Category: 3. Middle East

A Saudi PhD student at the University of Leeds has been released from prison in Saudi Arabia after her sentence over critical social media activity was reduced, activists have said.

Salma al-Shehab, a 36-year-old mother of two, was arrested in…

A mother who has been on hunger strike for 134 days to campaign for her son to be freed from an Egyptian prison has asked Sir Keir Starmer to continue to press for his release if she dies “in the coming days”.

Pro-democracy activist Alaa Abdel…

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said he would abolish the system of payments to Palestinian militants and their families for attacks against Israelis, a move widely seen as a goodwill gesture toward the Trump administration.

Abbas issued a…

Having lost a third of her body weight during a 134-day hunger strike, a “weak” Laila Soueif on Monday urged UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer to secure her son’s release from an Egyptian jail, warning “I don’t have time”.

Soueif, 68, has lived on…

Hamas announced Monday it would postpone any further hostage-prisoner exchanges under a fragile Gaza ceasefire accusing Israel of violations, while Israel said its military was readying for “any possible scenario”.

The ceasefire that went into…

A spokesperson for the armed wing of Hamas says the group is postponing the next scheduled release of Israeli hostages, blaming what he said were Israeli violations of the ceasefire deal.

Three hostages held in Gaza are due to be freed on Saturday…

The Norwegian Refugee Council announced on Monday that it has suspended emergency aid for hundreds of thousands of people across nearly 20 countries due to the Trump administration’s freeze on USAID funds.

One of the world’s largest…