
Tragic cancer-stricken girl, 7, who fled wartorn Ukraine for leukaemia treatment in Israel killed in Iran missile blitz
A SEVEN-year-old girl who fled the war in Ukraine to receive life-saving leukaemia treatment in Israel has been tragically killed.
Nastia Borik, her grandmother and two young cousins were all reported dead following the
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Nastia Borik was tragically killed after going to Israel to seek life-changing surgery for her leukaemia
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Members of Israel's Home Front Command search for missing people under the rubble of apartment block Bat Yam
Credit: EPA
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A huge column of smoke rises from Soroka Hospital in Beersheba
Her mother Maria Peshkurova, 30, remains missing, the
The attack, which is believed to have wounded 180 people and killed at least six, comes amid six nights of
Nastia Borik arrived in Israel in 2022 with her mother, grandmother, Lena Peshkurova, 60, and two of her cousins, Konstantin Totvich, 9, and Ilya Peshkurov, 13, to seek life-saving treatment for Leukemia.
The girl's father, Artem, reportedly stayed in Ukraine to fight in the war against Russia.
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He could not accompany his daughter due to a government order barring men under the age of 60 from leaving the country during the conflict.
Her tragic killing comes as tensions between Israel and Iran have reached cataclysmic heights, as a major Israeli hospital and an
this morning
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Soroka Hospital in Beersheba was severely damaged when it was struck by an Iranian ballistic missile, with
The IDF confirmed it attacked an "inactive" plutonium nuclear reactor in Arak to "prevent it from being restored and used for nuclear weapons".
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Most read in The US Sun
After days of speculation, Trump on Tuesday night approved plans to attack Iran, but is holding off in case Tehran agrees to abandon its nuclear programme, reports the
If given the go-ahead, the plans would see the US join Israel in pounding Iran's nuke sites - which Tehran has warned would spark "all out war".
Chilling vid shows Israeli school bus blown to bits by Iranian missile in madcap Ayatollah's death-throw retaliation
The UK is yet to declare whether it would stand with the US should Trump decide to go ahead with military action.
But Sir Keir Starmer has been warned by Attorney General Lord Hermer that the UK's involvement could be illegal.
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It comes as Sir Keir held a Cobra crisis meeting on Wednesday with a potential US-led strike reportedly being discussed.
Trump has become much more vocal on the conflict, though refuses to confirm his plans: "I may do it, I may not do it," he said on Wednesday.
If the US does collaborate in the attacks, Iran's Fordow nuclear development area could be its first target.
A fearsome 15-ton mega bomb known as a
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Speaking to reporters from the Oval Office Trump acknowledged the US is the only nation capable of blitzing the key nuke site.
But he added: "That doesn't mean I'm going to do it - at all."
Trump also fired a two-word warning to Iran's Supreme Leader after revealing Tehran was trying to return to the negotiating table.
When a
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Trump even directly threatened Khamenei as he said the US knows where he is hiding but will not kill him 'for now'.
Khamenei responded by saying: "The battle begins. This nation will never surrender.
'America should know that any military intervention will undoubtedly result in irreparable damage.'
US officials indicated the next 24 to 48 hours will be crucial in determining whether diplomacy could ever be achieved with Iran,
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It comes as warmongering
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The war has entered its sixth day
Credit: Alamy
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Emergency and Rescue soldiers search for trapped people following Iran's overnight strikes
Credit: Getty
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The two countries have launched fierce attacks on one another in the last few days causing heavy civilian casualty
Credit: AFP
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Irish Examiner
29 minutes ago
- Irish Examiner
Next day or two crucial in how situation between Iran and Israel develops, says Tánaiste
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Irish Examiner
an hour ago
- Irish Examiner
Israel threatens Iran's top leader after missiles hit hospital and wound dozens
Israel's defence minister has overtly threatened Iran's supreme leader after the latest missile barrage from Iran damaged a major hospital and hit a high-rise and several other residential buildings near Tel Aviv. At least 40 people were wounded in the attacks, according to Israel's Magen David Adom rescue service. Black smoke rose from the Soroka Medical Centre in the southern city of Beersheba as emergency teams evacuated patients. There were no serious injuries in the strike on the hospital. In the aftermath of the strikes, Israeli defence minister Israel Katz blamed Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and said the military 'has been instructed and knows that in order to achieve all of its goals, this man absolutely should not continue to exist'. US officials said this week that US president Donald Trump had vetoed an Israeli plan to kill Mr Khamenei. Mr Trump later said there were no plans to kill him 'at least not for now'. 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After the strike, the medical facility was closed to all patients except for life-threatening cases, it said. Soroka has more than 1,000 beds and provides services to around one million residents in the south of Israel. Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the strike on the hospital and vowed a response, saying: 'We will exact the full price from the tyrants in Tehran.' A firefighter walks past a damaged area at the Soroka hospital complex after it was hit by a missile fired from Iran (Leo Correa/AP) Iran has fired hundreds of missiles and drones at Israel, although most have been shot down by Israel's multi-tiered air defences, which detect incoming fire and shoot down missiles heading towards population centres and critical infrastructure. Israeli officials acknowledge it is imperfect. Haim Bublil, a local police commander, told reporters that several people were lightly wounded in the strike. Many hospitals in Israel activated emergency plans in the past week, converting underground parking to hospital floors and moving patients underground, especially those who are on ventilators or are difficult to move quickly. Israel also boasts a fortified, subterranean blood bank that kicked into action after Hamas's October 7 2023 attack ignited the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip. Israel's military said its fighter jets targeted the Arak facility and its reactor core seal to halt it from being used to produce plutonium. 'The strike targeted the component intended for plutonium production, in order to prevent the reactor from being restored and used for nuclear weapons development,' the military said. Patients rest outdoors after the attack on the Soroka hospital complex (Leo Correa/AP) Israel separately claimed to have struck another site around Natanz it described as being related to Iran's nuclear programme. 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Israel had lifted some restrictions on daily life on Wednesday, suggesting the missile threat from Iran on its territory was easing. Israeli security forces inspect a destroyed building in Holon, near Tel Aviv, that was hit by a missile (Ohad Zwigenberg/AP) Already, Israel's campaign has targeted Iran's enrichment site at Natanz, centrifuge workshops around Tehran and a nuclear site in Isfahan. Its strikes have also killed top generals and nuclear scientists. Iran's foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said he would travel to Geneva for meetings with his European counterparts on Friday, indicating that a new diplomatic initiative might be taking shape. Iran's official IRNA news agency said the meeting would include foreign ministers from the UK, France and Germany and the European Union's top diplomat. Mr Trump has said he wants something 'much bigger' than a ceasefire and has not ruled out the US joining Israel's campaign. Iran has warned of dire consequences if the US deepens its involvement, without elaborating.