Headlines

With Saudi ties restored, Syrians fulfil hajj dreams

By taking one of the first direct pilgrimage flights between Syria and Saudi Arabia in over a decade, Osama Kabbara realised two dreams: performing hajj and reuniting with his son. "For me, it's a double joy," said the emotional 70-year-old, who had not seen Maher, his eldest

'No joy': Gazans mark sombre Eid in shadow of war

In tents in the stifling heat and in bombed-out mosques, Gazans marked Sunday the start of the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha, devoid of the usual cheer as the Israel-Hamas war raged on. "There is no joy. We have been robbed of it," said Malakiya Salman, a 57-year-old displaced

Israel announces daily Gaza 'pause' for aid deliveries

Israel's military said Sunday it would "pause" fighting around a south Gaza route daily to facilitate aid deliveries, following months of warnings of famine in the besieged Palestinian territory. The announcement of a "local, tactical pause of military activity" during daylight

Israel's 'economic war' chokes occupied West Bank

Palestinian teenagers bounced on trampolines and jumped through hoops inside a towering tent on the outskirts of Ramallah, the financial hub of the occupied West Bank. But the circus students weren't the only ones bending over backwards in the pavilion: the school's director