More Palestinians were released from Israeli jails on the fourth day of a break in fighting between Israel and Hamas.
33 people were let go, making a total of 150 Palestinians who have been released since last Friday. This is when both sides started trading hostages and prisoners.
Not much has been said about the new group of Palestinians who have been set free.
On Monday, Hamas and Qatar said that 30 Palestinian children and three women are going to be released. Qatar has been helping with talks between the fighting groups.
The Israel Prison Service said 33 people were released from Ofer prison in the West Bank and a detention center in Jerusalem. They did not say how old they were or if they were male or female.
Tag: Israel
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Israel releases 33 Palestinian detainees on the fourth day of truce
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Help reaching Gaza far less than it was prior to the conflict – Authorities
The agreement between Israel and Hamas means that more people being held captive in Gaza will be released, and that more help will be given to the area where people are in urgent need.
The peace agreement has made it possible for some trucks to bring in medicine, food, and water to the area. But it’s still only a small amount compared to the aid that used to come in every day before the war.
Important help is reaching the northern part of Gaza. For weeks, this area was the target of Israel’s attack on Hamas, which caused a lot of damage.
However, people who had to leave their homes say they need more assistance.
“My children are not feeling well, and they don’t have any clothes to wear. ” We arrived wearing light clothes in the summer and didn’t bring any mattresses, food, or anything else. Every day we look for food, but we can’t find any. “Every day, we search for clothes, but we can’t find any,” said a man named Mahmoud in Gaza. “My situation is really bad. ” “My situation is really bad. ” My children are getting sicker every day and it’s making me very sad.
We hope that the ceasefire, which has been going on for five days, can continue for even longer. -
Other armed organisations allegedly hold hostages – Hamas
Hamas asked for a truce to be extended for four days but Israel wanted it extended one day at a time.
According to a leader in Hamas in Qatar, not all of the civilian hostages are held by Hamas.
Some of them are in smaller groups like Palestinian Islamic Jihad. They found 20 people. Ten will come out today and 10 will come out tomorrow.
If they find more hostages, the ceasefire might last for two more days.
Hamas says it needs more time to gather information and talk to people on the ground.
Communication is hard because the telecoms infrastructure in Gaza is broken. -
Israel-Hamas war: Mediators seek to prolong ceasefire period
Mediators sought to extend a four-day ceasefire in the Gaza Strip between Israel and Hamas after the final exchange between Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners.
Israel has offered an additional day of pause in fighting for every 10 Israeli hostages released, and Hamas has said it may agree to an extension.
A Palestinian official said another 20 to 40 hostages could be freed. However, the Qatari Ombudsman said Hamas may not have located them or guaranteed their safety.
The Gulf state is also said to be trying to resolve a dispute between Israel and Hamas over who will be among the 11 hostages and 33 prisoners to be released on Monday. The Israeli prime minister’s office said discussions were still taking place”about the next list of people to be released”.
Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman Al Thani told the BBC’s US partner CBS News that the agreement would be extended if Hamas “can demonstrate, locate and secure a number of hostages who meet the criteria. ” of the first”.
The group includes women and children. However, he warned that Hamas’s “very complex structure” posed a challenge for Qatari mediators, as the group’s political leaders in Doha had to relay information to and from the military commander in Gaza.
“Typically what we see throughout these negotiations is that information is only provided at the time of any agreement or when it happens. But it never indicated anything before.
” In a separate interview with the Financial Times, Sheikh Mohammed said efforts to extend the ceasefire depended on Hamas identifying more than 40 women and children hostages, believed to have been taken by “civilians and gangs” group arrest. He explained that when the current ceasefire was negotiated, Hamas told mediators that it had protected only 50 of the more than 90 women and children Israel identified as hostages. Four women were freed last month, while Israeli forces operating inside Gaza rescued a female soldier and recovered the bodies of two other female hostages –one soldier and one civilian.
Hamas –considered a terrorist organization by Israel and Britain– has so far released 39 Israeli women and children as part of a deal reached last week. In return, Israel released 117 Palestinian women and girls.
Nineteen foreign nationals, one of whom had Israeli citizenship, were also handed over by Hamas under separate agreements. The pause in fighting also allows for a sharp increase in aid deliveries to Gaza, where the humanitarian crisis is worsening.
On Sunday night, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu welcomed the return of the third group of hostages, saying it was “simply soul-stirring.” “In addition, I would say that there is also a model that shows that an additional 10 [hostages] could be released per day.
That is very welcome,” he added. But he emphasized that at the end of the ceasefire, the Israeli army will”try to achieve its goals with all its might: eliminating Hamas, ensuring that Gaza does not return to the way it was and, of course, liberating all our hostages.
” Hamas also said on Sunday that it wanted to extend the pause. A senior Palestinian official familiar with the Doha talks told the BBC that Hamas had informed mediators of its readiness to extend the ceasefire by two to four days as it could secure further releases. 20 to 40 Israeli hostages.
Israel launched a military operation in Gaza and imposed a siege in retaliation for an unprecedented cross-border attack by Hamas gunmen on October7,killing at least 1,200 people and about 240 others. others were taken hostage.
The Hamas-led government in Gaza says more than 14,800 people have been killed in the territory since the war began.
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Israel seeks for foreign workers in farming after Hamas attack
On October 7 in the morning, Hamas fighters entered the peaceful streets of kibbutz Alumim and started killing and destroying things.
Some of the men were walking with a limp, and others were being pushed. The men were surrounded by armed people and made to walk to the place where they would be killed.
The security staff saw the 23 men being killed on camera but couldn’t do anything to help from a short distance away.
Out of more than 1,200 victims of the Hamas attacks, Thais are the biggest group of people from other countries. Hamas let go 10 Thais who were taken as hostages on Friday, but there are still more hostages in their custody.
The fighting in Israel has caused about 10,000 foreign farmworkers to leave the country since October 7th.
For Israel’s milk and food farms, this has been a very big problem. Cows on a dairy farm need to be milked multiple times a day by trained workers, and recently many crops have been harvested.
If there were no hands to help with farming, the crops and animals would have died. People from all over Israel are helping at the farms, but the foreign workers that are really needed haven’t come back yet. Farmers are scared that Israeli farming near Gaza won’t be possible in the future if they can’t be sure it’s safe.
Do not bring back.
“I’m still scared,” Nattaphong Duangchan, a farm worker from Thailand, told CNN after the attacks on October 7th. Now he’s back home in Thailand.
“He said he can’t come back. ”
“There’s nothing there anymore, and I’m too scared to return. ”
But we really need workers like him. In Israel’s farms, most of the people doing hard work for little money are from Thailand and have been since the early 1990s, according to anthropologist Matan Kaminer, who studies Thai labor in Israel.
Israeli farms mostly depended on Palestinian workers until the 1990s.
Today, a lot of people from poor areas in northeastern Thailand work on farms in Israel for low wages. The rules for their work in Israel are very strict. They can only work for short periods and do physical labor. They are not allowed to start a family there. Before the war, the farms around Gaza had about 6,000 Thai workers, according to Israel’s interior ministry.
The Israeli government says 30,000 to 40,000 farm workers are gone from the country, with half of them being Palestinians who can’t come in from the West Bank. This is because of the attacks in October.
The Israeli government wants to hire 5,000 workers from other countries, like Sri Lanka, because not many Thai workers have come back yet.
After the murder, a big cut
Avi Dichter, the agriculture minister of Israel, said to CNN that he believed the Hamas militants were trying to hurt Israel’s economy on purpose, because of the damage they caused to local businesses on October 7th.
Agriculture in Israel is important for more than just making money.
“Lior Simcha, the top boss at the Milk Producers Association, said that farming is very important to the people in Israel. ”
As Israel’s economy grew, people were able to find better-paying jobs in other fields, so there weren’t enough workers for agricultural jobs.
The courage and hard work of the kibbutz pioneers who helped start big farms in the south of Israel makes many people in the country proud.
Furthermore, agriculture in Israel has greater importance than only the economy.
Farmer Yosi Inbar shared his honest opinion about how to accomplish something, which CNN also heard from other people in the area near Gaza.
“We should let people from Gaza go to Egypt and live there. ” “We are stopping people from crossing the border, and we are planting potatoes right up to the ocean,” he said from one of his fields. “It won’t happen. You can’t just harm two million people. They are all human beings. ”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has not made a plan for what will happen in Gaza after the fighting. More than two-thirds of the 2 million people in Gaza have had to leave their homes, and more than 40% of the buildings have been destroyed or damaged, according to the United Nations.
Moving people from Gaza to Egypt by force would be a serious crime, and the United States has told Israel not to take over Gaza again.A life saver in the fields
Inbar feels fortunate, he told CNN, as a small bunch of workers stripped zucchini plants, the yellow blossoms weaving afterward. About portion of his Thai specialists remained in Israel; his neighbor just has around 33% of his previous labor force.
Inbar’s leftover unfamiliar laborers unobtrusively engine all over the columns of zucchini. Close by, a portion of his Israeli workers, visiting among themselves, go as far as get together zucchini that untruth spread across the soil, the consequence of a cumbersomely upset truck. The difference between the two gatherings couldn’t be starker.
Inbar said the labor lack has previously constrained him to leave his tomato crop. Without the workers, the zucchini would have met a comparable destiny, he said. Long haul, he doesn’t have any idea how he can keep his ranch running at limit without the arrival of unfamiliar workers.
At the dairy ranch at Kibbutz Alumim, where the structures of Gaza City bunch the skyline under 3 miles away, the wore out shells of stables and the skeleton of residing quarters where almost two dozen Thai and Nepali laborers were butchered are a consistent indication of the savagery of October 7.
“The unfamiliar laborers run the homestead, they do all the draining,” ranch administrator Stevie Marcus said of the working of the ranch before October 7.
Today, four workers assist him with draining his group two times per day. Requiring exceptional preparation from a veterinarian to work with the creatures, these workers are hard to find.
“We’re doing the absolute minimum we want to do, ensuring they have food and clean water, draining them,” he said.
Before October, the 350 cows were drained three times each day. In the wake of going days without food and care after laborers escaped following the assaults, the cows currently just have milk for two meetings.
On late ends of the week, the gathering getting sorted out Inbar’s workers, Family for Israel, has gotten together to 1,000 workers from the nation over, many driving down from around Tel Aviv, to keep neighborhood ranches running. Indeed, even non-weekend days see hundreds surrender their time, coordinator Lisa Perlman told CNN. Her association has coordinated around 50,000 workers with ranches across Israel since the conflict started.
Remaining among Inbar’s zucchini, tech specialist Avi Leibovich – chipping in on a free day from his normal everyday employment – said he came to assist Israeli homesteads with getting by.
“Without them, presumably the business sectors will be unfilled,” he said, adding: ” I don’t feel that this sort of industry can be depending just on imports.” Unfamiliar produce is one of the public authority’s momentary answers for the labor emergency, helping import standards on milk and plant items.
“These are our vegetables. This is our produce,” arrangements specialist and volunteer ranch laborer Danny Parizada told CNN. The 35-year-old said that functioning in the fields was the “exceptionally least that we can do.”
He was easygoing about the gamble of coming so near Gaza while rockets really do in any case sporadically streak across the sky. Volunteers have seconds to track down cover assuming the caution sounds.
“We live in such a crazy climate where this is completely fine. There’s a disaster area,” he said, conceding that he hadn’t let his mom know where he was.
After the October 7 assaults, individual ranch volunteer Mei – who would have rather not given her last name – had carried troopers and regular people around Israel’s south in her vehicle, helping anyway she could.
The savagery of Hamas’ assaults ignited calls for guaranteed retribution among numerous Israelis. Also, the constant bombarding of Gaza has been invited in certain quarters. However, on Mei’s long vehicle rides, she before long became awkward with what she called the “festival” of the annihilation in Gaza shared by a portion of her travelers.
She went to picking vegetables, more OK with the possibility that her days weren’t supporting Israel’s ridiculous mission in Gaza.
For taking care of individuals, not at all like assisting them with battling, represented no ethical misgivings for Mei.
“There’s no doubt,” she said of her work in the fields. ” It’s evidently great.”
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Israeli-owned ship allegedly targeted by alleged Iranian drone – USA
A ship owned by Israel was attacked by a suspected Iranian drone, as per a US defense official.The ship was in the Indian Ocean when it was attacked by a triangle-shaped bomb-carrying aircraft called Shahed 136.
The ship is called the CMA CGM Symi and it sails for Malta.
“We are watching the situation carefully,” the official said. The leader did not say why the US military thought Iran did the attack.
Al-Mayadeen, a TV channel that supports the Iranian-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah, first told about the event.
The channel used sources that did not want to be named for the report, and later, Iranian media also reported about it.
CMA CGM, a big shipping company from France, said to ask the owner of the Symi, Eastern Pacific Shipping, for answers to questions.
That business is basically run by a very rich Israeli businessman named Idan Ofer.
The event happened while there is a break in the fighting between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza strip.
A message from Eastern Pacific said they know about claims that one of their container ships might have been attacked on Friday night.
The boat is currently sailing as scheduled, according to the statement. ‘Everyone on the crew is okay. ’
Last November, the oil tanker Pacific Zircon, which flies the Liberian flag, was damaged in a possible attack by Iran off the coast of Oman.
Experts say that the Symi’s crew had been acting like they thought the ship was in danger lately.
The ship’s tracker, which helps others see where it is, was turned off on Tuesday when it left the port in Dubai.
Ships need to keep their AIS on for safety.
However, workers will switch them off if it seems like they might be attacked.
It had done the same thing before when it was traveling through the Red Sea near Yemen, where the Houthi rebels are from and supported by Iran.
Iran’s representatives at the United Nations did not answer when the Associated Press asked them for a comment. -
Israel frees 39 Palestinian inmates from its detention facilities
A sum of 39 Palestinian prisoners have been set free from Israeli jails in return for a gathering of prisoners held by Hamas.
The arrangement – interceded by Qatar – incorporates a four-day stop in the battling.
They are blamed for a scope of offenses, from tossing stones to endeavored murder. Some were sentenced while others were anticipating preliminary.
The gathering of 24 ladies and 15 teen young men was delivered across the Beituniya designated spot in the involved West Bank.
They will then, at that point, be permitted to get back, as indicated by Israel’s jail administration.
The prisoners were browsed a rundown of 300 ladies and minors incorporated by Israel.
Under a fourth of those on the rundown have been sentenced – by far most are being hung on remand while anticipating preliminary. The greater part of those recorded are young men – 40% of them younger than 18. There is additionally one young lady and 32 ladies.
Prior, the street by Beituniya designated spot, close to Ramallah, was sharp with the smell of poisonous gas. Gatherings of Palestinian men and young men confronted the Israeli armed force arranging out and about ahead.
The military discharged elastic slugs and nerve gas towards the group, to push them back.
A portion of the youngsters assembled tossed stones and poisonous gas canisters back towards the soldiers.
“It’s an indication of expectation for Palestinians and Israelis that the truce will proceed and the killing will stop,” Mohammed Khatib, who was in the group, told the BBC.
Upon the detainees’ delivery, the transport that moved them crept its direction through an ocean of euphoric Palestinian allies.
Through the windows, a portion of the detainees should have been visible moving, one enveloped by a Palestinian banner. Outside, cell phones were raised to the glass in the midst of ululations and yells of welcome and “God is perfect”.
A couple of in the group waved Hamas banners, however others discussed Palestinian solidarity, a little snapshot of triumph amidst an overwhelming conflict.
For Israel, the delivered detainees are a security danger; for the Palestinians accumulated here to welcome them, they are survivors of Israel’s occupation – and their delivery is an image.
Thirteen Israeli prisoners were delivered by Hamas under the détente bargain. It was affirmed on Friday that they had shown up back in Israel.
The Thai top state leader says that a gathering of Thai nationals kept on lock down by Hamas in Gaza were likewise delivered – separate from the Qatar-intervened détente bargain.
Israel and Hamas arrived at an arrangement recently to deliver 50 of the prisoners held in Gaza during four-day stop in battling.
The understanding ought to see a sum of 150 Palestinians held in Israeli correctional facilities delivered and a critical expansion in helpful guide permitted into Gaza. Nearly 60 trucks conveying clinical supplies, fuel and food entered from Egypt on Friday.
Hamas took in excess of 200 prisoners during a cross-line assault on southern Israel on 7 October in which 1,200 individuals were killed.
Basic freedoms associations say the quantity of Palestinians held without charge in Israeli prisons has shot up since the 7 October assaults.
There are currently remembered to be in excess of 6,000 Palestinians held by Israel on security grounds – many actually anticipating preliminary.
Pretty much every Palestinian family in the West Bank is remembered to have had a relative confined by Israel previously – frequently in correctional facilities inside Israel, making it troublesome or unimaginable for their family members to visit.
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More Palestinian and Israeli hostages to be released on second day of truce
There is a four-day ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip, and today is the second of those days.
24 hostages who had been detained by Hamas for 48 days were freed on Friday, the first day.
Among them were ten Thai people, thirteen Israelis, and one Filipino.39 Palestinian detainees were freed a few hours later as part of the agreement.
As part of the arrangement mediated by Qatar, a total of 150 Palestinian detainees and 50 Israeli hostages are anticipated to be released.
On Friday, the largest humanitarian convoy since the conflict began arrived in Gaza with food, gasoline, and medical supplies.
Israel declared that the northern part of the Strip was still a combat zone and forbade Gazans from returning there.
There were rumours that those attempting to enter Gaza from the north were fired upon. On October 7, 1,200 individuals were murdered in Hamas attacks, and around 240 more were taken prisoner.
Since then, Israel’s retaliation campaign has claimed the lives of almost 14,500 people, according to Gaza’s health ministry, which is governed by Hamas.
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Red Cross in Gaza has reportedly received hostages – Israeli media
Israeli news sources say that a bunch of Israeli people who were taken by Hamas on October 7th, have been given to the Red Cross in Gaza.
The reports say they are going towards the border of Egypt – but the Israeli government has not said this officially.
They were set free after 12 people from Thailand were also rescued by Hamas.Later today, 39 Palestinian people who were held in Israeli jails are going to be set free and sent to the West Bank.
Israel and Hamas made an agreement to release 50 hostages and 150 Palestinians over four days.
Qatar helped make an agreement to stop the fighting for four days.
Additional help is also coming into Gaza – 60 trucks carrying medicine, fuel, and food came in today from Egypt.
The health ministry in Gaza, which is controlled by Hamas, says that over 14,000 people have been killed in Israel’s campaign of revenge. -
Numerous obstacles to arise if Palestinians attempt to return northward
First, as we’ve been observing, the fighting didn’t stop at 07:00 in Gaza. In fact, there was very intense fighting just before this deadline.
Now we need to see what’s happening on the ground. Israel is strict about people moving back to the north after being told to relocate to the south.
Many Palestinians in Gaza want to go back to their homes and see if they can find anything that wasn’t destroyed. They want to check if their houses are still there and if they can find their belongings.
Some people want to have the ability to bury their deceased loved ones.
Movement inside Gaza is being controlled very strictly and it’s not clear how Israeli forces will handle it if they face resistance. -
39 Palestinian detainees scheduled to be released to West Bank
Big signs hang on the walls of Ofer prison complex in the West Bank that is occupied by Israel – the words “United we will succeed. ” in big blue and white letters, alongside the Israeli flag.
Today, 39 Palestinian prisoners are expected to come here. They were let out of Israeli jails in return for 13 people that Hamas was keeping as hostages.
Israel is going to pick 39 prisoners from a group of 300 women and young people. They are accused of doing bad things like throwing stones or trying to hurt someone.
Most of them are locked up without being put on trial. Most of the people on the list are teenage boys, with 40% of them being under 18 years old.
The families of the 39 prisoners who are getting out today will meet at a checkpoint nearby to welcome them.
Human rights groups say more Palestinians have been put in Israeli jails without being charged since the attacks on October 7th.
Currently, there are over 6,000 Palestinians in Israeli custody for security reasons, with many still waiting for their trials to begin. -
Israel to receive hostages via Egypt
After a rough beginning, the truce is starting to become more stable.
We are seeing more help going to the Gaza Strip, and Palestinians are able to move around more safely.
We are waiting for 4:00 PM local time (2:00 PM GMT). At that time, 13 out of 50 Israeli hostages will be given to the International Committee of the Red Cross.
They will be taken out through Egypt’s Rafah crossing and there are specific rules for what happens next.
People crossing from Egypt to Israel will meet Israeli security officers. Their identities will be checked, and they will have a medical check. Then, they will be flown to Israel by helicopter.
After that, it will be a few hours until the first Palestinian prisoners are released from Israeli jails as agreed. -
Pictures from cease-fire scenes
It has been almost two hours since a four-day break in fighting between Israel and Hamas started, and we are starting to receive the first photos from Israel and Gaza.
Both sides have agreed that the break in fighting will not last long.
And a convoy of Israeli military vehicles arrives back in Israel after leaving the Gaza Strip 
A group of Palestinians ride on a donkey cart as they return to their homes 
A displaced Palestinian man makes his way back home after leaving due to the conflict 
Israeli soldiers gesture from an armoured vehicle as the temporary truce takes hold -
UN expects combat pauses could extend to border between Israel and Lebanon
It might be wishful thinking to hope that the break in fighting between Israel and Hamas in Gaza could also stop the conflict on Israel’s border with Lebanon.
UNIFIL is a group from the United Nations that has been watching and helping to keep peace in the area called the “Blue Line” since the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah, a strong group in southern Lebanon.
At the UNIFIL base in Lebanon, spokesperson Andrea Tenenti says he wants peace to come back, even for a short time. But he knows there’s no official way or direct talks between the fighting groups to make it happen.
Since fights started here on 8 October, Tenenti says there has been a steady increase in rocket and missile attacks from both sides.
However, he also said that there have already been attacks that go further into Lebanon and Israel, and he recognizes that these “mistakes” could cause a bigger war.
The 2006 agreement said Hezbollah had to eventually give up its weapons. Many people, especially in Israel, believe that not being able to accomplish this has made tensions along the border worse and could lead to another big war.
Tenenti says that everyone needs to do something about the resolution and make the regular Lebanese army stronger. He knows that many people in Lebanon support Hezbollah, not just in the south but in other parts of the country too.
A return to how things were before the events in early October is the best outcome that the UN and the people in the villages on both sides of the border can expect. -
I will never forget what I saw while in Israel – UK foreign secretary
In the past, when politicians visited Israel, they used to go to Yad Vashem in Jerusalem to show their respect for the Holocaust.
Nowadays, they are going to visit a kibbutz close to Gaza where many Israelis were killed by Hamas on 7 October. This morning, David Cameron visited kibbutz Be’eri, which was his first trip to Israel as the new UK foreign secretary.
Cameron and his Israeli friend Eli Cohen walked through the farm area where about 100 people were killed, not far from Gaza.
He went over the broken rocks and entered the destroyed homes that still smelled of burnt materials. Then he said that he had seen and heard things that he will always remember.
Cameron asked everyone in the stopped hostage deal to make it happen. He said it was important to take a break to help people in Gaza and let the hostages go.
But Cohen said that even after setting the hostages free, Israel would keep fighting to reach its aim – which is to get rid of Hamas control in Gaza. -
Israel claims hostages won’t be freed before Friday
The plan to release the first hostages as part of the deal between Israel and Hamas was postponed on Wednesday night, just hours before the expected start of a temporary break in fighting.
Israel’s National Security Council said that the first group of hostages will not be released until Friday. An Israeli government person told CNN that the planned break from fighting has been postponed and will start on Friday instead.
“Negotiations to free our hostages are making progress and are still happening. ” The release process will begin on Friday as agreed by both sides.
Israel and Hamas agreed to stop fighting for four days and free at least 50 women and children out of the 230 hostages in Gaza. An Israeli official told CNN that the truce was supposed to start at 10 a. mThe time where you are, it’s 3 o’clock in the morning. He passed the exam on Thursday.
It’s not clear why the delay happened.
A spokesperson from the US National Security Council said on Wednesday that the hostage deal is still agreed upon. They are working on final details for the first day of the deal.
“We believe that we should not take any risks as the hostages start returning home,” said NSC spokesperson Adrienne Watson. “Our main goal is to make sure they come back home safely. ” “We’re making good progress and we hope to start putting it into action on Friday morning. ”
One Israeli official who knows about the situation said it’s not a big deal and just small things that need to be fixed.
But another person from the government told CNN that one reason was because Israel hadn’t gotten the names of the first hostages that Hamas would release.
On Wednesday evening, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu talked to reporters before the delay was announced. He said he was sure the agreement would start soon, but didn’t give many details about how it would happen.
However, people in charge and experts in Israel have always warned that any agreement would be risky until the hostages were safely out of danger.
On Wednesday, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) kept fighting in Gaza by using both soldiers on the ground and planes in the air. They did this in the north-eastern and central parts of Gaza. This happened even though a truce was supposed to begin soon. Places in the south, like Khan Younis and Rafah, were also damaged, as reported by Palestinians.
On Wednesday, before the announcement of the delay, a spokesperson for the Israeli army, Daniel Hagari, said that the upcoming truce is a complicated process and has not been finalized yet.
“It might take a while and have several steps,” he said.
The agreement was a big step forward in diplomacy, coming almost seven weeks after the conflict began. The conflict has led to a serious humanitarian crisis in the area. The families of the hostages felt relieved and very excited when they heard the announcement.
The agreement would also let more humanitarian aid and relief convoys to come in.
The pause can be up to 10 days, but Israeli officials don’t think it will last that long.
Netanyahu said that for every 10 more hostages released, there will be one more day without fighting.
Hamas has 236 people as prisoners in Gaza, and they come from 26 different countries. This information is from the Israeli military. During October 7, a lot of people were taken by force at gunpoint. The attackers were part of Hamas and they killed about 1,200 people in a surprise attack on Israel. This was the biggest attack on Israel since the country started in 1948.
Before the agreement, only a few hostages had been set free.
Around 12,700 people have died in Gaza since October 7, according to the Palestinian health ministry in the West Bank. They got this information from health authorities run by Hamas. -
World leaders applaud agreement reached between Hamas and Israel
Now let’s talk about how countries are responding to the agreement between Israel and Hamas. This agreement will stop the fighting that has been happening since October 7th and will also include the release of 50 hostages from Gaza.
The prime minister of Qatar, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, helped make the truce happen. He said in a statement that he hopes the truce will lead to an end to the war.
The UK’s Foreign Secretary David Cameron said the agreement was an important move towards freeing hostages and giving aid to people in Gaza. French President Emmanuel Macron said that efforts are being made non-stop to free all hostages.
The truce made Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas, the EU, and countries like the US, Jordan, Russia, China, Egypt, France, and Germany happy.More update on this story soon…
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Israelis assemble at ‘hostages plaza’ in Tel Aviv after the agreement
I am at the square outside the Museum of Art in Tel Aviv. It is called hostages plaza. People come here to protest and show support for hostages and their families.
The Shabbat table is still standing with empty chairs for each hostage.
Some places are set aside for women and children. It is expected that they will be brought back within the next day.
There is a lot of activity happening here this morning. A person is playing the piano near posters displaying photos of the hostages. The posters are surrounded by Israeli flags.
A chessboard is shown with each kidnap victim represented as a chess piece.
Today feels like a time when something new and important might happen.
Last night, we heard a sudden protest from the families of the hostages. They really wanted to make the deal happen.
Now, there is a mixture of excitement and worry.
This deal is very delicate. People will stay worried until they see the hostages being released.
But it seems like things will get better soon. -
What will the halt bring about in Gaza?
As we have been telling you, Israel and Hamas have agreed to release 50 hostages and stop fighting for a while so that essential supplies can be sent to Gaza.
Hamas talked about how the break in fighting might happen in Gaza.
It says that drone and Israeli planes will not fly for four days in the southern area.
In the north, this will only happen from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm every day.
Israeli soldiers and tanks will stay in the area and not attack or arrest anyone, according to Hamas.
The agreement will also let 200 trucks with aid, four trucks with fuel, and four trucks with gas go into Gaza through Egypt’s Rafah crossing for four days.More update on this story soon…
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MPs in South Africa vote to sever ties with Israel
South African lawmakers voted to shut down the Israeli embassy in Pretoria and stop all diplomatic ties.
The African National Congress, which controls parliament, has always disapproved of Israel and it backed the decision in parliament.
The plan asked for the embassy to be shut down and for ties to be stopped until Israel agrees to stop fighting and starts serious talks.
248 people said yes, while 91 people said no. As it happened, some people shouted “free, free Palestine”.
Before the vote in South Africa, Israel asked its ambassador to come back home for discussions. They said they did this because of the recent statements made by South Africa.
President Cyril Ramaphosa sent Israel to the International Criminal Court for possibly committing war crimes. He also called back South Africa’s diplomats from Israel.
He led an online meeting of the Brics countries on Tuesday to talk about what’s happening in Gaza.
He said that Israel was killing a lot of people in Gaza and punishing all the Palestinian people.
Israel is saying it’s protecting itself and trying to get rid of Hamas in Gaza. -
Israel and Hamas agree on release of hostages and a four-day ceasefire
Israel and Hamas have agreed to stop fighting for four days and release at least 50 hostages, including women and children, held in Gaza. Qatar, who helped with the negotiations, announced this on Wednesday.
The agreement, which depended on Israel’s cabinet agreeing, comes after several weeks of discussions with the United States and Egypt. This is a big step to reduce tensions after almost seven weeks of fighting between Israel and Hamas.
Qatar said that the hostages will be set free if Israeli jails release some Palestinian women and children.
The break will also let more humanitarian trucks and supplies, like fuel for helping people, to come in.
Israel’s leaders agreed to the deal very early on Wednesday morning after a long and intense meeting that lasted about six hours.
Hamas has 239 people captive in Gaza, and they come from 26 different countries, according to the Israeli military.
Only a few Israeli hostages were released before the agreement. On October 20, two Americans named Judith Tai Raanan and her 17-year-old daughter Natalie Raanan were let go because of their health conditions. This happened after talks between Qatar and Hamas.
Shortly after, two women from Israel, named Nurit Cooper and Yocheved Lifshitz, were also set free.
Qatar’s main negotiator, Minister of State Mohammed Al-Khulaifi, said that the agreement should make the world work together quickly to keep making progress in peace talks.Hamas said in a statement that 150 Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails would be released as part of the deal, but later took back the statement without giving a reason.
Israel said the truce could last longer than planned if more hostages are released. For every 10 more hostages freed, an extra day of truce would be added.
However, it also showed that Israel intends to start their air and ground attacks again to fully get rid of Hamas once the hostage releases are finished.
The Israeli army is still figuring out when they will stop fighting. Colonel Jonathan Conricus spoke to CNN on Wednesday morning.
“We will keep fighting Hamas until the Israeli government tells us to stop. When they do, we will follow their instructions. ”
The Israeli government made the deal because the families of the hostages pressured them to take action. They wanted answers from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
A lot of hostages were taken by force when Hamas attacked border communities near the Gaza Strip and the Nova music festival.
Israel stopped things from coming into Gaza and attacked it. This caused a big problem for the people there.
Over 12,000 people have died in Gaza since October 7, according to the government’s press office.
Family members of the hostages held by Hamas were relieved and hopeful as they waited to see if their loved ones would be released. They were not sure yet when it would happen.
Shoshany said, “I really hope to see someone come out of there alive. ” We want to see our family again. This is all we want and I really hope this is just the beginning in this situation.
Liz Hirsh Naftali, who is Abigail Edan’s great-aunt, said on CNN that it has been really hard having Abigail, a 3-year-old US citizen, held by Hamas.
“We’ve been worrying, wondering, praying, and hoping for the past seven weeks,” she said.The family wants Abigail, the youngest American kidnapped by Hamas, to come home by Friday for her fourth birthday.
“We have to see Abigail come out before we can believe it,” Naftali said.
US President Joe Biden was happy about the agreement and said it will bring back more American hostages. He promised to keep working until all hostages are released.
Ten Americans are still missing. Among them are two women and a 3-year-old girl. This was confirmed by a senior official in the government. The person in charge did not say the girl’s name.
The agreement says at least 50 hostages will be freed, but it also encourages the release of everyone, the official said.
The agreement for the hostages includes a break, a pause to help people, for four or five days. “And if more hostages are released by Hamas, there is a possibility that the extension could be prolonged,” the official said.
A US official also said that the hostages will be brought out from different places, but they didn’t give any more information.
The IDF spokesperson, Conricus, said that the people who will be let go in the agreement are all Israelis. Some of them also have citizenship in another country. He said that the Palestinian prisoners who are going to be freed are not very bad criminals.
Approximately 8,300 Palestinian people are in Israeli jails, according to Qadura Fares, who leads a group that helps prisoners.
Out of 8,300 people, over 3,000 are being kept in detention in Israel without being told the reasons or having a legal process. -
Truce approaching though Israel has not yet commented – Leader of Hamas
The head of Hamas says the group is almost done making a “peace agreement” with Israel, making people hopeful that fighting in Gaza will stop and that hostages could be released.
Israel has not said anything. PM Benjamin Netanyahu said that his country will keep fighting until the hostages are brought home.
Hamas might give back hostages if Israel lets Palestinians out of jail, AFP and Al Jazeera say.US President Joe Biden said he thinks an agreement is almost ready. The White House said fighting would stop temporarily to allow hostages to be safely released.
The Red Cross has been meeting with Hamas leaders in Qatar, which is making people hopeful for future deals.
Meanwhile, there is still fighting in Gaza. The Israeli military has surrounded the city of Jabalia in the north.The health ministry in Gaza, which is controlled by Hamas, said that 13,300 people, including over 5,000 children, have died in Israel’s recent military action.
Israel started fighting against the Gaza Strip, which is run by Hamas, because Hamas fighters went over the border on 7 October. They killed 1,200 people and took over 200 people as hostages.
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Israel imposes lockdown on West Bank region after attack by Hamas
About 750 families in Hebron, a place in the West Bank, have been stuck at home since the Hamas attack on Israel six weeks ago.
They live in the most tense area of H2, a place in Hebron where 39,000 Palestinians and about 900 Israeli settlers live. The Israeli settlers are known to be very extreme compared to others in the West Bank.
Although most of the people in H2 are Palestinians, the Israeli military has complete control over it.
Muhammad Mohtaseb, a 30-year-old security guard at the hospital, sat on his roof smoking a cigarette and looking at the empty streets. He said, “This feels like a closed space within a closed space. ” “We are surrounded by many checkpoints everywhere. ”
For the last six weeks, people in Palestine have had a hard time getting enough food and water. The schools are not open, so kids are staying at their houses. Many people can’t get to work and are running out of money.
“In these jobs, if you work, you get to have meals,” said Fawaz Qafisha, a cook who makes falafel. “If you don’t work, you don’t get to eat. “ -
Gaza-Israel conflict shouldn’t split us apart in South Africa – Ramaphosa
President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Monday that South Africans should not let the Israel-Gaza conflict cause more disagreements.
Last week, there was a protest in Cape Town where people supporting Israel and Palestine argued with each other.
The president talked about the incident in his weekly letter and said it was concerning and not okay.
President Ramaphosa and the ANC support the Palestinians.
He said “It’s not the same thing to support the Palestinian cause as it is to be against Jewish people”.
Mr Ramaphosa criticized an Israeli newspaper for saying that his government’s support for the Palestinians could lead to violence against the South African Jewish community.
The letter asked South Africans to stay united as this conflict continues.
Last week, South Africa told the International Criminal Court (ICC) about what Israel’s government did during the fighting in Gaza. -
Japan denounces Houthi rebels for stealing a ship
Japan is very upset about the hijacking of a Japanese cargo ship in the Red Sea by rebels who are supported by Iran.
The Yemeni militia said the ship was from Israel, but a spokesperson from the Japanese government said it was operated by Nippon Yusen.
The top government official in Japan said they are trying to make it happen.
Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu said Iran is behind the hijacking because they support the Houthi militia.
Mr Netanyahu said that the ship and the crew were not from Israel and he called it an “Iranian attack on a ship from another country”.
It is believed that twenty-two people are on a boat that is probably owned by British people.
Nippon Yusen said the ship called Galaxy Leader was captured near Yemen while it was on its way to India.
“At the moment, government departments like the transport and foreign ministries are getting information and working with other countries to release the ship and its crew as soon as possible,” said Hirokazu Matsuno, Japan’s chief cabinet secretary.
The people on the ship are thought to be Bulgarians and Filipinos. There are no Japanese people on the crew.
Yahya al-Sarea, a spokesperson for Yemen’s Houthi rebels, said the ship was from Israel and was taken to a port in Yemen.
The Houthis said they would attack any Israeli ship they could reach because Israel had attacked Gaza after Hamas militants did.
Israel reports that 1,200 people died and over 240 were captured during the unexpected Hamas attack in the southern part of the country.
Israel has started a big military attack using planes, artillery, and soldiers, to try to get rid of Hamas.
The Hamas health ministry says 12,300 people have died in Gaza. It is believed that over 2,000 people are trapped under the collapsed buildings.
The Houthis shot many missiles and drones at Israel right after Israel started its counterattack.
The US said that its warship in the Red Sea stopped all the missiles and drones.
The IDF said the ship attack was a very serious global event.
The IDF said the ship was traveling from Turkey to India when it was taken in the southern Red Sea near Yemen.
The Foreign Minister of Iran, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, said that groups who support Iran are putting pressure on Israel and its supporters in a smart way.
The Houthis and Yemen’s government, supported by Saudi Arabia, have been fighting in a long war since 2014. -
Muslim-majority countries in Beijing for negotiations over Israel-Hamas crisis
China invited leaders from Arab and Muslim countries to talk about calming down the fighting between Israel and Hamas. China wants to help stop the fighting.
The Foreign Minister of China met with officials from Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt, the Palestinian National Authority, Indonesia, and the head of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation in the capital on Monday.
Beijing said the visit is a chance for talking and working together to calm down the fighting between Palestinians and Israelis, protect people, and fairly solve the problem of Palestine.
The meeting is happening because the media has been told that there might be a deal soon to free some hostages held by Hamas. The United States, Israel, and Qatar have been talking to Hamas for weeks to try to make this deal happen.
Beijing and Washington, who are both strong in the region and friends with Israel, disagree on how to handle the conflict. Beijing did not support Israel’s actions and did not speak out against the group Hamas, making Israeli officials upset.
Israel has started bombing and sending troops into Gaza because a group called Hamas attacked Israel on October 7th. The Israel Defense Forces said that more than 200 people were taken as hostages in the attack.
China wants to help solve the conflict so it can become a stronger global power.
Last week, the UN made a decision about the fighting. They want all the people that Hamas is holding as prisoners to be set free right away. They also want to make sure that safe paths are available for people in the area so that they don’t get hurt. The US and the United Kingdom didn’t vote, because they didn’t agree with the resolution’s failure to criticize Hamas.
Chinese Ambassador Zhang Jun said that for reasons everyone knows, especially because a permanent member of the Council kept causing problems, this resolution can only be a first step for now, based on the minimum agreement. This seemed like a hidden criticism aimed at the US.
The conflict has allowed China to strengthen its relationships with many Arab countries and to become an important advocate for creating a separate Palestine and achieving lasting peace.
Chinese and visiting officials will talk about how to start the peace process again when they meet in Beijing on Monday and Tuesday.
China’s special envoy for the Middle East, Zhai Jun, visited Egypt, Qatar, the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Jordan last month. He talked about important issues during his 10-day tour. This included discussing the Qatar issue.
Last week, the representative visited Turkey and Bahrain to meet with officials. In addition, Zhai talked about the situation in the region with representatives from Singapore, the US and Europe at a conference.
Zhai hasn’t visited Israel, Palestine, or Iran, according to the information from China’s Foreign Ministry. Last month, Wang and Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen talked on the phone. It’s not known if China has talked to Hamas leaders during the recent fighting.
This week, Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki from the West Bank-based Palestinian National Authority is visiting officials in Beijing.
Earlier this month, China sent the leader of its Foreign Ministry’s department for West Asia and North Africa to Iran to talk about the conflict. This was mentioned in a post on the department’s WeChat social media account.
Iran has been supporting Hamas and Hezbollah for a long time.
Last week, Chinese leader Xi Jinping and US President Joe Biden had a long conversation in California. Biden asked Xi to use China’s influence with Iran to prevent a bigger conflict in the region. This was said by a top US official to the media.
In the meeting, Foreign Minister Wang Yi said they have already talked to the Iranians about the topic.
The US thinks Hamas is a terrorist group that has caused pain for Palestinian people. The US supports Israel in fighting against Hamas.
Beijing is talking about the conflict between Palestinians and Israelis, without mentioning Hamas. -
Israel claims to permit entry of two fuel trucks into Gaza each day
Israel will now let two fuel trucks go into Gaza each day because the US asked them to.
A person from the US State Department said that they will let 140,000 liters of fuel come in every two days.
Most of the supplies are for trucks that bring help, and also for helping the UN provide water and clean facilities, the official stated.
The remaining money is for phone and internet services, but they got shut off because there was no more fuel.
On Friday, the company that gives Gaza’s internet and phone services said that they are working again after getting some fuel from Unrwa, the UN’s agency for Palestinian refugees.
The US government told Israel to sign the fuel agreement by putting a lot of pressure on them.
The agreement was made weeks ago, but Israel delayed it for two reasons. Israeli leaders told the US that there was still fuel in southern Gaza, and they also wanted to see if they could make a deal to release a hostage before taking action.
Biden is dealing with disagreement within his own group over Israel’s attack on Gaza.
The leader of Unrwa said on Thursday that the agency might have to stop all its work because it doesn’t have enough fuel.
In its latest report, the agency said it needs “160,000 litres of fuel every day for basic humanitarian operations” – more than twice what was agreed upon.
Before, an Israeli official said that they would give fuel to the people in southern Gaza through the UN at the Rafah crossing, as long as it doesn’t go to Hamas.
The Israeli official said the fuel would help support water, sewage, and sanitation systems to prevent the outbreak of diseases in the area.
Many groups from different countries are very worried about the difficult situation for people in Gaza.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has said that there are serious problems with the spread of illness in Gaza. The healthcare system and sanitation facilities have been greatly affected by the lack of fuel and Israeli bombing.
On Friday, Richard Peeperkorn from the WHO in the Palestinian Territories said that more than 70,000 people have gotten very sick with breathing problems and over 44,000 have had diarrhea. These numbers are much higher than what was expected.
Gaza needs fuel to power the desalination plant, supply electricity to homes and hospitals, and for sanitation, transportation, and communication systems.
It is also very important for getting help to people all over the area.
Israel stopped fuel from going into Gaza because they think Hamas might take it and use it for war.
Before the recent war, Israel gave most of the electricity to Gaza. The rest of the electricity came from the only power plant in Gaza, but it is not working now.
On Saturday, the leader of Nasser hospital in Khan Younis, Gaza, said it got the bodies of 26 people and 23 others who were badly hurt after a bomb hit a home in Hamad city.
The Israeli army has not said anything about the report yet.
At the same time, the Red Crescent reported that five Palestinians died in an Israeli air attack on a building in the Balata refugee camp in Nablus, West Bank.
The Israeli military said it was looking into the reports.
The US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, has told Israel to quickly do something to calm down the situation in the West Bank. This includes dealing with increasing levels of violent behavior by settlers.
The strike happened a day later the Israeli military said it killed at least seven fighters in two separate fights in the West Bank.
Israel started a new attack and military operation because Hamas attacked on 7th October, killing about 1,200 people and taking more than 230 people hostage. Hamas is considered a terrorist group by the UK and US.
At least 12,000 people have died in the area since Israel started attacking, according to the health ministry in the Palestinian territory. -
Israel declares it will permit two fuel trucks into Gaza each day
Israel will let two trucks with diesel fuel into Gaza every day.
None of the fuel has come into the area yet today, according to the UN’s agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) speaking to the BBC.
The boss of the agency said yesterday that they might have to stop doing everything because they don’t have enough fuel.
Israel said yes to America’s request to let fuel into the trapped Palestinian area.
The fuel will help the UN provide water and clean toilets, said an official from Israel.
The big trucks will go through the Rafah crossing to give supplies to the people in the southern part of Gaza. The UN will make sure that the supplies don’t end up with Hamas.
Israel’s Kan news agency said that they will be delivering about 60,000 litres of fuel every day.
UNRWA said it needs more than three times this amount. In its newest report, the agency said it needs “160,000 liters of fuel every day for basic humanitarian operations“.
The Israeli official said the fuel was meant to help with water, sewage, and cleaning systems to stop the spread of diseases in the area.
Global groups are very worried about the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has said they are concerned about how diseases are spreading in Gaza. There is not enough fuel and the Israeli attacks have made it hard for people to get healthcare and keep things clean.
Earlier today, Richard Peeperkorn, a person from the World Health Organization in the Palestinian Territories, said that there are more than 70,000 cases of serious breathing problems and over 44,000 cases of diarrhea. These numbers are much higher than expected.
Gaza needs fuel to run the water plant, provide electricity to homes and hospitals, and for transportation and communication.
It is also very important to get help to the people living in the area. According to information from the Egyptian Red Crescent and UNRWA, no trucks with aid have been able to enter the Gaza Strip for the last three days because there is not enough fuel.
Israel stopped fuel from going into Gaza because they are worried that Hamas might take it and use it for fighting.
Before the recent war, Israel provided most of the electricity for Gaza, and the rest was made by their only power plant, which is now not working.
Israel started fighting back after Hamas attacked on October 7th, killing around 1,200 people and taking more than 230 people hostage. Hamas is considered a terrorist group by many countries including the UK and US.
At least 12,000 people have been killed in the area since Israel started its counterattacks, according to the health ministry in the Palestinian region run by Hamas. -
Erdogan on edge in Berlin following harsh criticism from Israel
No talking to happy people. Leaders will not be seen together in public. There was talk about both Germany and Turkey going to a football match in Berlin together, but it turns out that it’s not happening.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan‘s visit to Germany on Friday for a state visit is very quiet and not getting much attention. He will first meet the President of Germany, Frank-Walter Steinmeier and then have dinner with the chancellor, Olaf Scholz.
Two secret meetings and a quiet dinner don’t sound very exciting.
In the middle of the capital, there is very strong security for the visit of Mr. Erdogan, similar to when the US president visits. The German government wants Mr. Erdogan’s visit to not attract much attention.
This event is happening at a really bad time for Germany.
The President of Turkey, Erdogan, has had a hard time getting along with the German government for many years. They often argue with each other. When German government people talk about a “difficult partner,” they mean President Erdogan.
The fighting between Hamas and Israel on 7 October has caused Germany and Turkey to take different sides in the conflict.
In the last month, the President of Turkey has been more and more outspoken in his disapproval of Israel.
He won’t criticize the killings and hostage-taking by Hamas, and he calls them “liberators. ” Hamas is considered a terrorist group by Western countries, like Germany.
He has also seemed to doubt that Israel should exist by saying that Israel’s “own fascism” made it less rightful.
Leaders of the Jewish community in Germany are saying that Mr. Erdogan’s comments are making antisemitism worse. They want the German government to cancel the Turkish president’s visit.
Germany feels responsible for the Holocaust and so they will always support Israel, no matter what. This is really important for their foreign policy.
Both Olaf Scholz and former Chancellor Angela Merkel have said that protecting Israel’s security is very important to Germany. They use the term “reason of state” to show that Germany will always support Israel.
However, as Israel keeps attacking Gaza more and more, and more people are dying, that idea is being tested.
After the surprising Hamas attacks, German newspapers are starting to talk more about the problems facing the people in Gaza. This is making more people in Germany feel worried about what Israel is doing.
In Germany, many people are getting angrier about what Israel is doing, and there have been protests in support of Palestine almost every weekend since October 7th. Germany has many Arab communities who have connections to, or feel sorry for, people in Gaza. Some German left-wing groups have always been very supportive of Palestinians.
There are worries that if President Erdogan talks about the conflict during his visit, it could make the situation worse.
Germany and Turkey rely on each other. Turkey and Germany trade a lot. It also has the biggest group of Turkish people who live away from their homeland, and it’s an important place for President Erdogan’s election campaign. Many German-Turks like him.
About three million people with family roots in Turkey live in Germany, and about half of them have the right to vote. In May, most Turkish voters in Germany voted for Mr. Erdogan in the election.
Berlin needs the help of Turkey to manage the flow of people from the Middle East. Chancellor Scholz wants to make a new agreement with Turkey to send back people seeking asylum and hopes that Turkey will help the West in Russia’s war in Ukraine.
On Friday, the issues will be talked about privately. The German government might worry about what President Erdogan will say in public.
He probably now wishes he hadn’t done it. -
Body of two Hamas hostages found by Israel near al-Shifa hospital
Two hostage bodies that were taken during the October 7 massacre close to the al-Shifa hospital have been found by the IDF.
After being slain by Hamas militants, Israeli troops found the body of 19-year-old Corporal Noa Marciano at “a structure adjacent to” the facility.
When terrorists took control of the Nahal Oz base, the youngster was serving there.
Four days after the soldier was held hostage, Hamas released video of her speaking to the camera.
She gave her identity and acknowledged that she was being held captive in Gaza, the embattled Palestinian territory.
The horrifying footage then switched to graphic pictures of what the terrorists claimed to be Marciano’s corpse.
Her body was discovered and returned to Israel, where testing verified her identification, according to the IDF.
It follows the discovery of Yehudit Weiss’s body in a building next to the hospital. According to the IDF, Weiss was abducted from her Be’eri home.
The IDF said: “The national task before our eyes is to locate the missing and return the abducted persons home.
“The IDF is operating alongside and in full coordination with the relevant national and security institutions in order to pursue these tasks.
“We will not cease from the mission until it will be completed.”
Weiss’s date of death and cause of death were not disclosed by the IDF, according to The Times of Israel.
On October 7, the mother of five was kidnapped from Kibbutz Be’eri.
In their home’s safe room, her husband Shmulik Weiss was discovered dead from his murder.
According to Shani Louk’s family, Israel has also killed the Hamas monster that paraded Shani Louk’s nude body through Gaza and spat on it.
The mother of the 22-year-old tattoo artist who was killed allegedly informed a prominent rabbi that Israel’s military had eliminated her daughter’s attacker.
Shani was last seen in footage showing her dead and partially nude body being dragged through Gaza in a truck while Hamas continued its cross-border murderous rampage.
The allegations are still pending official confirmation.
The desperate parents of 32 children who were kidnapped by Hamas earlier this month begged the terror group to free them last night.
The terrified children are being detained underground in the 311-mile Gaza Metro system of tunnels while Israel fights to destroy the Islamic militants and return them home.
It happens at the largest hospital in Gaza, al Shifa Hospital, where Israeli troops allegedly found laptops with images and videos of hostages on them.
During the horrific October 7 massacre, Hamas abducted dozens of victims, and they haven’t been heard from since.
However, there is new hope for the detainees because, according to Israeli soldiers, they have discovered photographic proof of them at al-Shifa hospital.
Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Conricus told The BBC during a tour of the facility: “We uncovered a lot of computers and other equipment which could really shed light on the current situation, hopefully regarding hostages as well.”
He said the devices were found alongside a number of military books and pamphlets the IDF believe suggest Hamas terrorists were there “within the last few days”.
Lt Col Conricus said a map was also found that appeared to mark entry and exit routes from the hospital.
Israel has claimed the hospital is the “beating heart” of Hamas, and this week launched a raid to hunt down terrorists using it as cover.
IDF footage showed troops taking in humanitarian as thousands of patients, doctors and displaced Palestinians have been trapped inside the besieged complex for weeks.
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Attack at checkpoint after spike in violence in West Bank
Today, there was an attack at a security checkpoint in Jerusalem. There has been a lot of violence in the West Bank recently. It started after a deadly attack by Hamas on Israel on October 7th.
As we said before, Israeli police say they shot and killed three gunmen who started shooting at the checkpoint. The people who attacked were from Hebron, a city in the West Bank, according to the police.
The United Nations says that Israeli forces have killed 182 Palestinians, with 46 of them being children, since October 7th. It says that eight more people were killed by Israeli settlers.
The Palestinian news agency Wafa reports that Israel has arrested over 2,700 people since October 7th.
Today, after the attack, a minister in Israel who is responsible for keeping the country safe, spoke to the media.
The PA, which rules some of the West Bank, has the same opinions as Hamas. He said that the PA should be taken care of. Just like we are handling Gaza. -
Israel and Belize sever diplomatic ties
In response to Israel’s unwillingness to carry out a ceasefire in Gaza, the government of Belize has decided to sever diplomatic ties with it, joining other Western Hemisphere nations that are incensed about the Israeli government’s conduct during the conflict.
“The Belizean government has consistently denounced the IDF’s activities in Gaza. We have pleaded with Israel to immediately establish a ceasefire and to permit humanitarian goods to enter Gaza without hindrance. Israel has not stopped breaking international humanitarian law or permitted relief workers to lessen the suffering of millions of Gazans, despite our demands, according to a statement released by Belize on Tuesday. “Belize reiterates its demand for all hostages to be released, an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, and unhindered entry for humanitarian supplies.”
The Central American country has also pulled back its accreditation for Israel’s minister there, and suspended its possess discretionary exercises in Tel Aviv.
Belize takes after a few territorial neighbors, counting Colombia, Chile, and Bolivia, that have separated discretionary ties or reviewed ministers to Israel. A number of nations over the Center East and Africa, counting Turkey, Jordan, and South Africa, have too reviewed envoys in later weeks.
Israel pronounced war on Hamas, the Palestinian activist gather that controls Gaza, and propelled a “complete siege” of the enclave taking after Hamas’ fear assaults in Israel on October 7. An assessed 1,200 individuals were slaughtered in Hamas’ assaults, and 240 taken prisoner, most of whom stay captive in Gaza.
Since at that point, Israeli assaults have slaughtered at slightest 11,180 Palestinians – counting 4,609 children and 3,100 ladies – agreeing to the Palestinian Wellbeing Service in Ramallah, which draws on therapeutic sources in Gaza.
Universal weight on the Israeli government has taken off in later days in the midst of accounts of frantic circumstances at Gaza’s fuel-starved healing centers, and serious deficiencies of nourishment and water. Joined together Countries Secretary Common Antonio Guterres on Tuesday rehashed his calls for a ceasefire in Gaza “in the title of humanity.”
But Israeli Prime Serve Benjamin Netanyahu has ruled out a ceasefire without the discharge of prisoners held by Hamas.
Israeli Outside Serve Eli Cohen said Monday that the nation has as it were a two to three week window until overwhelming universal weight for a ceasefire in Gaza started, telling writers that that many nations have secretly encouraged Israel to endeavor for a ceasefire. -
23-year-old Woman With Visual Impairment Becomes First Blind Lawyer in UK
Jessika Inaba, a 23-year-old woman from Camden, North London, has become the first-ever blind lawyer of African descent in the United Kingdom. She has overcome obstacles and made history through her determination and resilience.
Jessika started a 5-year law program at the University of London, despite people thinking her vision impairment would hold her back. She showed that her dreams weren’t limited by it.
Jessika used Braille to read and understand everything. With the help of her friends and mentors, she successfully completed her entire course with a strong and steady determination.
She began her journey to this important accomplishment in September 2017 when she started her fast-tracked law degree at the University of London. Two years later, she worked on getting a master’s degree and professional training at the same time. Eventually, she became qualified to practice law in the United Kingdom.
Jessika is now part of a special group of pioneering women who are both blind and of African descent, and have become qualified barristers.
This is even more incredible because Jessika fought against Bilateral Microphthalmia, which is a condition where the eyes are smaller than normal, and it made her unable to see at all.
At different points along the way, she had times when she wasn’t sure, but her strong belief in herself pushed her to keep going.
“I’ve always had faith in myself from the beginning. There’s nothing about me that makes this impossible,” Jessika stated. “I’m confident that I can excel in this job, and if more people like me receive training, it will become even easier,” she said.
Unfortunately, Jessika faced prejudiced attitudes while she was studying. There were times when prison officials thought she was a family member visiting instead of a lawyer talking to a client.
But Jessika is still determined and strong-willed, and she keeps motivating others by sharing her inspiring story of overcoming challenges. -
Israel’s suffering still severe one month after Hamas attacks
This event destroyed Israel‘s belief that it was unbeatable and had a strong military. It made all citizens feel less safe.
But it didn’t seem very special in the beginning.
When I saw the messages on my phone in the early morning, it said that rockets were coming from Gaza. We didn’t know how many rockets there were. I sent a message to my coworkers, some of whom were not at work because of the Jewish holidays, to tell them that I would go to the office.
Very quickly, I found it difficult to understand the effect of my words as I spoke them.
The continuous firing of missiles made me rush in and out of the shelter at the office. It later became evident that this was just a distraction for a highly unique, complicated, and well-prepared set of attacks.
We witnessed alarming pictures of Hamas fighters using motorbikes to get through holes in Gaza’s fence, using paragliders to enter southern Israel, attacking heavily protected military bases, and filming themselves in the gardens of overwhelmed kibbutzim.
During a party, people called Israeli TV stations to share their experiences of being in a terrible situation at the Nova Music Festival. They were hiding from gunmen who were causing violence and death. Scared people recorded videos of groups of armed Palestinians in the city of Sderot.
This was the worst day ever in Israel’s 75-year history, with many people being killed in a cruel and planned way. Videos later appeared from some of the kibbutzim near Gaza, showing the brutal killing of whole families. In the end, around 1,400 people are believed to have died.
The timing of this attack was very important because it happened almost exactly 50 years after a surprise attack by Egypt and Syria on a very important day for Jewish people called Yom Kippur. This previous attack caused a big war in the region.
The intense sadness and surprise for regular Israelis, which can still be seen today, was very clear when I visited Ashkelon on October 8th.
Israeli security forces were fighting against very armed men near us, and there were loud alarms going off. At the hospital, parents were searching and crying for their missing children. They were very sad and upset.
“A mother in great pain yelled, ‘Destroy Gaza. ‘”
At the beginning of the war, people wanted to get back at their enemies and really wanted Israel to show its strength again. However, surveys show that people are now worried that intense bombing and a large-scale invasion could harm hostages taken by Hamas, which makes the situation more complicated.
Around 240 individuals, including Israelis and people from other countries, as well as both military personnel and civilians of varying ages, are believed to be held captive. Protests and requests to bring them back are becoming more pressing.
After going through the terrible experience of the Hamas attacks in Nir Oz, Hadas Kalderon’s life has completely changed. She is now desperately trying to bring her two children, Erez (who recently turned 12) and Sahar (who is 16), as well as her ex-husband Ofer, back home. Her mom, Carmela Dan, and her niece, Noya, who were taken away, have been discovered dead.
Hadas recently told the BBC that she is too busy fighting for her children and their father who is still alive, so she doesn’t have time to grieve for her mother and niece. She wants Israel to stop fighting until the hostages are safe.
Israel has said no to stopping the fighting until all the hostages are freed, and they are still bombing Gaza from above.
The health ministry in Gaza, which is run by Hamas, said that over 10,000 people have died in the Palestinian area since Israel began bombing it last month.
The ministry said that over 4,000 children were among the people who died.The surprise on 7 October was made worse by the fact that Israel, which has the strongest military in the Middle East and excellent intelligence agencies, did not realize the attacks were going to happen. A lot of ideas they believed for a long time, along with political leaders, were actually very wrong.
Israel left Gaza in 2005 and Hamas took over in 2007. Israel has been trying to prevent Hamas and Islamic Jihad, who are both considered terrorist groups, from being a threat.
Many defense experts often describe Israel’s approach in Gaza as “mowing the lawn. ” The idea was that Israeli forces could reduce the abilities of the armed groups occasionally, which would result in people getting hurt or killed.
There have been many big fights in the years 2008, 2012, 2014, and 2021.
But, in two recent incidents of violence in August of last year and May of this year, where the Islamic Jihad group was targeted, Israel’s military falsely believed that Hamas did not participate. The common belief was that it did not want the situation to get worse.
Israel wanted to keep things calm, so they let around 18,000 people from Gaza have permits to work and also let Qatar help by giving aid and paying the salaries of Hamas workers.
That evaluation turned out to be very wrong and it was dangerous. It is now evident that Hamas was secretly waiting and acquiring more powerful weapons, like rockets that can reach farther distances, and drones. They also worked on making their underground tunnels better.
The belief that Israeli technology had successfully minimized the danger posed by Hamas, especially with the expensive barrier constructed around Gaza, equipped with cameras, sensors, and a strong concrete foundation to protect against tunnels, was proven incorrect. Last month, it is said that thousands of fighters managed to get through the fence in around 30 different spots.
Because the war is still happening, it is too early to provide a complete list of the errors that caused the events on October 7th.
Israel is very sad right now. Some of the dead people were badly burned or hurt, and we still don’t know who they are. More soldiers are also dying in the fighting in Gaza.
But it is probable that there will be an investigation after the war. After a very chaotic year in Israeli politics, people might want to know more about the job of the Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu.
Israel needs to effectively achieve its new war goals in Gaza, which are to dismantle Hamas and release the hostages. They also need to handle the increasing dangers presented by Iran and its allies in the area.
One month later, the news about the violent events in southern Israel continues without stopping. -
Failing to eradicate Hamas’ military capability will only lead to another escalation – Israeli Ambassador to Ghana
The Israeli Ambassador to Ghana, Shlomit Sufa, has strongly emphasized the importance of Israel achieving victory in the ongoing conflict with the Islamic extremist group, Hamas.
In an upcoming episode of The LowDown on GhanaWeb TV, the ambassador elaborated on the reasons for this stance. She argued that winning this war is crucial because it is the only way to prevent future attacks on Israelis and innocent foreign nationals.
“This war is about exercising Israel’s right and obligation to self-defence, to defend its civilians. And those who do not want to see another war need to understand that in order to prevent another war, we need to win this war.
“We can’t have these people… people who take pleasure in killing at point blank, entire families… decapitate people; rape, torture and burn people alive… This terrorist if we do not win this war, if we are not able, if we are stopped from winning this war and totally eradicating their military capability, it would only exist and set a timer for another escalation, another war, more misery, more suffering,” she said.
She added, “I think all of us, we have had enough. It is time to free Gaza from Hamas.”
Hamas fighters breached the Gaza border with Israel on October 7, 2023, leading to a significant escalation of violence in the region. The ensuing conflict resulted in a substantial number of casualties, including the reported death of approximately 1,400 Israelis.
Israel’s extensive bombardment of Gaza has led to the tragic loss of life among Palestinian civilians. It is estimated that, as of Friday, November 3, 2023, the conflict has claimed the lives of 8,500 Palestinian civilians, which includes over 3,500 children.
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Diplomats from South Africa to leave Israel
South Africa will bring back all its diplomats from Tel Aviv after Israel launched heavy air strikes on Gaza on Sunday night.
The attack was one of the largest by Israel since the war started a month ago.
According to Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City, around 200 people died.
South Africa’s government, which has always strongly supported Palestinians, strongly criticized Israel on Monday.
The government said it might ask to remove the Israeli Ambassador, Eliav Belotsercovsky, because he made insulting comments about South Africa.
The text means that Ambassador Belotsercovsky’s presence in South Africa is not acceptable. The statement also says that they will use diplomatic methods to handle his behavior in the country.
The Foreign Minister, Naledi Pandor, stated that the government thinks Israel’s response is now about punishing everyone and not just individuals.
Israel says it is trying to reduce the number of civilians who get hurt and claims that Hamas is using innocent people as protection.
Many South Africans have been upset and angry about Israel’s attacks on Gaza lately, and they showed their feelings by protesting.
Earlier this year, the South African embassy in Israel was changed to a smaller office called a liaison office. -
IDF claims to have intercepted unmanned aircraft in Lebanon
The Israeli military stopped a flying machine without a pilot that was seen coming from Lebanon and heading towards Israel.
It said the plane was shot down “far in Lebanon”.
The military in Israel said that some missiles were shot from Lebanon towards Israel. In return, the Israeli forces fired back with their own weapons.More update on this story soon…
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Israel demands that hostages be released during battle break
Israel has stated that it is willing to consider a pause for humanitarian reasons, but only if progress is made in addressing the issue of hostages.
Mark Regev, who works closely with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, believes that any agreement to stop the fighting should include the release of hostages.
Lyse Doucet from BBC asked Regev about Hamas saying that 60 people were killed by Israeli strikes on Gaza.
Regev says that he cannot say for sure if it’s true or not. He thinks it might just be something Hamas is saying to manipulate people’s minds.
They don’t want us to hurt them anymore, so they are saying that we are causing harm to our own people. They want us to believe something that is clearly not true.
Regev said that Israel has agreed to allow unlimited access for food, medicine, and water to enter Gaza through aid trucks.
Fuel is important because it can be used to produce electricity for hospitals, which is beneficial. However, it can also be used by Hamas to fuel their military operations, including shooting rockets at Israel. -
London demonstrations demand Israeli hostages be freed
In London, swarms accumulated at Parliament Square prior to request the discharge of the prisoners captured from Israel by Hamas amid its 7 October assault.
Online film appears the swarm singing God Spare the Ruler and the Israeli national song of devotion. Chants of “bring them domestic” can too be listened.
Agreeing to the Israeli international safe haven in London, thousands gone to.
Of the more than 240 prisoners taken by Hamas, four have been discharged and another was liberated by Israeli strengths.
Prior, Israeli counsel Stamp Regev denied Hamas claims that 60 prisoners had been murdered in Israeli discuss strikes.
We have been frequently upgrading this list of those taken. -
Israel-Gaza conflict diverts attention from Ukraine – Zelensky
The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, has said that the war between Israel and Gaza is distracting attention from the conflict in Ukraine.
He said that Russia had one of the goals of invading Ukraine completely in February 2022.
He said that the fighting in Ukraine was not at a point where neither side was making progress, even though the country’s highest military leader recently said it was.
Ukraine’s attack in the southern region has not been very successful up until now.
This has made some of Kyiv’s Western allies worried about getting tired of war, with some suggesting that some countries might be less willing to keep providing Ukraine with advanced weapons and money.
On Saturday, Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov confirmed that soldiers from the 128th Mountain Assault Brigade “Zakarpattia (Transcarpathia)” were killed. He ordered a thorough investigation into what he called a “tragedy”.
He didn’t mention the number of soldiers who died in the southern Zaporizhzhia region of Ukraine. Ukraine’s military stated that it was due to a Russian missile attack on Friday.
According to news in Ukraine and Russian military bloggers, over 20 Ukrainian soldiers were killed in a village near the front lines while attending an award ceremony.
Ukraine’s military said that on Saturday they were able to damage the sea and port facilities of a shipbuilding plant located in Crimea. Crimea is a southern peninsula that Russia took control of in 2014 without permission.
Russia’s defense ministry said that out of the 15 missiles fired by Ukraine on a plant in the city of Kerch in eastern Crimea, 13 were stopped and not hit their target, but a Russian ship was damaged.
During a meeting in Kyiv, President Zelensky said that the ongoing Middle East conflict is diverting attention away from Ukraine.
He said Russia wanted to make this focus less strong, but emphasized that we have the ability to handle everything.
Mr Zelensky was asked to give his thoughts on the recent statement made by Ukraine’s top military commander, Valery Zaluzhny. According to Zaluzhny, the war is transitioning into a static stage, which means it is becoming more stationary. This could be advantageous for Moscow as it would give them the opportunity to strengthen their military forces again.
“Everyone is getting exhausted and there are different views,” Mr. Zelensky responded, saying, “But this is not a deadlock. ”
He said that Russia has control over the skies and Ukraine needs F-16 warplanes and better anti-aircraft defenses from the US quickly to improve the situation.
The Ukrainian leader said that last year, people talked about a difficult situation in Ukraine’s battlefield. However, he mentioned that Kyiv later won important battles in the northeast region of Kharkiv and the south region of Kherson.
Mr Zelensky also denied that he was facing increasing pressure to think about discussing with Russia, as stated in the media.
Today, none of our European Union, United States, and other partner leaders are urging us to start negotiations with Russia and give away something to them. This won’t happen.
Moscow also gave its opinion on Mr. Zaluzhny’s statement on Thursday. The spokesperson for Russian President Vladimir Putin said the current situation on the battlefield is not at a standstill.
Dmitry Peskov said that Ukraine needs to achieve all the goals set during the war. He also mentioned that it is silly to even consider the possibility of the Kyiv regime winning on the battlefield.
President Putin has said many times that Ukraine’s counter-attack did not succeed. His Defence Minister, Sergei Shoigu, recently stated that Kyiv is losing the war even with new weapons from Nato allies.
In a recent report, the UK defense intelligence stated that Russia probably lost about 200 armored vehicles during their attacks on the town of Avdiivka in eastern Ukraine.
It is possible that Russia has lost many soldiers near the town since October 2023.
The report said that Russia’s leaders are willing to accept a lot of people being harmed or killed in order to gain small amounts of land.
Recently, Moscow has been attempting to make progress in eastern and north-eastern Ukraine. However, Ukraine’s military claims that they have successfully defended against all the attacks.
The statements made by the two sides in the conflict have not been checked and proven to be true by a neutral party. -
Gaza school bombing by Israel leaves women and children ‘torn to pieces’
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is very shocked and saddened by the news that Israel attacked a group of ambulances and a school in Gaza.
At least 15 people have died and 60 people are hurt after an airstrike by the IDF hit the emergency vehicles. The IDF says they believed the vehicles were being used by a group of terrorists from Hamas.
Earlier today, there was another attack from the air that hit a school where people who had to leave their homes were staying in Gaza. This attack caused the death of 15 more individuals, with the majority being children.
People who were there saw women and children being killed by the strike. The strike hit the schoolyard.
Since October 7, a total of 9,488 people from Palestine have died in Gaza, and among them, 3,900 were children.
Antonio Guterres said he is scared and shocked about the attack on an ambulance group near Al Shifa hospital in Gaza. The pictures of bodies scattered on the street in front of the hospital are very distressing.
The IDF said Hamas fighters use ambulances to move terrorists and weapons. They asked civilians to leave the area because it is dangerous now.
Hamas and the administrators of al-Shifa hospital say that they do not use the facility as a place for militant fighters to gather.
The Foreign Office is sad that the Rafah border crossing is temporarily closed.
A spokesperson for FCDO said that the situation is difficult and challenging. They are trying their best to use diplomatic communication to request that it be reopened.
‘We are keeping in touch with British people in the area to give them the most recent information,’ it said.
‘It is very important that people, including all foreigners, and supplies for people in need can keep moving safely. ’
Police detained 11 people during pro-Palestinian demonstrations taking place in the city.
The police have said that the protest in Trafalgar Square is now starting to move away. They also mentioned that some protesters have gathered in Pall Mall, and police officers are still there with them.
The British Transport Police (BTP) said they were talking to the protesters at a pro-Palestinian sit-in at Charing Cross station.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), the BTP said: ‘The protesters are stopping the station from being used or operated as it was meant to be. ‘
This goes against Section 7 of the Public Order Act 2023. Police are talking and working with protesters to make sure the law is followed.Thousands of people who support Palestine have come together in Trafalgar Square in London. They are asking for the fighting between Israel and Hamas to stop.
A group of people climbed on top of the famous fountains in the square. They waved flags and banners and lit fireworks.
One protester had a sign saying ‘Let’s keep the world clean’ and it showed an Israeli flag being thrown away.
The Israeli ambassador to Poland criticized a banner shown at a protest in Warsaw, calling it clear and offensive antisemitism.
Some protestors said ‘Palestine will be free’ even though some people disagree with the meaning of the slogan.
Home Secretary Suella Braverman said before that the slogan is antisemitic and means calling for the destruction of Israel, and many people understand it that way.
However, people who support Palestine have argued against this meaning.
Jeremy Corbyn, the previous leader of the Labour Party, and comedian Alexei Sayle were among the people who spoke to the audience on a stage that was set up in the square.
Other people spoke and chanted ‘free, free Palestine’ and were cheered by a big crowd in central London.
Earlier today, 350 individuals gathered together to peacefully protest by sitting down, causing the closure of Oxford Circus.
The protest caused a lot of traffic and chaos in the busy shopping area because of similar protests that had already happened at important train stations.
This happened after a week of similar disruptive actions at important transportation sites in the UK.
The Home Secretary caused controversy by calling the people who were protesting in support of a ceasefire in Gaza as participating in ‘hate marches’.
A group of people who are against Ms. Braverman’s comments about refugees and homeless people setting up tents in public spaces gathered outside the Home Office in Westminster.
The Palestinian Red Crescent is addressing claims that Israeli forces bombed ambulances last night, and some say these ambulances were secretly used to transport Hamas fighters.
On Twitter, the group said that the ambulances were taking injured people from northern Gaza to a place close to the Rafah border. They also mentioned that one of the vehicles hit was carrying a 35-year-old woman who had been hurt by shrapnel.
In London, a lot of people have come together in Trafalgar Square to walk through the city and ask for a stop in fighting in Gaza.
Earlier today, more than 350 protestors closed Oxford Street. They blocked traffic and disrupted usual business by sitting down and refusing to move. This happened during the busiest hours in the shopping district.
The Free Palestine Coalition planned a protest that lasted for more than an hour at a busy intersection by sitting down on the road.
A new group, made up of Sisters Uncut, Black Lives Matter UK, and Black Jewish Alliance, started a protest at the BBC’s main office in Portland Place. They then went to Oxford Street and asked the broadcaster to stop showing biased news, which they believe supports Israel’s killing of people in Gaza. -
Israel closing in on Gaza City
It appears that the Israeli military wants to go into the western and eastern parts of the Gaza Strip and move the civilian people to the central neighborhoods of Sabra, Ziton, Daraj, and Askoula.
There are five places where people are fighting, and both sides say the fighting is really intense.
The biggest problem is in the northwest, where many tanks and armored vehicles have entered Gaza from Israel along the coast and gone about six to seven kilometers into Gaza.
Then they moved to the east, seemingly wanting to isolate Gaza City, which is the biggest city in the Strip in terms of size and population.
Israeli military planes are now attacking the al-Quds hospital more often. The hospital is a shelter for many people who ran there to stay safe.
Many people think these strikes are intended to make civilians move to the south and away from Gaza City.
The Palestinian Red Crescent Society said today that there was a bombing near the hospital and it hurt 21 people.
The BBC saw videos that revealed the large amount of damage to buildings and roads near the hospital. -
Israelis to protest in favour of relatives of hostages
People are going to come together in big cities in Israel tonight to show that they support the families of the people who are being held captive by Hamas in Gaza.
Protests will happen in many towns and cities like Haifa, Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Be’er Sheva, and Eilat, as reported by Haaretz newspaper.
Four weeks have passed since the attack on Israel on 7 October. Hamas is still keeping 241 people captive, which includes children, grandparents, civilians, and soldiers.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told US Secretary of State Antony Blinken that Israel will continue to attack Gaza and won’t allow humanitarian aid to enter the area until the hostages are released.
Haaretz newspaper says that some protesters want Netanyahu to be removed from his position. -
Ukraine war affected by Israel-Hamas conflict – Zelensky
The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, has acknowledged that the Israel-Hamas conflict is diverting attention from the war in Ukraine.
He said that Russia’s goal was to invade Ukraine, and they did so in February 2022.
He said that the fighting in Ukraine isn’t stuck, even though the country’s top military leader recently said that it is.
Ukraine’s attempt to fight back in the south hasn’t been very successful yet.
This has made Kyiv’s Western allies worried that they might get tired of supporting Ukraine in war. Some countries are starting to hesitate in giving Ukraine advanced weapons and money.
Why the gain of Kyiv’s east bank could be important
The conflict in Ukraine is getting worse as Russia is strengthening their defenses and making it harder for opponents to break through.
During a briefing in Kyiv, Ukrainian President Zelensky explained that the war in the Middle East is diverting attention from Ukraine. He made this statement while talking to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
He said Russia wanted this attention to be reduced, but emphasized that we have the ability to control everything.
MrZelensky was also questioned about what Ukraine’s top military commander, Valery Zaluzhny, said this week about the war entering a “positional” or static phase. Zaluzhny believes that this phase would be advantageous to Moscow because it would give them an opportunity to strengthen their military forces again.
“Everyone is getting tired and there are different opinions,” Mr Zelensky said. He also mentioned that this situation is not a stalemate.
He said that Russia has control of the skies and Ukraine urgently needs F-16 warplanes and advanced anti-aircraft defenses from the US to improve the situation.
The Ukrainian leader said that last year there was a lot of talk about a situation where no progress was being made on the large battlefield in Ukraine. However, he mentioned that Kyiv was able to achieve significant military victories in the northeastern Kharkiv region and the southern Kherson region afterwards.
Mr Zelensky said that the reports in the media about him feeling more pressure to talk with Russia are not true.
Today, none of our partners in the EU, US, and other countries are forcing us to have talks with Russia and give them something in return. This won’t happen.
Moscow responded to Mr. Zaluzhny’s statement on Thursday. The spokesperson for Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the current situation on the battlefield is not a “stalemate”.
“According to Dmitry Peskov, all the objectives of the war need to be accomplished. He also mentioned that Ukraine should understand that discussing the possibility of the Kyiv government winning the war is unreasonable. ”
President Putin has said many times that Ukraine’s counter-attack has not been successful, and his Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu recently stated that Kyiv is losing the war even though they are receiving new weapons from Nato allies.
The UK defense intelligence recently reported that Russia may have lost about 200 tanks and other armored vehicles while attacking Avdiivka in eastern Ukraine.
It is possible that Russia has had many soldiers hurt or killed in the town since October 2023.
The report stated that Russia’s leaders are still willing to accept many people getting hurt or killed in order to gain small amounts of land.
Moscow has been attempting to make progress in eastern and north-eastern Ukraine recently, but Ukraine’s military says they have successfully defended against all the attacks.
The statements made by both sides have not been checked to confirm if they are true or not. -
Israel rejects Blinken’s request for a pause in Gaza
Israel has rejected the request from the US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, to temporarily stop the conflict in Gaza for humanitarian reasons.
Mr Blinken talked about the idea with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other officials when they met in Tel Aviv.
But in a TV statement a few minutes later, Mr. Netanyahu said that Israel refuses to accept a short-term pause in fighting that doesn’t include the freedom of our captured people.
He said that Israel was using all their strength to fight against Hamas.
The US government tried to help with diplomacy while Israeli military leaders said they surrounded Gaza City and were fighting in a complicated urban environment.
Video explanation, The text needs to be rewritten in simpler words.
Amani left her family in Gaza to go to school in the UK right before the war started. Now she is very worried as she keeps a close eye on something.
Israel started attacking after Hamas fighters killed 1,400 people in Israel and took more than 240 hostages. They used air force and ground forces in their attack.
Israel has attacked and caused the deaths of at least 9,200 people in Gaza, as reported by the health ministry run by Hamas.
During his trip to Tel Aviv, Mr Blinken expressed that the US will keep supporting Israel. He also asked Israel to take definite actions to ensure the safety of Palestinian civilians.
Mr Blinken said that today we discussed some important questions. These questions were about how to use a break in fighting to help more people in need, how to link the break to the freeing of hostages, and how to make sure that Hamas doesn’t take advantage of these breaks or agreements.
He observed that over 100 trucks with aid arrived in Gaza within the last day, even though they were not allowed before. However, he mentioned that this amount was still insufficient.
Mr Blinken visited the region for the second time in a month and mentioned that the US has been guiding Israel on reducing civilian casualties while also dealing with Hamas. And he said that they talked about practical steps to send more help, like fuel, to reach Gaza.
However, Mr Netanyahu strongly stated that he would not permit any fuel to enter the Gaza Strip. He has also refused any discussion about stopping the fighting.
The Israeli Prime Minister said that Israel will not agree to a temporary pause in fighting unless our hostages are released.
The US secretary of state said that Israel can only become more secure by forming a Palestinian state.
He said that the US has always believed in having two separate states for two different groups of people. Once again, this is the only way to guarantee long-term safety for Israel as a Jewish and democratic country.
During a press conference with the Israeli President Isaac Herzog, Mr. Blinken said that Israel has the responsibility to protect itself and make sure that the events of 7 October don’t occur again.
Mr Herzog mentioned that Israel is making big efforts to let people in Gaza know about airstrikes. He showed a pamphlet that is being dropped there, advising civilians to leave the northern area affected by the war.
While the two men were talking, some people outside were shouting through a loudspeaker on a street nearby. These people were the families of Israelis who had been kidnapped.
Media caption means providing a brief description or explanation that accompanies a media file, such as a video or image.
Mr Herzog expressed sympathy for them, while Mr. Blinken mentioned that the US is constantly thinking about our hostages.
“We have a lot of people, including Israelis, Americans, and others, and we are committed to doing everything possible to bring them back safely to reunite with their families and loved ones,” he said.
White House officials talked to reporters on a conference call and said that Hamas was not allowing people from other countries to leave Gaza.
One of the officials said that it would take a long break in the Israeli offensive to have any chance of freeing the hostages.
Showing the political pressure that Mr. Biden is experiencing from the left-wing of his party, one Democratic representative criticized him harshly on Friday.
Rashida Tlaib, a congresswoman from Michigan, accused the president of not doing enough to stop the killing of Palestinian people and called it genocide. She is the only US lawmaker who has Palestinian heritage.
She said, “If you don’t support a ceasefire now, don’t expect us to support you in the 2024 election. ”
The person in charge of the United States’ foreign affairs is currently in Jordan. Jordan recently called back its ambassador from Israel.
This Saturday, the highest-ranking American diplomat will have a meeting with Arab leaders. These leaders have been speaking out more and more against Israel’s actions in Gaza. -
Israel acknowledges airstrikes on an ambulance outside a hospital
Israel has admitted to attacking an ambulance near Gaza City’s Al-Shifa Hospital. The hospital is the biggest medical center in the area, and many people have reported that the attack caused the death and injury of many individuals.
On Friday, the health authorities controlled by Hamas said that more than 15 people were killed and around 50 others were injured. A video from the area showed at least twelve injured people with blood on them lying on the ground close to an ambulance. It looks like one of the cars has been damaged by pieces of metal at the place of the accident.
Israel said that it attacked the ambulance because it was being used by Hamas, according to a statement from the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). “A military plane hit an ambulance that soldiers believed was being used by a group of Hamas terrorists near their location in the combat area. “
Several Hamas members were killed in the attack. We know that Hamas often uses ambulances to transport their members and weapons.
The ambulance strike made UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres repeat his request for a stop in the fighting in Gaza, but Israel said no.
Guterres said he was very scared about the news of an attack that happened in Gaza, where an ambulance convoy outside Al Shifa hospital was targeted.
“He said that the pictures of bodies lying on the street outside the hospital are very upsetting. He also mentioned that he remembers the acts of violence by Hamas in Israel, including the killing, injuring, and kidnapping of women and children. “”We demand that all people being held captive in Gaza are freed right away and without any conditions. “
He said that for almost a month, people in Gaza, even children and women, have been trapped, not receiving help,getting killed, and having their homes destroyed. He said that this needs to end.
A representative from the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza, who was at Al-Shifa Hospital, stated that Israel was accountable for the assault.
The Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) said that one of their ambulances was in the group of vehicles that were attacked, but none of their team members were hurt in the incident.
According to the PCRS, the ambulance was harmed when a shell landed close to it. When the Al-Shifa hospital’s gate was reached, it was attacked again. The Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) stated that a separate ambulance from the Ministry of Health was also hit,resulting in the death and injury of numerous people in the vicinity.
Rewrite this text in simple words:Dr. Ashraf Al-Qidra explained that the hospital had arranged for a group of medical personnel to travel together, and they had let the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) know about it.
He said the group of vehicles was going to the Rafah Crossing, which is at the southern border of the trapped area. This crossing is seen as the only chance for the people of Gaza to getaway from the bombs that Israel is dropping on the area.
“When the ambulances went towards the south, Israel attacked the ambulances in many places,even at the entrance of the Al-Shifa medical compound,” he said. “The Israeli occupation purposely attacked those ambulances. “
The International Committee of the Red Cross told CNN that they received a request to go with the convoy before it left. However, it said in a later statement that although it knew about the planned movement of a group of vehicles taking injured patients from northern Gaza to the south of the area on Friday, it was not involved in the process.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said that even if we weren’t there, this is still a medical convoy. It is never okay to use violence against medical workers. They said that no doctors, nurses, or any medical professionals should ever lose their lives while doing their job of saving lives.
Al-Shifa Hospital is being increasingly involved in the conflict as Israel recently said that the hospital is an important place for Hamas to control and give orders.
Palestinians said that the Israeli army’s claim is not true. The leader of the Gaza Health Ministry, Dr. [DirectorGeneral’sName], Medhat Abbas, said to CNN recently that Gaza’s hospitals are solely used for treating patients and not for protecting anyone.
Hamas also disagreed with the statement,asking the United Nations, Arab, and Islamic nations to step in and stop the bombings and destroying of the medical system.
The place is in a very crowded area called the Gaza Strip, which is about 140squaremiles. The Israeli military is attacking and surrounding the area.
Hamas, aid groups, and many countries have asked Israel to stop fighting, but the government has refused. They want to destroy Hamas because of their recent attack that killed over 1,400 Israelis, mostly innocent people.
In Gaza, more and more innocent people are getting hurt as Israel attacks big neighborhoods where people live, schools, and some areas near hospitals. Israel claims they are only targeting military sites. Over 9,100 people have died in Israeli attacks in the Strip since October 7, according to the latest numbers from the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Ramallah. The information was gathered from sources in the Hamas-controlled area.
The constant bombing has made it really hard for Gaza’s hospitals to keep going. They are running out of important things like supplies and fuel.
In his statement about the ambulance strike, Guterres also talked about the urgent and difficult situation for the people in Gaza.
The situation in Gaza is verybad for the people living there. There is not enough food, water, and medicine to meet people’s needs. We are running out of fuel for hospitals and water plants.
Theemployees at Al-Shifa hospital are very tired, and there is not enough fuel to keep the lights on in the hospital rooms. This is causing problems with important things like making oxygen. Only one surgery room, the emergency area, and the specialized unit for critical patients called the ICU are still working,Dr. Yousef Abu Al-Rish, who is in charge of the hospitals in Gaza, said in a video that CNN obtained. -
One of the 72 employees killed in Gaza was disabled woman in her 20s – UN report
Taking a break from talking about Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, the UN relief agency for Palestinians, UNRWA, has announced that 72 of its workers have been killed in Gaza during the conflict between Israel and Hamas.
A young colleague with disabilities in her mid-20s, along with her family, was killed in northern Gaza, according to spokeswoman Juliette Touma speaking to the BBC.
The UN is taking care of 700,000 people who are living in shelters that are too crowded. In some of these shelters, up to 100 people have to share one toilet.
She repeated the UN’s request for a pause in fighting, stating that it should have happened earlier. Israel has said no to pleas for a stop in fighting. Many countries, including the UK and US, have not agreed with the UN’s request for a ceasefire. Instead, they are suggesting temporary breaks to allow humanitarian assistance. The US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, is currently in Israel. -
Hezbollah chief commends Hamas for their strikes on Israel
The head of a group called Hezbollah in Lebanon, which is very powerful in politics and military, has finally given his opinion on the war between Israel and Gaza.
Hassan Nasrallah gave a speech from a hidden place, and many people gathered at a rally in Lebanon’s capital Beirut to listen. He spoke highly about the attacks that happened in Israel on 7 October, which sadly took the lives of 1,400 people.
He said that Hamas, a banned terrorist group in the UK, US, and other countries, made good and fair decisions. However, he also said that the attacks on Israel were completely done by Palestinians.
In his speech, he strongly criticized the United States, saying they were to blame for the war in Gaza.
Nasrallah also said thank you to the groups supported by Iran in Yemen and Iraq. The Houthi rebels in Yemen have been using drones to attack Israel, and Shia Iraqi militias have been attacking US forces in Iraq and Syria.
Iran supports a group called the Axis of Resistance. This group includes Hezbollah, a powerful force. It also includes militias in Iraq, Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad, the Houthis, and Hamas. -
Chief of Hezbollah to speak out over Israel-Gaza conflict
Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah, a Shia Islamist group in Lebanon, is speaking to his supporters in his first public statement since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas.
The speech will probably tell us what the group plans to do next. Right now, their fighters and the Israeli army are attacking each other a lot on the border between Lebanon and Israel.
This has made people worried that the area might become involved in the war.
Until now, the violence has mostly been controlled.
Ever since the 7 October attacks by Hamas, where over 1,400 people died, Lebanon has been very worried and keeping a close eye on Hezbollah.
The group is attacking Israel more often, and in response, Israel is fighting back. However, both parties have tried to prevent a situation from getting worse and most attacks have only happened near the border.
But this might be different in the future.
Israel is continuing its attack on Gaza, aiming to get rid of Hamas. The health ministry controlled by Hamas says that more than 9,000 Palestinians have been killed in the area.
Hamas keeps asking its friends to help in the fight, and people are curious if Hezbollah will respond to those requests.
Hezbollah is a big group in Lebanon that is seen as a terrorist organization by countries like the UK and the US. This means that the decisions made by the group have a big impact on more than just the people who support them. Many people, both supporters and enemies, are eagerly waiting for Nasrallah’s speech.
Nasrallah’s location is unknown, as always.
The group is organizing public events across the country where his address will be shared. Hezbollah sees this as an important moment. They did something unusual by telling people about it five days ahead of time. And earlier this week, they made exciting short videos with Nasrallah, which made people think something important was going to be announced.
The game Nasrallah is playing where he tries to predict something.
Many people in Lebanon still remember the terrible war that Hezbollah fought against Israel in 2006, and they are concerned that Hezbollah might involve the country in another war.
Hezbollah wants to destroy Israel. They think Israel is a stronger enemy than Hamas. Hezbollah has many different weapons, including special missiles that can hit far into Israel, and a large group of well-trained fighters.
The leader of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, said that he will react very strongly if Hezbollah starts fighting in another place during the conflict. The US advised Israel not to start a big fight with the group, and has sent two large ships to the eastern Mediterranean to stop the conflict from spreading.
A big war would be very bad for Lebanon, and most people outside of Hezbollah’s followers do not want it. The country has been going through a tough financial crisis for a long time, and there is no working government because of a disagreement in politics.
Another possibility – which many experts believe is the most likely – is that the group will carry out more attacks as a reaction to Hamas’s requests, but they will only target areas in the northern part of Israel.
The Biden government is cautioning Iran, both in public and in private, not to make the situation worse. Iran supports a group called the Axis of Resistance. This group includes Hezbollah, which is the most important force in the alliance. There are also other armed groups in Iraq, Syria (led by President Bashar al-Assad), Yemen (known as the Houthis), and Palestine (represented by Hamas) that Iran supports.
We are not sure how much control Tehran has over these groups, but it is probably safe to say that they do not make important decisions without Iran’s approval.
The Iranian President, Ebrahim Raisi, said that Israel has done really bad things that are making people very angry, and everyone might have to do something about it. Washington, he said, is telling us not to take any action, but they continue to strongly support Israel.
A confidential person close to Hezbollah informed me last week that Nasrallah, who often speaks out against Israel and the United States, was carefully following the situation and communicating regularly with the group’s military leaders, even though he hasn’t been speaking publicly.
“Hezbollah is completely aware of every small piece of information,” the source said. “They constantly do math. “ -
South Africa MP kicked out of shadow cabinet following remarks against Israel
The main opposition party in South Africa has taken MP Ghaleb Cachalia out of an important role in the government because of comments he made about the conflict between Israel and Gaza.
MrCachalia, who was the shadow minister for public enterprises for the Democratic Alliance (DA), is believed to have disobeyed the party’s stance on the conflict.
The party chose someone to speak for them in the Israel-Gaza conflict and told other members to not say things publicly that could make the situation worse.
But on Tuesday, Mr. Cachalia posted on Twitter: “I refuse to be kept quiet. ” Israel is killing many people.
The leader of the DA, John Steenhuisen, said that the MP’s behavior is selfish and focused only on their own interests rather than the greater good, according to SABC.
Mr Cachalia said he got a letter from the DA leader firing him, but he still supports the party.
“I will keep a close look on human rights violations here and around the world, and I will always speak honestly and fearlessly to those in authority,” he said.
Mimmy Gondwe will take over as the party’s spokesperson for public enterprises instead of him.