TIG Post

Tag: Israel

  • Young Brits exposed to radicalization on internet after Hamas attack

    Young Brits exposed to radicalization on internet after Hamas attack

    Since Hamas attacked Israel on 7 October, the UK’s Counter Terrorism Internet Referral Unit has seen a 12-times increase in hateful social media content being reported to police officers who specialize in dealing with this type of content.

    The unit now spends more time checking if extreme and hateful social media posts break the law against terrorism, rather than just focusing on IS propaganda and online reactions to attacks in the UK.

    The team got over 2,700 tips from people using an online form after Hamas attacked Israel and Israel responded with air strikes on the Gaza Strip.

    There is a lot of hate that is increasing and it is making young Britons more vulnerable to being radicalized by computer programs.

    The BBC was the only ones allowed to see the team’s work. The police officers told me that they are seeing a lot of antisemitic content being shared by young people in Britain who they have not noticed before.

    They said that there is a lot of hate coming from young people acting recklessly online.

    One person said the time from October 7th is noticeable because there was a lot of content being shared. The BBC isn’t saying the officers’ names because of their job.

    Their boss, Matt Jukes, who is in charge of Counter Terror Policing, is worried because his team has to deal with the worst online content, but social media companies are not doing enough to stop the spread of hateful content.

    Algorithms are systems that suggest new stuff to you based on what you like and interact with. This means that some people may be influenced by the posts they see on social media and start believing in more extreme ideas, even if they didn’t think that way before. It’s not just about showing what they already believe.

    Jukes says that people who used to have to look for this material in the past are now receiving it without having to search for it. “Before, people had to go to specific places or websites to find hateful and extreme material. But now, this kind of material is being sent to them, even when they’re not looking for it. ”


    ‘Posts that are thoughtless and driven by strong feelings’

    People who send in posts to the team don’t know much about what happens after that.

    I am told that the team checks posts and online content to see if they might break UK terrorism or other terror laws.

    They are searching for posts that are very intense and shared a lot, rather than posted alone. The concern is about posts on social media that promote terrorism and could encourage people to commit violent acts or adopt extremist beliefs.

    Currently, this includes posts that show support for Hamas and glorify or show support for acts of terror, one of the officers explains.

    They showed me a few different pictures from X, TikTok, and a messaging app, with the usernames blurred out. The messages ask for help to join Hamas and give them money to travel. Hamas is seen as a terrorist organization by the UK and other governments. Some people write mean things about Jewish people online.

    “People are using X, Instagram, and TikTok platforms. ” An officer says that many of the posts are just written words. “Young people often make impulsive, emotional posts on social media because they feel at ease using these sites. ”

    They say that many of the profiles have never shared this kind of content before. They think that people who are not aware are starting to share very mean anti-Jewish ideas.

    People who post like this come from different places and backgrounds, and are generally younger.

    “We have seen a lot more material that is against Jewish people than material that is against Islam. ” “It’s very noticeable,” another officer says. “We received material from far-right groups that strongly support Israel. ”

    Since October 7th, I’ve found and looked into posts on social media that are against Islam and are racist. Some of these posts were made by accounts that don’t support the pro-Palestinian movement, and there were also hurtful comments about Jewish people from accounts that don’t support Israel. I have seen the same thing online as several human rights groups and campaigners have said about an increase in hate against Muslims and Jewish people on social media.

    In 2017, a lot of online posts were praising and celebrating terrorist attacks that happened in the UK, like the ones at London Bridge, Manchester Arena, in Westminster, and at a mosque in London’s Finsbury Park. However, police officers say that there have been a lot more ongoing reports since the latest Israel-Gaza War started, and the discussions have been much more intense than before.

    They have found 630 possible cases that may have broken laws about terrorism or hate crimes.

    I’ve been told that 150 of those cases have been sent to the police for more investigation or action. Around 10 cases have been given to the counter terrorism teams in the Met, and others have been given to local police or regional counter terrorism units for investigation.

    The police say that TikTok, X, and Meta, the company that owns Instagram and Facebook, have been helpful and fast in deleting very bad content when they are told about it. However, they say it’s been harder to deal with posts that are not clearly breaking the rules of the social media sites.

    People are saying mean and awful things. “But many of the things we’re dealing with are right on the edge,” a police officer says.

    “You have an area where there could be content, opinions, and material that is not very pleasant. ” When does it become a crime. The team has to decide.

    As of October 7th, TikTok has put a lot of effort into keeping its users safe. TikTok has made it clear that it is against hate and hatespeech. They are working on new ideas to show different videos and stop the same ones from being shown all the time.

    Meta, the company that has Instagram, explains in its “community standards” how it uses both technology and people to find and delete content that goes against its rules. This includes content that attacks people because of their religion, ethnicity, or where they come from. The social media company will delete any pictures made by a dangerous group or person, unless the user is sharing it to report news or condemn it.

    “Algorithms – a way to make people extreme in their beliefs. ”

    What about all the hate that is in the middle. It’s not extreme enough to be against the law, but it still makes people talk badly with each other and might make some people become more extreme in their beliefs.

    Matt Jukes says that he noticed a big divide online recently.

    “People feel good when they see positive things on the internet. ” Many other people in their own little world feel the same way.

    Younger people who use social media a lot may be at a higher risk. There are advantages to that; it could be said that they are more connected than ever before, they are seeing different perspectives and content, and many of them are more involved and excited. For some people, it could be dangerous to see extremist things on it.

    Right now, social media companies are responsible for handling mean posts. This also depends on the people who make the rules for the sites and the people who use them.

    The new Online Safety Act makes social media companies responsible for illegal content.

    The biggest question is about what to do with algorithms that are accused of encouraging hate and making harmful language seem normal.

    Jukes says it’s amazing that there’s a mix of terrorism threats, hate crimes online and offline, and interest from state actors in the upcoming year.

    These intense and harmful talks that aren’t breaking any laws could have a big effect on how people talk to each other in public. Not only in this war, but also in the elections happening around the world this year.

  • Israel faces significant obstacles “day after” Gaza strategy

    Israel faces significant obstacles “day after” Gaza strategy

    Three months ago, when Hamas attacked Israel, Israel was not ready for it.

    I didn’t expect the attack, had a hard time controlling it at first, and then attacked the Gaza Strip with a basic plan to get rid of Hamas.

    Further out, there was a big empty space. But that’s starting to change.

    As Defence Minister Yoav Gallant explained to reporters on Thursday, his plan for “the day after” is just a few main ideas, but they are important to look at.

    He says the same thing as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about security. Israel will do whatever it needs to in Gaza to keep itself safe.

    This happens when the plan talks about the four main parts of the civilian square. Then it becomes a little unclear.

    Israel has been controlling what comes into Gaza for the last 20 years and will keep doing so.

    Israel, Egypt, and the United States will team up to find ways to better protect the border between Egypt and Gaza. They want to fix the problem of tunnels for good.

    The plan includes a big part for foreign countries like the US, Europe, and Arab nations in making a group that will work on fixing the problems in the Gaza Strip.

    In simpler terms, those countries will be responsible for rebuilding the entire damaged area. And give money for it.

    Many countries in the EU and Gulf States have had their hospitals, schools, and universities destroyed in the last three months. This does not make them interested in investing more.

    If Israel gets rid of Hamas, there could still be more violence later on, causing more damage.

    The hard-working US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, is currently visiting the region for the fourth time since October 7th. As he goes to different Arab cities, will leaders be happy or excited about the suffering in Gaza.

    So far, Arab leaders believe that we cannot talk about what will happen “the day after” until there is a ceasefire and the devastating impact of the war on people has been taken care of.

    However, Sanam Vakil and Dr. Neil Quilliam from the British think tank Chatham House, suggest that Arab governments should not delay.

    “If we don’t plan and invest in Gaza, there could be lawlessness, no political leadership and a lot of hunger, sickness and death. ”

    What about the lack of Palestinian political leadership.

    In Gallant’s plan for “four corners,” the Palestinian part is unclear.

    “The group in charge of the area will use the current administrative system in Gaza to improve and make it better. ”

    According to the news, Israel will have to agree to all appointments to local committees.

    Hamas and the Palestinian Authority, led by Mahmud Abbas, don’t have a role right now.

    For Palestinians, the plan reminds them of when Israel tried to set up non-political “Village Leagues” in the late 1970s to control local matters in the West Bank and Gaza Strip and lessen the power of the Palestine Liberation Organization.

    According to Amjad Iraqi, a senior editor at Israeli +972 Magazine, Israel cannot imagine a situation where Palestinians have political power.

    “They’re trying to copy the system they have in the West Bank in Gaza, but with someone who isn’t part of a political group. “

    Creating groups made up of important people from Gaza would also cause a separation between Gaza Strip and the West Bank.

    Palestinians have been afraid of an Israeli plan to keep them separate and weak, so they can’t have their own strong country.

    The West Bank and Gaza have been apart from each other since Israel was created in 1948, but Palestinians think of them as important parts of who they are and will strongly oppose any effort to separate them.

    “Gaza is not its own country,” said Palestinian analyst and former PA spokeswoman Nour Odeh. “They both want their own country and to be free from Israel’s power and control. ”

    American officials are still looking at the Gallant plan, but they are not very excited about it. They also say that it’s not an official proposal from Israel yet.

    For weeks, the Biden administration has been saying that the Palestinian Authority should be involved, even though Mr Netanyahu disagrees. He thinks the PA shouldn’t be involved because they didn’t condemn Hamas’s attacks on October 7th.

    Travelling with Mr. Blinken, a high-ranking official from the State Department said the US still wants the Palestinian Authority to govern the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

    He also said it would be difficult for the US to find Arab countries willing to work with Israel because some members of Mr. Netanyahu’s government want Palestinians to be moved out of Gaza.

    This is still the Palestinians’ biggest worry, made worse by strong talk from some of Mr. Netanyahu’s political friends and government documents from unknown places.

    Lately, people are worried because there are reports that the government is talking to African countries in secret to take in migrants from Gaza.

    Many people in Gaza are now living in the southern part of the Strip. Some of them have moved several times since October 7th. It is worrying to think that they might have to leave Gaza and not be able to come back.

    But, other people also have doubts about Mr. Gallant’s plan, not just the Palestinians.

    Some of the strongest opposition is already coming from strict members of Mr. Netanyahu’s own difficult coalition.

    Some people think it was a big mistake for Israel to leave the Gaza Strip in 2005. They believe the only way to keep the area safe is for Israel to take control of it again and let Jewish people who used to live there come back.

    MrGallant seems very direct about this.

    “No Israeli people will live in the Gaza Strip. ”

    However, the strict believers think that rebuilding Gaza and letting the Palestinians stay will only cause more problems in the future.

    Ohad Tal, a member of the hardline Religious Zionist Party, said that we might go back to October 7th in two, five, or ten years.

    Letting money come into Gaza to fix the houses will just end up with them using the money for something else. Instead of making Gaza a nice place, they turned it into a big center for terrorists.

    The argument in Thursday night’s cabinet meeting showed that Mr. Netanyahu’s government is divided on when and how the Israeli military should investigate the 7 October attacks.

    These differences are probably going to get stronger as Israel and the world try to figure out what to do with Gaza when the war is over.

  • Hezbollah chief issues “no rules” war warning to Israel over death of Hamas leader

    Hezbollah chief issues “no rules” war warning to Israel over death of Hamas leader

    The leader of Hezbollah in Lebanon said that Israel’s killing of Hamas’s deputy leader in Beirut was a very serious and dangerous crime, and they cannot stay quiet about it.

    Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah expressed his sympathy on TV to his friends for what he called a ‘serious attack by Israel’ on Tuesday night that killed Saleh al-Arouri.

    He promised that his group would fight without any limits or rules if Israel attacked Lebanon. He also said that anyone who starts a war with them will regret it.

    Tuesday’s attack hit the southern part of Dahiyeh. Analysts think it could be a message to the militants that their main area can also be reached.

    It was the first attack in Beirut after almost three months of almost daily fighting between Israel and Hezbollah near the border.

    The team shot rockets into the border on October 8 to help Hamas, after attacks on southern Israel the day before caused fighting.

    Hezbollah was started by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards in 1982. It is a part of a group that doesn’t like Israel and the United States, and is supported by Tehran.

    It battled with Israel for a whole month in 2006.

    Nasrallah said that Hezbollah acted fast on October 8 and the shelling across the border stopped Israel from bombing Lebanon. He also said that Israel’s ability to prevent these attacks had failed.

    He talked on Wednesday to remember four years since the US drone killed Quds Force leader Qassem Soleimani in Baghdad.

    He said many people were killed in two explosions at a ceremony in Iran to remember Soleimani on purpose.

    President Ebrahim Raisi of Iran spoke out against the terrible and cruel attack, and Iran’s top leader Ayatollah Khamenei promised to retaliate for the violent bombings.

    Harsh criminals will be punished severely, and there will be a tough response.

    Nasrallah gave his third speech since October 7.

    In his first speech in early November, he said that stopping the Israeli attacks on Gaza was important to prevent a regional conflict in the United States.

    In another speech about a week later, he said that the fight against Israel would continue.

    On Wednesday, he said he will talk more about what Hezbollah is doing in the south on Friday.

  • ‘Misinformation’ about Israel and Gaza hits McDonald’s

    McDonald’s is losing business because people in the Middle East and other places are not buying their food. They think McDonald’s supports Israel.

    CEO Chris Kempczinski has admitted in a post on LinkedIn that there was an impact, and he said that the negative reaction was due to incorrect information.

    He is the second boss of a big company in the US to talk about how the Israel-Gaza war is affecting businesses.

    Starbucks has also had problems.

    “Many markets in the Middle East and some other places are being affected by the war and false information, and it’s hurting businesses like McDonald’s,” Mr. Kempczinski wrote in the message.

    “He said this is discouraging and not based on good reasons. ”

    “In all the countries we work in, even those with a lot of Muslims, McDonald‘s is proudly run by local owners. ”

    McDonald’s has lots of stores all over the world. Many of these stores are run by different people who own their own businesses. About 5 out of every 100 are in the Middle East.

    Since Hamas attacked Israel on 7 October, the McDonald’s main office has tried to stay out of the public eye when it comes to the fighting.

    But its company is still involved in the conflict.

    After the attack, McDonald’s Israel gave free meals to many members of the Israeli military.

    The decision to move sparked people in countries that have a lot of Muslims to want to not buy the products. They were angry about Israel’s military actions in Gaza. The owners of the brand in countries where most people are Muslim wanted to make it clear that they were not connected to what was happening.

    Mr Kempczinski posted about the growing tension over the boycotts.

    The pro-Palestinian group BDS has now asked people to stop buying from McDonald’s, even though they didn’t focus on McDonald’s before.

    McDonald’s Malaysia, supported by a company from Saudi Arabia, sued the Malaysia BDS group for $1. 3 million They said the group made untrue and harmful statements that hurt their business.

    BDS wants McDonald’s to end its partnership with the franchisee in Israel and Malaysia if it doesn’t give up the lawsuit.

    The group said that instead of asking McDonald’s to end its franchise in Israel, McDonald’s Malaysia and its Saudi owner are trying to stop people from showing support for the Palestinian liberation in Malaysia.

    “We can’t allow this to happen. ” “Let’s prove to McDonald’s the power of regular people boycotting their products. ”

    McDonald’s chose not to say anything about the lawsuit and pointed back to the post.

    Mr Kempczinski said that we hate violence and don’t like hate speech. We will always welcome everyone with pride.

  • Four people slain in cross-border battle with Israel – Hezbollah

    Four people slain in cross-border battle with Israel – Hezbollah

    Hezbollah says four of its fighters were killed in Lebanon on Wednesday evening in a shooting from across the border with Israel.

    The Israeli army says it bombed places used by terrorists and said there were attacks from Lebanon into Israel.

    People are worried that there might be a big war in the area after a leader of Hamas was killed in Lebanon.

    The comments from Hezbollah and Israel on Wednesday made people less worried about a big war happening because of what’s happening in Gaza.

    The Palestinian Red Crescent says that an Israeli attack has hit its building in Khan Younis, Gaza.

    The US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is traveling to the Middle East tonight. This is his fourth trip to the region since October 7th.

    Hamas attacked Israel on 7 October and killed at least 1,200 people. Another 240 people were taken hostage.

    The health department in Gaza, controlled by Hamas, says that over 22,000 people have died in the area since Israel began its attack.

  • Transport behemoth claims Red Sea route still too risky

    Transport behemoth claims Red Sea route still too risky

    One of the world’s largest shipping companies, Germany’s Hapag-Lloyd, told the media it would avoid the Red Sea for at least another week and then reassess the situation following recent attacks by Houthi rebels in Yemen.

    Iran-backed rebels, who have declared their support for Hamas, are targeting ships using the popular Suez Canal shipping route.

    The group has previously claimed its attacks target ships linked to Israel, in response to the war in Gaza. Shipping companies are worried about the safety of their employees as some ships have been attacked by drones and missiles.

    The US Navy destroyed three Houthi “small boats” over the weekend as their crew tried to board a container ship in the Red Sea.

    Hapag-Lloyd sends 50 ships through the Suez Canal each month and will have to reroute around the Cape of Good Hope, which will add a week or two to journey time depending on the destination.

  • 33 people detained by Turkish police after being “suspected to be working for Israeli intelligence

    33 people detained by Turkish police after being “suspected to be working for Israeli intelligence

    Authorities in Turkey have detained 33 individuals on suspicion of “carrying out espionage for Israel’s Mossad intelligence service,” according to the state-run Anadolu news agency.

    According to the agency, 13 more people are still wanted by the police.

    It claimed, without providing any references, that the suspects’ purported goal in carrying out intelligence activities was to locate and abduct foreign nationals residing in Turkey.

    More update on this story soon

  • Israeli bombing of Khan Younis results in hospitalisation of Palestinian civilians

    Israeli bombing of Khan Younis results in hospitalisation of Palestinian civilians

    Children were among the Palestinian victims taken to hospital after Israel’s latest bombing of Khan Younis in southern Gaza.

    Other attacks targeted Deir al Balah and Rafah, towns from which tens of thousands of Gazans recently fled for safety.

    The Israeli military has warned that the fighting will continue this year, but the Defense Minister said Israelis evacuated from several communities near Gaza will soon be able to return home safely.

    Other Israeli ministers reacted angrily to yesterday’s Supreme Court decision to overturn a controversial law that had weakened their own powers.

    Ministers accused the court of exceeding its authority.

    However, opposition politicians have hailed the national crisis caused by last year’s controversial judicial changes, which may have contributed to Hamas’s decision to carry out deadly attacks on Sunday. October 7

  • Residents report attacks overnight in southern Gaza

    Residents report attacks overnight in southern Gaza

    Gaza residents said Israeli planes and tanks continued to attack the south of the enclave overnight, a day after Israel announced it would begin withdrawing some troops.

    Israeli ministers say the war in Gaza will continue for several months, but the partial withdrawal signals a new phase in the offensive, with one official saying Israel will shift its strategy to operations.

    The US said this signals a gradual shift to lower intensity activities in the northern lands.

    More update on this story soon

  • Israel claims hostilities will persist until 2024

    Israel claims hostilities will persist until 2024

    Israel has stated that it anticipates the Gaza confrontation to last until 2024. According to Daniel Hagari, an IDF spokesman, army deployments are being rearranged in preparation for “prolonged fighting”.

    There will be a pullout of some soldiers, especially reservists, from Gaza so they can recuperate, see their families, and reorganise.

    Since the start of the war, Israel’s economy has suffered due to the large number of males who have been absent from work.

    However, Hagari went on, “We will need them [the reservists] and the fighting will continue.”

  • Israel claims to have struck Syrian military sites

    Israel claims to have struck Syrian military sites

    Israel said it struck Syrian military targets in retaliation for Syria’s missile firing into northern Israel on Monday night.

    The IDF claimed to have attacked the military infrastructure of the Syrian army, which official Syrian media denied.

    Syria’s official SANA news agency said an Israeli airstrike hit positions on the outskirts of Damascus on Tuesday morning, causing material damage.

    Since the start of the war in Gaza on October 7, the Israeli army has stepped up attacks in Syria, especially on airports in Damascus and Aleppo, as well as in places where of Iran-backed militias.

  • Israel intensifies its bombardment in southern Gaza – Locals

    Israel intensifies its bombardment in southern Gaza – Locals

    Israeli aerial bombardment continues in Gaza, residents say Israel has stepped up attacks in the south Children were among the Palestinian victims taken to hospital after Israel’s latest bombing of Khan Younis in southern Gaza.

    Other attacks targeted Deir al Balah and Rafah, towns from which tens of thousands of Gazans recently fled for safety.

    Meanwhile, the IDF claimed to have killed four Palestinian militants in a shooting in the West Bank On Monday, the Israeli military announced it was withdrawing some reservists from Gaza in anticipation of “protracted fighting” that it said would continue throughout the year.

    Several Israeli ministers reacted angrily to yesterday’s Supreme Court decision to overturn a controversial law that had weakened their own powers.

    At least 1,200 people were killed when Hamas militants attacked Israel on October 7 and about 240 others were taken hostage.

    Gaza’s Hamas-run Health Ministry says more than 22,000 people have been killed in Gaza since Israel began its retaliation campaign.

  • Israel-Gaza conflict will rage for months – IDF head

    Israel-Gaza conflict will rage for months – IDF head

    The war between Israel and Hamas militants in Gaza will continue for “several more months,” the head of the Israeli army said.

    “There is no magic solution,” Herzi Halevi told reporters. On Monday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that the campaign is “not over yet. ” Israel said it attacked more than 100 locations on Tuesday.

    It appears to be expanding its ground operations into central Gaza. Gaza’s Hamas-run Health Ministry says 20,915 Palestinians have been killed in more than 11 weeks of fighting.

    The war began on October 7 after Hamas carried out a wave of deadly attacks targeting communities in Israel.

    Since then, about 1. 9 million people have been displaced by Israeli bombing, according to the United Nations.

    Juliette Touma, spokeswoman for the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees (Unwra), told the BBC: “We are seeing very worrying reports of famine in some places, while there is war.

    The fighting continues, displacement continues and the UN shelters are overcrowded and overwhelmed. ” ” Last week, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken called on Israel to reduce the intensity of its attacks to limit “harm to civilians”.

    On Tuesday, Herzi Halevi, chief of staff of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), told a news conference that the war would “continue for several more months” to ensure that “our interests are protected” over a long period of time”. He added.

    “There is no shortcut to completely destroy a terrorist organization, other than being stubborn and determined to fight.

    ” The Israeli military said Tuesday’s airstrikes hit 100 targets, from Jabaliya in northern Gaza to Khan Yunis and Rafah in the south.

    He reportedly launched a ground attack on refugee camps in central Gaza after ordering residents to evacuate.

    Internet and phone services were again cut across the Gaza Strip. About 1,200 people, mostly civilians, were killed in the October 7 attack.

    About 240 people were sent back to Gaza as hostages. Israel said 132 people remained detained.

    On Monday, Netanyahu told parliament: “We will not be able to release all the abductees without military pressure. we will not stop fighting.

    ” Israeli and Arab media said Egypt has proposed a ceasefire plan.

    The plan reportedly calls for the gradual release of all Israeli hostages and an unspecified number of Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli prisons, ending with Israel calling off the offensive.

    A previous temporary ceasefire negotiated by Qatar allowed the release of dozens of hostages from Gaza in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.

    Israel and Hamas have so far resisted calls for a permanent ceasefire.

    Meanwhile, Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer is in Washington to hold talks with Mr. Blinken and national security adviser Jake Sullivan.

    National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson said the discussions would focus on “issues related to the conflict in Gaza and the return of hostages held by Hamas. ”

  • Israel claims Gaza War is projected to last until 2024

    Israel claims Gaza War is projected to last until 2024

    The Israeli military said it expected the conflict in Gaza to continue until 2024.

    In his New Year’s message, Israeli military spokesman Daniel Hagari said troop deployments were being adjusted to prepare for “protracted fighting. ”

    He said some soldiers, including reservists, would be withdrawn to regroup.

    “These adjustments are intended to ensure planning and preparation for the continuation of the war into 2024,” he said.

    “The Israeli army must plan ahead, knowing that there will be additional missions and fighting will continue for the rest of the year.

    ” He said some reservists will leave Gaza “as early as this week” so they can “recharge their batteries in preparation for future operations.”

    According to the Hamas-run Health Ministry, more than 21,800 people have been killed in Gaza – mostly children and women – in 11 weeks of fighting.

    The latest war was sparked by an unprecedented cross-border attack by Hamas gunmen into southern Israel on October 7, in which 1,200 people were killed – mostly civilians – and about 240 others. taken hostage Israel continued to bomb Gaza until the end of a dark year for the region.

    At least 48 Palestinians were killed in overnight bombings in Gaza City on Sunday, with many still buried under rubble, the Gaza Health Ministry said.

    Another attack killed 20 people taking shelter at Al-Aqsa University, west of Gaza City, witnesses told AFP news agency. The BBC cannot verify the latest information.

    The United Nations says 85% of Gaza’s 2. 4 million residents – nearly 2 million people – are now displaced. “Tonight, the skies of countries around the world will be lit up with fireworks and joyful laughter will fill the air.

    Zainab Khalil, 57, a northern Gaza resident currently in Rafah, told Reuters: “In Gaza, our skies are now filled with Israeli rockets and tank shells targeting innocent and homeless civilians residence”

    Netanyahu declared on Saturday that “the war is reaching its climax. ” “We are fighting on all fronts,” he said.

    “We have had great successes but also painful situations. It will take time to achieve victory. “As the (Israeli army) chief of staff said, the war will continue for many more months.

    ” Earlier on Sunday, further Israeli attacks were reported in central Gaza, with reports of airstrikes in al-Maghazi and al-Bureij.

    On Sunday morning, the Hamas-run Health Ministry said 150 people had died in the past day. Far-right Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich called on Palestinians to leave Gaza and make way for Israelis who can “make the desert bloom”.

    The Israeli government’s official statement is that Gaza residents will eventually be able to return home, although it remains unclear how and when this might be possible.

    AFP reported that air raid sirens sounded in Tel Aviv and southern Israel, similar to what happened in the new year, when Israel’s missile defense systems intercepted rockets fired from Gaza.

    A man in Tel Aviv celebrating the New Year with friends said: “I was very scared, like the first time I saw a rocket, it was terrifying. » Hamas’s military wing, the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, claimed responsibility for both attacks in a video posted on social media.

    They said they used M90 missiles to “respond to the massacres of civilians” carried out by Israel.

  • Biden administration approves emergency weapons sale to Israel

    Biden administration approves emergency weapons sale to Israel

    The United States President Joe Biden’s administration has once again authorized an emergency weapons sale to Israel, bypassing Congress, as Israel intensifies and broadens its attacks on the Gaza Strip, sparking international outrage.

    US Secretary of State Antony Blinken informed Congress of his second emergency determination in less than a month, approving a $147.5 million equipment sale to Israel, announced by the State Department on Friday.

    “The United States is committed to the security of Israel, and it is vital to US national interests to ensure Israel is able to defend itself against the threats it faces,” the State Department stated, citing the urgency of Israel’s defensive needs.

    The package includes ancillary items necessary for Israel to manufacture the 155mm shells it had previously acquired. This emergency determination bypasses the usual congressional review process for foreign military sales, emphasizing the administration’s commitment to Israel’s security.

    Al Jazeera’s Patty Culhane, reporting from Washington, DC, highlighted the broader context, noting the Biden administration’s previous calls for Israel to reduce conflict intensity. Despite such calls, the emergency weapons sale provides Israel with the munitions required for a high-intensity campaign.

    Ensuring Israel gets weapons to continue its intense phase of the war, while also urging it to lower the intensity of fighting, is “strategically self-defeating” for Washington, according to Al Jazeera’s senior political analyst Marwan Bishara, who called Friday’s decision “astounding”.

    “One really has to look deep to see if there is any meaningful explanation for why the Biden administration wants to bypass Congress in order to expedite weapons to a country that is involved in war crimes,” he said on Saturday.

    The move was “morally scandalous” given that the war has caused record damage and killed tens of thousands of Palestinian civilians, Bishara said, but it is also “politically suspect in the sense that why would you want to bypass Congress twice in the same month? What is the urgency to bypass your own guidelines?”

    On December 9, the Biden administration made another emergency determination to approve the sale to Israel of nearly 14,000 rounds of tank ammunition worth more than $106m.

    Basem Naim, a senior Hamas official, criticised the US’s role in the war, saying: “While these crimes have been committed with Israeli hands, they were sponsored and backed up by the US administration.”

    In a televised statement on Saturday, he added that the group holds the Biden administration “accountable for their direct role in sponsoring and orchestrating this ongoing genocide against our people”.

    ‘Record’ devastation

    The move to expedite more weapons comes as Biden’s request for an enormous $106bn package that includes aid for Ukraine, Israel and other perceived national security needs has yet to pass Congress, as it is entangled in a debate over US immigration and border security policies.

    The Biden administration has tried to counter criticism over the mounting death toll in Gaza and continued US arms sales to Israel by saying it constantly maintains contact with Israel to stress the importance of minimising civilian casualties.

    However, Luciana Zaccara, an associate professor in Gulf politics at Qatar University, told Al Jazeera it was pursuing a “dual-track” approach when it comes to the war.

    “On the one hand they are trying to convince the public opinion that the US is really concerned about civilian casualties but also they keep sustaining Israel (militarily),” he said. “It is totally contradicting … it is hard to understand how this is in the national interest.”

    The policy was especially perplexing in light of “mounting pressure” in the US, including among Democrats, against the war as civilian casualties in Gaza continue to rise, Zaccara said.

    The Wall Street Journal reported on Saturday that the war “is generating destruction comparable in scale to the most devastating warfare in the modern record”.

    By mid-December, Israel had dropped 29,000 bombs, munitions and shells on Gaza, destroying or damaging nearly 70 percent of homes, the report said.

    Some Democratic lawmakers have suggested further significant aid to Israel should be contingent on concrete promises by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government to curb civilian casualties in Gaza.

    More than 21,000 Palestinians have now been killed in the besieged enclave since October 7, most of them children and women, in what has been widely described as collective punishment. Thousands more are missing.

    Philippe Lazzarini, the head of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), said on Saturday that Israeli authorities continue to impose “severe restrictions” on humanitarian access despite deliveries of aid from Egypt and through the Rafah crossing.

    He also said they are “creating a stream of baseless misinformation” to accuse aid agencies over gaps in deliveries.

    Meanwhile, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned again that the conflict could spread to the wider region if not halted immediately.

  • Gaza-Israel conflict: Ghana must return to being a moral voice for peace, global stability – Ablakwa

    Gaza-Israel conflict: Ghana must return to being a moral voice for peace, global stability – Ablakwa

    Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has urged the government to take a more active role in putting an end to Israel’s continuous massacre of Palestinians in Gaza.

    Mr. Ablakwa asserts that Ghana has, ever since its independence, been a moral voice for world peace and stability, and that this reputation needs to continue, particularly in light of the thousands of deaths occurring in Gaza.

    “To say that because some people have come to engage in that terrorist act all Palestinians is fair game; children, mothers, innocent civilians, hospitals, schools, kindergartens; I mean everywhere is being bombed and I’ve been there. I’ve been to the Middle East area on numerous occasions. These are holy lands which have been reduced to rubble.

    “This must stop and I think that we must add our voice. We sit on the security council even though our tenure is coming to an end and we must go back to that iconic role that the likes of Kwame Nkrumah used to play in being a moral voice for peace and global stability,” he said.

    Following the massacre on October 7th and the kidnapping of a number of Israelis by the Gaza-based terrorist organization Hamas, Israel launched a massive bombardment and invasion of the Gaza strip.

    Since then, Israel has disregarded international laws pertaining to war with impunity, despite calls for it to show some restraint.

    Speaking on the situation on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show, Mr. Ablakwa said Ghana must be firm in calling for an end to the massacre.

    “As the Ranking Member on the Foreign Affairs Committee, I’m deeply appalled at the massacre going on in Gaza. Look, Ghana has always been a stalwart, a nation that is respected in the comity of nations when it comes to international matters, when it comes to our demand for peace.

    “That’s why we were the first country to deploy peacekeeping operation in the Congo in 1960, we pioneered the non-aligned movement in the Cold War; we were a force for peace.

    “I want to re-echo the Pope’s Christmas message, those killings, the massacre must stop. More than 20,000 Palestinians have been killed. Of course I also condemn the October 7th killings but you see they should look out for the perpetrators and deal with them,” he added.

  • Israel expands ground offensive in Gaza refugee camps amid prolonged conflict

    Israel expands ground offensive in Gaza refugee camps amid prolonged conflict

    Israel has broadened its ground offensive, targeting Palestinian refugee camps in central Gaza, signaling a prolonged conflict with Hamas.

    The United Nations has expressed deep concern as recent Israeli strikes in Bureij, Nuseirat, and Maghazi camps reportedly resulted in numerous casualties. The conflict has intensified in southern Gaza, particularly in the city of Khan Younis.

    Amid the escalating violence, the Palestinian president has characterized the situation in Gaza as “beyond a war of annihilation.” The Hamas-run health ministry reports a grim toll, with at least 195 people killed in the past 24 hours and a total of over 21,100 casualties, predominantly children and women, during the 11-week-long conflict.

    The conflict was triggered by a cross-border attack by Hamas gunmen on southern Israel on October 7, resulting in significant casualties and hostage-taking.

    Palestinian media cited local officials and witnesses as saying dozens of civilians were killed as Israel kept up its strikes across Gaza overnight.

    Heavy bombardment was reported in the Middle Area, particularly in Bureij, Maghazi and Nuseirat camps.

    In Nuseirat, Israeli warplanes targeted the homes of the Nasser and Hazouqi families, killing a number of people and wounding dozens more, according to the official Wafa news agency.

    Hamas-affiliated Safa news agency also reported that five had been killed in a strike on a girls school in Maghazi.

    Residents meanwhile told Reuters news agency that there was heavy fighting east and north of Bureij district and in the nearby village of Juhr al-Deek.

    Displaced Palestinians walk along a road after fleeing Bureij, Maghazi and Nuseirat camps in central Gaza (26 December 2023)
    Image caption,Israel has ordered the evacuation of areas of central Gaza where the UN says more than 150,000 people are living

    There was no immediate comment from the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), but spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari told reporters on Tuesday evening that its forces had “expanded the combat to the area known as the Central Camps”.

    The IDF also reiterated on Tuesday its order for residents to leave more than a dozen central areas running from the Gaza-Israel perimeter to the coast, including Bureij and Nuseirat camps.

    According to the UN, the affected areas were home to nearly 90,000 people before the war. They also now include six shelters hosting about 61,000 displaced people, mostly from the north.

    The residents have been told to move immediately to shelters in the nearby town of Deir al-Balah, which is already struggling to cope with several hundred thousand displaced people.

    The UN human rights office said on Tuesday that it was gravely concerned about the continued bombardment of the Middle Area and its densely populated camps, citing a report from Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) that Deir al-Balah’s al-Aqsa hospital had admitted 131 dead following Israeli strikes on Maghazi and Bureij on Sunday.

    It also warned of a “deepening and already catastrophic humanitarian situation”, saying that all roads connecting the three camps had been destroyed and that any shelters and hospitals still operating were critically overcrowded and under-resourced.

    A Palestinian woman living in the UK, Alaa, told the BBC that her family had been in Maghazi during Sunday’s strikes and were “having to live with… constant loss, constant fear”.

    “Pulling people from under the rubble and losing friends, losing family members, being displaced, losing homes,” she said. “My four-year-old nephew, he had to evacuate with my family the other day and he was crying, asking for his dad who was killed a month ago.”

    https://emp.bbc.com/emp/SMPj/2.51.0/iframe.htmlMedia caption,

    Watch: Drone shots show Palestinians buried in mass grave

    The IDF’s chief of staff, Lt Gen Herzi Halevi, warned that the fighting with Hamas was taking place in “a complex area” and would therefore “continue for many more months”.

    “There are no magic solutions or shortcuts in the fundamental dismantling of a terrorist organisation, except persistent and determined fighting, and we are very, very determined,” he added.

    “We will also get to the Hamas leadership, whether it takes a week or months.”

    He was speaking amid new signs of rising regional tensions with incidents linked to Iran-backed groups in the Red Sea, on the Lebanese border and in Iraq.

    In his first interview since the start of the war, the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas – a political rival of Hamas who is based in the Israeli-occupied West Bank – said it was unprecedented in Palestinian history.

    “What’s happening in the Palestinian territories is far beyond a disaster and far more than a genocide. The Palestinians have never seen anything like this,” he told Egypt’s ON TV.

    “Even during the Nakba catastrophe in 1948. What’s happening today is far worse,” he added, referring to the Middle East war that followed Israel’s declaration of independence in 1948, when hundreds of thousands of Palestinians fled or were forced out of their homes.

    Mr Abbas also warned that the West Bank could implode at any time.

    On Wednesday, six Palestinians, including a 17-year-old boy, were killed in a drone strike during an Israeli raid on a refugee camp near the western West Bank town of Tulkarm, according to the Palestinian health ministry.

    The IDF said six “armed terrorists” were killed in an air strike after they threw explosive devices at troops carrying out an operation to arrest wanted people.

  • Hundreds of Hamas and Islamic Jihad members arrested – Israel claims 

    Hundreds of Hamas and Islamic Jihad members arrested – Israel claims 

    Israel has reported the arrest of 200 members affiliated with the Hamas and Islamic Jihad groups in the past week. These individuals have been taken into Israeli territory for questioning, marking a significant move in the ongoing security situation in the region.

    In an official statement, it has been disclosed that a number of suspects, affiliated with groups like Hamas and Islamic Jihad, were discovered hiding among the civilian population. Some of these individuals voluntarily surrendered, as revealed by the statement, underscoring the complexities of security operations in the region.

    Israel says 700 Palestinian militants have been arrested since it launched its military operation and invasion of Gaza with the aim of eliminating Hamas.

    Hamas says mostly women and children are being killed by the Israelis.

    The BBC is unable to verify the claims.

    Israel launched its retaliatory operation after Hamas fighters crossed from Gaza into southern Israel on 7 October, killing 1,200 people and taking about 240 hostages.

    At least 20,000 people have been killed and 50,000 injured in Gaza since then, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.

    Israel has kept up its bombing campaign in Gaza – ordering civilians to flee.

    The UN said the latest order affected 150,000 people in the middle of the Strip.

    “People in Gaza are people,” wrote Thomas White from UNWRA, the agency for Palestinian refugees. “They are not pieces on a checkerboard – many have already been displaced several times.”

    The latest evacuation order impacted people in the Bureij refugee camp, who were told to head towards Deir al-Balah city further south. A medic named Ziad told Reuters news agency he was left asking where to go, as there was “no safe place”.

    Palestinian news agency Wafa reported on Saturday that Bureij had been shelled. Additional strikes on the Jabalia and Nuseirat camps had left “dozens” dead, it said.

    An adviser to the Israeli prime minister has acknowledged “terrible suffering” in Gaza – but told the BBC this was because the territory’s Hamas leadership “don’t give a hoot” for the people there.

    The suffering “shouldn’t have happened” but came about after a “declaration of war” by Hamas on 7 October, said Mark Regev.

    Saturday’s joint statement by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and internal security service Shin Bet said the questioning of 200 fighters followed the arrests in Gaza of “hundreds of suspects involved in terrorist activities”.

    The BBC is not able to independently verify all battlefield claims. However, it did verify video earlier this month showing the detention of dozens of Palestinian men in the north Gaza Strip.

    Meanwhile, the president of the UN Security Council has said a resolution adopted on Friday represents a crucial step towards averting a humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza.

    On Friday, the council adopted a resolution that aimed to introduce “extended humanitarian pauses and corridors” throughout Gaza.

    The vote followed days of negotiations to avoid a veto by Israel’s key ally, the US.

    But the motion fell short of calling for an immediate ceasefire in the war.

    The US and Russia abstained on the vote, while the 13 other members of the council – including the UK, which had previously abstained on a similar resolution – backed the text, which called for creating conditions “for a sustainable cessation of hostilities”.

    The resolution also demanded that parties “allow, facilitate and enable the immediate, safe and unhindered delivery of humanitarian assistance at scale directly to the Palestinian population throughout the Gaza Strip”.

    Hamas criticised what it said was an “insufficient step” to meet the humanitarian needs of people in Gaza, and accused the US of working hard to “empty this resolution of its essence”.

    The resolution also called for “the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages”. The Israeli military urged the international community and international organisations to enforce it.

    UN Secretary General António Guterres said Israel’s offensive was creating “massive obstacles” to the distribution of aid in Gaza.

  • Hamas declares no further hostage releases until end of war

    Hamas declares no further hostage releases until end of war

    Hamas, the governing group in the Gaza Strip, has declared a halt to any further hostage releases, stipulating that Israel must agree to a “full cessation of aggression” before any such actions will be considered.

    Israel asserts it has eliminated over 2,000 Hamas fighters in Gaza since a truce earlier this month, coinciding with the release of more than 100 hostages.

    Around 120 people abducted from Israel on 7 October are believed to be still in captivity in Gaza.

    Efforts continue at the United Nations to pass a resolution on the war.

    The US has said it still has serious concerns over the draft UN Security Council resolution, with voting now postponed to Friday.

    Fighting continues in Gaza, with Israel bombarding the north and south of the territory and Hamas firing rockets at Tel Aviv.

    Among the Palestinians reported killed were the director of the police station in the southern city of Khan Younis and a daughter of the head of the Gaza health ministry.

    The week-long truce this month brought an increased flow of aid into Gaza, where the UN has warned that the population is at risk of famine if the war between Israel and Hamas continues.

    Negotiations on a new truce have been taking place in Cairo, Egypt, though initial talks on Wednesday bore no agreement.

    In a statement, Hamas said: “There is a Palestinian national decision that there should be no talk about prisoners or exchange deals except after a full cessation of aggression.”

    It is unclear to which other Palestinian factions the statement was referring. Islamic Jihad, a smaller group in the Gaza Strip, is among those known to also be holding Israeli hostages.

    The Hamas statement puts the Israeli government in a very difficult position.

    It has said it thinks the best way to get the release of hostages is military pressure on Hamas and by staging rescue operations.

    But so far that approach has not really worked. Only one hostage – Ori Megidish – has actually been rescued.

    The government is also under huge pressure from the relatives of the hostages still being held, with some telling it the strategy of force is not working.

    Hamas is putting pressure on Israel to stop the war altogether but without any guarantee that the group is going to stop its armed actions.

    So the Israeli government is extremely reluctant to stop fighting until it feels it has completely degraded Hamas capability and it has not done that yet.

    Media caption,

    Watch: Hostage says she was ”shown off like a trophy” by Hamas

    This will be a huge disappointment for the people of Gaza, who are desperate for this war to stop.

    Early on Friday, the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry put the overall death toll there since 7 October at 20,057, including at least 8,000 children and 6,200 women.

    When Hamas and their allies broke through the heavily guarded perimeter with Israel on 7 October they killed 1,200 people.

  • Tanzania student killed by Hamas in Israel

    Tanzania student killed by Hamas in Israel

    A student from Tanzania who was thought to be captive by Hamas in Israel has been confirmed dead by the Tanzanian government.

    Joshua Mollel was interning on a farm when it was attacked by gunmen from Hamas on October 7th.

    Tanzania’s Foreign Minister January Makamba says Mr. Mollel was killed right after he was taken as a hostage.

    Another student, Clemence Felix Mtenga, was also murdered in the attack.

    Joshua’s dad, Loitu Mollel, has been told about his son’s death, the minister said.

    Mr Makamba wrote on X, that he is planning to bring Mr. Mollel, another family member, and a government official to Israel to learn more about the situation.

    The Mollel family hasn’t said anything yet.

    In a post on Facebook, officials in Kibbutz Nahal Oz said that Hamas is holding Mr.

    The two students from Tanzania had gone to Israel only a month before the attack on 7 October. At first, it was said that they were part of the 240 people held captive by Hamas.

    Tanzania officials say about 350 Tanzanians are living in Israel, mostly as students studying agriculture.

    Many people from Kibbutz Nahal Oz were killed by Hamas fighters on October 7th.

    Since then, about 18,600 people have been killed in the Israeli attack in Gaza, according to Hamas.

  • Israeli and Palestinian peace comes at a cost

    Israeli and Palestinian peace comes at a cost

    Simply making it through the day and staying alive at night seems like a miracle in the Gaza Strip. Palestinians are asking for help to stay safe in Gaza. The head of the main UN aid agency in Gaza called the situation an ongoing and worsening tragedy, like living in hell on earth.

    It must be really terrible for the people taken by Hamas and for the families of their victims. War is very painful and hard for people to go through. But the heat can create changes that seemed not possible.

    It happened in the Western part of Europe after the second World War. Former enemies who had been fighting each other for centuries decided to make peace. Can the fighting in Gaza make Israelis and Palestinians finally stop their long conflict over the land between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan river.

    Muhammad Abu Shaar’s wife after he died.

    I watched a video of a very sad woman sitting next to her dead husband, Muhammad Abu Shaar. Israel and Egypt are not letting reporters go into Gaza, so I haven’t seen her. I can’t figure out her name because it wasn’t with the names of her husband and children who died.

    In the video, she seems to believe that if she grieves hard enough, it will bring him back.

    “I promise that we agreed to die together. ” You passed away and you’re not here anymore. What should we do, God. Muhammad, wake up. My love, I promise I love you. Please, get up, for God’s sake. Our kids Nour and Aboud are here with you. Wake

    The father and his two children were together because they were all just killed by Israel. A big bomb destroyed the house they were hoping to stay in in Rafah.

    Yonatan Zeigen is a person’s name.

    I went to Yonatan Zeigen’s apartment in Tel Aviv. The house was cozy and had a lot of toys belonging to his children. I saw a photo of his mother, Vivian Silver, who worked to make peace between Israel and the Palestinians. Vivian was at her family’s house in kibbutz Be’eri, near Gaza, when Hamas attacked on October 7th.

    I met Yonatan for the first time after his kibbutz was attacked. He was hoping that his mother was taken to Gaza as a hostage.

    He called Vivian when he heard the air raid sirens in Tel Aviv. They started using WhatsApp when they heard gunshots and explosions in the kibbutz, hoping that if they stayed quiet, Hamas would not come to the house.

    He read the messages they sent each other. At first, they were joking around, but then they got serious and filled with love when she realized there was a massacre happening.

    “She wrote to me and said they are in the house. She thinks it’s time to stop joking around and say goodbye,” he tells me.

    “I wrote back saying ‘I love you, Mom. ‘” I can’t express how much I’m with you. She says, ‘I understand how you’re feeling’. And that was the end, that’s the final message.

    The next day, I went to her house in the kibbutz and saw that it was burned. It took a long time for the investigators to find Vivian Silver’s body in the ash that was left in the safe room. Yonatan stopped being a social worker so he could work for peace.

    “They entered my land and murdered my mother because we didn’t have peace. ” “So, to me, this just shows that we need it,” he says.

    “It could go in one direction or the other. ” Disasters like this make societies in the world change. And I think it can make the future better.”

  • Hundreds arrested by IDF during 30-hour raid in West Bank

    Hundreds arrested by IDF during 30-hour raid in West Bank

    The Israeli army has been carrying out an operation in the Jenin refugee camp in the West Bank for over 30 hours.

    Some Palestinians there have started protests because of it.

    The Israeli army caught many suspects, looked in lots of buildings, took away weapons and bullets, and destroyed places used by terrorists.

    Six buildings where explosives were made were destroyed, along with some tunnels underground in the camp.

    We saw some pictures of Palestinian protesters setting fire to tires to block the road after the raids.

    The Palestinian health ministry said a 13-year-old boy was the seventh person to die after the raids and drone attacks in the Jenin area in the past day.

  • Israel-Hamas war: All my 35 family members killed including mom, dad, and grandma – survivor

    Israel-Hamas war: All my 35 family members killed including mom, dad, and grandma – survivor

    “He wants to know about his family but I don’t know what to say. ” Instead, I breathe deeply and try to avoid the question by talking about something else like a child would do.

    Moein Abu Rezk is the only family member left for his nephew, Omar, who is very sick at the Al-Aqsa Martyrs hospital in Deir al-Balah, in the central Gaza Strip.

    Omar’s left hand was cut off and he had big cuts on his right leg, smaller cuts on his chest and face, and a jaw that was not in the right place after an Israeli attack that Moein says killed 35 of his family members, including his mom, dad, and grandma.

    Up until now, Moein has chosen not to tell Omar about their deaths because he’s concerned it might make his condition worse. He’s hoping to get Omar to Egypt for medical treatment with the help of the United Arab Emirates government and the Emirates Red Crescent.

    “He needs to be given the information carefully so he doesn’t get shocked or lose control,” Moein told BBC Arabic in a series of voice messages on Sunday night.

    “He hasn’t seen anyone, but he wants to know where his mom and grandma are. ”

    But, Omar might not be able to get to the Egyptian border in an ambulance because there is a lot of fighting and bombing in Gaza’s Middle Area.

    Israeli soldiers have split Gaza into two parts and surrounded Gaza City. They did this in the first two months of fighting against Hamas, which Israel, the UK, and other Western countries consider a terrorist group.

    Soldiers and tanks are moving far into the southern city of Khan Younis. The main road from Deir al-Balah is now a “battlefield”, so people in the Middle Area can only use one supposedly safe route along the Mediterranean coast to evacuate.

    A lot of people from the north of Gaza went to the Middle Area because the Israeli military told them to leave their homes and go south of the Wadi Gaza river two months ago.

    The war began when Hamas attacked southern Israel on October 7th. 1,200 people were killed and about 240 others were taken hostage. This led to the order to start the war.

    Since that time, over 18,200 people have died in Gaza according to the area’s Hamas-controlled health department. Omar is one of over 49,000 people who have been reported injured.

    The Israeli army is working to find and destroy terrorists and their weapons. They have targeted more than 22,000 sites since the war began.
    Omar is with his uncle Moein Abu Rezk at a hospital in Deir al-Balah, in the middle of the Gaza Strip.

    Moein told BBC Arabic that Omar and his family were at his grandmother’s house in Nuseirat camp, near Deir al-Balah, when it was bombed by the Israeli military without any warning.

    “We have never seen missiles like these before. ” He remembered the missile falling and destroying all the houses in the area.

    “Thankfully, the house had a hole and Omar fell through it. ” But his left arm was very badly hurt and had to be cut off right away.

    “On Saturday, he lost a lot of blood and his haemoglobin levels dropped, so he needed to go to surgery to get a blood transfusion. ”

    Moein said the hospital was really bad. They couldn’t find a bed for Omar even though he was very hurt. He had to wait in a hallway while doctors and nurses did their best to help him.

    “We don’t have enough medical equipment and tools, so we have to find practical solutions to deal with the situation instead of using the best medical methods. ”

    “We don’t have any medicine for the pain, so we’re trying to make him laugh to help him feel better. ”

    Moein agreed that this way only worked sometimes but said, “We don’t have any other choice. ”

    He said he hopes that Omar will go to the Rafah border with Egypt next Thursday. Then he will go to a special hospital for treatment.

    Lena Shakora, her husband, and three young sons have managed to stay safe from the Israeli bombing, but she said they are still going through a very scary and difficult time.

    They left their home in Sheikh Radwan district in Gaza City and are now staying in a house in a farming area near Deir al-Balah with their family.

    Every morning, I remember that there is a war and that people don’t have enough food to eat. It’s really hard to be forced out of your home and have no food,” Lena told BBC Arabic on Sunday night.

    My family and I are in a room with 40 people and all the windows are broken because of the bombing. We are essentially sitting outside. It’s really cold and people feel embarrassed.

    Lena said her sons hurt their backs from carrying heavy containers of water. Furthermore, the water is not clean because the treatment plants and pumps are not working due to a shortage of fuel, which makes the situation even more difficult.

    The family had to eat bad food because the stores were empty and they didn’t get any help.

    We really hope to have some flour to make bread, and we also want to use clean wood to bake it.

    “Many people search for wood wherever they can find it. ” She said the bread is not safe to eat because it was made using wood from a bombing site.

    The UN said they couldn’t give things to people outside the city of Rafah because it’s too dangerous and they are not allowed to move around freely.

  • Israel committed to complete task despite Gaza’s suffering

    Israel committed to complete task despite Gaza’s suffering

    Israel is not working and taking time off for a break. Schools are closed, and the shopping centers away from the areas of conflict are busy. Jewish people like to eat doughnuts during Hanukkah, and cake shops have a lot of them right now.

    The fighting looks different when you are up close. Next to the Gaza border, in an area called the “envelope” by Israelis, there are tanks and soldiers moving around. Most civilians are not there and it looks like a place where there is a war happening.

    In the north, near Lebanon, people have been moved out of their communities and the military is still fighting with Hezbollah, Iran’s powerful friend.

    Casual visitors might think that life in central Israel, the area between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, has gone back to normal.

    As I drove to Tel Aviv, I got a clear reminder that my impression was totally wrong.

    The loud sirens went off, and the red alert app on Israeli phones warned people to take cover. Cars pulled over so the people inside could find a safe place. Other drivers went fast to leave the area. Three cars got into a crash because they were confused.

    We stopped our car and saw a group of women hugging each other tightly, looking very scared.

    In the sky, the Iron Dome system shot down rockets from Gaza with big explosions. A man got hurt in Holon near the highway.

    The Israelis are very hurt and upset.

    Hamas can still attack Israel, which shows that they are not defeated yet. The drivers’ reaction shows how much pain Hamas has caused Israel, which is good for Hamas leaders. Israel thinks they are in a tunnel under Gaza.

    “Before 7 October, forget everything you thought you knew about Israel. ” “It’s all different now,” said Amos Yadlin, a retired high-ranking military officer, as we prepared for an interview in his office in Tel Aviv, with a view of Israel’s defense ministry. Yadlin was a pilot who flew planes in wars for a long time. Then, he stopped and became the boss of Israel’s military information.

    We wanted to talk to him to understand how Israel plans for war. In the end, everything he said was fascinating because it showed how people in Israel felt.

    MrYadlin often talked about how Israel’s fight against Hamas was similar to World War Two. He was saying that Israel had killed a lot of Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip, but he thinks it was necessary. He also said that getting rid of Hamas was really important for Israel’s future.

    Mr Yadlin talked about how the RAF bombed Dresden in Germany in 1945, killing many people, including women and children. We are trying not to harm other things. We tell them to go away. We want them to go to the south of Gaza.

    I told him that Israel was bombing the places they said Palestinians could be safe in. Yadlin said that Israel was attacking Hamas, not innocent people.

    “No, we didn’t explode any bombs on them. We attacked the Hamas areas with bombs. Hamas uses people as a shield and only targets them.

    He ignored complaints from the Biden administration in the US that Israel was causing the deaths of many Palestinian civilians. He said Israel tries harder to not hurt innocent people when they bomb jihadist groups in Syria and Iraq compared to the US and UK.

    Former generals who were part of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan do not agree with his interpretation. “A high-ranking British officer told me he was shocked by Israel’s disregard for the rules of war that require the safety of civilians. ” He said that it would not be okay to do in the British army.

    Amos Yadlin helps the current leaders of the Israeli military and thinks that Israel needs more time to achieve its big goals in Gaza. It wants to save its prisoners, take out the Hamas leaders, eliminate them as a threat to Israel and remove their ability to control.

    I said that even though the US said no to the latest peace agreement, it was warning Israel to finish its plans in a few weeks, not longer.

    “Mr Yadlin said just reaching the goal is not sufficient. ” “If the remaining hostages are not returned, there won’t be a ceasefire. ”
    Rewrite this sentence in simpler words: line

    Israel has a very strong army and support from the United States. However, it is finding out that despite its strong belief that it must destroy Gaza to get rid of Hamas, both supporters and opponents are shocked by the way it has killed over 18,000 Palestinians, with about half of them being children.

    Israel has learned that fighting a strong enemy in a city is very difficult, just like the Americans and others said it would be.

    Amos Yadlin said that even though people are criticizing them, the Israelis are determined to achieve their goals. Then comes the difficult problem of how to manage and rebuild Gaza.

    Mr Yadlin said that Israel won’t stay in Gaza for a long time. But if the current leaders keep wanting to control it for a long time, then it seems like Israel will stay there.

  • Israel refutes UN accusation of attempting to drive Gazans into Egypt

    Israel refutes UN accusation of attempting to drive Gazans into Egypt

    Israel said it is not true that they are trying to make a lot of people from Gaza go to Egypt, as the head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees has claimed.

    An article in the Los Angeles Times written by someone expressing their thoughts.

    UNRWA boss Philippe Lazzarini said the Israeli military told people in north Gaza to move south, and then fighting forced them even closer to the border with Egypt.

    Lazzarini said that if things kept going this way, Palestinians might not be able to live in Gaza anymore.

    Israel denies the accusation and says it is not true. A person from the defence ministry told the AFP news agency that Israel does not have a plan to move the people from Gaza to Egypt.

    Israel said that Jordan’s claim is not true. The Reuters news agency says that an official denied the claim that they had a plan to force Palestinians out of the Gaza Strip.

  • “Dread and terror” in Khan Younis as Israel orders residents to evacuate

    “Dread and terror” in Khan Younis as Israel orders residents to evacuate

    A person saw a lot of scary and dangerous things in the middle of Gaza’s southern city Khan Younis. There were loud sounds of bombing and intense fighting.

    Israel told people to leave the middle of the city and the military leader wants to increase the campaign.

    On Saturday, a hospital leader in Khan Younis said they had too many injured people – and Israel said it was fighting against Hamas in homes.

    The UN said that many people in Gaza don’t have enough food to eat. About half the people there are starving, and nine out of ten can’t eat every day.

    Video has shown people giving up to Israeli soldiers in the northern part of Gaza. But there are two different videos of the same situation and people are unsure if it’s real or not.

    Nine weeks ago, Hamas attacked Israel and killed 1,200 people. They also took 240 hostages, but some of them were released during a short break in the fighting.

    Hamas leaders in Gaza say Israel killed over 17,700 people in its revenge attacks, including more than 7,000 children.

  • US rejects but mounting pressure for ceasefire in Gaza – Bowen

    US rejects but mounting pressure for ceasefire in Gaza – Bowen

    UN leader António Guterres has talked about the “serious danger to keeping peace around the world” in the Gaza conflict. He said the fighting could spread to other places like the West Bank, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, and Yemen.

    He used Article 99 to make the UN Security Council vote on Friday because he thinks this is a very important matter that the council needs to know about right away.

    The Israeli government strongly dislikes the UN and the secretary general.

    The Israelis disagreed with what he said. They think Mr. Guterres is the one causing problems by trying to stop the fighting before they can get rid of Hamas.

    The bad feeling will not get better because the secretary general also said that there is a risk that many Palestinians might have to leave Gaza and go to Egypt. This is a big worry for the Egyptian government.

    Mr Guterres said there is a big chance that the humanitarian help in Gaza could completely fail. The Palestinians believe that Israel wants to force them out of Gaza.

    I can’t go to Gaza because Israel won’t let journalists in, but from what I can see in the pictures and videos and what people are telling me, what the secretary general is saying seems accurate.

    The situation for the people there is really bad because the military is attacking them without stopping. Israel says they are trying to save the lives of innocent people, but they believe that Hamas is using civilians to protect themselves.

    At the UN, the Americans voted against the resolution asking for a stop to fighting. For those worried about the many people who died, it doesn’t seem sincere when the Americans say the Israelis promise to follow the rules of war and not harm innocent civilians. However, according to them, Israel does not always do what it says.

    I believe the secretary general planned to make a decision for a vote, even though he knew it would most likely get rejected. He wanted to speed up the time when the Americans will tell Israel to stop fighting and agree to a ceasefire. They’ve been fighting for too long and causing too much harm. It’s time to stop.

    Some diplomats I talked to said they might give Israelis more time. I think Mr. Guterres wants to try to make that shorter. He will do this by putting more pressure on the international community and also by making the Americans feel ashamed for holding this position, which is becoming less and less acceptable.

    Today, there is more pressure because a video was released showing prisoners in Gaza being taken away by the Israel Defense Forces in their underwear. Seeing so many men in a picture of war is very sad. Local reports on social media say there could be as many as 700 men in the picture.

    The family members of the men say that they were taken from a UN school where they were staying, and some people who tried to escape were killed.

    Yesterday, a terrible video was shared showing six people dead in the street. They were said to be from the same area and near the same school. One of them was lying on top of a white flag, and there was blood.

    The IDF is trying to figure out who is responsible for the attacks on October 7 and determine who is a suspect while following international conflict laws.

    But for people who don’t care about what Israel is doing, or who have stopped caring because of all the killing in Gaza, they say that Israel doesn’t care about the dignity and health of Palestinians.

    It’s cold outside, so having to walk around in underwear on the streets, some blindfolded as we saw in the video, and some with their hands tied behind their back, is not a good experience.

    The Israelis say they cannot escape it – others say it is very brutal.

  • Israel refuses requests for cease-fire during UN gathering

    Israel refuses requests for cease-fire during UN gathering

    The ambassador of Israel to the United Nations, Gilad Erdan, has strongly said no to the idea of stopping the fighting.

    He said to the UN that a ceasefire makes Hamas stronger in Gaza and shows that Hamas is forgiven for their terrible actions.

    Erdan also said that the international community allowed Hamas to oppress the people in Gaza.

    He said that unless the military forces push Hamas, talking alone won’t be enough to free the hostages.

    The person who represents the Palestinian Authority spoke at a meeting of the UN Security Council.

    However, Riyad Mansour said at the meeting that the Israeli’s goal was clear and that it was to make people leave.

    He said Israel will make Gaza so difficult for people to live in, that they will have to leave.

    Mansour said that he thinks Israel is making people move to the south, and he thinks they will attack the area soon.

    More update on this story soon…

  • Son of Israel’s war cabinet minister killed in battle in Gaza

    Son of Israel’s war cabinet minister killed in battle in Gaza

    The military in Israel says that the son of a former army chief, Gadi Eisenkot, who is now a minister in the war cabinet, has died in Gaza.

    25-year-old Soldier Gal Eisenkot passed away in northern Gaza on Thursday.

    Israeli news reports say that MSgt Eisenkot was seriously hurt when a tunnel exploded, and he later died in the hospital.

    Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he and his wife were very sad, and that Gal Eisenkot was a real hero.

    In his statement, Mr Netanyahu said: “Our brave soldiers did not die for nothing. We will keep fighting until we win.

    Gadi Eisenkot, age 63, is a retired military leader who was in charge of Israel’s military from 2015 to 2019.

    A politician from the National Unity party, he is also a member of Mr Netanyahu’s temporary government formed after Hamas attacked Israel on 7 October, causing the death of about 1,200 people and taking about 240 hostages.

    Israel has attacked Gaza by dropping bombs from planes and sending soldiers in on the ground. Hamas people in Gaza say they have killed over 17,000 people, mostly regular people, and a lot more are still trapped under collapsed buildings.

    Mr Eisenkot found out about his son’s injuries while he was visiting the Israel Defense Forces’ Southern Command, according to local media.

    Several Israeli government officials and lawmakers also expressed their sadness and sympathy for the Eisenkot family.

    Yair Lapid, the leader of the opposing party, put up a picture of Gal and Gadi Eisenkot wearing military clothes and hugging each other.

    This picture This hug is nice. A dad and his son. Both wearing the same clothes. Both soldiers in this country,” Mr Lapid wrote. Mr Lapid wrote that both soldiers in this country. “They both answer the call and come when they are needed, doing whatever is necessary. ” One hug can decide the future of a whole country.

    The IDF also said that another soldier, Sgt Maj Jonathan David Deitch, aged 34, was killed in southern Gaza on Thursday.

  • IDF claims to have discovered hidden Hamas facilities at Gaza University

    IDF claims to have discovered hidden Hamas facilities at Gaza University

    Now we will give you some new information about Israel’s military mission in the northern part of the Gaza Strip.

    On X, IDF spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said that soldiers destroyed buildings and infrastructure at Al-Azhar University because they believe Hamas was using it for military purposes.

    Hagari found a secret way under the ground that goes from the university to a school about a kilometer away during the raid.

    He also said they found things that make things explode, parts for rockets, and machines that send rockets into the sky.

    Hagari reported that IDF troops found about 200 radios and lots of cameras at an observation post near the Shatti Hospital during a raid.

    “We also found a combat weapon, bullets, bombs, a place for snipers, military gear, and places to shoot from,” he says.

  • War’s second phase will be ‘difficult’ – Israel government spokesperson

    War’s second phase will be ‘difficult’ – Israel government spokesperson

    Israel has taken over some of the Hamas military posts in northern Gaza. A top government spokesperson shared his thoughts on the progress of the war.

    Earlier today, Eylon Levy told the reporters that “We are now starting the second stage. ” The next part is going to be hard for the military.

    Israel is ready for tough fighting in the next part of the war in Gaza. They are willing to listen to advice on how to protect civilians, as long as it helps them defeat Hamas.

  • Israeli-Hamas war: Little boy with brittle bones living in tent

    Israeli-Hamas war: Little boy with brittle bones living in tent

    “At night, I feel very cold and sometimes I have coughing fits. My chest also hurts sometimes. ” I feel cold every night. “I want blankets and clothes,” said Zakaria Shada, who is 13 years old and has fragile bones. He uses a wheelchair.

    He had to run away from the southern city of Khan Younis with his dad to Rafah, near the border with Egypt, and now he lives in a tent.

    “We want to go home instead of living on the streets,” Zakaria said according to the news agency. “We hope this war ends soon, if it’s what God wants. ”

    Zaher Shada, Zakaria’s dad, thinks it’s better for Zakaria to live in a tent instead of a crowded shelter. Zakaria could easily get sick or hurt in a shelter because it’s too small.

    Zaher is afraid that if he lives with a lot of people, he could get sicker because his immune system is weak. He’s also worried that if someone touches him, they could hurt him.

  • Israel issues order to evacuate south Gazan city

    Israel issues order to evacuate south Gazan city

    Israel’s army told people to leave part of the biggest city in southern Gaza, as it fights more with Hamas.

    A map showed six parts of Khan Younis in the north and center where about 167,000 people needed to move away.

    People saw tanks in the east, and a doctor said the nearby hospital was very busy treating a lot of injured people.

    A lot of the 2. 3 million people in Gaza are staying in the south because they were told to leave the north.

    The army of Israel said it will use strong force in the south, like it did in the north where there was a lot of damage in the past two months.

    Israel started a big fight in Gaza because Hamas attacked them. Many people were killed and some were taken hostage.

    The health ministry in Gaza, which is run by Hamas, says that almost 15,900 people have died in the area since the war started. The United Nations also says that a very bad situation is happening and it is a big disaster.

    A short break in fighting for seven days ended on Friday. During this time, 105 hostages and 240 Palestinians were set free from Israeli jails.

    Israeli tanks move close to the fence that separates Israel from Gaza.

    The Israeli military said it will have strong operations in the south of Gaza, just like the ones in the north.

    The BBC reporter in Gaza, Rushdi Abu Alouf, who is now in Istanbul, said that there were about 200 Israeli air attacks during the night.

    Local authorities have said that 15 to 20 areas in and around Khan Younis were attacked. The population there has grown to about 1. 2 Deir al-Balah, a town in the middle, was also heavily bombed, about 8km (5 miles) to the north.

    Many people, including women and children, were brought to Khan Younis’s Nasser Hospital from different places because they were hurt. A lot of people died or were badly hurt.

    Mohammed Eid cried and wiped his tears from his injured face as he stood with other sad people next to covered bodies outside the hospital on Monday morning.

    “We were sleeping peacefully, not bothering anyone. ” “Out of nowhere, a bomb dropped on us, and the entire building was ruined,” he said to the media.

    “My brother and his wife were hurt a lot” My daughter died, and his daughters also died, including his youngest. We can’t find my mom and my niece.

    Later, people in Gaza said they saw Israeli tanks and vehicles with armor on the eastern edge of Khan Younis. This area is closest to the fence that separates Gaza from Israel.

    Moaz Mohammed told AFP news agency that he saw tanks on the main road, Salah al-Din Road, which is one of two routes designated by Israel for leaving the area.

    The tanks were shooting at cars and people in the area between Deir al-Balah and Khan Younis.

    The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) told people to stay away from a part of Salah al-Din Road because it is now a dangerous battlefield.

    The IDF told people in six areas of Khan Younis to leave right away to stay safe.

    Map showing parts of Khan Younis where the IDF has told people to leave (4 December 2023)

    The UN says that before the war, about 117,000 people lived in the marked area in Khan Younis. It has 21 places where 50,000 people without homes are living now.

    The map shows them where to go: al-Fukhari, east of Khan Younis, and the crowded neighborhoods of al-Shaboura and Tal al-Sultan in Rafah.

    “The IDF spokesperson said that Israeli forces are still using strong force against Hamas terrorists and their buildings, but they are trying to avoid hurting the civilians that Hamas uses as shields. ”

    “We are giving out papers with special codes that people can scan with their phones. The codes will show them a map that helps them find safe places in Gaza. ” The map shows which neighborhoods people should go to so they don’t get caught in the fighting.

    The IDF started the program because the US wants them to keep civilians safe. But our reporter in Gaza talked to Palestinians in the areas that were affected, and some of them don’t know about the map or can’t see it because they don’t have internet.

    “This is not a map, it’s a joke. We don’t know where to go,” said a displaced person sheltering in Khan Younis.

    Hurt kids from Palestine are getting help at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis.

    Southern hospitals are having a hard time managing the large number of injured patients, including kids.

    At the European Hospital in Khan Younis, an orthopedic surgeon said there were hundreds of injured people and the hospital was very busy.

    “It’s a mess – we can’t take in any more patients and they keep coming,” Dr. Paul Ley said. “We have over 360 people waiting for surgery, and it’s too much for us to handle. ”

    Dr Ley also said that the hospital’s hallways and outdoor areas were crowded with 6,000 to 7,000 people who had to leave their homes. Some of them were medical workers who had run away from the northern part of the country.

    “Anaesthetics and painkillers are becoming scarce, so we have to lower our safety standards. ” We are still at the hospital and the Israelis know we are here, but some pieces of metal from a bomb have hit the hospital.

    Doctors Without Borders said that the hospital in Deir al-Balah had over 100 people who died and more than 400 who were hurt in the last 2 days. The hospital is full and cannot take any more patients.

    The UN reported that four hospitals in the north are open but are only able to take in a small number of patients and offer limited medical help. In the southern area, 12 hospitals are only working partly. They can only take care of half as many patients as they could before the war, and only one hospital can do difficult surgeries.

  • Gaza’s evacuation situation incredibly difficult

    Gaza’s evacuation situation incredibly difficult

    The situation of getting people out of Gaza is very tricky.

    The Israeli military made maps of Gaza, dividing it into 2,400 blocks. This has caused confusion for the people living there about where they should go.

    The map has been shared on the internet, on X (formerly Twitter), and on leaflets with QR codes. However, this supposes that you have a functioning smartphone to use.

    They wanted to encourage people to go to al-Muwasi by the sea. I talked to some people and they said there are no services available, so now people are being sent to other places.

    It’s really hard for me to understand the orders in Jerusalem, and I can imagine it’s even harder for people in Gaza.

    These people don’t have a car and have been forced to leave their homes. They also have family members with them, which makes it difficult to travel quickly to a place that may not be safe.

    The US is telling Israel to stop hurting and killing Palestinian people. That’s why it’s in this plan that it says will save lives.

    It seems too hard and relies too much on working smartphones to be a good solution in the chaos of Gaza under attack.

  • 3 Israeli Defense Force soldiers killed in Gaza

    3 Israeli Defense Force soldiers killed in Gaza

    The Israel Defense Force (IDF) said that three soldiers died in a battle in Gaza yesterday.

    Today, the IDF said a 22-year-old, a 19-year-old, and a 36-year-old soldier all died.

    75 Israeli soldiers have died since the conflict started.

    More update on this story soon…

  • US orders Israel to safeguard civilians in Gaza prior to start of hostilities

    US orders Israel to safeguard civilians in Gaza prior to start of hostilities

    More information is now available from the US statement about Antony Blinken‘s meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu.

    It said Blinken repeated the US’s support for “Israel’s right to defend itself from terrorist violence” while following international humanitarian rules.

    But it also says: “The secretary emphasized the need to consider the needs of civilians and humanitarian aid in southern Gaza before starting any military actions there. ”

    Since the war started, the health ministry in Gaza run by Hamas has reported that more than 14,800 people have been killed in Israel’s retaliation, including around 6,000 children.

    As our reporter mentioned before, it seems like the US is telling Israel to change their tactics.

  • Israel warned by US over hostilities return

    Israel warned by US over hostilities return

    The US diplomat Antony Blinken has told Israel to make sure that the people in Gaza are safe before they start any new military action.

    Blinken is in the Middle East to talk with leaders. He met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who said again that he will free all hostages and get rid of Hamas.

    More people who were kept as captives will be let go on Thursday. They will be exchanged for Palestinian prisoners. This is happening while there is a break in the fighting in Gaza, which has been going on for seven days.

    Discussions are still happening about making the truce longer. Egypt and Qatar are working together to add two more days to the truce.

    Two people shoot at a bus stop in Jerusalem and three people died. It happened during busy time. Hamas said the people who attacked were its members and were killed by the police.

    It happened one day after two young boys from Palestine, aged 8 and 14, were shot and killed by the Israeli army in the West Bank city of Jenin.

    On 7 October, Hamas attacked Israel and killed 1,200 people and took about 240 people as hostages.
    Since then, Gaza’s Hamas-controlled health ministry says over 14,800 people have been killed in Israel’s revenge attack, including around 6,000 children.

  • Israel and Hamas ceasefire extended

    Israel and Hamas ceasefire extended

    Israel and Hamas have decided to continue their ceasefire for one more day, just before it was going to end.

    The short break in fighting will continue for another week after Qatar helped negotiate an agreement.

    The agreement resulted in many hostages being set free by Hamas in exchange for releasing Palestinians from prisons and providing aid to Gaza.

    On Wednesday night, 16 people who were held by Hamas were set free, and 30 Palestinians were also released.

    Up to now, 102 Israeli hostages have been let go, and 210 Palestinian prisoners have been set free. Around 140 Israelis are still being held as prisoners.

    Israel’s army said the short break in fighting will continue because people are working to free the hostages and follow the agreed plan.

    The prime minister’s office said the truce will continue for another seven days. They got a new list of women and children who are being held as hostages, but didn’t say how many names are on the list. Hamas also said that they agreed to extend the truce for another week without giving more information.

    The first agreement was supposed to last for four days, but it has been extended two times.

    When the deal was made, Israel said they would stop fighting for one more day for every 10 hostages released.

    Antony Blinken, who is in charge of US foreign affairs, said that the truce is working and should keep going.

    “We have seen in the past week that hostages are coming home and reuniting with their families, which is very good,” he said during a meeting with Israeli President Isaac Herzog in Tel Aviv on Thursday.

    “It has also allowed more humanitarian help to reach the innocent people in Gaza who really need it. ”

    On Wednesday, Israel’s leader, Benjamin Netanyahu, said again that they will start fighting again once the truce is over.

    “We will keep fighting until the very end, no matter what. ” This is what I believe, and everyone in the government and the army and the public supports it. This is exactly what we will do, he said on Wednesday.

    Before the extension was approved, the United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres said that the Gaza Strip was experiencing a very serious humanitarian crisis.

    He said he was glad to talk about continuing the truce, but he also said we need a real ceasefire for the sake of helping people.

    The UN thinks that over 1. 8 million people in Gaza have left their homes in the last seven weeks. Around 60% of them are staying in 156 buildings that are owned by the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, Unrwa.

    Earlier this week, a doctor from the World Health Organization said they checked the shelters and found that many people were getting sick. The kids were getting diarrhea 100 times more than usual.

    The truce has stopped the Israeli air strikes for now. They started after Hamas attacked southern Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking hundreds of hostages on 7 October.

    Since then, Israel has attacked Gaza by air and on the ground and about 15,000 people have been killed. Children make up 40% of the people who have died. This information comes from health ministry officials in Gaza, which is controlled by the group Hamas. Big areas in the north of the Strip have been destroyed or badly damaged.

  • Israel-Hamas ceasefire: How many people are still being held as hostages?

    Israel-Hamas ceasefire: How many people are still being held as hostages?

    For those who are just starting to pay attention, we are now on the sixth and last day of the current peace agreement between Israel and Hamas.

    We hope the agreement can continue, but we’re still waiting to find out if the discussions in Qatar were successful.

    Twelve more people who were being held captive were set free last night. Ten of them were citizens of Israel and two were from Thailand. That means a total of 81 people who were taken hostage by Hamas on 7 October have been set free.

    Right now, there are over 160 people who are still being held captive, including a 10-month-old baby.

    Israel got a list of the people being held in Gaza and they will be released today. We don’t have the list right now, but we will give you more information when we can.

    When the first agreement was made, Israel said that they would stop fighting for one more day for every 10 hostages that were released. It’s not clear if those terms will stay the same in any future deal.

    In return, Israel has released 180 Palestinians from jail, and 30 of them were let go last night. According to the truce agreement, for each Israeli person set free, three Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli prisons will also be released.

  • Longer truce is what US and Israel desire – Blinken

    Longer truce is what US and Israel desire – Blinken

    Today, Antony Blinken, the US Secretary of State, is in Brussels. He is talking to a group of Nato foreign ministers.

    He says the US wants the fighting to stop between Israel and Gaza to continue. They are trying to make that happen every day.

    “Its continuation means more hostages will come home and more help will reach Gaza. ”

    “Obviously, we want that. ” “I think Israel also wants it,” he said at the meeting.

  • Elderly Israeli captive freed from medical facility

    Elderly Israeli captive freed from medical facility

    Yafa Adar, an 85-year-old woman from Israel, who was one of the first hostages taken by Hamas, has left the hospital.

    The place posted a picture on social media of Adar holding flowers and saying goodbye to the hospital staff. They clapped and waved Israeli flags as she left.

    Adar was taken from kibbutz Nir Oz and there was a video of him being taken to Gaza in a golf cart by armed men, and a lot of people saw it.

    Her granddaughter told the media yesterday that she thought many family members had been killed. It was emotional for her when she saw them and realized they were alive after being released.

  • Hamas fears Israelis and Palestinians living side by side in peace – Biden

    Hamas fears Israelis and Palestinians living side by side in peace – Biden

    Joe Biden said that if the fighting in Gaza keeps going, it will give Hamas what they want.

    The President of the United States said that Hamas started fighting on October 7th because they are afraid of Israelis and Palestinians living peacefully together.

    “He said that if we keep fighting and causing harm, we will be giving Hamas what they want. ”

    His tweet made people confused. Some people wondered if Biden was suggesting that the US might be less strict in the conflict.

    Biden did not support stopping the fighting because he didn’t think it would help make peace between Israel and Hamas.

    “He wrote in an article that as long as Hamas wants to destroy things, a ceasefire is not real peace. ”

    However, a high-ranking official from Biden’s administration told Jewish Insider that his message on social media was “not a change in policy”. The official added that the message was a shortened version of a longer speech he gave last week.

    “He said we should not give up hope for peace in the region. It’s very important to keep working towards a lasting peace through a two-state solution. “

  • ‘It was incredible just to feel her breath’ – Hostage’s son

    ‘It was incredible just to feel her breath’ – Hostage’s son

    The son of Ada Sagi, who is from Britain and Israel, talked to the media after his 75-year-old mother was freed from Gaza last night.

    Noam Sagi talked about what happened when they were reunited on BBC Radio 4’s Today show.

    “It was an amazing night,” Noam says. “So many ideas and dreams and concerns and effort – everything led up to that moment. ”

    To feel my mom – just to feel her breathing, her heartbeat, and to look into her eyes and see that she is okay and herself. “is really amazing in lots of ways. ”

    Noam spent a long night with Ada, her other kids, and grandkids just holding hands and reconnecting on a deep level.

    He says that after being held captive for 53 days without the freedom to make her own choices, the idea that she has more control over her life is amazing to Ada.

    “Noam says she is very positive. She was concerned about us. ”

    He doesn’t want to talk about what happened to Ada because his family is more focused on helping her get better. They are working with psychologists to understand what happened to her on 7 October.

  • Expectations of prolonged ceasefire in Gaza as more hostages released

    Expectations of prolonged ceasefire in Gaza as more hostages released

    There is a chance that the agreement to stop fighting between Israel and Hamas could continue. They are having discussions in Qatar to try and make a new deal.

    Israel says it got a list of people held captive in Gaza and they might be set free on Wednesday, which is the sixth day of the current truce.

    On Tuesday, Hamas let go of 12 hostages and Israel released 30 more Palestinian prisoners.

    Ada Sagi’s son said he was very happy when his mom, who turned 75 while in Gaza, was released. He told the BBC he was “over the moon” about it.

    Palestinian prisoners say they were treated badly in Israeli jails. A 14-year-old boy said he saw people being hit. Israel has not said anything about it.

    Hamas went over the border and killed 1,200 people in Israel on 7 October. They also took about 240 people as hostages.

    From that time, Gaza’s Hamas-led health department reports that over 14,800 people have been killed in Israel’s campaign to strike back, including around 6,000 children.

  • Health professionals ‘trapped’ in hospital during Israeli attack in West Bank

    Health professionals ‘trapped’ in hospital during Israeli attack in West Bank

    The leader of Doctors Without Borders said on Tuesday that he and his staff were stuck in a hospital in the Jenin refugee camp in the West Bank because of an Israeli raid.

    Two Palestinians were hurt and they died because the ambulances couldn’t get to them in time.

    “For two hours, we couldn’t go to help people because Israeli military vehicles were blocking the hospital entrance and road. Ambulances couldn’t get out and people couldn’t reach us. ” Christos Christou wrote on a social media platform.

    A doctor feels really bad when they know there are people who need our help and can’t get it, he said.

    A video from CNN shows army vehicles in the city close to the refugee camp and the sound of loud gunfire. A representative from the Palestinian Red Crescent Society in Jenin said they helped three people who were shot, and that Israeli forces have surrounded the city’s main hospitals.

    The small camp is home to over 17,000 Palestinian refugees and has been a frequent site of violence in the West Bank. Israel says that terrorists are in the area.

    At least 14 Palestinians died in the camp this month when the Israeli military tried to stop terrorist activities and destroy the home of a man who killed an off-duty Israeli soldier. During the weekend, five Palestinians died in Jenin when Israeli forces came in, as reported by the Palestinian Ministry of Health.

    The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) are fighting against terrorism in the area and will keep doing so throughout the night.

    Mahmoud Al-Saadi, who speaks for PRCS Jenin, told CNN that the Israeli military has surrounded the main hospitals in Jenin and is checking all ambulances going to or from these hospitals.

    “We took three people with gunshot wounds to the hospital tonight. It’s really tough here with a lot of shooting and fighting, and we can hear explosions far away,” said Al-Saadi.

    Al-Saadi said a young man with special needs was taken out of a medical vehicle and arrested by Israeli forces in the city earlier today.

    The man was shot in the leg and when paramedics tried to take him to the hospital, the Israeli military arrested him.

    The PRCS’s medical team taking care of the hurt man were stopped for about an hour by the Israeli military in front of the hospital.

    “The Israeli army stopped the ambulance for about one hour in front of the hospital before transferring the wounded man to an Israeli military ambulance,” Al-Saadi explained.

    The fighting between Israel and Hamas has spread to the West Bank, where there have been attacks and fights between settlers and Palestinians, resulting in the deaths of many Palestinians.

    Israeli soldiers and settlers have killed at least 240 Palestinians in the West Bank and east Jerusalem since October 7, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.

  • 10-month-old allegedly missing or held captive in Gaza

    10-month-old allegedly missing or held captive in Gaza

    Kfir Bibas is 10 months old and has spent over a fifth of his life as a captive. His cute face and red hair show the pain and suffering of Israel’s hostage families.

    Kfir was taken by Hamas militants from his home in southern Israel over 50 days ago. His family still doesn’t know if he is safe or even alive.

    “We are very worried about him,” said Eylon Keshet, a family member, as he held a picture of the baby boy.

    “We don’t know if he can do it. ” Every day he stays there, his life is in real danger.

    Kfir, his little brother Ariel (who is 4 years old), their mom Shiri and maybe their dad Yarden were taken from Nir Oz, an Israeli kibbutz that was really hurt when it was attacked by Hamas fighters on October 7th. The attackers killed many people and kidnapped many others. They also destroyed homes and stole things.

    Hamas killed about 1,200 people in southern Israel, most of them were not soldiers. This was the biggest attack on Israel since the country was created in 1948.

    A scary video of the Bibas family being taken away was one of the first shocking moments of the day. Shiri held her children tightly, and Ariel was still using his pacifier. The kids are quiet and not crying while their mom, who is scared, is being surrounded by Hamas fighters. She has a blanket around her. Keshet said their grandparents died in the attack.

    The boys’ dad was hit by a hammer, his sister said. We don’t know how he is or where he is right now. Yarden’s cousin Keshet says that the family thinks Yarden was taken away from his wife and kids, because they saw some videos.

    Keshet said it doesn’t make sense for anyone to let this continue. That’s wrong and cruel. “I’m really frightened. ”

    Hamas had more than 200 people they were keeping as captives in Gaza before they were released through talks with Israel. Groups of Israeli citizens and other people, mostly women and children, have been released every day since last Friday because of a new peace agreement.

    In Gaza, more than 14,800 Palestinians have been killed, including 6,000 children, since Israel started attacking in response to Hamas terror attacks on October 7. These figures come from the Palestinian Ministry of Health in the West Bank, which gets its information from health authorities in Gaza run by Hamas.

    As part of an agreement to stop fighting, Israel has let go of Palestinian women and children who were in jail. Many of them were never accused or given a punishment.

    The first four-day break from fighting was made longer by two more days on Monday. This gave the families of the hostages who were released a chance to share their experiences of being held captive.

    On Monday, a spokesperson for the Israel Defense Forces said that the Bibas family is not currently being held captive by Hamas. This makes it harder to free them.

    Hamas is in charge of Gaza, but there are also other groups like Palestinian Islamic Jihad that do things there.

    Kfir, Ariel, and Shira are not on the list of people who will be let go. About eight children are still being kept by Hamas, and their sad faces have made the country mourn and ask for them to come back.

    More than 100 people met in Tel Aviv and released orange balloons into the sky to remember the two Bibas boys and their mother. Photos from the agency show the event.

    Kfir’s young age has gotten a lot of attention and concern in Israel. The baby boy was still drinking milk from a bottle and couldn’t eat solid food yet when he was taken.

    “Keshet said she needs baby formula and is very worried about Ariel’s health. ”

    “Ariel is a very delicate child and has a lot of medical problems,” he explained. “She is four years old and has a skin condition that requires treatment. ” “He is a very energetic kid who really enjoys playing with cars and tractors,” he said.

    Shiri’s cousin, Yifat Zailer, has been feeling sad and worried recently.

    “The small bit of hope we have helps us keep going,” she told CNN. We are begging for our family to be set free.

    Every day, Zailer wants her family to be on the list of hostages who will be set free.

    A 10-month-old baby is still being kept against their will. He is in danger of losing his life. She said that children should not be used as tools or held hostage. Her face looked thin and her eyes looked sad.

    “I hope this will end soon, and we can start to fix our completely broken life here. “

  • Grandmother breaks out as she sees relatives she assumed were dead

    Grandmother breaks out as she sees relatives she assumed were dead

    Yafa Adar, who was kidnapped from Nir Oz kibbutz, was one of the hostages who was released early in the exchange deal. A video of her being taken to Gaza in a small car by armed men became very popular on social media.

    Her granddaughter, Adva Ardar, says the 85-year-old coming home was like a dream coming true.

    “We waited for 50 days just to hug her and smell her,” she tells BBC Radio 4’s Today show.

    ”Even after all the hard times, she is still the same funny, positive, and strong woman we know”.

    You see her after everything she’s been through, and she’s still the funniest, most hopeful, and strongest woman we’ve ever known.

    Adva’s grandmother is really strong and healthy. She’s been talking and asking about what’s been happening in the community.

    Yafa thought all her family had died in Nir Oz. But then her grandmother saw them and realized they were actually alive. It was a very emotional moment. Yafa’s oldest grandson, Tamir, who is 38 years old and works as a farmer, is one of the people still being kept as a hostage. He has two young daughters.

  • Israeli man who was allegedly held captive by Hamas passed away on October 7 – Family

    Israeli man who was allegedly held captive by Hamas passed away on October 7 – Family

    In the past hour, we received news that one of the men who was believed to have been captured by Hamas on October 7th was actually killed in the attack.

    Ravid Katz, who is 51 years old, was not at Kibbutz Nir Oz after he went to fight against Hamas with the security team of the kibbutz, as reported by the Times of Israel.

    Yoni Asher, who is the brother-in-law of Katz, posted on social media that he has been told Katz was killed on October 7th. Hamas let go of Asher’s wife and two daughters on Friday as part of the truce deal in Gaza.

    Asher said, “Ravid lived in Kibbutz Nir Oz and was a well-educated man from Israel. He was a great father to Shahar, Shira, and a six-month-old baby named Alma, and a partner to Revital. ” We will never forget him.

  • Peace can never reign between Israel and Hamas – Former Israeli ambassador

    Peace can never reign between Israel and Hamas – Former Israeli ambassador

    Mark Regev, who used to represent Israel in the UK, says that there can’t be peace with Hamas.

    Regev told the media that it is not possible to make peace with Hamas because they have said so themselves. This happened on the News hour programme on Monday evening.

    He was probably talking about a statement made earlier this month by Taher El-Nounou, a media advisor for the group Hamas. He told the New York Times that Hamas wants the war with Israel to continue on all the borders and never stop.

    “We need to discuss a future without Hamas,” Regev said.

    When someone asked if Israel will help rebuild the Gaza Strip, which was badly damaged by Israel’s bombing, Regev said his country’s money is being used to rebuild towns in southern Israel instead.

    He said he thinks a lot of other countries will help pay for Gaza to be rebuilt.

    We didn’t start or want this war, as you know. “Hamas is to blame for starting the fighting,” he said.

  • Thai Deputy Prime Minister visits Israel to return freed captives

    Thai Deputy Prime Minister visits Israel to return freed captives

    Thailand’s Deputy Prime Minister Parnpree Bahiddha-Nukara is on the way to Israel to bring back the 17 Thai hostages who have been freed since the truce began.

    Parnpree, who is also the foreign minister of Thailand, will come to Israel in under three hours.

    While in Israel, he will visit three people from Thailand who were hurt in the Hamas attack on October 7. They are in the hospital. The deputy PM will also talk with other Thai workers who are working in Israel, said Thailand’s foreign ministry.

    Parnpree and the 17 hostages will return to Bangkok a little after 12 pm on Thursday.

    Fifteen people from Thailand are still being kept by Hamas, according to numbers given by Thai officials before.