Abandoned Israeli farms cling to life in evacuation zone
Kibbutz Snir, Israel Reuters In an abandoned kibbutz in Israel’s evacuation zone near the Lebanese border, Lior Shelef has stayed behind to keep watch as a reservist in a protection force. He still tends the cows and chickens, even as Hezbollah rockets keep coming closer. The chicken coops had been damaged in a rocket attack […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
US comics help Israelis cope with trauma of Hamas attack
Modiin, Israel Reuters Tami Varon needed a night out to laugh. With two of her sons just back from fighting Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip, she joined some 400 others at a comedy show of visiting US comics in Israel to try to forget about the war for a while. For Varon and the […]
Bereaved family members plant trees in Israeli memorial for festival dead
Jerusalem Reuters Some of the bereaved families whose loved ones were killed in a Hamas rampage at the Nova music festival joined an Israeli Jewish nature project group on Sunday for a special tree-planting event at the site. The family of Liraz Assulin, 38, who fled from the Nova festival and was killed during the […]
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 […]
“One mission”: Rachel Goldberg’s agonising efforts to get her kidnapped son back from Hamas
Working with a team of public relations volunteers, Rachel Goldberg is determined to keep the world’s attention focused on the demand for the release of the hostages. YONAT SHIMRON, of Religion News Service, reports…