In the midst of her tears and sadness, as she received the blessed month of Ramadan , in the absence of her captive son, Shadi Muhammad Gawadrah (36 years), who was sentenced to life imprisonment, the occupation disturbed his family’s joy in the holy month, and added a new wound and suffering to her, by arresting her second son, university student Badr (21 years), in The first day of Ramadan.

His fiftieth mother, Khadija Gawadrah, told Al-Quds.com: "My son, Shadi, received the 20th of Ramadan in the prisons of the occupation , which deprived us of him, and his absence from our lives, our occasions, and our tables.

She adds: "Over the past years, we did not know the joy and taste of Ramadan except with its religious rituals, and the month this year was more difficult, after the occupation snatched my second son, and turned him from a student to a prisoner, and we are missing two of our sons at our tables, so which Sharia or law allows this Israeli injustice?

The prisoner Badr is considered the last of his family of 11 members. He was born, raised and lived in the village of Bir al-Basha, south of Jenin , and he experienced with his family the seasons of pain and pain since his childhood, during the journey of chasing and arresting his brother Shadi. His mother, Shadi’s mother, says: “Badr only cared.” With his studies and planning for his future, and after his success in high school, he joined Al-Quds Open University, but the occupation cut him off during his studies in the second academic year.

And she adds: "On the dawn of 3/23/2023, the occupation forces surrounded our house, and stormed it in a barbaric and brutal manner, as it was the first day of the holy month. They detained and isolated family members, until the campaign of tampering, searching and destroying all the contents of the house ended, in a vengeful and fierce manner, with the aim of punishing us." .

And she continues: "During that, they detained our son Badr in one of the rooms of the house, subjected him to field investigation, then handcuffed and blindfolded him and arrested him without allowing us to say goodbye, but our shock was great, and it brought back to us pictures of the terrible suffering that has not ended in our lives since the arrest of my son Shadi, who is still Behind bars, as well as our son Sami, who spent 9 years until he was freed.

Um Shadi, who suffers from several chronic diseases, waited for Badr's return and liberation, and hoped that it would be a mistake in his arrest case, but she was greatly affected, after the occupation refused to release him, and said: "My son is committed to his university and work. He does not interfere in politics and has no activity. All his interests are in his family and his university." He worked after the academic period, and they took him to the cellars for investigation, and when they failed to convict him of any charge or case, they transferred him to administrative detention.

And she adds: "Until today, he was unable to communicate with us, and the lawyer was not allowed to visit him, and we received news through the prisoners that after the end of the investigation with him without convicting him of any charge, they transferred him to administrative detention for a period of 6 months, under the pretext of a secret file, which confirms that his detention is arbitrary and invalid."

And she continues: "Administrative detention is difficult, painful, and very cruel. There is no end to it, and we will continue to live on our nerves, because the intelligence services control his fate and life."

The mother, Umm Shadi, expresses her pride in her children’s steadfastness, despite her daily pain over their absence, and says: “Badr’s arrest comes, and we have been moving between prisons for 20 years, to visit my wounded and sick son, Shadi, who is suffering as a result of his bullet wounds from the occupation and complications affecting his kidneys and vision. It is considered a case of medical negligence in prisons.

And she adds: "Every day I cry for Shadi, who is sentenced for life, and I wait for his freedom and his return to my arms, but today I became sad for depriving me of him and Badr, but we have nothing but patience and steadfastness, faith and supplication to the Lord of the worlds, and we will remain as a Palestinian people who are proud of our heroes and adore this country even if the occupation arrests us." All of us, and my prayers to God are to celebrate their freedom and all the prisoners, and to welcome them with a national wedding on the next holiday.”

The Central Bank of Cuba announced that deposits in US dollars are again allowed after the decision to suspend them in 2021 due to the blockade imposed by the United States.

"Financial and banking institutions will accept cash deposits in US dollars in bank accounts," said a decision issued by the Central Bank of Cuba, published Monday in the Official Gazette.

This new decision cancels a decision issued by the Central Bank of Cuba, which in June 2021 suspended cash deposits in dollars due to the difficulties associated with the ongoing US blockade.

The decision, which came as a surprise, stated that the new monetary policy responds to the current priorities in the island, namely the economy and tourism, two sectors that have suffered greatly from the Covid-19 pandemic and have begun their gradual recovery.

The Central Bank of Cuba attributed its decision to these favorable economic conditions, noting the continuation of measures to "prevent cash deposits in US dollars abroad".

Cuban economist Omar Everlini Perez said the authorities are trying to reverse mistakes they made, stressing that "dollars are still circulating on the black market."

The Central Bank of Cuba, for its part, pointed out that "the core of the problem has not been solved."

The island has been under a US blockade since 1962, which makes dollar exchanges difficult. This blockade was tightened under former US President Donald Trump, with more than 240 additional measures that current President Joe Biden has not returned.

The monetary reform adopted by the Cuban government in January 2021 in the midst of the pandemic led to a decline in the Cuban peso from 24 to 120 against the US dollar, according to the official exchange rate, with a huge increase in the black market, where the price is 185 pesos against one dollar.

This was accompanied by runaway inflation that reached 70% in 2021 and 39% in 2022.

More than 17,000 Filipino and US soldiers on Tuesday began the largest joint military exercise in decades in the Philippines , amid criticism that it is escalating tensions in the region rather than promoting peace and stability.

According to the Philippine military, the annual 18-day exercise dubbed "Balikatan" involves 5,400 Philippine and 12,200 US soldiers, making it the largest Philippine-US joint military exercise in decades.

About 100 members of the Australian armed forces participate in the exercise, while ten countries, including Japan and Britain, participate as observers.

The "Balikatan 2023" exercise will be held in several regions, including northern Luzon Island, Palawan Province, Batanes Islands and Zambales Province from April 11 to 28.

The exercises will focus on maritime security, amphibious operations, live fire training, cyber defence, counterterrorism, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief preparedness. The Philippines and the United States will deploy complex weapons systems, including a Patriot missile battery and High Mobility Artillery Missile Systems (HIMARS).

Hundreds of demonstrators, including members of the Philippine Students Association, held a "flash rally" at around 5 a.m. local time today (Tuesday), a few hours before the official launch of the Balikatan exercise in the Philippines. The students urged the Philippine government to cancel military agreements with the United States.

The demonstrators carried banners denouncing the exercises and urging Filipinos to oppose the joint exercises. Some activists threw "paint bombs" and defaced the seal of the US Embassy in Manila to denounce the joint military training.

Another protest was held at the gate of a military camp while the opening ceremony was taking place inside the headquarters.

Ana Malindog-Oy, vice president of the Manila-based Philippine Century Asian Institute for Strategic Studies, warned that organizing Balikatan would create instability and volatility in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) region and the broader Asia-Pacific region, adding that Filipinos would be stuck. in the midst of mutual conflicts and will suffer the most.

Roland Sempulan, vice president of the Center for People Empowerment in Governance in the Philippines, urged his country to focus more on economic relations with all countries rather than continuing to spend on arms sales, which implies Balikatan and other joint military exercises between the Philippines and the United States.

Balikatan, which means "shoulder to shoulder" in the Filipino language, is the most extensive of several joint military exercises between the Philippines and the United States.

The Visiting Forces Agreement gives US forces a legal basis to be in the Southeast Asian country to conduct bilateral military exercises and governs the conduct of US armed forces personnel.

Kazakhstan announced on Tuesday that it had initiated international arbitration proceedings against major oil companies, including Exxon Mobil, Chevron and Shell, regarding the deduction of $16.5 billion from the proceeds of two oil fields.

The official news agency quoted Energy Minister Almasadam Satkaliyev as saying that the government "has started an international arbitration against the companies operating the Karachaganak and Kashagan fields," adding that "the sums are 3.5 billion and 13 billion dollars."

The vast Kashagan field in the northern Caspian Sea is managed by the North Caspian Operating Company consortium, which includes Mazmuanegas, Eni, ExxonMobil, Royal Dutch Shell, Total Energy, China National Petroleum Corporation and Inpex.

The Karachaganak field in western Kazakhstan is operated by Eni, Shell and Kazmonaygas, along with Chevron and Lukoil.

The operating companies deducted some costs from the revenues of the two fields before sharing them with the government under production-sharing contracts.

Thursday, the European Space Agency launches its space probe, " Juice ", on a journey to Jupiter that will last for eight years, in an effort to find out if there are environments conducive to life on the giant planet of the solar system, and on its icy moons.

The "Ariane 5" rocket is scheduled to take off from the Kourou base in French Guiana on Thursday on its penultimate flight (it will be replaced by "Ariane 6") carrying the probe whose name consists of the initials of the phrase "Jupiter Icy Moons explorer". .

The project manager of the "Arianespace" group, Veronique Loiselle, explained in a press conference that the probe, which weighs more than six tons and was designed by the "Airbus" company with its ten scientific tools, will be pushed to a height of 1,500 km before being transferred to orbit.

And then begins the journey of "Joss", which is expected to arrive in the year 2031 to its final destination, located about 628 million km from Earth. The probe's journey will be long and winding because it does not have enough energy to reach Jupiter via a direct path.

Goose will be able to continue his journey with the benefit of gravity, relying on the use of the force of attraction of other planets, similar to the technology of the catapult. It will fly first over the Moon and the Earth, then over Venus in 2025, then over the Earth again in 2029, before heading towards the giant solar system and its icy moons that Galileo discovered 400 years ago.

The temperature in which the probe will be present during its journey will vary, as it is 250 degrees above zero when it passes over Venus, compared to 230 degrees below zero around Jupiter, as explained by Carole Larigaudry, head of the "Joss" project at the French National Center for Space Studies. Which necessitated that it be equipped with a multi-layer insulating cover to ensure that its tools are kept at a constant temperature.

Another challenge is enabling GOSS to conserve energy, since sunlight is twenty-five times weaker than it is on Earth. Hence, it has been equipped with solar panels totaling 85 square metres, the size of a basketball court, in order to store "maximum photons".

Upon reaching its destination after traveling a distance of two billion kilometers, "Goose" must enter the orbit of Jupiter by means of a risky braking operation.

"Joss" will explore the Jupiter system, that is, the giant planet itself and its main moons, which are the volcanic Io and the three frozen satellites accompanying it, Europe, Ganymede and Callisto, noting that other probes have previously paved the way for this mission, including "Galileo" and "Juno".

Olivier Weetas, scientific director of the "Joss" project at the European Space Agency, said that it is "a mini solar system whose study will allow to enhance understanding of how the solar system was formed" to which the Earth follows.

The weather, magnetic fields, and satellite interdependence will be some of the information that will help Joss in his main mission, which is to find habitable environments, that is, suitable for life forms.

The probe focuses on Ganymede, the largest moon of the solar system, and also the only one that has its own magnetic field that protects it from radiation. Goose is scheduled to enter Ganymede's orbit in 2034, which would be a first.

The available data on Ganymede make it, like Europa, one of the best moons whose habitability can be studied. "This does not mean that we will find life on it, but we want to know if its presence on it is possible," said the planetary scientist at the French National Center for Space Studies.

Beneath the icy crust, the two moons hide vast oceans of liquid water, which are the main condition for the emergence of life forms.
It is assumed that the tools provided to the vehicle (such as an optical camera, spectrophotometer, radar, altimeter, magnetometer, etc.) will allow the determination of the characteristics of this ocean to see if it can harbor forms of life. "We have no idea" which one of these forms might be possible, said Francis Rocard.

But by extrapolating from what is known about terrestrial life in extreme environments, scientists believe that primitive microorganisms such as bacteria could exist.

The data that Joss will collect will be complemented by NASA's Europa Clipper probe, which will also be sent in 2024 to study Europa.

JOS, with a total cost of 1.6 billion euros, is the first European mission to enter the outer solar system, which begins after Mars.

The launch of the probe comes in the midst of a space missile crisis afflicting Europe, as it almost no longer has the ability to conduct independent flights into space, given the withdrawal of the Russian “Soyuz” missiles from Kourou, the delay of “Ariane 6” and the failure of the first commercial “Vega” flight.

The Israeli occupation forces continue to tighten their military measures in the Jordan Valley, for the fourth day in a row.

According to local sources, these forces tightened their military measures at the Tayaseer and Hamra military checkpoints, which caused a suffocating traffic crisis.

For four days, citizens have been facing real suffering in reaching their places of work and farms in the Jordan Valley, due to the strict siege imposed by the occupation forces on several areas, especially in the village of Frush Beit Dajan in the Central Jordan Valley.

A Yemeni government spokesman said today (Tuesday) that all arrangements for the implementation of the exchange of 887 prisoners and detainees between the government and the Houthis have been completed, indicating that the process will begin on Thursday.

The spokesman for the government team in the prisoners' negotiations, Majed Fadayel, told Xinhua that all arrangements regarding the implementation of Switzerland's agreement to exchange 887 prisoners and detainees have been finally completed.

He added that the International Committee of the Red Cross has completed its visit to all those covered by the agreement in Marib, Aden and the western coast, and has completed all other arrangements in preparation for the start of the process of implementing the exchange.

Fadayel, who is also the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Human Rights in the Yemeni government, confirmed that the exchange process will begin next Thursday, corresponding to April 13, and on the first day, former Defense Minister Mahmoud Al-Subaihi and General Nasser Mansour Hadi will be transferred from Sana’a to Aden Airport, along with other military prisoners, in conjunction with the transfer of A number of Houthi prisoners from Aden Airport to Sana'a Airport.

According to the spokesman, Fadayel, next Friday, 19 soldiers from the Arab coalition forces will be transferred from Sana'a airport to Riyadh airport, and at the same time, Houthi personnel will be transferred from the Saudi Khamis Mushait airport to Sana'a airport.

And last Saturday, the Yemeni government and the Houthi group announced the postponement of the start date for the exchange of 887 prisoners between them, after it was scheduled to start today (Tuesday).

Last March, the United Nations sponsored a Yemeni round of negotiations between the government and the Houthis regarding prisoners and detainees, and on the 20th of the same month it was announced that an agreement had been reached to exchange 887 prisoners from both sides.

The agreement included the release of 706 Houthi prisoners in exchange for the release of 181 in favor of the government and the Arab coalition.

In 2020, the United Nations sponsored a round of negotiations in Switzerland, at which time an agreement was reached, according to which the Yemeni government and the Houthi group implemented an exchange operation that included more than 1,000 prisoners and detainees from both sides.

Yemen has been suffering from a bloody conflict since late 2014 between the government and the Houthis, and this is the second largest exchange between the two sides, once completed.

Many antiquities have been looted not only from museums, but also from illegal excavations conducted in archaeological sites across Iraq , following the US invasion in 2003, according to a report published on the English-language website of Al-Jazeera on Friday.

In this context, the Iraqi government is doing its best to recover lost cultural relics, but there is still a lot of work to do, according to the report.

Haider Farhan, an archaeologist and professor of antiquities at the University of Baghdad, was quoted as saying, "There are no official statistics on the number of stolen antiquities."

Many Iraqis blamed the United States for the loss of many artifacts relating to their country's history.

During the invasion, US officials expressed dismay at the apparent reluctance of military leaders to protect archaeological sites, including the Iraqi National Museum, according to the report.

The archaeological researcher, Amer Abdel-Razzaq, was quoted as saying, "American tanks surrounded the Iraqi Museum during the period of occupation and chaos, but did not move a finger in the face of the mafia and antiquities thieves who attacked the museum and stole about 14,000 valuable pieces from it."

At the same time, he indicated that the default was intentional. "Although the US military later committed itself to protecting Iraqi antiquities due to pressure from Iraqi archaeological institutions, at first, it took the archaeological sites as bases and camps," the report said, quoting Abdul Razzaq.

Despite the fact that the United States has already returned thousands of artifacts to Iraq, Abdul Razzaq believes this is not enough.

"What has been recovered is only a small amount. There are still pieces being sold at auctions in the United States, Britain and other countries," Abdul Razzaq was quoted as saying.

UN High Representative for Disarmament Affairs Izumi Nakamitsu stressed Monday that implementing global tools to control arms trade and transfers is crucial to prevent weapons falling into the wrong hands.

In her speech at a session of the UN Security Council on the topic of "risks arising from violations of agreements regulating the export of arms and military equipment," Nakamitsu stressed that the measures taken to address arms transfers "contribute significantly to global peace and security," especially in efforts to prevent conflicts, noting He noted that the illegal and unregulated trade and diversion of arms and ammunition "has always been a major concern of the international community."

In response to these risks, I mentioned that countries have established a number of international, regional and bilateral arms control treaties, agreements and frameworks to prevent and eliminate the illicit trade and diversion of conventional arms.

Nakamitsu urged member states to "fully comply with their obligations" under the agreements to which they are parties, and called for strong frameworks to effectively control the export, brokering, import, transfer, stockpiling and retransfer of weapons and ammunition.

"Preventing weapons being diverted into the wrong hands requires strong cooperation and exchange of information between importing countries, transit countries and exporting countries, as well as vital tracking systems," she said.

She also stressed that transparency in arms shipments "can serve as a confidence-building measure between countries, reducing tensions, ambiguities and misperceptions."

Nakamitsu referred to the United Nations Register of Conventional Arms, which was established in 1992, and urged all member states to participate in it "by reporting exports and imports of all equipment falling under the seven categories of small arms and light weapons in the register."

Additionally, Nakamitsu called on countries not yet to do so to the Arms Trade Treaty, and urged all countries to consider the differential impact of illicit arms and ammunition trafficking on women and men, girls and boys.

The American star, Kim Kardashian , who gained international fame through the reality TV program that was dealing with her family, announced in a post on Monday on social networks that she is returning to the small screen, but in an acting role this time, by joining the cast of the series “American Horror.” Story" (American Horror Story).

The businesswoman and social networking star posted a short promotional video informing her 352 million followers on Instagram that she will be participating in the twelfth season of the series alongside actress Emma Roberts.

The brief and ambiguous video contained little information about her role and the story of the series. In the video, a voice is heard whispering, "Emma and Kim are sensitive."

However, the specialized magazine "Variety" reported that Kim Kardashian will assume one of the main roles in the twelfth season, and that the character that she will embody was created specifically for her.

Kardashian gained wide fame in 2007 thanks to the reality TV show "Keeping Up with the Kardashians", which has been reporting for 20 seasons the daily life of her wealthy family.

Since then, the tabloids have been interested in keeping up with the slightest details of her private life, for example, covering her marriage to rapper Kanye West, and then their divorce.

Kim Kardashian, now 42, has leveraged her celebrity status to build a business empire, launching cosmetics line SKKN by Kim and lingerie brand Skims.

Kardashian was assigned roles in a few films in the late 2000s, and most recently she voiced a character in the animated movie "PAW Patrol".

But her role in "American Horror Story" will be her first in over a decade, and perhaps the most important of her career.

This award-winning series consists of standalone seasons centered on different stories and locations.

The cast often includes celebrities, including American singer Lady Gaga and actress Angela Bassett.

Remittances of Pakistani workers abroad increased by 27.1 percent in March on a monthly basis, Bank of Pakistan reported.

In this context, the Central Bank said that workers' remittances recorded an inflow of $2.53 billion in March, compared to the previous month's statistics of $1.99 billion, adding that they decreased by 10.6 percent year-on-year.

With a cumulative inflow of $20.52 billion between July and March in the 2023 fiscal year, remittances decreased by 10.8 percent year on year, according to the statistics.

Last month, remittances came mainly from Saudi Arabia, amounting to $563.9 million, with $406.7 million from the UAE, $422 million from Britain and $316 million from the United States, according to the bank.

It is worth noting that workers' remittances play an important role in the Pakistani economy, as they are one of the main sources of foreign currency.

Today, Tuesday, the Israeli occupation forces arrested citizens from Bethlehem and occupied Jerusalem.

According to local sources, these forces arrested Karam Ghaleb Al-Harimi (17 years old) after raiding and searching his father's house in the "Abu Anjim" area.

In Jerusalem, the occupation forces arrested Mufid al-Abassi, after they raided and searched his house in Silwan.

The Abu Jaber family, this morning, Tuesday, buried the body of the martyr Youssef Abu Jaber (45 years old) in the city of Kafr Qassem , in the occupied interior .

Dozens of the Abu Jaber family and a few of the city's residents participated in the funeral, where the body of the martyr Abu Jaber was narrated in the Martyrs' Cemetery.

Abu Jaber was shot dead by the Israeli police , last Friday evening, claiming that he had carried out a trampling operation in Tel Aviv, which resulted in the death of an Italian tourist and the injury of others.

The police also imposed conditions on the Abu Jaber family, to release the body of their son and his funeral.

Israeli newspapers, issued on Tuesday morning, lied about Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaking during a press conference yesterday evening, that strikes had been directed against Hezbollah in Lebanon .

According to Yedioth Ahronoth, the Israeli army command, which followed the conference, was surprised by Netanyahu's statements.

And the newspaper indicated that Netanyahu himself agreed to the recommendation of the army leadership not to respond to Hezbollah because it had nothing to do with the firing of rockets from Lebanon in recent days.

She pointed out that the attacks focused only against Hamas in Lebanon.

She stressed that the current Israeli government has shown security weakness and that it does not have the magic solution to stop the attacks as it claimed before it came to power. Rather, the situation during its reign has worsened. In addition to individual attacks, there have been organized attacks, as happened in Hawara and the Jordan Valley, for example. As the Hebrew newspaper says, which indicated that 19 Israelis were killed within two and a half months of Netanyahu's rule.

Haaretz and Maariv newspapers focused on the same issue, especially after Netanyahu's attempts to hold the previous government responsible.

At least two young men were injured, and a number of others were arrested, on Tuesday morning, during the Israeli occupation forces’ raid on several neighborhoods in Jenin and the outskirts of its camp.

According to eyewitnesses told Al-Quds.com, special forces infiltrated the neighborhoods of Al-Hadaf, Jabriyat and Burqin, near the outskirts of Jenin camp, amid armed clashes with resistance groups.

The witnesses indicated that the occupation forces occupied several buildings and deployed snipers on them.

According to medical sources, two young men sustained minor injuries.

During their military campaign, the occupation forces arrested a group of young men, including Ahmed Turkman, the son of the persecuted Maher, after storming his house, the young Ahmed Al-Souqi while he was in Nablus Street, and the two brothers Abdullah and Nour Al-Batal.

On Tuesday morning, hundreds of settlers stormed Al-Aqsa Mosque , under the strict protection of the occupation police.

The settlers, led by the extremist Yehuda Glick , made provocative tours of the Al-Aqsa Mosque courtyards, and performed Talmudic rituals.

Settler groups storm Al-Aqsa on a daily basis, except for Friday and Saturday.

The Hebrew newspaper Haaretz said, on Tuesday, that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not bother to take responsibility for the dangerous security situation, and blamed it on the era of his predecessors, even though the attacks became more intense during his reign.

She indicated that, during his speech, Netanyahu blamed his predecessors (Bennett-Lapid) for the cause of the rocket fire from Lebanon , claiming that the maritime agreement was one of the reasons for this tension that allowed Hezbollah and Hamas to increase their strength and encourage rocket fire.

The newspaper lied to Netanyahu's claims that Hezbollah targets were attacked in response to those missiles, after he rejected the idea of responding to the Lebanese party, and took the Israeli army's recommendation because it had nothing to do with the attack.

She said that this time the press conference included a toxic mixture of fabrications, distortions and inaccuracies, noting that it was held against the background of the pressure he is exposed to due to opinion polls, as well as against the background of the crisis of the dismissal of Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, whom Netanyahu announced yesterday that he will remain in his position.

She added: Netanyahu succeeded in disrupting the broadcast agenda last night, but it is questionable whether his appearance brought him more supporters, perhaps on the contrary: he appears confused and annoyed, and a leader less in control of the situation.

Israeli intelligence estimates that the possibility of entering into a real and large-scale war on several fronts during the next year.

According to the report of the Intelligence Division of the General Staff of the Israeli Army, as reported in the Hebrew newspaper Haaretz, the series of recent events on various fronts may push towards this war even if unintentionally, despite the widespread belief that Iran , Hezbollah and Hamas are not interested. with a direct and comprehensive conflict, but they are ready to take risks and gamble by daring to carry out more offensive operations, because they see that Israel has been weakened by the internal crisis, which has reduced the space for strategic maneuver.

The Hebrew newspaper says that Al-Aqsa Mosque is still the source of "the main explosion that ignited the fire", especially after it was stormed by the Israeli police and attacked the worshipers inside, which prompted the firing of rockets from Lebanon , Syria and Gaza, and the implementation of the Jordan Valley and Tel Aviv operations.

She pointed out that the Al-Aqsa Mosque will remain the focus of attention until the end of Ramadan, especially as it intersects with the holidays of the three religions, the Jewish Passover, the Christian Passover, and Eid al-Fitr for Muslims.

And she indicated that the recent escalation came in light of the change in the strategic environment for Israel, due to the reduction of American interest in what is happening in the Middle East, the increase in Iranian self-confidence, which is expressed in direct attempts to challenge Israel, and the increase in instability in the Palestinian arena.

It saw that Hamas avoided a military confrontation in Gaza, but tried to ignite other fronts by focusing on attacks from Jerusalem and the West Bank, and encouraging the launch of these attacks, at a time when the Palestinian Authority is weakened due to corruption and indulging in the growing struggle to succeed President Mahmoud Abbas, which he is actively moving. External factors, including the Americans, were active. In addition to all this frustration among the young generation in the West Bank, which exacerbated the severity of the attacks, especially with the availability of weapons on a large scale and their willingness to fight and come out with their weapons at every shooting operation to target the Israeli forces, which increased friction and with it the number of victims. Which contributes to igniting the situation.

And it considered that the unusual developments that occurred recently are the firing of missiles from Lebanon, and the attack in Megiddo, noting that these events took place with the approval of Hezbollah, although the Israeli intelligence insists that it is not.

The ministers informed the Israeli cabinet that the rocket launches took place at the initiative of Hamas in Lebanon, and it appears that the instructions of Saleh al-Arouri and Khaled Meshaal were instructed.

She pointed out the possibility that the meeting that took place between Nasrallah, Ismail Haniyeh and Saleh Al-Arouri was aimed at agreeing to manage the conflict with Israel.

And she believed that the common denominator in these developments coming from Lebanon is the willingness to deviate from the previous reaction equations and the willingness to risk more stringent measures, despite the possibility that this will result in a harsh response from Israel, noting that the Israeli response was limited in Lebanon, and expanded in The Gaza Strip, on the recommendation of the army command, which preferred not to enter into a confrontation with Hezbollah, especially with assurances that it was not involved in firing rockets.

She pointed out that the far-right ministers, including Itamar Ben Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, voted in favor of the decision, like some of the new Likud ministers who began to realize the limits of power, and that not everything they desire can be done, especially when you are sitting in the room where decisions are made.

Today, Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is scheduled to announce his final position on the issue of allowing settlers to storm Al-Aqsa Mosque during the last ten days of the holy month of Ramadan .

According to the website of the Hebrew newspaper Haaretz, Netanyahu will make the final decision today, after I presented to him the positions of the various security services in this regard.

It is expected that Netanyahu will announce the cessation of allowing settlers to storm Al-Aqsa, provided that today, Wednesday, will be the last of these days, with the start of the first of the last ten days.

Differences emerged in the positions of the Israeli security services in this regard, as some of them expressed their opposition to allowing settlers to storm Al-Aqsa today, Tuesday, while some supported this position, before presenting a unified position allowing it today only, provided that it stops tomorrow, Wednesday, until the end of Ramadan.

The confrontation between Manchester City and Bayern Munich, on Tuesday, grabs attention in the first leg of the quarter-finals of the European Champions League in football, which is witnessing an exam for Real Madrid, the defending champions, with the injured English club Chelsea, and a fiery Italian duel between Napoli and Milan.

The confrontation between City and Bayern will be the first between them in the knockout stages in a competition whose Bavarian title was won six times, the last of which was in 2020, while Emirati-owned City is chasing after its first title.

And while Bayern got rid of the star-studded French Paris Saint-Germain (1-0 and 2-0), German city Leipzig swept 8-1 on aggregate, and former Bosnian sports director Hassan Salihamidzic described the confrontation as a “mini-final.”

He added, "We are facing another team with a lot of capabilities. It is the strongest team for me. It was amazing against Leipzig. We will enjoy this confrontation."

This confrontation will pit the Spanish coach of City, Josep Guardiola, against the team he supervised from 2013 to 2016, with whom he won the German League title three times and the Club World Cup.

Guardiola, who won the title as a coach with Barcelona in 2009 and 2011, will stand up to the new coach of Bayern, Thomas Tuchel, who was deprived of continental glory in the 2021 final when he was at the head of the technical management of Chelsea (1-0) in front of empty stands in Porto at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. 19.

Tuchel, who admires Guardiola's style and was suddenly appointed instead of Julian Nagelsmann due to the decline in level according to his management, hopes to repeat what he did with Chelsea, where he arrived four months ago after his dismissal from Saint-Germain training.

He said after his recent victory over Freiburg (1-0), where he remained leaders in the German League, two points ahead of Borussia Dortmund, "We have some players who suffer from injuries, while City has been in great shape lately. But in football things are not that simple. We will face them with courage, realizing You have to put in a great performance.”

And while Guardiola is still a strong competitor for the top of the English Premier League with Arsenal, his career will be judged by his results in the Champions League, "I do not agree with that, but it is obvious that we will be judged through this competition."

Guardiola is counting on the lethal Norwegian scorer Erling Haaland, who has scored 44 goals in various competitions this season, including a wonderful acrobatics at the weekend against Southampton.

Pep said about the 22-year-old player, who scored 33 goals in 25 Champions League matches, "We tested two decades of scoring time with the superstars (Portuguese) Cristiano Ronaldo and (Argentine) Lionel Messi, and he is at the same level."

The winner will meet between City and Bayern, who qualified for another upcoming confrontation between Real Madrid, the 14-time defending champion (a record), and Chelsea.

And after getting rid of Liverpool in the final price by beating it in the first leg 5-2 away from home and 1-0 back, the defending champion collides on Wednesday at home with another English team, Chelsea, in a repeat of the semi-finals of the 2020-2021 season, when the London team emerged victorious (1-1 and 2). -0) and the quarter-finals of last season when the Royal Club won the first leg away from home 3-1 and qualified for the semi-finals despite losing the second leg at home 2-3 after extension in an epic match, especially from French Real striker Karim Benzema.

Italian Carlo Ancelotti, the champion of the competition four times as a coach (a record), will meet his former London team.

And while Barcelona seems close to winning the Spanish League title for the first time since 2019, Real is devoted to its beloved competition, noting that it also reached the final of the local cup, where it will meet Osasuna.

On the other hand, Chelsea is going through a bad phase despite the huge signings he made, so he sacked his coach Graham Potter after falling to eleventh place in the Premier League and appointed his former player and coach Frank Lampard on a temporary basis until the end of the season.

"My mission? To restore the highest level of confidence in the group," said Lampard.

The Italian Milan, the champion of the competition seven times, will be facing his compatriot Naples, who imposed himself as one of the best teams in the old continent this season, by leading the local league, 16 points ahead of Lazio, and reaching the Champions League quarter-finals for the first time in his history.

It is true that Napoli came very close to winning its first league title since 1990 in the days of the late Argentine legend Diego Maradona, but Milan swept it early this month with a clean four in its own backyard, when its injured Nigerian scorer Victor Osimhen was absent.

This is the first Italian confrontation in the knockout stages since the Milan Derby in the 2005 semi-finals.

"I would have preferred not to meet an Italian team," said Napoli coach Stefano Pioli. "Milan has the experience of a competition that won its title seven times."

The winner of this confrontation will meet the winner between Italian Inter and Benfica, which kicks off on Tuesday at the Portuguese capital team.

Inter, who qualified for the quarter-finals for the first time since 2012 and the last of the Italian teams to win the title in 2010, led by Portuguese coach Jose Mourinho, will face Benfica, in a repeat of the 1965 final, when Nerazzurri won its second title in a row with a 1-0 victory.
For his part, Benfica has not succeeded in going beyond the quarter-finals since reaching the 1990 final.

Portuguese Benfica is counting on its striker Goncalo Ramos to overcome the Italian Inter hurdle, in the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League and reach the Golden Square for the first time since 1990.

Ramos, despite his young age (21 years), is accustomed to coexisting with pressures, specifically in the Qatar World Cup in December of last year when Portugal coach Fernando Santos decided (Spaniard Roberto Martinez replaced him) to start with him instead of the Golden Ball winner. For the best player in the world five times Cristiano Ronaldo against Switzerland in the round of the final price.

Ramos did not disappoint, scoring a hat-trick in the 6-1 thrashing of "Seleção" Europe, and stepping into the limelight after making his international debut just a few weeks earlier, in a friendly match.

In March, Ramos shone again against Belgian Club Brugge in the second leg of the final price of the main continental competition, by scoring two goals from five of his team (5-1), to lead Benfica to the quarter-finals for the second season in a row (Benfica won 2-0 in the first leg).

Inter's visit to Lisbon on Tuesday in the first leg of the quarter-finals is an opportunity for the Portuguese striker to put himself at the center of the transfer window, as his heart has done for many young talents in Benfica over the years.

The last of them was the Argentine midfielder Enso Fernandez, who joined Chelsea in January in exchange for a historic deal worth 121 million euros after winning the Qatar World Cup with Argentina, to follow in the footsteps of his predecessor, such as Joao Felix (Chelsea player loaned from Atletico Madrid, Spain). ) and Robin Dias and Brazilian goalkeeper Ederson (Manchester City).

Ramos took a step forward in the Benfica squad after the departure of Uruguayan striker Dario Nunes to Liverpool last summer for 75 million euros, which left a void in the offensive line that the Portuguese managed to fill.

The young striker has become the focal point at the heart of the attack, having played a supporting role for Nunes and others since his debut in 2020.

Ramos arrived in the first team from the Benfica Academy after he joined it at the age of 12, and after nearly a decade, the most prominent European clubs are chasing him to win his signature.

The Portuguese striker was recently associated with Real Madrid, Manchester United and Chelsea, while Dutchman Patrick Kluivert recommended his former club Barcelona to sign him.

"I am very grateful to Goncalo Ramos, and not only for what he achieved against Club Brugge," Benfica's German coach Roger Schmidt said in March.

He added, "I like his style that he gives to the team. He is young and scores goals in the Champions League, and it is natural that he attracts the attention of other clubs."

Ramos' goals in the league this season (17 in 23 matches) contributed to Benfica's grip on the top spot, 7 points ahead of its nearest rivals, arch-rivals Porto (71 versus 64).

Despite his loss in his home against Porto 1-2 on Friday in the 27th stage competitions, Ramos was the most dangerous by hitting the post, forcing the guest team's goalkeeper Diogo Costa to make a mistake and score in the tenth minute, before Porto rose up and turned the result in his favor.

Ramos also scored 7 goals in 12 Champions League matches, including the qualifying rounds.

New Portugal coach Martinez admitted in March that "Goncalo is having a great season at his club," although he is currently relying on veteran Ronaldo.

Ramos had a close relationship inside the green rectangle with Joao Mario, who is going through the best scoring period in his career, as the former English Inter and West Ham midfielder benefits from the development and good play of his compatriot, after spending several seasons supporting the attackers.

In turn, former Braga and Celta Vigo coach Carlos Carvalhole, the current Spanish club, praised Ramos, saying, "Above all, he is a team player."

"He has an extraordinary combination - he works, he runs, he fights - and he's a good player. He hits well with his head and feet."

Others went on to liken Ramos to Bayern Munich striker Thomas Muller, something that the Portuguese striker praised even though he is stronger in air strikes.

"I think I have some similarities with him, and he's also an example to me," he said. "I like being compared to him."

Mueller's record (33 years) includes winning the Champions League twice, which is the same number of titles for Benfica in the oldest continental competition, while Ramos is still waiting to win his first title in his young career.

As an expression of appreciation for what Ramos is doing and his importance to the team, his colleague Rafa Silva, who won the title of best player in the 5-1 win over Club Brugge in the second leg of the final price, awarded him the award after his two goals.

Benfica have not tasted defeat on the European stage this season and have built their achievements on solid defensive foundations, knowing very well that they have a rare chance to reach the semi-finals of the Champions League if Ramos is at the top of his goalscoring level.

Barcelona paid the price for offensive sterility, not taking advantage of opportunities, and wasting the opportunity to move away from its rival Real Madrid by 15 points, by falling into a negative tie trap in front of its guest and neighbor Girona on Monday at the end of the twenty-eighth stage of the Spanish Football League .

Barcelona entered the match on the back of its severe defeat in the second leg of the Cup semi-final at home to Real Madrid by 4-0, which prevented it from trying to win the double.

Coach Xavi Hernandez was self-righteous so that this harsh fall would not affect the focus of his team in the league in order to take advantage of the service that Villarreal provided him on Saturday by dropping Real Madrid in his stronghold 3-2, to widen the difference that separates him from the royal club to 15 points 10 stages before the end of the season. .

However, offensive infertility prevented him from winning his fifth consecutive league victory and the fifth against Girona out of six matches he had with his Catalan neighbor at the league level (the other match ended in a draw).

Despite this disappointing tie, the "La Liga" title remains almost settled in favor of coach Xavi's men, despite some difficult matches awaiting them from now until the end of the season, most notably against Atletico Madrid III (stage 30), Real Betis VI (32), and Real Sociedad IV (35). ).

And with the continued absence of Frenchman Ousmane Dembele, who was injured against Girona in particular in January, and Badri, in addition to Danish defender Andreas Christensen and Dutch midfielder Frankie de Jong, Barcelona found it difficult despite its field advantage and contented itself with a point that made it 13 away from Real.

The start came strong from Barcelona's side, who was close to opening the scoring after a fatal defensive error, but the ball fired by Polish Robert Lewandowski from the outskirts of the area just over the crossbar before Ansu Fati followed it with an arc that passed by the left post (5).

And the defensive mistakes of Girona, who almost gifted his neighbor a naive goal, continued after Uruguayan defender Santiago Bueno made a mistake in returning the ball to his Argentine goalkeeper Paulo Gatsaniga, so he headed towards the goal before the latter intervened at the last moment to remove it (9).

And after a first attempt by Girona with a shot by Argentine Valentin Castellanos outside the three woods (12) and another by Ivan Martin with a shot from outside the area that passed by the right post (18), Brazilian Rafinha missed a golden opportunity to open the scoring for Barcelona (19) before the chances were completely absent from the two goals until the minute. 36 When the visitors' goalkeeper shone in repelling an attempt from a difficult angle for Rafinha, after a wonderful pass by Fati.

Barcelona followed it with a more dangerous opportunity for Uruguayan Ronald Araujo, who demanded and his companions count the goal, considering that goalkeeper Gatsaniga removed the ball after it crossed the line, but the referee demanded to continue playing (37), so that the negative tie remained the master of the situation until the end of the first half.

And not much changed at the beginning of the second half, which saw the entry of Ivory Coast's Frank Kessier instead of Sergi Roberto in the ranks of Barcelona, as the "Blaugrana" continued to press without effect in front of his guest's goal, so he almost paid the price if Castianos dealt well with the complete exclusivity of German goalkeeper Mark Andre. Ter Stegen, but he knocked the ball to the left post (56).

Despite the entry of Ferran Torres instead of Fati, Barcelona seemed unable to decipher the defensive code of his neighbor in light of the modest performance of Lewandowski, who was present absent in a meeting that Gavi almost decided at the fatal time in favor of the owners of the land, but he collided with the brilliance of goalkeeper Gatsaniga (4 + 90).

Barcelona ended the meeting with another missed opportunity, this time for Lewandowski, who turned the ball with his heel after a pass from Araujo, but the defender intervened in time to deny him the fatal goal (6 + 90).

Al-Ahly won its thirty-eighth title from the Egypt Cup in football, by defeating Pyramids 2-1 after extension (1-1 in normal time) in the final of the ninetieth edition of the competition at Cairo Stadium on Monday.

Pyramids opened the scoring in the 72nd minute of the match through Moroccan Walid Al-Karti, before Mahmoud Abdel Moneim (Kahraba) equalized for Al-Ahly after two minutes (74).

After the end of the original time with a draw, the two teams argued to two additional halves, in which the “Red Castle” team had the upper hand, which won the title with a header by Hamdi Fathi in the 104th minute.

The match witnessed the expulsion of Al-Ahly defender Mohamed Abdel Moneim in the 116th minute with a direct red card for his intervention without a ball on Tunisian Fakhreddin Ben Youssef.

With this victory, Al-Ahly, the runner-up of the last edition (2021) and the record holder in the number of wins, regained the title that it lost in the last edition to its arch-rivals Zamalek in July 2022, and deprived Pyramids of achieving the first title in the club’s history.

This is the second time that Pyramids finished second after 2019, when it lost to Zamalek by three goals without charge.

Al-Sailiya thwarted Al-Duhail's campaign to defend its title when it eliminated it from the quarter-finals of the Emir of Qatar Cup in football, with a penalty shootout 5-4, after a 2-2 draw in regular time.

Al-Sailiya achieved the second surprise in the quarter-finals, after Al-Shahaniya from the second degree, who eliminated Al-Gharafa on Sunday in the same way, so that the team of the new coach, Merghani Al-Zein, replaced the dismissed Tunisian Sami Trabelsi, set a date with Al-Arabi in the semi-finals on April 25.

The match witnessed great excitement in the original time, after Al-Sailiya remained ahead with the goals of Mehrdad Mohammadi from a penalty kick (18) and the Swedish Carlos Strandberg (69) in exchange for a goal by South Korean Nam Tae Hee (31), before Muhammad Muntari snatched the equalizing goal for Al Duhail in the last breath of the match. In injury time (90 + 5), but he did not avoid losing his team after that, by penalty kicks.

The quarter-final round ends on Tuesday with a final confrontation between Al-Sadd and Umm Salal, with the winner meeting Al-Shahaniya in the semi-final.

Al Duhail coach Hernan Crespo justified the loss due to the misfortune of his team.

Crespo said in a press conference, "We faced a lot of difficulties during the first half, especially in the rapid construction operations, and we also suffered in the speed of recovering the ball in the middle of the field."

He added, "But in the second half, we imposed great dominance on the course and wasted a torrent of easy chances due to a lack of concentration in the final touch."

For his part, Al-Zein, Al-Sailiya coach, said, "We played a great match against a strong team, and we were a strong match and we could have settled things in the original time. We will put this victory aside for now in order to focus on the league in light of the complex situation we live in (...) and move away from The last position leading to direct relegation.

The effects of 3 Israelis were lost, hours ago yesterday evening, Monday, due to torrential rains and floods in the southern areas of occupied Palestine .

According to the Hebrew website Ynet, the Israeli rescue teams managed to save about 60 people from yesterday evening until the early hours of Tuesday.

She indicated that 3 are still missing and are being searched for.

He stated that the rain that fell within two hours in those areas reached 46 mm, which is greater than the amounts that fall in the entire year.

The Israeli police closed many roads, especially all exits to Eilat and those leading to Wadi Araba.

The Pentagon considered Monday that the likely leak of classified US documents related to the Russian invasion of Ukraine , most of which appear to be original documents, poses a "very serious" threat to the national security of the United States.

Here's what we know about the anonymous leak, which only recently caught the media's attention.

Many of these documents are related to the war in Ukraine. Some of them assess the situation of the conflict at the beginning of March, including the size of the Russian and Ukrainian losses, while others address the situation on specific fronts, such as Bakhmut.

The documents talk, among other topics, about Kiev's air defenses, which are crucial to countering Russian strikes, and about international assistance to Ukrainian forces.

Some of these documents also seem to indicate that the United States is spying on some of its allies: one of these documents says that leaders in the Israeli intelligence service "Mossad" are defending the demonstrations against the controversial reform of the judicial system in the Jewish state.

And on Sunday, the US Department of Defense (The Pentagon) said that it was working to “evaluate the authenticity of the video documents circulating on social networks,” but admitted that they “apparently contain very sensitive and confidential information.”

And press reports quoted US officials that most of these documents are original, but it seems that at least one of them was forged to indicate that Ukraine's losses exceeded Russia's losses, while the document, which is supposed to be original, confirms the opposite.

The US Department of Justice has opened a criminal investigation as the Department of Defense evaluates the potential national security consequences of this leak.

The Pentagon said that US officials have contacted Washington's allies about this matter, and the relevant parliamentary committees have been briefed.

US Defense Department spokesman Chris Meagher told reporters on Monday that the circulation of these documents on the Internet poses "a very serious threat to the national security of the United States and that they may spread misleading information."

The leak could jeopardize US intelligence sources, as well as provide Russia with valuable information on the conditions of Ukrainian forces.

Documents dealing with partner countries of the United States could be an embarrassment to Washington, especially those that refer to possible US espionage operations on close allies.

Dozens of documents and images have been leaked on Twitter, Telegram, Discord and other sites in recent days, but many of them are no longer available on these sites, as it appears that the United States is working to remove them.

The investigative website Bellingcat said that some of these documents have been circulating on the Internet since before January 2023.

The White House confirmed Monday that it has "full confidence" in the "excellent" relationship between Washington and Paris, despite the statements made by French President Emmanuel Macron on Taiwan, which drew angry reactions in the United States.
"We are comfortable and have full confidence in our excellent bilateral relationship with France, and in the relationship between President (Joe Biden) and President Macron," US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters.

"The French are really getting more involved in the Indo-Pacific region," he added.
In an interview published Sunday following a visit to China , Macron called on Europe not to "enter into the logic of bloc against bloc".

In his interview with the French economic newspaper "Les Echos", Macron stressed that the old continent should not be "affiliated" to the United States or China with regard to Taiwan.

The grand reception that Beijing held for its guest received wide echoes in the United States, especially in the media.

The New York Times said in an analytical article on the French President's visit to China that Macron's visit "undermines" US efforts to contain the influence of the authoritarian regime led by Chinese President Xi Jinping.

In turn, the "Wall Street Journal" newspaper described in an editorial editorial board the French president's position on Taiwan as a "failure."

The "Lions' Den" groups, which are active in Nablus , said this evening, Monday, that they will hold accountable all those who planned, executed, conspired, and gave information, whether it led to the martyrdom of a resistance fighter, mujahid, or leader from the den or from any other resistance faction.

And she added in a statement: "We said and repeat and mention again, and the most important thing is that we do not know everything, every name, every party that participated, regardless of the size of its participation, in the crimes that occurred against the sons of the den and the sons of our people, but it seems that the one to whom we send the messages does not read well and does not read between the lines," considering this to be the last message.

It indicated that its members repelled the occupation forces and ambushed them in Al-Ain camp at dawn, and formed intense fire packs with bullets and explosive devices, which led to injuries among the occupation.

The statement came about Khalifa killing a young man accused of "communicating" in favor of the occupation and participating in the liquidation of resistance fighters.

The Saudi ambassador to Yemen , Muhammad Al Jaber, announced on Monday evening that his visit to the Yemeni capital, Sana'a, to meet with Houthi officials aimed to "stabilize the truce" and discuss ways to push for a "comprehensive and sustainable political solution" after years of war.

"I am visiting Sana'a, in the presence of a delegation from the brotherly Sultanate of Oman, with the aim of establishing the truce and ceasefire, supporting the prisoner exchange process, and discussing ways of dialogue between the Yemeni components to reach a comprehensive and sustainable political solution in Yemen," the ambassador said in a tweet.

He added, "The Kingdom's government and people have stood for decades with the brothers in Yemen in the darkest circumstances and political and economic crises, and fraternal efforts have been continuing since 2011 to achieve the aspirations of the people of brotherly Yemen for the return of security, stability and economic prosperity."

On Sunday, a Saudi delegation held talks with the Houthis in Sanaa, in a rare visit to the capital, which is under the control of the Iran-allied rebels, as part of a new effort to revive the peace process in Yemen after the recent rapprochement between Riyadh and Tehran .

A picture published by Houthi-affiliated media showed the Saudi ambassador shaking hands with the head of the Political Council in Sana'a, Mahdi Al-Mashat , and another picture of the two mediating with the Saudi delegation and an Omani delegation leading the mediation between the two sides and Houthi officials.

And on Monday, two Yemeni officials said that Al Jaber met with the leader of the Houthis , Abdul-Malik Al-Houthi , but Riyadh did not confirm that the meeting took place.

Saudi delegations have previously visited the capital, Sana'a, for talks about prisoner exchanges with the Houthis, who control the capital and vast areas in the north, center and west of the poorest countries of the Arabian Peninsula.

However, this high-level visit comes in the midst of regional and international efforts to push for a political solution that opens the door to Saudi Arabia's exit from the war, and then brings down the curtain on the conflict between the Houthis and the government, which has killed hundreds of thousands of people.

These efforts derive their impetus from an agreement concluded last month between Saudi Arabia, which since 2015 has led a military coalition in Yemen in support of the government, and Iran, which supports the Houthis, stipulating the resumption of diplomatic relations between them after seven years of estrangement.

According to Yemeni government sources, members of the Yemeni Presidency Council recently agreed to a Saudi vision regarding resolving the Yemeni crisis after Saudi-Houthi talks under Omani sponsorship lasted for two months in Muscat.

The Saudi perception, according to the same sources, is based on agreeing to a truce for a period of six months in a first phase to build confidence, and then a period of negotiation for three months on managing the transitional phase, which will last for two years, during which the final solution will be negotiated between all parties.

The first stage includes confidence-building measures, the most important of which is paying the salaries of government employees in all areas, including the areas controlled by the Houthis, and opening closed roads and the airport.

The United Nations announced on Monday that it had managed, for the first time in two years, to send a land supply convoy to two locations belonging to its mission in Western Sahara (MINURSO) , located east of the berm separating the two parties to the conflict, Morocco and the Polisario Front .

"Between 5 and 7 April, a convoy completed supplies to two locations east of the berm, at Tifariti and Muhairis, with the support of the Polisario Front and Morocco," said the spokesman for the UN Secretary-General, Stephane Dujarric.
The organization had announced an agreement on this convoy at the end of March.

He added, "This supply will allow the two sites to continue working," referring to their "urgent need" in particular for fuel.

Dujarric added, "It is necessary to maintain this momentum and ensure that the mission continues its efforts on the ground and its presence throughout the region, with the aim of creating space for progress in the political process" led by UN Special Envoy Staffan de Mistura.

The United Nations classifies Western Sahara, a former Spanish colony, as a "non-self-governing territory" in the absence of a final settlement.

Morocco has been fighting for decades over the fate of this region with the Algerian-backed Polisario Front.

Rabat controls about 80% of the vast desert region, and proposes to grant it autonomy under its sovereignty.

On the other hand, the Polisario Front calls for the holding of a referendum for self-determination under the auspices of the United Nations in accordance with what was approved in the framework of a cease-fire agreement concluded in 1991.

The region has been divided from north to south since the 1980s by a "defensive wall," as the Moroccan authorities who erected it call it.

The UN Secretary-General's latest report in October highlighted the "increasingly serious repercussions" of the supply problems on the ability of the MINURSO teams to perform their mission east of the wall.

No road convoy has been allowed since November 13, 2020, but supplies have been provided by planes and helicopters.

In New York in late March, de Mistura invited representatives of the parties concerned (Morocco, the Polisario Front, Algeria and Mauritania) and the "Group of Friends of Western Sahara" (France, Russia, Spain, Britain and the United States) to hold a series of informal bilateral meetings.

The envoy is scheduled to submit his final report to the Security Council in a closed session on April 19.