Day: August 23, 2024

The leader of the Sadrist movement, Muqtada al-Sadr, called for supporting Gaza with a million-man demonstration in Tahrir Square in Baghdad. Al-Sadr said in a statement: "To those who believe in the Palestinian cause, and to those who love peace and hate Zionist terrorism and its massacres, I call on my Iraqi brothers of all stripes except the corrupt, to go out in a million-man demonstration that reflects a true image of the extent of the sympathy of the jealous Iraqi people with the Palestinian cause and with their afflicted brothers in Gaza, on the first Friday after the 17th of Rabi' 1 of this year, when the greatest light and the most honorable Messenger Muhammad were born, may God bless him and his family." He added: "A peaceful demonstration in Tahrir Square in Baghdad, wearing shrouds if possible, so that your voice and image reach the entire world. Do not fall short in that, I hope for sure, as this is what pleases God, His Messenger, his family, and our great authorities, the living and the dead ." Source: National Iraqi News Agency

Riyad al-Maliki, the president's advisor for international relations, said that the Palestinian Authority expects a large-scale Israeli operation in the West Bank. In an interview with the Russian news agency RIA Novosti, Maliki noted that Israeli forces are now advancing into the West Bank, where, in his estimation, they are likely to carry out a large-scale operation, noting that the number of military incursions into cities, villages and refugee camps in the West Bank "is doubling, tripling or even quadrupling every day." "We certainly expect this. We see all the indications that confirm these concerns. But I think we are well prepared for such a situation if it happens. It is clear that our people will resist, will survive, and will try to fight," he said. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in the occupied Palestinian territories said earlier that the number of Palestinian homes demolished by Israel in the West Bank has doubled since October 7, 2023. Source: Maan News Agency

US President Joe Biden approved declaring the states of Vermont, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Vermont, Kansas and Nebraska as disaster areas; Due to the emergency conditions resulting from severe storms, hurricanes, floods and landslides that occurred in the past periods. The White House confirmed in a statement that the US President ordered the provision of federal assistance to complement response efforts at the level of those states. Source: National Iraqi News Agency

A 40-year-old Palestinian man was killed on Thursday evening when an apartment caught fire in the diplomatic quarter of Ramallah. Police spokesman Colonel Louay Erziqat said that a report was received by the governorate police operations room stating that there was a fire in one of the apartments in the diplomatic quarter in the city of Ramallah. Arziqat added that a force from the General Investigation Police, the Criminal Evidence Team, the Civil Defense, the security services and ambulances immediately moved to the location, where the body of a citizen was found completely burned. The police and the security services began the search and investigation procedures, and the Public Prosecution was notified to complete the legal procedures. Source: Maan News Agency

The media of the Najaf Police Command announced the arrest of the main suspect in al-Zarqa incident, which resulted in a number of deaths and injuries. The media official, Colonel Mufid Salem, said that "according to information and intensive intelligence efforts, a force from the Falcons Cell and Najaf Police Command were able to arrest the main suspect in the killing of a person in al-Zarqa area, north of the province. He added that "the suspect was reached through a security operation characterized by intensive police work within the area of responsibility, as the necessary legal measures were taken against him to complete his investigation papers and refer him to the judiciary. Source: National Iraqi News Agency

The Palestinian Meteorological Department expects the weather today to be relatively hot to hot, with a slight drop in temperatures, but remaining slightly above the general average. The winds will be southwesterly to northwesterly, light to moderate in speed, sometimes active, and the sea will be light to medium in wave height. In the evening and night hours: The weather is pleasant in the mountainous areas and relatively warm in the rest of the regions. The winds are northwesterly, light to moderate in speed, sometimes active, and the sea is light to medium in wave height. Saturday 08/24/2024: The weather will be relatively hot to hot, and there will be another slight decrease in temperatures to become around their annual average. The winds will be southwesterly to northwesterly, light to moderate in speed, sometimes active, and the sea will be light to medium in wave height. Sunday 08/25/2024: The weather will be hot to very hot, and there will be a noticeable rise in temperatures to become about 3 deg rees Celsius higher than the general average. The winds will be southwesterly to northwesterly, light to moderate in speed, sometimes active, and the sea will be light to medium in wave height. Monday 08/26/2024: The weather will be hot to very hot, and there will be another slight rise in temperatures to become about 4 degrees Celsius higher than the general average. The winds will be southwesterly to northwesterly, light to moderate in speed, sometimes active, and the sea will be light to medium in wave height. ** The Meteorological Department warns citizens of the danger of: 1- Exposure to direct sunlight for a long time, especially during peak hours. 2- The risk of starting fires in areas where there are many dry grasses and trees. Source: Maan News Agency

The Security Media Cell denied imposing a curfew on people and vehicles in Baghdad. It said in a statement: Some social media sites circulated news about (imposing a curfew on vehicles and people in the capital, Baghdad), and this information is incorrect and does not carry any credibility. It added: While we deny this false news, we confirm that the security services and intelligence departments will pursue the promoters of these malicious rumors, and will work to take legal measures against them and bring them to justice to receive their punishment. Source: National Iraqi News Agency

The Israeli army ordered residents of large areas in Beit Lahia, north of the Gaza Strip, to forcibly evacuate in preparation for military operations, reducing the areas in which residents of the Strip can be present, in light of the lack of safe areas. In turn, Al Jazeera's correspondent confirmed that violent Israeli shelling targeted Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip, coinciding with evacuation orders. Source: Maan News Agency

The Turkish Ministry of Defense announced the killing of 16 militants of the banned Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in airstrikes carried out by Turkish warplanes in northern Iraq. The Turkish Defense Ministry stated in a statement today, Saturday, that the Turkish army units stationed in the areas of /Hakurk, Asos, Kara and Metina/ within the areas of /Claw Lock / operations in northern Iraq detected gatherings of PKK militants in those rugged mountainous areas, which required the use of warplanes, whose raids on those gatherings resulted in the killing of 16 of them and the withdrawal of the others. It indicated in its statement that the Kurdistan Workers' Party "PKK" takes the Qandil Mountains in northern Iraq as a stronghold, and is active in many cities, regions and valleys, and launches attacks from them on inside Turkey, and that the Turkish army is working hard to dry up the sources of terrorism. It is noteworthy that the Turkish army had carried out a large-scale military operation on April 18, 20 21, which is still ongoing, called Claw Lock, against the strongholds of the Kurdistan Workers' Party in the regions of Metina, Gara, Hakurk, Zap, Afshin and Bazian in northern Iraq. Source: National Iraqi News Agency

The Israeli army reported that a soldier was killed and four others were seriously injured in battles in the central Gaza Strip. The Israeli Broadcasting Corporation said that the soldier was killed by an explosive device in battles in the Zeitoun neighborhood in Gaza City. Earlier today, the Al-Qassam Brigades announced that it had killed and wounded Israeli soldiers in the vicinity of the Al-Zeitoun neighborhood in Gaza City and in the city of Rafah, while Israeli helicopters evacuated the wounded soldiers. Source: Maan News Agency