Latest news with #UNDOF
Daily Record
8 hours ago
- Politics
- Daily Record
BBC crew blindfolded and held at gunpoint by Israeli forces in southern Syria
The seven member team, including British correspondent Feras Kilani were told that Israeli personnel had asked questions about their identity before the incident. A BBC Arabic news crew have claimed they were detained at gunpoint by Israeli forces while reporting in southern Syria in an incident which BBC has described as "wholly unacceptable" treatment of its journalists. The seven member team, including British correspondent Feras Kilani, two Iraqi BBC staff, and four Syrian colleagues, say they travelled from Syrian capital Damascus to the southern province of Deraa, planning to head towards the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, reports the BBC. The group wanted to report from Syrian territory - now under Israeli control - following Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's December declaration of indefinite Israeli presence in a demilitarised buffer zone. As they filmed near a UN Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) post outside al-Rafeed, the crew was told by a UN official that Israeli personnel had asked about their identity and had been told they were press from the BBC. Shortly after, as they approached the buffer zone near Quneitra, the team encountered an unguarded checkpoint flanked by Israeli Merkava tanks. Israeli soldiers observed them from a nearby tower. As the journalists began filming, a white vehicle crossed from the Israeli side with four soldiers emerging, surrounding the crew and aiming rifles at their head. Despite showing press credentials and explaining they were BBC journalists, the situation quickly escalated. The soldiers seized phones and equipment, searched the team's vehicle, and transferred them into the city of Queneitra. At a checkpoint dividing Queneitra and the occupied Golan, the crew was held for several hours. Kilani recalled one soldiers who held a rifle aimed at his head from close range while others reviewed footage from their confiscated devices. He was then forced to speak to an unidentified man over the phone, who questioned their activities in broken arabic. Later, a second group of security personnel arrived carrying blindfolds and plastic zip ties. Kilana was separated from the team and took into a derelict room for a strip search and interrogation. The officer reportedly told him he would be treated differently and without restraints . However, he was still forced to strip down to his underwear. He was asked about his family and the purpose of his reporting. Meanwhile, the other members of the team experienced similar treatment. Kilani described seeing his colleagues bound and blindfolded before they were interrogated one by one. Personal photos and data was also deleted from their devices. More than seven hours later, at around 9pm, the group was released in a remote area abouy 2km outside Quneitra. Their phone were thrown to the ground before the Israeli vehicle left. The group was left disorientated and without signal, but eventually reached a nearby village where residents directed them back to the highway. In a statement, the BBC said: "On Friday 9 May whilst filming in Southern Syria, BBC News Arabic correspondent Feras Kilani, along with two other BBC staff members and four freelance colleagues, were detained for seven hours and held at gunpoint by the Isreal Defense Forces (IDF). "The team have described how they were tied up, blindfolded, strip searched, interrogated and threatened. Their electronic devices were also taken from them and material was deleted. "The BBC strongly objects to the treatment of our staff and freelancers in this way. Despite making clear to the soldiers on multiple occasions they were working for the BBC, the behaviour they were subjected to is wholly unacceptable. "We have registered a complaint with the Israeli military but are yet to receive a response."
NDTV
6 days ago
- Politics
- NDTV
2 Indian Peacekeepers Honoured Posthumously With UN Medals
United Nations: Brigadier Amitabh Jha and Havildar Sanjay Singh, who died while serving in peacekeeping missions, were honoured with the Dag Hammarskjold medals. India's Permanent Representative P Harish received the medals on Thursday (US time) from Secretary-General Antonio Guterres at a ceremony honouring the peacekeepers who died in the service of the UN. Mr Jha was the acting force commander of the UN Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) that is deployed in the Golan Heights to monitor the ceasefire between Israel and Syria after the 1973 war. Mr Guterres said, "Jha served as acting Force Commander of UNDOF in complex circumstances, following the fall of the Assad Government in Syria. He will be remembered for his leadership and unwavering commitment to United Nations peacekeeping, including in the United Nations Organisation Stabilisation Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) as a military observer from 2005 to 2006. Mr Jha "played a pivotal role in managing a critical security situation which evolved during the Syrian crisis in December 2024", a citation from India said. That month, the Damascus government of Bashar al-Assad collapsed, and the border area supervised by the UNDOF came under pressure from both Israel and disparate Syrian groups. "Jha was a man who stood his ground -- as was evident from the way he handled affairs of UNDOF as the acting force commander. He will be admired by his friends and detractors," the citation said. Mr Singh served with MONUSCO when he died. Waibhav Anil Kale, a retired Indian Army colonel, also died last year while serving the UN in a civilian capacity in Gaza, the citation from India noted. Mr Kale was working as a security service coordinator for the UN when the vehicle he was travelling in came under attack from Israeli forces in Gaza's Rafah region. Thursday was observed as the 77th UN Peacekeepers Day, honouring the work of 61,353 peacekeepers, of whom 5,375 hailed from India. Meanwhile, in New Delhi, the Indian Army held a ceremony at the National War Memorial to honour the memory of the Blue Helmets who died in the service of the UN. Lieutenant General Rakesh Kapoor, the deputy chief of Army Staff, led the ceremony honouring the 182 Indian peacekeepers who died while on UN missions.
Hans India
7 days ago
- Politics
- Hans India
2 Indian peacekeepers honoured posthumously with Dag Hammarskjold medals
Brigadier Amitabh Jha and Havildar Sanjay Singh, who died while serving in peacekeeping missions, were honoured with the Dag Hammarskjold medals. India's Permanent Representative P Harish received the medals on Thursday (US time) from Secretary-General Antonio Guterres at a ceremony honouring the peacekeepers who died in the service of the UN. Jha was the acting force commander of the UN Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) that is deployed in the Golan Heights to monitor the ceasefire between Israel and Syria after the 1973 war. Guterres said, "Jha served as acting Force Commander of UNDOF in complex circumstances, following the fall of the Assad Government in Syria. He will be remembered for his leadership and unwavering commitment to United Nations peacekeeping, including in the United Nations Organisation Stabilisation Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) as a military observer from 2005 to 2006. Jha "played a pivotal role in managing a critical security situation which evolved during the Syrian crisis in December 2024", a citation from India said. That month, the Damascus government of Bashar al-Assad collapsed, and the border area supervised by the UNDOF came under pressure from both Israel and disparate Syrian groups. "Jha was a man who stood his ground -- as was evident from the way he handled affairs of UNDOF as the acting force commander. He will be admired by his friends and detractors," the citation said. Singh served with MONUSCO when he died. Waibhav Anil Kale, a retired Indian Army colonel, also died last year while serving the UN in a civilian capacity in Gaza, the citation from India noted. Kale was working as a security service coordinator for the UN when the vehicle he was travelling in came under attack from Israeli forces in Gaza's Rafah region. Thursday was observed as the 77th UN Peacekeepers Day, honouring the work of 61,353 peacekeepers, of whom 5,375 hailed from India. Meanwhile, in New Delhi, the Indian Army held a ceremony at the National War Memorial to honour the memory of the Blue Helmets who died in the service of the UN. Lieutenant General Rakesh Kapoor, the deputy chief of Army Staff, led the ceremony honouring the 182 Indian peacekeepers who died while on UN missions.
India Today
29-05-2025
- General
- India Today
2 Indian UN peacekeepers to be honoured posthumously with Dag Hammarskjold Medal
Two Indian peacekeepers will be posthumously awarded the Dag Hammarskjold Medal. Brigadier Amitabh Jha served with UNDOF in Golan Heights Havildar Sanjay Singh deployed with MONUSCO in Congo International Day of UN Peacekeepers observed on May 29 Two Indian peacekeepers will be posthumously awarded the Dag Hammarskjold Medal in recognition of their supreme sacrifice in the service of global peace. Brigadier Amitabh Jha and Havildar Sanjay Singh of the Indian peacekeeping forces will be conferred the prestigious award on Thursday, at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, on the occasion of International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers. While Brigadier Amitabh Jha was attached to the United National Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) and was overseeing the delicate ceasefire arrangements in the Golan Heights, Havildar Sanjay Singh was deployed with the United Nations Stabilisation Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUSCO), where he was working to stabilise the conflict-affected regions. The International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers is observed on May 29 and is dedicated in the honour of more than 4,300 peacekeepers who have lost their lives while serving under the UN flag since 1948. The Dag Hammarskjold Medal, established by UN Security Council Resolution 1121 in 1997, is named after the second UN Secretary-General, Dag Hammarskjld, who died in a 1961 plane crash while on a peace mission. The medal is awarded annually to military, police and civilian personnel who make the ultimate sacrifice while serving in UN peacekeeping operations. India is one of the largest contributors to the UN peacekeeping forces, with over 2,00,000 personnel being deployed across 49 missions over the decades. Many Indian peacekeepers have been awarded this medal over the past years. Two Indian peacekeepers will be posthumously awarded the Dag Hammarskjold Medal in recognition of their supreme sacrifice in the service of global peace. Brigadier Amitabh Jha and Havildar Sanjay Singh of the Indian peacekeeping forces will be conferred the prestigious award on Thursday, at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, on the occasion of International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers. While Brigadier Amitabh Jha was attached to the United National Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) and was overseeing the delicate ceasefire arrangements in the Golan Heights, Havildar Sanjay Singh was deployed with the United Nations Stabilisation Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUSCO), where he was working to stabilise the conflict-affected regions. The International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers is observed on May 29 and is dedicated in the honour of more than 4,300 peacekeepers who have lost their lives while serving under the UN flag since 1948. The Dag Hammarskjold Medal, established by UN Security Council Resolution 1121 in 1997, is named after the second UN Secretary-General, Dag Hammarskjld, who died in a 1961 plane crash while on a peace mission. The medal is awarded annually to military, police and civilian personnel who make the ultimate sacrifice while serving in UN peacekeeping operations. India is one of the largest contributors to the UN peacekeeping forces, with over 2,00,000 personnel being deployed across 49 missions over the decades. Many Indian peacekeepers have been awarded this medal over the past years. Join our WhatsApp Channel
