There’s a neighborhood in Orange County, California, called Little Arabia, since the majority of the people living there are Afghan and Palestinian.With Cameraperson Vazgen Varzhabetian, Angelina Bagdasaryan visited the neighborhood and spoke with locals about the situation in the Middle East.
After the Israeli defence minister told soldiers to prepare for a ground invasion of Gaza, Israel launched additional airstrikes against the Gaza Strip during the night, raising fears that Israeli forces may invade the Hamas-ruled territory at any time. Furthermore, Israel said on Friday that Kiryat Shmona, a city in the north, will be evacuated.
Israel’s leaders have invited foreign media to visit the scenes of carnage and see fir themselves what sparked the war, as international criticism of the attacks in Gaza has grown.
In the aftermath of an attack on a Gaza Strip hospital that claimed hundreds of lives, Palestinians staged protests in the West Bank for a second day on Wednesday. Rock-throwing protestors, who have vented their anger at the incident—which they blame on Israel—were dispersed by Palestinian security forces using tear gas. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas was also a target of the protesters. Israel denies that it attacked the hospital.
Following extensive discussions with Netanyahu, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced that the two have agreed to develop a plan for delivering humanitarian aid to Gaza. As for the UN, it reports that most Palestinians in Gaza lack access to water, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warns Iran and Hezbollah not to get involved.
One of the most visited places in the world, Jerusalem’s Old City, has closed its stores, churches, and other public areas due to the ongoing hostilities between Israel and Hamas militants, that started on October 7. Tourists and pilgrims have fled the city in fear of escalating violence.
The US has reiterated its call that innocent civilians fleeing the Israel-Hamas conflict be given basic necessities and protection. A US senator has also strongly warned Iran and the Lebanese group Hezbollah over concerns of a wider regional conflict.
Concerns about Jewish safety have been raised globally by Hamas’s calls for solidarity events. From Washington state, Natasha Mozgovaya is on a US campus where tensions were visible.
A potential Hezbollah attack has prompted the evacuation of some towns in northern Israel. And as Yan Boechat reports for VOA from Metula, Israel, soldiers prepare for what they fear could become a new front while Israel shoots down rockets over the city.
Disinformation spread like wildfire on Saturday, just as rockets and Hamas militants infiltrated Israel.In addition to being fought offline, the conflict is also being fought online.