ISLAMABAD: Upon the proposal of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, BRICS is holding an emergency virtual meeting on the situation in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday ( November 21).
The meeting is being held followed the Israeli relentless crimes in Gaza and the ensuing escalation of tensions in West Asia.
The meeting will be hosted by South Africa as the rotating president of BRICS.
BRICS leaders and BRICS+ members will express their positions on the sufferings of people in Gaza.
BRICS includes Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.
Iran’s membership to join BRICS was accepted on August 24. Iran will officially join the club of emerging economic powers on January 1, 2024.
In addition, on the same date Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE were invited to join the club.
Earlier, the leader of Hamas confirmed today that the Palestinian freedom fighters are on the verge of reaching a truce agreement with Israel.
This development comes amid the ongoing deadly assault on Gaza and the firing of rockets into Israel.
Ismail Haniyeh, a representative of Hamas, stated in a message provided to Reuters by his assistant that the group is “close to reaching a truce agreement” with Israel, and they have conveyed their response to Qatari mediators.
In the latest updates, Gaza’s government media office reports that over 13,300 people have lost their lives since the Israeli bombardment commenced on October 7. Meanwhile, in Israel, the official death toll from Hamas’s attacks stands at approximately 1,200.
Israeli air attacks persisted in Gaza throughout the night, targeting locations such as the al-Bureij camp, Rafah, and Gaza City.
Doctors Without Borders (Medecins Sans Frontieres or MSF) states that their personnel at al-Shifa Hospital are unable to evacuate, and hundreds are trapped at the Indonesian Hospital following an Israeli attack that claimed at least 12 lives.
Negotiations are underway to finalize a deal allowing the release of around 240 predominantly Israeli captives seized on October 7, along with a ceasefire in Gaza, where more than 13,000 people have lost their lives in Israeli attacks.
The potential release of Palestinians, including women and children, from Israeli prisons is reportedly under discussion.
Qatar’s prime minister mentioned on Sunday that the success of a deal, exchanging the release of some captives for a temporary ceasefire, depends on “minor” practical issues.
I am an experienced writer, analyst, and author. My exposure in English journalism spans more than 28 years. In the past, I have been working with daily The Muslim (Lahore Bureau), daily Business Recorder (Lahore/Islamabad Bureaus), Daily Times, Islamabad, daily The Nation (Lahore and Karachi). With daily The Nation, I have served as Resident Editor, Karachi. Since 2009, I have been working as a Freelance Writer/Editor for American organizations.
