5 Israeli soldiers killed overnight in northern Gaza, military says
The military said two other soldiers were seriously wounded.
Israeli media said the infantry soldiers were on patrol when explosive devices were detonated against them. Media said militants also opened fire on the reinforcements sent to evacuate the dead and wounded.
The deaths came roughly two weeks after Israel reported once of its deadliest days in months in Gaza, when seven soldiers were killed when a Palestinian attacker attached a bomb to their armored vehicle.
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The Independent
26 minutes ago
- The Independent
Kneecap fans at Glasgow gig rally around trio after festival slot cancelled
Kneecap fans gathered outside the band's gig in Glasgow have spoken of their support for the Irish rap trio despite them being axed from festival slots. The three members of Kneecap arrived at the O2 Academy in Glasgow on Tuesday evening ahead of their gig there, where they were greeted by pro-Palestinian demonstrators waving flags. Kneecap were axed from the line-up of TRNSMT in the city amid a row over an investigation by counter-terror police into Liam Og O hAnnaidh, who performs as Mo Chara, who is accused of terrorism offences related to a Hezbollah flag he allegedly held up on stage. The rap group, who perform in English and Irish, have been outspoken critics of the war in Gaza and claim the prosecution is linked to their views on Palestine. A number of fans and demonstrators spoke to the PA news agency outside the venue about their support for Kneecap, often declining to give their surnames. One called Meghan said she and her friend Amy had originally planned to go to TRNSMT before deciding to go to the Kneecap gig instead. She said it was 'disgusting' the band had been dropped from the line-up, adding: 'I think people are just scared for them to express proper problems in the world. 'They just want to shy away from it whereas Kneecap just come out and say it like it is.' Pro-Palestinian protester Naomi said: 'We're of the opinion the establishment is so under threat, they're having to look to ridiculous means to try and silence outspoken voices. 'We applaud Kneecap.' Cat Train, of the group Mothers against Genocide, said: 'They've been cancelled by money, haven't they? They've been cancelled by capitalism. 'So whoever booked them to play the O2 did absolutely the right thing.' Another fan called Asha, who has been to see the group 11 times, said: 'It's not like they're saying anything that's wrong, everything they're saying is absolutely correct. 'People don't like hearing the truth.' TRNSMT cancelled Kneecap's performance at the end of May over safety concerns from Police Scotland. The police force said it has a 'proportionate and considered policing plan' ahead of Kneecap's gig in Glasgow, which replaced their cancelled slot at the TRNSMT festival. As well as Kneecap's sold-out gig, Billie Eilish and Kendrick Lamar are also performing in Glasgow on Tuesday. In May, Scotland's First Minister John Swinney called for TRNSMT to cancel the performance on July 11, saying that 'organisers of TRNSMT have got to consider that issue'. O hAnnaidh was charged under the name Liam O'Hanna by the Metropolitan Police in May, over the alleged display of a Hezbollah flag at a gig, and appeared at Westminster Magistrates' Court on June 18. The furore led to calls from Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch for Glastonbury to cancel a performance from the Belfast rappers on June 28, which the festival organisers did not do. Ahead of the Glasgow gig, Superintendent Paul Douglas of Police Scotland said: 'We are aware of a number of events and concerts due to take place in the Greater Glasgow area in the week beginning Monday July 7. 'A proportionate and considered policing plan is in place within the city and we are working with a number of stakeholders to ensure the safety of all those attending these events and where possible minimise disruption to the people of Glasgow.'
The Independent
27 minutes ago
- The Independent
British couple detained in Iran vanished for weeks amid fears they were in Israel-bombed prison
The family of a British couple detained in Iran feared they were in one of the country's most notorious prisons when it was bombed by Israel – and are still yet to hear from them weeks later despite assurances from Tehran that they are alive. Lindsay and Craig Foreman, 53 and 52, were arrested and charged with espionage in Iran earlier this year after setting off on a 'dream' round-the-world motorcycle trip in August. The pair were forced to sleep on the floor of a 3x3 metre cell in Kerman, southeastern Iran, for at least five months on a diet of rice and fruit. Their family was told they were set to move to Tehran 's sprawling Evin prison complex, which held thousands of inmates, on 8 June, but it emerged four days later the transfer was delayed due to a paperwork issue. On 13 June, Israel launched a devastating 12-day airstrike campaign against Iran, including an attack on 23 June that destroyed the prison and killed 79 people. The couple were unreachable throughout this period as their family was put through a 'month of torment'. They say the UK Foreign Office did not know where they were. It was only on 8 July that Iranian officials said they were in Kerman. The British Foreign Office has still not reached them. Mrs Foreman's son Joe Bennett, 31, told The Independent: 'The place they had been potentially transferred was being bombed and we didn't know until today [8 July] they were okay. 'They are just a normal mum and dad being held as political prisoners and they need to come home.' On their way to Australia, Mrs Foreman, a life coach with a doctorate in psychology, was carrying out a research project asking people what constituted a 'good life'. On 30 December, Mrs Foreman posted a map of Iran, saying they were about to face 'one of the most challenging — and, let's be honest, slightly scary — sections of our journey: Iran and Pakistan '. The next day, she crossed into Iran from Armenia with her husband Craig, a carpenter, and planned to reach Pakistan by 4 January, despite 'the advice of friends, family and the Foreign Office'. They travelled through the cities of Tabriz, Tehran and Isfahan with a tour guide and visa but never checked into their hotel in Kerman. Mrs Foreman's last social media post on 3 January was a picture of her meeting a 'kind and thoughtful mullah' in Isfahan, central Iran. On 13 February, Iranian state media published a photo of them alongside British ambassador Hugo Shorter announcing they had been charged with espionage. Since then, the couple have been visited three times by British consular officials, most recently on 12 May. At around this time, Mrs Foreman was not walking properly and had a bad back, her son said. He added: 'I cannot imagine what they are going through. The anxiety and hopelessness, being left in the dark. It is hard to think about. 'It cannot go on for years. We need action. They are not spies. It was supposed to be the holiday of a lifetime but it has turned into a nightmare.' Iran has previously held British citizens for years on vague security charges. In 2022, Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe and Anoosheh Ashoori were released after spending six and five years in Iranian prisons. They were both held in Evin prison, one of the country's most visible symbols of authoritarian rule for over 40 years. Dissidents, foreign journalists, academics and diplomats have all been held there. Washington Post journalist Jason Rezaian was held there for nearly a year and a half and claimed guards repeatedly threatened him with execution. A FCDO spokesperson told The Independent: 'We are deeply concerned by reports that two British nationals have been charged with espionage in Iran. We continue to raise this case directly with the Iranian authorities. 'We are providing them with consular assistance and remain in close contact with their family members.'
The Guardian
44 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Family of UK couple held in Iran did not know pair's whereabouts for month
The son of a British woman who has been held in Iran since January on espionage charges along with her husband has told the Guardian he lived with the agony of not knowing their whereabouts for a month or in the past fortnight whether they had been killed in the Israeli bombing on Tehran's Evin prison on 23 June that left more than 70 dead. Lindsay and Craig Foreman, both 52, were arrested on 3 January in Kervan City in southern Iran while travelling through the country from Armenia to Pakistan on a motorcycle journey to Australia. The Foreign Office were informed they were due to be taken to Tehran on around 8 June, raising fears they may have been caught in the Tehran attack, but on Tuesday they were informed they were still held in Kervan. Joe Bennett, 31, said: 'Every day not knowing brought a deeper kind of dread. Every night, the same questions with no answers. You go to sleep, afraid. You wake up still afraid. And the silence – the not knowing – is just unbearable. So many of our fears remain. How are they doing? Are they being looked after? How are they coping psychologically? 'Our belief is that Lindsay and Craig will be much safer when people know they're there. Every piece of information we've received points to visibility as their greatest protection, when there are eyes on them, that's when they're safest. It took a lot of soul searching, but this isn't about recklessness; it's about responsibility. We've had to weigh risk and reward carefully, but we're convinced that the best way to safeguard them is to ensure the British public cares and is paying attention. Silence puts them at greater risk. Awareness saves lives.' He added: 'Our biggest message is that we want to work with the UK government on their release, but because there is no noise around my mum and Craig, when Keir Starmer is around the table with the Iranians they are not going to be mentioned. We cannot operate in darkness, and we have to bring their names into the sunlight.' So far British officials have visited the couple in detention three times, but UK diplomats are only now returning to Iran after the 12-day war between Israel and Iran. Bennett said he understood his mother and Craig were both suffering from the food and sleeping conditions. He said 'On the first visit Craig had lost a lot of weight and she was in OK spirits. The second visit was very chaotic and short. It lasted only nine minutes and it ended very abruptly. My mum was struggling with sleeping on a wafer-thin mattress. Craig was still thin, but he was mainly concerned about my mum. 'The third visit was more positive; they had been allowed to be together and had access to the prison shop. They were in a room the equivalent of three by three. For any exercise they just did a figure of eight so they could run 5km like that. They get access to a yard for 15 minutes. 'They had a metal bed with a mattress. The feeling last month was that this was moving towards sentencing or trial in that they had been appointed a lawyer, but he did not speak English so it was very very hard to communicate with him. 'We have sent some personal messages to my mum via the Foreign Office. I relayed a message to her that I am looking at the moon at night and that if she looks at the moon as well, we will be sharing that experience and have a connection. It gives me hope and maybe it gives her some hope.' Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, who spent six years in an Iranian jail and has advised the family, recalled: 'The cell had tall walls and cold floor. There was no bed but only a thin blanket. I didn't shower for days as I wasn't allowed to leave the cell. The walls were towering and the constant light in the cell was blinding. I was terrified, lost and emotionally traumatised.' Bennett said of Lindsay and Craig: 'They are not tied to any political party, or a government, they are not criminals and they are certainly not spies. They are just two human beings, normal, normal people. It is a mum and a dad, a son and a sister. They love travelling, they love people, they love connection.' Asked if they should have followed UK Foreign Office advice not to travel to Iran, he said: 'They were two people in the wrong place at the wrong time, pawns in something geopolitical. History shows that theirs is not the first case and the only crime is that they are UK nationals. 'It's quite obvious it is hostage-taking for leverage on the UK government, and they do it to other countries, like France. We don't know what the Iranians want. At the end of all of this, there is a deal to be done and it will be the Foreign Office that are the ones that make it. We are just here to make it happen as efficiently as possible. 'It's been tough; whatever you do in life cannot prepare you for this, there is such a sense of powerlessness, and elderly relatives to look after. 'They are pretty strong-headed people. My mum is very much into positive psychology and Craig is very practical. They are together and they have that solace, but we don't know. There may be panic and fear, and that is why it is so important we get their names out there so they know they have not been forgotten.' A spokesperson for the Iranian judiciary, Asghar Jahangir, said at the time of the arrest that the couple, married nine years and living recently in Spain, had 'entered Iran under the guise of tourists' and 'gathered information in multiple provinces of the country'.
