French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna , who is accompanying President Emmanuel Macron on his visit to China, met her Iranian counterpart , Hossein Amir Abdollahian , in Beijing on Thursday, during which she demanded the release of Frenchmen detained in Iran.

The French Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Friday that the minister "had talks yesterday (Thursday) with her Iranian counterpart," who was in Beijing to meet his Saudi counterpart.

The statement added that Colonna "renewed its urgent demand for the immediate release of the six Frenchmen arbitrarily detained by Iran."

The Saudi Foreign Minister, Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, and the Iranian, Hussein Amir Abdollahian, met in Beijing on Thursday, as part of the recent rapprochement, sponsored by China, between their two rival countries in the region.

More recently, Beijing has established itself as a major new diplomatic player in the Middle East.

According to the French statement, the meeting between Colonna and Abdullahian "also dealt with the situation in Iran, all regional issues and the Iranian nuclear program."

"The minister expressed France's concern about the position of the Iranian authorities on these various issues," the French Foreign Ministry added in its statement.

Iran is holding dozens of Westerners whose countries say they are innocent, and Tehran uses them as pressure and bargaining chips in its international relations.

The Islamic Republic and major Western powers are trying in vain to revive the agreement concluded in 2015 on the Iranian nuclear file.

In addition to the dispute between the West and Tehran over the nuclear file and the issue of detainees, the West imposed a series of sanctions against officials involved in suppressing the popular protest movement that erupted in Iran to protest the death of the young Kurdish woman, Mahsa Amini, in September after the morality police stopped her for violating the strict dress code.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations “FAO” announced on Friday that global food prices, although still “very high”, fell for the twelfth month in a row, recording a decrease of 20.5% in March 2023 compared to the same month in 2022 when The markets were witnessing the first aftermath of the war in Ukraine.

The FAO stated that "the available abundance, weak demand for imports, and the extension of the initiative on Black Sea grain (the agreement that allowed the export of Ukrainian grain) contributed to this decline," noting that prices are still burdening importing countries with difficult economic conditions.

It was announced, before noon on Friday, that two settlers were killed and a third seriously wounded, as a result of a shooting attack that took place at the Hamra intersection near Jericho .

According to the Hebrew channel Reshet Kan, the two dead were sisters, while their mother was critically wounded, and all of them were residents of the Efrat settlement near Bethlehem.

According to preliminary investigations, two Palestinians carried out the operation after they opened fire from a passing vehicle at the settlement vehicle, despite this, one of them continued to drive the vehicle and tried to escape. Zero distance.

It indicated that 22 Kalashnikov bullet cartridge cases were found at the site.

PalPay, the leading company in electronic payment solutions in Palestine, has signed a cooperation agreement with the Children's Villages Organization "SOS" - Palestine, allowing villages to benefit from the electronic payment services provided by the company, with the aim of enabling the organization to transfer its aid to its beneficiaries in various programs, as well as Enabling citizens and institutions to provide financial assistance for the benefit of the organization, easily and safely.

The agreement was signed at the headquarters of the Children's Villages Foundation, where it was signed by Thaer Hamayel, General Manager of "PalPay" company, and Ibrahim Faltas, National Director of the "PalPay" company, in the presence of Shafiq Bali, Director of Marketing and Sales Department in the company, Natalie Zain from the Marketing Department and Youssef Zaid, Director of Customer Relations in the company, in addition to To Ghada Hazrallah, Director of Finance and Control, and Yasser Issa, Head of the Accounting Department in the organization.
Under the agreement, the Children's Villages will be able to transfer aid to its beneficiaries electronically through the use of the "PalPay My Wallet" electronic wallet with ease. The agreement also provides the possibility of transferring aid through payment centers approved by the company, which are spread across all governorates of the country, in addition to transferring through the internet banking service and banking applications provided by banks contracting with PalPay.
During the signing ceremony, Hamayel expressed his pride in signing this partnership with SOS Children's Villages, which would enable the organization to develop its programs and provide all the requirements for a decent and warm life for children benefiting from its programmes, hoping that the agreement would contribute to supporting the organization's efforts and what surrogate mothers offer. In order to protect children, embrace them and provide them with the various necessary needs to ensure their upbringing in a healthy psychological and physical upbringing so that they may be effective in the future in the process of construction and development in Palestine.
Hamayel stressed that the agreement is in line with PalPay's strategy represented in promoting the culture of electronic payment, contributing to economic development and enabling community services and programs through the latest technologies and secure electronic payment channels, pointing to the role of financial technology in bringing about a significant and influential qualitative leap in terms of changing the course of financial transactions. , especially facilitating individuals and institutions to complete various financial transactions.
For his part, Faltas expressed his happiness with this partnership and the encouragement of high-quality electronic payment services provided by PalPay. He pointed to the importance of the agreement, which stresses the need to employ technology in order to serve community and humanitarian issues, thus contributing to facing many challenges and advancing our society.
Faltas confirmed that the agreement will contribute significantly to facilitating the process of providing financial assistance to the organization's beneficiaries, enabling it to develop its programs and provide the best services to children within the SOS villages.

Today, Friday, two young men were injured by Israeli occupation forces ' bullets, during clashes that erupted in the town of Beit Ummar , and four others from Hebron governorate, south of the West Bank, were arrested.

Local sources stated that large forces of the occupation army stormed the areas of "Khilat Al-Ain and Al-Tarbiqa" in the town of Beit Ummar, and raided a number of citizens' homes, searched them and tampered with their contents, and arrested the freed prisoners Allam Youssef Zaqeq and Firas Ibrahim Abu Maria after brutally assaulting him in front of his family.

Violent confrontations erupted between the youths and those forces, during which live bullets and tear gas canisters were fired at the citizens, wounding two young men (24 years old) with live bullets in the pelvis and the right thigh. The injured were transferred to Hebron Governmental Hospital. The injuries were described as medium to serious .

In the same context, local sources reported that the occupation forces also arrested Youssef Badr Awad, from Beit Ummar, and Ihab Hisham Abu Zahra, from the town of Yatta, south of Hebron.

On Friday morning, the Lebanese army announced that it had found a launcher containing a number of missiles that did not launch in the southern border area, hours after Israel launched raids in response to the missiles it targeted, accusing Palestinian groups of standing behind them.

The army said in a statement that one of its units "found in the Marjayoun Plain a rocket launcher containing a number of missiles that did not launch, and work is underway to dismantle them."

The army posted on Twitter pictures showing the launcher placed inside an olive field, and inside it were six missiles out of a total of 12 that did not launch.
On Thursday, the army dismantled rockets that were ready to be launched, and they were found in the vicinity of the towns of Qalila and Zibqin in the Tire district, which is the area from which barrages of rockets were launched towards Israel. No party has claimed responsibility for that.

Israel counted at least 34 rockets launched from southern Lebanon at it, five of which fell in residential areas, causing one injury. It accused Palestinian factions of standing behind it, likely to be Hamas or Islamic Jihad, and at the same time ruled out any role for Hezbollah, its archenemy backed by Iran.

The Israeli army carried out raids at dawn on Friday in the Tyre area, which it said hit "targets, including terrorist infrastructure belonging to the Hamas terrorist organization."

This is the first time that Israel has launched raids on Lebanon since the summer of 2021, noting that the number of missiles launched at it on Thursday is the largest since 2006.

The Israeli missiles landed in open agricultural lands. One of them caused damage to the roof of a house belonging to a farmer and his family in an orchard near the Rashidieh refugee camp, located south of Tire and close to the area from which the rockets were launched towards Israel.

Another missile landed near a banana grove in the town of Qulaila, destroying a main electricity pole, leaving a deep hole in the ground, according to what an AFP photographer saw.

"We were in the village and people were waiting for the Israelis to respond because rockets were fired from the area at them in response to the acts of violence and beatings of worshipers inside Al-Aqsa Mosque," a resident of the town, Muhsin Nasr al-Din Murtada, told AFP.

He added, "There are no military sites here for Hezbollah, Hamas, or the Palestinians. This is evidence of the weakness of the Israeli, who is venting his anger (by targeting) banana orchards."

In a statement at dawn on Friday, the United Nations Interim Force in South Lebanon (UNIFIL) urged a halt to the escalation across the border, and quoted the two sides as saying, "They do not want war."

Israeli fighters launched a series of raids on targets in the Gaza Strip at midnight Thursday-Friday, according to Palestinian and Israeli sources, following the launch of a barrage of missiles from Lebanon.

This came after the Israeli police stormed the Temple Mount from Tuesday night until Wednesday, and arrested about 350 Palestinians who had barricaded themselves there, describing them as "troublemakers."

The confrontations come in an atmosphere of increasing tension between the Israelis and the Palestinians, especially during the month of Ramadan, when Muslims usually retreat to Al-Aqsa Mosque and perform night prayers there.

The United Nations announced that a giant tanker dedicated to removing oil from a stranded ship off the Yemeni coast sailed from China Thursday on its way to Yemen, describing it as an "important" step in efforts to prevent a major spill.

In March, the United Nations Development Program bought the tanker "Nautica" to remove more than a million barrels of oil from the stranded ship "FSO Safer".

This was an unusual step taken by the UN organization, and was welcomed as a major advance in efforts to avert a potentially catastrophic oil spill.

Since the outbreak of Yemen's devastating civil war in 2015, Safer has been left deserted off the rebel-held port of Hodeidah, an important gateway for shipments into a country that relies heavily on emergency foreign aid.

The United Nations Development Program said in a statement that the Nautica left port on Wednesday after undergoing routine maintenance in Zhoushan, China.

A UN spokesperson said the vessel, which was bought by the major tanker company Euronav, is expected to reach its destination in early May and will make a stop on its way to make further technical adjustments.

"The departure of Nautica, and its voyage to the Red Sea, constitute an important next step in the complex operation of withdrawing oil from Safer," said UNDP Administrator Achim Steiner.

He called for urgent contributions to finance the operation, which still has a gap of about $34 million in its $129 million budget. The United Nations has launched a crowdfunding page that aims to raise $500,000.

"We are in a race against time. I urge government leaders, corporate CEOs and anyone in a position to contribute to come forward to support us in continuing to keep this process on track as it has quickly reached a critical point."

The statement cited "rising costs" for VLCCs such as Nautica due to the war in Ukraine.

"We have the best technical expertise available and the political support from all sides," said David Gresley, the UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Yemen.

"We just need the last bit of funding this month to ensure success" and prevent "catastrophe," he added.

The Safer tanker's load of 1.1 million barrels of oil is four times what was leaked in the "Exxon Valdez" disaster in 1989, which is considered the worst environmental disaster in the world, according to the United Nations.

An environmental catastrophe could also close the Bab al-Mandab Strait between Africa and the Arabian Peninsula, which would cause great damage to the global economy by closing the Suez Canal.

Protesters set fire to one of French President Emmanuel Macron 's favorite restaurants in Paris during clashes Thursday with riot police on the left bank of the Seine River.

Staff rushed to the restaurant "La Rotonde" in the Parisian district of Montparnasse to extinguish the fire that broke out in the canopy of the restaurant, where Macron celebrated the success of his 2017 election campaign.

An AFP reporter saw a group of men dressed in black firing firecrackers and throwing stones at the restaurant.
Fireworks thrown on the canvas awning caused a fire that required the presence of firefighters to put it out.

Riot police cordoned off the restaurant to protect it on the 11th day of national protests and strikes against Macron's project to raise the retirement age from 62 to 64.

The restaurant "La Rotonde", with its red velvet seats and dim lights, which Picasso was one of the pioneers, has long been a favorite place for Macron and his wife Brigitte to eat even after he came to power.

In a decision his opponents criticized as elitist at the time, Macron used La Rotonde to host staff and political allies after he topped the first round of voting in 2017.

The restaurant was previously targeted because of its association with the 45-year-old president.

And in 2020, during violent anti-government protests organized by the "yellow vests", an arson attack destroyed the entrance to the building where the restaurant is located.

"When there are rallies and so on, you hear people saying death to La Rotonde, death to Macron," Gerard Tavanel, owner of the bistro with his brother Serge, told AFP at the time.

"It happens all the time: anonymous phone calls, people walking in in the middle of the day saying 'Death to Macron'," he added.

On Friday morning, Reshet Kan TV reported that about 40 rockets were launched from the Gaza Strip during the night hours.

The channel claimed that half of those missiles that were fired towards populated areas were intercepted by the Iron Dome system.

She indicated that the other half fell in open areas.

It indicated that damage was caused to a house in the old neighborhood of Sderot , without causing any injuries.

In the context, the Israeli army claimed that it had damaged Hamas' military capabilities after it destroyed 3 tunnels and 5 sites for the production of weapons and missiles in response to the rocket fire tonight and in the past two days.

Hamas condemned, at dawn on Friday, the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip and southern Lebanon .

In two separate statements, Hamas held the Israeli occupation fully responsible for the dangerous escalation and blatant aggression against the Gaza Strip and southern Lebanon, and for the situation in the region.

Hamas said, "The brutal aggression against Gaza, and the continuation of the occupation's violations against Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa, will not achieve security for the occupation, nor will it make it a victory or a right to our land, Jerusalem, and Aqsa, without which there is joy and lives."

She added, "The Zionist aggression against Jerusalem and Gaza will not weaken our rebellious youth and our valiant resistance, which vowed to remain a shield and a sword to protect our people, Jerusalem, and Aqsa," calling on the Palestinians, in all their places of existence, forces and factions, to move unified in an open battle to confront the occupation and its herds. settlers and to thwart their plans to Judaize Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa.

In another statement, the targeting of the vicinity of the city of Tire in southern Lebanon was considered as "reflecting the state of brutality of the fascist occupation leadership, and its policies that threaten security and peace in the region by violating the sovereignty of brotherly Arab countries and the sanctity of Islamic and Christian sanctities, foremost of which is the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque." According to the text of its statement,

And it held the occupation and its leadership fully responsible for the repercussions of this dangerous escalation, affirming its stand and solidarity with Lebanon and its people, calling on the League of Arab States, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the United Nations to take urgent action to stop the occupation’s crimes, arrogance and violations that exceeded all limits.

The Ministry of Health in the Gaza Strip denounced, at dawn on Friday, the Israeli attacks that caused damage to the Al-Durra Children's Hospital, east of Gaza.

The ministry said in a statement that the bombing caused a state of confusion and fear among the medical staff and the child patients and their companions.

She added: The bombing is a clear violation of international humanitarian law and the Geneva Convention, which provides for the protection of health institutions and neutralizes them from military targeting.

Settlers attacked, at dawn on Friday, the citizens' property in the town of Kafr Qassem , in the occupied interior .

According to the reporter of the Hebrew Maariv newspaper, a group of settlers called "price tag gangs" burned several vehicles and wrote racist slogans, including "Death to the Arabs" inside the town.

The Israeli police opened an investigation into the circumstances of the incident.

At dawn on Friday, Israeli warplanes launched raids on targets in southern Lebanon .

According to Lebanese sources, the shelling targeted the Qlaila Plain, from which rockets were launched from Lebanon towards the Galilee yesterday afternoon.

It stated that the Israeli planes fired about 6 missiles at targets in the vicinity of the Lebanese city of Tyre.

An Israeli military spokesman claimed that his forces attacked targets for the infrastructure of the "Hamas" movement in southern Lebanon, blaming it for the rocket fire.

At midnight, the Israeli police arrested 12 Palestinian youths from the occupied territories, during limited confrontations that broke out in separate areas for the second night in a row.

According to the Hebrew website Ynet, the arrests took place in Umm al-Fahm, Sakhnin, Kafr Manda and Nazareth.

The Israeli cabinet, the Cabinet , announced that it had approved a series of decisions related to responding to rocket fire from the Gaza Strip and southern Lebanon .

The Cabinet did not provide details about these decisions, saying only that they were made on the recommendation of the Israeli army and security agencies.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said after the meeting, "We responded tonight and then it will cost our enemies a heavy price."

While Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said, "Our forces are ready to deal with all scenarios and on all fronts, and we will know how to confront any threat."

In the context, the Hebrew channel Reshet Kan reported that the cabinet focused in its discussions on the Lebanese arena and the scope of the response there, and everyone agreed on the necessity of responding and directing it against Hamas in Lebanon and those behind the rocket fire.

According to the channel, the bad economic situation in Lebanon and Hezbollah's message through mediators that it has nothing to do with the rockets were a decisive element in the cabinet's decision to determine the response against Hamas in Lebanon and those behind the rocket fire.

An Israeli political official told Ynet after the cabinet meeting: "Israel will also respond to firing from Lebanon... We will impose a price on those responsible in Gaza and Lebanon, and we will respond to specific targets. It is not expected that the Israeli response will lead to war."

A young man was wounded, at midnight, by Israeli occupation forces, in Husan town, Bethlehem district.

According to the Ministry of Health, the young man was injured in the thigh, and was taken to Beit Jala Governmental Hospital for treatment.

Clashes took place between young men and the occupation forces in that area, while a settler bus was pelted with stones.

Israeli warplanes launched, Thursday evening and Friday dawn, massive air raids targeting targets in different areas of the Gaza Strip .

Al-Quds.com correspondent in Gaza reported that the raids targeted several sites of the resistance, agricultural and empty lands in different areas of the northern, central and southern Gaza Strip.

He pointed out that large explosions rocked various areas of the Strip.

He pointed out that the resistance fired several anti-aircraft missiles.

The bombing of an empty land, east of Gaza City, caused the collapse of a small house in Al-Shujaia neighborhood, without causing any injuries.

Another bombing also caused damage to the homes and properties of the citizens and the Martyr Muhammad al-Durrah Hospital, east of Gaza City, after the bombing of a resistance site.

The Ministry of Health in the Gaza Strip denied any injuries that reached its hospitals as a result of the Israeli raids.

A spokesman for the Israeli army claimed that its forces targeted in two phases, 3 tunnels, and 5 weapons production sites, and that this came in response to rocket fire from Gaza in the last two days, as well as tonight.

In response to the Israeli raids, the resistance responded by firing a barrage of rockets at the settlements surrounding the Gaza Strip.

According to the Hebrew channel Reshet Kan, 40 rockets were launched from the Strip during the night hours, half of them were intercepted according to the interception policy followed, while a number of others fell in open areas.

Damage was caused to a house in the town of Sderot, with no injuries reported, according to the claim of a municipality spokesman in the town.

// He follows //

The Joint Chamber of the Palestinian Resistance in the Gaza Strip affirmed, this evening, Thursday, its readiness to respond with all force to any aggression and to defend the Palestinian people in all their places of residence.

In a brief statement, the resistance said: "The criminal enemy must stop its barbaric aggression against Al-Aqsa Mosque and the worshipers and seclusion in it, and it must stop the farce of exporting its internal crises towards our people and our sanctities." according to its text.

Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati confirmed Thursday Lebanon's rejection of "any military escalation" from its territory, hours after Israel announced the firing of at least 34 rockets from southern Lebanon towards it, accusing Palestinian groups of being behind it.

Mikati stressed in a statement, after receiving Italian Defense Minister Guido Cruzetto, "Lebanon's condemnation and denunciation of the missile launch from southern Lebanon," explaining that his country "absolutely rejects any military escalation emanating from its land and the use of Lebanese territory to carry out operations that destabilize the existing stability."

On Thursday evening, an Israeli soldier was wounded by gunfire near the Jaba roundabout, northeast of occupied Jerusalem .

According to the Hebrew Channel 13, the soldier was slightly wounded by shrapnel, and was taken for treatment.

Large Israeli forces arrived at the place and closed the roundabout.

Independent UN experts called on the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court in The Hague, Karim Khan, to expedite his investigative visit to the occupied Palestinian territories , and to allocate more resources to investigate the situation in the State of Palestine, expressing their concern about the deteriorating situation in the region and the spread of impunity.

In a letter signed by 32 UN experts under the title "Investigating the situation in the State of Palestine", led by Francesca Albanese, the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territory occupied since 1967, the experts said: "We write to share our concern about the spread of impunity and the continuous deterioration In the case of human rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, due to actions that may amount to widespread and systematic violations of international law by various actors.”

“During previous years, and in the context of our mandates, we have all repeatedly condemned such abuses, many of which may amount to prosecutable offenses under the Rome Statute and the Court’s jurisdiction,” the experts added in their letter.

The experts indicated that they had attached with their letter a non-exhaustive list of testimonies and reports issued by several special procedures mandate holders since 13 June 2014 in the context of the Occupied Palestinian Territory, stressing that these documents provide strong evidence of allegations of human rights violations that may be It was committed deliberately and systematically.

The letter saluted the commencement of the Office of the Prosecutor, on March 3, 2021, of investigating the situation in the State of Palestine on the grounds that alleged war crimes have been committed or are being committed in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip.

“This decision is a significant milestone in the efforts of the international community to achieve justice in the region,” the experts said. “It is crucial that the court uphold the responsibilities entrusted to it, and that it be carried out through follow-up procedures, strengthening investigations and advancing justice for all victims of heinous crimes, including those through a gender perspective.

They addressed the Court's Prosecutor, saying: "Your stated intention to visit the Occupied Palestinian Territories in 2023 is a decisive step in this direction, and we hope that your investigative mission will be completed as quickly as possible."

They added that "the absence of accountability in the occupied Palestinian territories contributes to the aggravation of the situation and the state of chaos."

The letter explained: Since the court opened the investigation, many new violations have been committed, which allegedly amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity. This includes actions that may amount to deliberate indiscriminate attacks against civilians and willful killings, including of human rights defenders and media workers, arbitrary arrest and detention, and denial of fair trial guarantees; Forced demolition and widespread destruction of civilian property not justified by military necessity, arbitrary displacement, displacement and forcible transfer of the occupied civilian population, as evidenced by the ongoing displacement of approximately 1,200 residents of Masafer Yatta, including 500 children (the largest example of forced displacement since 1967).

The experts added: “Many of us have expressed particular concern about Israel’s criminalization and increasing harassment of civil society organizations, including those working to promote accountability and justice through ICC investigations (the six organisations).

And they continued: "The raid and closure of their offices, as well as the confiscation of their documents by the Israeli army in August 2022, may constitute a serious violation of the administration of justice under the Rome Statute."

The UN experts stressed that "accelerating justice is a crucial step to end impunity and restore international law and a system based on human rights, as the last bastion to stop the cycles of violence and dangers faced by Palestinians and Israelis alike."

They noted that “with the legal tools at our disposal, we have a common institutional and moral duty to address these downward spirals, to ensure that past atrocities do not go unpunished and to prevent new crimes from being committed.”

The experts called on the Prosecutor to allocate more resources to investigate the situation in the State of Palestine, including possible crimes committed by private actors, and to make it easier for victims and communities to submit statements and contact ICC investigators, especially in light of the shrinking civic space in and around the pursuit of justice. in the occupied Palestinian territories.

They also urged him to “investigate and prevent specific cases of reprisals against individuals working to promote accountability in the Occupied Palestinian Territories who have cooperated or wish to cooperate with the ICC investigation.”

They concluded their letter: "We are at your disposal for any specific support you may need in matters relating to our mandate, and we pledge to support the Court's efforts to hold all perpetrators of international crimes accountable and to put an end to impunity."

This evening, Thursday, the occupation forces arrested a citizen after storming Khirbet Humsa al-Tahta in the northern Jordan Valley .

Aref Daraghmeh , a human rights activist, said that the occupation soldiers stormed the house of Abdul Basit Abu Jaafar, arrested Ali Kamil , one of his relatives from the house, and vandalized the contents of the house.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday evening that his government will exact a heavy price from its "enemies" after the recent rocket fire.

"We will paralyze our enemies, and they will pay the price for every act of aggression," Netanyahu said in a speech with the start of the cabinet session.

And he continued: "The internal dispute in Israel will not prevent us from working against our enemies and striking them anywhere, at any time, and whenever necessary, for we are all, without exception, united in this matter."

He claimed that his government has no interest in changing the status quo at Al-Aqsa Mosque , saying, "We are working to calm the situation and we will act firmly against extremists who resort to violence." according to his expression.

A special mission that includes two Saudi astronauts, one of whom is a woman, will leave Florida for the first time on May 8, heading to the International Space Station , according to officials at Axiom Space and the US Space Agency ( NASA ) announced Thursday.

Rayana Barnawi, a researcher working on breast cancer, will become the first Saudi woman to go into space. She is accompanied by astronaut Ali Al-Qarni.

The mission also includes Peggy Whitson, a former NASA astronaut who has flown three times to the International Space Station, and John Shoffner, an American contractor who will lead the flight.

The mission, called Axiom Mission 2, will depart on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket at 22:43 on May 8 (2:43 GMT on May 9) from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. .

She will use the Dragon capsule from SpaceX to reach the International Space Station, where she will spend 10 days.

This mission is the second to the international station organized by the American company "Axiom Space".

A first mission called "Axiom Mission 1" carried three businessmen and a former astronaut for two weeks to the International Station in April 2022.

This journey into space, with the participation of a Saudi woman, is part of the Kingdom's conservative strategy to improve its image.

But it is not the first task for Saudi Arabia. In 1985, Saudi Prince Sultan bin Salman participated in an American mission.

The United Arab Emirates also participated in space missions. And last month, the Emirati pioneer, Sultan Al Neyadi, set off for the international station for a six-month stay.

On Thursday, Ismail Haniyeh , head of the Hamas political bureau, warned the occupation government against continuing its aggression against Al-Aqsa Mosque, considering it a threat not only to Palestine but to all Arab and Islamic countries.

Haniyeh condemned, during a meeting with the secretaries-general of the Palestinian resistance factions, today in Beirut, the continuous Israeli aggression against the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque, considering it an unprecedented crime and an aggression against the Islamic nation and its sanctities.

He held the occupation government fully responsible for the brutal aggression against the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque and the worshipers and seclusion in it, stressing that our Palestinian people and the resistance factions will not stand idly by in front of this brutal aggression. like he said.

He called on the international community, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, and the League of Arab States to assume their responsibilities and take urgent action to save Jerusalem from Judaization and the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque from division, and to curb the occupation government and prevent it from continuing its aggression against our land, people, and sanctities. like he said.

He also called on the living forces in the Arab and Islamic nation and the free people of the world to move urgently in support of Jerusalem and Palestine and to defend and protect the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque, calling on everyone to shoulder their responsibilities towards the first two qiblahs.

He also called on all Palestinian resistance factions to unify their ranks and escalate their resistance in the face of the occupation, saying: "The priority today is to resist the occupation, and national unity and resistance are the way to achieve victory and defeat the Zionist project." According to him.

And he stressed "continuing the path of resistance and defending Al-Aqsa Mosque by all available means," saying: "We will not allow the occupation government to implement its plans to Judaize Jerusalem and divide Al-Aqsa Mosque."

On Thursday evening, Israeli security authorities ordered heavy strikes against the Gaza Strip and southern Lebanon in response to the rocket fire.

According to the Israeli Army Radio, the decision to respond has been taken, but the extent of its scope will be linked to the decision of the cabinet, the Cabinet.

According to the radio, the leaders of the security services instructed to direct these strikes and a harsh response against the "Hamas" movement in Gaza, in addition to directing a deliberate and limited response towards Lebanon.

Prior to the cabinet meeting, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held an expanded hearing in the presence of senior ministers and security officials.

Netanyahu and his ministers heard a glimpse of what the response might be.

In the context, the leaders of the Israeli opposition announced their support for a harsh response against the rocket fire.

According to media reports, the United States prevented an agreement on a statement condemning Israel on behalf of the UN Security Council on Thursday regarding the occupation authorities' consecutive incursions into Al-Aqsa Council in occupied Jerusalem.

The Security Council held a closed session "on the escalation in Jerusalem, Gaza and Lebanon ," and according to Israeli media, Israel's ambassador to the United Nations, Gilad Erdan , was in contact with the US mission to the United Nations, and asked the US administration to prevent the publication of a press statement on behalf of the Security Council on this subject. .

The UN Security Council held an emergency session today, Thursday, to discuss the Israeli violations of Al-Aqsa Mosque, at the joint request of Palestine and Jordan, and with the support of the UAE and China.

The request came after the brutal attack by the occupation forces on the worshipers and seclusion in Al-Qibli Mosque, forcing them to leave it by force, in preparation for the storming of settlers in large numbers to perform Talmudic rituals and slaughter offerings inside Al-Aqsa Mosque.

Since the beginning of this year, the Council held its monthly sessions on time, but it held emergency sessions and closed consultations, due to the continuous violations by the occupation forces of Jerusalem and the sanctity of worshipers, in addition to the increase in settlement activity.

It is noteworthy that the occupation forces stormed, on Tuesday night, Wednesday, and last night, the Al-Aqsa Mosque after the Tarawih and Fajr prayers, and brutally assaulted the worshipers and seclusion in the Al-Qibli prayer hall and forcibly removed them from it, injuring and arresting hundreds of them, in preparation for the settler groups’ storming, which sparked local, Arab and international reactions. Rejecting and condemning these incursions.

France called for "respecting the historical status quo in the holy places in Jerusalem," after the Israeli occupation forces stormed the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque and attacked worshipers.

The French Foreign Ministry said in a statement issued today, Thursday, that "France expresses its concern about the acts of violence that took place in the past two nights in the Holy Mosque and inside the Al-Qibli Mosque."

And she added: "France calls for respect for the historical status quo in the holy sites in Jerusalem and to refrain from taking any action that would exacerbate the violence."

On Thursday, the Australian authorities arrested two people they were chasing after they were spotted Thursday at a train station in the north of Brisbane , carrying a small platypus with them.

Thursday, a 26-year-old man was spotted with a woman on a local train with a wild mammal, a platypus, wrapped in a bath towel.

On Saturday, the man appears in court on charges of alleged violations of animal protection laws. He is accused of taking the animal from its natural habitat in a waterway in north Queensland, taking it on a train and then in a mall.

"The duo were spotted showing the animal to people in the mall," Queensland Police said in a statement, noting that the animal had been "re-released into the Kabultur River" but "the authorities have not yet located it."

Queensland laws prohibit the removal of platypus from nature, or a fine of up to 430,000 Australian dollars (about 300,000 US dollars).

The platypus is a nocturnal animal, and is one of the rare mammals that lay eggs, and can currently only be spotted in eastern Australia. It feeds on worms, insects and small molluscs.

Secretary of the Fatah Central Committee Lieutenant General Jibril Rajoub affirmed today, Thursday, the government's commitment to the agreements it signed and meeting all the teachers' demands, and that the Fatah movement in all its frameworks is the guarantor of that, but the " teachers' movement " announced the continuation of the strike and its protest activities since next Sunday.

Rajoub said during a press conference held at the headquarters of the Radio and Television Corporation in Ramallah, "The Fatah movement has reviewed all the agreements, and the government will abide by what was agreed upon. The first item in ensuring the government's commitment is the dignity of the teacher," calling on teachers to return to their schools starting from Next Sunday, to continue their march and perform their message.

Rajoub explained that "the government will pay 5% of the teachers' dues and 10% will be placed on the salary slip, and all legal and administrative financial measures taken against striking teachers will be reviewed and cancelled."

Rajoub added, "Professionalization of education will also be approved, and there will be procedures for an elected general union of teachers, starting from the beginning of the next academic year, according to the regulations of popular organizations in the PLO."

Rajoub said: "This announcement is happening for the first time, there is no justification for the continuation of the protests, and our position must be convincing, and we will not allow the overthrow of the authority, nor the fall of the education system, and we will work to review the status of education and the teacher."

Rajoub pointed out that there is mismanagement in the file of the teachers' strike, as well as a lack of trust. There are just demands and trade union agendas that we agree with, and there are agendas that want to politicize the issue, stressing the need to remove the teacher and the educational process from political tensions.

For his part, teacher Faisal Jadallah from the Nablus Education Directorate, and one of the observers of the agreement concluded with the teachers last year, said in an interview with Al-Quds, “The Rajoub speech carries a high positivity, especially since there is a commitment to last year’s initiative, and the entry of the Central Committee of the Fatah movement. It has a positive impact, and it is assumed that the movement’s statements are more studied and that we do not rush to give positions, and that we study all proposals more deeply, although the teacher has the right to reject and accept what he wants.

Jadallah indicated that Rajoub's speech talked about commitment to last year's initiative, regarding the democratization of the union and the new setting a time limit for that. There was talk about the professionalization of education, which is a demand for teachers to involve it in drafting laws that lead to professionalization. The speech also carried a clear retreat from all penalties. There is a positive discourse regarding the teacher’s appreciation and the language in which the teacher is spoken to, noting that the teachers are ready for any program to compensate the students.

With regard to the 15%, Jadallah confirmed that placing the 10% on the salary slip that Rajoub spoke of was conditional on the stability of the PA’s financial situation, and teachers want to know whether setting the percentage means spending it in the 2023 budget or not?

In turn, Omar Assaf, a member of the mediation initiative that led to the signing of the agreement last year, told Al-Quds: "We expected Rajoub to take a step forward, but his speech did not bring anything new except for guarantees, so the teacher's response was expected."

Assaf continued, "We respect what the teachers decide, as they are stakeholders, and we refer to the initiative, but Rajoub's speech did not implement the initiative that was concluded last year."

Meanwhile, the "teachers' movement" confirmed, in a statement, that the previously announced activities will continue as they are, the first of which is the morning strike with proof of presence, fingerprint, and signature, with leaving at any time the teacher wants for all stages, especially the guidance.

The movement spoke of what it called a "conspiracy" aimed at breaking the teacher in the most brutal and brutal way, through the repeated video that does not bring anything new and has been repeating itself for two months, and that its aim is for teachers to get bored and gradually break according to the government's vision, while the movement referred to recent meetings between Amin The secret of the central committee of the Fatah movement, Jibril Rajoub, with some teachers, principals, governors, and the Minister of Interior.

And he continued, "We have to say to the government and to Mr. Jibril Rajoub: Your meetings, meetings, and speech did not bring anything new, and therefore there is no change in our position as teachers gathered around our movement, as we will continue to abide by its activities."

The "movement" stressed that it was not an obstacle to solutions and welcomed the rationality of them, and looked wisely at some of the theses that reached it, indicating that the "mobility" is not a cause of the problem, but rather the government's intransigence and its desire to break the landmark.

Throughout the days of the strike, teachers carried out sit-ins in front of the headquarters of the education directorates in the West Bank in response to the "teachers' movement", amid the teachers' insistence on demanding their rights until the implementation of an agreement concluded, in May 2022, between the Palestinian government, the General Union of Palestinian Teachers and the "teachers' movement". sponsored by many institutions and personalities, and the strike stopped after that, but protests and strikes have returned since February 5, 2023, to demand the implementation of this initiative.

The agreement included 5 clauses: returning discounts to teachers, professionalizing education, issuing a teacher protection law, working to “democratize the union”, and depositing a 15% bonus for the nature of work on the salary slip, starting from the first month of the new year 2023.