ABU DHABI: President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan has issued several federal decrees outlining key appointments and the establishment of a new office within the Presidential Court. The decrees include:

– The appointment of Her Highness Sheikha Mariam bint Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan as Deputy Chairperson of the Presidential Court for National Projects, carrying the rank of Minister.

– The appointment of His Highness Sheikh Theyab bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan as Deputy Chairman of the Presidential Court for Development and Fallen Heroes’ Affairs, also with the rank of Minister.

– The establishment of the President’s Office for Strategic Affairs within the Presidential Court, with His Excellency Dr Ahmed Mubarak Ali Al Mazrouei appointed as Chairman of this office, granted the rank of Minister, in addition to his existing responsibilities.

– The appointment of His Excellency Humaid Saeed Amer Hamad Al Neyadi as Director of the Office of the Chairman of the Presidential Court, awarded t
he rank of Minister.

– The appointment of His Excellency Sultan Dahi Sultan Al Hameeri as Advisor at the President’s Office for Strategic Affairs within the Presidential Court, with the rank of Minister, alongside his ongoing roles.

– The appointment of His Excellency Rashid Saeed Salem Al Ameri as Advisor at the President’s Office for Strategic Affairs within the Presidential Court, also with the rank of Minister and in conjunction with his current duties.

Source: Emirates News Agency

Sheikh Naim Qassem, the Deputy Secretary-General of Hezbollah, stated during a commemorative event in Beirut, “We are facing two scenes in Gaza,” saying that the first represents the resistance, “fighting with exceptional courage.”

The second represents the “Israeli-American enemy because what are we seeing today is an American-Israeli decision or rather more than that; Israel is a ‘tool’ used by the US.”

He added: “Faced with these two scenes, we have two choices: Either to be with this brutal occupying enemy or with the resistance and the rightful owners of the land.”

He added, “In the face of these two scenes, history will document who collaborated with Israel and who failed to support the resistance. Arabs, Muslims, and any human cannot say they have no connection to what is happening in Palestine […] This history cannot be erased.”

He further stated, “Despite all this brutality, Israel has not achieved anything. I tell you that it will not achieve anything. No matter how long it takes, Israel will
remain in the ‘hell’ it entered without achieving any results.”

Sheikh Naim Qassem said that the resistance has triumphed and prevented Israel from achieving its goals despite all the political, media, financial, and arms support it received.

Nevertheless, he noted that the resistance “remains steadfast,” and its operations continue.

“Resistance leaders have informed us that they can endure even if the situation continues for months. When we asked them about Rafah, they told us that the enemy thinks it is the operations center, although it is a city like any other city in Gaza,” he added.

He emphasized, “Regarding the circulated rumors about a ceasefire agreement: If there is no proposal leading to a cessation of fighting and ending the war, you are asking the resistance to hand over prisoners in exchange for some food and the release of detainees to then ‘eliminate’ the Palestinians. What kind of reasoning is this?”

“The solution lies in stopping the war, but not in this manner. Whoever bets on crushing
the resistance has discovered that it cannot be ended,” he added.

The Deputy Secretary-General of Hezbollah asked, “What if Israel attacked Lebanon?”

Adding: “In case it attacks Lebanon, we will face it, and it will curse the moment it decided to attack Lebanon. Patriotism requires supporting the resistance that defended and is still defending Lebanon.”

“Today, any patriot in Lebanon must be in the ranks of the resistance […] Today, we are facing a pivotal challenge, and rest assured that the enemy is suffering massive losses,” he stated, adding that one of its policies is “hiding” its losses, as “it puts a third of its army on the northern border.”

He concluded: “Some say we are losing, yes, both of us are losing, […] but our loss will be the foundation for victory in the future.”

Source: National News Agency – Lebanon

Cairo, on Sunday, will host a new round of quartet negotiations to reach a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and put an end to the Israeli ongoing attacks on the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

The talks will be participated by Egyptian, Qatari and US mediators, with Hamas representatives and aim to tackle the outcomes of the Paris meeting on reaching a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and a prisoner swap between the Palestinians and the Israelis, ahead of the holy month of Ramadan, which is expected to begin on Monday.

The negotiations also aim at putting an end the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip, ensuring return of the displaced Palestinians to their homes, and bringing humanitarian aid into the besieged strip.

With Ramadan just a few days away, mediators from Egypt, Qatar, and the United States have been engaged in discussions to negotiate the terms of a potential ceasefire in Gaza, aiming to end nearly five months of Israeli aggression.

The mediators are urging for an immediate ceasefire to facilitate incr
eased aid delivery to the war-torn Gaza Strip and enable a prisoner swap deal.

The Paris’ proposed deal is expected to halt the fighting for at least six weeks and facilitate the release of around 100 captives held by Hamas in Gaza, in exchange for the freedom of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.

The ceasefire talks have been ongoing in Cairo for several consecutive days, with the participation of senior negotiators from Egypt, Qatar, and the US, as well as envoys from Hamas, aiming to reach a ceasefire agreement before the start of Ramadan.

Israel has boycotted the negotiations in the Egyptian capital due to Hamas’s refusal to provide a list of captives who are still alive. On Saturday, Al Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, announced that seven Israeli captives were killed by Israeli nonstop strikes on the strip.

A ceasefire is desperately needed as UN data reveals that one quarter of Gaza’s 2.3 million population is “one step away from famine,” with children suffering and dying from starvatio
n.

Israel has killed 30,878 Palestinian people and injured 72,402 others since October 7, 2023, announced the Palestinian Ministry in the Gaza Strip on Friday.

Egypt is increasingly concerned about Israeli threats to launch a ground invasion in Rafah city, which shares a border with Sinai and currently houses approximately 1.4 million Palestinians, a significant increase from the pre-war population of around 200,000.

Egypt has expressed its deep concerns regarding the catastrophic impact that such an operation would have on further exacerbating the already dire humanitarian situation in the strip.

The northern part of the besieged strip is being systematically starved by Israeli forces amid ongoing shelling and sniping of Palestinians. So far, 20 children and an elderly man have been starved to death due to the absence of baby formula and malnutrition.

Source: State Information Service Egypt