled Mashal, who is currently responsible for Hamas abroad, evaluated Israel’s violations of the Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem and the stage that followed attacks on the Gaza Strip during an interview with Turkey’s TRT Arabic.

Mashal said Israel was playing with fire that sparked the current crisis by raiding Al-Aqsa Mosque and stressed that Palestinian resistance groups in Gaza warned Israel for several days to stop attacks on Jerusalem.

“This is a national struggle because we were a people living on this land, and the invaders came and displaced us. So this is a resistance to the invaders,” he said. “We are not fighting them because they are Jews, but because they are invaders. We have the right to defend our land.”

He said no one can deprive Palestinians of the right to resistance and underscored that Israel cannot deprive Palestinians of the right to be near Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa Mosque.

– Hamas’ conditions for ending tensions

Mashal said there is movement by Turkey, Egypt, Qatar and the US to control the escalation between Gaza and Israel.

“The most important conditions are the exit of occupying Israel from Al-Aqsa Mosque, the recognition of freedom of worship to our people and Muslims in Al-Aqsa Mosque, and the cessation of the displacement of Palestinians in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood,” said Mashal.

He emphasized that resistance groups have been able to improve their military capabilities despite the embargo on the Gaza Strip.

– Palestine vs. Israel

Israeli forces in recent days have attacked Palestinians protesting in solidarity with residents of the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood in East Jerusalem, who were evicted by an Israeli court.

The occupying forces also raided the Al-Aqsa Mosque during special night prayers during Ramadan.

The subsequent escalation of tensions resulted in airstrikes by Israel on Gaza, killing more than 120 Palestinians, including children and women, according to health officials. At least 920 others have been injured, in addition to heavy damage to residential buildings.

Israel occupied East Jerusalem, where Al-Aqsa is located, during the 1967 Arab-Israeli war. It annexed the entire city in 1980, in a move never recognized by the international community.

Source: Anadolu Agency

It has been 73 years since the Nakba, or The Catastrophe, and Palestinians are marking the day this year amid Israeli attacks on occupied lands.

Observed on May 15 annually, Nakba Day marks the 1948 forced expulsion of nearly 800,000 Palestinians from their homes in historical Palestine.

Seventy-three years ago, hundreds of Palestinians were forced to leave their villages and towns in historical Palestine to neighboring countries like Jordan, Lebanon and Syria.

Another part of Palestinians found themselves displaced to the Gaza Strip and West Bank amid rising attacks by Zionist gangs to pave for the way for the creation of the state of Israel.

Despite their decades-long suffering, however, Palestinians still continue to affirm their right to return to their homes and villages in the historical Palestine, coming up with creating ways to make this right achievable.

The Palestine-Israel conflict dates back to 1917 when the British government, in the now-famous Balfour Declaration, called for “the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people”.

According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS), the Nakba resulted in the displacement of nearly 800,000 Palestinians out of 1.4 million Palestinians who lived in historical Palestine in 1948 in 1,300 villages and towns.

On the other hand, Palestinians today are exposed to unprecedented oppression and attacks of Israel in their homeland.

Israeli airstrikes on Gaza since May 10 killed at least 139 people, including 39 children and 22 women, and injured 950 people.

The air raids on Gaza were preceded by days of tensions and Israeli aggression in occupied East Jerusalem, where hundreds of Palestinians were assaulted by Israeli forces and settlers at the Al-Aqsa Mosque and in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood.

Tensions spread from occupied East Jerusalem to Gaza after Palestinian resistance groups there vowed to retaliate for Israeli assaults if they were not halted.

– Palestine’s partition decision and 1948 Arab-Israeli War

The 1948 Arab-Israeli War, which took place at the same time as Israel’s establishment, did not alleviate the suffering of the Palestinians and could not stop the occupation of their lands and expulsion.

The UN General Assembly approved a resolution on Nov. 29, 1947, which required the division of Palestine into a Jewish and a Palestinian state. While Arab countries, especially Palestinians, opposed the decision, the Zionists welcomed it.

The day after the partition decision, the armed Jewish gang Haganah units, founded by the Zionists, took over the areas prepared for the Jewish to reside.

As soon as the British mandate was over in Palestine, armed organizations announced the establishment of Israel by David Ben Gurion on May 14, 1948.

Following the events, the Arab League formed a joint army with forces from various countries under the leadership of a Syrian commander to help the Palestinians against the attacks of armed Zionist gangs.

Despite being weak in terms of weapons and equipment, these troops regained control over the Palestinian territories captured by armed Zionist gangs.

As a result of the clashes, the first cease-fire was reached on June 11, 1948 with the decision of the UN Security Council (UNSC).

The cease-fire decision stipulated that the parties would not go beyond their positions and not increase the number of soldiers and forces fighting.

With this decision, the clashes in the region stopped for four weeks, Palestinians and Arab troops remained tied to the cease-fire.

However, violating the cease-fire, Israel increased its military power during the four-week-truce.

In short, the cease-fire reached over international intervention led to balances in Israel’s favor.

States such as the US and Britain, which ignored Israel’s cease-fire violations, also prevented Arab countries from acquiring weapons and equipment.

Israeli forces captured the cities one by one after the first cease-fire and afterwards, the second cease-fire was declared by the UNSC on July 15, 1948. Despite the cease-fire, Israel continued its attacks.

The UNSC passed a decision on Dec. 29, 1948, ending the war. After this decision, the Arab-Israeli War ended. The Arab countries, which had advanced in the Palestinian territories at first, withdrew from the lands in favor of Israel.

– Nakba: Suffering continues for 73 years

The war between the Arab countries and Israel could not prevent the Israeli occupation of Palestine.

Israel’s independence declaration in the historic Palestinian territories on May 14, 1948 marked the beginning of a series of disasters for Palestinians for decades.

The most of the Palestinian lands were occupied, thousands of Palestinians were killed in systematic massacres.

Source: Anadolu Agency

Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif scrapped his previously scheduled visit to Austria on Saturday in protest against Vienna’s open support for Israeli aggression on Palestine.

Zarif, who is presently on a European tour, was expected to arrive in Vienna on Saturday from Madrid, but there was a last-minute change in his itinerary.

Informed sources in Tehran and media reports suggested that the visit was canceled after Israeli flags were hoisted on important government buildings in the Austrian capital, including the Chancellery and Foreign Ministry.

Austria’s Foreign Ministry spokesman confirmed on Saturday that Zarif would not be visiting Vienna for a planned meeting with his Austrian counterpart Alexander Schallenberg.

The hoisting of Israeli flags by the Austrian government was seen as a mark of solidarity with its ally Tel Aviv, a move denounced by many Muslim countries.

Vienna has been for the past several weeks hosting negotiations between Iran and the world powers aimed at reviving the 2015 nuclear deal.

Iran’s chief nuclear negotiator Abbas Araghchi on Friday also took strong umbrage to Vienna’s support for Israeli war crimes in the occupied territories of Palestine.

He called the move “shocking and painful” while reaffirming his country’s support to Palestine.

“Vienna is the seat of IAEA & UN, and Austria so far been a great host for negotiations,” Araqchi wrote on Twitter. “Shocking and painful to see flag of the occupying regime, that brutally killed tens of innocent civilians, including many children in just few days, over govt offices in Vienna. We stand with Palestine.”

Earlier, Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz had offered sympathy to the Israeli regime and ordered the hoisting of Israeli flag over government offices in Vienna.

It came after pro-Palestine solidarity rallies were organized in the capital city to protest Israeli regime’s continued aggression against Palestinians, bombing of civilian areas and indiscriminate killing of civilians, including children.

The latest Israeli aggression on Palestine has been widely condemned across the Muslim world.

Iranian officials, including Zarif, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, President Hassan Rouhani, Parliament Speaker Baqer Qalibaf, and judiciary chief Ebrahim Raeesi have issued statements in recent days denouncing Israeli regime’s atrocities.

Source: Anadolu Agency

Major indexes in the US stocks market closed Friday higher to bounce back from previous losses earlier in the week.

The Dow Jones was up 360 points, or 1%, to 34,382 with major investment banks Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley adding nearly 3% apiece.

The S&P 500 increased 1.5%, to 4,173 with Tesla soaring 3%. the Nasdaq added 304, or 2.3%, to 13,430 as Uber and Zoom Video jumped 6% each. The tech-heavy index recorded its best daily performance since March 11.

On a weekly basis, however, the Dow was down 1.1%, while the S&P 500 shed 1.4% and the Nasdaq lost 2.3% for a fourth consecutive weekly decline.

The indexes plummeted during the first three trading days of the week days after the World Health Organization said Monday it was reclassifying the triple-mutant coronavirus variant in India a concern, indicating it has become a global health threat, which caused worries among investors.

The VIX volatility index, however, managed to recover Friday to 20.12 level with a 13% decline. The yield on 10-year US Treasury bonds was also down 2.2% to 1.632%.

Source: Anadolu Agency

Anadolu Efes led Turkey’s ING Basketball Super League playoffs with a comfortable 96-73 win against Empera Hali Gaziantep Basketbol in the quarterfinal series to go up 1-0 in the series Friday.

The victors were led by French power forward Adrien Moerman who scored 20 points at Istanbul’s Sinan Erdem Sports Hall. Moerman also had seven boards.

Serbian point guard Vasilije Micic added 19 for Anadolu Efes.

French power forward-center Mouhammadou Jaiteh was the game’s top scorer with 26 points for Empera Hali Gaziantep Basketbol, to go along with seven rebounds.

Game 2 of the best-of-three series will be held on Empera Halı Gaziantep Basketbol’s home court Sunday, May 16 with Anadolu Efes looking to book a ticket into the semifinals.

– Quarterfinals game 1 results:

Pinar Karsiyaka – Turk Telekom: 82-79 (1-0)

Fenerbahce Beko – Darussafaka Tekfen: 103-91 (1-0)

Anadolu Efes – Empera Hali Gaziantep Basketbol: 96-73 (1-0)

TOFAS – Besiktas Icrypex: 90-92 (0-1)

– Game two fixtures

Saturday:

Turk Telekom – Pinar Karsiyaka

Darussafaka Tekfen – Fenerbahce Beko

Sunday, May 16:

Empera Hali Gaziantep Basketbol – Anadolu Efes

Besiktas Icrypex – TOFAS

Source: Anadolu Agency

Signaling a possible dip in the ongoing third wave of coronavirus, Pakistan on Saturday recorded 1,531 infections, the lowest daily tally since March, the Health Ministry said.

On March 8 the South Asian country saw 1,353 infections.

Another 83 people lost their lives due to the novel virus over the past 24 hours, bringing the total death toll since March 2020 to 19,467.

The overall national infection tally stands at 874,751, with 783,480 recoveries. The total number of active cases in the country is 71,804.

The recent decline in the number of cases is viewed as the result of a strict government lockdown during the Eid al-Fitr, a Muslim holiday celebrating the end of the holy month of Ramadan.

Health experts, however, fear a rise in number of cases once the restrictions are eased starting Sunday.

Source: Anadolu Agency

With more than 326,000 new cases of coronavirus reported in India on Saturday, the Health Ministry said that the second wave in the country is “stabilizing”.

“…overall, the situation is stabilizing and we will work towards ensuring further stabilization and a rapid decline of this pandemic. In this wave, at a stage, we had 40 lakh (4 million) active cases and right now it is around 36-37 lakhs,” Dr. Vinod Paul said at a press briefing.

Paul is a member of the National Institute for Transforming India Aayog, the government’s main policy think-tank, and the co-chair of the National Expert Group on Vaccine Administration for COVID-19.

India has reported less than 400,000 daily infections for the past few days. Total cases are currently at 24.37 million while the death toll stands at 266,207 with 3,890 fatalities recorded in the last 24 hours.

During the Health Ministry’s briefing , doctors said that Mucormycosis, a deadly fungal infection, has seen a significant increase.

“There were very few cases of this infection before coronavirus … now due to COVID-19 and its treatment, we are seeing more cases now,” said Randeep Guleria, director of New Delhi-based hospital All India Institute of Medical Sciences.

He said there are almost 23 coronavirus cases with fungal infection in the hospital. “In some states, the number is more than 400- 500,” he added.

According to the doctors, Mucormycosis is fatal for people who have weak immune systems and also causes loss of eyesight, removal of the nose and jaw bone.

Earlier in the day, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a meeting on coronavirus and vaccination-related situation.

“(The prime minister) directed that an immediate audit of installation and operation of ventilators provided by the central government should be carried out,” a statement issued by the premier’s office said.

While the hardest-hit national capital of New Delhi is seeing fewer cases, many rural areas are now experiencing a spike.

Many cities and states are currently under a lockdown.

Amid a large number of cases, more countries continue to send aid to country battered by coronavirus.

Early Saturday, the Ministry of External Affairs said aid from Kazakhstan arrived in India.

The densely populated country is reeling under a deadly second COVID-19 wave with the healthcare system in many states facing issues of oxygen supply at hospitals.

Dozens of bodies have recently been found floating in the Ganges river in India’s Uttar Pradesh and Bihar states.

Source: Anadolu Agency

The American news agency Associated Press on Saturday voiced “shock and horror” over an Israeli attack targeting a building which houses its office in Gaza City.

“We are shocked and horrified that the Israeli military would target and destroy the building housing AP’s bureau and other news organizations in Gaza,” Associated Press CEO and President Gary Pruitt said in a statement.

“We are seeking information from the Israeli government and are engaged with the U.S. State Department to try to learn more,” he added.

Despite Israel’s knowing the location of Associated Press office there, Pruitt said that they received a warning that the building would be hit.

“This is an incredibly disturbing development. We narrowly avoided a terrible loss of life. A dozen AP journalists and freelancers were inside the building and thankfully we were able to evacuate them in time,” he stated.

“The world will know less about what is happening in Gaza because of what happened today,” he concluded.

On Saturday, Israeli warplanes destroyed a building in Gaza City with offices of various media groups, including Al Jazeera and the Associated Press.

An Anadolu Agency correspondent reported that several Israeli missiles hit the Al-Jala Tower.

The 13-story building, one of Gaza’s oldest multi-story buildings, had a total of 60 units, including offices of media companies, legal firms, and doctors.

Offices of Mayadeen Company for media services, radio station of Voice of Prisoners, and Doha Media Center were among the media offices destroyed by the Israeli shelling.

Israel has destroyed at least four multi-story buildings since it launched air strikes on the Gaza Strip on May 10.

At least 139 people, including 39 children and 22 women, have been killed and 950 more injured in the Israeli attacks on Gaza.

Source: Anadolu Agency

Turkish security forces “neutralized” two PKK terrorists on Friday in the Metina region of northern Iraq, according to Turkey’s National Defense Ministry.

The ministry reported that the terrorists who martyred Turkish Specialist Corporal Yasin Ozdemir were “neutralized” by the Turkish Air Force.

Turkish authorities use the word “neutralized” in statements to imply terrorists in question either surrendered, were killed or captured.

“All terror lairs will be destroyed, and not a single martyr’s blood will remain unavenged,” the ministry said on Twitter.

PKK terrorists often hide out in northern Iraq, across Turkey’s border, to plan attacks in Turkey.

In its more than 35-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK – listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the US, and the EU – has been responsible for the deaths of at least 40,000 people, including women, children and infants.

Source: Anadolu Agency