UAE mediates exchange of 300 Russian, Ukrainian prisoners of war
Latest release is 12th captive swap mediated by Abu Dhabi since 2024
Emirati efforts have led to the freeing of 2,883 Ukrainian and Russian prisoners
Updated 05 February 2025
Arab News
LONDON: UAE mediation efforts resulted in a new exchange of 300 prisoners of war between Ukraine and Russia this week.
On Wednesday, 150 Ukrainians and 150 Russians were exchanged between Moscow and Kyiv amid the ongoing conflict that erupted in February 2022.
Emirati mediation efforts so far have led to the release of 2,883 Ukrainian and Russian prisoners of war, the Emirates News Agency reported.
This is the 12th successful mediation led by Abu Dhabi since 2024.
The UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs commended Russia and Ukraine for their collaboration with the mediation efforts and their role in the exchange, the WAM added.
The ministry said that Abu Dhabi is committed to finding a peaceful solution to the conflict in Ukraine and appreciates both countries’ faith in the UAE as a trusted mediator.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky posted photos of the prisoners on X, adding that the 150 soldiers were captured by Russian troops in Mariupol and the Zaporizhzhia region.
Some served in air and ground forces, or the national guard, and have been in captivity for over two years, he added.
“I am grateful to everyone working to bring our people back. I thank our partners, in particular the UAE, and all those who stand with us on this path. We are working to bring everyone back,” Zelensky wrote on his X official account.
Trump’s Gaza ‘takeover’ marks sharp break from US policy
Updated 15 sec ago
AFP
WASHINGTON: By proposing to “take over” Gaza, US President Donald Trump has not only stunned the world but also departed from long-standing US policy in supporting a Palestinian state. The president, known for provocative statements, spoke Tuesday of permanently displacing Palestinians from the war-devastated Gaza Strip, expressing his desire to transform the Palestinian territory into “the Riviera of the Middle East.” His comments sparked worldwide outcry Wednesday, particularly in the Arab world, as they appeared to challenge Palestinians’ right to self-determination, with critics denouncing it as potential “ethnic cleansing.” The Republican billionaire, who portrays himself as a pragmatist with a transactional approach to foreign policy, hasn’t ruled out sending troops to the region. The White House moved quickly Wednesday to temper his remarks. Spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt clarified that the United States would not “finance” reconstruction in Gaza and had not “committed” to sending troops. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, speaking from Guatemala, defended Trump’s intentions: “It was meant as, I think, a very generous move — the offer to rebuild and to be in charge of the rebuilding.” He also said that Trump only wants Palestinians to leave Gaza temporarily while the territory is reconstructed.
It remained unclear whether the president floated his proposal as a negotiating tactic or a distraction, as Israel and Hamas prepare to negotiate the second phase of the ceasefire agreement that took effect January 19. This second phase aims to secure the release of remaining hostages and achieve a definitive end to the war triggered by Hamas’s attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. “Trump’s remarks about relocating Palestinians would all but guarantee a broader regional conflict if he seriously pursues the idea,” said Sina Toossi of the Center for International Policy, noting that it “would shatter long-standing US policy on a two-state solution in which a Palestinian state includes Gaza.” “In the short term, a key question is whether Trump will push (Israeli leader Benjamin) Netanyahu to fully implement the ceasefire deal in Gaza, including its critical second phase, or if he will instead allow Netanyahu and his hawkish cabinet to restart the war,” Toossi added. The events that unfolded Tuesday during the Israeli prime minister’s Washington visit were remarkable on multiple levels. Trump’s advisers, Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and national security adviser Mike Waltz, initially questioned the feasibility of Gaza reconstruction, noting that the Palestinian territory would be uninhabitable for years.
Trump, who had already caused controversy 10 days earlier with his suggestion to “just clean out” Gaza, claimed Palestinians “would love” to leave the territory, which he described as a “demolition site.” He later received a beaming Netanyahu at the White House, emphasizing the need to relocate Palestinians before unexpectedly proposing to take “possession” of Palestinian territory to make it a “beautiful place.” Netanyahu, who opposes the creation of a Palestinian state, praised Trump as someone who “thinks outside the box.” In making these statements, Trump, who rarely explicitly addresses the prospect of a Palestinian state, broke with decades of Western foreign policy — supporting a two-state solution where Israel and Palestine coexist. “It is very hard to know how seriously to take Trump’s comments, though they certainly seem to undercut the idea that his administration supports a two-state solution,” said Brian Finucane, a US foreign policy expert at the International Crisis Group in Washington. But he added it didn’t seem like Palestinians would voluntarily leave Gaza, nor would countries in the region would agree to such a plan.
French president is first EU head of state to call new Syrian leader
Emmanuel Macron congratulates Ahmad Al-Sharaa on assuming the presidency and invites him to visit France
Al-Sharaa says Syria will play a positive role in efforts to ensure regional stability, thanks France for supporting the Syrian people during 14 years of civil war
Updated 20 min 46 sec ago
Arab News
LONDON: French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday called Ahmad Al-Sharaa, the new leader of the Syrian Arab Republic, and congratulated him on assuming the presidency.
The telephone call was the first from a head of state of an EU nation to the new leadership since Bashar Assad fled to Moscow in December amid the collapse of his family’s 54-year rule.
Macron congratulated Al-Sharaa on “liberating the country … from the Assad regime” and expressed his full support for the transition of power in Damascus, the Syrian Arab News Agency reported.
Macron also emphasized France’s efforts to ensure Western sanctions on Syria are lifted, and its support for the country’s territorial sovereignty. He invited Al-Sharaa to visit France in the coming weeks.
Al-Sharaa, elected president by rebel groups on Jan. 29 for the transitional phase, said Syria would play a positive role in efforts to ensure stability in the region. He thanked France for supporting the Syrian people over the past 14 years of civil war.
The leaders also discussed the security challenges facing Syria, the Assad-era international sanctions that weakened the economy, and the challenges associated with rebuilding the country.
Syria was a French colony from 1919 until 1946. During that time, Alawite and Druze minorities established small states that were eventually incorporated into the Syrian state.
NEW YORK: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday issued a strongly worded warning against “any form of ethnic cleansing” of Palestinians, while also underscoring the importance of adhering “to the bedrock of international law.”
His comments came after US President Donald Trump’s announcement of a proposed takeover of Gaza under which the entire population of the enclave would be relocated to other countries.
“The US will take over the Gaza Strip,” Trump said in a White House press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“We’ll own it ... We have an opportunity to do something that could be phenomenal ... the Riviera of the Middle East.”
Trump added: “ We should go to other countries of interest with humanitarian hearts, and there are many of them that want to do this, and build various domains that will ultimately be occupied by the 1.8 million Palestinians living in Gaza, ending the death and destruction and, frankly, bad luck.”
However, the UN secretary-general warned that “in the search for solutions, we must not make the problem worse.”
Guterres said that it is “vital to stay true to the bedrock of international law (and) essential to avoid any form of ethnic cleansing.”
Speaking in New York at the opening of the 2025 session of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People, he called for a renewed commitment to ensuring Palestinians can “simply live as human beings in their own land.”
He added: “We have seen the realization of those rights steadily slip farther out of reach.
“We have seen a chilling, systematic dehumanization and demonization of an entire people.”
The UN chief described “the catalogue of destruction and unspeakable horrors” as a result of 15 months of war on Gaza, in which nearly 50,000 people have been killed, 70 percent of them women and children.
He also condemned the destruction of civilian infrastructure, including hospitals, schools, and water facilities.
“The overwhelming majority of the entire population have faced displacement after displacement, hunger, and disease,” said Guterres.
“Children, out of school for over a year. A generation left homeless and traumatized.”
He said: “I welcome the ceasefire and hostage release deal. I thank the mediators — Egypt, Qatar, and the US — for the continued efforts to ensure implementation.
“Now is the time to be crystal clear about objectives going forward.”
While acknowledging the recent truce and freeing of captives held by Hamas, Guterres urged continued efforts for lasting peace.
“We must keep pushing for a permanent ceasefire and the release of all hostages without delay. We cannot go back to more death and destruction,” he said.
The UN is working tirelessly to provide humanitarian aid, he added, emphasizing the need for rapid, safe, and sustained access to those in need.
Guterres called for the international community to support the essential work of the UN Relief and Works Agency, which provides services to Palestinian refugees.
He reiterated the UN’s commitment to the two-state solution as the only viable path to a lasting peace.
“A viable, sovereign Palestinian state living side by side in peace and security with Israel is the only sustainable solution for Middle East stability,” he said.
The path to this solution, Guterres said, requires tangible, irreversible progress toward ending the occupation and establishing an independent Palestinian state with Gaza as an integral part.
The UN chief also expressed deep concern about rising violence in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, particularly acts of aggression by Israeli settlers.
“As affirmed by the International Court of Justice, Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian territory must end,” said Guterres.
He called for a halt to the violence and for those responsible to be held accountable in accordance with international law.
Additionally, he emphasized the importance of preserving the unity and integrity of occupied Palestinian territory, including efforts to rebuild Gaza after its devastation.
“International law must be respected, and accountability ensured,” Guterres said.
He also stressed the importance of supporting the Palestinian Authority to foster unity and governance, which are essential for a viable future for Palestinians.
“We must work toward preserving the unity, contiguity, and integrity of the occupied Palestinian territory and the recovery and reconstruction of Gaza.
“A strong and unified Palestinian governance is crucial.
“The international community must support the Palestinian Authority to this end,” he said.
Egypt urges international community to back two-state solution after US Gaza plan
The statement by the Egyptian president's office made no direct mention of Trump's proposal
Updated 36 min 12 sec ago
Reuters
CAIRO: Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi told his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday the international community must bear its responsibility to support the implementation of a two-state solution, according to a statement by the president's office.
The phone call comes after U.S. President Donald Trump said during a joint press conference with visiting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday that the United States would take over Gaza after Palestinians were resettled elsewhere and develop it economically.
The statement by the Egyptian president's office made no direct mention of Trump's proposal and it was unclear if it was discussed with Macron.
At least 40 children killed in Sudan over three days: UNICEF
Sudan’s army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces have been locked in a fierce power struggle since April 2023, with the fighting intensifying this month as the army seeks to reclaim the capital
Updated 05 February 2025
AFP
UNITED NATIONS, United States: At least 40 children were killed by bombings over three days in several parts of Sudan, a UNICEF official said Wednesday, calling it a “stark” example of the threats facing young people in the war-torn country.
“Sadly, it is rare that more than a few short days go past without new reports of children being killed and injured,” Annmarie Swai, the UN children agency’s representative in Sudan, said in a statement.
She referred to strikes in the southern city of Kadugli on Monday which killed 21 children and maimed 29 others, as well as reports of at least 11 children killed in the bombing of a livestock market in El-Fasher, the besieged capital of North Darfur state.
Eight more children were reportedly killed in a strike on a market near the Sudanese capital Khartoum on Saturday, Swai said.
“At least 40 children reportedly killed across just three days, in three separate areas of the country. This is a stark illustration of the devastating — and growing — threats to children in Sudan,” she said.
Sudan’s army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces have been locked in a fierce power struggle since April 2023, with the fighting intensifying this month as the army seeks to reclaim the capital.
Both have been repeatedly accused of targeting civilians and indiscriminately shelling residential areas.
Swai did not say which party was responsible for the deadly bombings on the 40 children.
The conflict has killed tens of thousands and uprooted more than 12 million people.
The United Nations has recorded more than 900 “grave violations” against children between June and December 2024 — mainly children killed or injured in Darfur, Khartoum and Al-Jazira states.
“Children in Sudan are paying the ultimate price of the relentless fighting,” Swai said, calling for all parties to respect international humanitarian law and to cease fighting.
