Latest news with #Palestine
Al Jazeera
25 minutes ago
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Israel again included in UN blacklist for grave violations against children
The United Nations has kept Israel on its 'blacklist' of countries committing abuses against children in armed conflict for a second straight year, as its war on Gaza continues for nearly 20 months. The listing on Thursday came as the UN said in a new report that violence against children in conflict zones reached 'unprecedented levels' in 2024, with the highest number of violations committed in the Gaza Strip and the occupied West Bank by the Israeli army. The annual report on Children in Armed Conflict detailed 'a staggering' 25 percent surge globally in grave violations against children below the age of 18 last year from 2023. It said it had verified 41,370 grave violations against children, including killing and maiming, sexual violence, and attacks on schools and hospitals. Among them were 8,554 grave violations against 2,959 children – 2,944 Palestinian, 15 Israeli – in the occupied Palestinian territory and Israel. The figure includes confirmation of 1,259 Palestinian children killed and 941 wounded in Gaza, which has come under relentless Israeli bombardment following an attack led by the Palestinian group Hamas in southern Israel on October 7, 2023. The Ministry of Health in Gaza has reported much higher figures, and the UN said it is currently verifying information on an additional 4,470 children killed in 2024 in the besieged territory. The UN said it has also verified the killing of 97 Palestinian children in the occupied West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem, where a total of 3,688 violations were recorded. The report also called out Israel's military operations in Lebanon, where more than 500 children were killed or injured last year. UN chief Antonio Guterres said he was 'appalled by the intensity of grave violations against children in the Occupied Palestinian Territory and Israel', citing the widespread use of explosive weapons in populated areas. Guterres also reiterated his calls on Israel to abide by international law requiring special protections for children, protection for schools and hospitals, and compliance with the requirement that attacks distinguish between fighters and civilians and avoid excessive harm to innocent people. There was no immediate comment by Israel's UN mission. The armed wing of the Palestinian group Hamas, the Qassam Brigades, and the al-Quds Brigades, the armed wing of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad group, were also included in the blacklist for a second time. Following the Palestinian territory, the countries where the UN registered the most violence against children in 2024 were the Democratic Republic of the Congo (more than 4,000 grave violations); Somalia (more than 2,500); Nigeria (nearly 2,500); and Haiti (more than 2,200). The sharpest percentage increase in the number of violations was recorded in Lebanon (545 percent), followed by Mozambique (525 percent), Haiti (490 percent), Ethiopia (235 percent), and Ukraine (105 percent), it added.
Irish Times
an hour ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Times
Kneecap in Fairview Park review: Defiant, considered and celebratory
Kneecap Fairview Park, Dublin ★★★★★ Far from the gloomy halls of the Westminster Magistrates' Court, Kneecap arrive to Fairview Park defiant and full of energy. 'Quite the culture change' is how they describe their new surroundings. Here, the trio are conductors, orchestrating their congregation skilfully and punctuating an explosive set with humour and powerful monologues. A phrase penned by American poet Toi Derricotte, and borrowed by punk outfit Idles , comes to mind: joy is an act of resistance. [ Fans rally behind Kneecap after London court appearance: 'If you're supporting Ireland, you're supporting Kneecap' Opens in new window ] Detractors fundamentally and deliberately misinterpret what Kneecap are doing. Even softer-sounding labels of 'controversial' and 'agitating' are forged to distract from a very simple, innocuous objective – drawing attention to Israel's ongoing massacre of Palestinian people , and to the political inaction, or participation, that renders western governments complicit in a genocide. No one needed to be persuaded on Thursday in Fairview, but it doesn't diminish their importance. READ MORE In north Dublin, the night holds the communal intensity of a football song. In lieu of scarves and match programmes, Tricolour balaclavas are hung up for sale on temporary fencing at the park's entrance. Inside the marquee, where temperatures run high, many peel the headgear back to cool their faces. In an early monologue, the court case is addressed. Mo Chara (Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh), who has been charged with a terrorism offence in the UK over allegedly displaying a flag in support of Hizbullah at a gig last year, says that Kneecap have beaten the British government before and promises to do it again. It is a reference to the group's successful legal challenge in November over withheld arts funding. Fans take selfies before the Kneecap concert in Dublin's Fairview Park on Thursday. Photograph: Chris Maddaloni Later in the night, Mo Chara spends several considered minutes issuing a diatribe against the suffering of the Palestinian people. He acknowledges that the crowd here is in agreement with him, but pledges that 'until something changes, Kneecap will always use their platform'. Amid the sombre moments, there is no deviation from the tenets of Kneecap's performance routine – riotous, pulsating tracks that alchemise everyone in attendance. Fenian C***s and Your Sniffer Dogs Are S***e are early defibrillators. This is a rave that relies on participation, and pits open readily when ordered by those onstage. By the end of these bursts, the interludes work well as breathers. They even feature singalongs of The Auld Triangle and Dirty Old Town. A poignant dedication is made to Conor Biddle, an acclaimed Irish lighting designer who died earlier this year. The moment best captures the celebratory blend of emotions that Kneecap foster, as they dedicate the next song, Sick in the Head, to their friend in the knowledge he would have appreciated the joke. As the night winds to a close, the practised rhythm of the band's big finish becomes evident. DJ Próvaí forays beyond his mixing desk as Mo Chara and Móglaí Bap dovetail slick, emphatic vocals. Gone are the pauses, and the tent erupts for C.E.A.R.T.A., Get Your Brits Out, Parful and Hood. In the niche of Irish language punk-rap, very few acts stand alongside Kneecap musically. The message and identity of their work, however, is mirrored by an array of their national contemporaries. Explorative, parochial, socially conscious artists that echo the voices of young people around the country; this could describe Fontaines DC , Lankum , CMAT and many more. It is not an ethos to be feared.
Irish Independent
2 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Independent
Fionola Meredith: Kneecap's Mo Chara faces terror charge over a flag, but shouldn't half of Northern Ireland be in the dock based on that logic?
Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh is accused of a terrorism offence: displaying a flag in support of proscribed organisation Hezbollah at a London gig. There were surreal scenes this week outside Westminster Magistrates' Court when Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh — aka Mo Chara of the Irish language rap group Kneecap — arrived together with his two band mates, Móglaí Bap and DJ Próvaí. An excited crowd waved flags, variously proclaiming 'Free Speech', 'Free Palestine' and 'Free Mo Chara'. Delighted cheers went up when a van drove past displaying the slogan 'More Blacks, More Dogs, More Irish, Mo Chara'. There were plenty of keffiyeh scarves in evidence, as well as the odd leprechaun hat and what I think was an inflatable shamrock.
Belfast Telegraph
3 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Belfast Telegraph
Kneecap's Mo Chara faces terror charge over a flag, but shouldn't half of NI be in the dock based on that logic?
Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh is accused of a terrorism offence: displaying a flag in support of proscribed organisation Hezbollah at a London gig. There were surreal scenes this week outside Westminster Magistrates' Court when Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh — aka Mo Chara of the Irish language rap group Kneecap — arrived together with his two band mates, Móglaí Bap and DJ Próvaí. An excited crowd waved flags, variously proclaiming 'Free Speech', 'Free Palestine' and 'Free Mo Chara'. Delighted cheers went up when a van drove past displaying the slogan 'More Blacks, More Dogs, More Irish, Mo Chara'. There were plenty of keffiyeh scarves in evidence, as well as the odd leprechaun hat and what I think was an inflatable shamrock.
The National
6 hours ago
- General
- The National
Gaza's children yearn for simple treats parents can can no longer provide
In a quiet corner of Gaza city, Muneera Abu Hani sits with her eight children, their eyes reflecting a longing no parent wants to face. Her youngest daughter, Widad, dreams of chocolate, a small treat once easily attainable but now entirely out of reach. 'Widad is just eight,' Ms Abu Hani, 42, told The National. 'She loves chocolate and asks me for it all the time. But it's not in the markets any more. And there's nothing harder than seeing your child want something so small, and not being able to give it.' This is the daily torment facing parents across Gaza with the territory under siege. For more than 20 months, Gaza has faced not only war but a tightening blockade that has choked the economy, emptied markets and made even essentials hard to come by. With border crossings closed to the free flow of goods, what were once daily provisions such as bread or fruit have become a luxury, a distant memory. 'Children suffer the most in a famine,' Ms Abu Hani says. 'They don't understand why things have disappeared. They only know they're hungry, or that they want something. And we, their parents, are powerless.' In the Al Nasr neighbourhood of the city, Mohammed Shubeir recounts a similar struggle. 'I live in an apartment full of children. They ask for everything, things they used to eat every day. The markets are empty of even the basics,' says Mr Shubeir, 36. 'We passed a street stall the other day that had a single small piece of chocolate. It used to cost a quarter of a dollar. Now it's 12 dollars.' It is a steep price for a bite of sweetness that, to a child, means comfort, normality, happiness. 'These traders hoarded goods to sell them now at sky-high prices," Mr Shubeir says. "When my kids ask for things that I can't find or can't afford, I just tell them to wait until the crossings open. But they keep asking, and I have nothing. That helplessness is the worst feeling in the world.' Rima Al Madhoun, 33, says her son Kareem wakes up asking for chips and juice. 'I have nothing, just bread and cold tea without sugar. That's all we have,' she says. Her husband roams the markets daily, trying to find anything – vegetables, fruit, baby food – for their four children, the youngest just one year old. 'It's not like our children are asking for toys or luxuries,' Ms Al Madhoun says. 'They just want vegetables. Some fruit. Something fresh. But we can't get anything. Even if you had money, there's nothing to buy.' The devastating war has created a grim reality for Gaza's children, displaced from their homes, their education disrupted, surrounded by death and living in a landscape of widespread destruction. 'The occupation has stolen everything from our children,' says Ms Abu Hani. 'Even the right to want something.' Parents find themselves no longer decision-makers; they are spectators to their children's suffering, able only to offer apologies and empty promises when all their children want is food. It is a slow, silent heartbreak to be endured in the shadow of a war with no end in sight.
