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Al Jazeera
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Al Jazeera
Antiwar activists storm Big Brother stage to disrupt broadcast in Israel
Antiwar activists storm Big Brother stage to disrupt broadcast in Israel NewsFeed Watch the moment a group of Israeli activists stormed a live television broadcast to protest Israel's war on Gaza. Members of Standing Together, wearing 'Leave Gaza' T-shirts, jumped onto the stage during the airing of the Big Brother show on Channel 13. Video Duration 01 minutes 30 seconds 01:30 Video Duration 01 minutes 16 seconds 01:16 Video Duration 01 minutes 27 seconds 01:27 Video Duration 02 minutes 59 seconds 02:59 Video Duration 00 minutes 57 seconds 00:57 Video Duration 01 minutes 30 seconds 01:30 Video Duration 00 minutes 47 seconds 00:47
The Guardian
22-06-2025
- Health
- The Guardian
Domestic abuse is ‘public health emergency', experts say after critical NHS report
Domestic abuse is a public health emergency, experts have claimed, after a report concluded that the NHS is failing victims by not training staff to spot and respond to the signs of domestic violence. About one in four people (21.6%) in England and Wales aged 16 years and over have experienced domestic abuse, affecting 12.6 million people, according to the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics. Analysis shows that the NHS has more contact with victims and perpetrators than any other public service. But new research by the charity Standing Together Against Domestic Abuse (Stada) claims the health service is missing vital opportunities to save lives. It examined all the official reviews of domestic abuse-related homicides and suicides published in 2024 and found that about 90% cited safeguarding failings by the NHS. Lack of domestic abuse training was the most frequent criticism identified. National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidance advises mandatory training for frontline NHS staff in identifying and properly caring for domestic abuse victims. But Stada's analysis found that such training was 'sporadic and inconsistent'. The report also highlights repeated failures by the NHS to record risks, share information and get victims help from other specialists such as alcohol and mental health services, and independent domestic violence advisers. The findings follow a separate study published in the Lancet Regional Health Europe, which calculated that 26% of all women who died by suicide, and were known to secondary mental health services, had been a victim of domestic violence. The government is due to publish its strategy this summer on how to meet its pledge to halve violence against women and girls by 2034. But without urgent action, this ambition will not be achieved, the Stada report concludes. The NHS should fund mandatory, standardised domestic abuse training for frontline health professionals and specialist support such as mental health domestic violence advisers, the study recommends. Data recording and information sharing should also be improved. Cherryl Henry-Leach, the chief executive of Stada, said: 'We call on the government to recognise domestic abuse as a public health issue. 'Treating [domestic abuse] solely as a criminal justice issue costs lives. The NHS has more contact with victims and perpetrators than any other public service, making it uniquely positioned to address this crisis.' Sign up to First Edition Our morning email breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion Tim Woodhouse, a suicide prevention specialist and author of the Churchill Fellowship report on suicide and domestic violence, said: 'Domestic abuse is a public health emergency. The level of physical and mental pain imposed on victims (and their children) by perpetrators is immense and we know that, for many, that mental torture becomes too great and they end up taking their own life. 'I've calculated that 1,800 people a year could be dying in domestic abuse-related suicides every year. This is a tragically high waste of life, and a national scandal.' Andrea Simon, the director of the End Violence Against Women Coalition, said: 'Healthcare workers are often the first, and only, point of contact for victims of abuse and it is essential they are equipped to identify, signpost and safeguard victims who need support. As this report shows, the consequences of inaction can be serious harm, including death. It's time the government took action on repeated recommendations in domestic homicide reviews and ensured all health professionals receive comprehensive training, including on the risk posed by domestic abuse-related suicides.' Prof Kamila Hawthorne, the chair of the Royal College of GPs, said given the trusted relationships GPs have with patients, 'it is concerning to hear that opportunities to help victims might be being missed'. More training would be welcomed and valuable, she added, 'as long as these are appropriately funded, take into consideration the existing training that GPs receive on safeguarding, and the workload pressures we face daily'. An NHS spokesperson said: 'All NHS staff are required to complete safeguarding training on domestic violence and abuse to give them the skills and knowledge they need to support victims and survivors, and this training is currently being updated.' A government spokesperson said: 'We remain resolute in our mission to tackle domestic abuse and put a system in place that protects victims, supports their journey to justice and holds perpetrators to account. 'Healthcare professionals are often the first lifeline for domestic abuse victims – playing a vital role in supporting them to overcome trauma and rebuild their lives – and we have prioritised funding to deliver an additional 345,000 NHS talking therapies interventions to ensure survivors get the support they need. 'Through our plan for change, we are developing a coordinated approach across government, underpinned by a new strategy to be published later this year, to prevent domestic abuse and protect victims.' In the UK, call the national domestic abuse helpline on 0808 2000 247, or visit the Men's Advice Line or Women's Aid. In the US, the domestic violence hotline is 1-800-799-SAFE (7233). In Australia, the national family violence counselling service is on 1800 737 732. Other international helplines may be found via
Irish Times
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Irish Times
Israelis slowly begin to confront morality of war in Gaza
Dressed in dark purple tops, a few dozen people gathered in central Tel Aviv last week to attempt something rare in Israel : to question the morality of a war in Gaza that the nation has long seen as being beyond doubt. Rather than only repeat long-standing demands to end the fighting and free the hostages still held by Hamas , the demonstrators also pointed to the plight of Gazans and the utter devastation of the Palestinian enclave. 'It's impossible, this continued killing,' said Shoham Smith, a children's author with a blue streak in her hair, as she held up a poster of a dead Palestinian boy. Underneath the boy's face was a message calling on Israeli Air Force pilots to 'refuse' service. Binyamin Netanyahu 's government is no stranger to protests. Tens of thousands take to the streets every Saturday to pressure the Israeli premier to do anything – including ending the war – to get the hostages back. About 60 per cent of Israelis support that position, polls show. READ MORE In recent weeks, something has changed. Mainstream Israeli media channels are showing, albeit in brief clips, the human toll in Gaza. Some politicians are questioning whether Israel is still fighting a just war. And on the sidelines of hostage demonstrations, anti-war activists stand vigil for the dead of Palestine. Their numbers have grown from a handful to hundreds, and they marched with candles and pictures of dead children in silent procession on Saturday. Smith's left-wing group, Standing Together, embarked last week on a three-day, anti-war march from Tel Aviv southwards to the Gaza border – a protest that she thought would have been impossible in the early phase of the war. 'They grabbed posters from our hands,' she said. The shift is subtle. About three-quarters of Jewish Israelis still tell pollsters that Palestinian suffering should not be a significant factor when planning military operations in Gaza. However, after 20 months of war, the plight of civilians in Gaza – the other side – has at least slowly become a factor in the hardened, traumatised outlook of the Israeli mainstream. For a growing number of dissenters, the morality of the entire military campaign is now coming under question Former premier Ehud Olmert is among a clutch of politicians who have begun to address the taboo, knowing they would probably be condemned publicly for it. In a May op-ed in the leftwing Haaretz daily, he wrote that Israel was 'committing war crimes' in Gaza, terming it a 'war of annihilation' that included the 'unrestrained, brutal and criminal killing of civilians'. Before that, Yair Golan, a left-wing political leader and former deputy military chief, triggered a firestorm by warning that Israel was on the verge of 'pariah' status because it 'kill[s] babies as a hobby' in Gaza . He later clarified that his criticism was aimed at the far-right government's rhetoric and policies, and not the actions of Israeli soldiers. [ The beaches here in Israel are full. Just an hour's drive away Palestinians are starving Opens in new window ] Such statements were unheard of beyond the fringes of the Israeli far-left for much of the war. The fate of the hostages, the attrition on troops, and international standing were usually cited as being more important – and less controversial – arguments with which to bring the fighting to a halt. Yet, for a growing number of dissenters, the morality of the entire military campaign is now coming under question. More than 1,300 retired senior military officers demanded an end last month to what they termed the 'political war in Gaza', which could threaten Israeli soldiers with 'committing of war crimes'. A similar petition issued by more than 2,500 artists, writers and peace activists last month criticised the ongoing 'war of deception', adding that a 'war where over 15,600 children are killed is not moral'. Until recently, it was rare to see images on Israeli media of Palestinian civilians injured or killed. Instead, the media would air videos of bombed-out buildings and razed neighbourhoods – usually devoid of people. Now even the mainstream Hebrew-language media has begun, at the margins, to break its own, self-imposed blackout of the human devastation. [ Even here in Israel, government statements about Greta Thunberg's 'selfie yacht' are seen as crass Opens in new window ] Ynet, the largest online news portal, recently ran a translated Associated Press story at the top of its home page titled: ''No hospital could help': When the baby died of hunger. The stories the world sees from Gaza.' It carried an image of a crush of Gazans in line at a communal kitchen, holding empty pots. Four days later, Israel's most popular evening news programme on Channel 12 aired a story about the horrors shown in international coverage of the conflict. It led with an Israeli strike on Khan Younis last month in which nine children – aged between seven months and 12 years – from one family were killed . Footage of the fiery aftermath was interspersed with pictures of the smiling siblings from before the war, followed by interviews with friends and colleagues of surviving family members. The programme also aired part of a report by Lindsey Hilsum of the UK's Channel 4 news that directly criticised the Israeli media: 'It is perfectly possible for Israelis to choose not to know what is being done in their name, not to know about the suffering and the pain and the hunger in Gaza,' she said. Amos Harel, the Haaretz military correspondent who has been critical of the domestic media coverage since the war's early days, acknowledged 'there has been some movement' in the coverage. However, he added that the change was 'not dramatic'. Palestinians jostle for food at a charity kitchen in Jabalia in the Gaza Strip. Photograph: Saher Alghorra/The New York Times 'There are more people talking about [the toll on the Palestinian side] and it's a more legitimate part of the conversation than before,' he said. 'But still, it's usually framed in terms of the international consequences on Israel and the failure of Israeli diplomacy, and less about sympathy for Palestinian lives.' The shift may also just be due to the sheer scale of Palestinian losses, he added, which continue to rise daily, weekly and monthly. 'Reality stares you in the face ... the numbers are massive,' he said. Nearly 55,000 Palestinian have been killed during the ongoing war, according to Palestinian health officials. Despite the tentative mood shift, only a fifth of Jewish Israelis think military operations should 'to a large extent' accommodate the impact on civilians in Gaza, according to a recent poll by the Israel Democracy Institute. That is up from 13 per cent in the immediate aftermath of Hamas' October 7th, 2023 attack, which was the worst loss of life in the country's history. According to official figures, 1,200 people were killed and 250 taken hostage with 55 remaining captive. [ Netanyahu's big lie is that 'They' are not really the same species as 'Us' Opens in new window ] Neta Caspin, a doctoral student and anti-war activist, said her tolerance for the conflict reached its limit after six Israeli hostages in Hamas captivity were murdered in August 2024. Had the government agreed a ceasefire deal earlier, she and other protesters believe, their lives could have been saved. Along with more than 300 other Israeli reservists who originally reported for duty after the October 7th attack, she has now signed a petition refusing to continue serving. For Neta it was 'everything together' that finally pushed her to publicly break with the military. 'Innocent hostages are being killed and innocent civilians on the other side are being killed,' she said. 'The army is supposed to be the last resort, as a tool to reach a [diplomatic] agreement. But for this government it's the only recourse. I don't believe in it.' – The Financial Times Limited 2025
Yahoo
06-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Protesters march from Tel Aviv to Gaza border calling to end Israel-Hamas War
The march is expected to take place over the course of three days, ending near the Gaza border, as those marching join a protest organized by the It's Time coalition of peace organizations. Israelis set out from Tel Aviv and walked towards the Gaza border Wednesday, as part of a protest against the continuation of the Gaza war organized by Standing Together. "We are marching because the destruction, starvation, and abandonment must stop," the grassroots peace organization said. The group, made up of a few dozen people, set out from near the Kirya IDF military headquarters and marched South. The march is expected to take place over the course of three days, ending near the Gaza border, as those marching join a protest organized by the It's Time coalition of peace organizations. "We are in Jaffa, continuing towards Bat Yam, and thinking about the longer road - from death to agreement, from destruction to hope," Standing Together added. "This is not the simple path, but we are walking it together." The march is the latest in a series of recent actions by Standing Together aimed at promoting peace and pushing to end the Israel-Hamas War. Last week, Standing Together activists confronted Tzav 9 protesters blocking aid trucks into Gaza in an effort to prevent the protesters from keeping aid out of Gaza. The organization also gathered in Jerusalem's Old City on Jerusalem Day to protect residents from nationalist attacks.
The Hindu
27-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Chanting 'Death to Arabs,' Israeli nationalists gather for annual march in Jerusalem
Chanting 'Death to Arabs' and singing 'May your village burn,' groups of young Israeli Jews made their way through Muslim neighbourhoods of Jerusalem's Old City on Monday (May 26, 2025) ahead of an annual march marking Israel's conquest of the eastern part of the city. Palestinian shopkeepers had closed up early, and police lined the narrow alleys ahead of the march that often became a rowdy and sometimes violent procession of ultranationalist Jews. A policeman raised his arms in celebration at one point, recognising a marcher and going in for a hug. A small group of protesters, including an Israeli member of parliament, meanwhile, stormed a compound in east Jerusalem belonging to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, known as UNRWA. The march commemorates Jerusalem Day, which marks Israel's capture of East Jerusalem, including the Old City and its holy sites sacred to Jews, Christians, and Muslims, in the 1967 Mideast war. The event, set to begin later in the day, threatens to inflame tensions that are already rife in the restive city amid nearly 600 days of war in Gaza. Jerusalem lies at the heart of the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians, who each see the city as a key part of their national and religious identity. It is one of the most intractable issues of the conflict and often emerges as a flashpoint. Last year's procession, which came during the first year of the war in Gaza, saw ultranationalist Israelis attack a Palestinian journalist in the Old City and call for violence against Palestinians. Four years ago, the march helped set off an 11-day war in Gaza. Tour buses carrying young ultranationalist Jews lined up near entrances to the Old City, bringing hundreds from outside Jerusalem, including settlements in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Police said they had detained a number of individuals, without specifying, and 'acted swiftly to prevent violence, confrontations, and provocations'. Volunteers from the pro-peace organisations Standing Together and Free Jerusalem tried to position themselves between the marchers and residents to prevent violence. 'This is our home, this is our state," shouted one protester at a Palestinian woman. 'Go away from here!" she responded, in Hebrew. Israel's far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who oversees the country's police force, visited a flash point hilltop compound holy to Jews and Muslims, where the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock are located today. One Israeli lawmaker, Yitzhak Kroizer, could be seen praying. Perceived encroachments by Jews on the site have set off widespread violence on a number of occasions going back decades. 'We are marking a holiday for Jerusalem,' Mr. Ben-Gvir said Monday (May 26, 2025) at the site, accompanied by other lawmakers and a rabbi. 'There are truly many Jews flooding the Temple Mount. How nice to see that.' Beyadenu, an activist group that encourages Jewish visits to the site, said dozens of people had ascended to the holy compound on Monday (May 26, 2025) draped in the Israeli flag, and had prayed there. Since Israel captured the site in 1967, a tenuous understanding between Israeli and Muslim religious authorities at the compound has allowed Jews, who revere the site as the Temple Mount, the location of the biblical temples, to visit but not pray there. Mr. Ben-Gvir says he is changing that status quo. Palestinians already say it has long been eroding because of an increase in Jewish visits to the site. 'Today, thank God, it is possible to pray on the Temple Mount,' Mr. Ben-Gvir said at the site, according to a statement from his office. The office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said there has been no change to the status quo. Police said that Monday's march would not enter the site. Israel considers all of Jerusalem to be its eternal, undivided capital. Its annexation of east Jerusalem is not internationally recognized. Palestinians want an independent state with east Jerusalem as its capital. For many in Israel, Jerusalem Day is a joyous occasion that marks a moment of redemption in their country's history, when access to the key Jewish holy site of the Western Wall was restored and the city was unified. But over recent years, the Jerusalem Day march in the city has become dominated by young nationalist and religious Israelis and on some occasions has descended into violence. UNRWA West Bank coordinator Roland Friedrich said around a dozen Israeli protesters, including Yulia Malinovsky, one of the legislators behind an Israeli law that banned UNRWA, forcefully entered the compound, climbing its main gate in view of Israeli police. Israel has accused the agency, which is the biggest aid provider in Gaza, of being infiltrated by Hamas, allegations denied by the U.N. There was no immediate comment from Israeli police. The compound has stood mainly empty since the end of January, after UNRWA asked staff not to work from there, fearing for their safety. The U.N. says it has not vacated the compound and that it is protected under international law.
