Saturday, February 15, 2025

02/15 Links: How Hamas influenced int'l media to not cover emaciated hostages; BBC risks becoming ‘Hamas propaganda mouthpiece’; Hezbollah supporters set UNIFIL vehicles on fire

From Ian:

Gil Hoffman: Hoodwinked: How Hamas influenced int'l media to not cover emaciated hostages
THE PRO-ISRAEL media watchdog HonestReporting singled out three major media outlets for condemnation: the BBC, CNN, and The Guardian.

The BBC reported that there were “concerns over the appearance of hostages on both sides,” equating the innocent civilians kidnapped and starved by Hamas with Palestinian terrorists who can earn university degrees in Israeli prisons and are visited by the Red Cross, who ignored the hostages until they taxied them to Israel.

For hours, the BBC’s live news homepage featured a celebratory image of Palestinian prisoners embracing their families instead of showing the emaciated hostages, in what was, at the very least, a problematic editorial choice.

CNN balanced its headline, “Israel condemns frail appearance of captives,” with a sub-headline about the Palestinian prisoners, saying that “many of them appeared emaciated and in poor health.”

Never to be outdone, The Guardian announced its agenda with its headline, “Gaunt captives emerge from Gaza and Israel.”

These headlines could be dismissed or even mocked if they were not so immoral and dangerous. Media framing matters. When such comparisons mislead the public and distort reality, people around the world believe Israel is no better than the terrorist organization that attacked our civilians on Oct. 7, 2023.

The Wall Street Journal deserves credit for following up by interviewing neighbors of Sharabi but wrote that he “lost family members during the initial Hamas attack,” as if they merely went missing. The same article said that Levy’s wife “had died,” instead of telling the world that she was murdered in the bomb shelter of death where the late heroes Aner Shapira and Hersh Goldberg-Polin had saved lives.

Hamas has threatened to stop releasing hostages, but it should not surprise anyone if the next ones released are in even worse condition and are ignored even more by mainstream media and the so-called influencers who have become so dangerously powerful.

Influencers who support Hamas boasted on Instagram and TikTok about how healthy the released female hostages looked.

According to the latest Pew Research study, 20-24% of Americans, including 37% under 30, regularly get their news from influencers on social media, enhancing the impact of biased coverage. In the US presidential race, 24% of all Americans got their election news primarily from social media in 2024.

Major outlets like CNN and NBC are cutting a significant portion of their workforce while shifting their focus to digital media. These shifting news consumption patterns amplify the impact of biased coverage, as readers encounter skewed information on official news outlets’ social media pages.

It is no wonder that young people, who have been statistically proven to be more impressionable than their parents, could think that Israel perpetrated a genocide in Gaza and not believe that more Israelis were murdered on Oct. 7, 2023, than any one day since the Holocaust.

Media misinformation leads to indifference at best and hate at worst, and that is why the lessons of the coverage of Eli Sharabi, Or Levy, and Ohad Ben Ami must be learned immediately.

My grandmother’s picture on the wall at Yad Vashem proves what happens when the world does not take the suffering of the Jewish people seriously enough. 
BBC risks becoming ‘Hamas propaganda mouthpiece’
The former director of BBC Television has warned that the broadcaster risks becoming a propaganda mouthpiece for Hamas.

Danny Cohen said BBC coverage of the Gaza conflict had repeatedly drawn an “appalling false equivalence” between the release of Israeli hostages held in terrible conditions by Hamas and the freeing of Palestinian prisoners by Israel.

Mr Cohen said the BBC had also underplayed the suffering endured by the hostages freed as part of the ceasefire deal, while at the same time emphasising the privations it says were endured by the Palestinians prisoners.

He also accused the corporation of failing to mention that many of the Palestinian prisoners were guilty of terror crimes, including bombings and knife attacks.

The report coincided with the latest round of hostage releases on Saturday which came after fears the ceasefire deal could collapse.

In his report analysing the BBC’s coverage of the release of hostages taken by Hamas on October 7 2023, Mr Cohen stated: “In their rush to gloss over the undeniable torture, starvation and beatings that hostages have endured and their determination to highlight claims of poor conditions in Israel’s jails, the BBC is repeatedly drawing offensive false equivalence between victims of war crimes and hundreds of convicted violent offenders.

“The BBC is at risk of becoming a Hamas propaganda mouthpiece. They have repeatedly given a free pass to terrorists who have committed violent racist murder. It will be very hard for many in the Jewish community to ever forget it.”

In his analysis of the BBC’s coverage of the ceasefire deal’s arrangement for Israeli hostages to be released in exchange of prisoners, Mr Cohen claimed that the broadcaster’s reporters had failed to point out the crimes committed by jailed Palestinian fighters.

He said that instead, the BBC had gone out of its way to highlight the scenes of joy at the men being reunited with their families and their apparently emaciated appearance after years spent in Israeli jails.

During its coverage of the release of nearly 200 Palestinian prisoners on Feb 8 the BBC failed to describe any of them as terrorists, according to the report, even though half had been serving life sentences for murder.

Mr Cohen said a BBC News website story a few days earlier did not mention that a freed Hamas member it quoted expressing joy at his release had been held for his part in a 2018 gun attack which killed two civilians.

The report also accused the BBC of focusing on Palestinians freed from administrative detention without trial, while making only “passing reference” to the 733 convicted for violent offences who had been freed.


A new daughter, a murdered father, a brother captive: Joy and anguish as hostages released
The three Israeli hostages released by Gaza terror groups on Saturday were quickly transported to emotional reunions with family members, with joy and excitement mingling with sorrow and pain. One hostage was told the name of his new daughter, born two months after he was abducted, and pronounced himself delighted. Another learned that his father had been slain on October 7, 2023. A brother of the third was still in captivity.

After being transferred to the Red Cross, Sagui Dekel-Chen, Sasha Troufanov, and Iair Horn, were handed over to Israel Defense Forces special forces who escorted them out of the Gaza Strip, to an IDF base near Re’im, where they were united with immediate family and underwent basic medical evaluations.

After determining that there was no need for urgent medical evacuations to nearby hospitals after 498 days held hostage by Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, the three hostages and their family members were airlifted by helicopter to the Sourasky and Sheba hospitals in central Israel, where they were to undergo observation and begin their rehabilitation.

‘Do you remember what you called her’
US-Israeli citizen Dekel-Chen, 36, was reunited with his wife Avital, who was seven months pregnant when he was taken hostage, his mother Neomit, who was also briefly captured by terrorists on October 7 before managing to escape, and his father Jonathan.

A video published by the military showed the embraces. “You are a champion,” Avital told him as she wept into his shoulder.

“How you looked after me and cared for me,” Dekel-Chen told his mother, who hugged him in silence.

Sagui’s father Jonathan, a Connecticut-born Hebrew University professor, greeted him in English, saying “welcome back” as he hugged him and kissed him twice on the cheek.

But the most emotional moment was when Sagui found out the name of his third daughter, who was born two months after he was abducted and is now more than a year old.
Torture, interrogation and lice infestation: Hostages reveal first details of captivity
The three hostages released on Saturday have revealed the details of their captivity, including Hamas's use of interrogation and the dire conditions they were held in.

The testimonies of Sagui Dekel-Chen, Iair Horn, and Alexander Sasha Troufanov were shared with N12 and KAN after their release.

N12 reported that Hamas wrongly insisted that some of the hostages were soldiers, using continual interrogation and torture to try to obtain intelligence from them.

The hostages were held in extremely unhealthy environments, including in tunnels and hiding places, which were full of lice, bedbugs, mold, and mildew.

They also received almost no food and drank only salt water, which was not fit for drinking.

N12 added that because many of the hostages were wounded by Hamas terrorists and did not receive proper medical treatment, they may have to undergo surgery in the coming days.

The hostages received almost no food, the water was salty and unfit for drinking. Before their release, the terrorists forced them to write letters of gratitude while documenting them.
These are the 14 hostages yet to be released in phase one of the Gaza ceasefire
With six rounds of hostage-prisoner releases completed in the ongoing Gaza ceasefire deal as of Saturday, there are 14 Israeli hostages still supposed to be set free in the first phase.

Days into the truce, which began in January, family members of several hostages slated to be released from Gaza in the coming weeks expressed dread over their loved ones’ fates after Hamas conveyed information saying that eight of the 33 hostages on the original list are dead.

Following the release of the information, those families were informed by the military that Hamas’s information aligned with previous assessments and there were dire concerns about their fates.

Those on the list, to be returned over the initial period of 42 days that began on January 19, are so-called humanitarian cases: women, children, elderly individuals and the infirm.

According to the terms of the ceasefire, the identities of those set to return are to be provided by the terror group 24 hours before each release, though in recent weeks, Hamas has not always met the deadline.

As of Saturday, February 15, 70 of the 251 hostages abducted by Hamas on October 7 remain in Gaza, including the bodies of at least 34 confirmed dead by the IDF.


Hostages Alexandre Troufanov, Sagui Dekel-Chen and Yair Horn free from Gaza
Three Israeli men regained their freedom on Saturday, after 498 days of captivity in the Gaza Strip.

The hostages were handed over to representatives of the Red Cross at a staged event in Khan Yunis, in the southern Gaza Strip, shortly after 10 a.m., and to the IDF and the Israeli Security Agency (Shin Bet) at approximately 10:30, and were being escorted to Israeli territory for an initial medical examination.

Alexandre (“Sasha”) Troufanov, 29, who has dual Russian citizenship, had been held by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorist organization, while American-Israeli Sagui Dekel-Chen, 36, and Argentinian-Israeli Yair Horn, 46, were captives of Hamas.

In return, Israel is to release 369 terrorists later on Saturday—36 serving life sentences, most of who will go to the Gaza Strip or Egypt, and 333 terrorism suspects apprehended inside the Gaza Strip since the Hamas-led invasion of the northwestern Negev on Oct. 7, 2023, according to figures from the Palestinian Authority Prisoners Ministry.

All three hostages were kidnapped from Kibbutz Nir Oz.

Troufanov was abducted along with his mother, Yelena Trufanov; his grandmother Irena Tati; and his girlfriend, Sapir Cohen. His mother and grandmother were freed by Hamas on Nov. 29, 2023, at the request of Russian President Vladimir Putin, while Cohen was released as part of a ceasefire deal that same month. Troufanov’s father, Vitaly, was killed during the Oct. 7 massacre.

Sagui Dekel-Chen was also taken from Nir Oz during the terrorist invasion. His mother, Neomit, was taken captive along with neighbors in an electric cart that was headed toward Gaza when an Israeli Air Force helicopter shot at the terrorists and driver. Neomit was wounded and escaped. Dekel-Chen’s third daughter, Shachar, was born two months later.

Yair Horn’s brother Eitan, 38, who was visiting from Kfar Saba, was also kidnapped and is still in the Gaza Strip.

Since the ceasefire entered into force on Jan. 19, 19 Israeli and five Thai hostages have been released in exchange for 566 Palestinian terrorists held in Israeli prisons. The latter figure is to rise to 935 later on Saturday.

During the first six weeks of the ceasefire, a total of 33 hostages are set to be freed in exchange for approximately 1,900 Palestinian terrorists held in Israel. Hamas says eight on the list of 33 captives have died inside the Gaza Strip.
Hostages reunite with families as Trump leaves Israel to decide on ‘12 o’clock deadline’
The three latest returnees from Hamas captivity in Gaza reunited on Saturday with their families in heartfelt scenes of elation and relief.

American-Israeli Sagui Dekel-Chen, 36, met with his wife, Avital, and his parents at the IDF’s Re’im camp just outside the Strip before being flown by helicopter to Sheba Medical Center at Tel Hashomer in Ramat Gan.

During the reunion, Avital informed him of their third daughter’s name. She was seven-months’ pregnant when Dekel-Chen was kidnapped by Hamas terrorists on Oct. 7, 2023. “Do you remember what you called her? That’s her name, Shahar-Mazal,” she said. “Perfect,” Dekel-Chen replied.

“You are heroes, you protected me,” Dekel-Chen told his spouse and mother.

Embracing his wife in the helicopter, he held a sign addressed to his three daughters that read, “Daddy is on his way.”

The Dekel-Chen family released a statement to the press, saying, “Our Sagie is home. A friend, a son, a partner, and most of all—a father. And now, he has returned. For almost 500 days, he was so far away, and now, at last, he is on Israeli soil, with us. In the coming hours, he will begin the recovery process, reunite with his daughters, Gali and Bar, and meet his youngest daughter, Shachar, for the first time—she was born while he was in captivity.

“Our hearts ache for all that he missed, but now he is here, unlike so many others,” the statement read.

“There are still many families waiting for their loved ones, many children waiting for their fathers. We will continue to fight until the last hostage is brought home. This is our duty.”


'It is not possible to rehabilitate': Freed hostage Noa Argamani on life after captivity
Freed hostage Noa Argamani said she has been unable to return to her life as she knew it after her time in Hamas captivity in a recent Instagram story post.

“I can’t describe to you in words the feeling that a person who was by your side the whole time in captivity is left behind, and you seemingly come back to life,” Argamani wrote. “A part of you still remains in Gaza, it is not possible to rehabilitate and return to a human routine in such a situation.”

She continued on to say that the dissonance between being held hostage in Gaza versus being back in the world inhibits her ability to function normally.

“You cannot really ‘sleep’ at night, you cannot eat properly, you cannot function at all knowing that just a moment ago, you were there in the Hamas tunnels, and now you are in a modern and connected world,” she wrote.

Noa Argamani pushes for hostage release
Argamani went on to describe how she watched two hostages with whom she was held in captivity, her friends Itai Svirsky and Yossi Sharabi, die in front of her.

“I saw and experienced two of my friends who were with me in captivity for so long die in front of my eyes after they barely managed to survive three months in captivity. It is unimaginable.”

She ended the post with a plea to bring the remaining hostages home. “How can you leave them there? How can you leave everyone alive there? We must bring them home now.”

At the start of 2025, Argamani told audiences about her experience on October 7 and her captivity in Gaza. It was the first time she’d told her story from start to finish publicly since her rescue.

“There are still 98 hostages, 98 families living this endless nightmare,” she told an audience in Miami. “Until Avinatan returns, my heart remains in captivity.”


Argentine-Israeli Iair Horn freed from Gaza captivity without brother Eitan
Even as Iair Horn, 46, returned home to Israel on Saturday, he was forced to wait for the return of his younger brother Eitan, who is still held captive in Gaza.

Iair and Eitan were abducted from Kibbutz Nir Oz together on October 7, 2023.

Eitan, who lives in central Israel with their mother, was visiting his brother on October 7 when they heard sirens blaring in the background. Moments later, it became clear that Hamas had invaded southern Israel.

Subjected to days of silence, not knowing of their sons’ whereabouts, a liaison officer told them days later that the boys had been abducted, the family told Haaretz.

The family made aliyah from Argentina, with Iair being the final member to eventually move to Israel.

When he was released from captivity on Saturday, his family gifted him merchandise from his favorite soccer team, Hapoel Beersheba, in his room at Sourasky Medical Center in Tel Aviv.

“He gives everything he has to the kibbutz, just like a veteran member. He organizes all the holidays and celebrations,” their mother Ruth Strum told The Jerusalem Post. “He even does stand-up, radio broadcasting, and manages the local pub at Nir Oz, making a mobile pub on wheels during COVID-19, going house to house to bring his neighbors and friends drinks.”

Before his release, Strum told Reuters, “What will happen at the moment when they are separated and told that one is coming out and the other is not? I know that their strength is to be together, to be there for each other.”

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum said, “We need to bring Eitan back so our family can truly breathe. We thank the IDF soldiers and security forces who risk their lives and bodies, and send condolences to the bereaved families who lost their most precious ones for all of us.”
Iair Horn knows his brother is a hostage, they met in Gaza once, his mother says
Ruth Strom, the mother of recently released hostage Iair Horn, spoke with Kan News on Saturday and told them Iair knows that his brother, Eitan Horn, is also a hostage.

"They met sometime in a hurry," she explained. "We haven't spoken about him yet." According to Strom, Iair spent most of the time in the tunnels.

She explained that the moment he stepped out of the Red Cross vehicle in Gaza, she was happy to see him standing on his feet and looking around. "That means he was in charge. For me, that's everything. That's the greatest joy."

"He was very happy to see his brother, Amos, and myself there," she said, talking about meeting Iair at the Re'im base.

She also explained how Iair didn't want to talk much but that he would once he wanted to.

Where were they being held in Gaza?
Sagui Dekel-Chen, Horn, and Alexander Sasha Troufanov were all held in Khan Yunis in the tunnels up until very recently, when they were moved to apartments above ground.

According to Kan, Dekel-Chen was held in a hospital until the start of the first hostage release in November 2023. He was held there with other hostages, including Itzik Elgarat, 69, whose life was in danger.


Russian-Israeli Alexander Sasha Troufanov released from Gaza after 498 days
Alexander Sasha Troufanov, 29, who was 27 years old when he was abducted from Kibbutz Nir Oz, had spent two birthdays in captivity.

He was abducted along with his parents, his grandmother, and his partner, Sapir Cohen. Troufanov’s father, Vitaly, was murdered on October 7, while his partner and female relatives were released in the November 2023 deal. He was notified of his father’s death after his release, Ynet reported.

Troufanov’s childhood best friend told Haaretz that as a hostage, he had been unaware that his father had been killed. “I can’t believe that you’re a hostage, and you have no idea that your father is dead. If you’re not here now, then I will give your father all the honor that I can for you. I will fill the void,” he said.

Sapir Cohen told the Italian newspaper Libero Quotidiano that she witnessed Troufanov “beaten bloody and thrown face-first into the ground” by terrorists.

Russian ambassador Anatoly Viktorov said that the release of Troufanov, who is also a Russian citizen, was “especially gratifying. The Russian Foreign Ministry and our diplomats in the Middle East, in coordination with the Israeli authorities and other interested parties, did everything necessary to resolve this humanitarian issue as soon as possible.”
Islamic Jihad publishes video of Sasha Troufanov on Gaza beach hours before release
Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) released a video Friday showing a new sign of life from Sasha Troufanov, just hours before he is set to be freed on Saturday as part of the sixth phase of the hostage deal. Troufanov is set to be released alongside Sagui Dekel-Chen and Iair Horn who have been held by Hamas. The video, which does not specify when it was filmed, shows Troufanov strolling along a Gaza beach and fishing. At the family's request, Ynet has not published the video.

The video appears to be aimed at portraying Troufanov as healthy, amid public outrage over the release of three malnourished hostages last week—Eli Sharabi, Or Levy and Ohad Ben Ami—following the previous phase of the deal. These hostages, along with others released earlier, testified about the severe deprivation they faced in captivity.

It should be noted that both they and previously freed hostages reported receiving significantly more food in the days leading up to their release, likely part of a deliberate display by terrorist organizations to suggest that hostages were held under better conditions.

Sasha, 29, from Tel Aviv, was kidnapped on October 7 along with his girlfriend, Sapir Cohen, his mother, Elena, and his grandmother, Irina, from their home in Kibbutz Nir Oz, where Sasha and Sapir had been visiting. Elena and Irina were released in the November 2023 prisoner exchange. Sasha’s father, Vitali, was killed in the massacre.

Sasha remains in PIJ custody, which has previously released two videos of him during captivity. In these videos, Sasha is seen speaking to the camera, presumably reading statements dictated by his captors. "I've been here for a year, a year with food and water shortages, and no electricity," he said in one of the videos.


Amazon CEO says ‘relieved’ after employee Sasha Troufanov freed from Hamas captivity
After 498 days in Hamas captivity, Sagui Dekel-Chen, Iair Horn and Alexander "Sasha" Troufanov were released Saturday and returned to Israel as part of the ongoing hostage-prisoner exchange deal.

Troufanov, 29, an electrical engineer at Amazon Web Services (AWS), was kidnapped on October 7 while visiting his family in Kibbutz Nir Oz with his partner Sapir Cohen. His mother Yelena and grandmother Irina, were also abducted, while his father Vitaliy, was murdered during the Hamas attack. The three women were released in November 2023, but Troufanov remained in captivity for nearly 16 months.

Upon his release, Amazon Andy Jassy confirmed Troufanov’s return in a blog post, saying, "I’m incredibly relieved to share the news that our AWS teammate, Sasha Troufanov, who had been held hostage since the October 7, 2023 attacks in Israel, has been released from captivity."

Jassy revealed that a dedicated team at Amazon worked behind the scenes to support efforts for Troufanov’s release but chose not to issue public statements, fearing they could jeopardize his safety or harm his chances of release.

"It’s been an extremely trying time for everybody who knows and cares for Sasha — a lot of angst and feelings of helplessness. But, it can’t approach what Sasha and his family have been through, and we will continue to support them and do everything we can to help them heal," Jassy wrote. "My heart goes out to everyone who has been impacted by the war and I continue to hope that we get on a long-term peaceful path."

While Amazon remained largely silent about Troufanov's captivity, other major U.S. tech firms took a more vocal stance regarding employees kidnapped by Hamas.

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang publicly called for the release of kidnapped Nvidia employee Avinatan Or and led support efforts. In contrast, Amazon’s global leadership refrained from commenting on Troufanov’s situation, leading to internal backlash from Jewish and Israeli employees.

Amazon employees protested the company’s silence, arguing that it contrasted sharply with its vocal support for movements like Black Lives Matter and Stop Asian Hate. Some critics suggested Amazon was avoiding statements to protect business ties in Muslim and Arab markets.


Israel releasing 369 Palestinian prisoners, including 36 serving life terms for terror
Israel began releasing more than 300 Palestinian security prisoners, including three dozen serving life sentences for terror killings, after Hamas released Israeli hostages Sagui Dekel-Chan, Iair Horn and Sasha Troufanov on Saturday as part of the Gaza ceasefire and hostage deal.

According to the Hamas-linked Prisoners’ Information Office, 369 Palestinians were set to be released, including 333 Palestinians who had been detained in Gaza during the war and 36 terrorists who had been serving life sentences, including for multiple murders.

The prisoner release was the largest so far in the ceasefire and hostage deal between Israel and Hamas.

In an apparent reaction to Hamas dressing released hostages in prison garb and handing them “gifts” of Palestinian paraphernalia, the Israel Prison Service dressed the Palestinian detainees in shirts bearing a blue Star of David, the Shin Bet logo and, in Arabic, the phrase: “We will not forgive or forget.”

The prisoners were also said to have been given a Shin Bet-themed wristband and shown a film about the destruction in Gaza.

About an hour after the hostages were returned to Israel, live footage showed the first bus of Palestinian prisoners leaving the Ofer Prison for Ramallah in the West Bank, where a crowd of enthusiastic supporters received them.


Albanese admits that UN ‘displays some bias’ against Israel in stormy TV interview
Francesca Albanese, the UN’s Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories, has admitted that the organisation “displays some bias” against Israel during a rare TV interview.

Speaking with Yama Wolasmal of Norway’s national broadcaster NRK, Albanese labelled the disproportionate number of UN resolutions condemning Israel as a ‘democratic instance’ to counter the US’ veto on the body’s security council.

According to figures from UN Watch, quoted by Wolasmal in the interview, the UN General Assembly condemned Israel 17 times in the past year.

This contrasted with just six condemnatory resolutions levied on the rest of the world – one each for North Korea, Iran, Syria, Myanmar, Russia and the US – with none aimed at regimes like the Taliban government in Afghanistan or the Maduro government in Venezuela.

In response to the claim that this “doesn’t sound fair”, Albanese responded: “I would agree that, on some occasions, the UN displays some bias.

"The overproduction of resolutions is due to the fact that nothing changes on the ground.

"This is a consequence and a dysfunction of the lack of effectiveness of the Security Council when it comes to Palestine.

"Because the Security Council has often been paralysed by the US veto, then you have these more democratic instances where there is no veto, like the Human Rights Council and the General Assembly.”

She added: "There is never enforcement of international law when it comes to Israel.”

The exchange over the number of resolutions followed a testy opening to the interview as Wolasmal brought up accusations of antisemitism that have previously been levied against Albanese.

The UN official sighed loudly and rolled her eyes at the suggestion, before claiming that the allegations have been propagated by “Israel and its sycophants”.


Lebanon: Hezbollah supporters set UNIFIL vehicles on fire
A United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) convoy en route to Lebanon’s international airport in Beirut was attacked on Friday night, with the force’s outgoing deputy commander, Nepalese Maj. Gen. Chok Bahadur Dhakal, injured during the incident amid riots shaking the city for two nights running.

The peacekeeping group decried the attack, which is believed to have been carried out by Hezbollah supporters.

“This evening a UNIFIL convoy taking peacekeepers to Beirut airport was violently attacked, and a vehicle was set on fire. UNIFIL’s outgoing Deputy Force Commander, who was returning home after ending his mission, was injured,” UNIFIL said in a statement following the attack.

“We are shocked by this outrageous attack on peacekeepers who have been serving to restore security and stability to south Lebanon during a difficult time,” it followed, referring to the fragile truce between Israel and Hezbollah signed after more than 13 months of war from Oct. 8, 2023, to Nov. 27, 2024.

“Attacks on peacekeepers are flagrant violations of international law and may amount to war crimes. We demand a full and immediate investigation by Lebanese authorities and for all perpetrators to be brought to justice,” the statement read.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun condemned the attack on Saturday and “emphasized that the attackers will receive their punishment,” in a presidency statement on X.

“Security forces will not be lenient with any party that tries to upset stability and civil peace,” it added.

The statement went on to say that Aoun had “followed up on developments regarding roadblocks, setting fires and riots, and issued directives to the army and security forces to put a stop to these practices,” adding that the judiciary “has begun investigations on the ground,” AFP reported.


Vial of morphine allegedly found in Bankstown Hospital locker of Sydney nurse Ahmed 'Rashid' Nadir as NSW Police probe antisemitic video
Police have allegedly found a vial of morphine in the locker of Sydney nurse Ahmed 'Rashid' Nadir at Bankstown Hospital as an investigation continues into the antisemitic video controversy.

Police allegedly found the vial after Mr Nadir and Sarah Abu Lebdeh were stood down from their roles at Bankstown Hospital following the emergence of the video, 7NEWS reported.

After Mr Nadir allegedly asked a former colleague to empty his locker, the individual reportedly felt uneasy and decided to call police.

The vial was taken as a piece of evidence in the probe to determine if charges should be laid against the nurses.

NSW Police declined to provide confirmation of the vial being found.

A spokesperson told Skynews.com.au: "As this is an active, ongoing investigation, there will be no further comment provided."

It came after Strike Force Pearl investigators reportedly raided the Bankstown home of Mr Nadir on Friday night, and are understood to have seized several bags of evidence.

However, it is unknown whether search warrants were executed regarding Ms Abu Lebdeh.


The shocking full extent of anti-Semitism at the heart of our health service - from the doctor terrifying colleagues with her views to the neurologist idolising Hamas: SABRINA MILLER The social media posts bear all the hallmarks of an anti-Semite. 'Calling me a 'terrorist' doesn't scare me,' says one, which is overlaid on a picture of a masked man making an upside down triangle with his hands, a symbol used by the Palestinian terror group Hamas in propaganda videos to denote a target.

'Non violence is a privilege that Palestinians cannot afford,' the author claims in another post, alongside messages praising the 'armed struggle' and scores of pictures featuring gun-toting Hamas militants.

So who is behind these shocking messages? A social media troll? A violent prisoner? A member of a terror group?

No. Shockingly, these posts are all being shared by an NHS doctor who is supposedly dedicated to protecting the most vulnerable in our society.

And that doctor is not alone. More than a dozen NHS doctors, nurses and dentists have taken to social media in the last year to praise terror groups, spread dangerous lies, and incite racial hatred.

Jewish patients and doctors have also reported incidents of NHS staff putting up anti-Israel posters in operating theatres, wearing pro-Palestine badges in front of patients and holding pro-Palestine meetings on wards in the middle of the day.

Health Secretary Wes Streeting has said he would take a 'zero tolerance approach' to anti-Semitism in the NHS but since the Hamas attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023, there has been a sharp rise in anti-Jewish sentiment among NHS staff and a disturbing increase in support for violent, proscribed organisations.

Between October 7, 2023, and November 19, 2024, there were 402 anti-Semitism-related complaints made to the General Medical Council (GMC) – the independent regulator for doctors. These related to 98 doctors the GMC was able to identify and a further 26 it was not. According to GMC data, no doctors were struck off in that time period.

I was a Refugee in Sweden
The Visegrad24 team recently sat down with Luai Ahmed to discuss his journey as an asylum seeker in Sweden and gain insight into the current situation in the country. They explored his thoughts on the challenges Sweden is facing, particularly regarding crime and social policies.

Luai Ahmed is a journalist, columnist, and social commentator with roots in both Yemen and Sweden. He is known for his outspoken stance on issues related to extremism and his advocacy for freedom, peace, and security.

Raised in the capital city of Sana'a, Luai was deeply influenced by his mother, Amal Basha, a respected peace and women's rights activist. Amal Basha is widely recognized for her work and has received several accolades, including an honorary doctorate from the University of Toronto.

Due to his family's commitment to advocating for human rights and equality, they faced severe threats in Yemen. In 2013, an extremist group targeted the Ahmed family, issuing a public threat against them. This forced Luai to flee his homeland, seeking safety and a new beginning in Sweden. By 2014, he had been granted asylum.

Luai's experience as a refugee, combined with his work as a journalist, has provided him with unique perspectives on Sweden's immigration policies and their impact on society. In his conversation with Visegrad24, he shared his concerns about the rise in criminal activity and the need for responsible and effective policies to ensure the safety and well-being of all residents.

Luai Ahmed continues to use his platform to shed light on important social issues, encouraging dialogue and understanding while advocating for positive change

00:00 - Introduction
02:12 - Becoming a Refugee
03:08 - Immigration in Sweden
07:52 - Extremists moving to Sweden
09:05 - Lying to get asylum
10:56 - Swedes have had enough
14:46 - Deporting fake migrants
18:40 - Integrating in Sweden
21:08 - Sweden & Islam
25:15 - The failure of multiculturalism
26:15 - "Balcony Girls"
27:40 - Change in the Middle East


Hamas Supporter Appears in NYT Ad by ‘Jews’ Opposing Trump Gaza Plan
Judith Butler, a radical leftist academic who described Hamas as “progressive” and part of the Left, and who defended the atrocities of Oct 7 by the Islamic terrorist group, was one of the top signatories to a petition by a group of anti-Israel activists, calling themselves the ‘ In Our Name Campaign’ claiming that they are “Jews” opposed to “ethnic cleansing”.

By that they don’t mean they are by any means opposed to Oct 7, only to Trump’s plan to resettle the terrorist population of Gaza to prevent them from continuing to kill Jews and every other non-Muslim non-Arab group.

Butler’s name appears alongside a handful of celebrities Joaquin Pheonix, Boots Riley (who is not Jewish) and Wallace Shawn who recently suggested that Hitler had more “decency” than the Jewish State, along with career anti-Israel activists like Sharon Brous, a political ally of Kamala Harris, and Jill Jacobs of T’ruah.

The media and the JTA dishonestly described this as a group of “rabbis”, celebrities and artists.

None of them ever mentioned Judith Butler’s very public pro-Hamas views.

“Hamas and Hezbollah are social movements that are progressive, that are on the Left, that are part of a global Left”, Judith Butler argued.


BBC staffers round on ‘delusional’ Owen Jones after he targets another Jewish colleague
Guardian columnist and YouTuber Owen Jones has launched a fresh attack on a Jewish BBC journalist.

Jones targeted Gidi Kleiman, BBC News’ senior producer in Israel, accusing the Israeli journalist of sharing content from what he claimed to be “extreme accounts”, including Eylon Levy and Aviva Klompas.

He accused Kleiman of posting only about Israeli suffering and included a video of the BBC journalist’s X timeline to support his claim.

BBC correspondent Jon Donnison swiftly defended Kleiman, calling him a “superb journalist” who is “smart, thoughtful, and fair.” He explained that Kleiman primarily covers the Israeli side of the conflict, while the BBC employs Palestinian producers who focus on Palestinian perspectives. “That is how newsrooms in the Middle East work,” Donnison stated.

Another senior BBC journalist, who wished to remain anonymous, said: “Gidi Kleiman is one of the most respected producers in the whole of the BBC. Jones' targeting of him is delusional. The fact that Jon Donnison has publicly rebutted him is indicative of the contempt in which Jones is held by proper correspondents.”

Among the posts highlighted by Jones as supposed evidence of Kleiman’s bias were tributes to victims of the October 7 Hamas attacks, including British-Israeli teenagers Noiya, 16, and Yahel, 13, murdered alongside their mother, Lianne Sharabi, at Kibbutz Be’eri. Another featured 18-year-old Maayan, killed in front of her family. Maayan’s British cousin Adam Ma’anit condemned Jones’s attack on Kleiman.


Family of UK couple detained in Iran express ‘serious concern’ for their welfare
Relatives of a British couple who have been detained in Iran said Saturday that their situation was distressing and causing “significant concern,” and that the family was working hard on securing their safe return.

Iran’s official news agency reported on Wednesday that the pair were held in the southern Iranian city of Kerman on security-related charges.

The report did not name the couple or provide details about their case, but a family statement released Saturday through the UK Foreign Office identified them as Craig and Lindsay Foreman.

The two were reportedly traveling around the world on motorbikes when they were detained in January. British media, citing social media posts, reported that they had crossed into Iran from Armenia on December 30 and were planning to enter Pakistan next.

“This unexpected turn of events has caused significant concern for our entire family, and we are deeply focused on ensuring their safety and well-being during this trying time,” the family said in a statement, adding that it was working with UK officials to navigate the situation.

“The family are united in our determination to secure their safe return,” it added.

The UK ambassador met with the couple earlier and the UK Foreign Office said that it was providing consular assistance to them.

Iran has a history of detaining and releasing Western nationals on security charges. The country has long been accused of holding those with Western ties as prisoners to be used as bargaining chips in negotiations with the West. Iran denies those accusations.
Israeli couple attacked in Athens after they were heard speaking Hebrew
An Israeli couple were attacked with knives by two Arabic speakers in Athens on Friday night, Israeli media reported on Saturday.

The two Israelis were speaking Hebrew and wearing necklaces with a Star of David on at the time of the attack, which took place on the popular Ermou Street.

The Israeli couple was at a restaurant and making their way to the hotel when they were attacked, according to N12.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry said it was aware of the incident and said that the victims did not require hospitalization.

The ministry added that one of the attackers - a Gazan who had participated in pro-Palestinian demonstrations before - was caught and detained. The other attacker escaped.

Uzi, an Israeli who was sat near the couple at the restaurant, told N12, "We followed them out of the restaurant, and heard that the couple was speaking Hebrew loudly. Arabic speakers who were passing by the area heard them and approached them. I heard them say 'hi,' and then they started attacking them and stabbing them with a knife."

He added that he stayed at the scene for another fifteen minutes as police officers tried to catch the attackers who fled the scene.


Why Israel is investing $35.5m in a bio-convergence lab 
Israel is investing 113 million shekels (about $35.5 million) in its first laboratory dedicated to bio-devices and biochips.

The December announcement by the Israel Innovation Authority (IIA) marks a significant step into the growing field of bio-convergence, underlining the country’s intention of becoming a global leader in this relatively new approach to healthcare and scientific research.

What exactly is bio-convergence, and why does it matter?

Bio-convergence brings together experts from different fields of study to create novel solutions to a wide variety of needs: in medicine, environment, energy, agriculture, food, security and more.

At the heart of this field are biochips and bio-devices – sophisticated tools that can perform complex biological processes on a microscopic scale.

Through a process called microfluidics, these devices can manipulate individual cells and measure changes with molecular precision, essentially shrinking what once required massive laboratories into a chip the size of a fingernail.

The new bio-convergence laboratory will serve as a hub for Israeli companies, streamlining their development processes and making biological production more cost-effective, precise and accessible.

It’s also expected to attract foreign investment and top talent while fostering international collaborations.
Anne Frank’s best friend, to whom she wrote farewell letter in hiding, dies at 96
On June 15, 1942, days after receiving a diary for her 13th birthday, Anne Frank wrote that a classmate she had only recently met “is now my best friend.”

She and that friend, Jacqueline van Maarsen, promised to write each other goodbye letters if they were forced apart — which came to pass just weeks later. Frank went into hiding in Amsterdam in July, and wrote van Maarsen her farewell letter in the diary in September, wishing that “until we see each other again, we will always remain ‘best’ friends.”

That meeting never took place, as Frank was murdered by the Nazis in 1945. But beginning in 1986, van Maarsen began lecturing on the Holocaust and hate, and writing about her friendship with Frank.

On Friday, the Anne Frank House announced that van Maarsen had died on February 13, at age 96.

“Jacqueline was a classmate of Anne Frank at the Jewish Lyceum and shared her memories of their friendship throughout her life,” the institution, which is the official custodian of Frank’s legacy, said in a statement that included details about the friendship. “In her books and during school visits, Jacqueline spoke not only about her friendship with Anne but also about the dangers of antisemitism and racism, and where they can lead.”

Van Maarsen was the daughter of a Jewish father and a mother who was raised Christian and converted to Judaism. Her mother managed to get her and her sister declared non-Jewish in 1942, which enabled them to survive the war and Holocaust. Most of van Maarsen’s father’s family was killed by the Nazis.

After the war, she got married, had three children and worked as an acclaimed bookbinder. Later in life, she wrote multiple books about Frank, including 2008’s “My Name is Anne, She Said, Anne Frank.”

Van Maarsen stayed in touch with Frank’s father, Otto, and with the Anne Frank House. In 2020, she laid the first stone of a Holocaust monument in Amsterdam. Last year, she donated a book of poetry from her youth to the institution. It included a poem written by her friend Anne.




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This blog may be a labor of love for me, but it takes a lot of effort, time and money. For 20 years and 40,000 articles I have been providing accurate, original news that would have remained unnoticed. I've written hundreds of scoops and sometimes my reporting ends up making a real difference. I appreciate any donations you can give to keep this blog going.

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