Colombian president Petro condemns killing of Kurdish journalists Bilgin and Daştan



ANF
NEWS DESK
Saturday, 21 December 2024, 

Colombian president Gustavo Petro condemned the killing of Kurdish journalists Cihan Bilgin and Nazım Daştan.

The president reposted a statement from the Coalition for Women in Journalism on X and wrote: "In present-day Syria, a free Kurdish journalist has been murdered.

I ask the heads of state of Russia, Iran, Turkey, Israel and the United States to stop the division of Syria.

They are heading towards a new genocide. The genocide of the Kurdish people. The genocide of the Palestinian people was not enough.

Syria must continue to be a republic, based on its national and ethnic diversity and on the profound autonomy of its diversity.

If free elections are required for countries in the world, let them be held in Syria. The Syrian people have the right to self-determination. The Syrian people must be allowed to hold free elections to define their future.

As I have done in the past, from this distant Colombia in the Middle East, I ask the governments and peoples of the world to care for and support the Kurdish people in Syria, the same people who, with their armed women and their democracy, knew how to stop the fundamentalist fascism of the Islamic State of the Levant."

Istanbul Bar Association demands investigation for murdered journalists

Stating that targeting journalists in conflict zones is a violation of international conventions, Istanbul Bar Association demanded an effective investigation into the incident and announced that they will follow the process.


ANF
ISTANBUL
Saturday, 21 December 2024,

The Istanbul Bar Association made a statement on journalists Cihan Bilgin and Nazım Daştan, who were killed in a Turkish UCAV attack in northern Syria.

The statement emphasised that the targeting of journalists in conflict zones is a violation of International Humanitarian Law and the Geneva Convention and said: “Moreover, the targeting of civilians who are not parties to the war is expressed as one of the war crimes in Article 8/2/b/ii of the Rome Statute. Therefore, the rules regarding the protection of journalists working in armed conflict zones are within the scope of International Humanitarian Law. Again, during the press statement to be held in Şişhane Square regarding the aforementioned incident, four members of our Bar Association, two law faculty students and dozens of journalists were detained.”

The statement continued: “It is unacceptable that members of the press and our colleagues who are exercising their constitutional rights and mourning for their colleagues are detained while an immediate investigation into this incident, which violates international law, should be launched and those responsible should be held to account. We demand an effective investigation into the killing of two members of the press and the immediate release of those who were detained after making a press statement exercising their constitutional rights, and we respectfully announce to the public that we will follow the process.”

Several people, including journalists, detained in police attack on demo for murdered journalists

Istanbul police attacked a demonstration for murdered journalists Nazım Daştan and Cihan Bilgin and detained many journalists, party and institution representatives.


ANF
ISTANBUL
Saturday, 21 December 2024, 

Dicle Fırat Journalists Association (DFG), Mesopotamia Women Journalists Association (MKG) and DİSK Basın-İş promoted a demonstration at Şişhane Square in Istanbul to make a press statement for Kurdish journalists Nazım Daştan and Cihan Bilgin who were killed by Turkish drones in Rojava on Thursday. Representatives of many political parties and civil society organisations took part in the action.

While the police blockaded the area, the crowd protested the obstruction, chanting “Free press cannot be silenced”. A number of people were taken into custody during the crackdown.

The detained journalists are as follows: Rozerin Gültekin, Ferhat Sezgin, Melik Çelik, Pınar Gayıp, Enes Sezgin, Osman Akın, Hayri Tunç, Yadigar Aygün, Serpil Ünal, Zeynep Kuray, Mustafa Subaşı, Saliha Aras, Gülistan Dursun, Elif Bayburt, Umut Taştan and Rojdan Erez.

The detained politicians, lawyers and representatives of civil society organisations are as follows: Dilek Başalan and Newroz Ünverdi from Women's Time Association, Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) Istanbul Provincial Executives Samet Ayas and Haci Ugiş, DEM Party Bayrampaşa District Co-Chair Ramazan Yavuz, DEM Party Esenler District Co-Chair Mehmet Önal, DEM Party Ümraniye District Co-Chair Ayten Bingöl and Serbülent Çiçek, Fethiye Kaçmaz, Fesih İlhan, Selin Top, Feride Eralp, Rüya Kurtuluş, Newroz Tuğçe Özçelik, lawyer Sidar Perçin.

‘March for a democratic solution and freedom’ in Ankara: End the isolation of Abdullah Öcalan

An alliance of political parties and civil society organisations demanded a democratic solution to the Kurdish question and an end to the isolation of Abdullah Öcalan in front of the parliament in Ankara.


ANF
ANKARA
Friday, 20 December 2024, 17:34


The ‘Platform of Democratic Institutions’ called for the release of Abdullah Öcalan and a political solution to the Kurdish question in Ankara. The alliance of political parties and civil society organisations set out on Monday in Amed (tr. Diyarbakir) for a ‘march for a democratic solution and freedom’ on their route in Urfa, Antep, Adana and Mersin, where they once again demanded a solution to the Kurdish question through dialogue and the inclusion of the imprisoned PKK founder Abdullah Öcalan in the talks.

Hundreds of people, including several MPs from the DBP and DEM Party, took part in the action in front of the Turkish parliament on Friday.

On behalf of the platform, DBP co-chair Çiğdem Kılıçgün Uçar stated that Öcalan had been isolated since the government unilaterally ended efforts to find a democratic solution. At the same time, she said, Turkey developed into an increasingly authoritarian state. The social polarisation also has its origins in the isolation on the prison island of Imrali, said the Kurdish politician and pointed out that the Parliament is faced with the historic task of ending the isolation and taking responsibility for a negotiated solution to the Kurdish issue and democratisation of Turkey.

“Remaining silent against absolute isolation means endorsing unlawfulness, war and the move away from democracy. Today, to oppose isolation is to oppose unlawfulness and to defend peace and democracy. No one should forget that social reconciliation and peace are based on ensuring fundamental rights and freedoms. Intellectuals, writers and scientists face a historic responsibility for the democratic coexistence of the peoples of Turkey. Regardless of one's opinion, it is our common denominator to demand the application of the law. Against the absolute isolation in which this common denominator is openly and flagrantly violated, everyone should use their pen and speak out,” Uçar stated.

Speaking after, Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) co-chair Tuncer Bakırhan condemned the deadly Turkish attack that claimed the lives of Kurdish journalists Nazım Daştan and Cihan Bilgin in northern Syria.

“Following the declaration and campaign for a democratic solution to the Kurdish question initiated by Turkish intellectuals in Istanbul, politicians, labour organisations, prisoners' families and our peoples in the region started a march from Amed and arrived in Ankara today. I congratulate my fellow marchers who set out on the road for a democratic solution. They are determinedly defending peace in Turkey and a democratic solution. I hope that the peoples and labourers of Turkey will see this as a responsibility in the coming days. I am sure that they will join the struggle to create a country where peace, democracy and freedoms prevail,” Bakırhan said.

The DEM Party co-chair pointed out that: “In the last century, the state and the government tried many ways and methods, but failed. At the stage we have reached, 25-30 million Kurds want to use their democratic rights and laws arising from being Kurdish. Together, we can open the door to a process that accepts Kurds and enables them to live as equal citizens on a democratic basis instead of the policies of ignoring and denial that have been going on for a century. More recently, the statements made by MP Ömer Öcalan after visiting Mr Abdullah Öcalan in İmralı really excited us like the intellectuals and the marchers of democracy and freedom from the region. Mr Öcalan said ‘I am here for a democratic solution to the Kurdish question if a political ground is formed. I have the will’. Here we appeal to the government, which has been implementing policies of denial for a hundred years. The isolation must end.”

Bakırhan said that the isolation must end and added, “We would like to ask the government. Mr Öcalan says ‘I am ready’. What are you doing? This issue cannot be solved with UCAVs and drones in Rojava. This problem cannot be solved by ignoring the status that Rojava peoples have won with their hard work and lives. This issue can be solved through dialogue and negotiation. In the world, these problems have been solved in similar ways and methods. This is best known by this government and those who govern the state. Now is the time to solve this problem. Unlock İmralı. Let the peoples of Turkey hear, talk and discuss the democratic words and road map of İmralı. Do not waste the energy, economy and youth of this country on this endless and fruitless conflict, tension and war. There are Kurds in this country. They do not disappear by saying they do not exist, they do not disappear by putting them in prisons, they do not disappear with UAVs and UCAVs. Kurds do not end with saying ‘there are no Kurds’. It is necessary to finally accept this truth.”



HDK (Peoples’ Democratic Congress) Co-Spokesperson Meral Danış Beştaş started her speech by commemorating Nazım Taştan and Cihan Bilgin who were murdered in a Turkish aerial attack in Rojava. “They were two very valuable journalists who, just like the press members here, served the public, pursued the truth and followed the news moment by moment, and UCAVs killed them. We are faced with a reality that kills journalists intentionally and deliberately. In the person of Cihan and Nazım, I commemorate with respect and gratitude all the journalists who have lost their lives in the years of journalism, who have paid a great price for this cause and who are not with us now. Journalists are not people to be killed. On the contrary, paving the way for them and bringing the peoples and society together with the truth is the biggest task in front of them and us. The mainstream media continues to manipulate and mislead the public day and night, creating perceptions. They do not objectively present the reality of war, the Kurdish issue, the isolation issue, or the events in Rojava.”

Meral Danış Beştaş said that the ‘March for Democratic Solution and Freedom’ should be heard by 85 million people and added: “It is the demands of this march that will bring Turkey to the light, that will make Turkey breathe a sigh of relief. Mr Öcalan is a political actor who defends the peoples of Turkey and he is being kept under absolute isolation. He defends the peoples, he defends a democratic solution for the peoples. For this cause, he is waging a great struggle to find a solution with great patience, resistance and faith despite absolute isolation.”

Beştaş concluded: “The gates of Imrali Island prison must be opened wide. Abdullah Öcalan must regain his freedom. He must be free, the time has already come. In the current conjuncture, the discussions about the lifting of the absolute isolation in Turkey and the collapse of the Baath regime in Syria, the attacks launched against Rojava and the evaluations here are directly intertwined. The peoples living in Rojava have implemented their own solution model. The only solution model of the peoples in today's world is the Rojava example. Those who set their eyes on Rojava are also those who maintain this absolute isolation and prevent a democratic solution. Every UCAV attacking Rojava, every bullet fired and every bomb dropped there directly prevents the solution and democratisation in Turkey, and is a barrier.”

Activists from Geneva take over Freedom for Öcalan Vigil in Strasbourg

The Freedom for Öcalan Vigil was taken over in its 652nd week by a group of activists from Geneva.


ANF
STRASBOURG
Saturday, 21 December 2024, 12:06

The Freedom for Öcalan Vigil began on 12 June 2012, in Strasbourg, to demand the physical freedom of Kurdish People’s Leader Abdullah Öcalan. The vigil has now entered its 652nd week.

Each week, the vigil is carried on by Kurdish activists and their friends from across Europe. This week, the vigil was taken over by four Kurdish activists from Geneva: Nurettin Turgut, Hasan Inci, Ramazan Kızılkurt, and Rıza Çetinkaya.

Nurettin Turgut, who is also a regular participant in sit-in protests held for Öcalan in Geneva and one of the 34 members of the "Democratic Solution and Peace Group" who responded to Öcalan’s call and went to Turkey in 2009, underlined the extraordinary period Kurds are going through.

He said: "We have taken over the vigil at a time when attacks against the Kurdish people are intensifying across all four parts of Kurdistan. The occupying Turkish state is especially targeting Rojava with its assaults. For centuries, we have known that the Turkish state sees its existence tied to the destruction of the Kurdish people. But we have resisted for a century, and now we see that the Freedom Movement is nearing its goal. Just as the enemy sees its existence in our destruction, we say no. We will not accept this. We exist, and we will continue to exist."

Turgut condemned the assassination of journalists Nazım Daştan and Cihan Bilgin by the Turkish state. The two journalists were reporting about the attacks in Northern and Eastern Syria and the people’s resistance. "We will not bow to the occupiers. – Turgut said - On the contrary, we will succeed. Because we are right, we are a legitimate force, and we will bring this cause to victory. We will not allow you to destroy the achievements that have been made in Rojava through 45 years of hard work."

Turgut called on everyone to protect Rojava’s gains, regardless of party or ideological differences: "We need unity," he said.

Trial against 6 Kurds in London postponed for 13 months

The first hearing of the case against 6 Kurds who were detained in the UK and conditionally released was held. Evidence was requested to be submitted by 5 January 2026, when the main trial will start.


ANF
LONDON
Friday, 20 December 2024

The first hearing of the case against 6 Kurds, who were detained in a simultaneous operation carried out by the British police on 27 November against the Kurdish Community Centre (KCC) and private homes and remained in custody for 14 days, was held at Old Balley Criminal Court on Friday.

Co-chair of the Kurdish People's Assembly in Britain Türkan Budak, KCC activist Ercan Akbal, politician Ali Poyraz, activists Agit K., B.K. and Mazlum S. were present at the first hearing of the trial, which is evaluated as a ‘criminalisation operation’ against Kurds.

Activists of the Kurdish People's Assembly, representatives of the Democratic Forces Union (DGB) of Britain and Kurdish friends also attended the court hearing.

The first hearing of the activists before the judge took place as a preliminary preparation. The indictment against 6 activists was read during the hearing, which started with identification. Then the dates of the hearings were set.

The court decided that the main trial will start 13 months later, on 5 January 2026, and will last for 12 weeks. The court will ask for all evidence to be presented on this date. Then, the indictment is planned to be completed and submitted to the court by 18 April 2025. Defence lawyers will present their defence against the indictment until 30 May 2025. The whole process will be completed on 25 June with the Prosecution's response to the defence statements. If the Prosecution does not give up its allegations during this process, the trial, which will last a total of 12 weeks, will start on 5 January 2026.

The judge ruled that the conditional release of the Kurdish activists would continue, stating that ‘the defendants should apply for a change in their individual conditions if they provide evidence of their employment status.

As the hearing was adjourned until 5 January 2026, Lawyer Ali Has told ANF that the prosecution is clearly politically motivated: “It is clear that the defendants have been specifically targeted to disrupt their legitimate, rights-based activism both in the UK and internationally, particularly in relation to the Kurdish question. Such actions by the authorities appear designed to undermine the momentum of their political demands and to stifle dissenting voices in defence of Kurdish rights and autonomy.”

Pointing out that the so-called evidence presented during the interrogation phase at the police station is highly questionable, Lawyer Has said: “Rather than pointing to any illegal activity, it mainly consists of documents and references to the defendants’ legal campaigning and advocacy work on the Kurdish issue. This raises serious concerns about the abuse of legal mechanisms to charge individuals for exercising their fundamental rights.”

Noting that the prosecutor's office filed a lawsuit on such flimsy grounds, alleging ‘membership in a banned organisation’, lawyer Has added the following: “The so-called evidence essentially relates to activities protected under international human rights law, including freedom of assembly, thought, expression and protest. Citing these protected activities as evidence of criminal behaviour not only undermines the rule of law, but also poses a serious threat to democratic freedoms. This case provides a disturbing example of how legitimate political expression and activism can be weaponised by the authorities to suppress dissent and silence advocacy. The wider implications of such prosecutions should not be underestimated, as they jeopardise fundamental freedoms and erode confidence in the justice system. This case is part of a worrying trend.”

Kobanê calls for resistance

What the Turkish state could not make ISIS do in Kobanê in 2014, it wants to do today under the name of SNA. Those who resisted on Miştenûr Hill back then are resisting on Qereqozax Bridge today. Kobanê calls for resistance today as it did yesterday.


BARIŞ BOYRAZ
NEWS DESK
Thursday, 19 December 2024

Directed by the Turkish state, ISIS started its attacks on Kobanê from Qereqozax in 2014. The SNA, created as today's ISIS, is also targeting Kobanê today. The future of Rojava will once again be determined by those resisting in Qereqozax.

The words ‘Saet sisê kêm deh deqe Kobanê rizgar bû (Kobanê was liberated ten minutes to three o'clock)’ spoken by a YPG fighter created great hope all over the world. Those who did not blink an eye for Kobanê for 134 days welcomed this news with great joy. The meaning of these words for the Kurds was much different; it took its place in history as a great objection to the future that had been assigned to the Kurds. The Turkish state, which could not digest the fact that Kobanê did not fall, once again turned towards Kobanê after the fall of the Baath regime. This time, instead of ISIS, the Turkish state apparatus created under the label of SNA (Syrian National Army) was put forward. The target is the same; the free and equal life of the Kurdish people in their own homeland embodied by Kobanê and the status they have laid the foundation for this. So how was the Kobanê Resistance shaped and what happened in those days?

Administration based on self-defence

The ‘Arab Spring’, which started in Tunisia in 2011 and spread across the Middle East in a short time, soon spread to Syria. Against the civil war throughout Syria, those who defended Kurdish People's Leader Abdullah Öcalan's 3rd Way line declared the Rojava Revolution on 19 July 2012. The peoples of the region, led by the Kurds, who shaped their living spaces in the Cizîrê, Afrin and Kobanê cantons with a democratic women's libertarian paradigm based on self-government, implemented a form of governance that would set an example for the whole world.

The unleashing of ISIS on Rojava

On the other hand, ISIS was advancing both in Syria and Iraq. Having turned Turkey into a connection point, ISIS was driving its recruits from all over the world against the peoples in Syria and Iraq, taking over entire cities. As of mid-2014, it was rumoured that ISIS would take action to capture Damascus, the capital of Syria. This attack was considered a certainty, but ISIS advanced on Kobanê, the reason for which would be understood later, and which had no strategic importance for it. Later on, important figures of ISIS captured by the YPG and YPJ forces would confess that the Turkish state had directed them towards Kobanê. Although it was of no importance to ISIS, Kobanê was important for the Kurds, connecting the Afrîn and Cizîrê cantons. It would later be understood that the Turkish state used ISIS in its attempt to destroy the Kurdish gains.

Human will against conventional weapons

ISIS turned its steps towards Kobanê as of 15 September. Its goal was to occupy Kobanê in a short time, as it had done in many parts of Syria and Iraq. ISIS advanced on Kobanê with the conventional weapons it had captured in Iraq and Syria. What the YPG and YPJ forces, who decided to resist ISIS, had, were their individual weapons and human will. In fact, what started in Kobanê on 15 September 2015 was a battle of will.

ISIS started from the Qereqozax Bridge

On 17 September, ISIS captured the Qereqozax Bridge, which has been on the agenda of late with the attacks of the Turkish state-affiliated SNA. Qereqozax Bridge is 32 kilometres from the city centre, southwest of Kobanê. After this development, which directly means the security of Kobanê, ISIS started to advance towards the city centre with attacks against the villages of Kobanê. As of 2 October, 350 of the 354 villages around Kobanê had been occupied. ISIS started to hit Kobanê city centre with mortars, tanks and rockets it had captured from the Iraqi army.

Arîn Mirkan changed the fate of war

On 3 October, ISIS elements reached Miştenûr Hill, which overlooks Kobanê. Arîn Mîrkan, one of the YPJ commanders, carried out an action of self-sacrifice on Miştenûr Hill on 5 October. The sacrificial action of a female militant shocked the misogynist gang. It was also a great invitation to resistance for the Kurdish people and their friends. Although ISIS was slowed down here, it continued to approach the city with the support of the Turkish state. Kobanê was surrounded by ISIS on three sides and the Turkish army in the north. ISIS attacked the city from three sides and used the Turkish border as it wished. Even the aid that the people wanted to deliver to the city was prevented by the Turkish government. ISIS occupied half of the city centre.

Öcalan’s historic call

During the meeting held in İmralı on 22 September, Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan said: “Regarding the ISIS attacks, all our people need to shape their lives against the ongoing high-intensity war. There is a high intensity war going on in Kurdistan at the moment. Not only the people of Rojava, but also the Kurdish people in the North and all parts need to mold their lives accordingly. I call on all Kurdish people to take up resistance against this high-intensity war.” This call and Leader Öcalan’s second message ‘There must be resistance until the end’ in his meeting with his brother Mehmet Öcalan on 6 October mobilised the Kurdish people.

Fences of the border drawn by the rulers 100 years ago were removed

Vigil actions started just across the border of Kobanê. The people of Northern Kurdistan flocked to the border in a spirit of mobilisation. The fences of the border drawn by the rulers 100 years ago were removed. Hundreds of young people from Northern Kurdistan crossed the border to shoulder the resistance. Kurdish people almost stopped life and flocked to Kobanê.

Kobanê resistance became universal

More than a million people in more than 100 countries took to the streets and declared their support for the Kobanê resistance. Internationalists, revolutionaries, left-socialist forces and women declared their support for the historic resistance against the ISIS gang. The resistance that started in Kobanê was embraced by the Kurdish people with the call of Leader Öcalan and became universal in a short time.

Kobanê did not and will not fall

The last straw was Erdoğan's words ‘There, Kobane is about to fall’. The uprising for Kobanê, which started on 6 October all over Northern Kurdistan, was raised even more with these words. People in the cities of Northern Kurdistan stopped life until 9 October. The state was almost paralysed in Northern Kurdistan. In the cities of Turkey, on the other hand, the vigil action continued day and night. The protests of the Kurdish people, who gave a clear message that ‘Kobanê did not and will not fall!’ spread to 35 cities and 96 districts. With the attacks of the state, 46 people lost their lives, 682 people were injured and 323 people were imprisoned. The border between the two parts of Kurdistan was de facto abolished.

Kobanê was liberated ten minutes to three o'clock

On an international scale, mass protests were organised from North America to Asia, from Europe to Latin America, calling on international powers and states to take action against the darkness of ISIS. Thus, following the increasing pressure and resistance on the ground, the US-led International Coalition provided air support to the YPG and YPJ forces against ISIS. Afterwards, Kobanê started to be cleared from ISIS. Kobanê was liberated at 14.50 on 19 January 2015, exactly 134 days after the attacks started on 15 September 2014. A YPG fighter said, ‘Saet sisê kêm deh deqe Kobanê rizgar bû’ (Kobanê was liberated ten minutes to three o'clock) and gave good news to humanity. This was the beginning of the end for ISIS.

Kobanê once again calls for resistance

In the 10 years that have passed since, an exemplary way of life for the whole world has been manifested in Kobanê. Progressive forces all over the world point to the resistance in Kobanê as an example. Books were written and films were made on Kobanê. The peoples of the region, led by the Kurdish people, have shown that resistance independent of conditions and circumstances is absolute victory. The Turkish state, on the other hand, wants to do today under the name of SNA what it could not do then with ISIS. Those who resisted on Miştenûr Hill that day are resisting on Qereqozax Bridge today. Kobanê once again calls Suruç, Northern Kurdistan, internationalists and the peoples of the world to resistance.

YPJ commander Sarya Efrîn: We will defend Kobanê together with our people

YPJ commander Sarya Efrîn said: "The people and their fighters will protect Kobanê and its lands together."


NÛJIYAN ADAR
QAMISHLO
Wednesday, 18 December 2024

YPJ commander Sarya Afrin told ANF that resistance against the Turkish state is growing every day. "We are fully prepared for any attack targeting Kobanê. Kobanê is the fortress of resistance, and the fortress of resistance will never fall."

Commander Efrîn noted that the peoples of Northern and Eastern Syria and Syria as a whole are going through difficult times. She said: "Our revolution has been ongoing since 2012. Since then, we have lived together as peoples, struggled, and endured hardships. The Turkish state, which is the enemy of the people, could never accept the brotherhood of peoples, the stability in the region, or the people's ability to govern themselves and determine their own will. Afrin, Serêkaniyê, and Girê Spî are the results of this intolerance. Today, it is Shehba and Manbij. For some time now, there have been intense attacks on Manbij. We have not forgotten how the people of Manbij welcomed us during ISIS attack on the city in 2016. Women, especially, ran to embrace the fighters. That image is still in our memory. Hundreds of people from this region joined the YPJ, YPG, and SDF and have walked with us until today."

A great resistance was displayed in Manbij

Commander Efrîn added: "We cannot blame the entire people of Manbij for the current situation. Many valuable, freedom-loving people live in Manbij. However, some individuals, who have been deceived by the Turkish state, and used as its tools, are unaware of what awaits them. They will see what they will face in the future. A great resistance was displayed in Manbij. To this day, our comrades are in tunnels and among the people. The greatest example of this is the Tishreen Dam and Qereqozax. Those who captured Idlib, Aleppo, and Damascus in a single day have not been able to cross Qereqozax or the Tishreen Dam for days, despite it being a small area. Neither the Syrian army, nor Russia, nor Iran could stand in the face of this power. However, we, who are aware of the enemy's reality, have been resisting in Tishreen and Qereqozax for days with our faith in our own strength."

Arab people must not forget the suffering caused by Turkey

Addressing the people of Manbij, Commander Sarya Efrîn said: "Manbij is a model city in Northern and Eastern Syria where peoples live together. The Arab people, in particular, should know the history of the Turkish state and be aware of its reality. Our Arab people have suffered as much as the Kurdish people at the hands of the Turkish state. Therefore, we must not forget our past, our experiences, and our history. The approach towards Arab women in Turkey, the violence against Arab youth, and the exploitation of Arab labor is there to see. The Turkish state has never once thought about a nation other than its own, let alone about the Arab nation. If we adapt this situation to today, the massacres, rapes, and looting that occurred when gangs entered Manbij are clear, and this is just the beginning. We must be vigilant against the policies of the Turkish state and its gangs, which disregard the rights of the people and focus on genocide. International forces, on the other hand, are growing at the expense of the blood of the Syrian people and do not hold the Turkish state accountable. They are in a position of watching this war. We are ready to give our lives to protect these people."

Those who claim to be anti-regime serve the Turkish state

Commander Efrîn emphasized that those who call themselves "anti-regime" today have turned into mercenaries of the Turkish state, and added: "At the start of the Syrian crisis, there were those who claimed to be anti-regime and genuinely fought against it, giving their lives for the revolution. However, after a while, the opposition fell under the control of the Turkish state, and their opposition to the regime disappeared. They became tools of the Turkish state, acting for personal and Turkish state interests. We saw how those who called themselves opposition were sent to countries like Libya. Even today, they continue to serve the policies of the Turkish state. The Syrian opposition must return to the revolutionary spirit of 2011. In the early days, those who demonstrated for democracy, justice, equality, and rights are now serving the Turkish state. The overthrow of the Syrian regime by HTS and the subsequent revolutionary atmosphere pose a great danger to the peoples of Syria. Those who call themselves the opposition are fighting against us in line with the Turkish state's goals. One day, they will realize the mistake they have made, but by then, it will be too late for them."

YPJ is a leading force

Commander Efrîn highlighted the leading role of YPJ fighters in the resistance, and said: "As in every operation and attack, YPJ fighters are leading the resistance in Tishreen and Qereqozax. These areas have faced intense attacks, and great sacrifices have been made, but there has not been a moment of retreat. For days, with great determination and courage, YPJ fighters have been resisting on the frontlines. Our comrades, who joined the YPJ ranks at a young age out of patriotism and are still young, continue their struggle. They feel in their bones that this is a battle for existence. Our young comrades make great sacrifices to protect their people and their land. Despite intense reconnaissance strikes, inhumane methods used in tunnels, cold weather conditions, and limited resources, they show tremendous resolve. They fight in their positions, locked into victory. We have lost young comrades, but they did not accept surrender even until their last breath."

Heavy deployments on the borders

Responding to Turkey's threats against Kobanê, Commander Sarya Efrîn said: "If the Turkish state were so committed to its history, it would have defended the tomb of Süleyman Shah when ISIS gangs attacked Kobanê. It was the YPJ-YPG forces that liberated those areas. Now, they use this tomb as an excuse for threats of attack. They are not even aware that these threats will be their end. As the fighters of this people, we have promised to either protect our people or become martyrs on this path. We have not forgotten this promise, and everyone will see how the Turkish state will collapse. We earned every inch of this land with the blood of our comrades, and we will not give it up easily. Heavy deployments are being made to all border areas, especially Til Temir, Tirweziyê, and Ain Issa. With our own strength and the spiritual power we receive from our people, we are organized in every village, city, house, neighborhood, street, and corner, and we are ready to defend our people. As we said before, we will guarantee success through the Revolutionary People's War. If they attack Kobanê, they will face this Revolutionary People's War. The people and their fighters will defend Kobanê and its lands together in every position. We are fully prepared for any attack against Kobanê. Kobanê is the fortress of resistance, and the fortress of resistance will never fall."

Attacks help ISIS to organize

Commander Efrîn underlined that ISIS is attempting to revive itself in Syrian territories and that international powers remain silent despite knowing about Turkey’s support for it. She said: "ISIS benefits from the Turkish state's attacks. While we were the ones who destroyed ISIS, the dark force that became a global threat, the Turkish state, which created ISIS, attacks us and takes revenge for ISIS. The Islamic State members held in prisons and their sleeper cells are reorganizing through Turkish state attacks. These reorganizations target the region's security and aim to create fear among the people. Due to Turkey’s attacks, it has become impossible to develop the fight against ISIS. As attacks continue, there will not be time to secure the prisons. With these attacks, the situation in prisons is unpredictable, and the relevant powers are turning a blind eye to this. Additionally, ISIS elements still exist within HTS and Turkish state mercenaries, and they are organizing sleeper cells. Therefore, the danger we face is greater than anticipated. The Coalition forces must fulfill their duties and responsibilities in the fight against ISIS. They must also stand against the gangs that are reviving ISIS and activating its sleeper cells."

Join the struggle with a revolutionary spirit

The YPJ commander called on the peoples of Northern and Eastern Syria, saying: "A heavy war is ongoing. Those fighting are the children of this people. As always, our people must stand by their children and never withhold their moral support. Those who can carry arms should carry arms, those who can heal the wounded should treat the injured, those who can provide information should share it. In other words, everyone must join this war with a revolutionary spirit, doing whatever they can. If today ISIS has been stopped, if a great war has been fought against the Turkish state, and if we have made the Kurdish people's and other peoples' struggle known around the world, it is thanks to our people’s support. Today is the day to protect our values, the day to be worthy of our martyrs. To teach the Turkish state a great lesson, young people must take up arms and join the ranks of the YPJ-YPG-SDF."

Writers and organisations from South Kurdistan call for action for Rojava

Writers, activists and organisations from South Kurdistan called on the government to provide aid to Rojava, saying that it was the duty of all political parties and organisations in South Kurdistan to stand against the Turkish invasion attacks.


ANF
NEWS DESK
Saturday, 21 December 2024, 

Dozens of writers, activists and organisations in South Kurdistan made a statement on the developments in Rojava. The statement emphasised that everyone must fulfil their role in protecting Rojava against Turkey’s goal of occupation, genocide and destruction.

The statement said: “The Regional Government must fulfil its duty to provide health and food supplies to Rojava. The fall of the Assad regime after recent events has created opportunities for the construction of a common life for the peoples. Today, we are witnessing the Turkish state and its mercenaries launching a war plan against Rojava that violates all moral standards and human rights. This is a step of occupation and directed against the Kurds in North and East Syria. These are worrying developments and the beginning of the genocide and extermination of the Kurds in Rojava and Syria.

At this stage, it is the duty of all political parties and organisations in South Kurdistan to stand against the Turkish invasion attacks.

In this historic process, it is the duty of all political parties in South Kurdistan to protect the Kurds in Rojava. Everyone must play their historic role in this process.

The duty of the regional government is to fulfil its commitments to provide humanitarian, health and food aid to Rojava within the framework of legal measures, as per the previous decision of the Kurdistan Region Parliament.

As writers, activists and organisations working in the field of genocide, we state that a genocide must never happen again. Therefore, we warn all parties about the aims of the Turkish state. The main goal of the Turkish state is to carry out a genocide and destroy the Kurds in Rojava and Syria.”

The signatories of the statement are as follows:

1- Organisation for a Genocide Free Kurdistan (KWG)

2- Topzawa Magazine

3- Pêşdar Defence and Victim Protection Centre

4- Kurdistan Icons Network - IKN

5- Organisation for the Prohibition of Weapons of Mass Destruction in Kurdistan (OAWMD)

6- Organisation of Anfal Stories

7- Network of Kurdish Organisations for the International Criminal Court (KONCIC)

8- Organisation for Justice Campaign - OJC

9- Stay Organisation for the Martyrs of Anfal

10- International Organisation for Justice and Peace for Human Rights

11- Kurdistan Monitoring Organisation - CHAK

12- Nugrasalman Newspaper

13- Organisation for A World Free of Chemical and Biological Weapons

14- Life in Kurdistan and No to Executions Campaign

15-Organisation for the Protection of Victims of Mass Graves

16- Hemn Hasib - Writer and anti-genocide activist

17- Ali Mahmud, writer and anti-genocide activist

18- Edalat Omer - writer and anti-genocide researcher

19- Mihemed Hemamed Salih Tofiq - Writer and researcher on genocide

20-Dr. Ibrahim Melazade - writer and researcher in the field of genocide

21- Shaxewan Shoresh - writer and researcher on genocide

22- Hawrê Pêşraw - Retired Peshmerga

23- Ahmed Majid – Anti-genocide activist

24- Hejar Hoshyar- Researcher

25- Xelîl Rehîm – Anti-genocide activist

26- Jabar Ahmed - Researcher in the field of genocide

27- Hama Ziring - Anti-genocide activist

28- Hebîl Ahmed Kerîm - Director of the Anfal Memorial

29- Garda Mama Hama - Human rights activist

30- Dilêr Kerîm - Writer and activist

31- Ibrahim Hewramanî - Writer and researcher on genocide

32- Salar Mehmud - Writer

33- Hoshyar Muradxan- Writer

34- Roshna Jamal Mahmoud – Anti-genocide activist and expert

35- Aram Halednî - Writer and journalist

36- Rashid Ali Seid -Writer

37- Melashaxi - Writer

38- Gülnaz Aziz - Writer

39- Kassim Kazim - Anti-genocide activist

40- Naji Talib - Anti-genocide activist

Swiss parliamentarians call on the Federal Council to take action for Rojava

Swiss parliamentarians drew attention to the danger to all minorities in Rojava and called on the Federal Council to take action against the attacks of the Turkish state.

SERKAN DEMİREL
BERN
Friday, 20 December 2024, 14:48

International reactions against the attacks of the Turkish state and allied gang groups called the Syrian National Army (SNA) against the regions under the control of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (Rojava) continue.

Fabian Molina, Member of the Federal Parliament for the Swiss Socialist Party and Member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Alex Farinelli, Member of the Federal Parliament for the Liberal-Radical Party, Erich Vontobel, Member of the Federal Parliament for the Federal Democratic Union, Balthasar Glättli, Member of the Federal Parliament for the Green Party, and Stefan Müller-Altermatt, Member of the Parliament for the Centre Fraction (Die Mitte), submitted a motion to the Federal Council highlighting the threats posed by the attacks on the autonomous region of North and East Syria and calling on the Swiss Federal Council to take action against the ongoing attacks.

Attacks pose a serious threat to ethnic and religious minorities

The motion pointed out that the Turkish state's attacks on the Autonomous Administration areas of North and East Syria jeopardise the stability of the region and said: “The attacks pose a serious threat to ethnic and religious minorities such as Kurdish, Armenian, Assyrian, Yazidi and Christian communities.”

Remarking that the ongoing attacks against the region have reactivated ISIS cells, the motion said: “The destabilisation in the region could also lead to the revival of extremist groups such as ISIS and new refugee movements. Due to its humanitarian tradition and its responsibility under international law, Switzerland has an obligation to work to end this escalation without violating its neutrality.”

‘The Council should use all foreign policy instruments’

The parliamentarians appealed to the Swiss Federal Council, saying: “The Council should use all foreign policy instruments within the framework of neutrality to ensure the protection of ethnic and religious minorities in Syria and to work for de-escalation by ending attacks on northern and eastern Syria.”

The motion submitted to the Swiss Federal Council was also signed by a large number of deputies from five political parties.

TURKISH ETHNIC CLEANSING

Syria’s SDF says five fighters killed in strikes by Turkish-backed forces

A member of Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) stands along a street, after rebels seized the capital and ousted Syria's Bashar al-Assad, in Hasakah, Syria, December 11, 2024. (REUTERS)

Reuters
December 21, 2024

Turkiye regards the PKK, YPG and SDF as terrorist groups

CAIRO: The US-allied Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) said five of its fighters had been killed on Saturday in attacks by Turkish-backed forces on the city of Manbij in northern Syria.

Fighting in Manbij broke out after Bashar Assad was toppled nearly two weeks ago, with Turkiye and the Syrian armed groups it supports seizing control of the city from the Kurdish-led SDF on Dec. 9.

The SDF, an ally in the US coalition against Daesh militants, is spearheaded by the YPG — a group that Ankara sees as an extension of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militants who have fought the Turkish state for 40 years.

Turkiye regards the PKK, YPG and SDF as terrorist groups.

The United States has been mediating to stop fighting between Turkiye and the Syrian Arab groups it supports, and the SDF.

The US State Department said on Wednesday a ceasefire around Manbij had been extended until the end of the week, but a Turkish defense ministry official said a day later there was no talk of a ceasefire deal with the SDF.

Internal Security Forces call for action to stop Turkey’s crimes against the people of NE Syria

The General Command of the Internal Security Forces said, “A new one has been added to the chain of crimes of the occupying Turkish state against civilians. We condemn this cowardly attack which is aimed at disrupting regional security.”


ANF
NEWS DESK
Saturday, 21 December 2024, 

The General Command of the Internal Security Forces of North and East Syria made a statement regarding the deadly Turkish UCAV attack that targeted a civilian vehicle in Til Berak this afternoon.

The statement said: “We condemn this cowardly attack that aims to disrupt regional security. This attack was carried out with the knowledge that targeting civilians is a crime under all circumstances and conditions according to international law and human rights.

We call on the international community and human rights organisations to take action to stop these crimes against the peoples of the region and to hold those responsible to account. Along with all these, we declare that we will continue to use our right to self-defence to protect our people and the environment of security and peace in the region.

We wish mercy to our martyrs and a speedy recovery to our wounded.”

SDF fighter at Tishrin: We will not allow the invaders to set foot on our lands

Remarking that the Turkish state does not even have the courage to attack, SDF fighter Kandil Halep said, “We will not allow the invading Turkish state to set foot on our lands under any circumstances. Our resistance will go down in history."


ANF
TISHRIN
Saturday, 21 December 2024,

The occupying Turkish army and allied mercenaries have been increasing their attacks on North and East Syria since 8 December. The Women's Defense Units (YPJ), the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the People's Defense Units (YPG) continue their resistance against these attacks.

Speaking to ANF, Kandil Halep, who is taking part in the resistance against the Tishrin Dam, said that the Turkish state's attacks on the dam and its surroundings have been frustrated thanks to the resistance of the fighters.

SDF fighter Kandil Halep said, “The occupying Turkish state and its mercenaries carried out extensive attacks. Everyone knows that the Tishrin Dam and its surroundings, where intense clashes are currently taking place, have been watered with the blood of martyrs. It has come to this day with their efforts and liberated. Now the Turkish state wants to seize the Tishrin Dam easily. This is not possible. We will not allow the occupying Turkish state to set foot on our lands under any circumstances.”

Kandil Halep said that the propaganda that the Turkish state captured the Tishrin Dam is not true. They claim that they have captured the Tishrin Dam, that we have surrendered and that they have taken many captives. They could put their propaganda and special war into action, but the truth is in front of our eyes. No one should pay attention to the smear propaganda spread by the occupiers.”

Stating that the resistance continues strongly, Kandil Halep said, “What is true is that the fighters have resisted the attacks of the Turkish state tremendously. Not only did they resist, but also, they responded to the attacks and repelled them. They no longer even have the courage to attack comfortably. The Turkish state will not be able to occupy Tishrin as it plans. It will face the resistance of the fighters in each attack.”

The SDF fighter pointed out that, “We will not allow them to continue plundering, theft and massacre by occupying our areas that were liberated with the blood of martyrs. We renew our promise to our people that we will protect our lands and stand against plunder and massacre. We have constantly renewed our promise to protect our lands a our people. We are the children of this people.”

Finally, Kandil Halep called on young men and women to join the resistance and concluded his speech by saying, “Everyone should take part in this historic resistance. We believe that our resistance will go down in history and history will never forget us.’

 

A Remarkable Astronomical Phenomenon at Karnak Temples celebrates Ancient Egyptian Ingenuity

Nevine El-Aref , Saturday 21 Dec 2024

Thousands of visitors gathered today at the Karnak Temple complex to witness the annual solar alignment on the temple’s main axis.

 

This extraordinary phenomenon, which occurs on December 21 each year, marks the beginning of the winter season and highlights the ancient Egyptians' advanced astronomical and architectural expertise.  

 

The event began with a festive atmosphere, accompanied by the soothing melodies of harp music. Visitors were greeted by scout children dressed in traditional ancient Egyptian attire, who handed out flowers and souvenirs. The scouts also performed artistic segments inspired by ancient Egyptian art, adding a cultural flair to the occasion.  

 

Mohamed Abdel Badie, Head of the Egyptian Antiquities Sector at the Supreme Council of Antiquities, described the event as celebrating Egypt's rich heritage. "This phenomenon is a testament to the genius of the ancient Egyptians in connecting astronomical calculations with architectural planning," he said.  

 

Mahmoud El-Adisi, Director of the Awareness of Archaeology Department, delivered a lecture during the event, emphasising the importance of the alignment. He noted that it reflects the ancient Egyptians' deep understanding of astronomy and their ability to integrate it into the design and orientation of their temples.  

The significance of the solar alignment at Karnak highlights how the sun's rays illuminate the sacred barque shrine of Amun-Ra, constructed by King Philip Arrhidaeus, the brother of Alexander the Great. The alignment stretches along the temple's main axis, running from east to west, and passes through the gates of the sixth to the first pylons and the Great Hypostyle Hall. This creates a stunning visual spectacle that can be seen from the harbour at the temple's entrance.  

 

The Karnak Temple symbolises the ancient Egyptians' unparalleled mastery of science and architecture.

BULLY HAS HIS PULPIT

Trump threatens to demand control of Panama Canal

"Our Navy and Commerce have been treated in a very unfair and injudicious way. The fees being charged by Panama are ridiculous," Trump says.


Although he does not officially take office until next month, Trump has nevertheless been flexing his political influence in the waning days of President Joe Biden's administration. / Photo: AFP


Incoming US president Donald Trump has slammed what he called unfair fees for US ships passing through the Panama Canal and threatened to demand control of the waterway be returned to Washington.

He also hinted on Saturday at China's growing influence around the canal, a worrying trend for American interests as US businesses depend on the channel to move goods between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.

"Our Navy and Commerce have been treated in a very unfair and injudicious way. The fees being charged by Panama are ridiculous," he said in a post on his Truth Social platform. "This complete 'rip-off' of our Country will immediately stop."

The Panama Canal, which was completed by the United States in 1914, was returned to the Central American country under a 1977 deal signed by Democratic president Jimmy Carter.

Panama took full control in 1999.

"It was solely for Panama to manage, not China, or anyone else," Trump said. "We would and will NEVER let it fall into the wrong hands!"

He continued that if Panama could not ensure "the secure, efficient and reliable operation" of the channel, "then we will demand that the Panama Canal be returned to us, in full, and without question."


Political flex

The post was an exceedingly rare example of a US leader saying he could push a sovereign country to hand over territory. It also underlines an expected shift in US diplomacy under Trump, who has not historically shied away from threatening allies and using bellicose rhetoric when dealing with counterparts.

Although he does not officially take office until next month, Trump has nevertheless been flexing his political influence in the waning days of President Joe Biden's administration.

The real estate mogul boasted on the campaign trail that as an entrepreneur, he was uniquely positioned to fight for US business interests.

An estimated five percent of global maritime traffic passes through the Panama Canal, which allows ships travelling between Asia and the US East Coast to avoid the long, hazardous route around the southern tip of South America.

The main users of the passage are the United States, China, Japan and South Korea.

The Panama Canal Authority reported in October that the waterway had earned record revenues of nearly $5 billion in the last fiscal year.

Exodus: Italian artist uses AI to immerse viewers in war's destruction

Adriano Tenore’s groundbreaking AI installation confronts audiences with the devastation of war, transporting them from safe galleries to bombed-out conflict zones.

Savin Massimo Mattozzi
TRT/AA

DEC 20, 2024

A woman stares at her AI-generated self in a bombed-out room at a showing of Exodus in Naples, Italy (Savin Massimo Mattozzi).

Inside a dimly lit gallery in Naples, people gather around a camera aimed at a darkened room. Curiosity pulls them closer. Some start waving their arms while others watch in astonishment as their AI-generated reflections appear on a wall before them. One young woman puts her face right in front of the camera and sees herself in a bombed out house with debris scattered on the ground around her. She stays there a moment before walking away in tears, her hand trembling over her mouth.

This is Exodus, a powerful and haunting art installation by Naples-based visual artist, Adriano Tenore. By combining real-time AI technology with immersive visuals, Tenore creates a portal that places viewers directly inside the devastation experienced by people displaced by war. For a few surreal moments, they are no longer passive spectators of distant tragedies; they are inside the destruction.

Although Tenore doesn’t wish for people to cry when they see his project, he understands that when people have strong reactions to it, the project has served its purpose.

“On the one hand it's bad to see [people cry], but it also makes me understand that it worked. The viewer arrived where she needed to arrive” he tells TRT World.

Technology meets purpose


While fine tuning and developing the technology for several months in 2024, Tenore realised that he had a strong communication tool in his hands, he just had to decide what he wanted to communicate.


After being inundated with images of mass destruction and maimed civilians pouring out of Palestine's Gaza from Israel’s assault on the occupied territory, Tenore decided that he wanted to use his technology to put people, even if just for a few seconds, in the shoes of those suffering in Gaza.


“Once I developed this technology I understood that I had a super powerful tool in my hand because it allowed me to reinvent reality in real time” Tenore says. “The idea seemed to me to be the perfect moment to be able to talk about something more important that was linked to current events and a rather urgent, problematic, serious and atrocious situation which is that of Palestine.”


Adriano Tenore stands on his terrace in Naples' old city while he projects a test of his Exodus project on a building next to him (Savin Massimo Mattozzi).

When Exodus first debuted in April, more than 34,000 Palestinians had been killed by Israeli forces in Gaza. Now, more than a year after Israel’s onslaught on Gaza, the death toll has risen to nearly 45,000 with more than 106,000 wounded. The International Criminal Court is currently seeking an arrest warrant for Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defense minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Giulia, a second generation Palestinian activist and member of the Handala Ali Cultural Centre in Naples’ old city, believes that it is vitally important to discuss Palestine, especially when it comes to art and artistic expression.

“I think the most important thing, especially this year, is to never stop talking about Palestine” she explains. “The interpretation of Palestine, also in Western art, is fundamental for people who perhaps have not participated in protests.”

From spectators to participants

Although she explains it is important to centre Palestinian artists and voices, she thinks it is necessary to grab people’s attention for longer periods of time than simply fleeting images on social media.


Three people stand and watch as their AI generated selves move around the projection in a bombed-out room (Savin Massimo Mattozzi).

“The unique thing about this project is that the viewers become participants in the images themselves” Giulia says. “These people don’t expect what will happen next, they just see a portrayal of the destruction of Gaza. Then they find themselves projected inside of the image and it gives them a strong reaction because up until now they have just been observers but now they find themselves within the images.”

AI and the ethics of impact

While Exodus has drawn praise for its emotional power, it has also sparked questions about the role of generative AI in art. Critics argue that AI blurs the line between authentic artistic expression and machine-generated visuals.

For software engineers and data scientists, the question of the limitations of this kind of technology are increasingly more complicated.

Carmen Baiano, a data scientist that works with AI, believes that people, both inside and outside the computer science community, are not thinking about where this technology could take us.

“From my point of view we are not always thinking of the implications of what we do, we get so caught up in the fact that we are developing a new technology that we become lost” Baiano tells TRT World.

In addition to the technology potentially ending up in the wrong hands, she questions whether projects that use AI like Exodus will have any kind of lasting effect on its audience or if it’s just a fleeting emotion that people will only feel in the moment of the show.

“I don’t know if you go to the show and see it and experience it, if it’s enough to really affect how people live their life… I don’t know if it will be enough for people to take actions like participating in a boycott” she says.

For Tenore, the fleeting impact that his work could have on his audience is not lost on him. He acknowledges its limitations but is optimistic about not just the outcome of his project but any kind of art that aims to change the way people see and understand the world around them.


“Art not only should change the world but it must” he explains to TRT World. “I think if art can put technological progress to good use and if its in the right, ethical hands, it will change the world.”

Global vision

Tenore’s vision for Exodus extends beyond Gaza. He hopes to adapt the project to highlight other ongoing conflicts, such as those in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where violence and displacement continue largely unnoticed by global media.


“Exodus can be applied to any other conflict or genocide that is happening today” he explains.


Adriano Tenore and an audience member make the peace symbol for their AI-generated selves to imitate 

 (Savin Massimo Mattozzi).


Back in the small art gallery in Naples, the room is thick with silence. The sounds of distant explosions and sirens echo from speakers in the corner. People step in front of the camera, one after another, their expressions shifting from fascination to discomfort. A green couch in the room transforms on screen into rubble and weeds. The walls seem to collapse. The viewers are no longer in Naples; they are somewhere far more harrowing.

In these moments, Tenore’s message comes to life: Exodus bridges the chasm between the observer and the observed, between safety and suffering. For just a moment, it makes the incomprehensible real.

SOURCE: TRT World

Savin Massimo Mattozzi is a Naples-based freelance journalist who writes on migration, organised crime, conflict and culture.

Pope Francis slams Israel's 'cruelty' after Gaza air strike

Pope Francis calls for an investigation to determine if Israel’s attacks in Gaza constitute genocide, according to excerpts from an upcoming new book.


"The Pope's remarks are particularly disappointing as they are disconnected from the true and factual context," the Israeli Foreign Ministry said. / Photo: AFP

Pope Francis has again condemned Israeli air strikes in besieged Gaza, a day after an Israeli government minister publicly denounced the pontiff for suggesting the global community should study whether the Israel carnage there constitutes a genocide of the Palestinian people.

Francis opened his annual Christmas address to the Catholic cardinals who lead the Vatican's various departments with what appeared to be a reference to Israeli air strikes on Friday that killed at least 25 Palestinians in Gaza.

"Yesterday, children were bombed," said the pope on Saturday. "This is cruelty. This is not war. I wanted to say this because it touches the heart."

The pope, as leader of the 1.4-billion-member Roman Catholic Church, is usually careful about taking sides in conflicts, but he has recently been more outspoken about Israel's military attacks on Gaza against Palestinians.

In book excerpts published last month, the pontiff said some international experts said that "what is happening in Gaza has the characteristics of a genocide"

Israel accuses Pope of double standards

Israel has accused Pope Francis of "double standards" following his remarks.

"The Pope's remarks are particularly disappointing as they are disconnected from the true and factual context," the Israeli Foreign Ministry said.

"Enough with the double standards and the singling out of the Jewish state and its people."

Israel has killed over 45,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, in its carnage in Gaza so far.

Tel Aviv has caused a massive shortage of basic necessities in its onslaught, including food, water, electricity and medicine, while displacing almost the entire population.

November 21, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its military campaign in the enclave.

Humanity Must Not Look Away: a call to protect Gaza’s healthcare system

We stand with Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, Director of Kamal Adwan Hospital, in pleading with the international community: Do not remain silent as Gaza’s healthcare system is systematically destroyed.

By Palestine Mental Health Networks and Doctors Against Genocide 

December 21, 2024 0
MONDOWEISS

Director of Kamal Adwan Hospital, Hussam Abu Safiyeh (middle), holds up his hands during the Israeli invasion of the hospital, October 26, 2024.

 (Photo: Screenshot/Social Media)


Editor’s Note: The following is a statement from the Palestine Mental Health Networks and Doctors Against Genocide.

The Palestine Mental Health Networks and Doctors Against Genocide stand with Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, Director of Kamal Adwan Hospital, in pleading with the international community: Do not remain silent as Gaza’s healthcare system is systematically destroyed. The relentless assaults on Kamal Adwan Hospital—a sanctuary meant to save lives in northern Gaza—are part of a deliberate genocidal campaign. These attacks on hospitals and clinics, places meant for healing and shelter, are not accidents of war; they are the cold calculations of those who would see an entire people erased.

For 15 months, Gaza’s hospitals and clinics have been turned into crime scenes. Airstrikes shatter operating rooms mid-surgery. Children gasp for air as oxygen lines are cut off. Parents search through rubble for their loved ones while doctors stand helpless, their surgical gloves empty-handed and their hearts heavy. These are not “tragic byproducts”—they are intentional crimes against humanity. They shred the promise of international humanitarian law, reducing the Geneva Conventions to hollow words.

The world looks on, as Gaza’s healthcare system buckles under siege and bombardment. Medical supplies blocked at borders. Ambulances banned from reaching the injured. The simplest lifesaving tools withheld. This is not mere negligence; it is a brutal strategy of attrition, starving a people’s capacity to live, heal, and resist. The mental toll is immeasurable. Imagine the terror in a child’s eyes when the bombs fall again, the despair in a surgeon’s voice when forced to turn away a bleeding patient. Families bury their children in silence, their cries muffled by international indifference.

We echo Kamal Adwan Hospital’s urgent, anguished appeal:

1. Open a humanitarian corridor now. Let medicine, surgical equipment, and ambulances reach those who are dying for lack of the most basic care.

2. Protect healthcare facilities and workers immediately. Demand that the international community enforce the laws meant to guard medical spaces and staff from harm.

3. End the blockade of Gaza. This decades-long siege has turned Gaza into an open-air prison where even survival is treated as a privilege, not a right.

Humanity cannot pretend not to see. Neutrality in the face of genocide is complicity. Every bomb that slams into Kamal Adwan Hospital, every nurse forced to watch a child slip away, every life lost from denied treatment indicts us all.

The world is watching. Will it once again stand idly by as another hospital crumbles, another child’s breath is silenced, another fragile hope is extinguished? Or will it finally rise to restore the sanctity of life and the universal right to health?

Please take action:Sign this urgent petition regarding “Not Another Hospital”. https://ujoin.co/campaigns/3307/actions/public?action_id=4319
Sign petition “No Child A Target-Internationa” https://ujoin.co/campaigns/3351/actions/public?action_id=4410
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Please share this article with at least 10 individuals in your network

In solidarity and profound sorrow,

Doctors Against Genocide

The Palestine Mental Health Networks (Australia, Belgium, Canada, Chile, Egypt, France, Germany, Iraq, Ireland, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, South Africa, Sweden, Turkiye, United Kingdom, United States)

Israel conducts continuous airstrikes on Kamal Adwan Hospital in Beit Lahia - as it happened



Ahram Online , Saturday 21 Dec 2024

Hamas said in a statement on Saturday that reaching a Gaza ceasefire agreement with Israel “has become closer than ever before” only if Tel Aviv refrains from imposing new conditions.

A wounded person is treated inside Kamal Adwan Hospital, in the northern Gaza Strip. 

As Israeli aggression in Gaza, Lebanon, and Post-Assad Syria deepens human suffering and regional instability, and amid growing international calls for ceasefires and de-escalation, Ahram Online covers the latest developments in the Middle East as they unfold on Saturday, 21 December.

Related
Hamas calls for global pressure on Israel to halt terrorism in Gaza - as it happened

21:50 The General Command in Syria announced today, Saturday, the appointment of Marhaf Abu Qasra, known as Abu al-Hassan al-Hamawi, as Minister of Defense in the Syrian Interim Government, reported DPA.

Abu Qasra was assigned following a meeting between the Commander-in-Chief of Operations, Ahmed al-Sharaa, and the leaders of the armed factions.

Abu Qasra was born in the city of Halfaya in the Hama countryside, holds a bachelor's degree in agricultural engineering, and is one of the prominent leaders in Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, according to DPA.

The General Command said that Ahmed al-Sharaa discussed the form of the new military institution in his meeting with the Syrian military factions.

Al-Sharaa stated that the military factions will be merged into one institution under the management of the Ministry of Defense in the new army.

The news has not been announced yet by the Syrian News Agency.

21:15 Four Palestinians were killed and several others were injured in an Israeli airstrike that targeted a home in the Nuseirat refugee camp, central Gaza, on Saturday evening.

WAFA correspondent reported that Israeli fighter jets struck the home of the Kabaja family, causing the murder of four civilians and injuring others. The attack also caused damage to neighbouring homes.

Earlier in the day, another Israeli airstrike on Al-Mansoura Street in the Shujaiya neighbourhood east of Gaza City resulted in the killing of four more individuals and left others injured.

18:45 A mother and her three daughters were killed in an Israeli airstrike on Saturday evening in northern Gaza. The attack targeted the Felfel family home near Sheikh Zayed Mosque in the region, according to local sources.

The bombing resulted in the killing of the mother, along with her three children, as their house was destroyed in the strike.


A Palestinian man is helped to put a shrouded body into the ground during a funeral of Palestinians killed in an Israeli strike the previous night, in Jabalia, in the northern Gaza Strip. AFP

18:30 Gaza's Health Ministry issued an urgent appeal for medical and food supplies to be delivered to Kamal Adwan Hospital in Beit Lahiya in largely isolated northern Gaza, while the hospital director described conditions as dire, as Israel's military presses its latest offensive.

The ministry reported continuous gunfire and Israeli shelling near the hospital, saying “shells have struck the third floor and the hospital’s entrances, creating a state of panic.”

Hospital director Dr. Husam Abu Safiyeh said the facility faced “severe shortages” and asserted that requests for essential medical supplies and ways to maintain oxygen, water and electricity systems "have largely gone unmet.”

He said 72 wounded people were being treated at the hospital.

“Food is very scarce, and we cannot provide meals for the wounded," Safiyeh added. “We are urgently calling on anyone who can provide supplies to help us.”

Aid groups have said Israeli military operations and armed gangs have hindered their ability to distribute aid.

18:05 Iran said unknown gunmen had killed a local staffer of the Iranian Embassy in Syria in Damascus, the official IRNA news agency said.

Its report quoted Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei as saying “terrorists” opened fire on Davood Bitaraf’s car last Sunday. It did not say what he did with the embassy.

Baghaei said Iran considers Syria’s interim government responsible for finding and prosecuting those behind the killing. Iran had been a key ally of recently ousted Syrian leader Bashar Assad.

17:00 A drone attack on a car in northeastern Syria attributed to the Turkish military has killed three civilians, a media report and Kurdish security forces said on Saturday.

The strike came after two journalists from Turkey's Kurdish-majority southeast were killed, reportedly by a Turkish drone, while covering clashes between an Ankara-backed militia and US-backed Kurdish fighters in Syria.

15:30 Hamas said in a statement that reaching a Gaza ceasefire agreement with Israel “has become closer than ever before” only if Tel Aviv refrains from imposing new conditions.

The Palestinian movement said it held a meeting in Cairo on the ongoing negotiation efforts with representatives of the Islamic Jihad and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.

The meeting was attended by Hamas deputy head, Khalil al-Hayya, and Islamic Jihad Movement Secretary-General Ziyad al-Nakhalah.

Efforts to strike a Gaza truce and captive release deal between Israel and Hamas have repeatedly failed over key stumbling blocks, but recent negotiations have raised hope of an agreement.


A man inspects the damage following an Israeli strike on a home belonging to the al-Zaytouniyah family, in the al-Daraj neighbourhood in Gaza City, in the central Gaza Strip. AFP

14:30 Israel has used civilian contractors to demolish buildings and construct military infrastructure in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, The Guardian reported, citing an article from the Israeli news site Walla.

The report, written by a journalist embedded with the Israeli army, details military operations in the Shaboura neighbourhood, on the outskirts of the Rafah refugee camp.

The Israeli military’s tasks in the area include exploring, securing, and opening roads, as well as locating and destroying infrastructure both above and below ground.

A report by the New York Times earlier this month revealed that the Israeli army has demolished over 600 buildings to create buffer zones and expanded a network of military bases.

The so-called Netzarim corridor, initially a four-mile road, has expanded into an 18-square-mile area controlled by Israeli forces, which now bisects the Palestinian territory and keeps many displaced Palestinians from returning north.

The New York Times report confirmed earlier findings by Israeli newspaper Haaretz, which showed the Israeli army is widening roads, building outposts, and installing long-term infrastructure for a prolonged military presence in Gaza.

This territorial expansion has fueled speculation about Israel’s long-term intentions for Gaza. Israeli leaders have vowed to maintain security control even after the war without providing much detail.

A senior Israeli officer serving in Gaza told Haaretz that “the Israeli army won't withdraw before 2026." Still, some ministers have suggested military control could lead to a renewed Israeli settlement in Gaza.

Israel's relentless bombardment has already reduced much of Gaza to rubble, displaced 1.9 million people (at least once), and enabled Israel to occupy 26 percent of the territory, with settlers eyeing further expansion.

According to Haaretz, Israeli sources have admitted that the army is actively clearing Palestinian villages and cities in northern Gaza as part of a plan dubbed the "Generals' Plan," transforming the area into a military enclave.

13:30 The health ministry in Gaza said that at least 45,227 people have been killed during more than 14 months of Israeli war on Gaza.

The toll includes 21 deaths in the previous 24 hours, according to the ministry, which said 107,573 people have been wounded in the Gaza Strip since the Israeli war began.

12:30 The Palestinian news agency Wafa reported that an Israeli strike targeting a gathering of people in Al-Shati Camp, west of Gaza City, killed at least three and wounded many others.

On Friday, Israeli strikes killed at least 25 Palestinians, including eight in an apartment in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, and 10 others, including seven children, in a separate strike on a home in Jabalia, northern Gaza, Reuters reported, citing medics.

Commenting on the Jabalia strike, Gaza Civil Defence Agency spokesman Mahmoud Bassal told AFP, "There are 10 martyrs... all targeted by an airstrike on their home in Jabalia al-Nazla, southwest of Jabalia. All of the martyrs are from the same family, including seven children, the oldest aged six."

Bassal added that the strike injured 15 other people.

Gaza's health ministry says Israel's war on Gaza has killed at least 45,206 people, the majority of whom are women and children, and injured 107,512 others. The UN rights office confirms the figures are reliable and that most of the dead are women and children.

12:00 The UN Security Council has unanimously approved a resolution extending the UN peacekeeping force on the Israel-Syria border and underscoring that there should be no military activities in the demilitarized buffer zone.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday that Israeli troops will occupy the buffer zone for the foreseeable future. Israel seized the buffer zone in a land grab shortly after the collapse of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's government.

The resolution adopted Friday stressed that both countries are obligated “to scrupulously and fully respect” the 1974 Disengagement of Forces Agreement that ended the 1973 war between Syria and Israel and established the buffer zone. The resolution was co-sponsored by the United States and Russia.

The Security Council extended the mandate of the UN peacekeeping force monitoring the border area, known as UNDOF, until June 30, 2025 and called for a halt to all military actions throughout the country including in UNDOF’s area of operations.

The resolution expresses concern that ongoing military activities in the area of separation have the potential to escalate Israeli-Syrian tensions and jeopardize the 1974 ceasefire. It also expresses alarm that violence in Syria “risks a serious conflagration of the conflict in the region.”

11:00 Pope Francis condemned the bombing of children in Gaza as "cruelty," a day after an Israeli airstrike killed seven children from one family.

"Yesterday, children were bombed. This is cruelty, this is not war. I want to say it because it touches my heart," he told an audience of Holy See government members.

The Gaza Strip is now considered the deadliest place in the world for children. About 30 percent of the 11,300 identified children killed in Gaza were younger than five, and Gaza currently has the highest rates of child malnutrition globally, according to the NGO Save the Children.


Palestinian women mourn a dead child, killed in an Israeli strike the previous night, at Al-Ahli Arab hospital, also known as the Baptist hospital, in Gaza City. AFP

9:00 The Israeli military says a rocket fired from Yemen hit an area of Tel Aviv overnight, leaving 16 people slightly injured by shattered glass from nearby windows.

A further 14 people sustained minor injuries as they rushed to shelters when air raid sirens sounded before the projectile hit just before 4 a.m. Saturday, the military said.

Israel's military said it had failed to intercept the projectile, which struck a district of Tel Aviv municipality, forcing many residents to leave their homes.

Yemen's Houthi rebels later claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it used a ballistic missile and was directed at "a military target of the Israeli enemy".

The attack comes less than two days after a series of Israeli airstrikes on Yemen’s Houthi-held capital, Sanaa, and port city of Hodeida killed at least nine people.

The Israeli strikes were in response to a Houthi attack in which a long-range missile hit an Israeli school building. The Houthis also claimed a drone strike targeting an unspecified military target in central Israel on Thursday.

The Israeli military says the Houthis have launched more than 200 missiles and drones during the Israeli war on Gaza. The Houthis have also been attacking shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden — attacks they say won’t stop until there is a ceasefire in Gaza.

The Israeli strikes Thursday caused “considerable damage” to the Houthi-controlled Red Sea ports “that will lead to the immediate and significant reduction in port capacity,” United Nations spokesman Stephane Dujarric said. The port at Hodeida has been key for food shipments into Yemen in its decade-long civil war.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said both sides’ attacks risk further escalation in the region and undermine U.N. mediation efforts.

This picture shows debris in a bedroom in Tel Aviv after a projectile fired from Yemen landed near the building. AFP

8:30 The Biden administration said Friday it has decided not to pursue a $10 million reward it had offered for the capture of Syrian militant leader Ahmad al-Sharaa aka Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, whose group led insurgents that ousted President Bashar Assad earlier this month.

The announcement followed a meeting in Damascus between Ahmad al-Sharaa, who was once aligned with al-Qaida, and the top U.S. diplomat for the Middle East, Barbara Leaf, who led the first U.S. diplomatic delegation into Syria since Assad’s ouster.

Al-Sharaa's group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS, remains designated a foreign terrorist organization, and Leaf would not say if sanctions stemming from that designation would be eased. However, she told reporters that Sharaa had committed to renouncing terrorism and as a result the U.S. would no longer offer the reward.

Leaf said the U.S. would make policy decisions based on actions and not words.


Ahmad al-Sharaa aka Abu Mohammed al-Jolani. AFP

8:00 The Israeli military said its soldiers shot and wounded a protester Friday in the Syrian village of Maariyah.

Since the fall of Bashar Assad’s government in Syria, Israel’s military has occupied several locations in the country along the border with Israel.

During a protest Friday by dozens of Syrians against the Israeli presence in Maariyah, soldiers shot at one man who the military said had approached their position, wounding him in the leg.

Residents in the area previously told The Associated Press that Israeli forces were preventing farmers from reaching their fields.

A villager from Maariya told AFP that Israeli soldiers had been entering his village and other nearby villages in recent days.

"When the Israelis entered ... they sowed fear and horror among the people, the children, the women," Ali al-Khalaf, 52, told AFP.

"So much so that some people fled to other nearby villages. They (Israeli troops) entered the villages of Maariya, Aabdyn and Jamlah," he added.

On Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a security briefing atop a strategic Syrian mountain inside the UN-patrolled zone.

During the visit Netanyahu reviewed the army's deployment in the area, his office said.

Israeli leaders say they will remain in the area indefinitely.