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New York Times
01-07-2025
- Politics
- New York Times
What ‘Globalize the Intifada' Really Means
Zohran Mamdani got three chances to repudiate the expression 'globalize the intifada' in a weekend interview with NBC's Kristen Welker. It would have been easy, and politically smart, for the Democratic candidate for New York mayor to say that he'd been educated about the phrase's violent connotation and that he regretted not rejecting it sooner. Instead, he ducked each time, saying that although he does not use those words himself, he would decline to 'police' the language of others. So give Mamdani credit for this: He has the courage of his convictions. Now he ought to bear the responsibility for them, too. I was a journalist living and working in Jerusalem when I got a taste of what the word 'intifada,' Arabic for 'shaking off,' means in practice. I had just moved into an apartment in the Rehavia neighborhood when in March 2002 my local coffee shop, Café Moment, was the target of a suicide bombing. My wife, whom I hadn't yet met, was due to be in the cafe when it blew up but had changed plans at the last minute. Eleven people were murdered and 54 were wounded that night. Multiple perpetrators, members of Hamas, were arrested and then released nine years later, in an exchange for the Israeli hostage Gilad Shalit. Two weeks later, I was at the Passover Seder of a friend in central Israel when the news filtered in that there had been a bombing of a Seder at a hotel in Netanya. Thirty civilians were murdered there and 140 were injured. Among the dead were Sarah Levy-Hoffman, Clara Rosenberger and Frieda Britvich, all of them Auschwitz survivors. Two days after that there was an attack on a Jerusalem supermarket. Two were murdered: a security guard named Haim Smadar, a father of six, who stopped the bomber from coming into the store, and a high school senior named Rachel Levy. Rachel would have been about 40 now had she only not been at the wrong place at the wrong instant. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Irish Times
14-05-2025
- Politics
- Irish Times
It may take weeks to confirm if Muhammad Sinwar was killed in air strike on Khan Younis hospital
It may take days, or even weeks, before the death of Muhammad Sinwar can be confirmed, but Israeli defence officials believe that everyone who was present in what they say was an underground compound targeted in Tuesday night's air strikes beneath the Khan Younis European Hospital is dead. 'If Sinwar was there he was killed,' said an Israeli source. The air strikes were approved by prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu, defence minister Yisrael Katz and Israel Defense Forces chief-of staff Lieut Gen Eyal Zamir in 'real time' in response to an 'immediate opportunity that had emerged', once it was established that there were no hostages in the vicinity, defence officials said. The urgency of the strike left no time to inform the United States in advance despite the 'sensitivity' stemming from President Donald Trump's visit to Saudi Arabia . Muhammad Sinwar, the 49-year-old younger brother of Yahya Sinwar – the Hamas leader killed by Israel in October – is considered one of the architects of the October 7th, 2023, attack on southern Israel. He is the senior figure in Hamas's military wing and had, in the months following his brother's assassination, in effect taken over Hamas's leadership, Israeli security officials believe. In the past he served as the commander of Hamas's Khan Younis brigade and masterminded the kidnapping of Gilad Shalit, an Israeli soldier seized on the Gaza border in 2006, who was subsequently released for more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel, including Yahya Sinwar. READ MORE Muhammad Sinwar is considered a charismatic leader but also has a reputation for brutality and ruthlessness, and was widely feared across Gaza. He has survived numerous Israeli attempts on his life, and Israel offered a $300,000 reward for information leading to his whereabouts. He is rarely seen in public in recent years, even avoiding his father's funeral in 2022. If Sinwar's death is confirmed it means that only a handful of senior officials in Hamas's military wing in Gaza remain alive. However, Hamas still exists as an organisation, and its radical Islamist ideology, based on the teachings of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood, has deep roots among the Gazan population. Israel considers Muhammad Sinwar the chief obstacle to a new ceasefire and hostage-release deal, taking as he did a more hardline position than the Hamas leadership in exile and his subordinates in Gaza. There was much speculation on Wednesday that Sinwar's possible death might makes it easier for Hamas negotiators to show increased flexibility, facilitating a new ceasefire deal, as proximity negotiations resumed in Doha after months of deadlock, with Trump making it clear his patience is running out. Significant progress in the talks, combined with US pressure on Israel, could also lead to a delay or cancelling of Israel's planned military escalation aimed at conquering the entire Gaza Strip.
Shafaq News
21-02-2025
- Politics
- Shafaq News
Netanyahu vows revenge against Hamas
Shafaq News/ On Friday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Hamas of violating the Gaza ceasefire agreement after Israel confirmed that one of the bodies recently returned by the group was not that of female hostage Shiri Bibas. 'This is a cruel and evil violation of the agreement,' Netanyahu said in a video address. 'We will act with determination to bring Shiri home, along with all our hostages, both living and dead, and ensure that Hamas pays the full price for this violation.' The accusation came after Hamas released the remains of four Israeli hostages to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Gaza on Thursday, including those of Shiri Bibas, as part of the first phase of the ceasefire agreement. However, the Israeli military confirmed that forensic teams had identified the bodies of Bibas' two young sons, Ariel, 4, and Kfir, 9 months, but indicated that the third body handed over was neither their mother nor any known captive. Hamas later acknowledged the possibility of an 'error or overlap' in the bodies, attributing it to Israeli airstrikes that hit the location where the Bibas family was being held. Ismail al-Thawabteh, a Hamas official, explained that Bibas' body "was fragmented after apparently mixing with other bodies under the rubble of a site deliberately targeted by Israeli warplanes." What's Next? Israel is set to release around 800 Palestinian prisoners on February 22 in exchange for six hostages Hamas has agreed to free as part of the ceasefire agreement. The Palestinian release will include 51 individuals serving life sentences, 47 who were re-arrested after being freed in the 2011 'Wafa al-Ahrar' (Gilad Shalit) deal, 59 with high prison sentences, 200 women and children from Gaza, and 445 people detained during Israel's recent military operation. The ceasefire, which has facilitated these hostage-prisoner exchanges, has provided a temporary pause in the war that has devastated Gaza and caused tens of thousands of casualties. As part of the broader ceasefire framework, discussions are now shifting toward the second phase, which is set to begin soon and will likely include further prisoner swaps and steps toward de-escalation. This next phase is crucial in determining the future direction of the conflict.
Roya News
21-02-2025
- Politics
- Roya News
ِOver 1,100 Palestinian detainees released; largest exchange set for tomorrow
Around 1,135 Palestinian detainees have been released from "Israeli" prisons as part of the ceasefire agreement. Tomorrow, the largest exchange of detainees since the deal began will take place, with around 602 Palestinian detainees expected to be freed. The Palestinian Prisoners Media Office announced the details of the release, confirming that it will include a diverse group of detainees. The list includes 50 individuals serving life sentences, 60 detainees with long sentences, 47 detainees from the Shalit deal who were re-arrested after the 2011 exchange for captive Israeli Occupation soldier Gilad Shalit, and 445 detainees from the Gaza Strip detained after October 7th." Since the previous exchange last Saturday, which marked the conclusion of the sixth round, a total of 1,135 Palestinian detainees have been freed from "Israeli" occupation prisons.
Shafaq News
21-02-2025
- Politics
- Shafaq News
Netanyahu accuses Hamas of ceasefire violation over hostage remains mix-up
Shafaq News/ On Friday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Hamas of violating the Gaza ceasefire agreement after Israel determined that one of the bodies returned by the group recently was not that of female hostage Shiri Bibas. 'It is a cruel and evil violation of the agreement,' Netanyahu said in a video address. 'We will act with determination to bring Shiri home along with all our hostages—both living and dead—and ensure Hamas pays the full price for this violation.' On Thursday, Hamas released the remains of four Israeli hostages to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Gaza, including Shiri Bibas, as part of the first phase of the agreement. The Israeli military, however, confirmed that forensic teams had identified the remains of Bibas' two young sons, Ariel, 4, and Kfir, 9 months, while alleging that a third body handed over was neither their mother nor any other known captive. Hamas later acknowledged the possibility of an 'error or overlap' in the bodies, attributing it to Israeli airstrikes that hit the location where the Bibas family was being held. 'We will examine these claims with complete seriousness,' the group noted. What's Next? Israel is set to release approximately 800 Palestinian prisoners on Feb. 22 in exchange for six hostages that Hamas has agreed to free as part of the ceasefire agreement. The Palestinian prisoner release will include 51 serving life sentences, 47 re-arrested after being freed in the 2011 'Wafa al-Ahrar' (Gilad Shalit) deal, 59 with high prison sentences, 200 women and children from Gaza, and 445 individuals detained during Israel's recent military operation. The ceasefire, which has facilitated hostage-prisoner exchanges, has provided a temporary pause in the war that has devastated Gaza and caused tens of thousands of casualties. However, tensions remain high, with both sides warning of possible retaliation if terms of the agreement are not upheld.
