Saudi Arabia said to have executed a Bangladeshi man and woman for “indecent acts” inside a mosque in Mecca. Bangladesh said it was not informed in advance of the executions.
Meanwhile, Israeli police arrested 10 suspects in a wave of violence against settlers who targeted an American journalist and European diplomats in the occupied West Bank, along with Iran-backed Houthi rebels, have announced attacks in Yemen and across Saudi Arabia.
Here is the latest news from the Middle East this Monday. Read our full coverage here.
Saudi Arabia executes two Bangladeshis for ‘indecent acts’
Saudi Arabia has executed two Bangladeshi nationals, a man and a woman, after they were found guilty of “indecent acts” at a mosque in the Muslim holy city of Mecca.
Bangladesh said it was not informed before the sentences were carried out and requested information from Saudi Arabia. The Saudi Interior Ministry said the Bangladeshis were executed due to “the seriousness and seriousness of their actions in violation of the sanctity of time and place.” It was not specified.
Israel arrests 10 suspects following settler violence
Police said 10 suspects were arrested Monday following violent attacks by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank, sparking strong criticism of the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Israeli police have not identified who attacked the people who came to support the Palestinians during their annual olive harvest.
Washington Post photographer Heidi Levine was beaten Friday by a mob of young male settlers while documenting the scene, leaving her with several broken ribs and vertebrae. Masked settlers also attacked a group of European diplomats on Saturday. Palestinians have faced increasing attacks, rarely leading to arrests or punishment, rights groups say.
Netanyahu’s main rival in the October 27 election, Gadi Eisenkot, said “a handful of criminals are burning the last shreds of legitimacy left to the State of Israel.”
UN food agency cuts food aid to Palestinians due to lack of funding
Lack of money has forced the World Food Program to deny food and financial aid to 500,000 people in Gaza and 200,000 people in the West Bank, according to its acting director Carl Skau, who urged international donors to provide $450 million to fund hot meals and food packages for the next six months.
Skau said in a news video on Monday that “life in Gaza remains absolutely brutal” and incredibly dangerous, with UN teams recording around 50 attacks a day in the past week, while in the West Bank he saw olive fields, camps and villages burned. There were more settler attacks in these first two weeks of the olive harvest than in all of last year, he said.
Commercial deliveries to Gaza to resume, says Israel
The Israeli military announced Monday that it would resume coordinating the entry of commercial trucks into Gaza, but warned that future reports of traders paying taxes to Hamas would result in their licenses being revoked.
The suspension imposed since Wednesday has interrupted the delivery of food and necessary goods. COGAT, the Israeli military body that oversees humanitarian affairs in Gaza, cited disagreements between Hamas and traders over taxes, and claimed to be communicating a decision taken by traders.
Gaza truckers said Israel was using the disagreement as a pretext to fight Hamas’ tax efforts. They said Gaza officials called the money a “donation” intended to pay civil servants rather than taxes. COGAT said Monday that Hamas had withdrawn its demands.
Houthis claim attacks across Saudi Arabia and strike Yemeni military camp, killing 53
Supported by Iran Houthi rebels killed at least 53 soldiers Monday in ballistic missile strikes on a Yemeni military camp, making it one of the deadliest attacks on Saudi-backed government forces since rebels broke a 2022 ceasefire in The civil war in Yemen. The strikes on the al-Alam military camp also injured 200 recruits, the Shabwa provincial government said.
The Houthi rebels also claimed on Monday to have carried out six military operations targeting oil infrastructure, airports and military sites across Saudi Arabia. Saudi authorities say recent Houthi missile and drone attacks have killed 19 people and injured more than 350 others. Saudi Civil Defense issued new danger alerts in parts of the kingdom on Monday.
Israeli strikes on Gaza kill 4, including teenagers
Three separate Israeli strikes hit Gaza City, killing at least two people, according to Shifa Hospital, and two 17-year-olds were killed in another strike on Khan Younis in southern Gaza, according to Nasser Hospital.
The Israeli military said it struck Hamas militants in each of the attacks on Gaza City. He did not comment on the other attack. Israel continues to launch deadly attacks on the enclave more than a year after Israel and Hamas reached a ceasefire agreement.
UK warns businesses against helping build Israeli settlements
Britain’s top diplomat has warned businesses against breaking international law by helping to build Israeli settlements in the West Bank. Their construction has increased under the government of Netanyahu, who considers the West Bank the Jewish homeland and opposes a Palestinian state.
Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband said the E1 settlement project approved by Israelwhich would cut the West Bank in two, “poses a direct threat to the prospect of a two-state solution.” Israel’s top diplomat responded by saying his country would not be “intimidated by threats.”
Iran joins Russia, rejects German accusations of attack on Jewish leader
Iran’s top security official called for closer cooperation after meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Tehran on Monday, Iran’s official IRNA news agency reported.
Gen. Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, said cooperation could include joint economic projects, such as completing transportation corridors. Lavrov, meanwhile, condemned US-Israeli military attacks on Iran as illegal.
Also in Tehran on Monday, Iran summoned the German ambassador over what the Iranian Foreign Ministry called baseless accusations. Germany had summoned Iran’s ambassador to Berlin after a court convicted two men linked to Iranian intelligence services of plotting to assassinate the leader of a Jewish organization in Germany.
Iranian president says his country has no ‘fundamental disagreements’ with its neighbors
President Masoud Pezeshkian said Iran was ready to resolve tensions through dialogue, blaming US interference for divisions in the region, IRNA reported.
Pezeshkian said during Monday’s meeting with Lavrov that US military bases in neighboring countries have increased tensions, instability and insecurity.
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This report will be updated throughout the day as new developments emerge.
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