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As thousands die and tens of thousands are infected by the coronavirus which emerged in China's Wuhan province in January, MEMO keeps you abreast of the latest developments and how the endemic is affecting the Middle East and North Africa
Phil Leech-Ngo
Phil Leech-Ngo
Phil Leech-Ngo
Phil Leech-Ngo
Egypt’s first democratically elected civilian president Mohamed Morsi died in court yesterday after spending six years in jail. Morsi was ousted in a military coup by current leader Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi who has since returned Egypt to a military dictatorship. Held under numerous alleged charges including spying for foreign governments and attacking prison guards, the 67-year-old long complained of torture and abuse at the hands of his jailers and, as his health deteriorated in detention, his family repeatedly called for authorities to provide him health care or release him. Finally, he collapsed in court on 17 June 2019. Egypt is now bracing for a new wave of protests against the rule of Al-Sisi.
Phil Leech-Ngo
As communities across the world prepare to begin the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, the people of Gaza are preparing for funeral prayers. At least 10 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli air strikes on Gaza this weekend, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowing to continue air strikes. Follow the latest developments on the ground…
Phil Leech-Ngo
Election day is here. After months of campaigning, today Israel’s political parties can only watch anxiously as the country heads to the polls. The past four months have been nothing if not dramatic, with accusations of corruption, armies of social media bots and phone hacking. Yet despite the theatrics, mud-slinging and cries of foul play, the polls suggest this could be one of the closest-fought elections Israel has seen. Will King Netanyahu retain his throne? Stay tuned to the MEMO live blog for all the latest updates and the initial exit poll at 22:00 local time [19:00 GMT, 20:00 BST].
Phil Leech-Ngo
Israel today began strikes on the Gaza Strip, hitting targets across the already-besieged enclave. MEMO is liveblogging the latest developments. The strikes began this evening at around 18:00 local time (16:00 GMT), after Israel spent the day preparing for the assault. After claiming that a rocket was fired from Gaza on a town north of Tel Aviv, the Israeli army sent two army brigades – amounting to over 1,000 soldiers – to the Gaza fence and called up reservists from aerial units in preparation for air strikes. Israel also today locked down the Gaza Strip, closing the Kerem Shalom (Karm Abu Salem) and Erez (Beit Hanoun) crossings which allow goods and medical supplies into the enclave. It also reduced the fishing zone it imposes off Gaza’s Mediterranean coast, further blockading the territory. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu – who also serves as the country’s defence minister - cut short his trip to the US to oversee the assault, returning to Israel "to manage our operations up close". With just two weeks to go before Israel’s upcoming general election on 9 April, commentators have speculated that Netanyahu may hit Gaza with a particularly heavy hand in order to prove himself to the country’s right-wing and secure his re-election in the wake of struggling polling figures.
Phil Leech-Ngo
As dozens of Palestinians have been killed and hundreds more have been injured by Israeli forces, MEMO will be doing a live coverage as protests take place across the occupied territories ahead of the US embassy opening in Jerusalem and the 70th anniversary of the Nakba.
Phil Leech-Ngo
On 6 December US President Donald Trump declared his intention to move the American embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem sparking outrage across the Middle East and the international community. Stay tuned as MEMO covers the reactions from across the world.
Phil Leech-Ngo