Latest news with #GazaWar
Malay Mail
an hour ago
- Entertainment
- Malay Mail
‘Wonder Woman' star Gal Gadot draws applause — and anger — as Gaza war shadows Jerusalem Film Fest
JERUSALEM, July 18 — Organisers pushed ahead with the Jerusalem film festival yesterday despite regional conflicts, with a special appearance by Israeli Wonder Woman star Gal Gadot, who has been criticised for comments on the Gaza war. Pro-Palestinian activists have attacked Gadot on social media for voicing support for the Israeli military, which has been accused of atrocities during its campaign in Gaza to crush the militant group Hamas and free Israeli hostages. She has also been criticised by right-wing media in Israel for urging an end to the war, which the government has vowed to continue until it destroys Hamas, despite international calls for a ceasefire. Israel's 12-day war with Iran last month had meanwhile threatened to derail the 42nd edition of the festival. It got under way yesterday evening in an auditorium near Jerusalem's Old City, with Gadot — also a star of Fast and Furious — receiving a special award, to applause from thousands of spectators. The 40-year-old star, who was born near Tel Aviv, said in her acceptance speech that she was 'praying for this (Gaza) war to end and for everyone here to finally have calm and security'. 'That will not be possible until the hostages come home.' The Israeli military regularly denies intentionally targeting civilians in Gaza. The event's director Roni Mahadav-Levin told AFP meanwhile that during the June 12-24 war with Iran, organisers 'spent two weeks in bomb shelters, trying to decide if we could keep the date of the festival' with flights cancelled and guests hesitating to come. One festival-goer, film student Ayal Sgerski, 29, said that the event was taking place under a 'cloud' of conflict, with few international directors attending. 'It is very difficult for the festival to draw films from around the world at the moment' due to opposition to the Gaza war, he complained. Mahadav-Levin said that organisers could not 'expect to receive the same number of international guests as in a normal year'. The event opened with a screening of Sentimental Value by Norwegian director Joachim Trier, who won an award at this year's Cannes Film Festival. The Jerusalem festival runs until July 26. — AFP
Times
8 hours ago
- Politics
- Times
Ignorance about Hamas shows BBC News boss must go
F or almost two years now I have been raising serious concerns about antisemitism and systemic anti-Israel bias by the BBC in its coverage of Israel's war against Hamas. This week the BBC was forced to admit a major breach of editorial standards following revelations that its film Gaza: How to Survive a Warzone was narrated by the 13-year-old son of a Hamas government official. Some might hope that this failure would be a turning point for the BBC. Yet hours later Deborah Turness, the CEO of BBC News, told journalists during an all-staff meeting that there is a 'difference' between the political and military wings of Hamas. 'I think it's an important point of detail that we need to continually remind people of,' she stressed. Turness's guidance is simply not true. The UK government makes no such distinction. Under British law Hamas is 'proscribed in its entirety' as a terrorist organisation because any attempt to distinguish 'between the various parts of Hamas is artificial'. As the leader of BBC News, on a £430,000 salary, Turness ought to know such basic points. Ironically, she is also the driving force behind the much-derided BBC Verify fact-checking service. Perhaps they could help her out here. This leaked video is damning evidence of the failures of accuracy that are corroding the BBC's output when it comes to the Gaza war. Crucially, it also reveals that those who lead the BBC simply do not understand the genocidal terrorist ideals that infuse every element of Hamas. This has played a critical role in creating a public perception that Hamas is legitimate, a resistance movement rather than a terrorist army that seeks the death of all Jews. The BBC's legitimisation of Hamas began as soon as they started murdering babies and raping women on October 7. The refusal to call Hamas terrorists has been followed as the war progressed by the corporation's daily willingness to report unverified figures and spurious claims from the 'Hamas-run health ministry'. Driven by a hunger to break news and get clicks on social media, the BBC's approach has been to report first and ask questions later. It seems that only BBC executives cannot see what others so clearly can. The culture secretary, Lisa Nandy, has spoken of 'catastrophic' failings at the BBC and its 'problems of leadership'. Ofcom's CEO, Dame Melanie Dawes, has raised concerns that the BBC's failings are eroding public trust. It's time to stop the rot. That begins with asking whether Turness is the right person to restore the reputation of BBC News. I believe it's time for a change. Danny Cohen is a former director of BBC Television
Leaders
10 hours ago
- Business
- Leaders
Israel to Increase Defense Spending amid Ongoing Deadly War in Gaza
Israeli Finance and Defense Ministries announced that the government will increase defense spending by 42 billion shekels ($12.5 billion) in 2025 and 2026, according to Reuters. Both ministers added that the budget agreement will allow the Defense Ministry to 'advance urgent and essential procurement deals critical to national security.' Crucially, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich stated that the new budget 'fully covers the intense fighting in Gaza, alongside comprehensive security preparations for all threats — from the south, the north, and more distant arenas.' Since the beginning of Gaza War, Israeli military costs have witnessed unprecedented growth. Along with the deadly war in Gaza, Israel has also been in war with Hezbollah in Lebanon and with Iran over Tehran's nuclear program. Moreover, Israel launched several airstrikes in Syria this week after pledging to destroy government forces that attack Druze minority in southern Syria. Apart from this, Israel's missile defense systems have been intercepting almost daily missiles fired by Hezbollah, Iran and Houthis in Yemen. Currently, the Israeli government's defense spending is 110 billion shekels – approximately 9% of gross domestic product – out of a total 2025 budget of 756 billion shekels. Director General of the Defense Ministry, Amir Baram, said that the extra budgetary funding 'will allow the Defense Ministry to immediately sign procurement deals for the weapons and ammunition required to replenish depleted stocks and support the IDF's ongoing operations.' Baram also added that the funding will also enable the defense establishment to set development programs to elevate the Israel Defense Forces' qualitative edge for future systems. Related Topics: Trump, Qatari PM to Discuss Gaza Deal at White House Gaza Talks Stalled as Hamas, Israel Trade Blame UN: Nearly 800 Killed Seeking Aid in Gaza Amid Ceasefire Talks Short link : Post Views: 18
The Guardian
10 hours ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
Israeli strike on Gaza church kills three and injures priest Pope Francis called daily
An Israeli strike has hit the only Catholic church in Gaza, killing three people and injuring 10 others including the parish priest, who used to receive daily calls from the late Pope Francis. The Catholic charity Caritas Jerusalem earlier named two of the victims were Saad Salameh, the 60-year-old janitor of the Holy Family church, and Fumayya Ayyad, an 84-year-old woman who was receiving psychological support in a Caritas tent within the church's compound when the blast occurred. 'Both were critically wounded and transported to al-Mamadani hospital, but due to the severe lack of medical resources and blood units in Gaza, they tragically passed away,' the charity said. 'Their deaths are a painful reminder of the impossible conditions faced by civilians and medical personnel under siege. May Saad and Fumayya rest in peace. We carry their memory with us.' Ibrahim Saqallah, a paramedic at the nearby al-Ahli Arab hospital, told the Guardian that three people were killed and about 10 others wounded, some critically. The injuries were caused by shrapnel from an exploding artillery shell. Saqallah said the hospital was notified that the church had been hit. 'I got into the ambulance and headed straight to the church,' he added. 'This [Israeli] army is arrogant – it does not distinguish between Christian or Muslim, nor does it care whether it's a church, a mosque, a home, or even a school. We are living in the midst of a brutal war.' The shelling of church also damaged its compound, where hundreds of Palestinians, including children and people with disabilities, have been sheltering from the 21-month Israel-Hamas war. Israel issued a rare apology and said it was investigating. Attallah Terzi, a displaced 75-year-old Christian now sheltering in a school next to the church, said: 'I had just returned to the classroom after being outside for a few minutes when a massive explosion occurred. It was the first time since the beginning of the war that the sound of an explosion was so intense.' Before his death in April, the former pope would call Gabriel Romanelli, an Argentinian, every evening. He began the routine on 9 October 2023, two days after the attacks on Israel by Hamas ignited the devastating war in Gaza. Reuters footage from the hospital showed Romanelli to be lightly injured, with a bandaged left leg but able to walk. Terzi witnessed the killing of a woman who had been assisting a man in a wheelchair and another whose head was hit by a stone that appeared to have fallen from the church. She also saw a young man being struck by shrapnel. Romanelli had run to help him before being injured himself. Pope Leo XIV said in a telegram sent by the Vatican's secretary of state in his name that he was 'deeply saddened to learn of the loss of life and injury caused by the military attack' and that he was renewing his calls for an immediate ceasefire. In a statement, the Italian prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, said: 'The Israeli raids on Gaza have also hit the Holy Family church. The attacks against the civilian population that Israel has been carrying out for months are unacceptable. No military action can justify such behaviour.' Elizabeth Funnell, the Middle East representative for the Catholic aid agency Cafod, added: 'We once again call on the international community to act urgently to protect civilians, places of worship, and humanitarian spaces, and to ensure that people in Gaza have access to the most basic right: the chance to survive.' The Israel Defense Forces said they were 'aware of reports regarding damage caused to the Holy Family church in Gaza City and casualties at the scene. The circumstances of the incident are under review. 'The IDF makes every feasible effort to mitigate harm to civilians and civilian structures, including religious sites, and regrets any damage caused to them,' its statement added. The Holy Family church in Gaza spoke in a separate statement of 'a number of injured, some in critical condition'. Dozens of Palestinians were killed and wounded during Israeli airstrikes on several areas of the Gaza Strip on Thursday, including four who were killed in an attack on a home close to the Imam al-Shafi'i school in the Zeitoun area of Gaza City. After Francis's death, Romanelli, who has served as the parish priest since 2019, told the Guardian: 'Even after he was hospitalised, he continued calling to check on us. Our grief is deep because we lost someone we felt had become a member of our church.' Francis was a strong advocate of ending the war. In his last public address on Easter Sunday, he condemned the 'deplorable humanitarian situation' in Gaza and implored Israel and Hamas to 'call for a ceasefire, release the hostages and come to the aid of a starving people, that aspires to a future of peace'.
France 24
11 hours ago
- Politics
- France 24
Slovenia bars two far-right Israeli ministers
National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich will be declared "persona non grata," the Slovenian government said in a statement, accusing them of inciting "extreme violence and serious violations of the human rights of Palestinians" with "their genocidal statements". In June, Australia, Canada, Britain, New Zealand and Norway imposed similar sanctions on Smotrich and Ben Gvir, key coalition partners in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government. Ben Gvir and Smotrich have drawn international criticism for their hard-line stance on the Gaza war and comments about settlements in the occupied West Bank, the other Palestinian territory. Smotrich, who lives in a West Bank settlement, has supported the expansion of settlements and has called for the territory's annexation. "This is the first measure of this nature in the EU," Slovenia's Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon said of the ban. On May 21, President Natasa Pirc Musar in an address to the European parliament urged the EU to take stronger action, condemning "the genocide" in Gaza. Slovenia was in May among six European countries to say that they "firmly reject any demographic or territorial change in Gaza" after Israel announced plans to expand its military offensive in the Palestinian territory. Last year, Slovenia announced it was recognising a Palestinian state after Ireland, Norway and Spain, in moves partly fuelled by condemnation of Israel's bombing of Gaza after the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks on Israel. Nearly 150 countries recognise a Palestinian state.
