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REUTERS/Ammar Awad/ Acquire Licensing RightsNEW YORK/LONDON, Nov 6 (Reuters) - Travelers are canceling or postponing planned vacations to the Middle East and North Africa due to fears of the Israel-Hamas conflict worsening, and as touring companies have also altered itineraries and canceled flights. Travel operators say the war is affecting demand for travel to nearby nations including Egypt, Jordan and Turkey. German airline Group Lufthansa (LHAG.DE) said on Thursday their Middle East bookings have not been affected by the war, with only an initial dip when the conflict started. Spanish travel agency Essentialist said it has canceled 75% of trips to the extended Middle East and Northeast Africa region. The conflict's effect on travel demand to the Middle East may extend beyond the holidays and even just neighboring countries.

Persons: Ammar Awad, Israel, Todd Elliott, Konrad Waliszewski, Willie Walsh, Kathleen Oberg, Patrick Scholes, Essentialist, Matt Berna, Khaled Ibrahim, Doyinsola Oladipo, Joanna Plucińska, Rajesh Kumar Singh, Daniel Wallis Organizations: REUTERS, Cruise Line Holdings, Royal Caribbean Group, International Air Transport Association, Group Lufthansa, AS OMAN, Marriott, Intrepid Travel, Americas, East Travel Alliance, Thomson Locations: Damascus, Jerusalem's Old City, East, North Africa, Israel, Palestinian, Gaza, Egypt, Jordan, Turkey, Orlando , Florida, Israel . Washington, Cyprus, Lebanon, Valencia, Spain, Spanish, Northeast Africa, Australia, Norway, Sharm el Sheikh, Oman, UAE, New York, London, Chicago

Dearborn, Michigan CNN —In 2020, Eman Hammoud was one of thousands of Michigan Muslims who helped President Joe Biden beat Donald Trump. A month ago, the Palestinian American immigration lawyer had no doubts she would support his campaign again in 2024. Michigan has more than 200,000 Muslim American voters — 146,000 of whom turned out to vote in 2020 –— according to an analysis by Emgage, an organization that seeks to build the political power of Muslim Americans. “That just proves that the Biden administration needs the Muslim vote to win,” said Nada Al-Hanooti, the Michigan executive director of Emgage Action. “We felt that the rhetoric, including from the White House, was very unhelpful and in fact potentially dangerous,” Alzayat said.

Persons: Joe Biden, Donald Trump, she’s, “ He’s, ” Hammoud, that’s, Hammoud, Biden, ”, Nada, Fayoume, ” Biden, Ammar Moussa, “, Donald Trump’s, Abbas Alawieh, Rashida Tlaib, Tlaib, Israel, Abdullah Hammoud, “ We’re, Israel isn’t, —, Beau, Adam Abusalah, John Kirby, he’s, Robyn Patterson, “ We’ll, White, Jeff Zients, Anita Dunn, Wa’el Alzayat, ” Alzayat, Antony Blinken, Sam Baydoun, Baydoun, ” Baydoun, didn’t, ” Hussein Dabajeh, ” Dabajeh, ” Lexi Zeidan, “ We’ve, Zeidan, CNN’s Denise Royal Organizations: Michigan CNN —, Biden, CNN, Michigan, American, Michigan —, Arab American, GOP, MAGA, Democratic, Dearborn, Muslim American, Palestinian, Congress, Rep, Muslim, Israel, West Bank, US, UN, House, Hamas, Gaza Ministry of Health, White House, White, Office, UN Security, Trump Locations: Dearborn, Michigan, Palestinian, Israel, Gaza, —, Detroit, Eastern, Arab American, Palestinian American, Hammoud, Tel Aviv, Minneapolis, Wayne County , Michigan, Lebanon, Habib’s, Lebanese, American, Palestine

☆ Protesters mass outside Netanyahu's house as anger grows
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

JERUSALEM, Nov 4 (Reuters) - Police held back protesters outside the residence of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday, amid widespread anger at the failures that led to last month's deadly attack by Hamas gunmen on communities around the Gaza Strip. ", a crowd in the hundreds pushed through police barriers around Netanyahu's residence in Jerusalem. [1/3]Protestors gather against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu near his residence, as the conflict between Israel and Palestinian Islamist group Hamas continues, in Jerusalem, November 4, 2023. "We don't know where they are, we don't know what condition they are kept in. I don't know if Kfir is getting food, I don't know if Ariel is getting enough food.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu, Netanyahu, Ammar Awad, Levy, Ariel, Kfir, Emily Rose, Ros Russell, Emelia Organizations: Police, Israeli, Hamas, REUTERS, Reuters, Israel's Channel, Television, Defense, Thomson Locations: Gaza, Jerusalem, Israel, Tel Aviv, Palestinian

☆ UN cites 'alarming' rise in Israeli army operations in West Bank
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

A Palestinian woman checks the damage after an Israeli raid, in Jenin refugee camp in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. REUTERS/Raneen Sawafta Acquire Licensing RightsGENEVA, Nov 3 (Reuters) - The United Nations rights office on Friday described "alarming" conditions in the occupied West Bank, saying Israeli forces were increasingly using military tactics and weapons in law enforcement operations there. The Israeli military has reported a sharp increase in operations against militants in the West Bank since the Oct. 7 attack, making some 1,260 arrests, of whom it said some 760 were affiliated with Hamas. While Hamas and the smaller Iranian-backed Islamic Jihad militant group are mainly based in Gaza, over recent years they have also expanded their presence across the West Bank, notably in volatile cities including Jenin and Nablus. "We have documented that in many of these incidents, settlers were accompanied by members of the Israeli forces, or the settlers were wearing uniforms and carrying army rifles," she said.

Persons: Raneen, Liz Throssell, Throssell, Ammar Al, Gabrielle Tétrault, Farber, Emma Farge, Rachel More, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: West Bank, REUTERS, Rights, United, Human Rights, Hamas, Jihad, Independent Commission of Human, Thomson Locations: Jenin, United Nations, Israel, Gaza, East Jerusalem, Nablus, Palestine, Ramallah, Geneva, videolink

Ronen Zvulun/Reuters A woman mourns over a dead man at the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Gaza City on October 18. Yousef Masoud/The New York Times A morgue worker arranges body bags at al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City on October 12. Samar Abu Elouf/The New York Times/Redux Children run for cover as bombs fall near the Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City on October 9. Erik Marmor/AP Six-month-old Sama Alwadia is rescued from the rubble in Gaza City on October 9. Majdi Fathi/NurPhoto/Getty Images Israeli soldiers work on a tank at the border between Israel and Gaza on October 9.

Persons: CNN — Israel, Israel, Gazans, they’d, Ismail Abd Almagid, Ivana Kottasova, CNN “, ” Ismail Abd Almagid, Ronen Zvulun, Hatem Ali, Jalaa Merey, Ahmad Salem, Ali Jadallah, Khan, Abed Zagout, Fadel Senna, Atef Safadi, Yosef Vahav, Anas al, Kiryat Shmona, Jalaa Marey, Mustafa Hassona, Albert Miles, Bernat, Abed Rahim Khatib, Ilan Rosenberg, Fatima Shbair, Ashraf Amra, Manna, Tamar Chaya Torpiashvili, Mohammed Abed, Abed Khaled, Tamir Kalifa, Khan Younis, Benjamin Netanyahu, Yoav Gallant, Ammar Awad, Jehad Al, Kafarnah, Teddy, Dan Kitwood, Dima Vazinovich, Ahmad Hasaballah, Jack Guez, Sagiv Ben Zvi, Evelyn Hockstein, Omar El, Mohammed Salem, Amir Levy, Yasser Qudih, Tsafrir, Francisco Seco, Ali Mohmoud, Lifshitz, Alexi J . Rosenfeld, Violeta Santos Moura, Mai Yaghi, Mohammed Zaanoun, Yam Goldstein, Nadav, Ariel Schalit, Said Khatub, Leon Neal, Hatem Moussa, Nir Oz, Wolfgang Schwan, Yousef Masoud, Shadi Tabatibi, Belal al Sabbagh, Mohammed Saber, Rizek Abdeljawad, Ahmad Gharabli, Janis Laizans, Mohammed Dahman, Gallant, Ofir Libstein, Aza, Belal Khaled, Hod, Ayal Margolin, Antony Blinken, Joe Biden, Brendan Smialowski, Biden, Netanyahu, Kenny Holston, Kfar Aza, Ilia Yefimovich, Mahmoud Khaled, Samar Abu, Dor Reder, Shir Torem, Wahaj Bani Moufleh, Antonio Macías, Macías, Eli Albag, Liri, Mohammed Talatene, Sergey Ponomarev, Dor Kedmi, Mahmud Hams, Saher, Abraham Cohen, Valentin Ghnassia, Ghnassia, Yuri Cortez, Ibrahim Hams, Bashar Taleb, Baz Ratner, Yahya Hassouna, Mapal Adam, Agha, Ibraheem Abu Mustafa, Reuters Itzik, Miriam Shafir, Dor Shafir, Savion Kiper, Maya Alleruzzo, CNN Sergey Ponomarev, Eden Guez, Ohad, Mohammed Soboh, Said, Noam Elimeleh Rothenberg, Amir Cohen, Ilai Bar Sade, Erik Marmor, Oren Ziv, Majdi, Ramez Mahmoud, Roi Levy, Alleruzzo, Tali Touito, Oded, Ahmad Hasballah, Mohammed Fayq Abu Mostafa, Eyad Baba, Itai Ron, Hadas Parush, Philippe Lazzarini, ” Organizations: CNN, Palestinian Authority, West Bank, Gazans, Israel Defense Forces, UNRWA, Palestinian Ministry of Health, Pictures, Reuters, Getty, Bloomberg, United Nations Relief, Works Agency, Israeli Apache, AP, Al Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, Palestinian, Al, Najjar, IDF, EyePress, New York Times, Israeli, Getty Images, Nasser Medical Hospital, AP Rescuers, Hamas, Tel Aviv University, Reuters Civil, AP Rockets, AP Israel's, Regional, Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, Israel's, Ahli Baptist Hospital, Ben Gurion International, Shifa, Aris Messinis, Haim, Mount, Mount Herzl Military, Nova, Anadolu Agency, Nova Festival, Ben Gurion, Rockets, United Nations, Reuters Police, Reuters Rockets, Palestinian Red Crescent Society Locations: Palestinian, Gaza, Israel, “ Israel, Egypt, Ramallah, Jerusalem, Rafah, Israeli, Golan Heights, Lebanon, AFP, Gaza City, Anadolu, Khan Younis, Sderot, Beit Guvrin, Shareef, Kiryat, Al Aqsa, Deir Al, Balah, Kibbutz Be'eri, Ashdod, Tel Aviv, Holon, Ichilov, Najjar, Kibbutz Shefayim, Deir al, Europe, Zahra City, Xinhua, East Jerusalem, Ras, Israel's, Yehuda, Aqsa, Hod HaSharon, Kiryat Shmona, Al, Ahli, Gan, Kfar, North Sinai, Samar, Samar Abu Elouf, Beit Kama, Haifa, Cyprus, Nablus, West, Kfar Saba, Be'eri, Rehovot, Mount Herzl, Modiin Maccabim, Kfar Aza, Ashkelon, Mount Herzel, Yassin, Beitar Ilit, Ramat Gan, Itai, Beit Hanun, Rishon Lezion

☆ Israeli settler attacks fuel the fire as Gaza war rages
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-02 | by ( John Davison | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +9 min

Ben-Gvir's office did not respond to a request for comment about whether guns had already been distributed in the West Bank. At least eight of those were since Oct 7. alone, worrying ordinary Palestinians, Israeli security experts and Western officials. Washington has condemned settler attacks on Palestinians in the West Bank while the European Union on Tuesday denounced "settler terrorism" that risked a "dangerous escalation of the conflict." Hamas cited Israeli actions in the West Bank, core to a would-be Palestinian state, in waging its killing spree. 'GREAT DANGER'Settler-related violence is becoming harder to stem with the ongoing Gaza war and the augmented power of far-right politicians, Israeli security experts say.

Persons: Ammar Awad, Father, QUSRA, Mourning, Mohammed Wadi, Israel hurtled, Wadi's, Shira Liebman, Itamar Ben, Mohammed's, Ahmed, Ibrahim, Abdullah Abu Rahma, Liebman, We've, Lior Akerman, Benjamin Netanyahu, Ben, Ariel Danino, Akerman, Den, Wadi, I'm, Emily Rose, Ali Sawafta, Frank Jack Daniel Our Organizations: West Bank, REUTERS, Reuters, Yesha, National, Twitter, Humanitarian Affairs Office, OCHA, European Union, Wall Resistance Commission, Hamas, United Nations, Palestinian, Thomson Locations: Nablus, West, Bank, Gaza, Qusra, Yesha Council, Lebanon, Washington, Israel's, Israel, Lebanese, Wadi, Abdullah, Jerusalem, Ramallah

☆ Shani Louk became the face of Hamas' brutal massacre. Her family says they'll remember her as a 'pacifist' with a pure soul.
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-02 | by ( Sophia Ankel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Shani Louk was a German-Israeli tattoo artist who was thought to have been kidnapped by Hamas. Shani Louk, dressed in an olive green two-piece, is one of them. AdvertisementAdvertisementRicarda Louk sits in front of a placard of her daughter Shani Louk Tuesday Oct. 17, 2023 in Tel Aviv. Evelyn Hockstein/Reutersn the early years of her life, Louk's family moved to Portland, Oregon, after her father, Nissim, got a job at Intel. In other photos posted by her sister, the Louk family appears to be very close.

Persons: Shani Louk, Louk, —, Akbar, Alleruzzo, Amit, Louk's, Ricarda, Der Spiegel, Adi, Nissim, Ricarda Louk, Li, Evelyn Hockstein, Devorah Spilman, Spilman, Evenlyn Hockstein, didn't, Orión Hernández Radoux, Radoux, Amir Cohen, Netanyahu, Gallant, Ammar Awad, isn't, Shani Organizations: Service, Nova, Hamas, Sky News, Intel, Portland Jewish Academy, Orly, Reuters, Defence, Süddeutsche Zeitung, Israeli Locations: German, Gaza, Hamas, Israel, Tel Aviv, Ravensburg, Germany, Srigim, Portland , Oregon, Orly, Greece

[1/4] Brothers Rada Rashed, 33, and Raif Rashed, 39, from the Israeli Druze minority, recount to Reuters how they survived the October 7 Nova Festival attack, in Daliyat Al-Karmel, Israel October 30, 2023. Acquire Licensing RightsDALIYAT AL-KARMEL, Israel, Oct 31 (Reuters) - Hired to cater for an all-night Israeli music festival, Rada and Raif Rashed fled for their lives just after dawn, when Hamas militants rampaged through the crowd on Oct. 7 turning the celebration into a place of horror. I now have two birth dates; the original one on March 15 and the new one is on Oct. Rada and his brother Raif, 39, were caterers at the Nova festival, close to Gaza, when the Hamas gunmen arrived. Young women at the festival "were begging Hamas members not to kill them," he said.

Persons: Rada Rashed, Raif Rashed, Ammar Awad, Raif, Rada, Leonardo Benassatto, Mustafa Abu Ganeyeh, Daliyat al, Kamel, Stephen Farrell, Janet Lawrence Organizations: Rada, Festival, REUTERS, Health, Thomson Locations: Daliyat Al, Israel, Rada, Kibbutz Re'im, Gaza, Hamas's, Daliyat, London

☆ German-Israeli Shani Louk is confirmed dead, 3 weeks after Hamas captured her and paraded her through Gaza in her underwear
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-30 | by ( Tom Porter | Sophia Ankel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

German-Israeli woman Shani Louk has been confirmed dead, Israel's foreign ministry said. AdvertisementAdvertisementGerman-Israeli woman Shani Louk, whose semi-naked body was paraded through the streets of Gaza by Hamas militants, has been confirmed dead. "Shani who was kidnapped from a music festival and tortured and paraded around Gaza by Hamas terrorists, experienced unfathomable horrors. German-Israeli Shani Louk, whose semi-naked body was paraded through the streets of Gaza by Hamas militants. Ricarda told Bild that Palestinian sources told her that her daughter was alive in a Hamas hospital, but suffered a "severe head injury."

Persons: Shani Louk, —, Shani Luk, Shani, Louk, Re'im, Ricarda Louk, Ricarda, Shani Nicole Louk, AMMAR AWAD, Daniel Hagari, Benjamin Netanyahu Organizations: Hamas, RTL, Service, The Washington Post, ntv, Reuters, Israeli, CNN Locations: Gaza, Israel, The, German

Israeli forces mounted a ground invasion of the Gaza Strip in the early morning hours of October 28. AdvertisementAdvertisementAn advisor to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned of the ground invasion, telling MSNBC's Katy Tur on Friday that "tonight we are starting payback." Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said Israel expects a long and difficult ground offensive into Gaza. Israel has said it aims to crush Hamas' rule in Gaza and its ability to threaten Israel. Though 120 countries, an overwhelming majority of the United Nations, voted Friday for a resolution to call for a "sustained humanitarian truce" in Gaza, Israel has so far refused international calls for a cease-fire.

Persons: —, Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, Katy Tur, Yoav Gallant, Gallant, Lloyd Austin, Austin, Israel —, Salem Ahmad Ammar, Ammar, Biden, Eric Smith, Jared Szuba Organizations: Service, Israel Defense Forces, Hamas, Pentagon, Al Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, CNN, United Nations, Israel, USMC, Al Monitor, Associated Press Locations: Gaza, Israel, Washington, U.S, Al Aqsa

Mr. Biden has made repeated gestures of support to Muslims and Arab Americans: In an Oval Office address on Oct. 20, he denounced Islamophobia and the death of Wadea Al-Fayoume, a 6-year-old who was fatally stabbed in Illinois in what authorities have called a hate crime. “In 2020, the Muslim community was instrumental in turning out the vote for Joe Biden,” said Ms. Al-Hanooti, the Michigan executive director of Emgage, a national organization that seeks to strengthen the political power of Muslim Americans. Muslim voters turned out in significant numbers — 145,000 voted in the presidential election, according to Emgage. An exit poll commissioned by the Council on American-Islamic Relations found that roughly 69 percent of Muslims nationwide voted for Biden. Ms. Al-Hanooti said Muslims turned out in large numbers for Mr. Biden mainly because they were motivated to help defeat President Trump.

Persons: Mr, Biden, Wadea, ”, Ammar Moussa, Biden “, Biden’s, Benjamin Netanyahu, ” Nada, “, Joe Biden, ” Mr, Hanooti, Trump Organizations: Biden, Arab, Palestinian, Council, Islamic Relations Locations: Michigan, Wayne County, Hamtramck, Dearborn, Arab, Illinois, Israel, Palestinian American

He attached remarks by Johnson praising Louisiana's abortion ban and penalty of "hard labor for 1-10 years" and fines of $10,000-$100,000 for those who perform abortions. The Biden-Harris campaign and other groups circulated and posted images of three bills Johnson has sponsored that the Democrats said would "ban abortion nationwide." Already, six states – Michigan, California, Vermont, Kentucky, Kansas and Montana – have passed referendums that either enshrined abortion rights or rejected efforts to undo the right to abortion. Another referendum, one that would guarantee abortion rights, is on the ballot next month in Ohio. These numbers have Democrats believing they can keep the White House and flip the House – and Johnson has put a face to that effort.

Persons: Joe Biden, Mike Johnson, Johnson, MAGA Mike Johnson’s, Ammar Moussa, Kamala Harris, Donald Trump, Donald Trump’s “, Johnson –, Kevin McCarthy, California –, Nancy Pelosi, Biden, Harris, Don Beyer, Roe, Wade, Marjorie Dannenfelser Organizations: Republican, House Republican Conference, Biden, Louisiana Republican, Republicans, California Democrat, Democratic, Virginia Democrat, Democratic National Committee, Lincoln, Social Security, SBA, Kaiser Family Foundation, White Locations: Louisiana, California, Virginia, America, – Michigan, California , Vermont , Kentucky , Kansas, Montana, Ohio

☆ Qatar hostage mediators press Hamas on civilian releases -diplomats, sources
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-24 | by ( Andrew Mills | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Hamas on Monday freed two Israeli civilian women captives from the besieged enclave following the release of two hostages with dual U.S.-Israeli nationality on Friday. Qatar is now discussing a larger release of civilians with Hamas and Israel, a fifth source told Reuters on Tuesday after being briefed on the negotiations. The talks are not about any of the Israeli soldiers held by Hamas, the diplomats and regional source familiar with the talks said. When its fighters stormed into Israel on Oct 7, "Hamas did not expect the operation would be as catastrophically successful as it was. Qatar, which has ambitious foreign policy goals, has a direct line of communication with Hamas and Israel.

Persons: Ammar Awad, Matthew Miller, Washington, Osama Hamdan, Israel, Matt Spetalnick, Humeyra Pamuk, Nidal, James Mackenzie, Edmund Blair, William Maclean, Nick Macfie Organizations: Hamas, REUTERS, quicken, U.S, Reuters, Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs, . State Department, Qatar apprised, Thomson Locations: Tel Aviv, Gaza, Israel, DOHA, Gulf, Palestinian, Qatar, In Washington, U.S, Jerusalem, Washington, Beirut

[1/3] People react as residents of Tel Aviv show support and solidarity with the families of hostages who are being held in Gaza in Tel Aviv, Israel, October 21, 2023. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to eliminate Hamas and Israeli troops could enter Gaza at any moment, but many families are urging him to focus solely on the hostages. Israel has a long experience of dealing with hostage crises, but has previously shied away from attempting rescue operations in the densely populated Gaza Strip. Some of the freed Palestinians returned to the ranks of Hamas, including its current leader in Gaza, Yahya Al-Sinwar. We have to help these hostages very fast," said Daniel Lifshitz, whose grandparents, aged 83 and 85, were abducted and have vanished into Gaza.

Persons: Ammar Awad, Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, Noam Alon, Inbar, Isaac Herzog, Carmel Gorni, Yiftah Gorni, Gorni, Ilan, Sandy Feldman, Herzog, Keith Siegel, Jonathan Dekel, Chen, Sagui, Netanyahu, Gilad Shalit, Yahya Al, Shalit, Gal Hirsch, Daniel Lifshitz, Crispian Balmer, Alison Williams Organizations: REUTERS, U.S, Aviva, Reuters, Hamas, Thomson Locations: Tel Aviv, Gaza, Israel, Gaza Israel, Jerusalem, Palestinian, Qatar, Qatari

☆ Israel arms civilian security squads, fearing internal strife
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-22 | by ( Dan Williams | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The last Gaza war in 2021 saw sometimes violent pro-Palestinian protests among the Arab citizens who make up 21% of Israel's population. Israeli police have arrested dozens of Arab citizens on suspicion of incitement and support for Hamas, based on social media posts. An additional measure has been the setting up of volunteer security squads to patrol the streets and back up police. Shabtai said security squads would be subordinate to police. "It is good that there will be a lot of security squads and force, but caution must be exercised with this," he said.

Persons: Ammar Awad, Israel's, Kobi Shabtai, Itamar Ben, Gvir, Shabtai, Ben, Eliezer Rosenbaum, Naella, Dan Williams, David Holmes Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, West Bank, Hamas, Thomson Locations: Old City, Jerusalem, Israel, Gaza, Lebanese, Haifa

☆ Hamas hostages: what we know so far
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Israel has responded by pounding Gaza with air strikes, killing thousands, and has said it will act to free the hostages while wiping out Hamas. Hamas has suggested the hostages could be swapped for approximately 6,000 Palestinians held in Israeli prisons. Israel has said that there will be no end to the blockade of the enclave without freedom for Israeli hostages. Israel says the hostages were taken to Gaza but their exact whereabouts within the enclave are unknown, making their rescue more complicated. U.S. President Joe Biden said his administration is "workin’ like hell" to find American hostages held by Hamas.

Persons: Rachel Goldberg, Hersh Goldberg Polin, Ammar Awad, Israel, Kan, Mia Schem, Jake Sullivan, Jim Risch, Alberto Fernandez, Rishi Sunak's, Sunak, Ofir Engel, Kibbutz Be'eri, Garcovich, Ivan Illaramendi, Benjamin Netanyahu, Gal Hirsch, Hakan Fidan, Joe Biden, Britain's Sunak, Argentina's Fernandez, Emmanuel Macron, Olaf Scholz, Biden, Charlie Devereux, Crispian Balmer, Kylie MacLellan, Patricia Rua, John Irish, James Mackenzie, Patricia Zengerle, Grant McCool Organizations: REUTERS, Monday, Reuters, U.S, French, Tel Aviv . U.S, Thomson Locations: Gaza, Israel, Jerusalem, Rafah, Egypt, Thailand, Argentine, France, Portugal, Portuguese, Chilean, Spanish, Italy, Turkey, Germany, U.S, Franco, Berlin, Tel Aviv

☆ US to send two Iron Dome systems back to Israel - sources
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-19 | by ( Mike Stone | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

An Israel's Iron Dome anti-missile system is seen in position near Ashdod, Israel May 13, 2023 REUTERS/Ammar Awad/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsWASHINGTON, Oct 19 (Reuters) - The Pentagon plans to send the two Iron Dome missile defense systems it had previously purchased from Israel back to that country to defend itself against inbound missiles, a U.S. official and a congressional aide said. The Department of Defense told members of Congress at a briefing on Wednesday it planned to lease the Iron Dome systems back to Israel, the U.S. official and the congressional aide told Reuters. The transfer back to Israel could come within days, the congressional aide said. Biden promised replenishment of interceptors used by Israel's Iron Dome missile defense system as well as ammunition in addition to redoubling the U.S. military presence in the region. In August 2022, Israel said Iron Dome interceptor had shot down 97% of Palestinian rockets it had engaged during a weekend surge of Gaza fighting.

Persons: Ammar Awad, Biden, Israel, Mike Stone, Chris Sanders, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Pentagon, U.S, The Department of Defense, U.S ., Reuters, Rafael Advanced Defence Systems, Iron, Thomson Locations: Ashdod, Israel, Guam, Lebanon, Gaza, Washington

☆ Three Palestinians killed by Israeli forces in West Bank - WAFA news agency
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Palestinians use slings to hurl stones during clashes with Israeli forces near Ramallah in the Israeli-occupied West Bank October 18, 2023. REUTERS/Ammar Awad Acquire Licensing RightsOct 19 (Reuters) - Three Palestinians, including two teenagers, were killed by Israeli forces in separate incidents in the occupied West Bank early on Thursday, Palestinian official news agency WAFA said. Israeli forces stormed the village of Budrus, west of Ramallah, shooting dead a young man, Gebriel Awad, and wounding another, WAFA said. Dozens of Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank in the latest flare-up of Israeli-Palestinian violence. Israeli forces have carried out their fiercest bombardment of Gaza in response, killing more than 3,000 Palestinians and imposing a total siege on the blockaded enclave that Hamas controls, fuelling anger among Palestinians in the West Bank.

Persons: Ammar Awad, WAFA, Gebriel Awad, Fatah, Mahmoud Abbas, Hatem Maher, Ahmed Tolba, Muralikumar Organizations: West Bank, REUTERS, Palestinian, The West Bank, Palestinian Authority, Al, Thomson Locations: Ramallah, Budrus, Bethlehem, Tulkarm, Israel, Gaza, Jerusalem, Aqsa, Jerusalem's

☆ Israel troops kill two Palestinian teens in West Bank amid Gaza anger
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-18 | by ( Ali Sawafta | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/2] A Palestinian holds a Molotov coctail during clashes with Israeli forces near Ramallah in the Israeli-occupied West Bank October 18, 2023. REUTERS/Ammar Awad Acquire Licensing RightsRAMALLAH, West Bank, Oct 18 (Reuters) - Israeli forces shot dead two Palestinian teenagers near Ramallah in the West Bank on Wednesday during widespread protests against Israel's bombing of the Gaza Strip, Palestinian officials said. Israel's bombardment of Gaza has inflamed tensions in the West Bank, the other Palestinian territory under Israeli occupation. The West Bank is home to the Palestinian Authority (PA) which is dominated by Hamas rivals Fatah and 87-year-old Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. The West Bank borders Jerusalem which houses sites sacred to Muslims, Christians and Jews and is a flashpoint for internecine violence.

Persons: Molotov, Ammar Awad, Salah, Fatah, Mahmoud Abbas, Abbas, Ali Sawafta, Henriette Chacar, Yomna Ehab, John Davison, Alex Richardson, Christina Fincher, Philippa Fletcher Organizations: West Bank, REUTERS, Israel's, Palestinian, Residents, Reuters, Hamas, Al, Palestinian Authority, Israel, West, Thomson Locations: Ramallah, RAMALLAH, West, Gaza, Israel, Shuqba, West Bank, Nablus, Ahli, Palestinian, Jerusalem, Aqsa, Jerusalem's

☆ Israeli protesters mobilise to help survivors of Hamas attack but anger at Netanyahu remains
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-17 | by ( Emily Rose | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"Everything that theoretically, the government should have done was initially organized by the protest movements," Poran told Reuters. The judicial overhaul plans, promoted by Netanyahu's religious-rightist government as an overdue check on the powers of activist judges encroaching on politics, drew hundreds of thousands of protesters who saw them as an existential threat to Israeli democracy. Thousands of military reservists said they would refuse to report for normal duty, creating fears in the military that Israel's security would be compromised. "They said that if Israel will be in some existential threat, under an existential threat, that then they will return and this is exactly what they did." Reporting by Emily Rose and Janis Laizans; Editing by Howard GollerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Ammar Awad, Guy Poran, Benjamin Netanyahu's, Poran, Netanyahu, Emily Rose, Janis Laizans, Howard Goller Organizations: Volunteers, REUTERS, Hamas, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Gaza, Tel Aviv, Israel, TEL AVIV

☆ Israeli lawmaker urges cbank to lower rates amid conflict
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-16 | by ( Steven Scheer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"The interest rate increases were due to inflation, and the reality has changed. I turn to the governor: just lower the interest rate," said committee chairman Moshe Gafni during a session to discuss compensation for those impacted by the fighting. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who was participating in the panel's session, rejected Gafni's call to demand Yaron lower rates. Gafni also called on banks to waive interest payments and said he was not satisfied with a central bank plan issued on Sunday. Under the plan, loan payments of mortgages, consumer credit and business credit would be deferred without charging interest and without charging fees.

Persons: Moshe Gafni, Ammar Awad, Amir Yaron, Gafni, Bezalel Smotrich, Smotrich, it's, Steven Scheer, Nick Macfie Organizations: Torah, REUTERS, Rights, Bank of Israel, Finance, Thomson Locations: Jerusalem, Israel, Gaza

But when Israel called up its reservists and declared war this week, the response was swift and overwhelming. Most reservists were already in Israel at the time of the call-up - the largest such compulsory mobilisation since the 1973 Yom Kippur War. But many were out of the country, for a variety of reasons, and dropped everything to rush back. "I cannot sit here and study medicine while I know that my friends are fighting and my family needs protection. A former captain in the Israeli army, he immediately acknowledged the call-up, but didn't tell his children what he was doing.

Persons: Ammar Awad, Rush, Israel, Yonatan Steiner, Nimrod Nedan, L.K, Yonatan Bunzel, Bunzel, Yedidya Shalman, Oren Saar, it's, there's, Alexander Cornwell, Helen Coster, Krystal Hu, Gabriella Borter, Crispian Balmer, Andrius, Nick Macfie Organizations: REUTERS, El Al, Thomson Locations: Israel, Gaza, Sderot, DUBAI, New York, Lebanon, kibbutzes, Lithuania, India, Tel Aviv, Dubai, Thailand, El, WhatsApp, New York City, Rome

☆ The deadly Hamas rampage across southern Israel
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-12 | by ( David Clarke | Sophie Meyer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +11 min

The deadly Hamas rampage across southern IsraelUnder a barrage of rockets, hundreds of Hamas gunmen stormed into southern Israel from the Gaza Strip in the early hours of Oct. 7, on motorbikes, paragliders and four-wheel drives, unleashing death, destruction and despair on nearby towns and villages. Major Hamas attacks Map showing location of five communities in southern Israel attacked by Hamas gunmen – from north to south, Ashkelon, Sderot, Kfar Aza, Be’eri and Re’im, the site of the Nova music festival. Video footage shows Hamas gunmen manhandling Be’eri residents and pulling them along. What the video shows Hamas fighters pulling people along the street at gunpoint, several with their hands bound. What the video shows Israeli police inspect rocket damage to a civilian building in Ashkelon on Oct. 7, 2023.

Persons: Kfar Aza, Be’eri, Be’eri Israel Gaza Be’eri, manhandling, Hami, Atias, “, He'll, ”, Mir Shani, Golan Abitbul, Ammar Awad “, revellers, Arik Nani, I've, Maariv, Christophe Van Der Perre Kfar Aza, Avidor Schwartzman, Ilan Rosenberg Organizations: Nova, Reuters, Hamas, Kan, Be’eri Israel Gaza, Be’eri, REUTERS, Nova Festival, Israeli Defence Forces Locations: Israel, Gaza, Ashkelon, Sderot, Kfar, Be’eri Israel, Be’eri, Gaza Sderot, Re’im Israel Gaza, Gaza's, Aza, Kfar Aza, ” Ashkelon Israel Gaza Ashkelon

☆ Bloodshed, destruction and a far-off peace? There are several possible outcomes of the Israel-Hamas war
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-12 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +11 min

An Israeli army self-propelled howitzer fires rounds near the border with Gaza in southern Israel on Oct. 11, 2023. Israel's border communities have since been evacuated and the military said Tuesday it had regained control of the Gaza-Israel border, through which Hamas had launched its surprise offensive. Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak told CNBC's "Squawk Box" Wednesday that Israeli ground forces would take over the Gaza Strip in a matter of days. Israeli soldiers gather near Armoured Personnel Carriers (APCs) near Israel's border with Lebanon, northern Israel, October 9, 2023. For now, however, a cease-fire looks nigh-on impossible, with the conflict likely about to enter a "hot" phase of active operations on the ground.

Persons: Yahya Hassouna, it's, Yossi Mekelberg, Israel, Jack Guez, Benjamin Netanyahu, Yoav Gallant, Eden Guez, Violeta Santos Moura, William F, Wechsler, Al, Ehud Barak, CNBC's, Barak, Mekelberg, Ammar Awad, Israel —, Antony Blinken, Netanyahu, we're, Sean Gallup, Jonathan Panikoff Organizations: AFP, Getty, Hamas, North Africa, Chatham House, CNBC, Getty Images Hamas, Israeli, Israel Defense Forces, Reuters, Reuters Analysts, Rafik Hariri Center and Middle, Atlantic Council, Carriers, Tel Aviv Thursday, Security Initiative, State Locations: Gaza City, Israel, Palestinian, Gaza, East, Chatham, Lebanon, Israeli, Ashkelon, Rafik, Al Qaeda, Syria, Iran, Israel's, Iranian, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Riyadh, Western, U.S, Berlin, Jerusalem, China, State, Palestine

☆ Hezbollah, Hamas claim attacks on Israel from Lebanon
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/3] Flame and smoke rise over Lebanon as seen from Israel's border with Lebanon, in northern Israel, October 10, 2023. The violence, triggered by the war between Israel and Palestinian militants, marks the most serious escalation along the Lebanese-Israeli frontier since the 2006 conflict between Hezbollah and Israel. The Israeli army said no injuries were reported in Tuesday's attack by Hezbollah, three of whose fighters were killed on Monday in Israeli shelling into Lebanon. A salvo of rockets was also fired from Lebanon into Israel on Tuesday, in an attack a security source in Lebanon said was carried out by Palestinian factions. Hezbollah, founded by Iran's Revolutionary Guards in 1982, has close ties to the Palestinian groups fighting Israel.

Persons: Ammar Awad, Lebanon Joanna Wronecka, Abdallah Bouhabib, Joseph Aoun, General Security Elias Bayssari, Laila Bassam, Henriette Chacar, Maya Gebeily, Tom Perry, Alison Williams, David Gregorio, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Palestinian Hamas, Lebanese, Palestinian, Islamic, United Nations, General Security, Twitter, Iran's, Guards, Sunday, Israel, Thomson Locations: Lebanon, Israel, Rights BEIRUT, Palestinian, Gaza, Iran, Lebanese, Tyre, Beirut, Jerusalem

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