5 h. ago Israeli soldiers, and their mothers, increasingly reject calls to return to Gaza

As Israel calls up tens of thousands of reservists for its invasion of Gaza City, a growing number of soldiers are saying no. There are no official figures, but newly formed groups are broadcasting their refusal to serve despite the risk of imprisonment

Politics

44 h. ago Israel is forcing us to leave Gaza City. We know they might never let us return

The Guardian’s reporter in Gaza describes the dilemma facing her family and others, many hungry, penniless and without transportThe ninth of September is my sister Enas’s birthday, so we were happy this morning, drinking coffee as a family and telling jokes, until we saw the leaflets dropping down telling us to evacuate. So now, instead of preparing biscuits and cakes to celebrate, we are packing for another displacement.The Israeli army’s plan to occupy Gaza City sent me back to memories of the early days of the war: the tension, the terror and the psychological pressure. I am afraid the cycle of displacement will repeat itself again. Continue reading...

Politics

4 d. ago Israel used to lie about killing journalists; now it barely bothers to do so. What happened? | Meron Rapoport

The ‘most moral army in the world’ has killed at least 248 journalists in Gaza, seemingly without any shameMeron Rapoport is an Israeli journalist for +972 magazine and Local CallIn September 2022, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) published the results of an internal investigation into the killing of Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh in Jenin four months earlier. “There is a high possibility that Ms Abu Akleh was accidentally hit by IDF gunfire that was fired toward suspects identified as armed Palestinian gunmen,” read the summary of the investigation. The IDF expressed “its deep condolences” over her death. “The freedom of the press and maintaining the safety of journalists are part of the primary components of Israeli democracy, which the IDF is committed to upholding,” it added.This statement had little to do with the facts. Not only did numerous independent investigations indicate that Abu Akleh was killed by Israeli soldiers (a claim which the Israeli army initially denie...

Events

5 d. ago One year after Ayşenur Ezgi Eygi was killed, the US has not investigated. Her family wants answers

The American Turkish woman, 26, was shot in the head on 6 September 2024 by an Israeli sniper in the West BankÖzden Bennett’s first reaction after learning of her younger sister’s killing was disbelief. Ayşenur Ezgi Eygi had traveled to the occupied West Bank just three days earlier to volunteer with Palestinian communities facing violence at the hands of Israeli soldiers and settlers.But the shock and grief quickly gave way to dread – “that nothing would come of it, that she would have just died under that olive tree and that was it”, Bennett said this week, before the anniversary of Eygi’s death. Continue reading...

Events

8 d. ago Conservation groups clash with Highland community as decision on controversial golf course progresses

Campaigners are calling on members of the public to push Holyrood to reject the plans to protect a coastal dune system that they claim is one of the last remaining of its kind in Scotland.

Politics

8 d. ago At least 21,000 children disabled in Gaza during war, says UN committee – Middle East crisis live

More than 40,000 have suffered ‘new war-related injuries’ with more than half left disabled, says UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with DisabilitiesYemen’s Houthis have claimed responsibility for a missile launched at Israel (see 8.17am BST), saying they fired two ballistic missiles at Tel Aviv in what they said was an initial response to Israeli attacks on Yemen.The Israeli military moved deeper into Gaza City on Wednesday, with soldiers and tanks pushing into Sheikh Radwan, one of the urban centre’s largest and most crowded neighbourhoods, reports Reuters. Continue reading...

Events

2 w. ago Terrifying new October 7 footage shows Israeli soldier being hauled from his burning tank and led off to the Gaza Strip as family joins 'day of struggle' to demand release of hostages

The parents of 20-year-old tank gunner Nimrod Cohen, taken hostage in the Hamas-led atrocity in 2023, released a video of his capture on Monday.

Events

3 w. ago Indonesia working on details of plan to treat 2,000 people from Gaza amid concerns about right to return

Security ministry and the ministries of health and foreign affairs have met to discuss how the controversial proposal to treat Palestinians would workThe Indonesian government is working on plans to treat 2,000 people from war-ravaged Gaza, holding a series of inter-ministerial discussions to discuss logistics, legality and foreign policy implications relating to the highly sensitive proposal, according to a senior government official.Indonesia announced earlier this month that it would provide temporary medical assistance to 2,000 Palestinians from Gaza, with the uninhabited island of Galang identified as one possible site. Located just south of Singapore, the island was once home to a former camp for Vietnamese refugees and most recently the site of a pandemic hospital. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago Israel to call up 50,000 reservists before planned offensive on Gaza City, says Israeli military official – Middle East crisis live

Call-up notices sent as Israeli plans to increase its offensive; Israel studies Hamas’ response to proposal for 60-day ceasefireGood afternoon, Israel will call up 50,000 reservists before a planned offensive to take Gaza City but most forces that would operate in the Gaza Strip’s largest urban centre would be active duty soldiers, an Israeli military official said on Wednesday. The call-up notices could be sent in the coming days, with reservists to report for duty in September, the military official said.“Most of the troops that will be mobilised in this new stage will be active duty and not reservists,” said the official, who spoke to reporters on condition of anonymity.Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Wednesday that he treats leaders of other countries with respect after his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu attacked him over his decision to recognise a Palestinian state. “I don’t take these things personally, I engage with people diplomatically. He has had similar t...

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