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Man in uniform sets himself on fire at gates to D.C.’s Israeli Embassy
Author of the article:Washington Post
Washington Post
Emily Davies, The Washington Post
Published Feb 25, 2024 • 2 minute read
A man is in critical condition after setting himself on fire midday Sunday outside the Israeli Embassy in D.C., authorities said.
No one else was injured in the incident, which took place just before 1 p.m. in the 3500 block of International Drive NW. A video shared online, which multiple officials said appeared to be posted by the man, shows him shouting “Free Palestine” as he burned.
The man said he was an active-duty member of the U.S. Air Force. A spokeswoman for the Air Force, Ann Stefanek, said they had not yet identified the man or verified whether he is in the service.
Since the Israel-Gaza war began just over four months ago, at least 29,629 people have been killed in the Gaza Strip, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. Israel estimates that about 1,200 people were killed in Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack and says 240 soldiers have been killed since the start of its military operation in Gaza.
Hamas and allied fighters took more than 253 people hostage. More than 100 were freed in exchange for more than 200 Palestinian detainees during a November pause in fighting. Israeli authorities believe that more than 100 hostages remain in Gaza.
On Sunday, uniformed Secret Service officers responded to a report of a person experiencing a possible medical or mental health emergency, said Joe Routh, a U.S. Secret Service spokesman.
Responding officers put out the fire before D.C. firefighters arrived, around 1 p.m., fire department spokesman Vito Maggiolo said. The D.C. Fire and Emergency Services department then took the man to a hospital in life-threatening condition. He remained hospitalized Sunday afternoon.
In the video, which is just over three minutes long, one person can be heard saying, “Hi sir, can I help you?” as the man approaches the gate to the embassy.
About 12 seconds later, as a person again asks, “Can I help you sir,” the man lights the fire.
The man burned for about a minute and collapsed on the ground, the video showed, before law enforcement began to extinguish the fire.
Authorities on Sunday afternoon said they were still investigating.
torontosun.com
Author of the article:Washington Post
Washington Post
Emily Davies, The Washington Post
Published Feb 25, 2024 • 2 minute read
A man is in critical condition after setting himself on fire midday Sunday outside the Israeli Embassy in D.C., authorities said.
No one else was injured in the incident, which took place just before 1 p.m. in the 3500 block of International Drive NW. A video shared online, which multiple officials said appeared to be posted by the man, shows him shouting “Free Palestine” as he burned.
The man said he was an active-duty member of the U.S. Air Force. A spokeswoman for the Air Force, Ann Stefanek, said they had not yet identified the man or verified whether he is in the service.
Since the Israel-Gaza war began just over four months ago, at least 29,629 people have been killed in the Gaza Strip, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. Israel estimates that about 1,200 people were killed in Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack and says 240 soldiers have been killed since the start of its military operation in Gaza.
Hamas and allied fighters took more than 253 people hostage. More than 100 were freed in exchange for more than 200 Palestinian detainees during a November pause in fighting. Israeli authorities believe that more than 100 hostages remain in Gaza.
On Sunday, uniformed Secret Service officers responded to a report of a person experiencing a possible medical or mental health emergency, said Joe Routh, a U.S. Secret Service spokesman.
Responding officers put out the fire before D.C. firefighters arrived, around 1 p.m., fire department spokesman Vito Maggiolo said. The D.C. Fire and Emergency Services department then took the man to a hospital in life-threatening condition. He remained hospitalized Sunday afternoon.
In the video, which is just over three minutes long, one person can be heard saying, “Hi sir, can I help you?” as the man approaches the gate to the embassy.
About 12 seconds later, as a person again asks, “Can I help you sir,” the man lights the fire.
The man burned for about a minute and collapsed on the ground, the video showed, before law enforcement began to extinguish the fire.
Authorities on Sunday afternoon said they were still investigating.
Man in uniform sets himself on fire at gates to D.C.’s Israeli Embassy
A man is in critical condition after setting himself on fire midday Sunday outside the Israeli Embassy in D.C., authorities said.
Palestinian prime minister submits government’s resignation, could open door to reforms
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Published Feb 26, 2024 • Last updated 2 days ago • 2 minute read
JERUSALEM (AP) — The Palestinian prime minister announced the resignation of his government on Monday, paving the way for a shake-up in the Palestinian Authority, which the U.S. hopes will eventually take on a role in postwar Gaza.
Many obstacles remain to making a revamped Palestinian Authority a reality. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, whose forces were driven from Gaza by Hamas in 2007, has made clear that he would like the PA to govern the enclave after the war. But it is deeply unpopular among Palestinians, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has roundly rejected the idea of putting the authority in charge of the territory.
Abbas accepted the resignation late Monday, the official Wafa news agency announced, but left Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh in place at the head of a caretaker government until a successor is named. There was no word on how long that might take.
The move appears to be the first step in a process toward ushering in reforms sought by the United States, as international negotiations ramp up to bring about a cease-fire. The authority, created under interim Israeli-Palestinian peace deals in the early 1990s, administers parts of the West Bank but is beset by corruption.
“The next stage and its challenges require new governmental and political arrangements that take into account the new reality in the Gaza Strip,” Shtayyeh said at a Cabinet meeting.
Netanyahu has vowed to destroy the military and governing capabilities of Hamas — which has ruled Gaza since 2007 and staged the Oct. 7 attack on Israel that set off the current war. He has called for Israel to maintain open-ended security control in the territory after the conflict, with Palestinian officials in charge of civilian affairs.
The Palestinians have rejected such a limited role and seek an independent state in the West Bank, east Jerusalem and Gaza — areas captured by Israel in the 1967 Mideast war.
Abbas is expected to choose Mohammad Mustafa, chairman of the Palestine Investment Fund, as the next prime minister. Mustafa is a U.S.-educated economist who has held senior positions in the World Bank and served in senior posts in the Palestinian Authority. Palestinian officials say he has a good, longstanding working relationship with American officials.
torontosun.com
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Published Feb 26, 2024 • Last updated 2 days ago • 2 minute read
JERUSALEM (AP) — The Palestinian prime minister announced the resignation of his government on Monday, paving the way for a shake-up in the Palestinian Authority, which the U.S. hopes will eventually take on a role in postwar Gaza.
Many obstacles remain to making a revamped Palestinian Authority a reality. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, whose forces were driven from Gaza by Hamas in 2007, has made clear that he would like the PA to govern the enclave after the war. But it is deeply unpopular among Palestinians, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has roundly rejected the idea of putting the authority in charge of the territory.
Abbas accepted the resignation late Monday, the official Wafa news agency announced, but left Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh in place at the head of a caretaker government until a successor is named. There was no word on how long that might take.
The move appears to be the first step in a process toward ushering in reforms sought by the United States, as international negotiations ramp up to bring about a cease-fire. The authority, created under interim Israeli-Palestinian peace deals in the early 1990s, administers parts of the West Bank but is beset by corruption.
“The next stage and its challenges require new governmental and political arrangements that take into account the new reality in the Gaza Strip,” Shtayyeh said at a Cabinet meeting.
Netanyahu has vowed to destroy the military and governing capabilities of Hamas — which has ruled Gaza since 2007 and staged the Oct. 7 attack on Israel that set off the current war. He has called for Israel to maintain open-ended security control in the territory after the conflict, with Palestinian officials in charge of civilian affairs.
The Palestinians have rejected such a limited role and seek an independent state in the West Bank, east Jerusalem and Gaza — areas captured by Israel in the 1967 Mideast war.
Abbas is expected to choose Mohammad Mustafa, chairman of the Palestine Investment Fund, as the next prime minister. Mustafa is a U.S.-educated economist who has held senior positions in the World Bank and served in senior posts in the Palestinian Authority. Palestinian officials say he has a good, longstanding working relationship with American officials.
Palestinian prime minister submits government’s resignation, could open door to reforms
The U.S. wants a reformed Palestinian Authority to govern Gaza once the war is over. But many obstacles remain to making that a reality.
Air Force member has died after setting himself on fire outside the Israeli embassy in DC
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Michael Balsamo
Published Feb 26, 2024 • 1 minute read
WASHINGTON (AP) — An active-duty member of the U.S. Air Force has died after he set himself ablaze outside the Israeli Embassy in Washington, D.C., while declaring that he “will no longer be complicit in genocide.”
The 25-year-old airman, Aaron Bushnell, of San Antonio, Texas, died from his injuries, the Metropolitan Police Department said Monday.
Bushnell had walked up to the embassy shortly before 1 p.m. on Sunday and began livestreaming on the video streaming platform Twitch, a person familiar with the matter told The Associated Press. Law enforcement officials believe the man started a livestream, set his phone down and then doused himself in accelerant and ignited the flames. At one point, he said he “will no longer be complicit in genocide,” the person said. The video was later removed from the platform, but law enforcement officials have obtained and reviewed a copy.
The person was not authorized to publicly discuss details of the ongoing investigation and spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity.
The incident happened as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is seeking the cabinet approval for a military operation in the southern Gazan city of Rafah while a temporary cease-fire deal is being negotiated. Israel’s military offensive in Gaza, however, has drawn criticisms, including genocide claims against the Palestinians.
Israel has adamantly denied the genocide allegations and says it is carrying out operations in accordance with international law in the Israel-Hamas war.
In December, a person self-immolated outside the Israeli consulate in Atlanta and used gasoline as an accelerant, according to Atlanta’s fire authorities. A Palestinian flag was found at the scene, and the act was believed to be one of “extreme political protest.”
torontosun.com
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Michael Balsamo
Published Feb 26, 2024 • 1 minute read
WASHINGTON (AP) — An active-duty member of the U.S. Air Force has died after he set himself ablaze outside the Israeli Embassy in Washington, D.C., while declaring that he “will no longer be complicit in genocide.”
The 25-year-old airman, Aaron Bushnell, of San Antonio, Texas, died from his injuries, the Metropolitan Police Department said Monday.
Bushnell had walked up to the embassy shortly before 1 p.m. on Sunday and began livestreaming on the video streaming platform Twitch, a person familiar with the matter told The Associated Press. Law enforcement officials believe the man started a livestream, set his phone down and then doused himself in accelerant and ignited the flames. At one point, he said he “will no longer be complicit in genocide,” the person said. The video was later removed from the platform, but law enforcement officials have obtained and reviewed a copy.
The person was not authorized to publicly discuss details of the ongoing investigation and spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity.
The incident happened as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is seeking the cabinet approval for a military operation in the southern Gazan city of Rafah while a temporary cease-fire deal is being negotiated. Israel’s military offensive in Gaza, however, has drawn criticisms, including genocide claims against the Palestinians.
Israel has adamantly denied the genocide allegations and says it is carrying out operations in accordance with international law in the Israel-Hamas war.
In December, a person self-immolated outside the Israeli consulate in Atlanta and used gasoline as an accelerant, according to Atlanta’s fire authorities. A Palestinian flag was found at the scene, and the act was believed to be one of “extreme political protest.”
Air Force member has died after setting himself on fire outside the Israeli embassy in DC
The 25-year-old airman, Aaron Bushnell, of San Antonio, Texas, died from his injuries, the Metropolitan Police Department said Monday.
Smart guy .Air Force member has died after setting himself on fire outside the Israeli embassy in DC
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Michael Balsamo
Published Feb 26, 2024 • 1 minute read
WASHINGTON (AP) — An active-duty member of the U.S. Air Force has died after he set himself ablaze outside the Israeli Embassy in Washington, D.C., while declaring that he “will no longer be complicit in genocide.”
The 25-year-old airman, Aaron Bushnell, of San Antonio, Texas, died from his injuries, the Metropolitan Police Department said Monday.
Bushnell had walked up to the embassy shortly before 1 p.m. on Sunday and began livestreaming on the video streaming platform Twitch, a person familiar with the matter told The Associated Press. Law enforcement officials believe the man started a livestream, set his phone down and then doused himself in accelerant and ignited the flames. At one point, he said he “will no longer be complicit in genocide,” the person said. The video was later removed from the platform, but law enforcement officials have obtained and reviewed a copy.
The person was not authorized to publicly discuss details of the ongoing investigation and spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity.
The incident happened as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is seeking the cabinet approval for a military operation in the southern Gazan city of Rafah while a temporary cease-fire deal is being negotiated. Israel’s military offensive in Gaza, however, has drawn criticisms, including genocide claims against the Palestinians.
Israel has adamantly denied the genocide allegations and says it is carrying out operations in accordance with international law in the Israel-Hamas war.
In December, a person self-immolated outside the Israeli consulate in Atlanta and used gasoline as an accelerant, according to Atlanta’s fire authorities. A Palestinian flag was found at the scene, and the act was believed to be one of “extreme political protest.”
Air Force member has died after setting himself on fire outside the Israeli embassy in DC
The 25-year-old airman, Aaron Bushnell, of San Antonio, Texas, died from his injuries, the Metropolitan Police Department said Monday.
Sad really. Pretty extreme over the top reaction that changes nothing. A recent Research Co. poll in British Columbia found that over 77 per cent of residents on Vancouver Island, 74 per cent in the Fraser Valley and 71 per cent in southern B.C. are concerned about rising antisemitism in Canada. Significantly, nearly two-thirds of the province’s residents (64 per cent) agree with Canada’s decision to suspend funding for the United Nations Relief Works Agency after some of its staff were found to be complicit in terrorism.
A revelatory survey conducted earlier this month by the Harvard Center for American Political Studies and Harris Poll has found that 82 per cent of Americans support Israel in the conflict against Hamas. In January, the firms also found that an overwhelming 83 per cent of Americans say Oct. 7 was a terror attack. But if you listen to U.S. President Joe Biden in recent weeks, you will think that the tide is shifting against Israel. Nothing could be further from the truth. Contrary to Biden’s recent pronouncements, the January polling results even found that 67 per cent of Americans say a ceasefire should happen only if all hostages are freed and Hamas is removed from power.
It’s important now more than ever to recognize that there are millions of citizens amongst us who “get it.” We see our left-leaning media give Palestinian terrorists a free pass and may think this sentiment represents Canadians. It does not. We see our own government waffle between support for Hamas and support for Israel and think it reflects public opinion. It does not. We see pro-Hamas mobs on our streets and university campuses waving Palestinian flags while calling for the genocide of the Jewish people and think everyone feels this way. They do not.
Avi Benlolo: The left’s disingenuous push to redeem the depraved brutality of Hamas — National Post
Unwilling to tell right from wrong, the left-leaning media gives Palestinian terrorists a free pass
That's an interesting and informative article. But I have a caveat. . . it's not the President's job to read the polls and do whatever they purport to favor. And a wise President (rare beast indeed!) thinks of these issues in terms just a tad more complex than "Good guys GOOD! Bad guys BAD!"
Hamas is reported to have said that an agreement on a truce could be reached within the next 24 to 48 hours, with a source from the group telling Egyptian media a deal depended on Israel agreeing to its demands.
Expectations of a deal were raised after a senior US official said Israel for its part had "basically agreed" a framework for a six-week ceasefire, but Israeli media say Hamas is refusing to say which of its hostages are still alive, so Israel will not attend.
Mediators and Hamas have arrived in the Egyptian capital, Cairo, for talks on a new ceasefire, as Israel is reported to be demanding reassurances on the hostages' fate before attending.
apple.news
Expectations of a deal were raised after a senior US official said Israel for its part had "basically agreed" a framework for a six-week ceasefire, but Israeli media say Hamas is refusing to say which of its hostages are still alive, so Israel will not attend.
Mediators and Hamas have arrived in the Egyptian capital, Cairo, for talks on a new ceasefire, as Israel is reported to be demanding reassurances on the hostages' fate before attending.
Israel-Gaza war: Israel demands names of hostages still alive for deal on new ceasefire — BBC News
A Hamas delegation is understood to be in Cairo, but the Israelis want more information about hostages.
…& further with Israel & their unrealistically unreasonable demands…Israel boycotted Gaza ceasefire talks in Cairo on Sunday after Hamas rejected its demand for a complete list naming hostages that are still alive, an Israeli newspaper reported.
apple.news
One source briefed on the talks had said on Saturday that Israel could stay away from Cairo unless Hamas first presented its full list of hostages who are still alive. A Palestinian source told Reuters that Hamas had so far rejected that demand.
In past negotiations Hamas has sought to avoid discussing the wellbeing of individual hostages until after terms for their release are set…so there’s a president for their… refusal to just let Israeli families know which hostages are alive or not.
VP Harris urges Hamas to agree to an immediate ceasefire, pushes Israel on aid to Gaza — Reuters
U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris on Sunday demanded Palestinian militant group Hamas agree to an immediate six-week ceasefire while forcefully urging Israel to do more to boost aid deliveries into Gaza, where she said innocent people were suffering a "humanitarian catastrophe."
In past negotiations Hamas has sought to avoid discussing the wellbeing of individual hostages until after terms for their release are set…so there’s a president for their… refusal to just let Israeli families know which hostages are alive or not.
On Sunday, a Hamas delegation had arrived in Cairo for the latest round of ceasefire talks, billed by many as the final possible hurdle for a truce, but it was unclear if any progress was made. Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth's online version reported that Israel boycotted the talks after Hamas rejected its demand for a complete list naming hostages who are still alive.
Washington has insisted the ceasefire deal is close and has been pushing to put in place a truce by the start of Ramadan, a week away. A U.S. official on Saturday said Israel has agreed on a framework deal.
A Palestinian source told Reuters that Hamas had so far rejected that demand.
apple.news
Washington has insisted the ceasefire deal is close and has been pushing to put in place a truce by the start of Ramadan, a week away. A U.S. official on Saturday said Israel has agreed on a framework deal.
A Palestinian source told Reuters that Hamas had so far rejected that demand.
VP Harris urges Hamas to agree to an immediate ceasefire, pushes Israel on aid to Gaza — Reuters
U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris on Sunday demanded Palestinian militant group Hamas agree to an immediate six-week ceasefire while forcefully urging Israel to do more to boost aid deliveries into Gaza, where she said innocent people were suffering a "humanitarian catastrophe."
UN envoy says ’reasonable grounds’ to believe Hamas committed sexual violence on Oct. 7
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Edith M. Lederer
Published Mar 04, 2024 • Last updated 1 day ago • 5 minute read
UNITED NATIONS — The UN envoy focusing on sexual violence in conflict said in a new report Monday that there are “reasonable grounds” to believe Hamas committed rape, “sexualized torture,” and other cruel and inhumane treatment of women during its surprise attack in southern Israel on Oct. 7.
There are also “reasonable grounds to believe that such violence may be ongoing,” said Pramila Patten, who visited Israel and the West Bank from Jan. 29 to Feb. 14 with a nine-member technical team.
Based on first-hand accounts of released hostages, she said the team “found clear and convincing information” that some women and children during their captivity were subjected to the same conflict-related sexual violence including rape and “sexualized torture.”
The report comes nearly five months after the Oct. 7 attacks, which left about 1,200 people dead and some 250 others taken hostage. Israel’s war against Hamas has since laid waste to the Gaza Strip, killing more than 30,000 people, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. The UN says a quarter of Gaza’s 2.3 million people face starvation.
Hamas has rejected earlier allegations that its fighters committed sexual assault.
Patten stressed at a press conference launching the report that the team’s visit was not to investigate allegations of sexual violence but to gather, analyze and verify information for Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ annual report on sexual violence in conflict and for the UN Security Council.
Her key recommendation is to encourage Israel to grant access to the UN human rights chief and the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Palestinian territories and Israel “to carry out full-fledged investigations into the alleged violations” _ and she expressed hope the Security Council would do this.
Patten said the team was not able to meet with any victims of sexual violence “despite concerted efforts to encourage them to come forward.” While the number of victims remains unknown, she said, “a small number of those who are undergoing treatment are reportedly experiencing severe mental distress and trauma.”
However, team members held 33 meetings with Israeli institutions and conducted interviews with 34 people including survivors and witnesses of the Oct. 7 attacks, released hostages, health providers and others.
Based on the information it gathered, Patten said, “there are reasonable grounds to believe that conflict-related sexual violence occurred during the 7 October attacks in multiple locations across Gaza periphery, including rape and gang rape, in at least three locations.”
Across various locations, she said, the team found “that several fully naked or partially naked bodies from the waist down were recovered — mostly women — with hands tied and shot multiple times, often in the head.”
While this is circumstantial, she said the pattern of undressing and restraining victims “may be indicative of some forms of sexual violence.”
At the Nova music festival and its surroundings, Patten said, “there are reasonable grounds to believe that multiple incidents of sexual violence took place with victims being subjected to rape and/or gang rape and then killed or killed while being raped.”
“There are further accounts of individuals who witnessed at least two incidents of rape of corpses of women,” Patten said. “Other credible sources at the Nova music festival site described seeing multiple murdered individuals, mostly women, whose bodies were found naked from the waist down, some totally naked,” some shot in the head, some tied to trees or poles with their hands bound.
On Road 232 — the road to leave the festival — “credible information based on witness accounts describe an incident of the rape of two women by armed elements,” Patten said. Other reported rapes and gang rapes couldn’t be verified and require investigation.
“Along this road, several bodies were found with genital injuries, along with injuries to other body parts,” she said. “Discernible patterns of genital mutilation could not be verified at this time but warrant future investigation.”
She said “the mission team also found a pattern of bound naked or partially naked bodies from the waist down, in some cases tied to structures including trees and poles, along Road 232.”
People fleeing the Nova music festival also attempted to escape south and sought shelter in and around kibbutz Reim where Patten said there are “reasonable grounds” to believe sexual violence occurred.
The mission team verified the rape of a woman outside a bomb shelter and heard of other allegations of rape that could not yet be verified.
At Kibbutz Be’eri, Patten said, her team “was able to determine that at least two allegations of sexual violence widely repeated in the media, were unfounded due to either new superseding information or inconsistency in the facts gathered.”
These included a highly publicized allegation that a pregnant woman’s womb was reportedly ripped open before being killed with her fetus stabbed inside her, Patten said.
Another was “the interpretation initially made of the body of a girl found separated from the rest of her family, naked from the waist down,” she said. “It was determined by the mission team that the crime scene had been altered by a bomb squad and the bodies moved, explaining the separation of the body of the girl from the rest of her family.”
Patten said further investigation is needed of allegations, including of bodies found naked and in one case gagged, at kibbutz Be’eri to determine if sexual violence occurred.
At Kibbutz Kfar Aza, Patten said, verification of sexual violence was not possible. But she said “available circumstantial information — notably the recurring pattern of female victims found undressed, bound, and shot — indicates that sexual violence, including potential sexualized torture, or cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment, may have occurred.”
Patten stressed that “the true prevalence of sexual violence during the Oct. 7 attacks and their aftermath may take months or years to emerge and may never be fully known.”
Patten said the team, which also visited the West Bank, received information from institutional and civil society sources as well as through interviews “about some forms of sexual violence against Palestinian men and women in detention settings, during house raids and at checkpoints.”
The head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees on Monday said hundreds of Palestinians detained by Israel after Oct. 7 attacks have reported a broad range of ill-treatment from having pictures taken of them naked to being threatened with electrocution.
Phillipe Lazzarini told a news conference his agency, known as UNRWA, had put together an unpublished internal report based on information from detainees returning to Gaza “completely traumatized by the ordeal.”
He said some had been detained for a couple of weeks, some for several months.
“We heard stories of people not only having been systematically humiliated,” the UNRWA commissioner general said. “People have been being obliged to be pictured naked.”
torontosun.com
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Edith M. Lederer
Published Mar 04, 2024 • Last updated 1 day ago • 5 minute read
UNITED NATIONS — The UN envoy focusing on sexual violence in conflict said in a new report Monday that there are “reasonable grounds” to believe Hamas committed rape, “sexualized torture,” and other cruel and inhumane treatment of women during its surprise attack in southern Israel on Oct. 7.
There are also “reasonable grounds to believe that such violence may be ongoing,” said Pramila Patten, who visited Israel and the West Bank from Jan. 29 to Feb. 14 with a nine-member technical team.
Based on first-hand accounts of released hostages, she said the team “found clear and convincing information” that some women and children during their captivity were subjected to the same conflict-related sexual violence including rape and “sexualized torture.”
The report comes nearly five months after the Oct. 7 attacks, which left about 1,200 people dead and some 250 others taken hostage. Israel’s war against Hamas has since laid waste to the Gaza Strip, killing more than 30,000 people, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. The UN says a quarter of Gaza’s 2.3 million people face starvation.
Hamas has rejected earlier allegations that its fighters committed sexual assault.
Patten stressed at a press conference launching the report that the team’s visit was not to investigate allegations of sexual violence but to gather, analyze and verify information for Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ annual report on sexual violence in conflict and for the UN Security Council.
Her key recommendation is to encourage Israel to grant access to the UN human rights chief and the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Palestinian territories and Israel “to carry out full-fledged investigations into the alleged violations” _ and she expressed hope the Security Council would do this.
Patten said the team was not able to meet with any victims of sexual violence “despite concerted efforts to encourage them to come forward.” While the number of victims remains unknown, she said, “a small number of those who are undergoing treatment are reportedly experiencing severe mental distress and trauma.”
However, team members held 33 meetings with Israeli institutions and conducted interviews with 34 people including survivors and witnesses of the Oct. 7 attacks, released hostages, health providers and others.
Based on the information it gathered, Patten said, “there are reasonable grounds to believe that conflict-related sexual violence occurred during the 7 October attacks in multiple locations across Gaza periphery, including rape and gang rape, in at least three locations.”
Across various locations, she said, the team found “that several fully naked or partially naked bodies from the waist down were recovered — mostly women — with hands tied and shot multiple times, often in the head.”
While this is circumstantial, she said the pattern of undressing and restraining victims “may be indicative of some forms of sexual violence.”
At the Nova music festival and its surroundings, Patten said, “there are reasonable grounds to believe that multiple incidents of sexual violence took place with victims being subjected to rape and/or gang rape and then killed or killed while being raped.”
“There are further accounts of individuals who witnessed at least two incidents of rape of corpses of women,” Patten said. “Other credible sources at the Nova music festival site described seeing multiple murdered individuals, mostly women, whose bodies were found naked from the waist down, some totally naked,” some shot in the head, some tied to trees or poles with their hands bound.
On Road 232 — the road to leave the festival — “credible information based on witness accounts describe an incident of the rape of two women by armed elements,” Patten said. Other reported rapes and gang rapes couldn’t be verified and require investigation.
“Along this road, several bodies were found with genital injuries, along with injuries to other body parts,” she said. “Discernible patterns of genital mutilation could not be verified at this time but warrant future investigation.”
She said “the mission team also found a pattern of bound naked or partially naked bodies from the waist down, in some cases tied to structures including trees and poles, along Road 232.”
People fleeing the Nova music festival also attempted to escape south and sought shelter in and around kibbutz Reim where Patten said there are “reasonable grounds” to believe sexual violence occurred.
The mission team verified the rape of a woman outside a bomb shelter and heard of other allegations of rape that could not yet be verified.
At Kibbutz Be’eri, Patten said, her team “was able to determine that at least two allegations of sexual violence widely repeated in the media, were unfounded due to either new superseding information or inconsistency in the facts gathered.”
These included a highly publicized allegation that a pregnant woman’s womb was reportedly ripped open before being killed with her fetus stabbed inside her, Patten said.
Another was “the interpretation initially made of the body of a girl found separated from the rest of her family, naked from the waist down,” she said. “It was determined by the mission team that the crime scene had been altered by a bomb squad and the bodies moved, explaining the separation of the body of the girl from the rest of her family.”
Patten said further investigation is needed of allegations, including of bodies found naked and in one case gagged, at kibbutz Be’eri to determine if sexual violence occurred.
At Kibbutz Kfar Aza, Patten said, verification of sexual violence was not possible. But she said “available circumstantial information — notably the recurring pattern of female victims found undressed, bound, and shot — indicates that sexual violence, including potential sexualized torture, or cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment, may have occurred.”
Patten stressed that “the true prevalence of sexual violence during the Oct. 7 attacks and their aftermath may take months or years to emerge and may never be fully known.”
Patten said the team, which also visited the West Bank, received information from institutional and civil society sources as well as through interviews “about some forms of sexual violence against Palestinian men and women in detention settings, during house raids and at checkpoints.”
The head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees on Monday said hundreds of Palestinians detained by Israel after Oct. 7 attacks have reported a broad range of ill-treatment from having pictures taken of them naked to being threatened with electrocution.
Phillipe Lazzarini told a news conference his agency, known as UNRWA, had put together an unpublished internal report based on information from detainees returning to Gaza “completely traumatized by the ordeal.”
He said some had been detained for a couple of weeks, some for several months.
“We heard stories of people not only having been systematically humiliated,” the UNRWA commissioner general said. “People have been being obliged to be pictured naked.”
UN envoy says ’reasonable grounds’ to believe Hamas committed sexual violence on Oct. 7
The UN envoy said in a new report Monday that there are "reasonable grounds" to believe Hamas committed rape on Oct. 7.
Hamas pledged to continue the Cairo talks, but officials in the Palestinian militant group said a ceasefire must be in place before hostages are freed, Israeli forces must leave Gaza and all Gazans must be able to return to homes they have fled.
A source had earlier said Israel was staying away from the Cairo talks because Hamas refused to provide a list of hostages who are still alive. Hamas says this is “impossible without a ceasefire” as hostages are scattered across the war zone? Really?
apple.news
A source had earlier said Israel was staying away from the Cairo talks because Hamas refused to provide a list of hostages who are still alive. Hamas says this is “impossible without a ceasefire” as hostages are scattered across the war zone? Really?
Gaza ceasefire talks show no sign of progress, US says onus on Hamas — Reuters
Hamas on Thursday left Gaza ceasefire talks in Cairo where there was no sign of progress just days before the start of Ramadan, while the U.S. said the onus was on the Palestinian militant group to strike a deal on Israeli hostages.
And as the negotiations continue, or don’t: Reporting from occupied East Jerusalem, Al Jazeera’s Hamdah Salhut said: “This round of talks has concluded with no substantial answer or solution for [a] ceasefire or pause in the fighting.”
“It is worth mentioning that the Israelis themselves chose not to send their own delegation to Cairo for this round of talks because they wish receive a list of names of all of the captives who are alive and currently being held in Gaza,” Salhut said.
Hamas said meeting this Israeli demand is impossible without a ceasefire because captives are scattered across the warzone. According to Salhut, there were reports indicating there would be another round of talks next week.
Doesn’t sound like much give & take here, as in give back the hostages in order to take a break from the offensive in Gaza.
apple.news
(The main Gaza-based terror organization refused to address Jerusalem’s demand to provide a list of living hostages and to lock down how many “Palestinian” prisoners Israel must release for every hostage freed)
Despite charging that Israel’s unwillingness to accept the terror group’s demands was the reason a deal hasn’t progressed, a Hamas official told the UK-based Qatari outlet Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that it will not provide any further details on the hostages without Israel paying a “big price” for it.
“A big price must be paid in terms of alleviating the suffering of the people of Gaza and establishing a ceasefire,” he told the news outlet, signaling that the group was not prepared to accede to the demand.
It is believed that 130 hostages abducted by Hamas on October 7 remain in Gaza — not all of them alive — after the November truce and the recovery of several other hostages and bodies.
The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza said on Sunday that the death toll in the war had surpassed 30,400 people, with an additional 71,700 people having been injured.
The terror group’s figures are unverified, do not differentiate between civilians and combatants, and list all the fatalities as caused by Israel — even those believed to have been caused by hundreds of misfired rockets or otherwise by Palestinian fire.
So….why do Hamas & Friends NOT want to identify the names of the surviving hostages from the remaining total abducted from Israel on Oct 7th, 2023???
Hamas has refused to release all of the estimated 100 hostages it holds, and the remains of around 30 more, unless Israel ends its offensive, withdraws from Gaza and releases a large number of Palestinian prisoners, including senior militants serving life sentences.
U.S. officials have said that they are skeptical that Hamas actually wants a deal, because the group has balked at a number of what the U.S. and others believe are legitimate requests, including giving the names of hostages to be released.
Senior Hamas official Osama Hamdan said Tuesday that his group demands a permanent cease-fire, rather than a six-week pause, and a “complete withdrawal” of Israeli forces…which isn’t going to happen…so two-three days to Ramadan (depending on your time zone).
Israel was still waiting for Hamas to hand over a list of hostages who are alive as well as the hostage-to-prisoner ratio it seeks in any release deal, an Israeli official said.
apnews.com
When asked whether Hamas has a list of the surviving hostages, Hamdan said that the matter wasn’t relevant (???) to the talks and accused Israel of using it as an excuse to avoid engaging in the negotiations.
“It is worth mentioning that the Israelis themselves chose not to send their own delegation to Cairo for this round of talks because they wish receive a list of names of all of the captives who are alive and currently being held in Gaza,” Salhut said.
Hamas said meeting this Israeli demand is impossible without a ceasefire because captives are scattered across the warzone. According to Salhut, there were reports indicating there would be another round of talks next week.
Doesn’t sound like much give & take here, as in give back the hostages in order to take a break from the offensive in Gaza.
Gaza ceasefire talks end in Cairo with 'no substantial answer or solution' — Al Jazeera
Hamas says negotiations to continue next week even as Israel 'thwarts' deal to secure 40-day truce before Ramadan.
(The main Gaza-based terror organization refused to address Jerusalem’s demand to provide a list of living hostages and to lock down how many “Palestinian” prisoners Israel must release for every hostage freed)
Despite charging that Israel’s unwillingness to accept the terror group’s demands was the reason a deal hasn’t progressed, a Hamas official told the UK-based Qatari outlet Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that it will not provide any further details on the hostages without Israel paying a “big price” for it.
“A big price must be paid in terms of alleviating the suffering of the people of Gaza and establishing a ceasefire,” he told the news outlet, signaling that the group was not prepared to accede to the demand.
It is believed that 130 hostages abducted by Hamas on October 7 remain in Gaza — not all of them alive — after the November truce and the recovery of several other hostages and bodies.
The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza said on Sunday that the death toll in the war had surpassed 30,400 people, with an additional 71,700 people having been injured.
The terror group’s figures are unverified, do not differentiate between civilians and combatants, and list all the fatalities as caused by Israel — even those believed to have been caused by hundreds of misfired rockets or otherwise by Palestinian fire.
So….why do Hamas & Friends NOT want to identify the names of the surviving hostages from the remaining total abducted from Israel on Oct 7th, 2023???
Hamas has refused to release all of the estimated 100 hostages it holds, and the remains of around 30 more, unless Israel ends its offensive, withdraws from Gaza and releases a large number of Palestinian prisoners, including senior militants serving life sentences.
U.S. officials have said that they are skeptical that Hamas actually wants a deal, because the group has balked at a number of what the U.S. and others believe are legitimate requests, including giving the names of hostages to be released.
Senior Hamas official Osama Hamdan said Tuesday that his group demands a permanent cease-fire, rather than a six-week pause, and a “complete withdrawal” of Israeli forces…which isn’t going to happen…so two-three days to Ramadan (depending on your time zone).
Israel was still waiting for Hamas to hand over a list of hostages who are alive as well as the hostage-to-prisoner ratio it seeks in any release deal, an Israeli official said.
Gaza cease-fire talks fail to achieve a breakthrough with Ramadan just days away, Egypt says
Aid groups have said it has become nearly impossible to deliver supplies within most of Gaza because of the difficulty with the Israeli military
apnews.com
Pro-Hamas mobs are in charge of Toronto now
Author of the article:Joe Warmington
Published Mar 06, 2024 • Last updated 1 day ago • 3 minute read
In a screengrab from video, a couple trying to enter a restaurant in Yorkville for an event attended by Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland and cabinet minister Ya’ara Saks are harassed by pro-Hamas protesters on Tuesday, March 5, 2024 in Toronto.
In a screengrab from video, a couple trying to enter a restaurant in Yorkville for an event attended by Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland and cabinet minister Ya’ara Saks are harassed by pro-Hamas protesters on Tuesday, March 5, 2024 in Toronto. PHOTO BY @CARYMARULES /X
They are in charge in Toronto and they know it.
If Hamas supporters don’t want you to have your event, they will threaten, impede or physically stop it and there is nothing you can do about it.
What happened in Yorkville on Tuesday not was not the first example of this and it won’t be the last.
The pro-Hamas advocacy mobs rule Toronto and GTA streets now. They are drunk with the power of that and are on a roll. They smell blood and they are thirsting for as much as they can drink.
Toronto Police, and York Regional Police, understand this better than anybody since their officers are being abused in it as much as regular citizens are.
The politicians at all levels have tied police’s hands and have let anti-Semitism grow to a point where they have lost control.
Anti-Israel protesters are in control. They do what they want, when they want, two whoever they want, and face little or no consequences.
And the authorities have no answer for it.
This was already clear when just about 100 people were successful in blocking the entrances to the Art Gallery of Ontario on Saturday night, which led to the cancellation of the gala dinner between Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his Italian counterpart, Giorgia Meloni.
Cabinet minister Ahmed Hussen even had projectiles thrown at him right in front of police.
The same masked-up protesters were successful at making life miserable for those attending a perfectly legal real estate seminar at a Jewish shul in Thornhill, have forced Oakville city council to suspend live meetings in favour of online gatherings for safety concerns, and Tuesday night they ruined the event at a restaurant in Yorkville attended by Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland and cabinet minister Ya’ara Saks.
They actually blocked and assaulted people trying to get in and many could not.
Police were there in large numbers but unlike how they handled things during the 1967 Yorkville sit-in that saw dozens of people removed and arrested, they basically managed the situation until it died down and everybody went home.
No Emergencies Act from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau so far because these are not truckers protesting him or his policies but people chanting for “intifada” and removing every Jew from Israel.
While Trudeau has not acted to call out or slow down the protesters – many of whom are not Palestinian but from Marxist-Leninist anarchy groups – he has indicated Canada will reinstate funding to UNRWA (United Nations Relief and Works Agency) despite the fact that some employees are known to have participated in the Oct. 7, 2023 Black Sabbath that saw 1,200 Israelis murdered by Hamas as well as countless rapes, torturing and taking of 240 hostages – 134 of whom remain captive.
This is what they were demanding so the optics are bad.
It’s a dark time to be Jewish in Toronto.
About 75 members of the community went to Tuesday night’s Raptors game wearing sweaters with a Star of David and the slogan “release our hostages” in defiance of a move last month that saw two Jewish lawyers asked to cover the slogans up or leave.
This time, each person wearing the clothing were handed by a security a card that said “Your signage and/or clothing is in violation of (MLSE and Scotiabank Arena’s) policy and you are requested to remove or cover it so that it complies with our venue policy” and “failure to comply may result in ejection or a legal notice of trespass from the premises.”
There’s no carding supposed to happen in Toronto, and no one has any right to tell somebody they can’t wear a T-shirt that calls for the release of hostages. People have Charter rights here. Such a sentiment is not a political statement. It’s a free country, even on private property.
Jewish community members hold the cards they were given by security during the Raptors game on Tuesday, March 5, 2024 over their clothing. SUPPLIED/TORONTO SUN
Jewish community members hold the cards they were given by security during the Raptors game on Tuesday, March 5, 2024 over their clothing. SUPPLIED/TORONTO SUN
Handing out what amounts to modern-day yellow stars to Jewish Torontonians for doing nothing wrong is a dark, unacceptable chapter in the city’s history.
Lord knows no authority figure would ever try something like that on pro-Hamas protesters who routinely occupy train stations, banks, book stores, hospital entrances, roadways, daycare centres, schools, restaurants or whatever they feel like.
Nothing happens to the Hamas supporters in any of those instances because they are in charge.
jwarmington@postmedia.com
torontosun.com
Author of the article:Joe Warmington
Published Mar 06, 2024 • Last updated 1 day ago • 3 minute read
In a screengrab from video, a couple trying to enter a restaurant in Yorkville for an event attended by Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland and cabinet minister Ya’ara Saks are harassed by pro-Hamas protesters on Tuesday, March 5, 2024 in Toronto.
In a screengrab from video, a couple trying to enter a restaurant in Yorkville for an event attended by Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland and cabinet minister Ya’ara Saks are harassed by pro-Hamas protesters on Tuesday, March 5, 2024 in Toronto. PHOTO BY @CARYMARULES /X
They are in charge in Toronto and they know it.
If Hamas supporters don’t want you to have your event, they will threaten, impede or physically stop it and there is nothing you can do about it.
What happened in Yorkville on Tuesday not was not the first example of this and it won’t be the last.
The pro-Hamas advocacy mobs rule Toronto and GTA streets now. They are drunk with the power of that and are on a roll. They smell blood and they are thirsting for as much as they can drink.
Toronto Police, and York Regional Police, understand this better than anybody since their officers are being abused in it as much as regular citizens are.
The politicians at all levels have tied police’s hands and have let anti-Semitism grow to a point where they have lost control.
Anti-Israel protesters are in control. They do what they want, when they want, two whoever they want, and face little or no consequences.
And the authorities have no answer for it.
This was already clear when just about 100 people were successful in blocking the entrances to the Art Gallery of Ontario on Saturday night, which led to the cancellation of the gala dinner between Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his Italian counterpart, Giorgia Meloni.
Cabinet minister Ahmed Hussen even had projectiles thrown at him right in front of police.
The same masked-up protesters were successful at making life miserable for those attending a perfectly legal real estate seminar at a Jewish shul in Thornhill, have forced Oakville city council to suspend live meetings in favour of online gatherings for safety concerns, and Tuesday night they ruined the event at a restaurant in Yorkville attended by Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland and cabinet minister Ya’ara Saks.
They actually blocked and assaulted people trying to get in and many could not.
Police were there in large numbers but unlike how they handled things during the 1967 Yorkville sit-in that saw dozens of people removed and arrested, they basically managed the situation until it died down and everybody went home.
No Emergencies Act from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau so far because these are not truckers protesting him or his policies but people chanting for “intifada” and removing every Jew from Israel.
While Trudeau has not acted to call out or slow down the protesters – many of whom are not Palestinian but from Marxist-Leninist anarchy groups – he has indicated Canada will reinstate funding to UNRWA (United Nations Relief and Works Agency) despite the fact that some employees are known to have participated in the Oct. 7, 2023 Black Sabbath that saw 1,200 Israelis murdered by Hamas as well as countless rapes, torturing and taking of 240 hostages – 134 of whom remain captive.
This is what they were demanding so the optics are bad.
It’s a dark time to be Jewish in Toronto.
About 75 members of the community went to Tuesday night’s Raptors game wearing sweaters with a Star of David and the slogan “release our hostages” in defiance of a move last month that saw two Jewish lawyers asked to cover the slogans up or leave.
This time, each person wearing the clothing were handed by a security a card that said “Your signage and/or clothing is in violation of (MLSE and Scotiabank Arena’s) policy and you are requested to remove or cover it so that it complies with our venue policy” and “failure to comply may result in ejection or a legal notice of trespass from the premises.”
There’s no carding supposed to happen in Toronto, and no one has any right to tell somebody they can’t wear a T-shirt that calls for the release of hostages. People have Charter rights here. Such a sentiment is not a political statement. It’s a free country, even on private property.
Jewish community members hold the cards they were given by security during the Raptors game on Tuesday, March 5, 2024 over their clothing. SUPPLIED/TORONTO SUN
Jewish community members hold the cards they were given by security during the Raptors game on Tuesday, March 5, 2024 over their clothing. SUPPLIED/TORONTO SUN
Handing out what amounts to modern-day yellow stars to Jewish Torontonians for doing nothing wrong is a dark, unacceptable chapter in the city’s history.
Lord knows no authority figure would ever try something like that on pro-Hamas protesters who routinely occupy train stations, banks, book stores, hospital entrances, roadways, daycare centres, schools, restaurants or whatever they feel like.
Nothing happens to the Hamas supporters in any of those instances because they are in charge.
jwarmington@postmedia.com
WARMINGTON: Pro-Hamas mobs are in charge of Toronto now
If Hamas supporters don’t want you to have your event, they will threaten, impede or physically stop it and there is nothing you can do
A number of countries – including the United States, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt – have conducted airdrops, which have been criticised by aid agencies as a costly and ineffective way of delivering food and medical supplies.
Five people were killed and several injured after a parachute landing a humanitarian airdrop failed to open, bringing a pallet crashing down into a crowd of people waiting for food in the north of the Gaza Strip.
apple.news
I’ve seen this one before. Knew it sounded familiar.
“We previously warned it poses a threat to the lives of citizens in the Gaza Strip and this is what happened today when the parcels fell on the citizens’ heads,” it said in a statement.
Can this be blamed on the Jews to up the claimed body count in Gaza?
Five people were killed and several injured after a parachute landing a humanitarian airdrop failed to open, bringing a pallet crashing down into a crowd of people waiting for food in the north of the Gaza Strip.Aid airdrop kills five people in Gaza after parachute fails — Al Jazeera
As famine stalks enclave, aid workarounds criticised as a distraction from Israel’s blocking of aid through land routes.
I’ve seen this one before. Knew it sounded familiar.
Can this be blamed on the Jews to up the claimed body count in Gaza?
Airdrops are a chancy business. Always have been. Fortunately, Trump has ordered the Army to build a temporary pier in Gaza for shipping deliveries.
Going back to airdrops, does it help if they play a 60s rockin soundtrack? Really really loud. Preferably CCR?
Certainly has to be better than "Horse with No Frickin' Name" from your "Air America" trailer.