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☆ Israel-Hamas War Israel Will End ‘Intensive’ Phase of War Soon, Defense Minister Says
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-16 | by ( Victoria Kim | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +4 min

Hila Rotem Shoshani, 13, in New York on Friday. Hila Rotem Shoshani had invited her friend Emily Hand over for a sleepover in Kibbutz Be’eri, Israel. For about six hours, Hila and Emily hid in the home’s safe room with Hila’s mother, Raaya Rotem, 54, as Hamas attackers overran the kibbutz. About a month and a half into their captivity, the captors suddenly separated the girls from Hila’s mother. The separation of mother and child violated the terms of the exchange deal, drawing outrage in Israel.

Persons: Hila Rotem Shoshani, Kibbutz Be’eri, Emily Hand, Emily, Raaya Rotem, “, ” Hila, Hila, we’re, you’ll, ’ ”, hammam, ’ ” Hila, ”, Freedom, “ Mom, Raaya Locations: New York, Kibbutz Be’eri, Israel, Hila, Gaza

☆ ‘Nothing is moving:’ Families’ anger grows in Israel as hostages mark 100 days in Hamas captivity
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-14 | by ( Lianne Kolirin | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

A hostage release deal agreed between Israel and Hamas in late November ended after six days, with more than 100 freed. Others are angry at what they see as a failure by the Red Cross to help them. Cohen accused the Red Cross of failing in its mission to protect civilians. He was also critical of the Red Cross, which he accused of failing in its mission to protect civilians. “The countries that support the Red Cross should turn off the tap and tell them there’s no more money,” he said Monday.

Persons: There’s, It’s, ” Naama Weinberg, Itai Svirsky, Be’eri, ” Weinberg, “, Itai, Orit, Rafi – Itai’s, Aviva Sela, Grace Cabrera, Weinberg, Dror Weinberg Almog, ”, Saleh, Lianne Kolirin, Svirsky’s, Israel’s, Yahya Sinwar, they’ll, Shai Wenkert, Omer, Ilia Yefimovich, Wenkert, Echoing Weinberg, Benjamin Netanyahu, Clodagh Kilcoyne, Reuters Wenkert, Cross, “ Omer, Kfir Bibas, Bresler, Noa Argamani, ” Bresler, ” Moshe Cohen, Cohen, ’, Moshe Cohen, Argamani, She’s Organizations: CNN, Aviva, IDF, Hamas, Nova, Forum, Reuters, International Committee, Hostage, Nvidia, Ministry of Health, ICRC Locations: Israel, Tel Aviv’s, Lebanon, Arouri, Gaza, Tel Aviv's, Bresler, South America, Mexico, Geneva, Switzerland

☆ Opinion | The Things We Disagree On About Gaza
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-13 | by ( Nicholas Kristof | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

I’ve been very critical of Israel’s counterattack on Gaza, which appears to have killed a woman or child about once every eight minutes for the past three months. Many of my readers and friends disagree with these columns and are pained by what they see as my unfairness toward Israel. Yes, Hamas started this war with its brutal attack on civilians, and it has been indifferent to Palestinian lives. Israel was understandably shattered by what happened on Oct. 7, and I appreciate that trauma and share that sadness. It’s too late to save those massacred on Oct. 7, but we can still try to reduce the toll in Gaza this month and this year.

Persons: I’ve, Israel, I’m aghast, Mao, It’s Locations: Gaza, Israel

“It is appalling.”Israel has said it is investigating several cases of sexual assault and rape from the Hamas attack on Israel. Some recently released hostages have shared testimonies of sexual violence and abuse during their time in Gaza. He referenced his work on the issue as a lawmaker as he spoke out against the allegations of sexual violence by Hamas. “The world can’t just look away at what’s going on,” Biden told donors. He added, “It’s on all of us — government, international organizations, civil society and businesses — to forcefully condemn the sexual violence of Hamas terrorists without equivocation.

Persons: Joe Biden, equivocation, Biden, ”, —, ” Biden, ” Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu's, Netanyahu, “, you’ve, Israel, Hillary Clinton, Sen, Kirsten Gillibrand, Sheryl Sandberg, Karine Jean, Pierre, ” Jean, Pramila, ” Jayapal, Seung Min Kim, Aamer Madhani, Melanie Lidman Organizations: BOSTON, Hamas, United Nations, New, White, California Democrat, CNN, Associated Press Locations: Israel, Boston, Gaza, New York, California, Washington, Jerusalem

☆ Biden tells donors he’s ‘not sure I’d be running’ in 2024 if Trump wasn’t in the race
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-05 | by ( Kevin Liptak | David Wright | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

“If Trump wasn’t running, I’m not sure I’d be running,” he said, saying Democrats “cannot let him win.”The comment, made during a fundraiser at a private home outside Boston, offered perhaps the starkest rationale to date for Biden’s reelection decision-making. The remark suggested Biden may not have sought a second term if Trump had not decided to run again. Biden took on Trump directly in the first of those fundraisers, warning that his predecessor is “telling us what he’s going to do. Two other events in the area will bring in millions more for Biden’s campaign war chest. With its significant early investment, Biden’s reelection effort has targeted key media markets in familiar battleground states – Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, Arizona, Georgia, and Nevada.

Persons: Joe Biden, he’d, Donald Trump wasn’t, I’m, ”, “, Biden, Trump, “ Trump’s, ” Biden, Singer, James Taylor, You’ve, Joe ”, We’re, He’ll, Stephen Spielberg, Shonda Rhimes, Rob Reiner that’s, Michael Smith, James Costos, Donald Trump, Barack Obama, Biden’s, they’ve Organizations: Boston CNN, Democratic, White, Trump, Democracy, ”, Hamas, NFL, Biden, DNC, PAC Locations: Boston, New Hampshire, Israel, Los Angeles, Spain, Pennsylvania, Michigan , Wisconsin , Arizona, Georgia, Nevada, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Detroit, Vegas, Milwaukee, Pittsburgh, North Carolina, South Carolina

☆ Biden decries Hamas sexual assaults and says they must be forcefully condemned
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-05 | by ( Kevin Liptak | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —President Joe Biden on Tuesday decried sexual assaults committed by Hamas during its October 7 terror attack on Israel and called on “all of us” to condemn the acts. “Over the past few weeks, survivors and witnesses of the attacks have shared the horrific accounts of unimaginable cruelty. Biden on Tuesday also accused Hamas of refusing to release additional female hostages and ending the pause in fighting that the US helped broker last week. “Let me be crystal clear: Hamas’ refusal to release the remaining young women is what broke this deal and end the pause in the fighting. Everyone still being held hostage by Hamas need to be returned to their families immediately.

Persons: Joe Biden, ”, —, ” Biden, “, …, Pramila Jayapal, –, CNN’s Dana Bash, Jayapal, Biden, We’re Organizations: CNN, Democratic, Congressional Progressive Caucus, Union, Democrats Locations: Israel, Boston, “, Gaza

From the first days after the Oct. 7 attacks on Israel, Israel has accused Hamas terrorists of committing widespread sexual violence. The Israeli authorities say they are investigating reports of sexual assault and have compiled considerable evidence — from witnesses, emergency medical workers and crime scene photographs — that they took place. But they say it has been extremely difficult to collect the evidence because most of the victims are dead. Many activists say that too little credence has been given to what they believe was a pattern of widespread rape during the attacks by Hamas.

Locations: Israel

☆ The war in Gaza has left us bitterly divided. Here’s how we can take down the temperature
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-02 | by ( Opinion Keith Magee | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

I think of that encounter from time to time as I ponder the unspeakable violence of the war raging in the Middle East. I’m also heartbroken to witness the profound pain of my Jewish and Muslim friends and their growing fears for their own safety. Intolerance was already on the rise but the events of the past two months have sent it into overdrive. Indirectly, therefore, public opinion in the US seems likely to have some potential impact on the Israeli government’s actions. Despite backlash from other sections of their own community, some Jewish groups have marched alongside pro-Palestinian protesters to demand a ceasefire in Gaza.

Persons: Keith Magee, Keith Magee Arron Dunworth, Donald Trump, ”, I’ve, I’m, —, Bishop Desmond Tutu, Allyship, Martin Luther King Jr, Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel, Malcolm X Organizations: University College London Institute for Innovation, CNN, Uber, Pew Research Center, Israel, Interfaith, PBS, Marist, Association Locations: Cleveland , Ohio, Israel, Gaza, Burlington , Vermont, Interfaith America, America, Black, Gaza . American

☆ Israel wants 'security envelope', no Hamas on border after war, official says
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] An Israeli soldier holds up an Israeli flag, near the border with Gaza, during a temporary truce between Israel and Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, in southern Israel, November 29, 2023. Asked whether Israel was indeed seeking such a buffer zone, senior adviser Mark Regev told reporters: "Israel will have to have a security envelope. We can never again allow terrorists to cross the border and butcher our people the way they did on October 7." "That is not Israel taking territory from Gaza," said Regev. They also said Saudi Arabia, which does not have ties with Israel and which halted a U.S.-mediated normalisation process after the Gaza war erupted on Oct. 7, had been informed.

Persons: Alexander Ermochenko, Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel, Mark Regev, Regev, Maayan Lubell, James Mackenzie, Gareth Jones Organizations: Hamas, REUTERS, Rights, Reuters, United Arab Emirates, Israel, Thomson Locations: Israeli, Gaza, Israel, Palestinian, Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, U.S

☆ Harris Says U.S. Strongly Opposes ‘Forced Relocation of Palestinians From Gaza’
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-02 | by ( Michael D. Shear | More About Michael D. Shear | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Vice President Kamala Harris said on Saturday that the United States fiercely opposes forcibly relocating Gaza residents outside the enclave as Israel resumes its bombardment of Hamas terrorists, or in the days and weeks after the war eventually ends. In a statement after meeting with President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi of Egypt in Dubai, officials said Ms. Harris rejected the idea of moving Palestinians into Egypt or refugee camps elsewhere and offered her strongest statement to date urging Israel to reduce harm to civilians in its war campaign. “The vice president reiterated that under no circumstances will the United States permit the forced relocation of Palestinians from Gaza or the West Bank,” the statement from the White House said. She also rejected an idea suggested recently by some Israeli officials that the borders of Gaza could shrink after the war is over to accommodate a security “buffer zone” between the interior of Gaza and Israel. The statement said the United States would not permit “the redrawing of the borders of Gaza.”

Persons: Kamala Harris, Abdel Fattah el, Harris, “, ” Organizations: United, West Bank, White Locations: United States, Gaza, Israel, Egypt, Dubai

☆ Israel Wants 'Security Envelope', No Hamas on Border After War, Official Says
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-02 | by ( Dec. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel will seek a "security envelope" with special zones and arrangements that will prevent Hamas from being positioned on its border after the war in Gaza is over, a senior adviser to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Saturday. Asked whether Israel was indeed seeking such a buffer zone, senior adviser Mark Regev told reporters: "Israel will have to have a security envelope. We can never again allow terrorists to cross the border and butcher our people the way they did on October 7." "That is not Israel taking territory from Gaza," said Regev. They also said Saudi Arabia, which does not have ties with Israel and which halted a U.S.-mediated normalisation process after the Gaza war erupted on Oct. 7, had been informed.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel, Mark Regev, Regev, Maayan Lubell, James Mackenzie, Gareth Jones Organizations: Reuters, United Arab Emirates, Israel Locations: JERUSALEM, Israel, Gaza, Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, U.S

☆ Live updates: Israel-Hamas war, truce in Gaza expires, combat operations resumed
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( Tara Subramaniam | Helen Regan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

An Israeli soldier looks on as they operate in Gaza in a handout photo released on Friday. IDF/ReutersAfter a week-long truce between Israel and Hamas expired, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) are once again “out to destroy” Hamas, according to a spokesperson. "Sleeping Israelis once again woke up to the sound of the red siren of Hamas rockets falling at us once again from Gaza," Spielman told CNN, adding that "there have been multiple rockets" that were intercepted Friday. Asked about the IDF targeting civilian areas in Gaza, Spielman said: “We don’t want to see Gaza civilians die, but Hamas is operating directly from within those areas, and we have to ask ourselves what is the alternative?" Spielman also argued that Hamas was not targeting troops, "they were targeting directly toward civilians."

Persons: Doron Spielman, Spielman, ” Organizations: Reuters, Israel Defense Forces, CNN Locations: Israeli, Gaza, Israel

☆ Israel lets AI help it figure out where to bomb in war-torn Gaza, and the number of targets has skyrocketed
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Israel has been using AI to help it figure out which targets to strike in Gaza. Now several years old, the operation was created to increase the number of available Hamas targets. The Israeli military said that in the hours since, it has already struck over 200 targets in the Gaza Strip. It first began operating in 2019 as a way to find and identify more Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip. Photo by Fadi Alwhidi/Anadolu via Getty ImagesIt's unclear exactly what data and intelligence goes into the AI system.

Persons: —, KHATIB, MENAHEM KAHANA, Fadi Alwhidi, isn't, Alisa Kaff Organizations: Service, Israel Defense Forces, Getty, IDF, Guardian, Islamic, Pentagon, US State Department, Israeli Air Force Locations: Israel, Gaza, Rafah, AFP, Aviv, Anadolu, Ukraine, China, Screengrab

☆ Israel-Hamas War Israel and Hamas Say Cease-Fire Has Been Extended
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-30 | by ( Ben Hubbard | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +9 min

Hostages and Missing Families, via ReutersRaz Ben-Ami was kidnapped by Hamas from the Be’eri kibbutz on Oct. 7. Her brother Lior, 16, who was hiding with her, was murdered, according to the Hostages and Missing Families Forum. His uncle, Dror Or, and his cousins, Noam, 17, and Alma, 13, were taken hostage at the same time. Hostages and Missing Families Forum Headquarters, via Associated PressIrena Tati, a physician, and her daughter, Yelena Trupanob, immigrated to Israel from the former Soviet Union and are dual Israeli-Russian citizens, according to the hostages and missing families forum. Yelena’s son Sasha, 28, and his girlfriend, Sapir Cohen, 29, were also taken hostage and are still being held in Gaza.

Persons: Ra’aya Rotem, Reuters Ra’aya Rotem, Hila, Emily Hand, Ra’aya texted, Itay Regev, Associated Press Itay, Raz Ben, Ami, Ben, Ohad, Lior, Tarshansky, Reuma, Kamelia Hoter Ishay, ’ ”, ”, Gat, Roman Gat, Be’eri, Alon, Gefen, Liat Binin, Reuters Liat, Atzili, Aviv, Nir Oz, Moran, Yanai, Liam, Associated Press Liam, Dror, Noam, Alma, Ofir Engel, Associated Press Ofir Engel, Yuval Sharabi, Yossi Sharabi, “, ” Yael Engel Lichi, Amit Shani, Amit Shani Credit, Amit Shani’s, Tal Shani, ‘, Ms, Shani, Amit, ” Ms, ” Irena Tati, Yelena Trupanob, Irena Tati, Vitaly Trupanob, Yelena’s, Sasha, Sapir Cohen, Nadav, Talya Minsberg Organizations: Wednesday, Ra'aya Rotem Credit, Reuters, The, Associated Press, Hapoel Ashkelon, Marvel, Yad Vashem, Nova, Hapoel Tel Aviv soccer, Hamas, Associated, Soviet Locations: Russian, Be’eri, Israel, The Times, Re’im, Gaza, Gali Tarshansky, Tarshansky, Tel Aviv, ‘ Gali, United States, Jerusalem, India, Kibbutz Be’eri, Alma, Soviet Union

Here’s what we know about the Israeli hostages released on Wednesday. Hostages and Missing Families, via ReutersRaz Ben-Ami was kidnapped by Hamas from the Be’eri kibbutz on Oct. 7. Her brother Lior, 16, who was hiding with her, was murdered, according to the Hostages and Missing Families Forum. Hostages and Missing Families Forum, via ReutersMoran Stela Yanai, a self-employed artist and jewelry designer from Be’er Sheva, had gone to the Nova music festival in Re’im to sell her handmade jewelry, according to the hostages and missing families forum. Hostages and Missing Families Forum, via Associated PressLiam Or, a kindergarten teacher in Kibbutz Be’eri, was taken hostage at the home of his uncle.

Persons: Ra’aya Rotem, Reuters Ra’aya Rotem, Hila, Emily Hand, Ra’aya texted, Itay Regev, Associated Press Itay, Raz Ben, Ami, Ben, Ohad, Lior, Tarshansky, Reuma, Kamelia Hoter Ishay, ’ ”, ”, Gat, Roman Gat, Be’eri, Alon, Gefen, Liat Binin, Reuters Liat, Atzili, Aviv, Nir Oz, Moran, Yanai, Liam, Associated Press Liam, Dror, Noam, Alma, Ofir Engel, Associated Press Ofir Engel, Yuval Sharabi, Yossi Sharabi, “, ” Yael Engel Lichi, Amit Shani, Amit Shani Credit, Amit Shani’s, Tal Shani, ‘, Ms, Shani, Amit, ” Ms Organizations: Wednesday, Ra'aya Rotem Credit, Reuters, The, Associated Press, Hapoel Ashkelon, Marvel, Yad Vashem, Nova, Hapoel Tel Aviv soccer, Hamas Locations: Russian, Be’eri, Israel, The Times, Re’im, Gaza, Gali Tarshansky, Tarshansky, Tel Aviv, ‘ Gali, United States, Jerusalem, India, Kibbutz Be’eri, Alma

☆ Emily Hand: Father describes how his young daughter survived Hamas captivity
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-28 | by ( Clarissa Ward | Rachel Clarke | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Tel Aviv, Israel CNN —Emily Hand had to run from house to house, forced to move by Hamas as Israeli forces attacked Gaza, her father Thomas Hand told CNN. This September 2023 photo shows Emily Hand near Kibbutz Be'eri, Israel. Yael Shahrur Noah/APFrom death to captivity to hopeEmily had been at a sleepover at Hila’s house when Hamas terrorists stormed Kibbutz Be’eri. But Emily told her father she thought he had been taken hostage too. A year.”Emily Hand embraces her father at a hospital in Israel after being released by Hamas on November 25.

Persons: Emily Hand, Thomas Hand, “, ”, It’s, Emily, Hila Rotem, Raaya, Hand, Israel –, Yael Shahrur Noah, Emily’s, ‘, She’s, ’, Kibbutz Be’eri, ” Thomas, “ She’d, Thomas, Johnsie, ” Emily Hand, ” Emily, Hila, Raya, “ Don’t Organizations: Israel CNN, CNN, Kibbutz, Israel Defense Forces, AFP, Getty Locations: Tel Aviv, Israel, Gaza, Be'eri, Hila

☆ Deal reached to extend Israel-Hamas truce by two days, Qatar says
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-27 | by ( Mostafa Salem | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —An agreement has been reached to extend the truce in Gaza between Israel and Hamas by two more days, Qatar’s foreign ministry spokesperson Majed Al-Ansari said on Monday on X. Egypt had said earlier that there were ongoing efforts to extend the pause by two days. Regev said he believes the hostages released over the next two days would be women and children. In a statement, Biden praised the extension and said he has been “deeply engaged” as the truce has played out. CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story said the prime minister of Qatar held a call with President Biden.

Persons: Majed Al, Ansari, Antony Blinken, ” Mark Regev, Benjamin Netanyahu, CNN’s Dana Bash, Regev, ” Regev, Joe Biden, Biden, ”, Egypt “, John Kirby Organizations: CNN, US National Security Locations: Gaza, Israel, Qatar, Egypt

☆ Elon Musk toured the site of Hamas' October 7 terror attacks on Israel, after being accused of antisemitism
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-27 | by ( Joshua Zitser | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Elon Musk began his visit to Israel on Monday by touring Kibbutz Kfar Aza with PM Benjamin Netanyahu. Kfar Aza was targeted by Hamas on October 7, with over 100 civilians killed there. Musk will also meet with Israel's president during his visit, to discuss antisemitism on X. AdvertisementElon Musk visited an area of Israel that was targeted by Hamas during its terrorist attacks last month, weeks after the billionaire businessman was accused of antisemitism. After his visit to Kfar Aza on Monday, Musk posted on X: "Actions speak louder than words."

Persons: Elon Musk, Benjamin Netanyahu, Kfar Aza, —, Musk, Israel's, Netanyahu, Ofir Libstein, Libstein, Avigail, Idan, Isaac Herzog, Herzog, Shin Bet Organizations: Elon, Service, Kfar, Prime Minister's Office, Israel Defense Forces, The, Twitter, Business, Ronen Locations: Israel, Aza, Kfar Aza, Gaza, California

☆ Opinion: The big question about the Israel-Hamas truce
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-26 | by ( Richard Galant | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +16 min

We’re looking back at the strongest, smartest opinion takes of the week from CNN and other outlets. And then it was back to war — a conflict in which some 8.5 million soldiers from all sides would ultimately die. The timing of the Israel-Hamas truce that took effect Friday had nothing to do with a holiday. But there is also the possibility that this truce won’t last much longer than the one in 1914. “The deal arguably strengthens Hamas, allowing it to claim credit, catch its breath and regroup,” wrote Frida Ghitis.

Persons: Israel joyously, “, ”, Frida Ghitis, —, Aaron David Miller, Israel —, Joe, Biden, Christopher McCallion, ” Sheryl Sandberg, ” “, Amy Klein, I’d, Sam Altman, Clay Jones, OpenAI, Jill Filipovic, ” Rosalynn Carter, Jimmy Carter, Rosalynn Carter, Charles Tasnadi, Kate Andersen Brower, “ Jimmy Carter, Rosalynn, Brower, it’s, Bill Perkins, Sara Stewart, Maria Bamford, ’, “ Bamford, It’s heartening, ” Nick Anderson, Donald Trump, Trump, Julian Zelizer, “ Trump, …, It’s, Dean Obeidallah, Dana Summers, Martin Zwick, Catharine Fulton, Don’t, Scott Stantis, Agency Nima Elbagir, Joseph, Danielle Campoamor, Uvalde, ‘, Joaquin Phoenix, Napoleon, Ridley Scott, “ Napoleon, Noah Berlatsky, Scott deplores, he’s, ’ ”, ” Berlatsky Organizations: CNN, Front, Museum, “, Democratic, Republican, Democratic Party …, Department of State, Defense, Israel, Mental Health, White, Peanut Brigade, Federal, Twitter, Tribune Content Agency, Heritage Foundation, Agency, Apple, Hollywood Locations: Israel, Egypt, Qatar, Gaza, Iran, Iranian, Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Eastern Europe, Russia, Ukraine, East Asia, China, Taiwan, today’s America, Georgia, Washington, Reykjanes, Europe, Northern Europe, Iceland, Grindavik, Canadian, Reykjavik, Fimmvörðuháls, balaclava, Sudan

☆ Jewish groups criticize Pope on 'terrorism' remark, seek clarification
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-23 | by ( Philip Pullella | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Pope Francis speaks during the weekly general audience, at the Vatican, November 22, 2023. Vatican Media/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsVATICAN CITY, Nov 23 (Reuters) - Jewish groups have criticised Pope Francis and demanded clarifications over his comments that they saw as accusing both Hamas and Israel of "terrorism". Francis made the comments on Wednesday after meeting separately with Jewish relatives of hostages held by Hamas and with Palestinians with family in Gaza. In a toughly worded statement on Thursday, the Council of the Assembly of Italian Rabbis (ARI) accused the pope of "publicly accusing both sides of terrorism". But the AJC added: "Later in the day, he described the Israel-Hamas war as 'beyond war' as 'terrorism.'

Persons: Pope Francis, Francis, Simon Wiesenthal, Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, Philip Pullella, Andrew Heavens Organizations: Vatican, Handout, REUTERS, CITY, Hamas, Gunmen, Twitter, American Jewish Committee, Simon, Simon Wiesenthal Center, Thomson Locations: Israel, Gaza, St, Hamas, U.S, Nazi Germany, Ukraine

☆ Opinion: The deep moral dilemma at the heart of the hostage deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-22 | by ( Frida Ghitis | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

The deal, however, is hardly the stuff of unalloyed joy – for Palestinians or for Israel. And the deal arguably strengthens Hamas, allowing it to claim credit, catch its breath and regroup. But their voices were drowned by the strength of the hostages’ families. They simultaneously support the government’s aim of fighting Hamas so it can no longer threaten Israel. It’s a sign of a deep moral dilemma that will continue playing out in profound human suffering.

Persons: Frida Ghitis, Israel, –, Cpl, Gilad Shalit, Shalit, Yahya Sinwar, Israel –, It’s, Frida Ghitis It’s, Benjamin Netanyahu, Mohammed Al, Masri, embeds, Iran –, ”, “ Organizations: CNN, Washington Post, Politics, Hamas, Frida Ghitis CNN, Gaza, Israel’s Locations: Israel, Gaza, Sinwar, Egypt, Sinai, Iran, Palestinian

☆ Jake Tapper reveals challenges of covering war, why he feels news outlets ‘censor too much’ and what has left him ‘shocked’
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-22 | by ( Oliver Darcy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Each and every day, journalists covering the Middle East conflict are faced with thorny challenges, many of which they must grapple with in real-time. We spoke with CNN’s Jake Tapper on Tuesday for a wide-ranging interview about reporting on the war. I generally feel that we in the news media writ large, all over the world, censor too much. It’s nothing compared to what the people in Israel and Gaza and the West Bank are currently going through. More than 50 journalists have now died in the region since the onset of the war, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists.

Persons: It’s, CNN’s Jake Tapper, Eisenhower, ”, I’ve, Biden, George Clooney, Wynonna Judd, Don Cheadle, Mindy Kaling, —, Jason Bateman, Will Arnett, Jake Gyllenhaal’s Organizations: CNN, Hamas, Journalists, United, West Bank, Protect Journalists, Our Troops, Homes, Bel Air Locations: Israel, Gaza, There’s, United States, U.S, United Nations, Iraq, Afghanistan, Ukraine

☆ Families Fear for the Health of Ailing, Frail Israelis Held Hostage
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( Roni Caryn Rabin | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

When armed Hamas terrorists invaded her home on Oct. 7, Karina Engelbert was still recovering from a double mastectomy and breast reconstruction surgery that had gone terribly awry. She was weak and easily fatigued, and a buildup of painful scar tissue on her chest caused tightness, limiting her mobility. He has not received any information about his sister’s condition, and she has not been visited by the International Red Cross, he said. Ms. Engelbert is one of about 240 hostages abducted from Israel, many of whom need urgent medical attention. And then there were those who sustained potentially life-threatening injuries in the raid itself, which killed an estimated 1,200 people, most of them civilians.

Persons: Karina Engelbert, Engelbert, Ronen Engel, Mika, Yuval, Nir, “, ‘, ’, Engelbert’s, Diego Engelbert, ” Mr, Ms Organizations: International, Cross Locations: Gaza, Israel

☆ Is the U.S. Ready for War?
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-20 | by ( Andy Kessler | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +1 min

Wonder Land: For Hamas in Israel and Putin in Ukraine, killing the innocent is now part of the plan. Hamas terrorists used motorcycles and paragliders. Israeli soldiers use sophisticated Iron Dome antimissile systems and, to close off tunnels, “sponge bombs” that work like spray foam sealant from Home Depot . Is the U.S. ready for that kind of war? Current wars have exposed the Pentagon’s “brittleness and lack of resiliency, and that’s in part going back to the drawdown during the Clinton era.”

Persons: Putin, Mark Kelly Ukraine’s, Arkansas Sen, Tom Cotton —, “, ”, Clinton Organizations: Zuma, Home, Arkansas, 101st Airborne Division, Armed Services Committee, Defense Department Locations: Israel, Ukraine, U.S, Iraq

☆ Biden's 2024 reelection depends on young voters. They absolutely hate how he's handling the war.
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-20 | by ( Madison Hall | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

In the 2020 presidential election, Biden won by barely beating Trump in a handful of states. A key reason for his victory was a higher-than-ever turnout from younger voters. Those same voters are now in complete disagreement with how he's handled fighting in Israel. In 2020, Biden just narrowly bested former President Donald Trump by tens of thousands of votes in five separate states, in large part due to young voters turning out in record numbers. If support for Biden amongst younger voters continues to deteriorate, the Democratic incumbent can expect to have an increasingly difficult time in his bid for reelection.

Persons: Biden, he's, —, It's, aren't, Donald Trump, Biden's, they'd, Trump Organizations: Trump, Service, Biden Administration, NBC News, Information, Research, Civic, Democratic, NBC, Biden Locations: Israel, East, Ukraine

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