(archive entries)
Daily Archives: 18. Oktober 2025
Israel says Rafah crossing to remain closed until further notice
The anticipated reopening of the Rafah crossing comes under the terms of US President Donald Trump’s peace plan, which established the ceasefire and a prisoner exchange between Hamas and Israel as part of the first phase.
The plan also led to a surge in humanitarian aid entering to the famine-stricken enclave.
UK sees lessons from Northern Ireland that could aid the fragile Gaza ceasefire process
The Irish Republican Army eventually agreed to put its arsenal “beyond use” by way of a secret process supervised by an international commission. Disarmament ran in parallel to efforts to resolve political disputes at the heart of the conflict, something that more than three decades of U.S.-led peace efforts in the Middle East have failed to accomplish.
It was slow going: The first batch of IRA weapons was decommissioned in 2001 and the last in 2005, seven years after the Good Friday Agreement. Several other British loyalist and Irish republican militant groups also disarmed as part of the process.
“The British might be able to counsel patience and pragmatism,” said Niall O Dochartaigh, a professor of political science at the University of Galway. “The IRA leadership had to be helped in various ways to make that argument (for disarmament) within the organization.
“Ultimately, decommissioning only happened in the Irish case once the IRA was satisfied that there was a political settlement bedded down,” he added.
Egypt expected to lead global stabilisation force in Gaza, say diplomats
A European and US-backed UN security council motion to give a planned international stabilisation force robust powers to control security inside Gaza is being prepared, with the strong expectation that Egypt will lead it, diplomats have said.
The US is pressing for the force to have a UN mandate without being a fully fledged UN peacekeeping force and will operate with the kind of powers given to international troops operating in Haiti to combat armed gangs.
Turkey, Indonesia and Azerbaijan are also being billed alongside Egypt as the main troop contributors.
Haiti, allies rally behind new gang suppression force despite concerns
(October 2, 2025)
Civil society groups also cautiously welcomed the vote. The Center for Analysis and Research in Human Rights (CARDH) and other signatories of the December 21 Accord emphasized that the mission’s success will depend on coordination between Haitian institutions, international backers and watchdog mechanisms.
Fighting back against the gangs: What is Haiti’s new UN-backed force?
(October 1, 2025)
The Gang Suppression Force (GSF) in Haiti is a newly authorized multinational mission by the UN Security Council.
With a 12-month mandate, the 5,550-strong force will work alongside Haitian authorities to neutralize gangs, secure infrastructure, and support humanitarian access.
Its main aim is to protect vulnerable populations from escalating violence and prevent the displacement that inevitably causes.
Defence in talks to support Gaza peace plan but Australia says no request yet
The Australian Defence Force (ADF) has had discussions with the United States about potential involvement in a future International Stabilisation Force (ISF), as part of President Donald Trump‘s peace plan in Gaza.
However, the government insists no request for assistance has been made yet.
Death toll from Israeli aggression on Gaza rises to 68,116 since October 2023
Local health authorities reported that 29 Palestinians, including 23 whose bodies were recovered, two who succumbed to their wounds, and four killed in direct Israeli strikes, were brought to hospitals across Gaza over the past 48 hours. Additionally, 21 people were injured during the same period.
Since the ceasefire came into effect on October 11, 2025, 27 Palestinians have been killed and 143 wounded, while the bodies of 404 victims have been retrieved. Authorities have also received 135 bodies that were held by Israel and returned in batches.
US seizes survivors of strike on suspected drug sub in Caribbean
For the survivors of Thursday’s strike, the saga is hardly over. They now face an unclear future and legal landscape, including questions about whether they are now considered to be prisoners of war or defendants in a criminal case. The White House did not comment on the strike.
‘Physical and psychological torture was the highlight last two years’ : Mohammad Dahleh
Mohammad Dahleh, a human rights lawyer, says “the motive for revenge” among the Israeli society was strong after the October 7, 2023 attack, and the country’s prison authority acted with the same motive towards inmates.
He said the Israeli prison system started beating and torturing prisoners right after the attack.
“They also prevented prisoners from sleeping and worshipping,” Dahleh told Al Jazeera from the occupied East Jerusalem, adding that many prisoners were deprived of medical treatment, which led to deaths in jails.
‘When I woke up, I realised I had lost my sight’: Released Palestinian detainee recounts torture
Mahmoud Abu Foul, 28, lost his leg in a 2015 Israeli bombing and was arrested late last year at Kamal Adwan Hospital.
He endured eight months of severe torture in Israeli custody, including with iron tools and electric shocks, which left him blind after a coma. Released recently, he remains without eye treatment and is now living in a tent in Gaza near ruins.
What we know about the torture, abuse of Palestinian prisoners by Israel
Naji Abbas, director of the prisoners and detainees department for Physicians for Human Rights Israel, said his organisation was “not surprised” at the condition of the bodies released.
“We have recorded hundreds of instances of torture and deaths in the Israeli prison system, dozens of Palestinians who have been killed, beaten to death, or have died after being refused treatment for months,” Abbas said.
One autopsy the organisation examined showed signs of violence on the body eight months after the person died, he added.
“These are documented cases of detainees’ bodies with clear signs of torture and of having been brutally restrained before death, and still it is not on every television and in every newspaper,” Abbas said.
Israel kills 11 Palestinian family members in Gaza’s deadliest truce breach
Seven children and three women were among those killed when the Israeli military fired on the vehicle as the family attempted to reach their home to inspect it, civil defence spokesperson Mahmoud Basal said in a statement.
“They could have been warned or dealt with differently,” Basal said, adding that “what happened confirms that the occupation is still thirsty for blood, and insists on committing crimes against innocent civilians.”
No Thrones. No Crowns. No Kings.
On October 18, millions of us are rising again to show the world: America has no kings, and the power belongs to the people.
No Kings protests: What to expect at Saturday‘s marches around the country
No Kings organizers estimated that more than 5 million people turned out for the June protests. They speculate that Saturday‘s event could be even bigger.