‘This is our land' – Jewish settlers bathe in West Bank spring
A natural spring in the heart of the Jordan Valley in the Israeli-occupied West Bank was a vital source of water for the Bedouin communities and farmers living in that area. But recently, residents say they have faced increasing pressure from Jewish settlers. Fiona Jones reports.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
7NEWS
2 days ago
- 7NEWS
‘Like the world has forgotten us:' Gazans fear their ongoing suffering will become invisible amid Israel-Iran conflict
The young girl sits on the dusty floor, clutching her father's shoe close to her chest as she cries and screams in anger. Bisan Qwaider is unconsolable. Her father has just been killed while trying to get food for her and her 10 hungry siblings. Bisan's father, Shadi, had left the family's tent in Mawassi, in southern Gaza, a few days earlier for Ma'an, just east of Khan Younis, the photojournalist who captured the scene of Qwaider's grief on Sunday, Khaled Sha'ath, said. Shadi knew travel to the area was dangerous: Ma'an had been under an Israeli evacuation order for some time and has come under Israeli bombardment. But, despite the risk, his children were hungry and he believed he could get some food there for them. Gaza is facing a hunger crisis. A UN-backed report published in late April warned that one in five people in Gaza were facing starvation and that the entire enclave was edging closer to famine. The situation has only worsened since then, according to the UN. Sha'ath said Qwaider was killed in an airstrike and his body was pulled from the rubble on Sunday. He is one of hundreds of people who have died while attempting to find food in Gaza in recent weeks, according to Gaza health authorities. When about the situation in Ma'an, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) responded by sending through a map of Gaza with 'dangerous combat zones' highlighted in red, which included Ma'an — as well as more than half of the territory. In late May, Israel partially lifted an 11-week total blockade on Gaza, but humanitarian organisations say the aid entering now is only a tiny fraction of what is needed. 'Without immediate and massively scaled-up access to the basic means of survival, we risk a descent into famine, further chaos, and the loss of more lives,' the UN's humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher said last week. The humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza has sparked outrage around the world, recently prompting even some of Israel's closest allies to speak up. Last week, Australia was one of 149 countries to vote in favour of an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire in the war in Gaza and aid access, after the United States vetoed a similar effort in the Security Council the week before. The US, Israel and 10 others voted against the resolution, while 19 countries abstained from voting. France, the United Kingdom and Canada issued a rare statement last month criticising Israel and threatening 'concrete steps' if the situation in Gaza does not improve. The UK paused trade negotiations with Israel and sanctioned West Bank settlers last month, and the European Union said it would review a key cooperation agreement with Israel. But as tensions continue to escalate between Israel and Iran, people in Gaza are now worried that even the limited pressure on Israel over their suffering will quickly evaporate. 'The war between Israel and Iran made people forget about us completely,' Mohammad, a Gazan who did not want to share his last name, said on Monday. 'No one is looking at us, there's no food or water or anything. 'Every day, people go to try to get food and aid, and they end up being carried in body bags.' Umm Mustafa, another Gazan, said the growing conflict between Iran and Israel means that their suffering has disappeared from the international news agenda. 'All the (focus) has shifted to the Israeli-Iranian war, even though the Gaza Strip has been wiped off of the map,' Mustafa said. Abu Juma'a, who lives in Gaza City, said that while there were 'some voices calling and standing in solidarity with Gaza and calling for humanitarian aid to be let in, the Israeli-Iranian war meant there is no one calling for the food and water to be provided in Gaza.' One in 40 dead More than 55,300 people have been killed and more than 128,700 injured in Gaza since October 7, 2023, according to health authorities there. The numbers are staggering: The death toll represents some 2.5 per cent of the entire Gaza population, meaning that out of every 40 Palestinians living in Gaza before the war, one is now dead. A peer-reviewed study published earlier this year in The Lancet journal, said that the number of people killed in Gaza is significantly higher than the figure reported by authorities in the enclave. CNN cannot independently verify those claims and Israel has barred international journalists from travelling to Gaza independently since October 7. And the deadly hunger crisis is worsening. The International Committee of the Red Cross said on Monday that people are struggling to access basic goods because of Israeli restrictions on what can be brought into the territory. Meanwhile, a US and Israeli-backed aid initiative, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) — a controversial organisation that was established amid Israeli accusations that Hamas is stealing aid in Gaza and profiting off its sale — is struggling to fulfil the task. The organisation has been criticised by multiple international aid agencies that it isn't fit for purpose. According to Gaza health authorities, at least 300 people have been killed since the GHF opened its distribution points in late May, which are located in areas surrounded by active combat zones. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said last week that Israeli authorities have allowed only a select number of UN agencies and international non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to resume the delivery of aid into Gaza after partially lifting the blockade and that 'only very limited amounts of certain food items, nutrition supplies, some health supplies, and water purification items' are allowed. Other aid supplies such as shelter materials, hygiene products and medical equipment are still being blocked by Israel, according to OCHA. 'People can't find anything to eat or drink,' another Gaza resident, Abu Mohammed said. 'The price of a bag of flour is now 300 to 500 times more expensive than before … it does feel like the world has forgotten us.' For young Bisan Qwaider, the only thing from her father she could get a hold of was his shoe. As she screamed for her father, she looked to the sky and shouted a message for those she believed were responsible for his death. 'May God hold you accountable,' she said.
Sydney Morning Herald
5 days ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
The 500-kilogram missile that wreaked havoc in Israeli coastal town
'After the first siren, we went back home but then when the blast hit, it broke all the windows and glass was flying all over. I got glass in my face, arm, eye, and went to hospital to remove the tiny shards from my eye, and had stitches in my shoulder.' The decorator said he had not heard a second siren warning him to evacuate. 'It was extremely scary but this is just the beginning. We understand this is not over yet. I was very lucky, but now, what happens tonight?' An Israeli official said the strike was carried out with a missile carrying 500 kilograms of explosives. Such missiles are usually used in precision strikes but, on Sunday morning, the residential areas in Bat Yam, Rehovot and Tamra appeared to be indiscriminately on the receiving end. According to rescue organisation United Hatzalah, about eight or nine streets were damaged by the blast, including 61 buildings. On Sunday morning, residents had turned out to clean up the debris and rescue crews searched for the missing. The Telegraph spoke to one man anxiously waiting for news of his brother who is believed to have been thrown by the blast from his second-floor apartment. Police pushed crowds back who had come to survey the damage. Ilana Shaked, who lives in nearby Holon, was still in her pyjamas when she came to find out news of her friend. She said: 'This is unreal to see, not just painful but hard to comprehend. I pray that they can reach the missing before the building collapses.' Shmuel Malka, from volunteer rescue organisation United Hatzalah, arrived at the scene just minutes after the tragedy, about 2.50am. 'It's impossible to compare this to anything we've seen before,' he said. 'It was chaos because the radius was so big, it was dramatic and I've never seen this before in 10 years with the organisation. We've had many incidents with large numbers wounded but this was like nothing I've seen.' Made up of orthodox Jews, the organisation relies on local volunteers to act before emergency services can. 'This war hasn't finished' Loading 'There were people coming out en masse with injuries, in shock, disoriented, and we had to divide them because it was not only one building for us to manage. We went from building to building to check people injured from glass, and shrapnel,' Malka said. Yosef Kanety, also from United Hatzalah, was with the displaced as they awaited news of where they could go next. 'There are so many people who don't know what will happen next – where will they be tomorrow,' he said. 'They are thinking of tonight because this war hasn't even finished – so they are in trauma and expecting another round tonight. Many don't know where their families are as they still search, many have lost someone they know or others have been wounded, and many have medication at home which they need urgently.' Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to avenge the attacks, which have claimed 13 lives in total. But so has Iran, where the total killed there is now 224, according to its health ministry. On Sunday, Israeli military spokesman Effie Defrin warned of 'challenging days' ahead, with Israel 'not stopping striking for a moment'. 'There will be more launches and impacts in the coming days.'
The Age
6 days ago
- The Age
Why I love being Jewish, even with all the rules
Judaism is one of the only religions that does not proselytise. If you want to convert to Judaism, you will be discouraged from doing so at least three times, in order to make sure that you are really sure that you want this life. Being Jewish, with all its laws and rules and, unfortunately, growing antisemitism is not always easy. So, as a religion, we want to make sure that converts have really thought about everything carefully. Yet, despite living a life with many rules, I love being Jewish. Judaism is an ancient religion, it's been around for 3500 years. Within Jewish culture is a deep love of learning. When you're Jewish, from the age of three you learn the aleph-bet, the Hebrew alphabet, in addition to the language of the country you live in. With Hebrew literacy, you can delve into the texts of our tradition, some of them thousands of years old. There is an expression in Jewish tradition: there are 70 faces to the Torah. It means that each word in the Torah has a minimum of 70 meanings. When we study our Jewish texts, we add our own interpretations. Judaism encourages critical thinking. In Judaism, we are encouraged to question, to argue with a study partner and discuss why certain words were included in the Torah and others were not. As a people, we do not accept anything without first interrogating it, interpreting it and finally adding our own meaning. In addition to encouraging critical thinking, Judaism has deep empathy for those experiencing misfortune. We are commanded to take care of the orphan, the widow and the stranger. We are commanded to give 10 per cent of our earnings to charity, so that those experiencing poverty and disadvantage have support. In Judaism, we do not believe anything is random, we believe in divine providence. If you find yourself in an unexpected place or situation, it's your job to do a good deed and elevate the experience. There is a famous children's song that says, 'For 70 or 80 years, a Neshama [soul] wears and tears, just to do a favour for another.' Personally, I find that the best part of Judaism is time spent with my family. We have Sabbath each week, when we come together and share three meals, including the hallowed Friday night dinner depicted in so many films and movies. We have festivals where we celebrate with everyone, including our friends and neighbours. We have festivals that are centred around milestones like bar mitzvahs and weddings. We come together in grief for shiva, the seven-day mourning period after someone dies. For me, Judaism means seeing the beauty in everyday life. It means spending time using your abilities, money and skills to help the sick and poor. It means remembering what's important: time with family and doing acts of goodness and kindness to improve the world. For all these reasons, I love being Jewish.
