Defections Threaten Ahrar al-Sham Jihadist Movement

Defections due to financial problems and leadership feuds are threatening to dissolve the Ahrar al-Sham, according to Al-Monitor.

The owner of the well-known @MzmjerSh Twitter account revealed in a thread on June 22nd that Ahrar al-Sham is experiencing major defections within its ranks.

The Point of No Return? Cross-Border Aid in Syria Under Threat

Nearly 3.4 million Syrians are at risk of losing access to humanitarian aid facilitated through UN Security Council Resolution 2533, expiring on July 10.

The Security Council will vote today on two resolutions to extend Syria’s cross-border aid, after deliberations over the number of approved border crossings, time frames, and potential vetoes.

Defections Threaten Ahrar al-Sham Jihadist Movement

The owner of the well-known @MzmjerSh Twitter account revealed in a thread on June 22nd that Ahrar al-Sham is experiencing major defections within its ranks.

@MzmjerSh focuses on jihadist affairs, and the man behind it is believed to be a former jihadist leader in Jabhat al-Nusra.

“The Ahrar al-Sham movement is currently witnessing a major turning point since about 1,000 fighters who form the backbone of the commando forces, and the special forces have defected. The division came as a result of disputes with the movement’s leadership over some internal reforms that these fighters had demanded,” @MzmjerSh said.

US official: Gaza aid funds won’t reach Hamas

US assistance to Gaza is going to provide emergency shelter, food relief, health care and mental health care.

US funding for Gaza won’t go to Hamas, vowed acting assistant secretary for Near Eastern Affairs Joey Hood as he explained that the humanitarian assistance would flow to regional actors through transparent and legitimate channels.
The US will provide assistance to Gaza “through trusted, vetted, independent partners who distribute directly to the people in need, not through Hamas,” Hood said, when he spoke Tuesday at a panel discussion at the Wilson Center.
The international community has scrambled in the aftermath of the 11-day Gaza war in May, to find a way to prevent Hamas from confiscating civilian rehabilitation funds. Hood said such a mechanism would come on top of existing stiff regulations with regard to financial assistance for Palestinians.

Italian Senator to raise awareness about Hamas goals in EU Parliament

Salvini said he would make the Italian and EU Parliaments understand the terrorist organization’s intentions in its war against Israel and its ambition to spread Islam around the world.

At a panel on the European reaction to Operation Guardian of the Walls this past Monday, Italian Senator Matteo Salvini announced that he would distribute the text of the Hamas Charter to his fellow members of the Italian and European Parliaments in order to raise awareness of the threat the pose.

Turkey’s Challenge to the Regional Status Quo Begins in the Eastern Mediterranean

On July 24, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan joined thousands of worshippers in the streets around the historic Hagia Sophia in Istanbul for a doubly symbolic moment. Surrounded by a swarm of politicians, soldiers, security forces and imams, the Turkish leader made his way into the giant, former Byzantine cathedral through doors once hammered open by conquering Ottoman soldiers in 1453. Inside, he read out the namaz, or Muslim prayer, formally turning the 1,500-year-old building back into a mosque.