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☆ People Leaving Rafah Describe Fearful Flight From Israeli Assaults
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-10 | by ( Raja Abdulrahim | Bilal Shbair | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Displaced from their home in Gaza City months ago, Ms. al-Wakeel and relatives began packing their bags on Monday and preparing to dismantle their tent in Rafah, at the southern edge of the Gaza Strip. Hamas had announced that it had accepted a cease-fire proposal from Qatar and Egypt, leaving many Gazans thinking that a truce was imminent. Instead, Israeli warplanes dropped leaflets in eastern Rafah telling people to flee and move to what Israel called a humanitarian zone to the north, as the Israeli military bombarded the area. Gazan health officials say that dozens have been killed since Israel’s incursion into parts of Rafah this week. “We thought that day a cease-fire was possible,” said Ms. al-Wakeel, 48, who helped the aid group World Central Kitchen prepare hot meals.

Persons: Manal, Israel, ”, Abu Yousef al, Marwan al Organizations: Hamas, Najjar Locations: Gaza, Rafah, Qatar, Egypt, Israel, Hams

Khan Younis, Gaza CNN —Palestinians forced from their homes in Khan Younis by Israel’s military offensive have begun returning in small numbers to the southern Gaza city following the withdrawal of Israeli forces, with many arriving to find their former neighborhoods looking like wasteland. Former residents retrieve belongings from their homes in Khan Younis, Gaza, on April 7, 2024. AFP/Getty Images‘They destroyed us’Throughout the footage in Khan Younis, Israeli drones can be heard buzzing overhead, as can occasional gunshots. Graffiti left inside a building in Khan Younis, Gaza on April 7, 2024. Even for those now able to return to Khan Younis, there is little solace to be found.

Persons: Khan Younis, ”, Ahmad Hasaballah, it’s, “, Tamar, Saad, Mahmoud Ahmad, Israel, wouldn’t Organizations: Gaza CNN, CNN, Palestinian, European, Getty, Gaza’s Ministry of Interior Locations: Gaza, Khan, Khan Younis, Tamar, AFP, “ Gaza, Israel, Rafah, Palestinian

☆ Middle East Crisis Amid Fears of Expanded War, U.S. Renews Push for Hostage and Cease-Fire Deal
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-06 | by ( Peter Baker | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +4 min

Since the start of the war in Gaza in October, the aid group said, it had delivered more than 43 million meals there. Mr. Al-Asaad knows many people relied on meals from World Central Kitchen, which often consisted of rice and beans and sometimes meat or chicken. His family rarely got the meals “because the demand was more than the supply,” Mr. Al-Asaad said in an interview on Friday. “Eggs cost more than gold,” Mr. Al-Asaad, 45, wrote in the caption. The World Food Program, an arm of the United Nations, says that famine is imminent in northern Gaza.

Persons: Suhail Al, Asaad, José Andrés, Mr, Biden, Israel, ”, Mohammad al, Masri, doesn’t Organizations: Mr, Food Program, United Nations, World Health Organization Locations: Gaza City, Rafah, Gaza, WhatsApp

☆ More clarity needed on future defence spending, Israel's central bank chief says
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-31 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Amir Yaron, governor of the Bank of Israel, speaks during an interest rates news conference in Jerusalem, Israel, on Monday, Feb. 26, 2024. Israel's central bank chief on Sunday called on the government to enact responsible fiscal policy by reining in non-defence spending to offset any further expansion in the military budget. Israel intends to add some 20 billion shekels ($5.4 billion) of spending towards defence a year going forward. Israel's economy grew 2% in 2023, with zero per capita GDP. The governor said Israel's economy entered the war with good economic fundamentals and has in the past rebounded rapidly from crises.

Persons: Amir Yaron, Israel, Yaron Organizations: Bank of Israel, Hamas, Jewish Locations: Jerusalem, Israel, Israel's, Gaza

☆ Middle East Crisis Gaza Authorities Say Accident Involving Airdropped Aid Kills 5
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-08 | by ( Hiba Yazbek | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +4 min

The authorities in Gaza said at least five Palestinians were killed and several others were wounded on Friday after packages of humanitarian aid that had been airdropped fell on them in Gaza City. A video, circulating on social media and purporting to depict the incident, shows a plane releasing parachutes carrying aid packages over northern Gaza. They have urged Israel to open up more border crossings and to speed up inspections of the aid shipments. But dangers posed by failed parachutes and falling pallets of food, water and other aid are also a major risk in airdrop operations. On Sunday, he said, he bought three bags of food at a market that had been airdropped by the United States.

Persons: Patrick S, Ryder, —, James McGoldrick, ”, “, ” Saleh Eid, Eid, Lajka Organizations: Pentagon, The New York Times, United Arab Locations: Gaza, Gaza City, United States, Al, Jordan, United Arab Emirates, Egypt, France, U.N, Israel, Jabaliya

☆ Opinion | We Need to Talk About This Republican Candidate’s Antisemitism
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-07 | by ( Michelle Goldberg | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Mark Robinson, the Republican nominee for governor of North Carolina, has for some reason not bothered to take down his old Facebook posts about the Jews. He regularly argued on Facebook that focusing on the evils of Nazism obscured the greater danger: the one represented by the Democratic Party. He has refused to apologize for these statements, though he called them “poorly worded” and has denied that he’s antisemitic. None of this appears to have hurt Robinson with the Republican electorate in North Carolina, where on Tuesday he won nearly 65 percent of the vote in the gubernatorial primary. But Robinson is a reminder that in electoral politics, there is far more tolerance for antisemitism in the Republican Party than the Democratic one.

Persons: Mark Robinson, ’, ” Robinson, “ George Soros, Adolf Hitler, ”, “, Robinson, Josh Stein, Donald Trump, Martin Luther King Organizations: Republican, NAZI, Facebook, Democratic Party, Democratic, Republican Party Locations: North Carolina

☆ Middle East Crisis U.S. Vetoes U.N. Resolution Calling for a Cease-Fire in Gaza
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-20 | by ( Farnaz Fassihi | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +4 min

But the donations have become the focus of a legal battle after an Israeli credit card company balked at transferring the funds. The campaign portrayed the family as victims of harassment by the Israeli left and emphasized its financial plight since Mr. Levi’s accounts were frozen. Then the nonprofit group that organized it took it down. The campaign to support Mr. Chasdai has raised 114,000 shekels, roughly $31,000, through a separate crowdfunding platform. But the sweeping nature of the U.S. sanctions means that financial institutions would be reluctant to participate in efforts to direct money to Mr. Levi or others, experts said.

Persons: Biden, Yinon Levi, Levi, Levi’s, David Chai Chasdai, Levi —, Britain —, Sapir Levi, Reut Gez, “, Gez, Chasdai, ”, Eliav Lieblich Organizations: West Bank, Cal, Mr, U.S . State Department, ABC News, State Department, Britain, Mount, Mount Hebron Regional Council, Democratic Bloc, Tel Aviv University, “, U.S . Treasury Locations: U.S, Tel Aviv, Israel, Palestinian, Huwara, Israeli, Hebron, Mount Hebron

☆ Diapers Instead of Bridal Gowns: Gaza Tailors Adapt to Wartime Needs
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-19 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +3 min

"There are 1.5 million displaced people in Rafah city and there are no Pampers," said Yasser Abu Gharara, owner of the tailoring workshop now making diapers. "We are not only talking about diapers for babies, but also for the elderly and people with disabilities," he said. For displaced people living in tent camps, the dearth of diapers has been worsening the daily struggle to keep babies and toddlers clean and dry. Hany Subh, a displaced father, said he was looking for diapers in the market every day, but the prices were too high. The war has reduced much of the enclave to rubble and caused what the U.N. has called a humanitarian catastrophe.

Persons: Mohammed Salem, Yasser Abu Gharara, Abu Gharara, Inas Al, Masry, Estelle Shirbon, William Maclean Locations: Mohammed Salem RAFAH, Gaza, Rafah, Egypt, Israel

☆ Israel’s economy slumps in the fourth quarter as war takes a toll
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-19 | by ( Hanna Ziady | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

London CNN —Israel’s output contracted sharply in the final three months of 2023, falling for the first time in nearly two years, as the war with Hamas takes a heavy toll on the economy. The conflict is expected to cost Israel around 255 billion shekels ($70.3 billion) by the end of 2025, equivalent to around 13% of GDP, according to the Bank of Israel. And earlier this month, Moody’s delivered Israel’s first ever credit rating downgrade, citing elevated political risk and deteriorating public finances stemming from the war. “Under a scenario of outright conflict… the negative economic impact would spread to more sectors and be longer-lasting,” Moody’s said. In 2023 as a whole, Israel’s economy grew 2%, according to the statistics office.

Persons: Liam Peach, ” Peach, Moody’s, Israel’s, ”, ” Moody’s, Ido Soen Organizations: London CNN, Hamas, Gross, Israel’s, Bureau, Statistics, Israel, Capital Economics, Bank of Israel Locations: Gaza, Israel, Lebanese

☆ Morocco's hashish dealers boycott Israeli traffickers in solidarity with Gaza, says report
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-17 | by ( Rebecca Rommen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Dealers of highly-prized Moroccan hashish are severing ties with Israeli drug smugglers. They are boycotting Israeli dealers in protest at the killing of Palestinians in Gaza, said a report. AdvertisementMoroccan hashish dealers are severing ties with Israeli drug smugglers amid the ongoing war in Gaza, per a report in Israeli media. "The hashish dealers in Morocco are not willing to sell us more hashish either directly or through intermediaries," a drug offender from Sharon told Mako , an Israeli news portal, reports. The Moroccan hashish boycott echoes the Palestinian-led Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement.

Persons: —, Sharon, Mako, siad, Abu Mustafa, Merchants Organizations: Service, Cannabis Museum, Hamas, REUTERS, IDF Locations: Gaza, Morocco, Israeli, Amsterdam, Israel, Gaza City, Moroccan

☆ 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

Some of the hardest-hit are babies, young children and their parents, with diapers and formula either hard to find or spiking to unaffordable prices, leading parents to look to inadequate or even unsafe alternatives. “I sold my children’s food so I can buy diapers,” said Raafat Abu Wardeh, who has two children in diapers. A pack of diapers before the war cost 12 shekels ($3.50). There isn’t even aid.”Some parents are using cloth diapers, but those require washing with water, which is also scarce. “This is far from being enough to address the colossal needs of the children in Gaza,” said UNICEF spokesperson Ammar Ammar.

Persons: — Zainab al, Zein, ”, “, Raafat Abu Wardeh, Anis, Zainab, Israel, Ammar Ammar, ” Ammar, Zainab al, Linda, ceaselessly, Magdy Organizations: Health Ministry, Hamas, United Nations ’, UNICEF Locations: DEIR, Gaza, Israel, handouts, Deir, Cairo, israel

☆ Palestinian Authority to Pay Reduced Salaries as Israel Blocks Funds
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-06 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +3 min

By Ali SawaftaRAMALLAH (Reuters) - The Palestinian Authority said on Tuesday it will pay public sector workers 60% of their December salaries this week as it grapples with the longrunning fallout of Israel's refusal to transfer tax funds earmarked for Gaza. Funding to the Palestinian Authority, the body which exercises limited governance in the occupied West Bank, has been severely restricted by the months-long dispute over transferring tax revenues Israel collects on behalf of the Palestinians. Although Gaza is controlled by Hamas, the Palestinian Authority continues to fund essential areas of the blockaded enclave's budget including paying the salaries of health workers. The dispute over the Palestinian Authority budget coincides with a separate dispute over funding to UNWRA, the United Nations agency which pays for emergency relief for Palestinians. Much of the UNWRA budget has been cut off since Israel accused 12 of the agency's 13,000 Gaza workers of involvement in the Oct. 7 attack.

Persons: Ali Sawafta, Mohammad Shtayyeh, Bezalel Smotrich, Smotrich, Shtayyeh, Antony Blinken, James Mackenzie, Christina Fincher Organizations: Palestinian Authority, West Bank, Palestinian, Israeli, Hamas, U.S, United Nations, Israel, International Court of Justice Locations: Ali Sawafta RAMALLAH, Gaza, Israel

☆ Hedge fund billionaire Bill Ackman and wife Neri Oxman buy nearly 5% stake in Tel Aviv Stock Exchange
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-24 | by ( Natasha Turak | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Hedge fund billionaire Bill Ackman and his wife Neri Oxman are buying a nearly 5% stake in the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange, the exchange reported in a press release Wednesday. The announcement came as the Israeli bourse announced the pricing of a secondary offering of 17,156,677 shares priced at 20.60 shekels ($5.50) per share. "The transaction drew robust interest from investors across Israel, the United States, Europe, and Australia, reflecting a strong vote of confidence in both the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange and the Israeli economy at large," the statement read. "Among the prominent buyers were Neri Oxman and Bill Ackman who have agreed to purchase approximately a 4.9% equity stake in the TASE." His wife, Neri Oxman, is an American-Israeli designer and professor.

Persons: Bill Ackman, Neri Oxman Organizations: Tel Aviv Stock Exchange, Israeli bourse, New, Pershing, Capital Management Locations: Israel, United States, Europe, Australia, New York, Gaza, American

☆ Israel's ban on Palestinian workers is causing supply shocks to its economy: central bank governor
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-18 | by ( Natasha Turak | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

"And it's primarily in the construction industry where ... a third of that industry is Palestinians from the West Bank, and now they're not coming in to work." "It's also affecting agriculture, where they are in, and there are other foreign workers," Yaron said. watch nowThe ban on most of these workers returning to their employment in Israel has dramatically hurt the economy of the West Bank. In late December, Israel's finance ministry warned that the ban on Palestinian workers could cost Israel's economy billions of shekels per month. Fifty percent of the sites are closed and there is an impact on Israel's economy and the housing market."

Persons: Amir Yaron, Kobi Wolf, CNBC's Dan Murphy, Yaron, Raul Sargo Organizations: Bank of Israel, Bloomberg, Getty, Economic, West Bank, Israel, Times, Israel Builders Association Locations: Jerusalem, Israel, Davos, Gaza, Times of Israel, Thailand

☆ Tel Aviv bourse says no unusual trading ahead of Oct 7 Hamas attack
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-05 | by ( Steven Scheer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

JERUSALEM, Dec 5 (Reuters) - The Tel Aviv Stock Exchange said on Tuesday that a report by U.S. researchers suggesting there were investors in Israel who may have profited from prior knowledge of Hamas' Oct. 7 attack was inaccurate and its publication irresponsible. "There was nothing unusual in short positions in the stock exchange in the two months before the attack." "The ISA's examinations found, inter-alia, that the average short balances for shares traded on the Tel-Aviv Stock Exchange declined during the period preceding October 7th," the regulator said in a statement. Their report said "short interest in the MSCI Israel Exchange Traded Fund (ETF) suddenly, and significantly, spiked" on Oct. 2, based on data from the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA). He also said the short position in Leumi was taken by an unidentified Israeli bank known to the TASE.

Persons: Robert Jackson Jr, Joshua Mitts, Yaniv Pagot, Pagot, Mitts, Steven Scheer, Mark Potter, Leslie Adler Organizations: Tel Aviv Stock Exchange, U.S, New York University, Columbia University, Hamas, Reuters, Israel Securities Authority, Tel, Aviv Stock Exchange, ISA, Leumi, MSCI Israel, Fund, Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Thomson Locations: Israel, Leumi, Israel's, agorot, MSCI

☆ Israel investigates possible trading knowledge ahead of Oct 7 Hamas attack
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-04 | by ( Steven Scheer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] An aerial view shows vehicles on fire as rockets are launched from the Gaza Strip, in Ashkelon, southern Israel October 7, 2023. REUTERS/Ilan Rosenberg/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsJERUSALEM, Dec 4 (Reuters) - Israeli authorities are investigating claims by U.S. researchers that some investors may have known in advance of a Hamas plan to attack Israel on Oct. 7 and used that information to profit from Israeli securities. "And just before the attack, short selling of Israeli securities on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange (TASE) increased dramatically," they wrote in their 66-page report. In response, the TASE referred Reuters to the Israel Securities Authority, which said: "The matter is known to the authority and is under investigation by all the relevant parties." The professors referred to patterns in early April when it was reported that Hamas was initially planning its attack on Israel.

Persons: Ilan Rosenberg, Robert Jackson Jr, Joshua Mitts, Steven Scheer, Howard Goller Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, U.S, Research, New York University, Columbia University, MSCI Israel, Fund, Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Tel Aviv Stock Exchange, Reuters, Israel Securities Authority, Thomson Locations: Gaza, Ashkelon, Israel, MSCI, Israel's

☆ Israel's First International Bank Q3 profit dips, default provision jumps
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-29 | by ( Steven Scheer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

FIBI, Israel's fifth largest bank, also said on Wednesday it would keep unchanged its dividend policy of paying out 50% of annual net profit. Net profit for the July-September quarter was 455 million shekels ($124 million), down from 467 million shekels a year earlier. FIBI said it had 165 million shekels in credit loss expenses in the quarter, versus 43 million the previous year. FIBI recorded a non-interest financing expense of 1 million shekels in the quarter versus income of 48 million the year before. FIBI said its board approved a dividend distribution of 90 million shekels.

Persons: Baz Ratner, FIBI, Smadar Barber, Steven Scheer, Mark Potter Organizations: International Bank of Israel, REUTERS, Rights, Bank of, Thomson Locations: Jerusalem, Bank of Israel

☆ Israel's finance minister defends settlement funds in budget row
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich attends an inauguration event for Israel's new light rail line for the Tel Aviv metropolitan area, in Petah Tikva, Israel, August 17, 2023. On Sunday, centrist Minister Benny Gantz demanded that Netanyahu remove all political payouts from the new budget, saying they will harm the war effort. Those include so-called "coalition funds" intended for settlements in the occupied West Bank and for the ultra-Orthodox Jewish education system. The row over devoting funds to settlements comes at a sensitive moment for Israel as it seeks to mobilize international support for the war in Gaza. Israel's central bank and hundreds of economists have also called on the government to scrap funds not vital to financing the war.

Persons: Bezalel Smotrich, Amir Cohen, Benjamin Netanyahu's, Benny Gantz, Netanyahu, Smotrich, Josep Borrell, Gantz's, Mahmoud Abbas, Gantz, Maayan Lubell, Steven Scheer, Ari Rabinovitch, Ali Sawafta, Nick Macfie Organizations: Tel, REUTERS, Rights, Israeli, West Bank, Jewish, Sunday, Thomson Locations: Tel Aviv, Petah Tikva, Israel, Gaza, United States, Jerusalem

☆ Palestinian militants execute 2 alleged Israeli collaborators and publicly display their corpses on the West Bank, say reports
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-25 | by ( Rebecca Rommen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Two Palestinian men accused of collaborating with the IDF were executed, say reports. The two men were executed in Tulkarm on the West Bank, accused of being Israeli collaborators on Friday night, per i24NEWS. AdvertisementA third man accused of being a spy was executed in Jenin, also on the West Bank, The Jerusalem Post reported. Violence in the West Bank has dramatically increased since the Hamas terrorist attacks on Israel on October 7 . The IDF's actions in the West Bank have focused on arrests and targeted assassinations.

Persons: —, Israel, Hamza Mabarech, Azzam Joabra, Allahu Akbar Organizations: Service, West Bank, Islamic, Jerusalem Post Locations: Tulkarm, Jenin, Jerusalem, Israel

☆ Hit by war, Israelis defer loan repayments in October -banks regulator
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-22 | by ( Steven Scheer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

An explosion takes place during Israeli air strikes over Gaza, as seen from southern Israel, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas, November 22, 2023. REUTERS/Alexander Ermochenko Acquire Licensing RightsJERUSALEM, Nov 22 (Reuters) - Israelis deferred payment on nearly 3 billion shekels of loans in October as a result of Israel's war with Hamas, the banking regulator said on Wednesday. Following the attacks on Israel by Palestinian Hamas gunmen on Oct 7 and the subsequent war, the central bank's banking supervisor told banks to allow for loan deferrals and ease fees for households and businesses affected by the conflict. "It is important to emphasize to the public the significance of deferring loan repayments, and that borrowers should do so only if they really need to." ($1 = 3.7154 shekels)Reporting by Steven Scheer; Editing by Angus MacSwanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Alexander Ermochenko, Banks Daniel Hahiashvili, Amir Yaron, Steven Scheer, Angus MacSwan Organizations: Palestinian, Hamas, REUTERS, Rights, Bank of, Data, deferrals, " Bank of Israel, Thomson Locations: Gaza, Israel, Bank of Israel, Palestinian

☆ Israel says it raised $8 billion of debt since start of war with Hamas
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-13 | by ( Steven Scheer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Israel Defense Forces/Handout via REUTERS Acquire Licensing RightsJERUSALEM, Nov 13 (Reuters) - Israel has raised about 30 billion shekels ($7.8 billion) in debt since the start of the war with Hamas militants, the Finance Ministry said on Monday. Slightly more than half of that - 16 billion shekels - was dollar-denominated debt raised in issuances in international markets, it said. The ministry on Monday raised another 3.7 billion shekels in the local market in its weekly bond auction. As a result, Israel recorded a budget deficit of 22.9 billion shekels in October, a leap from 4.6 billion in September and pushing up the deficit over the prior 12 months to 2.6%. But Bank of Israel Governor Amir Yaron has said the government needs to balance "supporting the economy and maintaining a sound fiscal position."

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu, Amir Yaron, Steven Scheer, Hugh Lawson Organizations: Palestinian, Hamas, Israel Defense Forces, REUTERS Acquire, Rights, Finance, Bank, Israel, Bank of Israel, Thomson Locations: Gaza, Israel, issuances

☆ I was one of the lucky few to escape Gaza. Here’s how I fled for my life
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-10 | by ( Nadeen Ebrahim | Ibrahim Dahman | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Cairo, Egypt CNN —My wife woke me up early on Saturday, October 7, saying there were sounds of rocket fire outside. CNN producer Ibrahim Dahman is pictured with his wife, Rasha, and two children, Zeid and Khalil, in Khan Younis, Gaza on October 15. I found a car and headed towards Khan Younis, a city close to the Egyptian border in the south, hoping to stay at the Crescent Hotel there. A life of danger and exhaustionWe stayed in Khan Younis for three weeks. In Khan Younis, I was afraid to sleep, worried I would die in my sleep, unable to save myself or my family.

Persons: Egypt CNN —, – Zeid, Khalil, —, Rasha, Israel, Ibrahim Dahman, Zeid, Khan, Khan Younis, Abeer Salman, Asmaa Khalil, Housam Ahmed, Mary Rogers, Sarah El Sirgany, Lulu, I’ve Organizations: Egypt CNN, CNN, Shifa, Gaza’s, Hamas, Jalaa, Missiles, American Locations: Cairo, Egypt, Gaza, Israel, CNN Gaza, retaliating, Khan Younis, Jerusalem, Al, Amal, Hilal, Khan, Rafah, Palestinian

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich attend an inauguration event for Israel's new light rail line for the Tel Aviv metropolitan area, in Petah Tikva, Israel, August 17, 2023. REUTERS/Amir Cohen/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsJERUSALEM, Nov 10 (Reuters) - Israel's finance ministry said on Friday it would divert to the war effort some 1.6 billion shekels ($440 million) this year out of billions earmarked for parties in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's far-right coalition government. They expressed alarm last month at the government's plan to transfer 9 billion shekels ($2.2 billion) to ultra-Orthodox and far-right-wing pro-settler parties, as part of an agreement Netanyahu made with them to secure his ruling coalition. The finance ministry's proposal would cut around 70% of 2.5 billion shekels of funding for coalition partners still due to be paid in the current 2023 budget. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said in a letter on Friday that he planned to cut some 4 billion shekels ($1 billion) from the 2023 budget excluding war funding, and increase war funding by a further 9 billion, on top of 22 billion shekels already allocated.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu, Bezalel Smotrich, Amir Cohen, Benjamin Netanyahu's, Netanyahu, Maytaal, Peter Graff Organizations: Israeli Finance, Tel, REUTERS, Rights, Finance, Thomson Locations: Tel Aviv, Petah Tikva, Israel

☆ War with Hamas to cost Israel above $50 billion, Calcalist reports
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Palestinians search for casualties, at the site of Israeli strikes on houses, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, at the Magazi Refugee Camp, in central Gaza Strip, November 5, 2023. REUTERS/Mohammed Salem Acquire Licensing RightsJERUSALEM, Nov 5 (Reuters) - Israel's war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip will cost as much as 200 billion shekels ($51 billion), the Calcalist financial newspaper reported on Sunday, citing preliminary Finance Ministry figures. Calcalist described the ministry as deeming 200 billion shekels an "optimistic" estimate. Calcalist said half of the cost would be in defence expenses that amount to some 1 billion shekels a day. Another 40-60 billion shekels would come from a loss of revenue, 17-20 billion for compensation for businesses and 10-20 billion shekels for rehabilitation.

Persons: Mohammed Salem, Lebanon's, Calcalist, Bezalel Smotrich, Benjamin Netanyahu, Moody's, Fitch, Steven Scheer, David Evans Organizations: Hamas, REUTERS, Rights, Ministry, Lebanon's Hezbollah, Thomson Locations: Israel, Palestinian, Gaza, Iran, Yemen

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