Day: 14 March 2024

The National Leadership of the Arab Socialist Baath Party – Qatar Yemen, expressed its warmest congratulations and blessings to the leader of the revolution, al-Sayeed Abdul-Malik Badr al-Din al-Houthi on the occasion of the holy month of Ramadan.

The leadership of the Arab Baath Party explained in a statement received (Saba) that the advent of this religious occasion comes when Yemen waging a holy jihadi battle carried out by the Yemeni armed forces in victory over the oppression of the Palestinian people.

Source: Yemen News Agency

GAZA: Dozens of innocent civilians were brutally murdered or wounded tonight in a new slaughter committed by the Israeli occupation forces. The massacre targeted a crowd of people waiting for the arrival of desperately needed relief aid at the Kuwait roundabout in Gaza City.

Local sources reported that the casualties occurred after Israeli warplanes and drones launched salvos of gunfire and missiles targeting a crowd of people who were waiting for the delivery of food and relief supplies near the Kuwait roundabout in Gaza City.

A video clip captured by a journalist at the scene of the deadly Israeli assault showed the bodies of several victims, including children, at the site of the massacre.

The bodies of at least 14 slain individuals and many more wounded were transported to the Al-Shifa Medical Complex in the aftermath of the Israeli carnage.

The Kuwait roundabout in Gaza City is the site designated for the delivery of UN aid destined to the northern Gaza Strip, subject to the approval of the Israeli o
ccupation authorities.

In recent weeks, the venue has seen repeated massacres perpetrated by the Israeli occupation forces against Palestinians waiting for the arrival of aid trucks.

The northern Gaza region, which includes Gaza City and the North Gaza province, has been under tight Israeli blockade since the outbreak of the ongoing Israeli war of genocide on the Strip, pushing the region’s nearly 700,000 Palestinian citizens to the verge of famine.

Source: Palestine News and Information Agency – WAFA

RAMALLAH: Dr. Mohammad Mustafa, the Palestinian Prime Minister-designate, is a distinguished economic and political figure, serving as a member of the Executive Committee of the PLO since 2022 and heading its Economic Department. He has been the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Palestine Investment Fund since 2015.

His extensive experience includes high-ranking roles in various international and Arab public and private economic institutions across Palestine, the Arab region, and the United States, focusing on governance, institutional building, development policies, and infrastructure development. He has been instrumental in initiating and managing several significant local and regional investment funds and companies.

Born in Palestine in 1954, Dr. Mustafa earned his doctorate in business administration and economics from George Washington University in 1988, after receiving his master’s degree in management from the same university in 1985 and a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the
University of Baghdad in 1976.

In his political career, Dr. Mustafa has held the role of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Economy in the sixteenth and seventeenth Palestinian governments (2014-2015) and served as Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs in the fifteenth Palestinian government. From 2006 to 2013, he was the CEO of the Palestine Investment Fund, where he leveraged his comprehensive experience from senior positions in private sector development and economic reform at the World Bank in Washington.

He also provided consultancy on economic reform to the State of Kuwait’s government and served as an advisor to the Public Investment Fund in Saudi Arabia from 1991 to 2005. His background includes several key positions in the private sector in Kuwait, the United States, and Palestine, as well as a stint as a visiting professor at George Washington University.

Throughout his tenure in Palestine, Dr. Mustafa has been a driving force behind the establishment and launch of numerous leadi
ng companies and investment funds, including the Palestinian Telecommunications Company Paltel, the Palestinian National Mobile Company in 2008, the Ammar Real Estate and Tourism Investment Company in 2009, Ammar Al-Quds in 2018, the Rasmala Palestinian Equity Fund in 2011, the Palestinian Leasing Company for Islamic Finance in 2013, Aswaaq Asset Management Company in 2014, focusing on Palestinian stock markets, Masdar Company for Natural Resource Development and Infrastructure Projects in 2015, and Palestine Power Generation.

In his public roles, Dr. Mustafa has participated in key organizations such as the World Economic Forum and served as Governor of Palestine at the Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development in Kuwait. He led the Ministerial Committee at the Donors’ Conference for the Reconstruction of Gaza in Cairo in 2014. Additionally, he is a member of the boards of trustees of the Institute for Palestine Studies and the Yasser Arafat Foundation.

Under the leadership of Dr. Mustafa, the Palestin
e Investment Fund (PIF) has evolved into a leading economic institution within Palestine, as well as a distinguished regional and international entity, demonstrated by its multitude of partnerships with a vast array of financial and private institutions worldwide. These partnerships span investment collaborations and include full membership in the International Forum of Sovereign Wealth Funds (IFSWF).

Source: Palestine News and Information Agency – WAFA

RAMALLAH: The Palestinian official media has vehemently denounced the decision by Itamar Ben-Gvir, Israel’s hard-right National Security Minister, to ban the Palestinian Broadcasting Corporation (PBC) from operating in occupied Jerusalem and the 1948-occupied territories.

In a press statement, the official Palestinian media described the ban as an aggressive act aimed at preventing PBC staff from performing their national and journalistic duty of documenting the suffering and resilience of the Palestinian people in the face of the continuous crimes of the Israeli occupation.

The ban, according to the statement, is an attempt by the Israeli occupation to commit its crimes away from the scrutiny of cameras, aligning with the policies of the extremist right-wing Israeli government. It said the ban starkly violates international laws and norms that guarantee freedom of opinion and expression.

The Palestinian media further urged human rights organizations and media institutions, including the International Fede
ration of Journalists, to reject this decision and recognize it as an additional crime by the fascist Israeli government against Palestinian journalism.

Source: Palestine News and Information Agency – WAFA

JENIN: Israeli occupation forces knocked down seven livestock sheds and structures today in the town of Barta’a, located west of Jenin in the occupied West Bank, according to local sources.

The owners of the sheds confirmed to WAFA that Israeli bulldozers demolished commercial structures and containers, including livestock sheds, completely destroying their contents under the pretext of lacking Israeli construction permits.

Badran Qabaha, one of the owners of the destroyed structures, stated that Israeli forces demolished four sheds, including two for livestock and two for storing goods, in addition to three containers.

Mohammed Qabaha, one of the owners, reported that Israeli troops demolished two livestock sheds and cages housing 200 birds within an area of 250 square meters. He added that the forces also demolished a shed for sheep owned by Mahmoud Qabaha.

Source: Palestine News and Information Agency – WAFA

JERUSALEM: Israeli occupation forces halted work today at a sports field in the village of Qalandia, northwest of occupied Jerusalem, according to local sources.

Waleed Al-Kishi, the head of Qalandia village council, reported that Israeli forces raided the field, which is being constructed with Swiss funding through the Municipal Development and Lending Fund (MDLF).

The occupation forces seized a vehicle and equipment belonging to the contractor, photographed the facilities and structures under construction, and ordered a halt on the construction work on the site.

Al-Kishi stated that this action is part of the Israeli occupation’s campaign against construction in the village’s lands that are classified as “Area C,” despite the fact that the field is located within the village center. He emphasized that all necessary Palestinian permits were obtained before commencing work on the field.

Source: Palestine News and Information Agency – WAFA

RAMALLAH: Weather on Palestine today is generally clear, with a drop in temperature, while remaining four degrees Celsius around its annual average, according to the Palestinian Meteorological Department (PMD).

Wind is northwesterly to southwesterly, light to moderate. Sea waves are low.

Partially cloudy to cloudy conditions are expected for Friday as temperature drops again. A slight chance of scattered rain showers are expected.

Saturday’s weather is expected to be partially cloudy with another drop in temperature.

Source: Palestine News and Information Agency – WAFA

Amman: Despite the limitations imposed by the Israeli occupation forces, tens of thousands of people attended the evening and Tarawih prayer on Thursday night in Al-Aqsa Mosque.

On the fourth day of the holy month of Ramadan, over 70,000 people performed the evening and Tarawih prayer within Al-Aqsa Mosque, according to the Islamic Awqaf Department in Jerusalem.

On the eve of the first Friday of Ramadan, the Israeli occupation reportedly set up military checkpoints in the Old City of occupied Jerusalem, barred many young men from entering Al-Aqsa Mosque to pray, and converted the Holy City into a military barracks, according to the Palestinian News Agency said.

Source: Jordan News Agency

New York: The United Nations Security Council will hold an open briefing, followed by closed consultations, on Yemen.

UN Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg and OCHA Director of Operations and Advocacy Edem Wosornu are expected to brief.

Head of the UN Mission to Support the Hodeidah Agreement (UNMHA) Major General Michael Beary and Executive Director of the UN Office for Project Services (UNOPS) Jorge Moreira da Silva will brief during the consultations.

Source: Jordan News Agency