JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Indonesia will block Israeli athletes from competing at the upcoming gymnastics world championships in Jakarta, a government official said Thursday.

The decision to deny visas to the Israeli athletes comes after their planned participation had sparked intense opposition in the world’s most populous Muslim-majority nation, which has long been a staunch supporter of Palestinians.

Israel is among 86 countries registered to compete at the worlds that start in Jakarta on Oct. 19, with a team highlighted by 2020 Olympic gold medalist and defending world champion Artem Dolgopyat in the men’s floor exercise.

Now its participation is in doubt, even though the Israeli Gymnastics Federation said in July that it had been assured by Indonesian officials that it would be welcome at the worlds. That would have gone against Indonesia’s long-standing policy of refusing to host Israeli sports delegations for major events.

In his lifetime, the holy Prophet (peace be upon him and his

descendants) specified that twelve persons would rule as Caliphs after

him, and that they all would be from Quraysh tribe. He also added that

the Islam‟s glory would be protected under their Caliphate.

 Jabir Ibn Samareh said,

سمعت رسول هللا )ص( يقول اليزال االسالم عزيزا الي اثني عشر خليفة ثم قال كلمة لم

* اسمعها فقلت البي ما قال؟ فقال : كلهم من قريش

(I heard the Prophet (peace be upon him and his descendants)

saying, “Islam will be revered by the twelve caliphs and

leaders”. And then said a phrase I did not hear, so I asked my

father, and he replied, “The Prophet (peace be upon him and

his descendants) said that they all were from Quraysh”.)

 In the history of Islam, the twelve Caliphs as the protectors of

Islam‟s glory are, indeed, the twelve Imams, in whom the Shia

believes, because the twelve Caliphs, the Prophet (peace be upon him

and his descendants) introduced, were soon appointed as Caliphs after

him.

Now, who are these twelve persons?

*

 Sahih, Moslim, vol. 6, p.2.

Apart from the four Caliphs, known as „Rashedin‟ in the Sunnite

terminology, the other caliphs were not an honor to Islam. The history

of the Umayyad and Abbasid Caliphs certifies this fact, but, on the

contrary, the twelve Imams of Shia have always been the symbol of

piety and virtue in their own eras and thereafter. As a consequence,

they preserved the Prophet‟s traditions and were honored by their

disciples, followers, and the next generations. The historians have

certified their immense knowledge and authority, and….

They are as follows:

1- Ali Ibn Abi Talib

2- Hasan Ibn Ali (Mujtaba)

3- Hussein Ibn Ali

4- Ali Ibn Hussein (Zein Ul-Abedin)

5- Mohammad Ibn Ali (Baqir)

6- Jafar Ibn Mohammed (Sadeq)

7- Musa Ibn Jafar (Kazim)

8- Ali Ibn Musa (Reza)

9- Mohammed Ibn Ali (Taqi)

10- Ali Ibn Mohammed (Naqi)

11- Hassan Ibn Ali (Askari)

12- Imam Mahdi (Ghaem).

 The Islamic narrators have narrated a successive number of

traditions, called „Mahdi, the Promised‟ from the holy Prophet (peace

be upon him and his descendants). For further study on the lives of

these honored leaders, whose names have been stated by the Prophet

(peace be upon him and his descendants), refer to the following books:

1- Tazkeratul-Khavas

2- Kefayatul-Athar

3- Vafiyatul-Ayan

4- Ayan Ul-Shia (by Seyed Mohsen Amin Ameli), which is more

comprehensive than the above-mentioned books.

As stated before, the Shia is steadfast in his belief that Caliphate is

„appointed by God‟. They also believe that Imamate after the Prophet

(peace be upon him and his descendants) resembles prophethood in

some aspects. Like the Prophet (peace be upon him and his

descendants), it is Allah, who appoints the Prophet‟s successors.

 The chronicle of the Prophet‟s life bears witness to this fact, because

he has introduced Ali (a.s) as his successor in various cases, including:

1- At the advent of his prophetic mission:

 When being commissioned to invite his relatives to

monotheism in accordance with the verse االقربين عشيرتك وانذر

(And warn your tribe and near kinsmen)*

, the Prophet (peace

be upon him and his descendants) addressed them as saying,

“Whosoever assists me in this way is my successor,

minister, and executor”.

 The Prophet (peace be upon him and his descendants) phrased his

words as saying,

فايكم يوازرني في هذا المر علي ان يكون اخي و وزيري و خليفتي و وصيي فيكم

(Who does assist me in this way to be my brother, minister,

executo, and successor among you?”)

 The only one who responded positively to this heavenly

proclamation was Ali (a.s), the son of Abu Talib.

 Then, the Prophet (peace be upon him and his descendants) went on,

* ان هذا اخي وصيي و خليفتي فيكم فاسمعوا له و اطيعوه

(He [Ali] is my brother, executor, and successor among you;

listen to his words and follow him”.)

2- In Tabuk battle:

 The Prophet (peace be upon him and his descendants) told Ali (a.s),

** اما ترضي ان تكون مني بمنزله هارون من موسي اال انه النبي بعدي

*

Shoara Sura, verse no. 214

* Tarikh Tabari, vol.2, p. 62-63; Tarikh Kamel, vol.2, p.40-41; Mosnad Ahmad,

vol.1, p.111; A Commentory on Nahjul Balaghah, Ibn Abil Hadid, vol.13, p.210-12.

** Sireh, Ibn Hesham, vol.2, p.520; Alsavaegh Ul-Mohareghah, Ibn Hejr, section 9,

chapter 2, p.121

(“Are you not pleased to know that you are to me like Aaron to

Moses, except that there will exist no prophet after me”.)

 It denotes that as Aaron was the immediate successor of Moses, Ali

(a.s) was the Prophet‟s successor, too.

3-In the 10th year of Hijrah:

 When returning from his last pilgrimage to Mecca, the Prophet

(peace be upon him and his descendants) introduced Ali (a.s) as the

Muslims and believers‟ guardian in a region, called „Ghadir Khum‟ in

a big congregation as saying,

من كنت مواله فهذا علي مواله

(“Henceforth, Ali is the guardian of those I have been their

guardian”.)

 To begin with, the Prophet (peace be upon him and his descendants)

stated,

الست اولي بكم من انفسكم؟

(“Am I not superior to your selves than you?) And the Muslims

stood up confirming him unanimously. Therefore, the term مولي

(guardian) in this hadith signifies the superiority and the guardianship

over the believers. From this statement, it is deduced that the Prophet

(peace be upon him and his descendants) highlighted the same

guardianship position of himself for Ali (a.s). It occurred on the same

day that Hasan Ibn Thabet versified the historical movement of

„Ghadir‟ and composed the following poems:

يناديهم يوم الؽدير نبيهم بخم واسمع بالرسول مناديا

فقال فمن موالكم و نبيكم؟ فقالوا و لم يبدوا هناك التعاميا

الهك موالنا وانت نبينا ولم تلق منا في الواليه عاصيا

فقال له: قم يا علي فانني رضيتك من بعدي اماما و هاديا

فمن كنت مواله فهذا وليه فكونوا له اتباع صدق مواليا

* هناك دعا: اللهم وال وليه وكن للذي عادي عليا معاديا

 Ghadir hadith is one of the Islamic successive hadiths, which, in addition to the Shia illuminate figures, has been narrated by

about 360 Sunni Scholars (for instance, refer to the book „Savaeq Ul-

Moharaghah‟, Ibn Hajr, Section 9, Chapter 2, p.122), and there exist

the documents, which show the approval of 110 of the Prophet‟s

disciples. Besides, 26 brilliant learned have written separate books

concerning the documents, proving the authenticity of this hadith.

 Abu Jafar Tabari, the famous Muslim historian, has collected the

documents, dealing with this theme in two thick volumes. For further

information, refer to the book „Al-Ghadir‟.

Book: Shis responses

* Al Managhib, Kharazmi Maleki, p.80; Tazkerah Khas Al-Oma, Sebt Ibn Jozi

Hanafi, p. 20; Kefayatul Talib, Ganji Shafei, P.17,

The Palestinian resistance movement Hamas has reaffirmed its commitment to completing the first phase of the ceasefire agreement with Israel. 

In a statement on Saturday, Hamas said the truce “is holding, and the withdrawals of the occupation army are continuing according to the agreement.”

“We insist on completing the implementation of the first phase of the ceasefire agreement,” the statement read.

Hamas said it is working to remove any pretexts that could allow the Israeli regime to violate the ceasefire’s terms. It also said efforts are underway with mediators to locate the bodies of Israeli captives held in Gaza and to advance the prisoner exchange process.

“We continue our contacts with mediators regarding the prisoner file in an effort to achieve a breakthrough,” it added.

In a separate statement, Hamas political bureau member Izzat al-Rishq reiterated the resistance group’s “firm commitment to dedicating all our capabilities and efforts to serving our people and providing them with relief in the Gaza Strip.”

This, he said, will be done “despite the massive destruction left by the war and the lack of all basic necessities for normal life in the Strip.”

A multi-stage roadmap for the first phase of a ceasefire deal between Hamas and Israel was finalized on Thursday. Both sides confirmed that the ceasefire went into effect on Friday.

The first phase of the deal, proposed by US President Donald Trump, is expected to see the release of all 20 living Israeli captives and the beginning of the handover of deceased captives, in exchange for around 250 Palestinian prisoners and 1,700 detainees from Gaza.

Israel has refused to release two prominent Palestinian doctors — including the pediatrician Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya — as part of a ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement with Hamas, a report says.

A Hamas official told CNN on Friday that “the occupation refused to release Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya,” who was kidnapped during an Israeli raid that closed the last major functioning health facility in northern Gaza in December 2024. Abu Safiya served as the director of Kamal Adwan Hospital in Gaza.

Dr. Marwan al-Hams, director of field hospitals in Gaza, was also excluded from the deal, the official said.

Under the agreement reached on Wednesday, Hamas is set to release 48 Israeli captives held in the Gaza Strip, 20 of whom are believed to be alive. In exchange, Israel must free 250 Palestinian prisoners serving life sentences and 1,700 Gazans detained after October 7, 2023.

Two students, along with the owner of a printing shop in Morocco, have been taken into custody for purportedly “displaying provocative slogans” after they adorned two national football team shirts with messages advocating for Palestine and the social demands of GenZ 212 youth movement protesters. 

Far-right Israeli finance minister Bezalel Smotrich has expressed his opposition to a ceasefire deal with the Palestinian Hamas resistance group, saying he will vote against the agreement that brings an end to the genocidal war on the Gaza Strip.

Smotrich made the remarks in an X post on Thursday shortly after Israel and Hamas agreed to the first phase of the ceasefire plan proposed by US President Donald Trump, which includes the withdrawal of the occupation forces from Gaza, the entry of aid to the besieged territory, and the exchange of Israeli captives with Palestinian abductees.

The extremist minister, who has a history of making hawkish remarks, said he “cannot join in shortsighted celebrations or vote in favor of the deal” due to what he called “immense fear of the consequences of emptying the [Israeli] prisons.”

He further said that immediately after the return of captives, Israel should continue the war for “the real eradication of Hamas.”

The Israeli "security cabinet" is set to meet this afternoon to be briefed on the Gaza ceasefire agreement, with the full cabinet meeting afterward to vote on the deal.

An unnamed Israeli official has told CNN that the vote will only be on a prisoner exchange, and not the entire truce framework.

Meanwhile, Israel’s ambassador to the US, Yechiel Leiter, said that once Israel’s "security cabinet" convenes, there will be a 72-hour countdown for Hamas to release the remaining living Israeli captives held in Gaza.

The ceasefire announcement followed three days of indirect negotiations in Egypt on Trump’s 20-point plan for the Gaza Strip.

The answer:

 The term „Shia‟ in the Arabic language means the „follower‟. The

holy Quran in this regard says, البراهيم شيعته من ان و) Abraham is one

of the followers of Noah)

*

. But in the Muslims‟ terminology, the

term „Shia‟ is applied to a group of Muslims, who believe that the

Prophet of Islam (peace be upon him and his descendants) had

appointed his successor and the Muslims‟ Caliph before departing this

life in some special occasions, among which happened to be on Zil-

Hajah, 18, the 10th year of Hijrah, known as Ghadir, in a big

congregation, in which he introduced the Muslims‟ political,

scientific, and religious leader. It is noteworthy to say that after the

Prophet‟s demise, Mohajerin (the Migrants) and Ansar (the Helpers)

were divided into two groups:

A group was of the opinion that the Prophet (peace be upon him and

his descendants) had not neglected the issue of Caliphate and thus had

appointed his successor, and that is Ali Ibn Abi Talib (a.s), the first

believer after him.

 This group, consisted of some of Mohajerin (the Migrants) and

Ansar (the Helpers), headed by the Bani-Hashem nobilities and

some of the brilliant disciples of the Prophet (peace be upon him and

*

Safat Sura, verse no. 83

his descendants), such as Salman, Abuzar, Meghdad, Khabab Ibn

Arat, etc. They remained steadfast on this belief and were entitled as

Ali‟s Shia.

 The honored Prophet (peace be upon him and his descendants), of

course, applied this title to Ali‟s followers in his lifetime, where he

referred to Ali Ibn Abi Talib (a.s) as:

** والذي نفسي بيده، ان هذا وشيعته لهم الفائزون يوم القيامة

(By Allah, Whom my life is in His hand, he [Ali (a.s)] and his

followers are prosperous on the Day of Resurrection.)

 Therefore, the term „Shia‟ is applied to a group of Muslims, who

were so-called due to their belief that God appoints His caliphs. This

group has already remained believing in following the Prophet‟s

Ahlul-Bait (a.s).

 This fact clarifies the Shia point of view, and therefore, the

baselessness of the biased or ignorant fabricators‟ claims, stating that

Shiism came into existence after the Prophet (peace be upon him and

his descendants) is proved. For further study on the history of Shiism,

refer to the books „Shiism and the principles‟, „Al-Morajeat‟, and

„Ayan Ul-Shia‟.

The other group believed that the Caliphate position is elective;

therefore, they swore allegiance to Abubakr, and later they were

entitled as the Sunnites. Consequently, in spite of a lot of common

points in their principles, major discrepancies occurred to both sides

on the issue of the Caliphate and the Prophet‟s successorship.

Mohajerin (the Migrants) and Ansar (the Helpers) were the

preliminary sources of forming both groups.

The Palestinian resistance movement Islamic Jihad says the newly reached ceasefire between the Israeli regime and Hamas is a direct outcome of the steadfastness and sacrifices of the Palestinian people, and not a favor granted by foreign powers.

In a statement issued on Thursday, the Gaza-based Islamic Jihad stressed that the ceasefire, including the exchange of the remaining Israeli captives in Gaza with Palestinian prisoners, “are not a gift from anyone,” underscoring that they were achieved through the “sacrifices” and steadfastness of the Palestinian people.

“We emphasize the enormous sacrifices made by our Palestinian people, and the courage and bravery of its fighters on the ground who confronted the enemy forces and showed unprecedented courage in combat,” it said.

The Islamic Jihad also paid tribute to Palestinians killed in the fighting, calling them “great martyrs” whose sacrifices were instrumental in sustaining the resistance movement.

“In these historic moments, our people will not forget their great martyrs who played the most important role in keeping the resistance steadfast,” it stressed.

While the group did not dismiss the role of international efforts in facilitating the ceasefire, it framed the agreement as a testament to Palestinian perseverance rather than diplomatic concessions.

Israel and Hamas reached the deal following three days of indirect negotiations in Egypt. The agreement is aimed at ending two years of genocide in the Gaza Strip based on a proposal forwarded by US President Donald Trump.

Meanwhile, Izzat al-Rishq, a member of the political bureau of Hamas, also said that the ceasefire in the besieged Gaza Strip is the fruit of the great sacrifices and legendary patience of the Palestinian people, and the strength and steadfastness of the resistance.

“This agreement stems from our historical responsibility toward our great people, our commitment to our legitimate rights, and the culmination of our resistance's achievements on October 7,” he stressed,

He also emphasized that the ceasefire agreement is a remarkable national achievement, reflecting the unity of “our people” and their commitment to resistance as a means of confronting the Zionist occupation.

Hamas announced early Thursday that it reached a deal to end Israel’s war on Gaza, secure the occupation’s withdrawal, allow aid deliveries, and facilitate the exchange of the remaining Israeli captives in Gaza with Palestinian prisoners.

The regime launched the genocide on October 7, 2023, after a historic operation staged by Gaza’s resistance fighters against the occupied Palestinian territories. Al-Aqsa Flood saw the fighters storm Israeli bases and take hundreds of Zionists captive.

More than 67,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have been killed in Israeli attacks across Gaza since then. 

Press TV’s website 

The Israeli military has warned Palestinians not to return to northern Gaza, as it carries out fresh airstrikes across the blockaded territory despite a newly announced ceasefire meant to halt the genocidal war.

In a statement on Thursday, the Israeli military’s Arabic-language spokesperson, Avichay Adraee, claimed that the area north of Wadi Gaza - the valley dividing the central and northern regions of the war-torn territory- remains “a dangerous combat zone.”

He stressed that Israeli troops continue to encircle Gaza City, warning that returning to the area poses a severe risk as the area is “still considered a dangerous combat zone.”

Adraee further urged Palestinians to stay away from northern Gaza and from locations where Israeli forces are active across the territory, including its southern and eastern parts, until further official guidance is issued.

“For your safety, refrain from returning north or approaching areas where [Israeli forces] are stationed and operating throughout the sector, including in the south and east of the sector, until official instructions are issued,” he stressed.

Despite reports of a ceasefire deal, Israel continues its military assaults across the besieged Gaza Strip.

Israeli airstrikes targeted western Gaza City, hitting at least one home in the Shati refugee camp, according to Al Jazeera Arabic. Furthermore, Israeli forces detonated an explosive-laden armored vehicle near residential areas in the Sabra neighborhood, south of Gaza City.