74,475 Scouts, One Stadium — And a
World Record — That Guinness
Wouldn’t Touch
October 13th, 1:23pm
(al Manar)
Beirut’s Camille Chamoun Sports City has become a stage
for history. In 2024, it groaned under the weight of grief
as hundreds of thousands poured in for the funeral of
Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah — a farewell that eclipsed
any gathering the stadium had ever known.
Barely a year later, the same arena brimmed again, not with
mourning but with disciplined rows of uniforms, chants,
and flags. On October 12, 2025, the Imam Mahdi
Scouts Association brought together 74,475
members ----- in what should stand as the
largest single-venue Scout gathering
in the world.
It was an achievement that went far beyond spectacle. Families
themselves covered the costs of uniforms, transportation, and
food. Thousands of volunteer leaders spent months mapping
entrances, exits, seating, and rehearsing performances to
ensure military-level precision. Scouts filled every tier,
with their movements coordinated and their chants
rising in unison.
Organizers had tentatively projected the attendance at around
60,000–67,000 — respectable by any standard. But as the
Commissioner General of Al-Mahdi Scouts Nazih Fayad
later said, they were blindsided: “We were surprised
with this huge turnout of 74,475 scouts’ members
from all over Lebanon.” He added, with a hint of
dry regret, “If Beirut’s Sports City had been
larger, we would have seen a grander
scene.” Families, he insisted, bore
the cost themselves, of transport,
uniforms, and meals - with no
foreign sponsorship - or
government largesse.
The internal machinery........ behind the spectacle was equally
staggering. Over 8,000 volunteer leaders and staff worked for
months, coordinating entrances, exits, bus routes, seating by
age bracket, artistic displays, and field shows. The stadium
was partitioned into sectors by region (Beirut, Mount
Lebanon, the Bekaa, the North, Jabal Amel -- 1 & 2),
each with its own gates and paths to avoid chaos.
Scouts were seated by division — Cubs and Brownies low,
Scouts/Guides mid, Rovers high — each square led by
a responsible leader who escorted participants to
their spot.
The program included choreographed displays, musical
performances, banners, and synchronized movement —
all under a massive visual tribute to the late leaders
Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah... and Sayyed Hashem
Safieddine. Scouts waved portraits of martyrs,
raised Lebanese and Mahdi flags, and recited
solidarity chants for Gaza, Yemen, and Iran.
The organizers’ ambition was clear: this
was not just a scouting gathering, but
a mass political statement.
And now - comes the striking contradiction: despite delivering an
event of a scale unmatched in global Scouting, Guinness World
Records refused to engage. Fayad publicly stated that GWR
never responded to their application; worse, their response,
he asserted, was dismissive: “They said they don’t deal
with such parties.” That answer ---- in Fayad’s view,
embodied bias, and politicization — a refusal to
treat non-Western, non-secular, or non-neutral
actors... on an equal footing.
One must ask: does Guinness only certify records when they
are politically convenient? Is the world’s so-called authority
on human achievement, now picking and choosing, which
humanity it acknowledges?
Guinness has, in fact, certified Scouts in the past — for seemingly
trivial, but quantifiable feats ( the largest bubble wrap popping,
piggyback races, and coordinated screams) - so their silence
here is not from an inability to verify Scout events per se.
But when an Arab, Lebanese, politically engaged Scout movement
stages what could be the largest single-venue Scout gathering in
history, the world’s most celebrated record book....... looks the
other way.
To assess the claim --- we have to look outward: the World Scout
Jamboree is the marquee in-person gathering in global Scouting.
Jamborees routinely draw tens of thousands of participants
(both youth and adult staff). For instance:
• The 23rd World Scout Jamboree (2015,
Japan) drew 33,628 participants.
• The 25th Jamboree (2023, S. Korea)
recorded 43,000 from 158 countries.
• Earlier Jamborees in Sweden and the UK
also exceeded 40,000 in participation.
• Historical records cite a Jamboree in England
circa 1929 with more than 50,000 permanent
attendees (not counting visiting-day surges).
• Largest recurring (digital/radio) Scout event:
JOTA-JOTI regularly reports 1.1–1.3 million+
participants worldwide in recent years. This
is the largest Scouting event by participation,
but it’s a distributed on-air/online event, not
a single in-person gathering.
• Bharat Scouts and Guides’ International Cultural
Jamboree in India, was attended by 55,000
Scouts and Guides in December 2022.
Even accounting for these high benchmarks, none approach
the nearly 75,000 mark achieved in Beirut — and all were
held in far more resource-rich settings. If Guinness had
accepted the challenge, this Lebanese event would
likely ---- rewrite the global benchmark.
But the greater implication lies in the refusal itself. If Guinness
treats Scout achievements only when they align with its
geopolitical comfort zone, then its claim to being a
neutral arbiter is hollow. If it declines events
because of their political associations or
because the organizing body is deemed
undesirable, then the “global record
keeper” is practicing censorship
by omission.
No jamboree in Sweden, no rally in the US, no scouting camp in
Japan has ever matched it. Let the record be clear: 74,475
Scouts filled a Lebanese stadium in a spectacle of
coordination, devotion, and political symbolism
no scouting body anywhere can claim.
That number may or may not carry a Guinness certificate
in its name, but it stands undeniable. And if Guinness
refuses to validate it, that silence speaks louder
....than any certificate ever could.
Source: Al-Manar English Website
________________________________________________
Iran Will not Take Part, in
Sharm El-Sheikh Summit
October 13th, 1:12pm
(al Manar)
Iran won’t take part in the summit taking place in Egypt’s Sharm
El-Sheikh on Gaza ceasefire, Tehran announced on Sunday.
Iran’s presidential information office announced that
President Masoud Pezeshkian has declined Egypt’s
formal invitation to attend the summit.
According to the announcement, Foreign Minister Abbas
Araghchi briefed the Iranian cabinet on the invitation
and Iran’s decision to reject it.
Meanwhile, Araghchi explained the reason for
not attending the Sharm El Sheikh summit.
In a post on X, the top Iranian diplomat stated: “Iran is grateful
for President El-Sisi’s invitation to attend the Sharm El-Sheikh
Summit. While favouring diplomatic engagement, neither
President Pezeshkian nor I can engage with counter-
parts who have attacked the Iranian People and
continue to threaten and sanction us.”
He stressed, meanwhile, that Tehran welcomes any initiative that
ends the Israeli genocide in Gaza, underlining that “Palestinians
are fully entitled to secure their fundamental right of self-
determination, and all States remain obliged, more
than ever, to assist them in their lawful and
legitimate cause.”
“Iran has always been, and will always remain, a vital force for
peace in the region. Contrary to the genocidal Israeli regime,
Iran is not after Forever Wars — particularly on the cash of
its purported allies, but seeks Forever Peace, Prosperity,
and Cooperation,” he concluded.
The Egyptian city of Sharm El-Sheikh will host a so-called “peace”
summit on Monday aimed at ending the Gaza war. The summit,
co-chaired by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and US
President Donald Trump, will include leaders from over 20
countries, and the Gaza ceasefire agreement, is
expected to be formally signed at the event.
Source: Iranian media (edited by Al-Manar)
_________________________________
Trump Announces “War is Over” ahead
of Summit in Sharm El-Sheikh
October 13th, 12:11pm
(al Manar)
US President Donald Trump visited the occupied Palestinian
territories on Monday ahead of a visit to Egypt’s Sharm
El-Sheikh where he will take part in a so-called
peace summit.
Speaking to journalists at the Knesset.... Trump responded
“yes” to a question on whether the war in Gaza has ended.
“This is a great day,” he said, standing alongside Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. “This is a whole new
beginning, and I think there’s never been an
event like it.”
“The love in the streets has just been incredible,”
Trump said. “It’s just been a great day.”
Asked about what will happen to Hamas
if it doesn’t comply with the ceasefire,
he responded, “They’ll comply.”
Netanyahu then held a meeting with Trump in his office
in the Knesset, according to the premier’s office.
US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law
Jared Kushner, who has also been involved in the
ceasefire negotiations, were also in
the meeting.
They then met with hostage families
and former captives in the Knesset.
Earlier on Monday, the US president was welcomed by
Netanyahu and Israeli President Isaac Herzog at Ben
Gurion Airport. As they walked down the red carpet,
Trump said to Herzog and Netanyahu, “It’s a great
day. Maybe your best day.”
Netanyahu Won’t Take Part in Egypt Summit
Meanwhile, Hebrew media initially reported that Trump and
Netanyahu were “considering the possibility” of the Israeli
PM joining the so-called peace summit in Sharm El-Sheikh.
Israeli Channel 12 reported that, in a call apparently brokered
by Trump at the Knesset, Netanyahu accepted an invitation
by Egypt's President Abdel Fatah El-Sissi to join the
international summit on Trump’s Gaza peace
plan in Sharm El-Sheikh today.
The Egyptian Presidency then confirmed that
Netanyahu will participate in the summit.
Israeli media then reported that Netanyahu has declined the
invitation, “because of the Shemini Atzeret-Simchat Torah
holiday that begins tonight.”
Source: Agencies (edited by Al-Manar)
_______________________________________
2K Palestinian detainees freed, defy
occupation ---- with mass welcome
October 13th, 12:02pm
(Al Mayadeen English)
Liberated Gaza detainees arrive as Hamas hails a
resistance victory --------- despite the occupation
attempts to ban gatherings.
Palestine's Prisoners' Information Office confirmed, that the first of
38 buses carrying Palestinian detainees from Gaza - has departed
en route to the Strip ---- marking a significant phase in the
large-scale exchange deal underway....... as part of the
Gaza ceasefire agreement.
According to the media director of the Prisoners' Affairs Office,
several detainees who have spent decades behind bars, are
among those being freed. A total of 154 prisoners will travel
abroad, while others will return to their homes in the West
Bank, occupied al-Quds, and Gaza.
The director noted - that the occupation attempted to
evade its obligations under the agreement... as it
has, in previous deals.
However, the Palestinian Resistance insisted on confirming
the agreed-upon names, including long-term detainees and
those captured from Gaza. "We made improvements to the
list of prisoners, especially those detained from the
Gaza Strip," it added.
In Khan Younis, Al Mayadeen’s correspondent reported that large
crowds gathered to welcome the liberated detainees, with flags
of Hamas and Islamic Jihad raised in celebration. Meanwhile,
in the West Bank, buses carrying released detainees arrived
in Ramallah, where people assembled at the Ramallah
Cultural Palace - to greet them.
Reuters reported -- that 1,966 Palestinian detainees had been
prepared for release earlier in the day, boarding buses inside
Israeli prisons. Among them, 250 prisoners serving life
sentences are expected to be released to the West
Bank, occupied al-Quds, and locations abroad.
On that note, the Israeli occupation ------ has intensified efforts to
suppress public celebrations in occupied al-Quds and the West
Bank after the release of Palestinian detainees on Monday
under the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement.
According to Siraj Abu Arafa ---- a lawyer with the Wadi Hilweh
Information Centre in al-Quds, the Israeli intelligence service
summoned the families of detainees set to be released,
pressing them to sign conditional release agreements.
Abu Arafa explained that the imposed conditions include a ban
on public gatherings, assemblies, or any form of celebration.
He added that each liberated detainee would be escorted
directly to their home by an intelligence vehicle ----- to
enforce compliance with these restrictions.
Hamas: 'Israel' forced to accept Resistance's conditions
On another note, in a statement on Monday, Hamas highlighted
the failure of PM Benjamin Netanyahu and the Israeli military,
after two years of a brutal war of extermination, to forcibly
recover their captives. Hamas stressed --- that the
occupation was ultimately forced to accept the
resistance’s conditions, reiterating that the
only path to returning their soldiers was
through a negotiated exchange and a
complete halt to the aggression.
The movement emphasized that the resistance made every effort
to preserve the lives of the captives, despite ongoing attempts
by what it described as the "war criminal Netanyahu and his
terrorist army" to target and eliminate them. In contrast,
the statement pointed out that Palestinian detainees
in Israeli jails are subjected to systematic abuse,
torture, and murder.
Hamas further stated that the liberation of its "heroic detainees,"
many of whom are serving life or long-term sentences and have
spent decades behind bars, is the result of the Gaza Strip’s
resilience, and the bravery of the Resistance.
Source: Agencies
__________________________________________
New report: details extensive Israeli
arson in Gaza --- after the ceasefire
October 13th, 11:36am
(Al Mayadeen English)
A new DropSite investigation reveals that Israeli forces conducted
a large-scale arson campaign across Gaza City, torching homes
and key infrastructure, including a major sewage plant, just
hours after Trump announced the ceasefire agreement.
DropSite published on Monday a gruesome report - revealing that
Israeli forces carried out a sweeping campaign of arson in Gaza
City immediately after US President Donald Trump announced
that both the Resistance and "Israel" ....had agreed to
the ceasefire.
According to the investigation, the Israeli army set fire to homes,
public buildings, and vital infrastructure, including the Sheikh
Ajlin sewage treatment plant, Gaza City's last functioning
sanitation facility, just hours after the ceasefire
was declared.
The report documents how troops from multiple brigades, including
the Golani, Givati, Nahal, Kfir, and the newly formed ultra-Orthodox
Hashmonaim Brigade, posted photos and videos online showing
buildings engulfed in flames as they withdrew to the so-called
"yellow line" outlined in the Trump-brokered agreement.
One soldier from the Kfir Brigade shared an image of himself
in front of a fire, writing, "On Friday, just before departure.
Burning food - so that it won't reach the Gazans, may
their names be erased." Another captioned a photo
of the burning sanitation facility, calling it "[one]
last memory."
The Sheikh Ajlin plant, which served as the backbone of
Gaza City's wastewater network, was one of several
civilian structures torched during the withdrawal.
Its destruction, said Monther Shoblaq, Director General of the
Coastal Municipalities Water Utility (CMWU), could push the
city's sewage system "to point zero." He added, "I mean,
they signed a ceasefire. Why --- set it on fire?" Shoblaq
explained that without the plant, raw sewage would
have to be dumped directly into the sea, creating
an environmental catastrophe - that could take
years to repair.
Pattern of destruction
This latest arson is part of a well-established pattern of Israeli
forces destroying civilian infrastructure upon retreat from
occupied zones. Soldiers' social media posts, filled with
captions like "Leaving a mark," "a small souvenir," and
"good riddance" - depict the burning of multi-story
apartment buildings around Gaza City's Sheikh
Radwan neighbourhood.
In one post, a soldier boasted of "finishing touches" as flames
consumed residential homes. Others vandalized interiors
with graffiti; one message read, "Enjoy[,] sluts," while
another warned, "We shall return here."
Israeli officials have long spoken openly about their intention to
render Gaza uninhabitable. In September, Minister Gila Gamliel
told Channel 7 News, "We have already completely annihilated
75% of the entire [Gaza] Strip. There remains 25%, which, as
you know, it too... we are now taking over [the city of] Gaza.
There will be nothing left there that would really [have] the
potential to be habitable." Likewise, cabinet member
Itamar Ben-Gvir previously declared that "the only
thing left in Gaza for The Electricity Company to
disconnect now -------- is the wastewater
treatment plant."
Burned legacy
The Sheikh Ajlin facility, funded through a $19 million
German investment and a later upgrade program by
the KfW Development Bank - had been central to
reconstruction plans drafted by CMWU, earlier
this year. Satellite imagery from May showed
the plant partially intact, and engineers had
hoped to restart operations once fighting
ceased. Those plans are now in ruins.
UN agencies have repeatedly warned that "Israel's" systematic
destruction of Gaza's utilities, water, electricity, and sanitation
constitutes part of a "widespread and systematic attack
directed against the civilian population" and could
amount to a crime against humanity. With the
Sheikh Ajlin plant destroyed, over half of
Gaza's residents are now exposed to
raw sewage, increasing the spread
of disease --- and contaminating
the groundwater.
Trump, meanwhile, celebrated the ceasefire on Truth Social,
writing that "Israel will withdraw their Troops to an agreed
upon line as the first steps toward a Strong, Durable, and
Everlasting Peace. All Parties will be treated fairly!"
The scenes emerging from Gaza - tell a different story. "We are
leaving behind us only dust. There's nothing here," an Israeli
colonel told local media. As one soldier wrote online,
"It was a brief but high quality [stay], we shall
come back."
Source: DropSite News
_____________________________
Venezuela Calls for Global Action
- to Ensure Peace in Palestine
October 13th, 11:16am
(teleSUR)
True peace implies the prosecution of human rights violators
responsible for crimes committed against the Palestinian
people. On Monday, Venezuela called upon the peoples
of the world to keep an eye on what is happening in
Gaza until peace is effectively achieved for all
Palestinians in their territories.
Through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs... the government of
President Nicolas Maduro issued the following statement:
“The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ---- in view of the progress
made in the negotiations between the Hamas Political-Military
Resistance Organization, the Palestinian authorities, and the
government of the Zionist entity self-proclaimed as Israel,
as a result of international pressure and the mobilization
of the peoples of the world, who have reaffirmed --- that
the Palestinian cause ------ is a cause of all of humanity,
hereby sets out its position with regard to the process.
Venezuela recalls that this agreement comes after the almost
entire destruction of the Gaza Strip, where more than 67,000
people, mostly girls, boys, women, & defenseless civilians,
were killed - by the criminal bombardments of the Zionist
occupying forces - in flagrant violation of international
humanitarian law.
The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela emphasizes - that the
international popular mobilization, together with global
political and diplomatic pressure - including that of
Arab and Muslim States and Peoples around the
world ------ have been decisive in initiating this
process, and affirms that such mobilizations
must continue --------- until the mandates of
international law are fully complied with,
in particular -------- the resolutions of the
Security Council of the United Nations
which demand the withdrawal of the
occupying forces --- from territories
invaded in 1967 - & establishment
of the State of Palestine ---- with
East Jerusalem, as its capital.
Venezuela maintains that true peace can only be achieved
through the application of international justice - which
entails the investigation and prosecution of the war
criminals and human rights violators responsible
for the crimes committed against the
Palestinian people.
Finally, the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela - reiterates its
unwavering solidarity with the heroic Palestinian people
and its commitment to continue supporting, in all
international fora, the struggle for a just and
lasting peace - based on sovereignty,
dignity, and truth.''
__________________________________
Hamas, ‘Israel’ Exchange
Captives and Prisoners
October 13th, 9:11am
(al Manar)
The operation to exchange Israeli captives and Palestinian
prisoners has started on Monday morning, with Hamas
releasing seven hostages, so far.
Israeli occupation authorities said the handover of 20 alive
captives who were held in Gaza, was complete. Two
batches of captives were received by the Red
Cross at a location in Gaza.
The Israeli foreign ministry named the released captives as the
Red Cross said that it had started a “multiphase operation” to
facilitate the release and transfer of the remaining hostages.
Meanwhile, Palestinians in Gaza and the occupied West Bank
were waiting for the release of nearly 2,000 Palestinians
from Israeli jails ----- as part of the agreement.
250 of Palestinian prisoners serving life sentences as well
as 1,718 from Gaza, who were arrested after October 7,
will be freed.
A number of white buses with Israeli flags and vehicles with
flashing lights are being seen outside Israel’s Ofer Military
Prison, in the occupied West Bank, where many of the
Palestinian prisoners were being held.
All 1,966 Palestinian prisoners scheduled for release
on Monday have boarded buses in Israeli prisons
pic.twitter.com/PoaKyEgbpY
— RT (@RT_com) October 13, 2025
The Red Cross was overseeing the logistics of the prisoner
exchange, including transfers of Palestinian detainees
to a designated medical point in Khan Younis, set up
inside Nasser Hospital specifically for this day.
If completed as planned, the exchange will also include
the return of the bodies of 28 dead hostages.
Al-Qassam Says Committed to Deal
Meanwhile on Monday, Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing
of Hamas, stressed that it is committed to the swap deal
--- as long as the Israeli occupation is too.
“We declare our commitment to the agreement reached, and
the timetables associated with it, as long as the occupation
[Israel] adheres to them,” Al-Qassam said in a statement.
It hailed the Palestinian people steadfastness by saying: “The
agreement reached is the result of the steadfastness of our
people and the resilience of resistance fighters.”
“The resistance was eager to stop the
war of extermination, but the enemy
thwarted all efforts.”
“The enemy.... failed to recover its prisoners through military
pressure, despite its superior intelligence and surplus force.
The enemy submits and recovers its prisoners through an
exchange deal, as the resistance had promised from the
beginning,” the statement read.
Source: Agencies (edited by Al-Manar)