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☆ Thousands of Ukrainians have been sent to Russian prisons. Ukraine says they’re being held as bargaining chips
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-05 | by ( Ivana Kottasová | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +22 min

The Ukrainian government says there are thousands of people like Dima, civilians arrested by Russia who have been held in arbitrary detention for years. In the early weeks of the war, Russian troops took over their home, parking their tank in the garden and stealing anything of value. Following the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russia opened a second pre-trial detention facility in Simferopol, SIZO No. Detained civilians, however, are stuck in limbo. Mariana Checheliuk's photos were among those displayed by relatives of detained civilians at a recent protest in Kyiv.

Persons: Ukraine CNN — “, ”, Vasyl Khyliuk, Dmytro Khyliuk, Dima, –, Ivana Kottasova, Dmytro Lubinets, Lubinets, ” Achille Després, Cross, it’s, Vasyl, ” Vasyl, Halyna, “, Dmytro Khyliuk’s, Russia —, Khyliuk, Anastasiia, MIHR, Pantielieieva, CNN “ We’ve, ” Pantielieieva, Yulia Khrypun, Serhii, ’, Serhii Khrypun, Yulia, ” Yulia, Mariana Checheliuk, Mariana, Natalia Checheliuk, ” Natalia, ’ ” Natalia, Alexander Ermochenko, Mariana –, Mila, Natalia, Volodymyr, Zelensky, Mariana Checheliuk's Organizations: Ukraine CNN, Ukrainian Independent, Agency, Kyiv, CNN, Russian Federation, International Committee, Ukrainian, Organization for Security, Getty, Media Initiative, Human Rights, Penal, Russian Investigative Committee, Russian Prison Service, ICRC, Russian Ministry of Defense, Ukrainian Defense Intelligence, Russian Federal Security Service, Russian National Guard, Directorate, General Staff, Serhii, Crimean Human Rights, Maxar Technologies, Volunteers, Russia, United Nations Children’s Fund, UNICEF, Security Service of Ukraine, Ukraine’s, Ministry of Internal Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, National Information Bureau, Ministry, “, Headquarters Locations: Kyiv, Ukraine, Dima, Ukrainian, Kozarovychi, Russia, Geneva, Europe, Novozybkov, Russia’s Bryansk, Russia’s Vladimir, Mordovia, Russian, Moscow, Bryansk, Nove, Tokmak, Melitopol, Olenivka, Kursk, Crimea, Kamensk, Russia’s Rostov, Yulia Khrypun Russia, Chonhar, Kherson, Crimean, Crimean Tatars, Simferopol, SIZO, Irkutsk, Krasnoyarsk, Siberia, ‘, Mariupol, Zaporizhzhia, Bezimenne, Donetsk People’s Republic, Azovstal, Donetsk, Taganrog, Kamyshin, Russia’s Volgograd, Qatar

☆ UN’s top court rejects call for Germany to immediately halt arms exports to Israel
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-30 | by ( Ivana Kottasová | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —The United Nations’ top court struck down a demand by Nicaragua that Germany immediately halt its arms exports to Israel on Tuesday, saying it cannot issue emergency measures against Berlin under the current circumstances. However, the court also rejected Germany’s demand to strike the lawsuit from its list, meaning the case will now move on. The ruling on Tuesday only concerned whether or not Berlin should be ordered to immediately stop selling arms to Israel. Germany “welcomed the ICJ ruling” according to a statement posted by the German Foreign Ministry on X shortly after the announcement. The ICJ is still considering whether Israel is guilty of violating the Genocide Convention, a legal process that could take years.

Persons: “, Nawaf Salam, Salam, Netherlands Carlos Jose Arguello Gomez, Alain, Piroschka Van De Wouw, Germany “, Israel, CNN’s Abel Alvarado, Tamar Michaelis Organizations: CNN, United Nations ’, Berlin, International Court of Justice, The Hague, Reading, Central, Israel, United Nations Relief, Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, Reuters, UN, German Foreign Ministry Locations: Nicaragua, Germany, Israel, The, Netherlands, Berlin, Gaza, Central American, Nicaraguan, Reuters Germany, South Africa

☆ Germany should legalize abortion up to 12 weeks, a government commission recommends
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-15 | by ( Ivana Kottasová | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Berlin CNN —Germany should overturn its 150-year old ban on abortions and make terminations legal within the first 12 weeks of pregnancy, a government-appointed panel of experts said on Monday. The procedure is de-criminalized up to 12 weeks of pregnancy, but anyone seeking a termination must attend a compulsory counselling session followed by a mandatory three-day waiting period. After 12 weeks, abortions are only allowed in exceptional circumstances, such as if the pregnancy or birth poses a risk to the mother’s physical or mental health. “(The commission’s) recommendations provide a good basis for the open and fact-based conversation that is now necessary,” German Minister for Family Affairs Lisa Paus said in a statement on Monday. The proposals from Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s party would legalize abortion up to 12 weeks, a move more in line with some Western European countries.

Persons: Liane Woerner, “, Lisa Paus, Karl Lauterbach, ”, Donald Tusk’s, Andrzej Duda, Roe, Wade Organizations: Berlin CNN —, Reproductive, Social Democratic Party, SPD, Greens, Free Democrats, University of Constance, German Federal Statistical Office, Christian Democratic Union, Central Committee, Bishops ’ Conference, Family, German, Law, Justice Locations: Berlin CNN — Germany, Germany, France

☆ Six months into the war in Gaza, Israel has no exit strategy and no real plan for the future
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-05 | by ( Ivana Kottasová | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +13 min

CNN —The war in Gaza has been raging for six months and the patience of Israel’s allies is running out. Israel launched the war immediately after the deadly October 7 terror attacks by Hamas. “There is no viable plan for the future of Gaza, not just for the day after, but even today. The number of Israeli soldiers killed in combat in Gaza since the start of the war has now surpassed 250. “He does not have a significantly different set of ideas for Gaza or for the future of Israel, Palestine or for Palestinian sovereignty.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu, Netanyahu, Israel, Yayha Sinwar, ”, Khaled Elgindy, Joe Biden, ” Elgindy, –, Nathan Thrall, “, Abed Salama, ” “, ” Thrall, don’t, Thrall, Elgindy, “ It’s, Yahya Hassouna, Harel Chorev, Moshe Dayan, ” Chorev, we’ll, it’s, ” Hellyer, Benny Gantz, Gadi Eisenkot, Netanyahu’s, it’s Netanyahu Organizations: CNN, Israel Defense Forces, Hamas, Gaza Ministry, Health, Palestinian Affairs, Middle East Institute, Gaza, West Bank, European Union, Getty, Moshe, Moshe Dayan Center for, African, Tel Aviv University, America, “, United, United Arab Emirates, Hellyer, Royal United Services Institute, Carnegie Endowment, International Peace, Washington DC, Palestinian Authority, KFOR, NATO Locations: Gaza, Israel, United States, United Kingdom, Palestine, Rafah, Jerusalem, Hamas, Gaza City, AFP, Britain, Germany, France, Egypt, Palestinian, United Arab, London, Washington, Kosovo

CNN —Tensions between the US and Israel were exposed on Monday when Washington stood aside and allowed the UN Security Council to pass a resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. Its position evolved last week when on Friday, it put forward a ceasefire resolution tied tied to the release of hostages. The US abstention on Monday’s vote allowed the latest resolution to pass, when the other 14 members of the 15-strong council voted yes. While resolutions made by the UN Security Council are legally binding, they can be – and have been in the past – ignored, as the UN enforcement mechanisms are limited. UN Secretary-General António Guterres said a failure to implement the resolution would be “unforgivable.”“The Security Council just approved a long-awaited resolution on Gaza, demanding an immediate ceasefire, and the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages.

Persons: Washington, Benjamin Netanyahu, United Nations Linda Thomas, Greenfield, “, António Guterres, ”, ” Guterres, Tzachi Hanegbi, Ron Dermer, Netanyahu, John Kirby, “ We’re, Israel, Barak Ravid’s, Basem Naeim, “ Israel, ” Naeim Organizations: CNN, UN Security Council, Israel’s, US, United Nations, Security, UN, Twitter, National Security Locations: Israel, Gaza, Russia, China, Washington, Gaza’s, Rafah, ”, Doha

☆ Russia’s war machine is trying to turn Ukrainian teenagers into soldiers
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-14 | by ( Ivana Kottasová | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +14 min

The Ukrainian teenager was given a Russian passport and sent to a Russian school. And then, in the fall of 2023, not long before his 18th birthday, he received a summons from a Russian military recruitment office. Russia has publicly acknowledged the transfer of Ukrainian children without guardians, despite some having guardians or parents. All Ukrainian teenagers held in Russia, when they turn 18, they are put on a (recruitment) list of Russian military,” told CNN. “It’s a Russian strategy to turn Ukrainian children into Russian children and militarize them.

Persons: Bohdan Yermokhin, Vladimir Putin, who’s, ”, Yermokhin, Ivana Kottasova, Putin, Rights Maria Lvova, Dmytro Lubinets, “, ” Bohdan Yermokhin, Lubinets, ” Lubinets, ” Yermokhin, Lubinets —, Mariupol, ’ ”, Belova, Mykola Kuleba, Filip, ” Yermohkin, Kuleba, It’s, Artem, Russia …, ” Artem Organizations: Ukraine CNN —, CNN, Criminal Court, ICC, Russian, Rights, International Committee, Human Rights Watch, Ukraine, “, Lvova, National Guard, Save Locations: Kyiv, Ukraine, Ukrainian, Mariupol, Moscow, Russian, Russia, Geneva, Chechnya, Kharkiv, Luhansk, Save Ukraine, Belarus, Crimea, Qatar

☆ ‘Eventually, one gets used to anything:’ How Ukrainians have learned to live with war
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-01 | by ( Ivana Kottasová | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

Dnipro, Ukraine CNN —The residential block in Dnipro looked like someone had taken a huge bite out of it. Their presence was a sign of how Ukrainians have become used to the realities of living through a war. Tsyplionkova said she considered leaving Dnipro after the war started but found she simply couldn’t go: this is her city. Lydmila Lashko, the head of the Dnipropetrovsk regional organization of the Ukrainian Red Cross Society, says two years of war have forced Ukrainians to get used to its brutal realities. “But eventually one gets used to everything.”Some 4.8 million Ukrainians are officially registered as internally displaced people, according to data from Ukraine’s Ministry of Social Policy.

Persons: Yevhenia Tsyplionkova, Tsyplionkova, “, Ivana Kottasová, CNN Tsyplionkova, ”, Lydmila Lashko, ” Lashko, Lashko, They’ve, Zhanna Vedmedieva, ” Vedmedieva, Volodymyr Zelensky, Oleksandr Savchenko, Ivana Kottasova, Yulia Murashkina, Murashkina, Ihor Omelchenko, wasn’t, Omelchenko, ” Omelchenko, Vedmedieva Organizations: Ukraine CNN, Russian, Ukrainian Railways, CNN, Ukrainian Red Cross Society, Dnipro, Ukraine’s Ministry of Social, Donetsk People’s, United Nations Human Rights Locations: Dnipro, Ukraine, Iranian, Dnipropetrovsk, Ukrainian, Demydiv, Kyiv, Donetsk, Kreminna, Severodonetsk, Luhansk, Russia, Russian, Dmytrivka, Novomykhailivka, Donetsk People’s Republic, Mariinka, France, Havriushyna

☆ Zelensky says Trump doesn’t understand Putin because he has never fought him
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-26 | by ( Ivana Kottasová | Kaitlan Collins | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Kyiv, Ukraine CNN —Former US President Donald Trump will be “against Americans” if he chooses to support Russia over Ukraine, the war-torn country’s President Volodymyr Zelensky said Sunday. Speaking to CNN’s Kaitlan Collins in Kyiv, Zelensky said he “can’t understand how Donald Trump can be on the side of (Russian President Vladimir) Putin.”“It’s unbelievable,” he added. Zelensky said that he believed Trump — who also claimed he would end the conflict in one day if elected — did not understand Putin’s goals. “I think Donald Trump doesn’t know Putin,” Zelensky said. “He doesn’t understand it, of course, God bless you don’t have the war on your territory.”

Persons: Donald Trump, Volodymyr Zelensky, CNN’s Kaitlan Collins, Zelensky, Vladimir, Putin, ”, Trump, —, “, Donald Trump doesn’t, ” Zelensky, “ we’ve, Avdiivka, Joe Biden’s, Ukraine’s, Oleksandr Syrskyi, Mike Johnson, Biden, …, I’m, Collins, JD Vance, Vance “ Organizations: Ukraine CNN — Former, Republican, South Carolina Republican, CNN, EU, European Union, “, Kyiv, Russia, Republicans Locations: Kyiv, Ukraine, Russia, United States, Avdiivka

☆ Zelensky warns ‘millions will be killed’ without US aid to Kyiv, as Ukrainian troop deaths reach at least 31,000
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-25 | by ( Stephanie Halasz | Ivana Kottasová | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —“Millions” could die in Ukraine’s war with Russia if US lawmakers don’t approve President Joe Biden’s $60 billion aid request for Kyiv, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told CNN on Sunday. Zelensky’s warning came just hours after the Ukrainian leader made a rare admission of troop losses, saying that about 31,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed so far in the conflict, during a conference in Kyiv. Addressing the conference, Zelensky disputed Russian claims of much higher numbers when it comes to Ukrainian casualties. 31,000 Ukrainians, Ukrainian soldiers, died in this war. Not 150,000, whatever (Russian President Vladimir) Putin is lying with,” Zelensky said.

Persons: CNN —, Joe Biden’s, Volodymyr Zelensky, CNN’s Kaitlan Collins, J.D, Vance, Zelensky, Vance “, It’s, ” Zelensky, “, Vladimir, Putin, ”, Oleksiy Reznikov, Valerii Zaluzhnyi, Zelensky’s, Andy Carey, Madalena Araujo Organizations: CNN, Russian, ” CNN, Ukraine Defense, Congress, Republicans, ” Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Kyiv, Ukrainian, United States, Switzerland

Kostyantynivka, eastern Ukraine CNN —Artem spends a lot of time thinking about the shots he can’t afford to take. That means they can only strike top priority targets, a limitation which is allowing Russian troops to slip through. Dr. Sviatoslav Mykytiuk serves at a medical point in eastern Ukraine where soldiers are brought from the frontlines. In eastern Ukraine, Mykytiuk said, the evacuation can take up to a day, sometimes even longer. Ukraine soldiers frontline Ivana Kottasová / CNN“If he was thinner, he would have lost it,” he said.

Persons: Ukraine CNN — Artem, it’s, Artem, ”, ” Ivana Kottasová, Joe Biden’s, Dmytro Kuleba, Avdiivka, Ukraine “, ” Oleh Kalashnikov, Sviatoslav Mykytiuk, Mykytiuk, Ivana Kottasová, ‘, ” Mykytiuk, “, Oleh, ” Artem, ” Kalashnikov Organizations: Ukraine CNN, 26th Artillery Brigade, CNN, “, United, United States Congress, Kyiv, Ukraine’s, Ukraine, The, 30th Brigade, Cemetery Locations: Ukraine, United States, Ukrainian, Avdiivka, US, Kramatorsk, it’s, Russia, Soviet Union, Bakhmut, Kharkiv, Europe, America

☆ In the West Bank, an independent Palestine remains a distant dream
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-17 | by ( Ivana Kottasová | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

Ramallah and Jerusalem CNN —The world is once again talking about a Palestinian state. Under the Oslo Accords peace agreement, the West Bank has been split into three distinct areas, depending on who is in charge. Israel has full administrative and security control over 60% of the West Bank area, which it continues settling its citizens in. Earlier this month, Biden issued an executive order imposing sanctions on four settlers accused of directly perpetrating violence or intimidation in the West Bank. It was largely here that the plans for a future Palestinian state and its institutions were drawn up.

Persons: Joe Biden, Benjamin Netanyahu, Khalil Shikaki, ”, Ivana Kottasova, “, Israel, –, Biden, CNN Diana Buttu, , it’s, Buttu, ” Buttu, “ We’re, Jo Shelley, Shikaki, Sojoud, Mahmoud Abbas, ” Shikaki, Adnan Joulani, David, Cameron Organizations: Jerusalem CNN, Palestinian Center, Policy, Survey Research, CNN, Palestinian Authority, West Bank, Orient House, Palestine Liberation Organization, Israel, International Court of Justice, Oslo Accords, Fatah, PLO, Israeli Police, Palestinian, Society, International Affairs, British Locations: Ramallah, Jerusalem, Palestinian, Israel, United States, Palestine, United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, East Jerusalem, Gaza, Oslo, South Africa, Old City, Orient

☆ Unimaginable devastation seen inside Khan Younis, the southern Gaza city once a safe haven for the displaced
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-10 | by ( Ivana Kottasová | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Khan Younis CNN —Scattered around a huge crater are the remnants of a life that is gone. Destroyed buildings and roads seen after the Israel Defense Forces withdrew from the areas in Khan Younis on February 02, 2024. PlanetLabs An aerial view of Khan Younis, Gaza, on January 19, 2024. PlanetLabs Aerial views of Khan Younis, Gaza, on November 30, 2023, and January 19, 2024. “I’ve (been) asked many questions about the price that Gaza, Khan Younis pays, the houses… yes, definitely, there is a price that has been paid,” Goldfuss said.

Persons: Khan Younis, Yahya Sinwar, It’s, Abdulqader, Ivana Kottasová, Dan Goldfuss, Goldfuss, “, ” Goldfuss, ”, Israel doesn’t Organizations: Khan Younis CNN, Hamas, Israel Defense Forces, Getty, CNN, IDF, Local, United Nations, Nasser, Al Amal Hospital, Palestine Red Crescent Society, UN, Islamic Jihad, Sunday Locations: Khan, Gaza, Israel, Anadolu, United, Palestine, United States, Brig

☆ Israel’s repudiation of a deal with Hamas draws fury from hostages’ families
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-09 | by ( Ivana Kottasová | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

Survivors of the October 7 terror attack and the families of hostages were furious at the uncompromising repudiation of a deal that – ultimately – could have resulted in the return of all the remaining hostages in Gaza. Moshe’s words carried power – she was kidnapped by Hamas from Kibbutz Nir Oz and held hostage in Gaza for seven weeks. The families of the hostages held in Gaza have emerged as a leading voice and they attract huge support among Israelis. Protesters demand a hostage deal amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, in a demonstration in Tel Aviv, Israel, on February 1, 2024. These anti-government protests are still strictly separate from the hostage families’ events, which tend to take place just down the road at what has become known as the Hostage Plaza.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu, “, ” Netanyahu, –, Adina Moshe, Netanyahu, Sahar Kalderon, Aviva Siegel, Nili Margalit, Sharon Aloni Cunio, Susana Vera, I’m, ” Moshe, Nir Oz, David, Sa’id, Moshe, Lital Shochat, Shochat, ‘, Shochat Chertow, Shiva, ”, Doron Shabtai, Shabtai, Ivana Kottasova, Yair Lapid, ” “, Bibi ”, Evyatar Cohen, … Organizations: Tel, Tel Aviv CNN, State, Wednesday, Reuters, Protesters, Israel Democracy HQ, Hamas, CNN, Israeli, Yesh Locations: Tel Aviv, Israel, Gaza, Sderot, Jerusalem, Israel’s, Lebanon

☆ Khan Younis: Inside the underground compound where Israel says hostages were held
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-07 | by ( Ivana Kottasová | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Khan Younis CNN —The stale, damp air inside the tunnel smells of sewage. Inside this maze of tunnels under Khan Younis, there is a narrow room with an arched ceiling, divided in half by a barred metal gate. Any hostages held here would have had limited sense of time or place. The southern city of Khan Younis, which Israel considers one of the “main strongholds” of the group, is the current epicenter of fighting. Israel believes 132 hostages are still being held in Gaza in compounds like the one CNN was escorted to under Khan Younis.

Persons: Khan Younis, CNN Israel, Dan Goldfuss, Goldfuss, “, ”, Israel, Ivana Kottasová, – Sahar Calderon, Yaakov, Sapir Cohen, Nir Oz, ’, Yahya Sinwar, ” Goldfuss Organizations: Khan Younis CNN, CNN, Israel Defense Forces, IDF, Gaza, of Health, Hamas, United Nations Locations: Gaza, Khan, Israel, Israeli, Israel’s, ”

☆ Israeli soldiers struggle to square political views with the realities of war
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-04 | by ( Ivana Kottasová | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +13 min

Netanyahu’s government is the most right-wing in Israel’s history, rejecting the idea of a Palestinian state and supporting Jewish settlements inside the West Bank. His political views are sometimes difficult to square with the realities of being a soldier, fighting on behalf of a government he doesn’t support. We enter Ramallah, we neutralize the threat.”Some of Netanyahu’s coalition partners are going a step further, proposing to build Jewish settlements in Gaza. The issue of Jewish settlements in the West Bank is already a major fault line within Israeli society and in the country’s diplomatic relationships. The idea of building settlements in Gaza has alarmed Israel’s allies, with the United States’ top diplomat rebuking the plans.

Persons: CNN — Amos Shani Atzmon, Israel, …, ”, Atzmon, “, Benjamin Netanyahu, he’s, “ I’m, Nir Oz, Kfar, Netanyahu, Amos Shani Atzmon, Ivana Kottasová, Emmanuel, Netanyuahu, ” Emmanuel, Israel’s, rebuking, –, Mendel, we’re, Churchill, Roosevelt, There’s, ” Mendel Organizations: CNN, Israel Defence Forces, Hamas, Health Ministry, UN, Court of Justice, West Bank, United, United Nations, Israel, IDF Locations: Gaza, Israel, Palestinian, Be’eri, Kfar Azza, Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, Ramallah, United States, South Africa, An, Long, Europe

CNN —Ukraine has rejected suggestions by Slovakia’s new Prime Minister Robert Fico that it will need to cede territory to Russia to end the war. “There can be no compromise on territorial integrity, neither for Ukraine, nor for Slovakia, nor for any other country,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Oleh Nikolenko wrote on Facebook. Speaking just days ahead of a scheduled visit to Ukraine, Fico told the public broadcaster both Kyiv and Moscow would need to make painful compromises to bring the war to an end. In the European Union, he is closely aligned with Hungary’s Victor Orban and has been very open about his intentions to block Ukraine’s bid to join the EU and NATO. Bringing a very different sort of message Monday to Ukraine was Poland’s new Prime Minister Donald Tusk, who met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv.

Persons: Robert Fico, Oleh Nikolenko, ”, Fico, ” Fico, Viktor Yanukovich, Hungary’s Victor Orban, Denys Shmyhal, “, Donald Tusk, Volodymyr Zelensky, Tusk Organizations: CNN, Foreign, Facebook, European Union, Kyiv, Ukraine, United, EU, NATO, Ukraine’s NATO, Slovak Army Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Slovakia, Europe, Moscow, Donbas, Luhansk, Crimea, United States, Uzhhorod, Kyiv, Poland, Ukrainian

☆ Israel says it is exhuming bodies in Gaza to determine if they’re hostages
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-18 | by ( Ivana Kottasová | Jeremy Diamond | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Israeli forces severely damaged a cemetery in Khan Younis in southern Gaza earlier this week, exhuming and removing bodies in what the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) told CNN was part of a search for the remains of hostages seized by Hamas during the October 7 terror attacks. In response to CNN’s request for comment on the damaging of graves, the IDF told CNN on Thursday that rescuing the hostages and finding and returning their bodies is one of their key missions in Gaza, which is why the bodies were removed. Israel has said that 253 people were taken hostage during the Hamas attack and believes 132 hostages are still in Gaza – 105 of them alive and 27 dead. Late on Tuesday, Israeli forces began moving towards the hospital, prompting crowds of people to flee. The IDF said on Tuesday that Hamas had recently carried out a launch from within the hospital compound towards Israeli forces in Khan Younis.

Persons: Khan Younis, ”, “, Maxar, Al Nasser, Younis Organizations: CNN, Israel Defense Forces, IDF, World Health Organization, Hamas, IDF “, Jordanian Armed Forces Locations: Khan, Gaza, Israel, Jordanian

☆ Kfir Bibas: Family marks first birthday of the youngest hostage in Gaza
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-18 | by ( Ivana Kottasová | Mick Krever | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

His name is Kfir Bibas, and he is the youngest of the 253 hostages taken into Gaza by Hamas and other militant groups during the terror attacks against Israel on October 7. Friends and relatives of the Bibas family held a small event at Nir Oz on Tuesday, commemorating Kfir’s birthday with a large balloon display and a cake featuring the famous photo of Kfir with the pink elephant. “Kfir Bibas is not the enemy of the Hamas. The Hamas don’t have any rules,” Jimmy Miller, cousin of the Bibas family, told CNN on Wednesday. Following hostage releases and one rescue, the Prime Minister’s Office says 132 hostages remain in Gaza, of whom 105 are alive and 27 dead.

Persons: Kfir, Kibbutz Nir Oz, Yarden, Ariel, Nir Oz, “, Jimmy Miller, ”, Kfir’s, Benjamin Netanyahu, Bibas, ” Israel, Minister’s Organizations: CNN, Hamas, Israel Defense Forces, IDF, Israeli Locations: Gaza, Israel, Tel Aviv

Israeli attacks in Gaza have killed at least 24,100 Palestinians and injured another 60,834, according to the Hamas-run Ministry of Health. Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, pictured on December 18 in Tel Aviv, announced the withdrawal of some troops from Gaza on Monday. It was the most significant sign so far of a new phase in Israel's military offensive. The withdrawal means there are now three IDF combat divisions left in Gaza, alongside special forces, according to the spokesperson. Thousands of families have moved multiple times as Israel’s offensive has moved to new areas.

Persons: Itamar Ben Gvir, ”, Yoav Gallant, Violeta Santos Moura, Gallant, Ben Gvir’s, Bezalel Smotrich, Benny Gantz, Netanyahu, Benjamin Netanyahu, Abir Organizations: CNN, National, IDF, of Health, Israeli, Reuters Israeli, Getty, Palestinian Authority, UN Relief and Works Agency Locations: Gaza, Israel, Tel Aviv, Netanyahu’s, Jerusalem, Netanyahu's, Abir Sultan, AFP, United States, Palestine

☆ ‘Backtracking:’ A year of climate failures ahead of a crucial summit
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-30 | by ( Laura Paddison | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

And yet, even as the climate crisis inserts itself viscerally into people’s lives, experts say the year has seen alarming backsliding on climate action. Green policies have been watered down, huge new oil and gas projects have been greenlit and coal has had something of a resurgence. As countries gather in Dubai for the UN’s COP28 climate summit, there are “high expectations,” said Harjeet Singh, the head of global political strategy at nonprofit Climate Action Network International. It sent worrying signals about climate backtracking, said Elisa Giannelli, a senior policy advisor at climate think tank E3G. Around 50% of its total capital spending needs to go toward clean energy projects by 2030, according to the report.

Persons: ”, Harjeet Singh, Kaveh Guilanpour, Singh, Biden, “, Erik Grafe, Joe Biden, Countess, Norway —, Elisa Giannelli, “ It’s, Rishi Sunak, Joeri Rogelj, Flora Champenois, It’s, Bernd Lauter, ” Rogelj, Darren Woods, Bernard Looney, Fatih Birol, Guilanpour, Claire Fyson, ” Fyson, “ we’re, ” CNN’s Ella Nilsen, Ivana Kottasová, Gan Organizations: CNN, United Nations, Action, “, Climate, Energy Solutions, US Department of Interior, Imperial College London, Global Energy Monitor, GEM, Getty, BP, Chevron, ExxonMobil, Shell, Exxon, IEA, Climate Analytics Locations: Canada, Libyan, Dubai, Alaska, Washington ,, Australia, Norway, Europe, Germany, China, Asia, Ukraine, Eschweiler, COP28

As of Wednesday, Israel had released 180 Palestinian prisoners and detainees and Hamas had released 81 hostages. Under Israeli law, children as young as 12 can be imprisoned for up to six months. Salman was one of the prisoners released on Friday, after serving almost eight of those nine years. Israeli military police guard the entrance to Ofer Israeli military prison, as Palestinian prisoners arrive from another Israeli prison, as part of an agreement between Israel and Hamas, on November 24. According to a report by Save the Children earlier this year, between an estimated 500 and 1,000 children are held in Israeli military detention each year.

Persons: CNN — Fatima Shahin, Israel, Shahin, hadn’t, ” Shahin, “, It’s, ”, isn’t, Ofer, Ammar Awad, B’Tselem, Khader Adnan, ” Adnan, Malak Salman, Salman, ” Fatima Salman, Malak’s, Itamar Ben Gvir, Ben Gvir, Ilia Yefimovich Organizations: CNN, West Bank, Israel Defense Forces ’ International Law Department, Israeli Information Center, Human Rights, Israel Prison Service, Israeli Ministry of Justice, Reuters, Geneva Convention, Islamic Jihad, UN, Palestinian, Israel Prison, Israeli National Security, Israel Police Locations: Bethlehem, Israel, Territories, Ramallah, Israeli, Jerusalem, Gaza

☆ Truce gives Gazans moment to breathe – and reveals scale of devastation
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-26 | by ( Ivana Kottasová | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

The pause in hostilities has given Gazans a moment to breathe – and take stock of the devastation around them. Trucks carrying humanitarian aid enter southern Gaza through the Rafah crossing on November 25, 2023. On Saturday, 61 trucks delivered food, water, and emergency medical supplies to northern Gaza, according to the United Nations. “We need 200 aid trucks a day continuously for two months at least to meet the needs. Today we are also sending convoys towards Gaza City and northern Gaza.

Persons: Al Qarara, Bassam Masoud, Deir, Deir El Balah, Ihab, ”, Um Mohammad, Abu Udai, Mohammed Abed, Adnan Abu Hasna Organizations: CNN, Hamas, Reuters CNN, Trucks, Getty, United Nations Relief, Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, Israel Defense Forces, United Nations, UNRWA, Gaza Locations: Gaza, Al, Israel, Khan, Gaza City, Deir El Balah, Deir, Rafah, AFP

☆ COP28: What you need to know about the 2023 climate summit in Dubai
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-20 | by ( Rachel Ramirez | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —Tens of thousands of people are heading to Dubai in early December for COP28, the annual international climate summit convened by the United Nations. While the science behind human-caused climate change was still young, scientists knew even then it would be life-changing. The controversy at COP28The climate summit is hosted at a different location each year. “It tells us clearly that the world is not on track to achieve our global climate goals,” Melanie Robinson, the global climate program director for the World Resources Institute, told CNN. A major debate among the parties has been whether to “phase out” or “phase down” fossil fuels.

Persons: John Kerry, Ian Langsdon, —, United Arab Emirates —, Critics, Al Jaber, Britain's King Charles III, COP28, Sultan Ahmed al Jaber, Aaron Chown, John Kerry —, Al Jaber’s, King Charles III, Pope Francis, Joe Biden, China’s, Jinping, Biden, Xi, Larry Fink, It’s, ” Melanie Robinson, ” Robinson, “, Maya Siddiqui, Nate Warszawski, ”, CNN’s Ivana Kottasová Organizations: CNN, COP28, United Nations, Getty, UN, “ Conference, United, United Arab Emirates, Minister of State, Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, Buckingham Palace, US, Publishing, decarbonize, Wall, BlackRock, World Resources Institute, Bloomberg, World Bank Locations: Dubai, Le Bourget, Paris, AFP, Berlin, COP21, United Arab, UAE, Abu Dhabi, Buckingham, France, Germany, Japan, Hami city, Xinjiang province, China, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Russia, Iran, Israel, Egypt, COP27

As a Palestinian resident of the West Bank, Handal needs a permit to enter Jerusalem. Israel controls all entry and exit points to the West Bank through roadblocks and checkpoints which are staffed by soldiers and armed police. Ivana Kottasova/CNNIsrael has occupied the West Bank since seizing the territory from Jordanian military occupation in 1967. In the early 1990s, under the Oslo Accords peace agreements, the West Bank was divided into three distinct zones: A, B and C.Area C, which comprises about 60% of the West Bank, is fully Israeli-controlled and forms one continuous territory. The increased violence is forcing many West Bank residents to stay at home.

Persons: Joseph Handal, ” Handal, Israel, Bani Moufleh, ‘ I’ll, ”, Mohammad Jamil, Jamil, Ibrahim, Ibrahim –, Ivana Kottasova, CNN Israel, Volker Turk, “, ” Turk, Mohamad Torokman, Joe Biden, Biden, Benjamin Netanyahu, Handal Organizations: West Bank CNN —, West Bank, CNN, Hamas, Getty, International Labour Organization, Palestinian Authority, West Bank ., Bank, Palestinian Ministry of Health, Jihad, UN Office, Humanitarian Affairs, UN, Fourth Geneva Convention, Reuters, ” Locations: Bethlehem, Old City, Jerusalem, Bethlehem ., Palestinian, Israel, Territories, Nablus, Tulkarem, Hebron, Oslo, Israeli, West Bank . Cities, Handal’s, Oslo Accords, Ramallah, That’s, “

Propaganda videos recently released by Hamas and analyzed by CNN demonstrate how complicated and elaborate the fighting has quickly become. Here’s what we know about the battle for Gaza City. On Monday, an IDF spokesperson told CNN that the Israeli military was moving toward Gaza City, which he said the Israeli military had encircled since reaching Gaza’s coast on Sunday. “(They) first want to isolate Gaza City from the north and the south and concentrate your forces. Smoke rises following an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City on Thursday.

Persons: CNN —, Israel, Yoav Gallant, Gallant, “, ” Gallant, Danny Orbach, ” Orbach, Beit, Ali Jadallah, Mark Hertling, Miri Eisin, –, ” Eisin, Hertling, It’s, ”, Hani Bakhit, Mohammed Salem, ” Volker Türk, ” Israel Organizations: CNN, Hamas, Palestinian Ministry of Health, Israel Defense Forces, Global, Israel’s, IDF, Hebrew University, Getty, UN, United Nations, Human Rights, Human Rights Watch Locations: Gaza, Ramallah, Gaza City, ”, Gaza’s, Beit Hanoun, Jerusalem, Shati, Atatra, Anadolu, Miri, Wadi Gaza, Israel

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