Latest news with #Hamas-aligned
DW
11-07-2025
- Politics
- DW
Families of Israeli hostages in Gaza rally support in Berlin – DW – 07/11/2025
Hamas continues to hold 59 hostages in Gaza, including seven German-Israeli nationals — five of whom are believed to be alive. Their relatives visited Berlin to call for their release. It has been 642 days since October 7, 2023, when Shachar Ohel's 24-year-old nephew, Alon Ohel, was gravely injured at the Supernova music festival in southern Israel by Hamas-aligned militants and taken to Gaza. Since then, the family's thoughts and emotions have revolved around whether Alon is still alive and how he can be freed from captivity. "We still have hope," Shachar Ohel told DW. Hostages held with Alon were released by Hamas five months ago and have told him about his nephew's condition. "They have been together with him for the whole period of time," Shachar Ohel said. "We know that he is in a very bad condition. He lost his sight in the right eye. There is a real danger for the other eye. He does not get any food. He is starving. He is in a critical condition… We hope he is surviving, because they [Hamas] want him to be alive. Because (otherwise) they have nothing to deal with Israel." Alon Ohel is one of the hostages kidnapped by Hamas — a Palestinian Islamist group based in the Gaza strip — during its October 7 attack on Israel. After several rounds of negotiations, 146 hostages were released in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. 83 Hamas hostages have died in captivity, yet Hamas still has not handed over the remains of 35 individuals. 24 hostages are believed to still be alive — with the Bring them Home hostages and missing families forum demanding their immediate release. Relatives and friends of hostages holding joint Israeli and German citizenship have come to Berlin, calling for greater German involvement. Five of the captives are believed to still be alive, two are reported dead. In Berlin, the group is appealing to German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul and President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and others to provide more support. "We have received a lot of sympathy and hugs," says Liran Berman who has two brothers being held captive by Hamas. "But now it's time to act and apply more pressure." Liran Berman and the other relatives are pinning all their hopes on the ongoing ceasefire negotiations between Israel, the US, and Hamas. "We are in the middle of a crisis that we have never had in history. It is on governments, and I believe in diplomacy, to get to a deal," Efrat Machikawa told DW. Five of her relatives were held captive by Hamas at various stages, with four eventually released. A fifth relative was murdered. Efrat is working with other relatives who have come to Berlin to secure the release of the German-Israeli hostages. This does not only involve those sitting at the negotiating table, she said, but also other countries, including Germany, "that have a relationship with those around the table, this is why international community involvement in so important." All Germans should be concerned about this, she said, adding that freeing the hostages is the first step toward improving the terrible situation in the Middle East. Alon Ohel's parents placed a yellow piano in central Tel Aviv in memory of their son, a pianist and jazz lover. Anyone can play it in tribute to Alon. The yellow piano was even brought to Berlin for a solidarity concert. On October 7, 2023, Hamas attacked several Israeli villages and the Supernova music festival near the Gaza Strip, killing around 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages. In response, the Israeli army began fighting Hamas in the Gaza Strip. According to various unverifiable reports, between 50,000 and 80,000 people have been killed in Gaza since then. Large parts of the Gaza Strip have been destroyed. The humanitarian situation in the territory is catastrophic, according to the UN. Hamas is a militant, Palestinian Islamist group based in Gaza. The European Union, US, Germany, and other countries classify it as a terrorist organization.
Buzz Feed
04-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Buzz Feed
Why Ms. Rachel Won't Stay Silent About Gaza
Ms. Rachel — the bubbly, sing-songy children's YouTuber personality who has probably caught the affection of a child you know and love — has made it clear that she won't stop speaking up about the children in Gaza, even if it means risking her career. Known off-screen as Rachel Accurso, Ms. Rachel has built a massive brand with over 15 million YouTube subscribers, a Netflix deal, and a line of merchandise. In a recent interview with NPR, when asked if she's received pushback from financial backers about her outspoken stance, she said, "There has been, but I wouldn't be Ms. Rachel if I didn't deeply care about all kids. And I would risk everything, and I will risk my career over and over to stand up for them. It's all about the kids for me." Ms. Rachel has been speaking out for the kids affected by the tragedy in Gaza since 2024, when she first shared a video fundraising for children in war zones, including those in Gaza, Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Ukraine. Since then, she's only gotten more outspoken, especially in the last month. In May, she shared a series of posts and videos of her meeting Rahaf, a 3-year-old girl who lost both her legs in an airstrike. Rahaf was able to be medically evacuated thanks to the help of the Palestine Children's Relief Fund. "When I saw pictures of Rahaf in Gaza on the hospital floor, I saw the devastating consequences of endless bombing and continuous violations of children's human rights," Ms. Rachel wrote. "Rahaf is now thriving because she has access to medical care, food, water and a safe place to live. It's so clear what we need to give children so they can grow up into healthy, happy adults." Ms. Rachel shared that Rahaf's father and two younger brothers are still in Gaza. Ms. Rachel said Rahaf and her mother, Israa, also a teacher, avoid eating during FaceTime calls with them because the family has so little food. In another post, Ms. Rachel sings and dances with Rahaf in her signature pink T-shirt, blue jean overalls, and ever-cheerful tone. But her caption is somber: "We both love our children with all of our hearts. We want the same thing for them. But my son will have dinner tonight, a story and snuggle with me, school in the morning… and hers won't. If the situation was the other way around, what would I hope Israa would do for me?" This past week, Ms. Rachel addressed world leaders, calling out their silence. "Leaders, be so ashamed of your silence. Be so ashamed that you've seen the same images and videos that we've all seen, but they haven't moved you to do the right thing," she said. "Be so ashamed that you normally speak out for human rights. You normally speak out for children everywhere, but you won't know because they're Palestinian." Ms. Rachel has received some criticism, like from pro-Israel group StopAntisemitism, who asked the DoJ to investigate Ms. Rachel over her posts about Palestinian children, arguing Ms. Rachel has been "remunerated to disseminate Hamas-aligned propaganda to her millions of followers." Ms. Rachel did not respond to the allegations, but made her stance clear in recent posts. "It's not a crime to say the children of Gaza should have food and medical care – it's a crime to keep it from them," she posted. She also reiterated her stance against all hate. In a post this week, she wrote, "I stand against all forms of hate and violence — including antisemitism, anti-Palestinian hate, anti-Arab hate, anti-Muslim hate and all hate meant to divide us and cause harm rather than bring us together. Every child, person and every family deserves to feel valued, loved and safe." Earlier this year, she expressed condolences to the families of the Israeli embassy staff who were fatally shot outside the Capital Jewish Museum. She also shared an Instagram Story in support of the Jewish community after a man attacked a peaceful protest in Boulder, Colorado, that was calling for the release of Israeli hostages. To NPR, she said the criticism is "painful," but she sticks to her faith and advocacy. "I have to remind myself that people don't know my heart, and people try to tell you who you are, but you know who you are. And I know how deeply and equally I care for all children, and I do lean on my faith in that situation," she said. On social media, her voice does not go unnoticed. "God bless Ms. Rachel. A true inheritor of Mr. Rogers's legacy," one person wrote after another applauded Ms. Rachel for speaking out against leaders who have stayed silent on tragedies in Gaza. "Thank you for using your voice when so many with power choose silence. The children—and all Palestinians—deserve better. May more hearts follow your lead ❤️," another wrote in her comments. "Thank you for being so human," someone else wrote on her video dancing with Rahaf. "As a Jew I just want to say thank you. This shows nothing but insane kindness and compassion. Sending so much love," another said. According to U.N. agencies, of the 40,717 Palestinian bodies identified as of January, one-third – 13,319 — were children. An additional 25,000 have been estimated injured, and another 25,000 hospitalized for malnutrition. You can support and donate to the Palestine Children's Relief Fund here.
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Popular Kids Entertainer Says She'll Risk Her Career To Stand Up For Children In Gaza
A modern-day Mr. Rogers is not backing down. Ms. Rachel, an extremely popular YouTuber whom toddlers may adore even more than chicken nuggets and bubbles, told NPR's 'Here and Now' Tuesday that she's willing to risk her career to advocate for children in Gaza. 'I wouldn't be Ms. Rachel if I didn't deeply care about all kids,' she told the outlet. 'And I would risk everything, and I will risk my career over and over to stand up for them. It's all about the kids for me.' There's quite a bit at stake. Ms. Rachel, whose full name is Rachel Accurso, has over 15 million subscribers on her YouTube channel, where kiddos tune in to watch the chipper children's educator teach and sing in her trademark overalls and pink headband. She has a Netflix deal where episodes of her interactive teaching program are available with subtitles in 33 languages. She's also got a toy chest's worth of merch. Accurso first made her stance about kids in Gaza public in May 2024, when she announced a fundraiser for children in Gaza and other war zones. Since then, she's consistently drawn attention to the tragedy in the territory — but last month, she seemed to hit a nerve. On May 21, she posted a video to her social media accounts in which she sang her popular song 'Hop Little Bunnies' while a 3-year-old girl from Gaza named Rahaf, who lost her legs in an airstrike, danced beside her. In response to the video, the pro-Israel group StopAntisemitism — which the Guardian says 'doxes people it deems antisemitic' — wrote a letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi calling on her to investigate Ms. Rachel for being 'remunerated to disseminate Hamas-aligned propaganda to her millions of followers.' Ms. Rachel admitted to NPR that she finds the pushback 'painful,' but has continued her advocacy. 'It's really painful. And I have to remind myself that people don't know my heart, and people try to tell you who you are, but you know who you are,' she said. 'And I know how deeply and equally I care for all children, and I do lean on my faith in that situation.' She doubled down on her stance on Tuesday with a statement on social media. 'I stand against all forms of hate and violence — including antisemitism, anti-Palestinian hate, anti-Arab hate, anti-Muslim hate and all hate meant to divide us and cause harm rather than bring us together,' she wrote. 'Every child, person and every family deserves to feel valued, loved and safe.' She continued, 'Let's continue to model empathy, compassion and teach our children that we are all connected.' 'When we hate, deny people human rights and attack each other, we all suffer,' she concluded. 'When we love, respect all people's human rights and show compassion, we all thrive. We all rise.' Ms. Rachel also illustrated on Tuesday how her advocacy extends to every child by posting an Instagram Story in support of the Jewish community after a man attacked a peaceful protest calling for the release of Israeli hostages in Boulder, Colorado, on Sunday. 'Our hearts are with the Boulder Jewish Community and everyone impacted by this horrendous violence,' she wrote. Israeli Forces Kill At Least 27 People On Their Way To Aid Site In Gaza 'Indiscriminate, Unrestrained, Brutal': Former Israeli PM Calls Gaza Assault 'War Crimes' Israel's Latest Strikes In Gaza Kill 38 People Including Children
Miami Herald
29-05-2025
- Politics
- Miami Herald
Israel Lasers Intercept ‘Dozens' of Drones in Major Leap
Israel's military used a high-powered laser to take out drones in combat, the Israeli Defense Ministry said, a significant step toward laser technology being used to intercept real-life threats on the battlefield. Two laser air defense systems have intercepted "dozens and dozens" of threats, most of which were unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) launched by Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah from Lebanon, retired Brigadier General Daniel Gold, the head of defense research and development for the Israeli Defense Ministry, told Newsweek. Israel first used a laser system in the early days of the war, Gold said. Israel launched a full-scale war on Palestinian militant group Hamas in Gaza following the organization's unprecedented October 7 attacks in 2023, and battled Hamas-aligned Hezbollah over Israel's northern border until a fragile ceasefire ended full-scale hostilities in November 2024. Israel is one of several countries developing high-powered lasers to take out threats in the sky, most suited to intercepting cheap drones that would be incredibly expensive to shoot down with interceptor missiles. While costing almost nothing to fire, the setup costs for these laser systems are huge. But interceptor missiles for Israel's vaunted Iron Dome short-range air defense system cost tens of thousands of dollars each, racking up an eye-watering bill when defending against high numbers of targets. Analysts say lasers, a type of directed energy weapon, can be very useful as part of a larger web of air defenses, able to knock out smaller, slower targets but vulnerable to bad weather conditions. The U.S. military said in 2024 the Army had used lasers to intercept drones in the Middle East, but did not provide further details. The U.S. military has tested directed energy weapons in the Middle East, the commander of the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), General Michael Erik Kurilla, separately told lawmakers back in March 2024. The Israeli Defense Ministry said the government, military and Rafael Advanced Defense Systems—Israel's state-owned defense giant—had accelerated the development of "revolutionary" systems and achieved "outstanding" results. It is a "major milestone," Gold said. Rafael's chairman, Yuval Steinitz, said Israel was the "first country in the world to transform high-power laser technology into a fully operational system—and to execute actual combat interceptions." Rafael is also building the Iron Beam laser system, expected to come into service in the latter half of the year. "This system will fundamentally change the defense equation by enabling fast, precise, cost-effective interceptions, unmatched by any existing system," said Rafael chief executive, Yoav Tourgeman. The two deployed laser systems are lower-powered, more mobile and slightly less costly than the Iron Beam, Gold said. The Israeli government published footage it said showed the laser systems in action during the war. One clip looks to show at least one fixed-wing drone falling from the air after one of the wings is damaged by a laser. The footage is "entirely plausible," said David Hambling, a U.K.-based weapons and technology expert. "Drones are great targets for lasers because they are much smaller and more fragile than crewed aircraft and generally fly at slow speed without evading," he told Newsweek. "This make sit possible to focus a laser on one for long enough to burn through the skin and cause real damage, which is exactly what the video appears to show." But with drone technology evolving at a rapid pace, they could end up fitted with countermeasures to make it much harder for lasers to intercept these targets, Hambling suggested. The U.K. military said in April that British soldiers had used an "invisible radio-wave weapon" to knock out swarms of drones for the first time. Radio waves can be used as another type of directed energy weapon. The U.K. is also developing a laser-directed energy weapon dubbed DragonFire. Related Articles Iran May Hold the Key to Trump's Nuclear RevolutionUS and Iran Nuclear Deal Could Be Sealed at Next Meeting: ReportViral Video Shows Gazans Cheering USA. But Is It Real?Trump Says Iran Strike Would Be 'Inappropriate' for Israel Amid Talks 2025 NEWSWEEK DIGITAL LLC.
Newsweek
29-05-2025
- Politics
- Newsweek
Israel Lasers Intercept 'Dozens' of Drones in Major Leap
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Israel's military used a high-powered laser to take out drones in combat, the Israeli Defense Ministry said, a significant step toward laser technology being used to intercept real-life threats on the battlefield. Two laser air defense systems have intercepted "dozens and dozens" of threats, most of which were unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) launched by Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah from Lebanon, retired Brigadier General Daniel Gold, the head of defense research and development for the Israeli Defense Ministry, told Newsweek. Israel first used a laser system in the early days of the war, Gold said. Israel launched a full-scale war on Palestinian militant group Hamas in Gaza following the organization's unprecedented October 7 attacks in 2023, and battled Hamas-aligned Hezbollah over Israel's northern border until a fragile ceasefire ended full-scale hostilities in November 2024. Israel is one of several countries developing high-powered lasers to take out threats in the sky, most suited to intercepting cheap drones that would be incredibly expensive to shoot down with interceptor missiles. Israel has used a laser directed-energy system to intercept real-life targets for the first time, according to the Israeli government. Israel has used a laser directed-energy system to intercept real-life targets for the first time, according to the Israeli government. Israel Ministry of Defense While costing almost nothing to fire, the setup costs for these laser systems are huge. But interceptor missiles for Israel's vaunted Iron Dome short-range air defense system cost tens of thousands of dollars each, racking up an eye-watering bill when defending against high numbers of targets. Analysts say lasers, a type of directed energy weapon, can be very useful as part of a larger web of air defenses, able to knock out smaller, slower targets but vulnerable to bad weather conditions. The U.S. military said in 2024 the Army had used lasers to intercept drones in the Middle East, but did not provide further details. The U.S. military has tested directed energy weapons in the Middle East, the commander of the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), General Michael Erik Kurilla, separately told lawmakers back in March 2024. The Israeli Defense Ministry said the government, military and Rafael Advanced Defense Systems—Israel's state-owned defense giant—had accelerated the development of "revolutionary" systems and achieved "outstanding" results. It is a "major milestone," Gold said. Rafael's chairman, Yuval Steinitz, said Israel was the "first country in the world to transform high-power laser technology into a fully operational system—and to execute actual combat interceptions." Rafael is also building the Iron Beam laser system, expected to come into service in the latter half of the year. "This system will fundamentally change the defense equation by enabling fast, precise, cost-effective interceptions, unmatched by any existing system," said Rafael chief executive, Yoav Tourgeman. The two deployed laser systems are lower-powered, more mobile and slightly less costly than the Iron Beam, Gold said. The Israeli government published footage it said showed the laser systems in action during the war. One clip looks to show at least one fixed-wing drone falling from the air after one of the wings is damaged by a laser. The footage is "entirely plausible," said David Hambling, a U.K.-based weapons and technology expert. "Drones are great targets for lasers because they are much smaller and more fragile than crewed aircraft and generally fly at slow speed without evading," he told Newsweek. "This make sit possible to focus a laser on one for long enough to burn through the skin and cause real damage, which is exactly what the video appears to show." But with drone technology evolving at a rapid pace, they could end up fitted with countermeasures to make it much harder for lasers to intercept these targets, Hambling suggested. The U.K. military said in April that British soldiers had used an "invisible radio-wave weapon" to knock out swarms of drones for the first time. Radio waves can be used as another type of directed energy weapon. The U.K. is also developing a laser-directed energy weapon dubbed DragonFire.
