Two killed and several injured in Israeli strike on Gaza's only Catholic church
The Catholic charity Caritas Jerusalem said the parish's 60-year-old caretaker and an 84-year-old woman receiving psycho-social support inside a Caritas tent in the church compound were killed in the attack.
The Israeli military said it is aware of the incident and is investigating.
Parish priest Fr Gabriel Romanelli, who was close to the late Pope Francis, was also injured.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
NBC News
3 hours ago
- NBC News
Belgium questions 2 Israelis at music festival over Gaza crime allegations
Belgian police questioned two members of the Israeli army who were attending a music festival in Belgium over allegations of serious violations of international humanitarian law in Gaza, the Federal Prosecutor's Office in Brussels said in a statement Monday. In a statement to The Associated Press, the Israeli Foreign Ministry said an Israeli citizen and an Israeli soldier who were on vacation in Belgium 'were taken in yesterday for interrogation and were released shortly afterward.' It said Israeli authorities 'dealt with this issue and are in touch with the two.' It was not immediately clear why the Israeli Foreign Ministry referred to one civilian and one soldier, while Belgian prosecutors spoke of two Israeli army members. The whereabouts of the two people who were questioned was not immediately clear. The case was hailed as a 'turning point in the global pursuit of accountability' by a Belgium-based group called the Hind Rajab Foundation, which has campaigned for the arrest of Israeli troops it accuses of war crimes and crimes against humanity. The group was named for a young girl who Palestinians say was killed early in the war by Israeli fire as she and her family fled Gaza City. It isn't the first time an Israeli has been targeted overseas for legal action. In January, Israel helped a former soldier leave Brazil after legal action was initiated against him by the group, which uses geolocation and social media posts to identify soldiers they accuse of war crimes. Since forming last year, the Hind Rajab Foundation has made dozens of complaints in more than 10 countries seeking the arrest of both low-level and high-ranking Israeli soldiers. It was not immediately clear if any soldiers have been arrested as a result of the group's actions. The group did not immediately respond to an email seeking details. 'We will continue to support the ongoing proceedings and call on Belgian authorities to pursue the investigation fully and independently,' the group said in its statement. 'Justice must not stop here — and we are committed to seeing it through.' Israel says its forces follow international law and try to avoid harming civilians, and that it investigates allegations of wrongdoing. In a written statement, the prosecutor's office said that the two army members — who were in Belgium for the Tomorrowland festival — were questioned after the office received legal complaints on Friday and Saturday from the Hind Rajab Foundation and another group. The prosecution office requested the questioning after an initial assessment of the complaints 'determined that it potentially had jurisdiction.' The Hind Rajab foundation said it filed its complaints along with the rights group Global Legal Action Network. The decision to question the two Israelis was based on an article in Belgium's Code of Criminal Procedure that went into force last year and grants Belgian courts jurisdiction over acts overseas that are potentially governed by an international treaty, in this case the 1949 Geneva Conventions and the 1984 United Nations convention against torture, the prosecution statement said. 'In light of this potential jurisdiction, the Federal Prosecutor's Office requested the police to locate and interrogate the two individuals named in the complaint. Following these interrogations, they were released,' the statement said, without elaborating. It said it was not providing any further information at this stage of its investigation. The European Jewish Association criticized Belgian authorities for acting on what it called a politically motivated complaint. 'These soldiers were carrying out their lawful duties in defense of their country, duties comparable to those of any soldier serving in a democratic nation,' the association said in a statement. The news in Belgium came as the U.N. food agency accused Israel of using tanks, snipers and other weapons to fire on a crowd of Palestinians seeking food aid, in what the territory's Health Ministry said was one of the deadliest days for aid-seekers in over 21 months of war. The death toll in war-ravaged Gaza has climbed to more than 59,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. Its count doesn't distinguish between militants and civilians but the ministry says more than half of the dead are women and children. The ministry is part of the Hamas government, but the U.N. and other international organizations see it as the most reliable source of data on casualties.
New Statesman
7 hours ago
- New Statesman
The Palestine Action crackdown
Photo by Vuk Valcic/Getty Given the news over the weekend that more than 100 pro-Palestine protesters across the country were arrested for allegedly supporting the recently proscribed group Palestine Action, you'd be forgiven for thinking that the UK is teeming with defiant activists determined to flout the law. But on Monday (21 July) outside the Royal Courts of Justice, just a single protester stood dressed in red, white and green, her lonely Palestine flag rippling in the warm breeze. Inside, Palestine Action co-founder Huda Ammori was attempting to persuade a judge to allow her to challenge the group's proscription at the High Court. Founded in 2020, Palestine Action embraced direct action protests in order to disrupt the manufacturing of or sale of weapons to Israel. They have blockaded or broken into Israeli weapons factories operating in the UK, spray-painting private property and destroying equipment. Their cause, if not necessarily their methods, has broad support: a recent YouGov poll found 55 per cent of the British public think the UK Government should not approve the supply of parts for F-35 fighter jets to Israel. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper raised the prospect of proscription in June after PA campaigners sprayed paint into the engines of two Voyager aircraft at RAF Brize Norton. On 2 July, 385 MPs to 26 voted in favour of proscribing Palestine Action – the first time a non-violent direct action campaign group had ever been proscribed. On the eve of the group's official proscription two weeks ago, Ammori had argued in this same court for 'interim relief' on that decision (which was denied). Then, hundreds of protesters had furiously chanted their support for the group – as well as their opposition to Israel's war in Gaza – outside the Royal Court, a sea of anger, keffiyehs and signs declaring 'We Are All Palestine Action' spilling down the pavements of Fleet Street. But by proscribing Palestine Action, the government has made even the suggestion of support for the group a crime under the Terrorism Act 2000. Those arrested holding a sign or wearing a T-shirt with the words 'Palestine Action' can now face up to six months in prison. Those who are found guilty of belonging to the group can now be jailed for up to 14 years. Over the weekend, protests in London, Manchester, Glasgow, Cardiff, Leeds and elsewhere led to the arrests of dozens of protesters, many for simply holding signs that read 'I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action.' Among those arrested under suspicion of offences under the Terrorism Act 2000 in recent weeks: a vicar, a former government lawyer, various pensioners. On 14 July, Kent police threatened a woman with arrest under the Terrorism Act for brandishing a sign that read 'Free Gaza' yet made no reference to Palestine Action. But on Monday, there was no trace of defiant crowds outside the Royal Court of Justice. Yael Kahn, the 72-year-old lone demonstrator, told me that she was disappointed but not surprised to be the only one on the street. 'That is the aim of this proscription,' she said. 'It's not aimed just at Palestine Action. Its aim is to silence and cause us all fear.' She's not alone in that assessment. Campaigners, legal experts and politicians I have spoken to have all warned of the 'chilling effect' that the proscription of Palestine Action will have on speech opposing the war in Gaza. Khan, an Israeli Jew who now lives in London, told me that she has a long history of campaigning on behalf of Palestine. 'You know, the people who're standing today against the genocide in Gaza, I wish they were there in the Second World War when my family was exterminated. You know, that's what we need. We need that humanity. I love the people who are going out of their way and taking time off and finding lots of different ways to protest.' Subscribe to The New Statesman today from only £8.99 per month Subscribe Though Kahn's sign didn't have the words 'Palestine Action' on it, it did condemn the proscription of 'PA'. Half a dozen unbothered police officers stood by as we chatted. I asked her if she was worried they would arrest her. 'Don't give them any ideas,' she joked, telling me she had been arrested several times in the past for protesting. But when I asked her if she really had no fear over possibly being charged with a terrorism offence, she turned serious. 'When I know the children are dying from starvation, babies are dying because mothers cannot breastfeed?' she asked. 'I mean, there's no way I can be silent.' [Further reading: Labour's misguided assault on Palestine Action] Related
Telegraph
18 hours ago
- Telegraph
Two Israelis questioned for war crimes after waving flags at music festival
Two Israelis were questioned by police over alleged war crimes after waving a military flag at a music festival in Belgium. Prosecutors said the pair were Israeli soldiers and that they had asked police to locate and interview them after a complaint by the Hind Rajab Foundation (HRF), a Belgian pro-Palestinian organisation. The HRF said it identified the two among the crowds at Tomorrowland, a dance music festival in Antwerp, and that they were 'responsible for grave international crimes' in Gaza. It said they had been waving a flag of the Givati Brigade, an Israeli infantry unit that has seen extensive action during the war in Gaza. The unit has been 'extensively documented for its role in the systematic destruction of civilian infrastructure in Gaza and for carrying out mass atrocities against the Palestinian population', the group claimed. 'The Givati flag, publicly displayed in the heart of Belgium, is not just a military symbol. It has become, for millions, a symbol of impunity, destruction and ethnic cleansing,' it said. Israel's foreign ministry confirmed that the pair, who it said were a civilian and a soldier, were detained on Sunday before being questioned and released shortly after. 'The foreign ministry and the IDF handled the matter and are in contact with the two,' it said. A clear show of force Belgium's prosecutor's office said it took action as courts in the country have extraterritorial jurisdiction over alleged war crimes. 'No further information will be given at this stage of the investigation,' the office said, without naming the two men. The HTF said the 'suspects were identified and arrested with a clear show of force at the Tomorrowland festival', describing the incident as a potential 'turning point in the global pursuit of accountability'. 'This development is a significant step forward,' HRF said, as it 'signals that Belgium has recognised its jurisdiction under international law and is treating the allegations with the seriousness they deserve. 'And to states watching around the world: universal jurisdiction is not just a principle – it is an obligation.' Filed 1,000 similar complaints The HRF has filed around 1,000 similar complaints in eight different countries since the war began, according to Israeli media. In response, the Israeli military told its soldiers to limit their social media use. In February 2025, Yuval Vagdani, an IDF soldier, had to be evacuated from Brazil after the HRF initiated legal proceedings against him, saying he was involved in the destruction of homes in the Gaza Strip. Also in February, Haroon Raza, a co-founder of the foundation, said: 'It's our responsibility, as far as we are concerned, to bring the cases.' It is then up to authorities in each country, or the International Criminal Court, to pursue them, he added. Eden Bar Tal, the director general of Israel's foreign ministry, called the actions a PR stunt. 'It's sponsored by this very low number of entities that have direct connections to terrorist organisations,' he said. Videos showed numerous Israeli flags Tomorrowland is the world's largest electronic music festival and attracts around 400,000 people a year. Videos posted to social media from the event showed numerous Israeli flags among the crowds. Hebrew media reported that Israelis were filmed engaging in conversations with Palestinians wearing keffiyehs. Israeli Ronen Levi, 34, is due to attend the festival's second weekend this week but the event has left a sour taste. 'Belgium at the best of times doesn't feel like a safe place for Jews and now it feels even worse. Music festivals are supposed to be full of love and this just taints things.' Belgium's King Philippe described the war in Gaza as a 'disgrace to humanity' in a speech on the eve of national day on Sunday. 'I add my voice to all those who denounce the serious humanitarian abuses in Gaza, where innocent people are dying of hunger and being killed by bombs while trapped in their enclaves,' the monarch said. 'The current situation has gone on for far too long. It is a disgrace to all of humanity. We support the call by the United Nations Secretary-General to immediately end this unbearable crisis.'
