GAZA CITY: Three Palestinian brothers aged seven to 10 were killed in an Israeli air raid on southern Gaza on Friday, medics and witnesses said. Iyad, Mohammed and Abdelsattar Al-Astal died in an Israeli missile strike that appeared to have targeted a rocket launching pad near their home in Al-Qarara close to the city of …

CAIRO: Police forces violently broke up pro-Gaza demonstrations in Downtown Cairo for the second consecutive day on Friday. The protests were scheduled to take place after Friday prayers. In the Ramsis area huge numbers of central security troops, state security investigations police and plain-clothed policemen were deployed in the area surrounding Al-Fath Mosque ahead of …

CAIRO: Egypt s foreign minister said Thursday that Hamas must ensure rocket fire stops in any truce deal to halt Israel s assault on the Gaza Strip, criticizing the Palestinian militants for giving Israel an excuse to launch the bombardment. Ahmed Aboul Gheit s comments came as Turkey s Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan met …

CAIRO: Egyptian security forces arrested tens of demonstrators in Downtown Cairo as they protested the Israeli bombing of Gaza on Wednesday. Demonstrators who had assembled under the “Leftist Alliance banner at noon in Tahrir Square were violently dispersed by security forces. They had planned to protest outside the Arab League building, but were prevented from …

CAIRO: Efforts to end the Israeli assault on Gaza continue with an emergency meeting of Arab foreign ministers in Cairo on Wednesday discussing an action plan to resolve the issue. Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa called on Wednesday for an immediate meeting of rival Palestinian factions, at the opening of an emergency session on …

RAFAH: As Israeli unmanned reconnaissance drones hovered over what appeared to be Egyptian airspace on Thursday near Rafah, trucks from Egypt crossed over carrying much-needed medical supplies to the embattled Gaza, under fire for a sixth day. So far more than 400 Gazans have been killed, including 34 children, and some 1,700 have been wounded …

GAZA CITY: Israel assassinated a Hamas strongman on Thursday in its first assault on the top leadership of the territory s ruling group, escalating a crushing aerial offensive even as it declared itself ready to launch a ground invasion. The airstrike targeted the eight-story apartment building that was home to Nizar Rayan, 52, ranked among …

CAIRO: President Hosni Mubarak said Tuesday in a televised address that the Rafah border crossing will remain closed until Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas regains control of the Gaza Strip from Hamas. “We in Egypt are not going to contribute to perpetuating the rift [between Hamas and the PA] by opening the Rafah crossing …

GAZA CITY: Israeli aircraft kept up a relentless string of assaults on Hamas-ruled Gaza on Tuesday, smashing a government complex, security installations and the home of a top militant commander as thousands of Israeli ground troops, backed by tanks and artillery, massed along the border, waiting for a signal to attack. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud …

ANKARA: Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan will embark on a tour of Syria, Jordan, Saudia Arabia and Egypt this week in a bid to ease regional tensions after Israel s offensive in Gaza, officials said Monday. The tour will begin today, Deputy Prime Minister Cemil Cicek said, without giving details about Erdogan s itinerary. …

GAZA CITY: Israel’s air force obliterated symbols of Hamas power on the third day of its overwhelming Gaza assault Monday, striking a house next to the Hamas premier’s home, devastating a security compound and flattening a five-story building at a university closely linked to the Islamic group. The three-day death toll rose to 315, including …

CAIRO: While Arab nations protested and chanted against the Israeli raids on Gaza, much of that anger was directed at Egypt, calling for it to open the Rafah border and allow injured Palestinians in. Hezbollah Chief Hassan Nasrallah spearheaded the campaign against Egypt, criticizing its regime for “its reaction towards the Gaza attacks and its …

CAIRO: Egypt sent 7,000 additional troops to man the border with Gaza Monday to prevent further breaches caused by Israeli air strikes aiming for the tunnels that run beneath it. Seven thousand soldiers were brought in from neighboring governorates according to witnesses at the border who said the increased security presence had restored some semblance …

CAIRO: As the bombing of Gaza continued for the third day on Monday, mass demonstrations were held in Cairo against Israel’s actions. Large protests were held Sunday and Monday after the noon prayers. Two protests were staged outside the entrance to the People’s Assembly on Sunday. Around 150 people surrounded by security forces listened as …

ANKARA: At a joint press conference with his Turkish counterpart, Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit said on Monday that there is an open war by some satellite channels, countries and individuals against Egypt and the Egyptian people. Aboul Gheit added that the Egyptian people will stand up to such a war. The remarks were …

CAIRO: Egypt s foreign ministry on Friday denied claims by a human rights group that an Egyptian man was being detained in Saudi Arabia on suspicion of spying but was instead facing unspecified security charges . The Egypt-based Arabic Network for Human Rights had said that software engineer Yusef Ashmawi, who has been held in …

CAIRO: An aid convoy intended for Gaza that had been stuck in Al-Arish for the better part of last week finally crossed through the Karem Abu Salem crossing Friday afternoon. The convoy passed through at 2:30 in the afternoon, was received by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees and its cargo …

CAIRO: Muslim Brotherhood MP Hussein Ibrahim put in a request at the People’s Assembly on Wednesday to ban MPs from doing business with the government throughout their term in parliament. Ibrahim, deputy head of the Brotherhood’s parliamentary bloc, explained that Article 95 of the Egyptian constitution stipulates that MPs should not be allowed to conduct …

CAIRO: The Egyptian Foreign Ministry is protesting demonstrations held in Syria over Egypt s role in the blockade of the Gaza Strip. The state-owned Middle East News Agency says Deputy Foreign Minister Abdel-Rahman Salah expressed concern about the demonstrations to the Syrian ambassador after summoning him to the ministry Tuesday. The Syrian ambassador was summoned …

KUALA LUMPUR: A German military helicopter rescued an Egyptian ship from pirates who shot and injured a crew member while trying to board the vessel off the coast of Somalia on Thursday, an official said. The bulk carrier with 31 crew was passing through the Gulf of Aden on its way to Asia when it …

CAIRO: Arabs and Iranians should sit together to try to resolve regional disputes, including the Persian nation s nuclear ambitions, the head of the Arab League said Tuesday. Amr Moussa s statement is the first by a top Arab official calling for a regional dialogue with Iran at a time of increasing tension between Arab …

CAIRO: Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni vowed on Thursday to strike back at the Hamas rulers of Gaza after a sharp escalation of violence in the Palestinian territory dashed hopes of a new truce. “Enough is enough. The situation is going to change, Livni said in Cairo after meeting Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak to discuss …

If ever a region encapsulated the phrase “never a dull moment it would be the Middle East and 2008 was no different in that respect. The year kicked off with Egyptian anger at conditions attached to the annual US aid package enforced by the American congress, namely requirements to improve human rights and secure the …

While the US President-elect Barack Obama might never be on the receiving end of an Iraqi journalist’s shoes like his predecessor, the initial optimism that came with the election of the first African-American president has partly subsided for the Middle East. The muted optimism is derived from Obama’s cabinet appointments, beginning with Rahm Emanuel as …

The People’s Assembly, Egypt’s lower house of parliament, ended its 2007/2008 round by passing a number of controversial laws, heralding accusations by the opposition that the ruling National Democratic Party has rushed these laws to exclude them from the process. Passed during the months of May and June 2008, the amendments to the child, traffic, …

The April 6 call for a general strike resulted in a police crackdown on demonstrators and activists across Egypt. In the industrial town of Mahalla – whose spinning factory and its militant workers have become emblematic of resistance – peaceful demonstrators protesting increasing food prices were put down by central security forces. Activists labeled the …

CAIRO: The organized political opposition in Egypt continued its downturn this year, and if anything, 2008 showed that any real opposition would come from workers’ movements and trade unions, rather than political parties. Considered the largest opposition group, though legally banned, the Muslim Brotherhood had a year to forget, much like in 2007 when they …

CAIRO: An Egyptian aid convoy heading to Gaza was still stuck in front of the Red Crescent headquarters in Al-Arish by Tuesday evening. Sources in the area told Daily News Egypt that the convoy had still not moved because Israel was reluctant to open the Karem Abu Salem crossing – used for transport of cargo …

AL-ARISH: A fuel tanker truck exploded in an Egyptian border town where it was unloading its 50,000 liter cargo for smuggling into the Gaza Strip, destroying four homes, a security official said. The fuel was being unloaded near a house to be smuggled into Gaza, the official said. Firefighters have been called in from the …

CAIRO: Relatives of three Bedouins found partially buried in the desert near the border have spoken out on the grievances they harbor towards the regime and the treatment meted out by security forces in Sinai. Traveling to Cairo along with many residents of Sinai representing various political and social currents in the area, the relatives …