Photo: UNAMA – via Twitter (@UN) The organization Refugee Rights Watch Global has expressed deep concern over the mass deportation of Afghan migrants from Iran and has called for the immediate cessation of this process. In a statement released on Thursday, July 31, the organization said that more than one million Afghan migrants have been forcibly deported from Iran to Afghanistan just this year. Some of these individuals were born in Iran or have lived there for decades. This human rights organization emphasized that mass deportations are a clear violation of international refugee law and human rights standards, and have put the lives of thousands, especially women, children, and vulnerable individuals, at serious risk. The statement read, “Migrants who are returned to Afghanistan face severe humanitarian, economic, and security crises.” Refugee Rights Watch Global called on the Iranian government to uphold its international obligations and to immediately end the forced return process. It also urged international bodies, including the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the International Organization for Migration (IOM), and other relevant agencies to take immediate and coordinated action to prevent further deportations and to protect the dignity of Afghan refugees. This comes as the deportation of migrants from Iran continues. Iranian authorities have stated that more than one million Afghan migrants have been expelled so far and insist that all undocumented migrants must leave the country. It is worth noting that the wave of Afghan deportations has intensified, particularly following recent tensions between Iran and Israel. The large-scale return of migrants is happening at a time when Afghanistan is facing one of its worst economic crises and domestic institutions have very limited capacity to handle the unprecedented influx of returnees.

Photo: REUTERS/Sayed Hassib via Amu TV The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has reported in a recent update on the alarming state of humanitarian operations in Afghanistan, stating that in just the first six months of 2025, more than 245 humanitarian projects have been suspended or halted due to Taliban interference, gender-based restrictions, and administrative limitations. According to OCHA, access to humanitarian aid across Afghanistan faces serious obstacles, especially for women, many of whom have been deprived of assistance. In several regions, essential services such as vaccination, psychological counseling, and social support have been completely suspended. Based on the report, which was prepared in collaboration with NGOs and local organizations, 73 percent of suspensions were caused by the Taliban's restrictive policies on female employment, delays in signing agreements, and interference in beneficiary identification. Another 19 percent were directly linked to the prohibition of women's work, even when accompanied by a male guardian. In parts of central, southern, and western Afghanistan, humanitarian missions have either been canceled or postponed. This comes at a time when Afghanistan is grappling with a widespread humanitarian crisis, and millions of people rely on food, health, and protection assistance. OCHA also reported 59 security incidents targeting humanitarian agencies, including the arrest of at least 100 staff members (31 of them women), threats, verbal abuse, confiscation of equipment, and closure of offices. OCHA has warned that if the current situation and gender-based pressures continue, there is a risk of a complete shutdown of humanitarian operations in Afghanistan. The agency has once again emphasized the need for non-political, impartial, and transparent engagement to deliver aid to the people, especially women and vulnerable groups. While the Taliban claim they merely oversee the aid process, multiple UN reports point to their direct interference in staffing decisions, project management, and restrictions on women’s participation; a pattern that has seriously jeopardized access to life-saving aid for millions of women and children.

Photo: AP via voanews Amnesty International, expressing concern over the uncertain situation of Afghan refugees in Pakistan, has called on the Pakistani government to halt deportations and extend the validity of their legal residence cards (PoR). According to the organization, the non-renewal of PoR cards has left the lives of approximately 1.4 million Afghan refugees in limbo. It is worth noting that the validity of these cards expired on June 30, 2025, and more than a month has passed without any decision being made regarding their extension. This situation puts Afghan refugees at risk of arrest, harassment, deportation, and statelessness, especially unaccompanied women and children who are the most vulnerable group in this migration crisis. Alongside Pakistan, the large-scale deportation of Afghan migrants from Iran also continues. According to statistics provided by the Taliban, in just the past three months, around 1.8 million people have been forcibly returned from Iran to Afghanistan. This wave of expulsions comes at a time when Afghanistan is facing a severe economic crisis, a lack of infrastructure to support returnees, and increasing pressure on women and vulnerable groups. Many women who have returned from Iran and Pakistan report that they now live in tents or mosques, without shelter, jobs, or support. Under Taliban rule in Afghanistan, women face extreme restrictions; from being deprived of education and work to being banned from moving freely without a male guardian and denied access to public spaces. The return of migrant women to such conditions means a renewed plunge into the cycle of violence, discrimination, and poverty.

Photo: Wakil Kohsar/AFP via aljazeera In the migrant camp at Islam Qala, the border between Iran and Afghanistan, women stand in clouds of dust, women who no longer have any hope of returning to the country nor any way to continue their lives on the other side of the border; women who have lived for years in the margins of Iranian society. Girls and women who have spent years in Iran working the lowest jobs, with the lowest wages and no support, enduring humiliation, trampled identities, and verbal abuse from citizens speaking their own language, now after forced expulsion, have returned to a land where nobody awaits them. These unaccompanied women who have recently arrived in Herat speak with anxiety about their uncertain future, saying they have neither a roof to sleep under, nor bread to eat, nor hope for a brighter tomorrow. Zarghona, a 38-year-old unaccompanied woman, has been returned to her homeland with her three children. As sweat from the scorching heat runs down her forehead, she speaks with a sigh and sorrow: "The Iranian government forcibly expelled us. I cried out that my husband was a soldier in the Afghan National Army and was killed before the Taliban came to power, but still they showed me no mercy. Where can I go with these three orphaned children? There is no bread and no shelter for me. Who can I ask for help? I have no one but God." Among the hundreds of thousands of Afghan migrants who have been forcibly expelled from Iran in recent months, thousands of unaccompanied women with young children can be seen who have traveled the long road alone and returned to Afghanistan with hungry children, without household belongings or basic necessities. Shahla, one of these unaccompanied women, says she is a resident of Mazar province and lost her husband twelve years ago. "Twenty years ago, I went to Iran with my husband. I was newly married at the time. Eight years passed, and twelve years ago, my husband was arrested by the police and severely beaten. When he came to Afghanistan, he called and said he was going to get medical treatment and would return, but the poor man passed away because he had been beaten so badly." Shahla has now forgotten the sorrow of not having a guardian, but the pain of not having shelter surges within her. "Until recently, I used to say I have no guardian and I suffered a lot, but now that I have returned to my own country, I know that I have no shelter. This pain is greater, that I returned to my homeland with my two daughters, but I have neither a place." In the temporary migrant camps, fear, terror, and anxiety are evident in the eyes and faces of Afghan women and girls. Zohra, 27 years old, sitting in a corner of the temporary camp with her two children, says: "The police arrested us and deported us from Iran, saying go back to your country. But here, no one was waiting for us. We have no home, no family to help us. I was little when my uncle gave me away in marriage at the age of 11. He told me my parents died in a car accident. My husband worked in a well and died from gas exposure during work. My uncle also threw me out. I worked as a cleaner in Iranian homes and managed to cover my living expenses." With eyes full of tears and a voice choked by the grief and pain of uncertainty, she continues speaking and adds: "When I was in the tobacco camp in Iran, I had no money to buy anything for my children to eat. My children would cry at night from hunger, and I could only watch them. Now maybe the government in the Afghan camp will help us, but I am afraid that I will see my children crying from hunger again." Although the Taliban speak of efforts to address the challenges faced by migrants and of creating facilities, it is clear that after the return of this wave of Afghan migrants, there is no infrastructure in place for shelter and support, especially for unaccompanied women, who are the most marginalized of all.

Image © Associated Press – Ebrahim Noroozi In a country where the Taliban have imposed the harshest restrictions on women’s lives, some Afghan women are striving to open a new window of hope and resistance by organizing women-only tourism tours. According to the Associated Press, Somaya Moniri, one of Afghanistan’s female tour guides, accompanies groups of female foreign tourists in various Afghan cities despite the Taliban’s severe repression of women’s public presence. Somaya Moniry is a 24-year-old woman who entered the world of tour guiding through self-learning. She became familiar with the concept of travel and connecting with tourists via a mobile app, an experience that opened a new path in her life and made her one of the few female tour guides in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan. In an interview with the Associated Press, Moniri said, “We’ve always heard only the bad things about Afghanistan. The media, headlines, and people’s words have all focused on the problems. But Afghanistan does not have just one face. When I saw all that beauty, the nature, and the kindness of my people, my perspective completely changed. I believe if others come, they will feel the same.” Her tours are exclusively for women, who visit the National Museum of Afghanistan, sewing workshops, and women’s cultural centers. According to the organizers, the goal of these tours is not only to show a different image of Afghanistan but also to support Afghan women and amplify their voices. One of the female tourists, Susan Sandral, 82, from Australia, spoke about her unique experience in Kabul and emphasized that, contrary to expectations, she was welcomed by Afghans with kindness and smiles. Meanwhile, Jackie Bieroth, another tourist from Chicago, while praising Afghan hospitality, said, “I am fully aware that I have far more freedom than local women.” While the Taliban are trying to use the budding tourism industry as a source of income, women’s fundamental rights in the country remain severely restricted. Girls are barred from secondary and higher education, women are not allowed to work, travel, or move freely without a male guardian. Restaurants, parks, and beauty salons are closed to them, and virtually no area of women’s daily life is safe from the Taliban’s ideological control. In this environment, female tour guides like Somaya not only offer cultural services but also represent a form of quiet resistance; resistance against the systematic erasure of women from public spaces. Zoe Stephens, a manager at the British company “Koryo Tours,” which collaborates with female guides in Afghanistan, says the goal of organizing women-only tours is “to show the reality of Afghan women’s lives up close.” According to her, the tours include visits to women’s centers, cooking and embroidery classes with local women; areas that foreign men typically cannot access. As the Taliban seek to push women to the margins through controlling education, media, dress, and mobility, the presence of guides like Somaya Moniri offers a different, albeit fragile, image of Afghanistan; a narrative of women who are still trying to be seen, to be heard, and to play a role.

Social Media Local sources in western Kabul report that Taliban forces, on Wednesday morning, July 30, arrested a number of women and girls in the Qala-e Naw and 20-meter Road areas of Dasht-e Barchi for not being accompanied by a male guardian (mahram). According to the sources, the arrests began around 6 a.m. and are still ongoing. The prohibition on women’s movement without a male guardian is one of the restrictions the Taliban imposed on women and girls in Afghanistan after returning to power in 2021. The group has repeatedly arrested women for being in public places without a male companion. Previously, the Taliban had also arrested several young girls in the Shahr-e Naw area of Kabul on charges of “improper hijab”; an act that sparked widespread outrage.

Photo: Jehad Chalde / Reuters, via Al Jazeera Following the latest attacks by the Israeli army on the Gaza Strip, at least 62 Palestinian civilians have been killed. Among them, 19 were targeted and killed while standing in line to receive food aid. Al Jazeera reported on Tuesday, July 29, that the recent assaults were carried out using heavy weapons, explosive robots, and drones. According to witnesses, these attacks resulted in one of the bloodiest nights in recent weeks. According to the latest figures from Gaza’s Ministry of Health, the death toll from the war since October 2023 has surpassed 60,000. Meanwhile, at least 147 people, including 88 children, have died directly from hunger and malnutrition. A report by the global Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) system has emphasized that the “worst-case famine scenario” is unfolding in Gaza. According to the report, around 17 out of every 100 children under the age of five in Gaza City are suffering from severe malnutrition. Between April and mid-July alone, over 20,000 children have visited health centers for treatment of severe malnutrition. Humanitarian organizations and human rights institutions have warned that the ongoing blockade of Gaza, the bombing of civilian centers, restrictions on humanitarian aid, and the collapse of the health system and basic services have pushed the population to a “deadly” point. Sima Bahous, Executive Director of UN Women, stated that around one million women and girls in Gaza are facing an inhumane choice: “starvation or the risk of death while searching for food.” Among them, newborns are the most vulnerable group. According to doctors, malnourished children are nothing but skin and bones, and are threatened by heart failure, vitamin deficiency, infections, and severe health complications. In response to international pressure, the Israeli army has announced that to allow humanitarian routes, it will pause military operations for ten hours daily in certain areas. However, reports indicate that attacks have continued even during these “pauses.”

Photo: REUTERS / Pajhwok News Agency The Taliban Supreme Court has announced that a woman has been flogged in Daikundi province on charges of “extramarital relations.” According to the court's statement, published on Tuesday, July 29, the woman was sentenced by the criminal division of the Daikundi city primary court to one year in prison and 39 lashes. The sentence was carried out after being confirmed by the Taliban Supreme Court. It is worth noting that despite widespread international condemnation, desert courts and corporal punishments continue under Taliban rule in Afghanistan. Since returning to power in 2021, the group has repeatedly punished women and men in public for various charges, including “illicit relations” and “theft.”

Photo: A. Majeed / AFP – Getty Images The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has announced that from the beginning of 2025 until July 19, at least 1,541,000 Afghan migrants have returned to Afghanistan from neighboring countries. According to the report, 1,201,000 of them returned from Iran, with 460,000 entering Afghanistan between July 1 and 19 alone. During the same period, 340,000 Afghan migrants also returned from Pakistan. OCHA has warned that following the recent decision by the Pakistani government on July 18 not to renew Proof of Registration (PoR) cards in 2025, the number of returning migrants from that country is likely to increase in the coming months. Meanwhile, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) also stated in a statement that more than 1.4 million people have returned to Afghanistan since the beginning of the year. Of these, one million returned from Iran and more than 600,000 from Pakistan. According to the statement, in the month of Hamal alone, about 350,000 people returned from Pakistan, of whom nearly 150,000 were forcibly deported. The UNHCR has also expressed concern and warned that the forced return of over one million Afghan citizens from Iran and Pakistan has intensified the humanitarian crisis in the country. The agency stated that Afghan women and girls face severe restrictions, discrimination, and harassment after returning. Ethnic and religious minorities, journalists, and human rights defenders are also under serious threat. This comes at a time when Afghanistan is facing major economic challenges, social restrictions, and weak governmental institutions that are unable to meet the wide-ranging needs of the returnees.

Photo: Mahmoud Issa/Anadolu/Getty Images, published in CNN The Palestinian Ministry of Health in the Gaza Strip has announced that since the beginning of Israel’s war on the region on October 7, 2023, at least 59,821 people have been killed and 144,851 others injured. In the past 24 hours alone, Israeli airstrikes have resulted in the deaths of 88 people and injuries to 374 others. The bodies of some victims have been pulled from the rubble, but many still remain trapped under debris and in alleyways, with rescue teams unable to reach them due to ongoing attacks. Slow Death Under Famine During this period, Gaza hospitals have recorded the deaths of six more people due to malnutrition. This brings the number of victims of hunger and famine to 133, of whom 87 are children. International organizations have warned that the food crisis in Gaza has reached a catastrophic level. According to official statistics, from March 18, 2025, to now alone, 8,657 people have been killed and 32,810 others injured. Attacks on Aid Seekers In its daily report, Gaza’s Ministry of Health stated that in just one day, 11 people were killed and 36 injured while trying to receive food aid. This brings the total number of those killed while seeking humanitarian assistance to 1,132, with more than 7,521 injured. Israel’s Tactical Ceasefire in Only Three Areas The Israeli army announced today, Sunday, July 27, that a temporary ceasefire would be held from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. in the areas of Al-Mawasi, Deir al-Balah, and Gaza City to allow humanitarian convoys to pass. Despite this announcement, international organizations emphasize that this “tactical and limited” ceasefire cannot contain the widespread humanitarian crisis unless aid delivery is complete, continuous, and unrestricted. UNICEF and World Food Programme Warning UNICEF has announced that more than two million people in Gaza are facing severe food insecurity, and one in three people is going days without food. Additionally, 80 percent of those suffering from malnutrition are children. The World Food Programme (WFP) has also warned that 470,000 people are living in famine-like conditions and 90,000 women and children urgently require nutritional treatment. The agency stated that in order to fully meet the nutritional needs of the people of Gaza, over 62,000 metric tons of food are needed monthly, while since May only 22,000 tons have been delivered.