Saudi Arabia has executed two Bangladeshi nationals, a man and a woman, following their conviction for allegedly engaging in indecent acts inside a mosque in Mecca.
The Saudi Interior Ministry said the executions were carried out because of the seriousness of the offences and the alleged violation of the sanctity of the holy site. However, the ministry did not provide further details about the incident.
Bangladesh said it was not notified before the executions were conducted and has requested clarification from Saudi authorities.
In a separate development, Israeli police arrested 10 suspects following a series of attacks by Israeli settlers against individuals supporting Palestinians during the annual olive harvest in the occupied West Bank.
The violence has drawn widespread criticism of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, particularly after a United States journalist and a group of European diplomats were among those targeted.
Washington Post photographer Heidi Levine reportedly sustained multiple broken ribs and vertebrae after being assaulted by a group of young settlers on Friday while covering the incident.
On Saturday, masked settlers also attacked European diplomats visiting the area.
Rights groups have repeatedly raised concerns over increasing settler violence against Palestinians, alleging that such incidents frequently occur without arrests or meaningful punishment.
Gadi Eisenkot, Netanyahu’s main rival in the October 27 elections, condemned the attacks, describing them as “Jewish terror” in a post on X. He accused a small group of criminals of further damaging Israel’s international standing.
Meanwhile, Israel’s military announced plans to resume coordinating commercial deliveries into Gaza after a suspension that began on Wednesday.
The military body responsible for coordinating humanitarian activities in Gaza, COGAT, said the decision followed the withdrawal of demands by Hamas that merchants reportedly pay taxes on commercial goods entering the territory.
The suspension had disrupted the supply of food and other essential commodities to the Palestinian enclave
