Latest news with #NovaMusicFestival
Daily Mail
07-07-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Hamas gang-rape horror revealed: Terrorists stripped October 7 sex attack victims, tied them to trees and mutilated them during 'systematic' onslaught, shocking new report claims
Victims of the Hamas-led massacre in Israel were said to have been found partially or fully naked with their hands tied, with evidence of gang rapes followed by execution, and genital mutilation, according to a new report. The Dinah Project's report, commissioned to 'counter denial, misinformation and global silence', will be published on Tuesday and illustrate how ' Hamas used sexual violence as a tactical weapon of war' during its October 7, 2023 incursion, according to The Times, which reviewed the report. The project, part-funded by the British government, brings together all available evidence in finding 'clear patterns emerged' in how sexual violence was perpetrated. The report concludes violence was 'widespread and systematic' during the attacks. It is said to include previously untold descriptions of alleged violence at the Nova music festival near the border with Gaza, on the Israeli highway Route 232, at the military base at Nahal Oz, and the Re'im, Nir Oz and Kfar Aza kibbutzim. It includes testimonies from 15 hostages who have returned to Israel since the assault, a survivor of alleged attempted rape at the Nova music festival, and interviews with witnesses, first responders and therapists treating traumatised survivors. 'Dozens' of victims were said to have 'often' been found tied to 'trees or poles'. Many returning from captivity in Gaza also described 'forced nudity, physical and verbal harassment, sexual assaults and threats of forced marriage', it says. 'Many of the witnesses spoke of the victims being shot and them still trying to rape a dead body,' said Sharon Zagagi-Pinhas, a former chief military prosecutor of the Israeli army who has been working with project founder Professor Ruth Halperin-Kaddari. The report was motivated by perceived inaction from international groups, pushback on claims members of Hamas would not rape women, and the suggestion the Israeli government had 'weaponised' the issue to justify its retaliatory campaign in Gaza, The Times explains. The report is said to call on the UN secretary-general, Antonio Gueterres, to further investigate and include Hamas in a UN blacklist of groups designated for using sexual violence as a weapon of war. The issue has been contentious since reports first emerged of harrowing sexual violence. Critics of Israel's government, including self-described feminist groups, have pushed back on media reports describing testimonies of victims as being unfounded and relying on non-credible witnesses. Others have asserted that the issue has been 'complicated' by the 'fact that accusations of sexual assault have also been wielded as a tool of war - and as an (often lethal) weapon of racism and colonialism'. International groups, including independent observers, have collated evidence they say determines Hamas did commit sexual violence, however. The United Nations special representative on sexual violence in conflict, Pramila Patten, issued a report last March summarising a visit to Israel with a team of experts. She concluded that Hamas had employed sexual violence and that this violence continued against hostages held in Gaza. The assessment aligns with claims put forward in the Dinah Project report. Patten said that the team was unable to establish the prevalence of sexual violence, assessing it may take 'months of years to emerge and may never be fully known'. 'What I witnessed in Israel were scenes of unspeakable violence perpetrated with shocking brutality,' she recalled, presenting her findings from her visit to Israel and the occupied West Bank. She said that her team had met with families of hostages and members of communities displaced from kibbutzim. It conducted interviews with 34 individuals, including survivors and witnesses of the October 7 attacks, released hostages, first responders and health and service providers. The team also visited four attack sites and reviewed more than 5,000 photographic images and some 50 hours of the attacks. 'It was a catalogue of the most extreme and inhumane forms of killing, torture and other horrors,' including sexual violence, she said. The team also found 'convincing information' that sexual violence was committed against hostages, and judged reasonable grounds to believe that such violence may still be ongoing against those in captivity, as of March 2024. While there are reasonable grounds to believe that conflict-related sexual violence occurred in the Nova music festival site, Route 232, and kibbutz Re'im, reported incidents of rape could not be verified in other locations. The team determined that at least two allegations of sexual violence in kibbutz Be'eri, widely reported in the media, were unfounded. The report criticised how the authorities had gathered evidence, and called for more cooperation with UN organisations in investigations. The UN Special Envoy had been presented with a report from the Association of Rape Crisis Centers in Israel before filing their conclusions, which detailed 'sadistic' crimes alleged to have occurred in several locations during Hamas' assault. 'Hamas terrorists employed sadistic practices aimed at intensifying the degree of humiliation and terror inherent in sexual violence,' the report assessed. 'Many of the bodies of sexual crime victims were found bound and shackled.' 'The genitals of both women and men were brutally mutilated, and sometimes weapons were inserted into them. The terrorists did not stop at shooting, they also cut and mutilated sexual organs and other body parts with knives.' The testimonies included claims Hamas gunmen repeatedly stabbed an injured woman while they raped her; that victims had nails, grenades and knives inserted into their sexual organs; and how survivors fleeing the festival witnessed 'girls whose pelvises were simply broken from being raped so much'. The Israeli military said earlier this year that Hamas had killed 378 people at the Nova festival alone during the attack that sparked the Gaza war. Around 1,200 people were killed in total. Relatives mourn their loss as the bodies are transferred to al-Ahli Baptist Hospital for funeral procedures before burial, after the Israeli attack on the Zaytun neighborhood in eastern Gaza, on July 5, 2025 The conflict has seen widespread tragedy in both Israel and Gaza. The death toll in Gaza passed 57,000 in recent days, according to the Hamas-run Palestinian Health Ministry. The UN has accused Israel of 'deliberately and unashamedly imposing inhumane conditions on civilians' in Gaza, assessing that the population of some 2.1 million face the risk of famine. Israel has separately overseen a major expansion of settlements in the West Bank, and hundreds of Palestinians in the Israeli-occupied territory have been killed since October 7, according to UN tallies. Israeli families are still grieving the loss of loved ones. Scores of people were taken back into Gaza as hostages on October 7 and still it is believed there are 20 living captives still in the Palestinian enclave. The war has seen wider conflict between Israel and Hamas-aligned organisations, including Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen, resulting in further missile exchanges and bloodshed.
Daily Mirror
30-06-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mirror
'Glastonbury is a middle-class hate crime - time to put it out of its misery'
Is this the way the future's meant to feel? Twenty thousand people in a field, calling for the death of conscripts, comfortable in the knowledge that if war ever comes for them they can afford to buy their way off the front line. A lady in a sunflower hat. A man proudly wearing the badge of the CND. A sea of people, all able to find £400 a head and the time off work to head to Somerset, all of whom have benefited from state-funded education, and not one expecting a terrorist to paraglide in and open up with an Uzi, as they danced and partied without a care in the world. They seemed not to notice the racial hatred, even when it poured from their lips. In fact, they'd probably be very offended at the suggestion, and point out they were echoing the words of a black man, and talking about the wrongs of a genocide, so it couldn't possibly be racist and don't you know how nice everyone is at music festivals? But when a pretty poor punk duo called Bob Vylan, whose sledgehammer wit is so perfectly displayed in their name, invited - or is it incited? The police will know - them to shout "Death to the IDF" it was a signal that everything that was once jolly lovely about 'Glasto' is as dead and buried as the 378 people slaughtered at the Nova Music Festival in Israel on October 7, 2023. Had Somerset turned into the same sort of killing field, to provoke a government by the murder of its innocents into an era-defining conflict, the survivors may well have signed up to fight back on the spot, sunflower hats and all. Whether the UK armed forces would have considered them any damned use is a different matter. But of course it did not happen in Britain, because Britain has no terrorist enemies, has never had a war within, and has always fought on the side of the angels. Except when it hasn't. And certainly, no-one has ever called for the death of the people who keep us safe, except for the Irish, the Northern Irish, the Iranians, ISIS, the Taliban, the Welsh, the Scottish, the Americans, the French, the Germans, the Italians, oh and quite a lot of everyone else. Part of the reason for the 40ft high metal fences that surround the Glastonbury site is not just to protect the wealthy people within from having to share sound with people who can only afford a download. It's also to keep them safe from the many sorts of terrorist who would quite enjoy walking into a field full of entitled white prats and blowing as many of them as possible sky-high. But people who float through life in fashionable wellies, who can afford to buy a tent for fun rather than fashion one out of sacks in a refugee camp, and who think it's a lark to be muddy for a couple of days because they know they won't have to wash in a puddle for the next year, did not feel empathy for a single second with the festival-goers who made the mistake of partying while living next door to someone who wanted them dead. They just called for the death of millions of Jews, because someone suggested they do so, and didn't think twice about whose company they were keeping. They didn't think that the Israeli Defence Force gets its troops via conscription, with little chance to excuse themselves. That everyone is a reservist until they're 40. They didn't think that may mean the IDF is not very professional, they don't all want to be there, and maybe aren't very good at shooting things, or indeed at not shooting things. They didn't question as to why Israelis still have conscription, and whether it might be linked to the fact people are trying to kill civilians ALL THE TIME. And they especially didn't do the maths about Palestinian people and Israeli people, who both suffer warmongering leaders, and if wanting your own country is fine for one of them, then it's fine for both. Nor did they recall that their own government - this nice, Labour, cosy, British government - is talking about bringing back conscription. While the soft-bellied Glasto-goers, with an average age approaching 44, could escape it, their children may not. How'd it feel if someone shouted "Death to little Crispin and Charlotte"? Not so socially-acceptable, then. But Glastonbury has long been the place where common sense went to die. From an indie, hippie festival in a field it's become an industry of its own, with established, mainstream acts vying with smaller ones purely to cash in. But when it's got to the point that Rod Stewart and Lulu are on the main stage, it needs more cops and cleaners than a recently-discovered mass grave, and genuine hippies can't scrape together the entrance fee, it's no longer serving any purpose beyond pure, naked capitalism. Vylan have put on a load of new followers, who will no doubt get tapped up to crowdfund the legal fees if they face any sort of police action for inciting the murder of an entire nation's youth. And they seem to have downgraded their status from being "violent punks" to being concerned about school dinners, and toned down calling for death to calling for peaceful protest marches. Good luck, as a criminal defence lawyer might say, with that. But Glastonbury's rather tainted star has fallen even further into the mire. It's surely time for this middle-class, middle-of-the-road, money-making, maggot-attracting hate crime to take its final bow, and leave music festivals to people who still know that they're supposed to involve some peace and love. Otherwise next year they'll try to go one better, and we'll see Ayatollah Khameini in the 'legends' slot, and bomb-making classes in a tepee.
CTV News
20-06-2025
- Politics
- CTV News
Nova music festival survivor's home destroyed by Iranian missile
Ottawa announced it is sending additional consular services to help Canadians in Israel and Iran fly home. Adrian Ghobrial reports. Hila Fakliro survived the Nova Music Festival massacre in Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. This past Sunday, an Iranian ballistic missile hit the 29-year-old's apartment in Tel Aviv, reducing it to rubble. Fakliro jokes that someone has been trying to repeatedly kill her - though her story is far from a laughing matter. On Oct. 7, Fakliro was bartending at the Nova Music Festival, when Hamas attackers stormed the event, killing hundreds. Fakliro recalls running through the dessert for hours on end unsure if she was far enough away from the terrorists who'd already killed and kidnapped many of her friends. 'I blacked out, I don't remember what I saw, I remember what I heard. I heard 'Allahu Akbar' the screaming (of victims) and I remember hearing them (Hamas) laughing, so I decided not to look back,' she said. She kept running, looking straight ahead. Fakliro arrived in Toronto about three weeks ago, to be a guest speaker at the Nova Exhibition, an installation that offers a space for reflection and healing following the tragic events of that day. If the 29-year-old hadn't been in Canada, there's a good chance she would have been home when the missile hit her Tel Aviv apartment. 'Many of my neighbours are seriously injured, their pets died there's nothing left of my home' she shared. Israel Iran news: Survivor of Oct. 7 attack Hila Fakliro survived the Nova Music Festival massacre in Israel on Oct. 7. The airspace in Israel is closed to commercial aircrafts. Fakliro's scheduled flight from Toronto to Tel Aviv was cancelled last week. Yet, the 29-year-old still wants to go home. 'I know it sounds crazy. I don't even have a home to go to, but I need to hug my mother.' The powerful urge to return home is being felt by thousands caught in the crosshairs of the deadly, escalating war. CTV News has been speaking to multiple Canadians stuck in both Iran and Israel who say Canadian government officials have been of little help. Many have been left to traverse a warzone on their own, towards land border crossings, unsure if they'll even be granted safe passage into a neighbouring nation. Foreign Affairs Minister , Anita Anand shared an update Thursday saying in-part that 'given the airspace is not open, once Canadians have crossed the border into neighbouring countries, we have consular services available for them.' Fakliro realizes how fortunate she is to be in Canada, being here may have saved her life. 'I have a guardian angel. Someone put me here for a reason' she said. Though she struggles with the human toll and loss of life across the Middle East. After surviving the Oct. 7attack, her apartment now destroyed, Fakliro is calling for peace for Palestinians, Iranians and Israelis. Like so many, she simply wants to go home and try to put the pieces of her life back together.
Daily Mail
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE I survived October 7: Gaza tourist Greta Thunberg's ridiculous 'kidnapping' claims are a slap in the face to REAL victims... now her stunt has backfired
When I read Greta Thunberg 's claim that she'd been 'kidnapped' by the Israeli military while trying to deliver aid to Gaza, I did a double-take. Kidnapped? Really? That word carries weight among Israelis. Greta wasn't hunted down, dragged screaming into cars, assaulted or killed, but I nearly was. My brother and I are survivors of the Nova Music Festival massacre on October 7, 2023. We were there to enjoy music and dance, when the day suddenly devolved into a nightmare as Hamas murderers and actual kidnappers descended on the concert grounds. My brother and I were mere feet from death multiple times. Miraculously, we survived physically unscathed but mentally scarred. Others did not. Twelve hundred people in Israel were murdered on October 7. Two hundred and fifty were dragged away to Gaza. Today, too many remain missing and dozens more still are being held hostage after more than 600 days. They were kidnapped. Greta was detained with a smile and handed a sandwich, yet this climate activist turned 'freedom fighter' dares to use the same word. What an insult to those who are now traumatized. However, we now see that Greta Thunberg is not concerned with such details when there are cameras to pose for. On Tuesday evening, Greta arrived back in her native Sweden after agreeing to be voluntarily deported from Israel when her 'selfie yacht,' carrying barely a truckload worth of food, was intercepted by the IDF. Some of the other activists who traveled with Greta chose to stay in Israel and contest their detention in the courts, but Greta knows that's not her strength. She's better in front of the microphones. She arrived in her home country to chants of 'Free Palestine,' now recognized as a cry for global intifada, and she was draped in keffiyehs. Though, when asked by Swedish media why she chose to join a so-called humanitarian effort alongside known terrorist sympathizers, like 'freedom flotilla' organizer Zaher Birawi , who has previously been pictured with former Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, Greta claimed ignorance. 'Should I ask exactly everyone what exactly they have said about everything?' she spat back at reporters. 'It would take some time.' Not that much time. Another activist who travelled with Greta on the boat was Brazilian Thiago Avila, who reportedly attended Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah's funeral in Beirut last year. Avila wrote on social media that he was 'inspired' by the Lebanese terrorist chief. Ignorance, indeed. Before her deportation from Israel, Greta was asked to watch footage compiled by Israel of what happened on October 7. But Greta and her compatriots refused. If they had bothered to open their eyes, they would have likely seen the brutality of that day: people dragged, tortured, beheaded and gunned down. That is the 'resistance' that Greta seems to support. A true 'resistance' wouldn't attack civilians, brutally rape women, mercilessly kill the innocent or use infant hostages as bargaining chips. I once believed that Greta Thunberg was legitimately attempting to save the planet. Now, it's clear to me that she has lost her way. She isn't helping Palestinians. She is helping Hamas manipulate the world's sympathy. But I don't think she's evil. I think she has been manipulated, like millions of others, by people smarter than her, people with agendas. She doesn't realize that she's a pawn in their propaganda war that seeks to destroy Israel and the Jewish people. But we're still here. Scarred. Mourning. Fighting. Trying to bring our people home. Trying to live without fear. For many Israelis, we don't want revenge. We want our people back. We want to live in peace. But peace won't come from lies, nor will it come from PR stunts and social media posts. It will only come when people stop repeating propaganda and start acknowledging the truth, even the parts that are inconvenient to their narrative. So, I'll tell her myself: Greta, you weren't kidnapped. You were detained for attempting to enter a restricted warzone and flown back to Sweden. The people who were kidnapped are either dead, traumatized or still trapped in a living nightmare. Say their names. Tell their story. Demand their release!
Yahoo
30-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
MUSIC ICON ART GARFUNKEL GIVES HISTORIC CONCERT IN TEL AVIV PERFORMING WITH SON ART GARFUNKEL JR BEFORE AN AUDIENCE OF TENS OF THOUSANDS AMIDST ROCKET FIRE
Hi-res photo link found HERE. NEW YORK, May 30, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- In a moment of profound cultural significance, music icon Art Garfunkel took the stage last night in Tel Aviv's Ha'Yarkon Park before a cheering crowd of over 50,000, becoming the first international artist to perform in Israel since the devastating attack at the Nova Music Festival in October 2023. Garfunkel was joined by his son, Art Garfunkel Jr. Prior to Garfunkel and Garfunkel taking the stage air raid sirens were heard due to missile fire reportedly targeting the concert in Tel Aviv. The father and son duo proceeded with their performance against a backdrop of missile interceptions. The emotional appearance of the family pair performing at Neshef Rock as Garfunkel & Garfunkel, soared on timeless classics including Bridge Over Troubled Water, The Sound of Silence, and Mrs. Robinson, weaving a musical thread between generations, resilience, and hope. The family duo's most recent album, Garfunkel & Garfunkel Father and Son, is available worldwide from BMG. Art Garfunkel Jr. was reported by Rolling Stone as one of Germany's most successful artists and continues to extend his own audience. "I am happy to be here in Israel," the 83-year-old performer told tens of thousands of cheering fans. "If Israel is in danger, the entire world is in danger," Garfunkel told the audience. "We all must not allow fear to define or control us. I am here with my entire family. Music is my gift from God, and my son Art Jr. is carrying our torch of music forward." Adding to the emotional weight of the evening, Garfunkel also performed The Boxer alongside Israeli rocker Aviv Geffen, uniting two eras of musical expression in a rare collaboration. Art was accompanied by his wife of many years, Kathryn "Kim" Luce Garfunkel—who is currently launching a new design and licensing initiative—and their younger son, Beau. The Garfunkel family's presence underscored the personal nature of this landmark event. Notably, Garfunkel has largely stepped back from public appearances and media in recent years making this live concert from Israel a rare and powerful moment. Media Contact:Victoria Varelavv@ View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Carrberry Companies
