Monitoring group says high death rate in two months indicates change in US policy that could affect Iran Dan Sabbagh Houthi supporters hold anti-US and Israel placards and wave flags during an anti-US and anti-Israel protest in Sana'a, Yemen, 13 June 2025. Photograph: Yahya Arhab/EPA The US bombing campaign of Yemen under Donald Trump led to the deaths of almost as many civilians in two months as in the previous 23 years of US attacks on Islamists and militants in the country. An analysis of Operation Rough Rider by the monitoring group Airwars has concluded that 224 civilians were killed between March and the end of the campaign in May, compared with 258 between 2002 and 2024. Airwars argues that the higher death rate after 33 strikes signals a change in policy on the part of the US and is a potential sign for what could happen in Iran, if Trump decides to join the Israeli bombing campaign against the country. “This campaign sets the tone for Trump at war, and for what allies can do. With the US poised for escalation, we have to understand the Yemen campaign to understand what the future holds,” said Emily Tripp, the director of Airwars. Deliberately targeting civilians in a manner that is considered not proportional to any military advantage gained is considered a war crime according to the Geneva conventions, though the doctrine has been stretched in recent conflicts, most notably Israel’s assault on Gaza , where there have been individual incidents of more than 100 civilians killed. In the past, the US president has set a limit for the maximum number of civilian casualties that would be tolerated without special approval being granted, according to The War Lawyers, a book by the academic Craig Jones of Newcastle University. Operation Rough Rider, a bombing campaign against the Houthi rebels, began in March in an effort to stop attacks on merchant shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, in the aftermath of attacks conducted under the previous president. It cost an estimated $1bn (£740m) in its first month of operation. Trump described the Biden campaign as “pathetically weak”. Meanwhile, the text messages between senior US officials on the Signal app discussing the beginning of the bombing were accidentally shared with a journalist. The two most deadly attacks recorded by Airwars were in April. The monitor concluded that at least 84 civilians were killed on 17 April when the US bombed Ras Isa port near Hodeidah in the evening, saying it was targeting oil facilities. Airwars reaches its casualty count by examining reports of each incident by relevant authorities and in the media – as well as death notices put up on Facebook and other social media by relatives of the deceased. Two young boys, Fadel Fawwaz Ali al-Musq and Mohammad Ali Saleh Asaad al-Musq, were killed together after a family member, a driver, had brought them to the port while he was working, according to Facebook postings. The family of a 48-year-old driver, Nabil Yahya, reported that he was killed when the fuel tanker he was driving burst into flames after the airstrike. “That truck was all he had,” said his younger brother Sultan Yahya in a Guardian report last month . A day after the incident, the local branch of the Red Crescent Society posted that the airstrikes occurred in two waves. After the first wave of bombing, the plane remained “still flying overhead” and it struck again after first responders arrived. At the time, the US Centcom military command said that US forces had taken action “to eliminate this source of fuel for the Iran-backed Houthi terrorists” and that the strike “was not intended to harm the people of Yemen”. The second most deadly attack recorded by Airwars occurred on 28 April 2025. Airwars counted that 68 civilians housed in a remand detention centre at Saada were killed and at least 47 injured by alleged US airstrikes in the morning. The centre primarily held migrants coming from African countries and was believed to be holding 115 people at the time of the strike. Bodies were seen on television and there were graphic photographs after the attack. In response to investigations about the incident, Centcom said in early May that it was “aware of the claims of civilian casualties” and was assessing them, but there has been no apparent update from the US military since. The US has been attacking targets in Yemen since 2002, when a targeted drone strike killed six members of al-Qaida, and the first time civilians were recorded killed was in 2009, when 49 were reported killed following a cruise missile attack that had been aimed at an al-Qaeda camp. Operation Rough Rider came to an end in May, when the US and the Houthis reached agreement. The US said there had been 1,000 strikes at Houthi targets. The Yemeni rebels, who are anti-Israel and aligned with Iran, said they would stop targeting merchant shipping in return for an end to US bombing. Earlier this week, the Houthis fired a handful of ballistic missiles at Israel in support of Iran. One struck the West Bank, wounding five Palestinians. © 2025 Guardian News & Media Limited or its affiliated companies.

Survivors of sexual violence joined a march in the Bosnian town of Foca, where many women were raped during the 1992-95 conflict, to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence against Women in War. Alem Bajramovic, June 19, 2025 The commemorative march in Foca on June 19. Photo: BIRN. A commemoration was held on Thursday in the Bosnian town of Foca to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence against Women in War and pay tribute to the women who were sexually assaulted and killed during the 1992-95 war in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The participants held a joint march of remembrance to the main square in Foca, where a silent vigil was held. The walk then continued towards the Cehotina Bridge, where participants symbolically threw roses into the river in memory of women who were raped and murdered. “Every woman needs to speak out – to gather the strength to speak out,” said Zehra Murguz, a victim of wartime rape from Foca. Murguz said she decided to speak out on behalf of those who are no longer alive, and so that victims of sexual violence in wartime can be heard and justice can be achieved. It has been estimated that between 20,000 and 50,000 people were raped during the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia sentenced four people to a total of 75 years in prison for wartime rape in the Foca area: Dragoljub Kunarac, Radomir Kovac, Zoran Vukovic and Dragan Zelenovic. The Bosnian state court has sentenced 15 people to a total of 188 years in prison for rape and other forms of wartime sexual violence. According to the Hague Tribunal verdicts, women and girls were held captive at the High School Centre and Partizan sports hall in Foca, where they were raped, some of them multiple times. During the summer of 1992, some were taken to various other locations and raped – among them a 12-year-old girl. Some of the girls who were held in apartments were sold in February 1993 for several hundred German marks each. The Foca 92-95 Victims’ Association launched an initiative several years ago to install a memorial plaque at the Partizan hall, where women were detained and raped. Alen Muhic, who was born after his mother was raped during the war, attended the commemoration in Foca. Now a father, the 32-year-old campaigns for the rights of raped women and children born as a result of wartime rape. “My mother was also raped here in the Partizan sports hall in 1992, and as a result of that wartime rape, I was born in Gorazde in 1993 was marked. Foca has become a symbol of systemic sexual violence and hundreds of women and girls,” Muhic said. His biological mother abandoned him immediately after birth, and he was adopted and cared for by the Muhic family from Gorazde. “I lived with people who gave me all the blessings that a family can provide, such as love,” he said. But he noted that the issue is “still a taboo topic today” in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and that “unfortunately, that stigma was passed on to us children”. Muhic has just authored a book, ‘I am Alen’, and he said that the stories of the suffering of women in Foca prompted him to go public – particularly the mothers who decided to keep children born after they were raped. “I hope that as a society we have begun to break down prejudices and to break them down on a large scale,” he said. Copyright BIRN 2015

Villagers fleeing a war zone where Fulani Ethnic Militia attacked Catholic farmers in January. Credit: Ekani Okita By Segun Onibiyo (Makurdi) – “If Nigeria keeps refusing to name its internal enemies, it will wake up one day without a country to defend,” warned Dr. Abubakar Aldo, a counterterrorism scholar based in Abuja, in an interview with TruthNigeria. “This is no longer about rural insecurity it’s systematic ethnic cleansing, and the refusal to designate the Fulani Ethnic Militias as terrorists is state-enabled impunity,” Aldo said. That stark warning isn’t theoretical. It’s a daily reality in Nigeria’s Middle Belt, particularly in Benue, Plateau, Kebbi, Kogi, Kaduna and Kwara where armed Fulani militias are carrying out what many locals describe as “slow genocide.” On June 14, that reality came to Iwili village in Benue’s Ukum Local Government Area. “They shouted as they opened fire,” Justina Terkimbi told a TruthNigeria reporter by phone, recounting the dawn horror. “We were running through the fields with children on our backs, but they kept shooting.” Terkimbi, 38, is one of thousands of survivors of repeated massacres in Nigeria’s rural Middle Belt — attacks that federal authorities continue to label “banditry” or “communal clashes.” That official rhetoric, experts say, is a mask for the truth: these are ideologically driven, targeted ethnic attacks. Between 2015 and 2023, more than 6,000 people were killed by Fulani militias in Benue State alone, according to former Governor Samuel Ortom. And the carnage continues. In the latest attack, armed men in black tunics stormed Iwili, torching homes and gunning down civilians – a pattern TruthNigeria has documented repeatedly. Tone-Deaf Government Letter As survivors buried their dead, a letter dated June 17, 2025, written by Hon. Francis U. Igutswen, Senior Special Assistant to the Benue Governor on Special Groups Mobilization, sparked outrage. In it Igutswen urged grieving residents to come out and welcome President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to Benue during a scheduled visit even though some of those same citizens had been arrested and reportedly tortured for protesting the state’s inaction over the killings. The letter made no mention of the victims of recent attacks. Instead, it called on residents to “mobilize en masse” and show hospitality. “This letter is a slap in the face,” said Felicia Terna, a Makurdi-based social worker who lost two cousins in the Iwili massacre, during an interview with TruthNigeria. “Our people are being slaughtered like goats, and instead of mourning with us, the government wants us to cheer like nothing happened.” Security analyst Dr. Chinyere Obasi called the memo “political tone-deafness at its worst.” “You don’t ask families in mourning to organize a welcome parade,” she told TruthNigeria. “This shows a total lack of emotional intelligence and empathy especially toward those freshly traumatized.” “They Promised They Were Coming” In Kaiama, Kwara State, 52-year-old Martha Yakubu told TruthNigeria she had no doubt the attackers were Fulani militia. “They warned us first. They said the land must be vacated or we would die on it. They came in the night, burned the village and killed my son,” she said. In Barkin Ladi, Plateau State, 29-year-old Luka Pam described his own escape: “They came in camouflage, but they weren’t military. They killed my father and uncles. No one came to help. We were on our own.” These stories are not isolated. They are linked by the same operational pattern and illustrate the same impunity. Why Words Matter Experts insist that the refusal to legally designate the Fulani militias as terrorists is not just a semantic failure: It is a strategic collapse. “Labeling them ‘bandits’ instead of terrorists limits what the government can do,” said Dr. Aldo. “It prevents tracking their funding, sharing intelligence internationally, and punishing their sponsors.” Despite years of massacres, the Nigerian federal government continues to avoid calling the Fulani militias terrorists. In Kebbi State’s Danko-Wasagu LGA, TruthNigeria documented a week-long campaign of terror in May 2025, where attackers issued advance warnings, razed Christian villages, and murdered dozens. To date, no one has been held accountable. From the Sahel to the Savannah This is no longer a local crisis. Armed Fulani jihadist factions tied to JNIM, Macina Liberation Front, and ISGS (Islamic State in the Greater Sahel) groups responsible for the collapse of Burkina Faso and Mali are believed to be influencing or directly coordinating with militias in Nigeria. Jacob Zenn, a West Africa security analyst at the Jamestown Foundation, told TruthNigeria: “Nigeria’s Middle Belt is now part of the Sahelian insurgent corridor. This is not just farmer-herder violence this is a proxy war with ethnic and religious motives.” In Plateau State’s Mangu LGA, community militias recently repelled a Fulani militia attack, killing several assailants. But experts warn that this model of self-defense cannot hold. “If citizens begin to form parallel security structures, the state is effectively collapsing,” said Rev. Samson Ayokunle, former president of the Christian Association of Nigeria. What Must Change • Call them terrorists: The Fulani Ethnic Militias should be labeled for what they are under Nigeria’s anti-terrorism law. Without this, justice is impossible. • Stop the euphemisms: The media and government must stop sanitizing the bloodshed. These aren’t “herders” or “bandits.” They are ideological killers. • Demand accountability: The international community must tie aid and cooperation to real human rights progress. From Iwili to Kaiama, from Barkin Ladi to Waje, Nigeria is bleeding. The most recent insult: a call to cheer a President as corpses are buried has deepened the wounds. The question is not whether these killings are acts of terrorism. They are. The question is: How much longer will Nigeria deny the obvious and call the perpetrators by their well-earned name? © Newspaper WordPress Theme by TagDiv

Damage from Russian strikes on Kyiv (file, April)  © Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine/Anastasiia Honcharuk 20 June 2025 I Peace and Security The UN Security Council met on Friday to discuss the situation in Ukraine, where intensified fighting continues, affecting new areas and prompting further displacement.    “As we are facing renewed escalation on the ground and crisis elsewhere, it is critical to maintain focused attention on the urgent need for peace in Ukraine,” said UN Assistant Secretary-General Miroslav Jenča – one of two senior officials briefing the ambassadors. In the three weeks since the Council last met on Ukraine, Russia has carried out unrelenting large-scale attacks on cities and towns, resulting in a significant rise in civilian casualties. Deadly Kyiv attack A combined drone and missile attack on the capital Kyiv overnight on 16-17 June was one of the deadliest there in a year . At least 28 civilians were killed and more than 130 injured. Many others are still reported missing under the rubble of the 35 apartments destroyed that night. Attacks also reportedly occurred in Odesa, Zaporizhzhia, Chernihiv, Zhytomyr, Kirovohrad, Mykolaiv and Kyiv provinces that same night, with two civilians reportedly killed and scores injured in Odesa.  “These levels of death and destruction risk dimming hope for an immediate ceasefire and threaten to undermine prospects for a lasting peace,” he said.  ‘Dramatic increase’ in casualties Data from the UN human rights office, OHCHR , reveals that at least 13,438 civilians, including 713 children, have been killed since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Another 33,270 civilians have been injured, including over 2,000 children. The number of civilian casualties in the first five months of this year alone totaled 5,144 – nearly 50 per cent higher than in the same period in 2024. Of this number, 859 were killed and 4,285 injured. “This dramatic increase is a result of intensified use of long-range weapons, both missiles and loitering munitions, against cities across Ukraine,” said Mr. Jenča.  Ukrainian authorities report that between 1 and 17 June, Russian forces launched at least 3,340 long-range drones, including loitering munitions and decoy drones, and 135 missiles into the country. This compares to 544 long-range munitions launched during the whole of June 2024. Attacks reported in Russia Escalating violence also continues to be reported in Russian regions that border Ukraine, though at a far lower level. In the Kursk region, a woman died in hospital a day after being injured in a Ukrainian drone attack while a man was killed, and five others injured, in a strike on a recreational centre. The UN was not able to verify these reports. “Let me once again unequivocally state – attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure are strictly prohibited under international humanitarian law, wherever they occur,” said Mr. Jenča, reiterating the UN’s condemnation. Diplomatic developments welcomed Meanwhile, “important diplomatic developments have taken place on the challenging path towards a lasting peace in Ukraine.”  Ukrainian and Russian delegations held their second face-to-face meeting in Istanbul on 2 June.  They reportedly exchanged written memoranda outlining their respective visions for a ceasefire and parameters for a future peace settlement. The sides also reached agreement for the large-scale exchange of prisoners of war, mortal remains and civilian detainees. Swaps have been carried out since then, with the latest round taking place earlier on Friday. The mortal remains of 6,057 Ukrainian and 78 Russian servicepersons also have been returned as of 16 June. “We welcome the continuation of all meaningful diplomatic efforts, including the recent talks in Istanbul. We urge the sides to make tangible progress towards a ceasefire and a lasting settlement through continued talks,” said Mr. Jenča. In the face of escalation, he called for redoubling efforts “to ensure that the fragile diplomatic process is not only sustained but becomes irreversible.” Civilians bear the brunt In the meantime, civilians continue to bear the severe consequences of the war, said  Edem Wosornu, Director of Operations at the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs ( OCHA ). “As the war continues, millions of lives are impacted every day. Essential  services are disrupted, and vulnerabilities are deepening for nearly 13 million people in need of assistance,” she said. Roughly 3.7 million people are displaced inside Ukraine, including 60,000 newly displaced from frontline regions since January alone. Almost six million citizens are now refugees, mainly in Europe. Amid the intensifying hostilities, the Government continues to order the mandatory evacuation of families with children from front-line villages, she said.  However, for some people in these locations “attacks are so frequent  that evacuations themselves become a risky prospect.” Humanitarians at risk Ms. Wosornu noted that humanitarians also face growing threats. This year, two aid workers have been killed and 24 injured while delivering assistance, and some 68 incidents of violence impacting relief personnel, assets and facilities have been recorded.  She said that “despite an operating environment beset by multiple risks and challenges,” humanitarians remain committed and engaged, and their operations continue. Between January and May, they reached some 3.4 million people with life-saving aid, including food, water, medicines, health services and livelihood support. Humanitarians are seeking $2.6 billion for Ukraine this year, and $816 million, has been secured, she said, stressing the importance importance of “timely financial support”. End the war Ms. Wosornu concluded her remarks by renewing earlier calls for the Council to take urgent, collective action in three areas, including protecting civilians and ensuring safe humanitarian access to all in need.   Ambassadors were also urged to ensure sustained financial support as “declining funding trends” threaten aid efforts. Her final request was an appeal to “end this war, and until then, ensure that humanitarian concerns are a central part of discussions on a pause in fighting or longer-term agreement.”  © 2025 United Nations

By Padraic Halpin and Amanda Ferguson, June 19, 2025. Fire burns near a masked demonstrator as riots continue in Ballymena, Northern Ireland, June 11, 2025. REUTERS/Clodagh Kilcoyne/File Photo Bullets and bombs were a part of life in the Belfast that Raied al-Wazzan moved to from Iraq in 1990, but he never felt threatened as a member of one of the divided region's tiny ethnic minorities. But after a week when masked anti-immigrant rioters attacked police and set the homes of migrants on fire , fear has set in. "There are certain areas I cannot go by myself or even drive through," said Al-Wazzan, the vice-chair of the Northern Ireland Council for Racial Equality, an umbrella group for a number of organisations representing ethnic minorities. "I used to live in some of these areas, but today it's not safe for me or (my) family or people who have a different colour of skin." The eruption of what police described as mob-led "racist thuggery" is particularly dangerous in Northern Ireland due to its legacy of sectarian violence and lingering role of paramilitary groups with a history of stoking street disorder. More than 3,600 people were killed between 1968 and 1998 in a conflict between mainly Catholic Irish nationalists seeking Irish unity, predominantly Protestant pro-British "loyalists" wanting to stay in the United Kingdom and the British military. But while segregation along sectarian lines remains common, particularly in housing and education, the number of recorded race hate crimes is now double that of sectarian offences, which they surpassed almost a decade ago, police data shows. "The last week's events have not come out of nowhere," said Patrick Corrigan, the local director of Amnesty International, who knew of women and children fleeing to their attic to breathe through a skylight when rioters lit fires downstairs. "We have a serious problem of endemic racist violence, at times fuelled by paramilitary organisations, a particularly sinister element in this part of the world where you have masked men who have recourse to violence to try to tell people where they're allowed to live or where they're not," Corrigan said. While the 1998 Good Friday Agreement led to the disarming of the main Irish Republican and loyalist militant groups, splinter factions endure. Such groups continue to exert control over some communities through intimidation, financial extortion and drug dealing, and have been involved in racially motivated attacks, the body that monitors paramilitary activity said earlier this year . Corrigan said migrants within WhatsApp groups he is part of were "clearly terrified", reluctant to leave their homes to go to work and their children afraid to walk to school. That sentiment is shared by Nathalie Donnelly, who runs a weekly English class as part of the UNISON trade union's migrant worker project. Half her students were now too scared to attend, she said. "I think we are just one petrol bomb away from a serious loss of life," Corrigan said. The violence flared first and was most intense in Ballymena after two 14-year-old boys were arrested and appeared in court, accused of a serious sexual assault on a teenage girl in the town. The charges were read via a Romanian interpreter to the boys, whose lawyer told the court that they denied them. Ballymena, 45 kilometres (28 miles) from Belfast, is a mainly Protestant working-class town that was once the powerbase of Ian Paisley, the fiercely pro-British preacher-politician who died in 2014. Most of the other areas where anti-immigrant violence spread last week - Larne , Newtownabbey, Portadown and Coleraine - were similar, mostly Protestant towns. At the outset of the "Troubles", some Catholics and Protestants were violently forced from their homes in areas where they were in the minority, and sectarian attacks remained common through three decades of violence and the imperfect peace that followed. "Sectarianism and racism have never been very different from each other," said Dominic Bryan, a professor at Queens University Belfast who researches group identity and political violence. "It doesn't totally surprise me that as society changes and Northern Ireland has become a very different society than it was even 30 years ago, that some of this 'out grouping' shifts," Bryan said, adding that such prejudices could also be seen among Irish nationalists. Immigration has historically been low in Northern Ireland, where the years of conflict bred an insular society unused to assimilating outsiders. There are other factors at play too, said Bryan. The towns involved all have big economic problems, sub-standard housing and rely on healthcare and industries such as meat packing and manufacturing that need an increasing migrant workforce. "The people around here, they're literally at a boiling point," said Ballymena resident Neil Brammeld. The town's diverse culture was welcomed and everybody got along, he said, but for problems with "a select few". "The people have been complaining for months and months leading up to this and the police are nowhere to be seen." While around 6% of people in the province were born abroad, with those belonging to ethnic minority groups about half that, the foreign-born population in Ballymena is now much higher , in line with the UK average of 16%. Northern Ireland does not have specific hate crime legislation, although some race-related incidents can be prosecuted as part of wider laws. Justice Minister Naomi Long pledged last year to boost those existing provisions but said the power-sharing government would not have enough time to introduce a standalone hate crime bill before the next election in 2027. While five successive nights of violence mostly came to an end on Saturday, the effects are still being felt. "I'm determined that I'm not going to be chased away from my home," said Ivanka Antova, an organiser of an anti-racism rally in Belfast on Saturday, who moved to Belfast from Bulgaria 15 years ago. "Racism will not win." © 2025 Reuters.

New exhibition of survivors' testimonies, organised by the Srebrenica Memorial Centre and BIRN Bosnia and Herzegovina at UN headquarters in New York, is 'a moral call for humanity to not forget'. Aida Trepanic Hebib, June 18, 2025 The opening of the exhibition at UN headquarters. Photo BIRN. “From Words to Violence: Lives Behind the Fields of Death” opened on Tuesday at UN headquarters in New York to mark the 30th anniversary of the Srebrenica genocide in eastern Bosnia. The exhibition includes 12 displays based on testimonies collected from survivors during an oral history project led by BIRN Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Srebrenica Memorial Centre. During the process, surviving family members donated items belonging to loved ones who were killed in the genocide and shared their stories, so they can be preserved for a historical record. Denis Dzidic, director of BIRN Bosnia and Herzegovina, said at the opening of the exhibition that he was proud of the journalistic work done on the project but felt most grateful to everyone who told their own stories and the stories of those killed in July 1995. “Thirty years after the genocide, at the very location where the [UN General Assembly] resolution on Srebrenica was adopted, there is nothing more appropriate than to put the focus on the personal stories of those who are no longer with us and on those who have dedicated their lives to ensuring their loved ones are remembered and honoured,” Dzidic said. In May last year, the UN General Assembly voted to designate July 11 as an annual International Day of Reflection and Commemoration of the 1995 Genocide in Srebrenica. Emir Suljagic, head of the Srebrenica Memorial Centre, said people had fought for the right to tell their stories and speak the truth. “We had the privilege of experiencing justice as people, at least partially. We saw the generals and presidents who were behind the genocide, as they stood before the face of justice [in court],” Suljagic said. “And today, when July 11 is on the United Nations calendar, we know we are not forgotten, neither us nor our truth. That is the message we’re sending for the 30th anniversary of the genocide,” he added. Bosnia’s UN representative, Zlatko Lagumdzija, said the exhibition was “more than an artistic and documentary display – it is a moral call for humanity to not forget. “Srebrenica is not only a symbol of genocide but also a symbol of the responsibility of all of us to prevent future crimes,” Lagumdzija said, adding that, in a time of denial and revisionism, the exhibition stands as proof of established facts. The “Lives Behind the Fields of Death” project started in October 2020, when 100 testimonies from surviving witnesses of the genocide were recorded. These formed part of a permanent exhibition, along with items donated by survivors, at the Srebrenica Memorial Centre, opened in February 2022. After drawing positive reactions, 100 more oral testimonies were recorded. The exhibition at UN headquarters was organised by Bosnia’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations, with the support of the Office of the Special Adviser for the Prevention of Genocide and the UN Global Communications Department. Copyright BIRN 2015

The Guardian view on Gaza’s engineered famine: stop arming the slaughter – or lose the rule of law A Palestinian boy carries food and humanitarian aid unloaded from a World Food Programme convoy in the northern Gaza Strip on 16 June. Photograph: AP As Palestinians starve amid the rubble, western governments defend Israel, fund armed aid and dismantle the very rules they claim to uphold Gaza’s cries have been drowned out by Israel’s strikes on Iran, and the diplomatic pressure on Benjamin Netanyahu over the suffering has ebbed . Yet as the industrialised world urges de-escalation in the Middle East, the devastation continues. On Tuesday morning, witnesses described Israeli forces firing towards a crowd waiting for trucks loaded with flour, leaving more than 50 dead. These are not stray bullets in wartime chaos, they are the outcome of a system that makes relief deadly. As Médecins Sans Frontières declared this week, what is unfolding in Gaza is “the calculated evisceration of the very systems that sustain life”. That includes homes, markets, water networks and hospitals – with healthcare continually under attack. Last week, a UN commission found that more than 90% of the Gaza Strip’s schools and universities have been damaged or destroyed by Israeli forces using airstrikes, burning, shelling and controlled demolitions. What’s happening is not the collateral damage of military necessity, it is a programme of civic annihilation. In such circumstances, words without action are worse than meaningless. Western powers cannot decry war crimes and genocide while supplying the arms that cause them elsewhere. If they believe in international law, countries such as the UK should act to uphold it. The law is not law if no one enforces it. Israel is the occupying power in Gaza and has a clear duty under the fourth Geneva convention to ensure the population’s access to food, water and medical care. Instead, it has imposed a blockade and driven out UN humanitarian operations. In their place, it has backed the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a private aid scheme coordinated with its military and guarded by US mercenaries. Citing unproven claims of Hamas infiltration, Israel scrapped 400 UN-backed aid sites for just four GHF-run, militarised hubs. In a few weeks, around 300 Palestinians have reportedly died trying to access these food sites. UN officials are right to say the GHF scheme is “engineered scarcity” that has made aid distribution “a death trap”. The US-based Center for Constitutional Rights has also warned that the GHF may be prosecuted for aiding “war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide”. Yet Donald Trump’s state department is mulling a $500m grant. In the UK, ministers say allegations of genocide are for courts to decide upon, while government lawyers in court assert that there is no genocide. This is not just moral evasiveness but tactical contradiction, designed to sustain arms sales and diplomatic cover. This hypocrisy has consequences. By shielding Israel from accountability in Gaza, and now endorsing its illegal strike on Iran, western governments are not merely complicit – they are dismantling the legal order they claim to defend. They are falling in line with Mr Trump’s attempts to undermine institutions designed to hold powerful actors accountable, replacing legal norms with political cover. As the former USAID official Jeremy Konyndyk has said , if GHF were a genuine humanitarian project it would have halted a model that produces daily massacres. According to the Carnegie Endowment’s Katherine Wilkens , GHF imposes severe limits on food, subjects civilians to invasive biometric vetting and hands out aid at gunpoint under Israeli control – in clear breach of international law. What is collapsing in Gaza is not just infrastructure. It is the principle that even war has rules. When those rules are waived for allies, no one is safe. © 2025 Guardian News & Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. (dcr)

Israeli tanks kill 59 in Gaza trying to get food Reuters June 18, 2025 By Nidal Al-Mughrabi and Hatem Khaled Israeli military acknowledges firing, says it is investigating Witnesses say tanks opened fire on crowd in Khan Younis 397 have been killed trying to get aid in past three weeks Mourners carry the bodies of Palestinians killed in what the Gaza Health Ministry said were Israeli strikes, in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip June 17, 2025. Copyright 2025 REUTERS/Hatem Khaled CAIRO/GAZA, June 17 (Reuters) - Israeli tanks fired into a crowd trying to get aid from trucks in Gaza on Tuesday, killing at least 59 people, according to medics, in one of the bloodiest incidents yet in mounting violence as desperate residents struggle for food.   Video shared on social media showed around a dozen mangled bodies lying in a street in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip. The Israeli military, at war with Hamas-led Palestinian militants in Gaza since October 2023, acknowledged firing in the area and said it was looking into the incident.   Witnesses interviewed by Reuters said Israeli tanks had launched at least two shells at a crowd of thousands who had gathered on the main eastern road through Khan Younis in the hope of obtaining food from aid trucks that use the route.   "All of a sudden, they let us move forward and made everyone gather, and then shells started falling, tank shells," said Alaa, an eyewitness, interviewed by Reuters at Nasser Hospital, where wounded victims lay sprawled on the floor and in corridors due to the lack of space.   "No one is looking at these people with mercy. The people are dying, they are being torn apart, to get food for their children. Look at these people, all these people are torn to get flour to feed their children."   Palestinian medics said at least 59 people were killed and 221 wounded in the incident, at least 20 of them in critical condition. Casualties were being rushed into the hospital in civilian cars, rickshaws and donkey carts. It was the worst death toll in a single day since aid resumed in Gaza in May.   In a statement, the Israel Defense Forces said: "Earlier today, a gathering was identified adjacent to an aid distribution truck that got stuck in the area of Khan Younis, and in proximity to IDF troops operating in the area.   "The IDF is aware of reports regarding a number of injured individuals from IDF fire following the crowd’s approach. The details of the incident are under review. The IDF regrets any harm to uninvolved individuals and operates to minimise harm as much as possible to them while maintaining the safety of our troops."   Medics said at least 14 other people were also killed by Israeli gunfire and airstrikes elsewhere in the densely populated enclave, taking Tuesday's overall death toll to at least 73.   Mourners of Palestinians killed in Israeli strikes, in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip June 17, 2025. Copyright 2025 REUTERS/Hatem Khaled   The health ministry said 397 Palestinians, among those trying to get food aid, had been killed and more than 3,000 were wounded since late May.   The incident was the latest in nearly daily large-scale killings of Palestinians seeking aid in the three weeks since Israel partially lifted a total blockade on the territory it had imposed for nearly three months.   Israel has been channelling much of the aid it is now allowing into Gaza through a new U.S.- and Israeli-backed group, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which operates a handful of distribution sites in areas guarded by Israeli forces.   "The incident in question did not occur at a GHF site, but rather near a United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) location," the foundation said of the incident on Tuesday.   The United Nations rejects the GHF delivery system as inadequate, dangerous and a violation of humanitarian impartiality rules. Israel says it is needed to prevent Hamas fighters from diverting aid, which Hamas denies.   Gaza authorities say hundreds of Palestinians have been killed trying to reach GHF sites.   The GHF said in a press release late on Monday that it had distributed more than three million meals at its four distribution sites without incident.   The Gaza war was triggered in October 2023 , when Palestinian Hamas militants attacked Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages, according to Israeli allies. Israel's subsequent military assault on Gaza has killed  nearly 55,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's health ministry, while displacing nearly the entire population of 2.3 million and causing a hunger crisis.   Since last week, Gaza Palestinians have kept an eye on the new air war between Israel and Iran , which has long been a major supporter of Hamas.   Gaza residents have circulated images of buildings in Israel wrecked by Iranian missiles, some saying they are happy to see Israelis experiencing a measure of the fear of airstrikes that they have endured for 20 months. Reporting and writing by Nidal al-Mughrabi. Additional reporting by Hatem Khaled, Hussam al-Masri, and Dawoud Abu Alkas in Gaza; Editing by Alex Richardson, William Maclean, Peter Graff, Mark Heinrich and Stephen Coates Copyright 2025 Reuters https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/israeli-tank-shelling-kills-45-people-awaiting-aid-trucks-gaza-ministry-says-2025-06-17/

Aftermath of a strike in the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv. (file) © UNOCHA/Adedeji Ademigbuji 17 June 2025 I Peace and Security     At least 14 civilians were reportedly killed and more than 100 injured in Kyiv overnight into Tuesday, as Russian drone and missile strikes struck multiple Ukrainian cities in one of the heaviest nights of bombing in months. According to the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine (HRMMU), more than 30 locations across seven districts of Kyiv were struck in what it described as “the deadliest attack” on the Ukrainian capital in nearly a year. “ Last night’s attack exemplifies the grave threat posed by the tactic of deploying missiles and large numbers of drones simultaneously into populated areas ,” said  Danielle Bell, Head of HRMMU. Humanitarian Coordinator for Ukraine, Matthias Schmale, also strongly condemned the attacks, which extended to Odesa, Zaporizhzhia and other areas. “The people of Ukraine should not have to take cover in shelters night after night,” he said . “Each day, the war takes a devastating toll on civilians.” In the southern port city of Odesa, strikes reportedly injured several civilians and damaged a kindergarten and a centre for children with special needs – places where children should feel safe. In Zaporizhzhia, residential buildings were hit. First responders and humanitarian agencies are already on the ground, providing emergency care and supplies while assessing further needs. Human toll rising The barrage included 440 long-range drones and 32 missiles launched by Russian forces, HRMMU noted in a news release citing information from Ukrainian authorities, of which 175 drones and 14 missiles targeted Kyiv. It marked the fourth time this month that more than 400 munitions were fired in a single night – far surpassing the 544 total launched during the entire month of June 2024. Even before this latest attack, the human toll of such tactics had been rising sharply. HRMMU had already verified at least 29 civilian deaths and 126 injuries from long-range weapons in June alone. The overall civilian casualty count in the first five months of 2025 is nearly 50 per cent higher than in the same period last year. Mr. Schmale reiterated that attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure are prohibited under international humanitarian law. “ Civilians, including children, must never be a target ,” he said. “We must not normalize the war.” Refugee crisis deepens Meanwhile, the broader humanitarian crisis continues to deepen. The intense conflict, now in its third year since Russia’s full-scale invasion, has driven more than 6.3 million Ukrainians to seek refuge across Europe. Most are women, children, and older persons, many of whom rely on temporary protection directives extended by host countries like the European Union (EU) and Moldova, according to a report  released on Tuesday by Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees ( UNHCR ). Noting the volatile situation in Ukraine, the agency urged the respective governments to maintain legal status for refugees until conditions allow for safe, dignified, and sustainable returns. © 2025 United Nations.

TruthNigeria June 14, 2025 By Mike Odeh James and Olikita Ekani Victims of Yelwata Massacre by Fulani Jihadists. Photo by Mike Odeh James. Cholera and Typhoid Epidemic Feared for Survivors (Makurdi, Nigeria) – In the early hours of Friday, June 13, 2025, more than 200 Christian villagers were slaughtered by heavily armed Fulani jihadists in Yelwata, a farming community in Guma County, Benue State. This mass killing is part of a disturbing wave of targeted violence that has swept across central Nigeria in recent weeks. This latest massacre follows a string of coordinated attacks across Benue State: · May 25 – Aondoana, Gwer-West County · June 1 – Edikwu-Ankpali, Apa County · June 12 – Akundu-Tyough, Makurdi, the state capital The Target: Yelwata, a Christian Stronghold Yelwata, located just 7 km north of Makurdi, is a 98 percent Christian farming village—97 percent Catholic, 3 percent other denominations. It also serves as a settlement for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) who fled earlier Fulani militia attacks in neighboring towns. Eyewitnesses Describe a Night of Terror The attack began around 10 p.m. Thursday night. According to witnesses, over 40 gunmen stormed the village on motorcycles in pairs, shouting “Allahu Akbar” as they opened fire on civilians, moving from house to house, setting homes on fire, and killing indiscriminately. “They came from Rukubi in Doma, Keana, Obi, and other counties in Nasarawa State,” said Mton Matthias, a local youth leader. “They surrounded Yelwata, speaking Hausa and Fufulde, and began slaughtering people—mostly women, children, and displaced families who thought they had found safety here.” “We’re still finding bodies in the bushes,” he added. “The death toll is rising every hour.” “We’ve Already Buried Over 150—and Counting” Victims of Yelwata Massacre by Fulani Jihadists. Photo by Mike Odeh James. Hope Faith Ori, a data officer with the Catholic Diocese of Makurdi’s Justice, Peace and Development Foundation (JPDF), confirmed that at least 150 bodies had been counted so far, with 70 already sent to the morgue. Many corpses remain scattered across farmlands; some burned beyond recognition. “We expect the final death toll to exceed 200,” Ori said. A Public Health Disaster Is Unfolding Rev. Fr. Remigius Ihyula, Director of JPDF, warned that the humanitarian crisis in Yelwata is worsening. The community’s water sources are contaminated, food supplies are gone, and survivors are too frightened to leave their homes. “Children are vomiting and suffering from severe diarrhea,” said a local resident. “We fear a cholera outbreak. People are dying slowly—not from bullets, but from disease, hunger, and neglect.” Ori confirmed the outbreak of cholera and typhoid, especially among children. She also warned that Fulani militias appear to be regrouping for another strike. A Calculated Campaign of Ethnic Cleansing According to Fr. Ihyula, this isn’t random violence—it’s a coordinated campaign to permanently displace Christians from their ancestral lands. “These Fulani militias are not just killing—they’re clearing land to claim it,” he said. “And they’re being allowed to do it.” He added that many of the attacks originate from Lafia, the capital of neighboring Nasarawa State, where armed jihadist groups reportedly find safe haven. “Successive Nasarawa governors have done nothing to stop this cross-border terrorism. Their silence is complicity.” False Narratives and Disinformation Fr. Ihyula also pushed back against online rumors blaming the massacre on Tiv militias. “There were no Tiv fighters involved. This is a deliberate attempt to muddy the truth and shield the real perpetrators.” “This Is Genocide in Slow Motion” David Onyillokwu Idah, Director of the International Human Rights Commission (IHRC), called the violence a systematic attempt to erase the Tiv and Idoma people. “This is what the Nazis did to the Jews. It’s ethnic cleansing, step by step. First, they displace them. Then they come back and finish the job.” Washington Reacts The horrific scale of the massacre of Catholics in Nigeria drew a reaction from a Catholic religious freedom advocate in Washington, Jacqueline Halbig von Schleppenbach. “All accounts of those on the ground note that this is the bloodiest massacre on record. The military was aware this was happening and did nothing!” von Schleppenbach texted to TruthNigeria. “They did not show up until the massacre ended,” she continued. “The time is now for the Trump administration to name Nigeria a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) and for the US Congress to pass H.R. 220 in support of the State Department’s CPC previous designation,” according to von Schleppenbach, Principal Consultant Sovereign Global Solutions, LLC, a public affairs firm focusing on international religious freedom and human rights. © 2025 TruthNigeria

TruthNigeria June 13, 2025 By TruthNigeria Staff ‘The soldiers are killing us!’ – Plateau Pastor Military trucks guard cattle herds in Mangu. Video screenshot by TruthNigeria. (JOS) BREAKING: As Nigerians marked Democracy Day on June 12 with protests against hardships and terror threats, Christian and women leaders in Plateau State confronted police near Jos, alleging military complicity in recent village massacres. Their demands were simple: the withdrawal of soldiers from their streets. This followed a night raid on two villages that killed at least 18 persons under the watchful eyes of the military. The night raid, a twin attack 52 miles south of the Plateau State capital, followed a pattern of violence in the region that has killed more than 30 people since Sunday, June 8, TruthNigeria has learned. Among the dead are two victims of the military itself, according to town leaders and lawmakers speaking to TruthNigeria. The army authorities in Jos have denied any wrongdoing by their men. At midday Lagos time on June 12, President Tinubu addressed a joint session of the Senate and House of Representatives. The event was part of activities marking the 2025 Democracy Day celebration. However, nationwide youth protests against “hardship and insecurity” overshadowed the official celebrations. In Jos, the capital of Plateau State, protestors clad in orange and black gathered outside the state’s legislative building. From as early as 7 a.m. local time, they sang solidarity songs and displayed signs with messages like “A mourning democracy day,” “We need peace not bloodshed,” and “Stop condemning, start acting.” “The soldiers are killing us!” The Jos demonstration came hours after four residents were killed just 15 miles away on June 11. The evening assault occurred in the Kwall district of Bassa County, a short walk from a 2,000-man army base, raising questions about the military’s role in ongoing attacks in the State. At the time, Rev. Jacob Dashop was in his house 55 miles away in Mangu, still reeling from burying 18 members of his congregation killed in a similar attack the previous night [June 10]. It was the latest in a series of armed assaults in the Mangu County, which have claimed more than 27 local Christians in the past two weeks, according to State Assemblyman Kwarpo Matthew, who spoke to TruthNigeria. Two of the victims were allegedly shot by soldiers while attending the funeral of another community member killed on Pentecost Sunday [June 8]. “I am in deep pain,” said Rev. Dashop who confronted police and county officials on the afternoon of June 11. Dashop, accompanied by local women and community leaders, directly accused soldiers of collaborating with terrorists to attack communities. “The soldiers are killing us!” shouted Rev. Dashop, who leads the Church of Christ in Nations (COCIN) in Mangu. “They are colluding with Fulani terrorists to kill us,” Dashop said. Victims of military shooting in Gyambwas on June 9 receiving treatment in hospital. Credit Plangji Gumwesh. Victims of military shooting in Gyambwas on June 9 receiving treatment in hospital. Credit Plangji Gumwesh. About Fulani The Fulani, a predominantly Muslim ethnic group, number more than 20 million across West Africa, with 10 million in Nigeria. Fulani politicians have recently emerged as Nigeria’s most politically influential ethnic group. While many Fulani are involved in peaceful activities such as trade, education, and traditional cattle herding, a militant faction is credited with six times more Christian deaths than Boko Haram. In Plateau State, widely considered the Christian heartland of northern Nigeria, TruthNigeria has documented more than 250 fatalities from suspected Fulani militant attacks this year alone. Terrorists ferried away on trucks In a recent incident on June 10, Fulani terrorists killed 18 people in an evening assault on two villages on the edge of the Mangu County seat, TruthNigeria learned. Witnesses described a sniper-precision gun attack in Chichim and Danboka villages, located just two to three miles from a battalion-sized army base. Mr. Kyelle Obed, leader of a seven-man civilian guard unit in Chichim, told TruthNigeria his team was overwhelmed by an invading force of five to ten men. “Their command, their tactics, and accuracy showed expert coordination,” said Obed. “They spoke Fulani and a so-so English and fired from the kneeling position.” Obed recalled eight people were killed in the attack, which began minutes after 8 a.m. and lasted several minutes without intervention from the army base just 1.5 miles away. Around the same time, ten people were killed 3 miles away in Danboka village according to Assemblyman Matthew who represents Mangu at the Plateau State Legislature. As the shooting in Chichim subsided around 9 a.m. locally, Mrs. Plangnan Peter, a local women leader witnessed from the corner of her house, a convoy of three pickup trucks and an armored gun truck pull over in the direction of the retreating terrorists. “The Fulani hopped into the trucks and were ferried away,” Mrs. Peter told police and county officials who visited the western suburb on June 11. “I am not afraid to die,” Peter said. “We saw them with our eyes. It is possible you called soldiers to intervene, but what we saw were fake soldiers,” she said. Victims of military shooting in Gyambwas on June 9 receiving treatment in hospital. Credit Plangji Gumwesh. Calls for Removal of Soldiers Mrs. Peter demanded the withdrawal of soldiers from the area. “We don’t need soldiers!” Peter shouted to the cheers of women and youths present. Rev. Dashop concurred, stating, “If the military will not protect us, please get them out of our communities.” He recounted an early morning incident two days prior [June 9] in a nearby village where soldiers allegedly opened fire on residents attending the funeral of a terror victim. “Most of the casualties in the hospital right now were injured by soldiers,” he said. An eyewitness of the alleged extrajudicial killing in the village of Gyambwas told TruthNigeria on background that he personally telephoned soldiers of Operation Safe Haven, a joint military task force and requested help when terrorists began shooting during the early morning funeral of a victim from the previous night’s attack. Instead of repelling the attackers, armed men in military fatigues fired on fleeing residents, while terrorists trailed behind, burning houses, he said. Assemblyman Matthew confirmed that two people were killed during the initial shooting at the burial site, while seven others were killed hours later, after the terrorists regrouped and struck a second time in the evening. The Honourable Matthew, who represents Mangu at the Plateau State Legislative House, is standing with his constituents on the demands for the withdrawal of soldiers from the area. “The military should withdraw their bases from the towns and mount them in the bushes where the terrorists are,” he said. “That will be better than remaining in the town while the terrorists come from the bush, attack us and retreat back to the bush,” Matthew said. “They come, pass through the checkpoints and nothing happens to them,” Matthew said in frustration. “Most at times, they only come after the harm is done. And when they come, they harass our youths who are out to protect their communities,” he said. Colonel O.S. Fagbemi, the Commander of Operations Safe Haven in Mangu would not comment on the issue for lack of knowledge. “I have been out of town and have not received any such information,” Fagbemi said by telephone, referring TruthNigeria to the army headquarters in Jos. TruthNigeria’s phone calls and text messages to Major Nantip Zhakom, the spokesman of the army in Jos were not answered. However, Mr. Emmanuel Olugbemiga Adesina, the Plateau State Commissioner of Police assured the protesting community members of launching investigations into the issue. Chairman of the Mangu County, Mr. Emmanuel Bala, also assured his office will work with the police to investigate the claims. © 2025 TruthNigeria

Supporters of Turki al-Jasser, who had been imprisoned for seven years, say his execution is a result of the impunity that Saudi authorities enjoyed over Khashoggi murder An undated photo of Turki al-Jasser which circulated on social media following his execution on Saturday (X) Turki al-Jasser, a prominent Saudi journalist who highlighted corruption, women’s rights and the Palestinian cause in his writing, was executed in Saudi Arabia on Saturday after the kingdom’s top court upheld his death sentence, the Saudi Interior Ministry announced on X .  Saudi authorities raided Jasser’s home in March 2018, seizing his electronic devices and arresting him. He was later convicted of terrorism and treason.  But campaigners have long held that he was imprisoned because authorities believed he was running a Twitter account which reported on corruption and human rights violations by those in power, including the Saudi royal family. Al-Jasser's supporters and advocates said his execution, committed while world attention was on Israel’s attacks on Iran, demonstrated once again that criticism of the authorities in Saudi Arabia would not be tolerated. They also drew parallels between Jasser’s execution and the 2018 murder of Jamal Khashoggi , another prominent Saudi journalist, who was dismembered by a Saudi murder squad in the kingdom’s embassy in Istanbul .  Jeed Basyouni, who leads the Middle East and North African death penalty team for the UK-based organisation Reprieve , said: “This execution once again demonstrates that in Saudi Arabia, the punishment for criticising or questioning Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is death.  “The echoes of Jamal Khashoggi’s murder are profoundly disturbing. In the last two years, the Saudi authorities have executed far more people than ever before, and daily executions are now the norm. Capital punishment remains a key tool of repression for this brutal authoritarian regime.” In 2024, Saudi Arabia executed more than 300 people: in May, it put to death its 100th prisoner so far this year. Carlos Martínez de la Serna, chief program officer for the Committee to Protect Journalists , said Jasser’s execution was a consequence of the impunity Saudi leadership had enjoyed in the wake of Khashoggi’s murder. “The international community’s failure to deliver justice for Jamal Khashoggi did not just betray one journalist,” de la Serna said on Saturday. “It emboldened de facto ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman [MBS] to continue his persecution of the press, and today, another Saudi journalist has paid the price.”  Sa’ad al-Faqih , a Saudi dissident based in the UK, said Jasser’s execution was “graver” than Khashoggi’s murder and signalled “a dangerous new phase”. “Khashoggi was killed in secret by regime agents without trial or legal procedure... MBS spent a long time denying any responsibility, and when he was finally cornered, he deflected blame onto a few of his ‘dirty dogs’,” Faqih wrote.  “In contrast, Turki al-Jasser’s execution passed through every level of the judicial system - up to the Supreme Court - and the regime then proudly and publicly announced his killing as if it were a battlefield triumph.” Crackdown on social media As Mohammed bin Salman's economic and social reforms have made headlines in recent years, human rights activists have highlighted a parallel crackdown on dissent, including extreme sentences handed out to individuals for their social media posts.  One of the most high-profile cases was that of Salma al-Shehab , a Leeds doctoral candidate who was originally sentenced to 34 years in prison, as well as a 34-year travel ban, for tweets and retweets. Shehab was released in February after a high-profile campaign.But many others, understood to have been arrested for their social media accounts, remain imprisoned or have disappeared. Arrests and sentencing over posts have also continued. Last month, a Saudi court sentenced Ahmed al-Doush , a British national, to 10 years on charges related to a deleted tweet from 2018. Copyright © 2014 - 2025 .  Middle East Eye. All rights reserved. Only England and Wales jurisdiction apply in all legal matters.