Source Credit: AL JAZEERA
On February 25, 2025, major events unfolded across the Middle East amid ongoing conflict and hardship. In the West Bank, Israeli forces increased their military actions by sending tanks into the Jenin refugee camp and using bulldozers to clear roads for further operations.
Earlier that day, troops stormed the Imam Ali Mosque on al-Mamoun Street in Nablus, breaking down doors and seizing surveillance footage—while a nearby home in Jenin was also attacked. At the same time, Israel announced it would free 620 Palestinian prisoners if Hamas returned the bodies of four Israeli captives without a humiliating ceremony.
In Gaza, the crisis worsened as Israeli forces destroyed 85 percent of the region’s water and sanitation facilities, prompting the Palestinian Water Authority and UNICEF to deploy 13 mobile desalination stations to help families in Khan Younis and other areas where many now sleep outdoors.
The harsh winter has already claimed the lives of three children. Meanwhile, a false alarm about possible aerial targets in the Golan Heights led to aircraft alerts, though the Israeli army later confirmed the situation was under control with no injuries.
On the diplomatic front, Saudi Prince Khalid Bin Salman met with US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth in Washington, DC, to discuss stronger defense ties, while US Senator Chris Van Hollen sharply criticized President Trump for canceling a Biden-era order that required checks on US arms sales to prevent breaches of international law.
In a rare show of kindness, a critically ill Pope Francis, hospitalized with pneumonia, maintained contact with a church in Gaza to offer spiritual support to the community during these trying times.
