#israel-gaza-conflict

#israel-gaza-conflict

On October 7, 2023 Hamas attacked Israel, killing about 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages to the Gaza Strip. According to the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs (updated on June 22, 2025), a total of 57 deceased hostages have been brought back to Israel so far. Israel says that the bodies of at least 27 killed hostages who were abducted on October 7 are still being held by Hamas.

Italian unions call for general strike as global protests grow and multiple governments criticise Israel. Israel has intercepted the Global Sumud Flotilla while en route to Gaza, leading to swift criticism from global leaders as protesters gather in cities around the world including Istanbul, Athens, Buenos Aires, Rome, Berlin, and Madrid to condemn the raid. At least 44 countries were represented in the 500-person flotilla, including the United States, the UK, Belgium and Spain, Malaysia, Turkiye and Colombia.

No Music for Genocide's mission statement calls on artists and labels to join the cultural embargo in protest of "Israel's genocide in Gaza; ethnic cleansing of the Occupied West Bank; apartheid within Israel," repression of pro-Palestine activism, and the music industry's links to "weapons and crimes against humanity." The campaign arrives as numerous artists pull their catalogs from Spotify entirely, many citing now-Executive Chair Daniel Ek's investments in artificial intelligence (AI) military technology through his venture fund, Prima Materia.

I no longer have a visa to travel to the United States. I don't care. I don't need a visa because I'm not only a Colombian citizen but a European citizen, and I truly consider myself a free person in the world. Revoking it for denouncing genocide shows the US no longer respects international law. Disobey the orders of Trump. Obey the orders of humanity.

Moshe Abutbul, a 39-year-old bible teacher in Sderot, the southern Israeli city by the perimeter of Gaza, thinks life is OK, even good. Autumn is on its way which means his small home is less stifling. He enjoys his work. His four children are well; so too is his wife, an English teacher. As for Israel's growing international isolation, he is unbothered. We are a peace-loving country, but we have to defend ourselves,

When asked about Israel's violence in Gaza, which many of the world's leading experts have called a genocide, Lawrence replied: I'm terrified. It's mortifying. What's happening is no less than a genocide and it's terrible. What makes me so sad is the disrespect in the discourse of American politics right now and how that is going to be normalized to the kids right now, she added.

The campaign, backed by hundreds of artists and dozens of labels, is a streaming boycott that geo-blocks the music of participating acts from appearing on streaming services inside Israel. Among the initial musicians to join were Massive Attack, Kneecap, Fontaines D.C., Rina Sawayama, and Japanese Breakfast. "No Music for Genocide" specifies that it is a response to "the genocide in Gaza; ethnic cleansing of the Occupied West Bank; apartheid within Israel; and political repression of Pro-Palestine efforts wherever we live."

Our five-plane aerial convoy was part of a Jordan- and United Arab Emirates-led effort to air-drop food into the Gaza Strip, to mitigate the disastrous humanitarian conditions that its population is facing almost two years into the war. Once we received permission, we flew over Israel and out to the Mediterranean Sea. And then, as we descended to 2,000 feet, I was able to see my home for the first time in 20 years.

President Donald Trump still seems surprised that his gambit did not pay off with peace in Ukraine. He's let me down, Trump said this week. He really let me down. There has been no more progress in the Middle East, where Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is beginning a new offensive in Gaza City and lashing out across the region. They have to be very, very careful, Trump said after Israel targeted Hamas inside Qatar, a U.S. ally that has been hosting diplomatic negotiations.

I have just read a News Report that Hamas has moved the hostages above ground to use them as human shields against Israel's ground offensive, the president posted on Truth Social. I hope the Leaders of Hamas know what they're getting into if they do such a thing. This is a human atrocity, the likes of which few people have ever seen before. Don't let this happen or, ALL BETS' ARE OFF. RELEASE ALL HOSTAGES NOW!

"unable to provide sufficient clarity about his [Shani's] attitude"

There is a "growing majority" of countries that support sanctions against Israel, the EU's foreign affairs boss, Kaja Kallas, said recently. But Europe's top diplomats were unable to reach any kind of consensus. And some privately expressed frustration with EU nations blocking sanctions on Israel. One of these is Germany. In Copenhagen: Spain, Ireland, Slovenia, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Sweden, Denmark and others would like some sort of sanctions while Italy, Austria, Hungary, the Czech Republic and Germany are reluctant

As Israel pushes deeper into Gaza City, President Donald Trump met Wednesday to discuss plans for a postwar Gaza with his son-in-law and former Middle East envoy, Jared Kushner, and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair. This comes as Israeli business leaders are reportedly involved in developing a postwar Gaza plan that includes the creation of a "Trump Riviera" and a manufacturing zone named after Elon Musk, using financial models developed by the U.S. firm Boston Consulting Group.

Human rights groups and activists who protest against continued US support for Israel have focused primarily on the flow of US weapons, warning that continuing to send weapons to a state which has been documented using them in probable war crimes makes the US complicit. However, this week, Human Rights Watch (HRW) highlighted another facet of US military support for Israel: military cooperation and intelligence sharing.

On Saturday, thousands of people gathered in Habima Square in central Tel Aviv to demand an end to the war one of the largest rallies since the fighting broke out. Israeli police revoked a prior permit for a march through the city, in a clear attempt to silence our voices of opposition but we refused to let them succeed. It had been 24 hours since the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) declared a famine in Gaza.

A Reuters/Ipsos survey shows 59 percent of US respondents say Israel's military campaign in Gaza has been excessive. Washington, DC Most Americans believe that all countries should recognise Palestine as a state, a new Reuters/Ipsos poll suggests, as public support for Israel in the United States continues to plunge amid the atrocities in Gaza. A majority of respondents 59 percent also said that Israel's military response in Gaza has been excessive.

I've been very pro-Israel and I've been very defensive of their right to defend themself. But I have absolutely no skin whatsoever in defending any lobbyist group, including AIPAC, so I would love to know what they do to get the loyalty of politicians. Because I will say, I have had multiple, multiple reach-outs to me, both from friends and from connected people in D.C., begging me to go to Israel with them, and I have said no every time, Kelly told Greene.