Weekly roundup of world briefs

Oct 20, 20230

Pro-Hamas activists call to ‘gas the Jews’ at Sydney protest

(JNS) — Hundreds of pro-Hamas protesters on Monday chanted “gas the Jews” at an anti-Israel rally in Australia.

The mob outside the Sydney Opera House also chanted “F*** the Jews” and “Allahu Akbar,” Arabic for “God is Great,” as they waved Palestinian flags.

The Sydney rally came a day after the Democratic Socialists of America held a similar “pro-Palestine” rally in New York City’s Times Square.

Several hundred protesters attended, chanting, “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” a slogan calling for Israel’s destruction.

Among the placards they carried: “When people are occupied, resistance is justified,” “Free all Palestinian prisoners,” “End all U.S. aid to apartheid Israel” and “Smash the settler Zionist state.”

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul condemned the rally in a statement on Saturday night.

IDF finds 30 missing people at southern kibbutz

(JNS) — Israeli authorities managed to locate 30 missing people in Kibbutz Ein Hashlosha, near the Gaza border, on Monday night, more than 48 hours after Hamas launched its attack on Israel, the IDF Home Front Command said on Tuesday.

“Yesterday at 21:00, the situation room hotline received a distress call about a group of missing citizens,” the military wrote on X/Twitter. “At 21:52, IDF tactical teams arrived at the kibbutz and managed to rescue the 30 missing people there.”

The rescued group consisted of 16 Israelis and 14 foreign workers.

On Saturday morning, Hamas terrorists infiltrated several Israeli communities, killing at least 900 people and taking at least 100 hostages back to Gaza. At least 2,700 people were wounded in shootouts and rocket attacks, and the death toll continues to climb.

“Within the enormous darkness, we had a small source of light last night,” said Yossi Greiber, a senior IDF official in the Dan District.

“Thanks to citizens’ reports, location pinpointing, and cooperation between the special team of the Home Front Command, the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) and the Israel Police, 30 people were found and saved from the inferno.”

The Israel Police’s missing persons coordinator, Boaz Bellet, urged the public to contact the police regarding any person for whom contact has not yet been made.

“As we succeeded in locating these missing people and more, the Center will continue to work together with its partner bodies, 24 hours a day, in order to locate missing people,” said Bellet.

Hamas terrorists murdered 40 babies in kibbutz attack

(JNS) — Hamas terrorists murdered approximately 40 babies as part of their Oct. 7 attack on Kibbutz Kfar Aza, Israel Defense Forces soldiers who retook the community told i24News on Tuesday.

“Talking to some of the soldiers here, they say what they witnessed as they’ve been walking through these communities is bodies of babies with their heads cut off and families gunned down in their beds,” said the report, which was shared by the official X/Twitter account of the Israeli Foreign Ministry.

According to IDF estimates cited by i24News, Kibbutz Kfar Aza was taken over by approximately 70 armed terrorists.

900 roses gifted to Israeli embassy in Sweden

By Etgar Lefkovits

(JNS) — A Swedish entrepreneur placed 900 roses in front of the Israeli embassy in Stockholm, in a tribute to the Israeli victims of the Hamas terrorist attack that began last weekend.

The flowers arrived at the embassy gate on Tuesday distributed in 18 wreaths and accompanied by a note that read: “Be strong! We love Israel!”

The man behind the initiative chose 900 to match the earlier death count.

“I was just horrified with the rest of the world by the murder in Israel,” Olof Appleton, CEO of Appleton Capital, said in a telephone interview with JNS from Stockholm on Thursday. “It’s just crazy.”

Appleton, who has visited Israel just once, noted that he sent the flowers to the ambassador, and they ended up being set up outside due to their large number. He later learned that 18—the unplanned number of bouquets that the online florist sent— represents Chai, the Hebrew word for life.

“We have no words,” the embassy wrote on Facebook, posting a picture of the flowers. “Thank you, Olof Appleton and Appleton Capital, for sending 900 (!) roses to the embassy to show your support!”

According to the latest casualty count, at least 1,300 Israelis were killed and 3,000 injured in the Islamist assault, the most lethal attack on the country in a half-century.

Slain IDF officer saves lives of five with organ donation

(JNS) — The family of a 23-year-old IDF officer killed in the surprise Hamas assault has donated his organs to five patients at an Israeli hospital.

Lt. Roi Nahari’s family saved Olga Paikin, a 44-year-old mother of five who suffered from hepatitis, a serious liver disease, for the last 30 years, a 72-year-old man who received Roi’s lungs, and three others.

“When they told me a donation was available, I was very excited, and when I found out the donation was from an officer who had just been killed in the war in the south I was moved to my core,” Paikin said in a statement.

“His family has saved my life and done so during the darkest days of their lives. There are no adequate words to say how thankful I am to them and Lt. Nahari.”

Nahari, from Moshav Ora near Jerusalem, served in the Paratroopers Brigade. He was killed in action in Kibbutz Kfar Aza on Oct. 9.

Dr. Eviatar Nesher, director of the Department of Organ Transplantation at Beilinson Hospital in Petach Tikvah, said, “Our hearts break for the Nahari family who suffered an unimaginable loss and yet during their darkest hour, they thought about how Roi could continue to help others by donating his organs so that these individuals can have a renewed gift of life.”

Meta suspends page of ‘Quds News Network’

(JNS) — Meta, the parent company of Facebook, has suspended the page of the Hamas-affiliated Quds News Network. On Saturday night, the publication’s Facebook page returned the error message: “This content isn’t available right now.”

“When this happens, it’s usually because the owner only shared it with a small group of people, changed who can see it or it’s been deleted,” per the page.

The organization continues to operate a page with 181,000 followers on Instagram (which Meta also owns) and a Twitter account with 185,500 followers.

Writing on Twitter on Saturday, the network condemned “Meta’s complete alignment with the Israeli occupation government and its continuous targeting and restriction of the Palestinian content.

“This has culminated in the removal of the English and Arabic pages of Quds News Network on Facebook, the largest Palestinian news page with over 10 million followers,” it claimed. “The network has been operating in both Arabic and English for over a decade across various social media platforms.”

Last year, the Australian Jewish Association referred to the network as “a notorious anti-Israel antisemitic propaganda platform affiliated with Hamas.”

Christian lawmakers offer open-ended support for Israel

By Etgar Lefkovits

(JNS) — The heads of more than 30 pro-Israel parliamentary caucuses around the world have declared their staunch, open-ended support for Israel’s military offense against Hamas in the Gaza Strip following the surprise attacks last weekend.

The move by the Israel Allies Foundation’s global network comes as international attention is shifting away from the terrorist assault to the humanitarian situation in the coastal territory.

“The people of Israel have endured relentless acts of terror and aggression by Hamas, an internationally recognized terrorist organization that consistently undermines peace and stability in the region,” the caucus heads’ statement read. “Israel has demonstrated remarkable restraint and resilience in the face of continuous attacks on its sovereignty and innocent civilian lives.

“The safety and well-being of any nation’s citizens are paramount, and Israel, like any other sovereign state, has the right and duty to take appropriate measures to ensure the security of its people for as long as they deem necessary,” it continued.

The letter was signed by lawmakers from countries including the Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, Hungary, Lithuania, Moldova, the Netherlands, Norway, Slovakia, Costa Rica, Honduras, Guatemala and the U.K.

The support follows a similar letter released earlier by the heads of the U.S. Congressional Israel Allies Caucus.

Founded a decade and a half ago, the Israel Allies Foundation has emerged as a faith-based powerhouse with its global network of more than 50 caucuses around the world that mobilize political support for Israel based on shared Judeo-Christian values.

“In the days and weeks to come, faith-based diplomacy will become a diplomatic Iron Dome for the State of Israel,” said Josh Reinstein, president of the Israel Allies Foundation.

Quentin Tarantino visits IDF soldiers in south

By Eran Swissa and Oren Aharoni

(JNS) — American filmmaker and director Quentin Tarantino paid a surprise visit to the western Negev on Sunday to visit Israeli military bases and support the Israel Defense Forces at a time of war.

Tarantino toured the area, spoke to soldiers, encouraged them and took pictures with them.

He is married to Israeli singer Daniella Pick and has lived in Tel Aviv for two years with their son and daughter.

Israeli pop star Noa Kirel brought an entire NBA arena to tears last week

(JNS) — Noa Kirel, an IDF veteran, sang “Hatikvah” ahead of the preseason game between the hosts, the NBA’s Brooklyn Nets, and Maccabi Ra’anana.

Kirel wrapped an Israeli flag around her shoulders during the performance, as did the Israeli players, who also wore a black ribbon in memory of the 1,300 Israelis killed by Hamas.

After finishing her song, Kirel said in Hebrew “Am Yisrael Chai” and added in English, “We will win.”

“The Brooklyn Nets and Barclays Center condemn the terrorist attacks and mourn the senseless loss of life in Israel. We stand together against terror and our thoughts are with all who have been impacted by these tragic events,” the Nets wrote on X.

Originally published by Israel Hayom.

USS ‘Eisenhower’ Carrier Strike Group headed to Israel

(JNS) — U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin ordered the USS Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group deployed to the Eastern Mediterranean.

The announcement came just after Austin completed his visit to Israel where he met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.

In a statement, Austin said that this is being done “as part of our effort to deter hostile actions against Israel or any efforts towards widening this war following Hamas’s attack on Israel.”

The Strike Group includes the guided-missile cruiser USS Philippine Sea, guided-missile destroyers USS Gravely and USS Mason, and Carrier Air Wing 3, with nine aircraft squadrons, and embarked headquarters staffs.

The Eisenhower CSG will join the USS Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group, which arrived earlier this week. The Ford CSG includes the USS Normandy, USS Thomas Hudner, USS Ramage, USS Carney and USS Roosevelt. Earlier in the week, the U.S. Air Force announced deployment to the region of squadrons of F-15, F-16 and A-10 fighter aircraft.

“The increases to U.S. force posture signal the United States’ ironclad commitment to Israel’s security and our resolve to deter any state or non-state actor seeking to escalate this war,” said Austin.

The nuclear-powered Eisenhower is one of the U.S. Navy’s 10 Nimitz-class carriers, while the Ford is the first of its class.

Dozens of US citizens evacuate by sea via Haifa

(JNS) — Scores of United States citizens evacuated Israel by ship on Monday, seeking to leave the country as the war against Hamas continues.

The rare civilian evacuation by sea, which was organized by the US Embassy in Israel, came as foreign airlines canceled flights to and from Israel due to the Arab rocket fire.

The U.S. vessel is taking the Americans to neighboring Cyprus, where they can board flights to the United States. The passengers were required to sign a document saying they would reimburse the U.S. government, American officials said, although that fee may be waived in the future in light of the emergency situation.

Israeli carriers El Al (and its Sun D’Or unit), Israir and Arkia have added flights.

According to the Secret Flights website, Air Serbia, Bluebird Airways, Ethiopian Airlines, Etihad Airways, FlyDubai, Georgian Airlines and Hainan Airlines continue to operate routes to Israel.

This week, U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin ordered the USS Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group deployed to the Eastern Mediterranean.

The announcement came just after Austin completed his visit to Israel where he met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.

In a statement, Austin said that this is being done “as part of our effort to deter hostile actions against Israel or any efforts towards widening this war following Hamas’s attack on Israel.”

Mossad supports closure of ‘Al Jazeera’ for revealing IDF troop locations

(JNS) — The Mossad has backed a decision by Israeli Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi, announced last Wednesday, to shut down Al Jazeera’s operations in Israel, saying the Arabic news channel is a threat to Israel’s security.

Al Jazeera reporters are revealing the staging areas of Israeli forces in the south, as well as other sensitive locations, Kan News reported on Monday.

IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and the National Security Council also supported closing the channel.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry also urged closing Al Jazeera, a move it had opposed in the past. The Israel Security Agency, or Shin Bet, refrained from taking a position, saying it would be difficult to establish the offense of incitement, but had no objection to closing the channel in Israel, Kan News said.

Al-Jazeera responded: “Israel accuses us of what we are not. Since the beginning of the war, we have broadcast all the press conferences of Netanyahu, Gallant and the [IDF] Chief of Staff. The images we broadcast are the same images that Israel broadcasts. We have never acted against censorship, we make sure to correspond with the army.”

Al Jazeera is vehemently anti-Israel and incites hatred and violence against the Jewish state in the Arab world, the Israeli government has long maintained.

Three years ago, the U.S. Department of Justice determined that Al Jazeera Plus, a subsidiary of the Al Jazeera Media Network, is engaged in “political activities” related to the government of Qatar and directed the outlet to register under the Foreign Agents Registration Act.

The number of Israelis murdered by Hamas on Oct. 7 rose to 1,400, according to figures released on Sunday. The IDF continued to attack Palestinian terrorist assets in the Gaza Strip.

Netanyahu speaks with UAE leader

(JNS) — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Emirati President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan spoke by phone for the first time since the Hamas attacks on Israel last weekend, the Prime Minister’s Office said on Monday.

The Sunday night call is significant both because the United Arab Emirates was the first country to normalize relations with Israel as part of the 2020 Abraham Accords, and because it was the first Arab country to directly condemn the Hamas attacks.

Netanyahu stressed that Israel was determined to destroy the military and governing capabilities of Hamas.

Both men agreed to remain in contact.