Video. Tel Aviv protests demand return of Gaza hostages and end to war
Crowds gathered at Rabin Square before marching down Ben Gurion Boulevard, chanting and waving banners.
Organised by a prominent pro-democracy group, the demonstration is the latest in a series of weekly rallies targeting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's leadership.
Protesters say not enough is being done to secure the release of hostages taken during the 7 October Hamas-led attack, which sparked the ongoing conflict.
More than 54,200 people have been killed and over 123,400 wounded since fighting began, according to figures from the Gaza Health Ministry.
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LeMonde
9 hours ago
- LeMonde
At least 7 dead after Russian bridge collapses onto railway
At least seven people were killed late Saturday, May 31, and dozens injured after a bridge collapsed onto a railway in a Russian region bordering Ukraine, officials said, in an incident the railway operator blamed on "illegal interference." A train travelling from the Russian border town of Klimovo to the capital Moscow was derailed in the incident, authorities said, without giving details. Videos posted on social media showed rescuers working at the site of a large mound of rubble covering what appeared to be a train belonging to national operator Russian Railways, while another showed people shouting in distress. "There are seven dead as a result of the collapse of a bridge onto railway tracks," Aleksandr Bogomaz, the Bryansk region's governor, wrote on Telegram. At least 69 others were injured, including three children, he added. Moscow Railways, a state-owned subsidiary, said a passenger train derailed "between Klimov and Moscow due to the collapse of a road bridge span, as a result of illegal interference in the operation of transport." The incident happened at 10:44 pm (1944 GMT) between Pilshino and Vygonichi stations in the Bryansk region, the railway operator said on Telegram. The incident did not affect other train traffic, the firm added. In one video posted on social media, someone can be heard screaming as eyewitnesses rush to find help. "How did the bridge collapse? There are children there!" a woman can be heard shouting in the video. 'Illegal interference' Photos published online by Russian authorities showed a collapsed section of the bridge and damaged vehicles, as rescue workers were deployed overnight. The disaster area is around 100 kilometres (62 miles) from the Ukrainian border. Russia's emergency ministry said a team was on site, while Russian Railways said it had dispatched repair trains to the scene. Prosecutors said they had opened an investigation. Authorities did not explain how the incident happened and what the railway operator meant by "illegal interference." Ukraine, which Russia has blamed for previous incidents, did not immediately comment. Russia has been hit by dozens of sabotage attacks since Moscow launched its offensive against Ukraine in 2022, many targeting its vast railroad network. Kyiv says Russia uses railroads to transport troops and weaponry to its forces fighting in Ukraine. The incident came just two days before a possible meeting between Russian and Ukrainian officials in Istanbul, amid a US-led diplomatic push to end the three-year conflict.
France 24
10 hours ago
- France 24
At least 7 dead after Russian bridge collapses onto railway
A train travelling from the Russian border town of Klimovo to the capital Moscow was derailed in the incident, authorities said, without giving details. Videos posted on social media showed rescuers working at the site of a large mound of rubble covering what appeared to be a train belonging to national operator Russian Railways, while another showed people shouting in distress. "There are seven dead as a result of the collapse of a bridge onto railway tracks," Aleksandr Bogomaz, the Bryansk region's governor, wrote on Telegram. At least 69 others were injured, including three children, he added. Moscow Railways, a state-owned subsidiary, said a passenger train derailed "between Klimov and Moscow due to the collapse of a road bridge span, as a result of illegal interference in the operation of transport". The incident happened at 10:44 pm (1944 GMT) between Pilshino and Vygonichi stations in the Bryansk region, the railway operator said on Telegram. The incident did not affect other train traffic, the firm added. In one video posted on social media, someone can be heard screaming as eyewitnesses rush to find help. "How did the bridge collapse? There are children there!" a woman can be heard shouting in the video. 'Illegal interference' Photos published online by Russian authorities showed a collapsed section of the bridge and damaged vehicles, as rescue workers were deployed overnight. The disaster area is around 100 kilometres (62 miles) from the Ukrainian border. Russia's emergency ministry said a team was on site, while Russian Railways said it had dispatched repair trains to the scene. Prosecutors said they had opened an investigation. Authorities did not explain how the incident happened and what the railway operator meant by "illegal interference". Ukraine, which Russia has blamed for previous incidents, did not immediately comment. Russia has been hit by dozens of sabotage attacks since Moscow launched its offensive against Ukraine in 2022, many targeting its vast railroad network. Kyiv says Russia uses railroads to transport troops and weaponry to its forces fighting in Ukraine. The incident came just two days before a possible meeting between Russian and Ukrainian officials in Istanbul, amid a US-led diplomatic push to end the three-year conflict. © 2025 AFP
France 24
16 hours ago
- France 24
Hamas seeks amendments to Gaza ceasefire proposal, US envoy slams them as ‘unacceptable'
Hamas said on Saturday it was seeking amendments to a US-backed proposal for a temporary ceasefire with Israel in Gaza, but President Donald Trump's envoy rejected the group's response as 'totally unacceptable.' The Palestinian militant group said it was willing to release 10 living hostages and hand over the bodies of 18 dead in exchange for Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons. But Hamas reiterated demands for an end to the war and withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza, conditions Israel has rejected. A Hamas official described the group's response to the proposals from Trump's special Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff as 'positive' but said it was seeking some amendments. The official did not elaborate on the changes being sought by the group. 'This response aims to achieve a permanent ceasefire, a complete withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, and to ensure the flow of humanitarian aid to our people in the Strip,' Hamas said in a statement. The proposals would see a 60-day truce and the exchange of 28 of the 58 hostages still held in Gaza for more than 1,200 Palestinian prisoners and detainees, along with the entry of humanitarian aid into the enclave. Israel has previously rejected Hamas' conditions, instead demanding the complete disarmament of the group and its dismantling as a military and governing force, along with the return of all 58 remaining hostages. Trump said on Friday he believed a ceasefire agreement was close after the latest proposals, and the White House said on Thursday that Israel had agreed to the terms. Saying he had received Hamas' response, Witkoff wrote in a posting on X: 'It is totally unacceptable and only takes us backward. Hamas should accept the framework proposal we put forward as the basis for proximity talks, which we can begin immediately this coming week.' Gazans desperate for food The Israeli military, which relaunched its air and ground campaign in March following a two-month truce, said on Saturday it was continuing to hit targets in Gaza, including sniper posts and had killed what it said was the head of a Hamas weapons manufacturing site. The campaign has cleared large areas along the boundaries of the Gaza Strip, squeezing the population of more than 2 million into an ever narrower section along the coast and around the southern city of Khan Younis. Israel imposed a blockade on all supplies entering the enclave at the beginning of March in an effort to weaken Hamas and has found itself under increasing pressure from an international community shocked by the desperate humanitarian situation the blockade has created. On Saturday, aid groups said dozens of World Food Programme trucks carrying flour to Gaza bakeries had been hijacked by armed groups and subsequently looted by people desperate for food after weeks of mounting hunger. 'Mass tragedy unfolding' The United Nations said on Friday the situation in Gaza is the worst since the start of the war 19 months ago, with the entire population facing the risk of famine despite a resumption of limited aid deliveries earlier this month. 'The aid that's being sent now makes a mockery of the mass tragedy unfolding under our watch,' Philippe Lazzarini, head of the main U.N. relief organization for Palestinians, said in a message on X. Israel has been allowing a limited number of trucks from the World Food Programme and other international groups to bring flour to bakeries in Gaza but deliveries have been hampered by repeated incidents of looting. A separate system, run by a US-backed group called the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, has been delivering meals and food packages at three designated distribution sites. However, aid groups have refused to cooperate with the GHF, which they say is not neutral, and say the amount of aid allowed in falls far short of the needs of a population at risk of famine. Israel denies operating a policy of starvation and says it is facilitating aid deliveries, pointing to its endorsement of the new GHF distribution centres and its consent for other aid trucks to enter Gaza. Israel began its campaign in Gaza in response to the Hamas-led attack on communities in southern Israel on October 7, 2023, which killed 1,200 people, according to Israeli tallies, and saw 251 taken as hostages into Gaza. The campaign has laid waste large areas of the Gaza Strip, killing more than 54,000 Palestinians and destroying or damaging most of its buildings, leaving most of the population in makeshift shelters.
