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President Volodymyr Zelensky has revealed that Ukrainian expert teams are actively working across the Middle East and Gulf region, assessing defense systems, advising governments, and laying the groundwork for long-term military cooperation.

During an off-the-record meeting with journalists on April 2, Zelensky said Ukrainian teams are already on the ground in several countries.

“Our expert groups are there to analyze what is happening in a particular country – what level their defense is at, what changes are needed, what can strengthen them,” he said.

According to the president, this effort has now moved into a second phase, where partner countries are outlining their needs and priorities.

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The Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) in March liberated a bit more territory held by enemy forces than it lost to Russia, according to compiled data made public by the AFU on Wednesday and reviewed independently.

Ukrainian troops in March in battles across the Russo-Ukraine War’s 1,200-kilometer (745-mile) fighting front scored a net gain of 27 square kilometers (10.4 square miles) more ground recaptured from Russian forces, for the first time since at least October, a March 31 review published by the Washington D.C.-based Institute for the Study of War said. The finding tallied with Kyiv Post research during the month.

The finding that Ukraine has actually shifted combat dynamics to the point where its forces have the initiative and are making net ground gains against Russia was noted by Ukraine’s army commander General Oleksandr Syrsky in comments to ICTV television on Tuesday. In an hour-long interview, Syrsky said that since late January, his troops have been advancing slowly but continuously, with local counterattacks in the southern Olesandrivka-Zaporizhzhia sectors scoring the biggest successes.

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Palestinians across the occupied West Bank observed a general strike on Wednesday in protest against a new Israeli law allowing the execution of prisoners, as international condemnation mounted.

Fatah, the movement led by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, called for the strike, describing the legislation as a “dangerous escalation” against Palestinians.
https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/general-strike-leaves-west-bank-streets-empty-over-death-penalty-bill
“This criminal law will not break the will of our people or the determination of our prisoners, but will instead strengthen our resolve to continue the struggle for their freedom and legitimate rights,” it said in a statement.

The Knesset approved the bill in its final readings on Monday by 62 votes to 48, despite international calls to abandon it.

The legislation has drawn widespread criticism for violating the right to life and for its potentially discriminatory application.

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The world’s leading football governing bodies, FIFA and UEFA, are facing several legal cases and increasing public pressure over their policies toward Israel, including a case before the International Criminal Court accusing their presidents of aiding and abetting war crimes, complaints over violations of anti-discrimination rules, and outrage over their positions regarding Palestine.

Last week, FIFA announced it would take no action against Israeli football clubs based in illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank in response to a complaint filed by the Palestinian Football Association (PFA) in 2024. FIFA had opened two investigations into the Israeli Football Association (IFA)—one regarding Israeli settlement club teams being allowed to play in competitions organized by the IFA, and another into allegations of discrimination by the IFA.

On the former, FIFA’s Governance, Audit and Compliance Committee determined no action should be taken because “the final legal status of the West Bank remains an unresolved and highly complex matter under public international law.”

The controversial decision ran counter to findings by the International Court of Justice, UN Security Council resolutions, and international law experts who all say Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank are illegal under international law.

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Leading lawyers and legal experts have called on the governing bureau of the International Criminal Court (ICC) to uphold the findings of a judicial panel that cleared the court’s chief prosecutor, Karim Khan, of wrongdoing following a sexual misconduct complaint.

The 21-member bureau of the ICC’s Assembly of States Parties (ASP) is set to convene again on Monday for the third time to discuss its response to the report by three senior judges and the next course of action in the long-running saga, which has sidelined Khan since he took indefinite leave in May 2025.

Speaking to Middle East Eye ahead of Monday’s meeting, Khan’s lead counsel, Sareta Ashraph, said the process followed by United Nations investigators and judges had been “gender-competent” after a number of civil society groups called on the bureau to reject the panel’s findings.

Other legal experts voiced confidence in the competence and experience of the three-judge panel in their handling of the highly sensitive and complex case.

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A Russian Antonov-26 military plane crashed while flying over the Crimean peninsula, killing 29 people, the TASS news agency reported Wednesday, quoting Russia’s defence ministry.

“On 31 March at around 18:00 Moscow time, contact was lost with the An-26 military transport aircraft whilst it was on a scheduled flight over the Crimean Peninsula,” the defense ministry said.

“The search and rescue team has located the crash site of the An-26 aircraft. According to reports from the scene, the six crew members and 23 passengers on board were killed,” the ministry said.

According to the same source, no signs of external impact were found on the wreckage, suggesting that a technical failure was the likely cause of the crash at this stage.

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