Day: June 15, 2024

RAMALLAH, Israeli occupation forces shot and injured seven Palestinians, including three critically injured, in the central West Bank city of al-Bireh, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. The Ministry announced that seven Palestinians sustained injuries, including three critical injuries, from Israeli army gunfire in the course of confrontations with the occupation forces in the vicinity of al-Amari refugee camp. It added that a 12-year-old child was critically wounded in the abdomen and two other people sustained critical injuries in the chest and the thigh. Source: Kuwait News Agency

Rabat - His Majesty King Mohammed VI sent a congratulatory message to HM Charles III, Sovereign of the United Kingdom, on the occasion of his birthday. In this message, the Sovereign expresses to King Charles III, as well as to the members of his Royal Family, His heartfelt congratulations and His best wishes for health and happiness. 'May I say, once again, how much I value the close friendship and mutual esteem between us personally and our royal families, as well as the excellent cooperation enjoyed by our countries,' underlines HM the King. Source: Agence Marocaine De Presse

Mecca, The Royal Commission for Makkah City and the Holy Sites clarified that the installation project of flexible floors in the Holy Sites, utilizing cutting-edge technologies, aims to provide a comfortable and safe experience for the pilgrims of the Holy Kaaba. This initiative reduces walking effort, minimizes heat stress, and enhances visual aesthetics, while also decreasing heat emissions, using innovative materials including recycled rubber. Source: Bahrain News Agency

Mount Arafat - More than two million pilgrims gathered at Mount Arafat on Saturday to perform the most important rite of the Hajj in an atmosphere of piety and meditation. The pilgrims will perform the Dhuhur and Asr prayers, shortened and grouped together with a single call (adhan) but two iqama, in the Namira Mosque after listening to the Arafat Khutba (sermon), which will be translated into some twenty languages. At sunset, they will make their way to Muzdalifah, where they will perform the Al Maghrib and Isha prayers. About 20 km from Mecca, Mount Arafat, also known as Jabal al-Rahma, is the most important stage of the pilgrimage. On Sunday, the first day of Eid al-Adha in Saudi Arabia, pilgrims will begin at dawn to perform the ritual of stoning the stelae at the Mina site, by throwing the seven stones of 'Jamrat al-Aqaba'. Pilgrims will then shave and cut their hair, followed by the sacrifice of the 'Hady' of Eid al-Adha. They then perform the 'Tawaf al-Ifadha', after which they return to Mina to sp end the night for the remainder of the 'Tashriq' days. This year, the number of Moroccan pilgrims amounts to 34,000, of which 22,500 are supervised by the Ministry of Endowments and Islamic Affairs, while travel agencies supervise 11,500 pilgrims. Source: Agence Marocaine De Presse

New York, A senior United Nations official warned today that food supplies to southern Gaza are at risk due to Israel's expanded military operations. He also highlighted a public health crisis among those displaced by the Israeli offensive. Carl Skau, the Deputy Executive Director of the UN World Food Programme (WFP), stated that the situation in southern Gaza is deteriorating, despite an existing hunger crisis in the northern part of the region over the past months. The Rafah crossing on the Egyptian border had been the main supply route for aid during the ongoing eight-month conflict. However, operations at the crossing halted when Israel expanded its military campaign in early May in Rafah, where most of the population lived. "Before the Rafah operation, we had stocked up on supplies to feed people, but those stocks are running out. We no longer have the same access to individuals that we need and used to have," Skau said after a two-day visit to Gaza. As Israel advanced in Rafah, many refugees were di splaced again towards the north, heading to the coastal area of Mawasi, designated as a humanitarian zone. "It's a displacement crisis leading to a real protection disaster, with about a million people pushed out of Rafah now crammed into a small area along the beach," Skau added. "The weather is hot, and sanitary conditions are very poor. We were driving through rivers of sewage. It's a public health crisis in the making." Aid distribution faces challenges due to military operations, delays in permits from Israel, and increased chaos within Gaza. Despite increased food shipments to northern Gaza, Skau emphasised the need for basic healthcare, water, and sanitation to "reverse the hunger curve in the north entirely." He called for Israel to allow more healthcare supplies into Gaza. Israel claims it does not restrict relief supplies for civilians in Gaza and accuses the UN of slowing aid deliveries or executing them inefficiently. Source: Bahrain News Agency

Manama, His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, today received cables of greetings and well wishes on the occasion of Eid Al-Adha, from senior members of the Royal Family, Speaker of the Council of Representatives, Chairman of the Shura Council, ministers, senior officials, dignitaries, MPs and Shura Council members, municipal councilors, governors, Bahrain's ambassadors abroad, heads of diplomatic missions in the Kingdom, heads of associations, federations, sports clubs, and citizens. Source: Bahrain News Agency