Hamas attack survivor waits six months for captive boyfriend’s release
Tel Aviv, Israel Reuters In the six months since she survived Hamas’ 7th October attack by hiding beneath a pile of bodies at an outdoor music festival turned killing field in southern Israel, Ziv Abud has devoted all her time to freeing her hostage boyfriend. Abud, 26, and her boyfriend Eliya Cohen were among party-goers […]
UN team says rape, gang rape likely occurred during Hamas attack on Israel
United Nations Reuters A team of United Nations experts reported on Monday that there were “reasonable grounds to believe” sexual violence, including rape and gang rape, occurred at several locations during the 7th October attack on Israel by Hamas militants. The team – led by UN special envoy for sexual violence in conflict Pramila Patten […]
Israeli rape crisis centres demand UN action over 7th October attacks
Jerusalem Reuters Israeli rape crisis centres called on the United Nations and other international bodies on Wednesday to address what they called the “systematic, targeted sexual abuse” of women during the Hamas-led assault on southern Israel on 7th October. Smoke rises from the Israeli side after Palestinian Hamas gunmen infiltrated areas of southern Israel, as […]
Evangelicals venture to Israel in show of solidarity
Jerusalem RNS Gerald McDermott, an American Anglican priest and retired professor of theology, had visited Israel 22 times before his most recent trip. The author of two books on Christian Zionism and the meaning of Israel to Christianity, he was invited to join a mission in late January to show solidarity with the Israeli people […]
Israeli military opens probe into reports of 7th October friendly fire deaths
Jerusalem Reuters Israel has begun investigating possible breaches of the law by its forces during the Hamas attack on 7th October, the military said on Tuesday, following reports some Israeli civilians may have been killed by friendly fire in the fighting. The left-wing daily Haaretz said the investigation centred on an incident in Kibbutz Be’eri, […]
UNRWA could shut down by end of February if funding does not resume
Doha, Qatar Reuters The United Nations Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA) said on Thursday that it will most likely be forced to shut down its operations in the Middle East, including in Gaza, by the end of the month if funding does not resume. A string of countries including the United States, Germany and Britain have […]
Foreign volunteers replace workers who fled Israeli farms under fire
Hatsav, Israel Reuters Rather than stretch out under the Caribbean sun, Mark Landsman has been spending his vacation picking tomatoes in Israel, unpaid and in striking range of Palestinian rockets. The New Jersey man, among thousands of foreigners who have come to southern Israeli farms emptied of labourers by more than three months of war in the Gaza […]
UN urges reversal of funding pause for Palestinian agency, vows accountability with staffers
Doha, Qatar/Geneva, Switzerland Reuters UN officials urged countries to reconsider a pause in funding for the UN agency for Palestinians on Sunday, pledging that any staff found involved in Hamas’ attack on Israel would be punished and warning that aid for some two million people in Gaza was at stake. At least nine countries, including […]
Countries pause funds for UN Palestinian agency; Israel wants it replaced
London, UK Reuters Six European countries paused funding for the UN refugee agency for Palestinians (UNRWA) on Saturday, following allegations that some of its staff were involved in the 7th October Hamas attacks on Israel. Britain, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Switzerland and Finland on Saturday joined the United States, Australia and Canada in pausing funding […]
Enduring pain keeps public support for Gaza war strong in Israel
Tel Aviv, Israel Reuters Life in Tel Aviv appears normal for Rhona Ukrainsky three months after Hamas killed 1,200 Israelis on 7th October, but the pain and fear are just under the surface, causing her to cry when the subject is mentioned and flinch when she hears a loud noise. The trauma inflicted by the […]