Following the surprise attack against Israel by Hamas, a photo of a mother, father, and three children caught in the crossfire has gone viral on the internet. When the family’s safe room—which was where they were taking refuge—was breached by a Palestinian militant group over the weekend, the family members were killed. The family friend Dor Pundark was in contact with them just before they went silent.
As Israel continuously pounding the Gaza Strip, the families of at least 150 Israeli hostages inside Gaza are growing increasingly terrified, and surrounding areas have been evacuated.
In a Monday press conference in New York, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres condemned the deaths that resulted from the weekend’s Hamas strikes and Israeli counterattacks. According to Margaret Besheer, a U.N. correspondent for VOA, Guterres called for a two-state solution to the crisis through negotiation and urged both sides to protect civilians and Hamas to release hostages. Guterres also urged both sides to protect civilians.
On Sunday in Kirkland, Washington State, two rallies faced off. While pro-Palestinian protest participants came to show solidarity for Gaza, Israeli expats gathered to support their country in its war against Hamas.
The number of people killed during the Hamas incursion into Israel has surpassed 600, making it the deadliest single day in Israeli history. Israeli airstrikes in retaliation have claimed at least 300 Palestinian lives.Linda Gradstein has this report from Jerusalem. VOA News
Israel opened a high-tech hub with the aim of increasing employment opportunities for Palestinians as part of a five-year development plan for East Jerusalem. It is the first step in a larger program to transform East Jerusalem into a local version of California’s Silicon Valley.
Israel showcases its urban warfare training program, which teaches soldiers how to avoid collateral damage, at a part of an army base designed to look like a Palestinian city in response to criticism over its recent raid on the Jenin Palestinian refugee camp.
Israel has vowed to crack down on the Lion’s Den, an armed Palestinian resistance group in West Bank that has attacked Israeli soldiers and civilians numerous times over the past six months.
Last week’s controversial visit by Israel’s newly appointed police minister, Itamar Ben Gvir, to a holy site in Jerusalem, which sparked controversy was discussed by U.N. Security Council. The visit sparked criticism from the Arab world and Israel’s closest ally, the United States.
The Permanent Observer of the State of Palestine to the United Nations, Riyad Mansour, addresses to the General Assembly about the Palestine issue