Latest news with #RussianRoulette
ITV News
09-07-2025
- Politics
- ITV News
Hostage families fear ‘Russian roulette' offered by ceasefire talks
For almost two years, the families of hostages held in Gaza have been desperately hoping that their loved ones will be released. So one might imagine that growing rumours of a ceasefire and hostage exchange between Hamas and Israel would be welcome news. But at an event in London calling for more international action to free those captured, the response from families is more trepidation than celebration. The Israeli government believes that there are 20 living hostages still in Gaza but sources indicate that only 10 would likely be released as part of any ceasefire agreement. 'You know, it's like a game' sais Galia David, whose son Evyatar is in captivity. 'Like a lottery?' I ask her. 'Like Russian Roulette' is her response. Evyatar was 22-years-old when he was abducted from the Nova music festival during the October 7 attacks. In home videos and photos, he looks his age: healthy, happy and with a full head of curly hair. It's a far cry from the most recent video his family has seen of him. Released earlier this year, it shows Evyatar, looking gaunt with a shaven head, being taken to the handover ceremony of another hostage. In an act of psychological torture, he is forced to beg for his own release. Four months on and he is still being held captive. Despite the chance that her son could be amongst the 10 potentially being released, she - as with all the other families - is insistent that all the hostages need to be released at the same time. Otherwise, they fear that a handful could remain as collateral for years on end. Bipin Joshi's family worry that he may be far down the list when it comes to an exchange. He is a Nepalese citizen, with no family in Israel. His country has little international clout. Joshi had only arrived in Israel three weeks before he was kidnapped, as part of an international program providing agricultural training to young people from rural Nepal. Adi Radai has been helping to advocate on his behalf because his family don't speak English or Hebrew. 'They don't understand the conflict and it's heartbreaking,' said Adi. 'They just want their son back.' The timing of this event in London is co-incidental. It was delayed because all flights in and out of Israel were cancelled as a result of missile strikes from Iran. The families want to make clear that they aren't politicians - all they are interested in is the return of their loved ones. But they believe that will only happen when there is a permanent end to the fighting and a proper peace agreement, rather than a ceasefire. And even that is uncertain.
Scottish Sun
07-07-2025
- Politics
- Scottish Sun
Hamas ‘raped dead bodies' & tied stripped Oct 7 hostages to trees before shooting them, harrowing new testimony reveals
HAMAS terrorists raped and mutilated women during the October 7 attack, harrowing witness testimony has revealed. A shocking new investigative report has revealed a pattern of widespread sexual atrocities conducted by the terror group on the horror day. 8 Revellers were seen fleeing the Nova music festival after Hamas launched the savage attack Credit: Twitter 8 The Nova music festival massacre where a new report reveals Hamas committed sexual violence Credit: Doug Seeburg 8 A memorial site for victims killed during the Nova music festival Credit: EPA Among the 1,200 innocent people slaughtered, some young women were stripped and tied to trees and poles and shot through their genitals and in the head, The Times reports. Hamas raped and gang raped in at least six difference locations, according to the new testimony compiled in The Dinah Report. The first-hand experience comes from 15 of the returned hostages, one survivor of attempted rape at the Nova music festival, and 17 who saw or heard the attacks. The survivors describe scenes of "unspeakable violence" and "systematic depravity" in the new report compiled by Israeli legal and gender-based violence experts. Read more on world news KREMLIN 'SUICIDE' Doubt over 'suicide' of Putin minister as pic of gun appears VERY quickly Some women, who were raped and mutilated, were then left for dead. Others were targeted while lifeless. Sharon Zagagi-Pinhas, former chief military prosecutor of the Israeli army and one of the report's lead authors, said: "Many of the witnesses spoke of the victims being shot and them still trying to rape a dead body." The report accuses Hamas of deploying sexual violence as a tactical weapon of war, with similar methods to those used by ISIS and Boko Haram. 'Clear patterns emerged,' it reads, 'including victims found partially or fully naked with their hands tied… evidence of gang rapes followed by execution, and genital mutilation.' The report details scenes at multiple attack sites — including the Nova music festival, Route 232, Nahal Oz military base, and the kibbutzim of Re'im, Nir Oz, and Kfar Aza. Hamas hurled grenades at us like game of Russian Roulette… I heard last gasp of boyfriend as bodies piled up around me Hamas conducted premeditated, coordinated acts of brutality, the report says. It also draws on forensic evidence from thousands of images and hours of video. The conclusive report comes after some have denied that Hamas would carry out sexual violence given they are Muslim. Zagagi-Pinhas said: 'sexual violence need not mean rape — also forced nudity, forcing some of the hostages to strip and shower while being watched or trying to force them into marriage. 8 Burnt out cars from the October 7th Hamas attacks Credit: Getty 8 IDF soldiers remove the body of civilians who were killed in the terror attack Credit: Getty 'Women found dead, naked and mutilated — with gunshots in their genitalia — and tied to trees. The fact that the same things happened in three to six locations can't be coincidence but proof this was premeditated.' The sick attack was the catalyst that plunged four nations - Israel, Palestine, Lebanon and Iran - into war, killing tens of thousands and marking a historic shift in the Middle East. On October 7, 2023, some 1,175 civilians, soldiers and foreign nationals inside Israel were savagely murdered in a hideous early-morning assault. Hamas terrorists stormed into Israel from Gaza, firing thousands of rockets, flying over in paragliders and bulldozing through in trucks in over 100 different places across the border. An IDF report found that 6,000 fighters from Gaza managed to get into Israel that day - including 3,800 from the Hamas terror group's elite Nukhba forces. Horrifying reports that followed October 7 revealed children were killed, women were raped and around 250 had been kidnapped and taken back to Gaza. 8 Israeli soldiers continue to search for ID and belongings among the cars and tents at the Supernova Music Festival site days after the attack Credit: Getty 8 Family and friends of Livnat Levi, who was taken hostage by Hamas Credit: Getty It was described by many, including former US President Joe Biden, as "the deadliest day for Jews since the Holocaust". Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu declared "we are at war" following the ambush - and said the military would "turn Gaza into a deserted island" and urged its residents to "leave now". The horrors of October 7 sparked the almost two-year-long conflict - still raging in the Middle East as the IDF attempts to obliterate Hamas. Netanyahu has rejected calls - including from his own government - for an investigation into the security failings that led to October 7 - saying he wants to win the war first. An investigation by the New York Times revealed that documents, emails and interviews show Israel was aware of Hamas' plan for October 7 over a year before it happened. Military and intelligence top brass dismissed the plans as aspirational, believing it was too hard for Hamas to carry out. The newspaper saw a 40-page document which outlined a step-by-step plan of the kind of invasion that would later kill more than 1,000 people. Israel's domestic intelligence unit Shin Bet reportedly discussed a possible threat to the Nova festival hours before Hamas hit on October 7 - but festival officials were not warned, Haaretz reports.
The Irish Sun
07-07-2025
- Politics
- The Irish Sun
Hamas ‘raped dead bodies' & tied stripped Oct 7 hostages to trees before shooting them, harrowing new testimony reveals
HAMAS terrorists raped and mutilated women during the October 7 attack, harrowing witness testimony has revealed. A shocking new investigative report has revealed a pattern of widespread sexual atrocities conducted by the terror group on the horror day. 8 Revellers were seen fleeing the Nova music festival after Hamas launched the savage attack Credit: Twitter 8 The Nova music festival massacre where a new report reveals Hamas committed sexual violence Credit: Doug Seeburg 8 A memorial site for victims killed during the Nova music festival Credit: EPA Among the 1,200 innocent people slaughtered, some young women were stripped and tied to trees and poles and shot through their genitals and in the head, Hamas raped and gang raped in at least six difference locations, according to the new testimony compiled in The Dinah Report. The first-hand experience comes from 15 of the returned hostages, one survivor of attempted rape at the Nova music festival, and 17 who saw or heard the attacks. The survivors describe scenes of "unspeakable violence" and "systematic depravity" in the new report compiled by Israeli legal and gender-based violence experts. Read more on world news Some women, who were raped and mutilated, were then left for dead. Others were targeted while lifeless. Sharon Zagagi-Pinhas, former chief military prosecutor of the Israeli army and one of the report's lead authors, said: "Many of the witnesses spoke of the victims being shot and them still trying to rape a dead body." The report accuses Hamas of deploying sexual violence as a tactical weapon of war, with similar methods to those used by ISIS and Boko Haram. Most read in The US Sun 'Clear patterns emerged,' it reads, 'including victims found partially or fully naked with their hands tied… evidence of gang rapes followed by execution, and genital mutilation.' The report details scenes at multiple attack sites — including the Nova music festival, Route 232, Nahal Oz military base, and the kibbutzim of Re'im, Nir Oz, and Kfar Aza. Hamas hurled grenades at us like game of Russian Roulette… I heard last gasp of boyfriend as bodies piled up around me Hamas conducted premeditated, coordinated acts of brutality, the report says. It also draws on forensic evidence from thousands of images and hours of video. The conclusive report comes after some have denied that Hamas would carry out sexual violence given they are Muslim. Zagagi-Pinhas said: 'sexual violence need not mean rape — also forced nudity, forcing some of the hostages to strip and shower while being watched or trying to force them into marriage. 8 Burnt out cars from the October 7th Hamas attacks Credit: Getty 8 IDF soldiers remove the body of civilians who were killed in the terror attack Credit: Getty 'Women found dead, naked and mutilated — with gunshots in their genitalia — and tied to trees. The fact that the same things happened in three to six locations can't be coincidence but proof this was premeditated.' The sick attack was the catalyst that plunged four nations - , Palestine, Lebanon and Iran - into war, killing tens of thousands and marking a historic shift in the . On October 7, 2023, some 1,175 civilians, soldiers and foreign nationals inside Israel were savagely murdered in a hideous early-morning assault. Hamas terrorists stormed into Israel from Gaza, firing thousands of rockets, flying over in paragliders and bulldozing through in trucks in over 100 different places across the border. An IDF report found that 6,000 fighters from Gaza managed to get into Israel that day - including 3,800 from the Hamas terror group's elite Nukhba forces. Horrifying reports that followed October 7 revealed children were killed, women were raped and around 250 had been kidnapped and taken back to Gaza. 8 Israeli soldiers continue to search for ID and belongings among the cars and tents at the Supernova Music Festival site days after the attack Credit: Getty 8 Family and friends of Livnat Levi, who was taken hostage by Hamas Credit: Getty It was described by many, including former US President Joe Biden, as "the deadliest day for Jews since the Holocaust". Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu declared "we are at war" following the ambush - and said the military would "turn Gaza into a deserted island" and urged its residents to "leave now". The horrors of October 7 sparked the almost two-year-long conflict - still raging in the Middle East as the IDF attempts to obliterate Hamas. Netanyahu has rejected calls - including from his own government - for an investigation into the security failings that led to October 7 - saying he wants to win the war first. An investigation by the Military and intelligence top brass dismissed the plans as aspirational, believing it was too hard for Hamas to carry out. The newspaper saw a 40-page document which outlined a step-by-step plan of the kind of invasion that would later kill more than 1,000 people. Israel's domestic intelligence unit Shin Bet reportedly discussed a possible threat to the Nova festival hours before Hamas hit on October 7 - but festival officials were not warned, 8 Israel invaded Gaza following the terror attack Credit: Getty
IOL News
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- IOL News
Lady Zamar redefines herself with bold new sound and season of growth
Lady Zamar takes the reins, crafting a song that serves as both a prelude to this new era and a promise. In the ever-evolving landscape of South African music, Lady Zamar emerges anew, with a fresh sound and a renewed sense of purpose. Her latest single, Russian Roulette, marks the beginning of what she calls her ''Summer Era''— a season of rebirth, celebration and unfiltered storytelling. 'You know how spring is the rebirth of the season? Summer is the height of that rebirth where we start to celebrate,' she explains. 'So this upcoming project is a celebration for me. A celebration of life, a celebration of artistry, a celebration of the African continent.' This new chapter is more than a sonic shift; it's a personal evolution, she shares. After years of navigating the complexities of fame, Lady Zamar is reclaiming her narrative. 'There's been a lot of conversation about me that has never been driven by me,' she reflects, adding that she is ready to reclaim her story. 'I've just been an unwilling participant who has also watched from the sidelines.' Reflecting on Russian Roulette, Lady Zamar says the song represents a turning point not just in her music but in her life. Here, Lady Zamar takes the reins, crafting a song that serves as both a prelude to this new era and a promise. 'The song is like a primer when you are wearing makeup; you first have to prime your skin and then jump into the foundation," she analogises. 'Russian Roulette is the most important piece of this upcoming puzzle. It allows me to take my people with me on this journey.' The track delves into the emotional gamble that many of us are willing to take. Even in romance. Though emotional, the song is also upbeat and summery — deliberately so. 'I wanted something that feels good, that people can dance to, but still hits emotionally. That's what summer is to me — celebration mixed with a little chaos,' she adds with a laugh.
Otago Daily Times
17-05-2025
- Otago Daily Times
'Russian Roulette': Action on speed limits demanded
Hampden's location on the state highway makes it an ideal stop-off for truckies and tired motorists, but with the busy road cutting the township in half, it is a big safety worry for residents. The situation with double-stop trucks, low visibility and speeding vehicles (across three speed limits) is getting so bad, Hampden Constable Neil Rushton says it makes him "cringe" regularly. "It's like Russian Roulette," he said. Motorists travelling south on State Highway 1 through Hampden township experience three different speed limits: 80kmh for about 450m at the northern end of the town; then 60kmh for about 1km in the township itself; then 70kmh for about 450m at the southern end of the town. "Motorists travelling north through Hampden experience these speed limits, but in the reverse order," resident Kerry Stevens said. "For motorists travelling through Hampden on a regular basis and who forget to pay close attention to the speed limit signs each time, the changing speed limits are unnecessarily confusing." Residents also have safety concerns around pedestrians emerging from between parked vehicles on to a road with a high volume of traffic travelling at 60kmh, and the safety of children walking to school each day. A group of about a dozen residents and local business-owners met with Waitaki MP Miles Anderson on Monday to present a letter asking for speed limits to be reduced from 80kmh down to 70kmh at the northern end of the town; and from 60kmh to 50kmh within the main part of Hampden. The main part of the township sits on the crest of a hill, and is home to the township's library, several shops and cafes. It is also the site, outside the township's police station, where a woman was knocked over and killed in 1999. Resident Jennifer Black said the community had tried several times to push for the change, but had been met with too much bureaucracy. "We've got this ... section at the top of the hill here where there's nil visibility. It's become a much more active business area with the very busy cafe. The hall is regularly used, the library is used most days of the week. We've got this very important police station here and, of course, the takeaways." Waihemo Community Board chairwoman Heather McGregor also agreed it was time for action. "Road safety concerns in Hampden have been a concern for many years, particularly with the three different speed limits through the township. "Pedestrians trying to cross the road between parked cars and trucks and turning into streets in Hampden is very risky. "A speed limit reduced through the township would lessen this risk." Waitaki MP Miles Anderson said he was supportive of the suggestion, and would take the issue up with the NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi in the first instance and then the transport minister. "More often than not, when I come through here, there's two trucks at least parked along here and then there's traffic shooting past people trying to dash across the road, that sort of thing. No zebra crossing or anything like that." He said he was also supporting similar efforts around Duntroon and Glenavy.
