Snikpellik

IPC: Hungersnød utspiller seg i Gaza https://www.nrk.no/nyheter/ipc_-hungersnod-utspiller-seg-i-gaza-1.17508692 Verdens fremste autoritet på sultkatastrofer, IPC, sier at det «verst tenkelige scenarioet av hungersnød» nå utspiller seg på Gaza. De forutser nå «utbredt død» dersom det ikke tas umiddelbare grep, opplyser de i et varsel som ble sendt ut tirsdag. The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) sier at å slippe inn nødhjelp fra luften ikke vil være tilstrekkelig for å reversere den humanitære katastrofen, og at det kun er umiddelbar og uhindret humanitær tilgang til Gaza som kan sette en stopper for sult og død. Varselet er ikke en formell erklæring av hungersnød, men advarer om at nylige utviklinger, deriblant Israels blokade, har forverret situasjonen dramatisk. https://www.ipcinfo.org/ipcinfo-website/countries-in-focus-archive/issue-133/en/

Alle land som styres av religiøse ekstremister, og i Israels tilfelle også terrordømte (f.eks. minister Ben-Gvir) er selvfølgelig en trussel mot oss i vesten, slik som f.eks. Russland. Men jeg tror ikke Israel vil forsøke å ramme våre land på andre måter enn påvirkningsoperasjoner, slik vi allerede ser. Bare i en annen skala. Eksempelvis har Nederlands antiterror-myndigheter nylig erklært Israel som en trussel mot nasjonal sikkerhet, på grunn av deres påvirkningsoperasjoner som søker å ramme det nederlandske demokratiet og den internasjonale domstolen i Haag.

Nederlands regjering har erklært Netanyahus høyreekstreme ministre Smotrich og Ben-Gvir for uønsket i landet, grunnet gjentatte utspill om etnisk rensing og oppfordringer til vold mot palestinere. Storbritannia, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, Slovenia, Norge med flere har gjort det samme tidligere. Nederland har også kalt Israels ambassadør inn på teppet, på grunn av den katastrofale situasjonen de har skapt på Gazastripen de siste månedene. Dutch summon Israeli ambassador, impose travel ban on ministers https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/dutch-summon-israeli-ambassador-impose-travel-ban-ministers-2025-07-29/ Israeli government ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich will no longer be allowed to enter the Netherlands, which accuses them of repeatedly inciting violence against Palestinians and calling for an "ethnic cleansing" of the Gaza strip. — Som respons hevder Smotrich at Nederland har «overgitt seg til radikal islam» (!!!) som følge av avgjørelsen. Smotrich accuses the Netherlands of ‘surrender’ to radical Islam for declaring him persona non grata https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/smotrich-accuses-the-netherlands-of-surrender-to-radical-islam-for-declaring-him-persona-non-grata/ Far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich accuses the Netherlands’ government of surrendering “to the lies of radical Islam” following the announcement that both he and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir will be banned from entering the country, as part of a raft of measures to pressure Israel over the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Explaining the ban, the Netherlands’ Foreign Minister Caspar Valdekamp reportedly wrote to local lawmakers that it was motivated by the fact that the two far-right Israeli politicians had “repeatedly incited violence by settlers against the Palestinian population and… called for ethnic cleansing in the Gaza Strip.”

Israelske Channel 12 har snakket med en amerikansk lege som nylig har jobbet på Gazastripen: In an interview with N12, he talks about the dire humanitarian situation and the hunger experienced by some Palestinians in Gaza. "My patients were clearly malnourished, their body fat percentages were in the single digits," says Brauner. "They were very thin. Sometimes we saw patients who were literally skeletons, in advanced stages of malnutrition. Sometimes mothers would come in with skeletal babies who were already dead, weighing half their normal weight. All the staff who worked with us were very thin. They were only consuming a few hundred calories a day. People were passing out all the time." Brauner adds that he felt the harsh conditions firsthand. "I felt the lack of food myself, I lost 7 kilos, and everyone on my team lost 5-7 kilos because of the lack of our usual diet from home," says the doctor, adding that he and the team enjoyed improved conditions compared to their colleagues: "We received special treatment - one meal a day, and even that was relatively poor. Every three days we received a very small amount of fresh vegetables, no meat, and a few chickpeas every now and then." Brauner says he spent most of his time in the intensive care unit, treating many patients with severe trauma injuries, and he testifies to the lack of medical equipment. "The situation was dire when we were there. There were about 500 children in the vicinity of the hospital who were at very high risk, but they couldn't be admitted because of a lack of space in the hospital. Families would stay close to the hospital, even though it was a dangerous area, so they could run to the hospital if the child's condition became unstable." After leaving Gaza, Browner called on the American administration to reexamine aid to Israel. He says he did so not out of hostility toward Israel or political motives, but out of a desire to end the suffering he saw in Gaza. https://mako.co.il/news-specials/data_n12/Article-24eef7195315891026.htm

USA: Lamenting children ‘starving to death,’ Vance says Israel must do more to get aid into Gaza https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/lamenting-children-starving-to-death-vance-says-israel-must-do-more-to-get-aid-into-gaza/ US Vice President JD Vance laments the “heartbreaking cases” of children starving to death in Gaza and says Israel must do more to get aid into the Strip. “I don’t know if you’ve all seen these images. You have got some really, really heartbreaking cases. You’ve got little kids who are clearly starving to death,” Vance tells reporters during a visit to Canton, Ohio.

Israels to største menneskerettsorganisasjoner beskylder Israel for utvetydig å begå folkemord mot befolkningen i Gaza. Dette er første gang store menneskerettsorganisasjoner i Israel gjør dette. In first, 2 major Israeli human rights groups accuse Israel of ‘genocide’ in Gaza https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/in-first-2-major-israeli-human-rights-groups-accuse-israel-of-genocide-in-gaza/ B’Tselem and Physicians for Human Rights publish new reports accusing Israel of genocide in Gaza, making them the first major Israeli human rights organizations to do so. “An examination of Israel’s policy in the Gaza Strip and its horrific outcomes, together with statements by senior Israeli politicians and military commanders about the goals of the attack, leads to the unequivocal conclusion that Israel is taking coordinated, deliberate action to destroy Palestinian society in the Gaza Strip,” reads a statement on the report by B’Tselem. “In other words: Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. ” Physicians for Human Rights says its report also describes “a deliberate, cumulative dismantling of Gaza’s health system, and with it, its people’s ability to survive. This amounts to genocide.” At a press conference in East Jerusalem, Orly Noy, chair of B’Tselem’s executive board, says: “This crime must be stopped immediately. The responsibility lies first and foremost with Israel, but also with the international community, which must use every means to stop the crimes that are still taking place just 70 kilometers (43.5 miles) from here.” Yuli Novak, executive director of B’Tselem, says: “The definition of genocide is a coordinated attack with the intent to destroy a group. For the past 22 months, we have witnessed unprecedented destruction of civilians, deliberate starvation, and mass forced displacement. Gaza’s residents are displaced, bombed, and starved, stripped entirely of their humanity and rights.” – B’Tselem said in the 79-page report that the reality on the ground in Gaza “cannot be justified or explained as an attempt to dismantle the Hamas regime or its military capabilities.” Announcing the report’s findings, B’Tselem Executive Director Yuli Novak said that “nothing prepares you for the realization that you are part of a society committing genocide. This is a deeply painful moment for us. Two leading Israeli human rights groups accuse Israel of genocide in Gaza https://edition.cnn.com/2025/07/28/middleeast/israeli-human-rights-group-accuses-israel-genocide-gaza-intl

Trump går ut mot Netanyahus nylige absurde påstander om at "det ikke finnes sult i Gaza". Han anerkjenner at det finnes "a lot of starving people in Gaza": With bagpipes in the background, US President Donald Trump says he doesn’t know if he agrees with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s assessment yesterday that there is no starvation in Gaza. “Based on television, I would say not particularly, because those children look very hungry,” he says, standing alongside British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and wife Victoria at his Turnberry golf resort in Scotland. “You have a lot of starving people in Gaza,” says Trump, repeatedly highlighting the US contribution to aid in Gaza. https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog-july-28-2025/ – Trump: 'I disagree with Netanyahu saying there's no hunger in Gaza' https://www.jpost.com/american-politics/article-862495

Når du hevder amerikanske medier som NBC News driver med "Hamas-propaganda" og "aktivisme" fordi de lager en sak om gutten med cerebral parese som døde av underernæring som følge av struping av forsyninger og nødhjelp tror jeg du er mer enn bare gammeldags. Det er rett og slett bare et veldig merkelig fokus og snodig tankegang.

Nederland: Netherlands lists Israel as threatening state actor alongside Iran, Russia, Turkey https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/antisemitism/article-862419 The National Coordinator for Terrorism and Security (NCTV) report, released on July 17, lists Israel as one of the countries that aims to "control public opinion and political decision making." For the first time, Israel is listed alongside Iran, Russia, and Turkey in the Netherlands' Threat Assessment of State Actors 2025, with the Jewish state listed as one of the countries that aims to "control public opinion and political decision making." The report, made by the National Coordinator for Terrorism and Security (NCTV), was released on July 17. It maps out threats posed by state actors to the Netherlands, such as through economic pressure, espionage, or military threat.

Hundrevis av ledende rabbinere verden over krever i et brev at Israel stanser bruken av sult som våpen. Hundreds of rabbis demand Israel stop ‘using starvation as a weapon of war’ https://www.timesofisrael.com/hundreds-of-rabbis-demand-israel-stop-using-starvation-as-a-weapon-of-war/ Letter signed by rabbis worldwide and across denominations warns of ‘grave moral crisis,’ calls on government to work urgently ‘to bring home all the hostages and end the fighting’. Hundreds of rabbis worldwide have signed a letter calling for Israel to stop using starvation as a “weapon of war,” bring home the hostages and end the fighting in Gaza. The letter, posted Friday and featuring the names of several leading rabbis across denominations, said the “Jewish People face a grave moral crisis.” (...) The signatories also said they “unequivocally support” Israel’s battle against Hamas and Hezbollah and understand the IDF’s policy of protecting its soldiers’ lives. “But we cannot condone the mass killings of civilians, including a great many women, children and elderly, or the use of starvation as a weapon of war,” the letter continued. “The severe limitation placed on humanitarian relief in Gaza, and the policy of withholding of food, water, and medical supplies from a needy civilian population contradict essential values of Judaism as we understand it.” (...) The letter, published before Israel announced those policies, was written by Rabbi Jonathan Wittenberg, the senior rabbi of Masorti Judaism in the United Kingdom; Rabbi Arthur Green, a prominent scholar of Jewish mysticism and a former leader of Hebrew College in Boston; and Rabbi Ariel Pollak of Kehilat Sinai, a Masorti synagogue in Tel Aviv. The bulk of the rabbis’ letter focused on Israeli policy in Gaza, and called on Israel to “stop at once the use and threat of starvation as a weapon of war,” and to let in “extensive humanitarian aid” while working to prevent Hamas from stealing it. It also demanded that Israel “work urgently by all routes possible to bring home all the hostages and end the fighting.” –

Washington Post har en meget sterk, men også informativ artikkel om sulten som nå brer seg over Gazastripen og som har begynt å ta livene til ikke bare de aller svakeste. Gazans are dying of hunger. Here’s what happens to a starving human body https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/interactive/2025/gaza-hunger-starvation-children-body/ Under near-total Israeli siege, the more than 2 million people in Gaza — including some 1 million children — face desperate and worsening hunger. Nearly 1 in 3 people are going multiple days without eating, according to the United Nations, and Gaza’s few remaining hospitals are reporting rising deaths from malnutrition and starvation. Photos and videos from the territory show emaciated children with skin stretched tightly over bones and distended bellies. (...) Doctors and nutrition experts say the children who survive the lack of nourishment — and the ongoing bombing, infectious diseases and psychological trauma — are often condemned to face a lifetime of health woes. Malnutrition can rob them of the ability to fully develop their brains and bodies. Many will be shorter and physically weaker as a result. “At the simplest level, if you have impaired nutrition and growth, your brain stops growing,” said Zulfiqar Bhutta, a physician and chair of global child health at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto.

Det er lavmål å forsøke å lyve og konspirere om dette. Det er snakk om barn som dør. Et raskt søk avslører at flere amerikanske medier rapporterer om dødsfallet til en 17 år gammel gutt med cerebral parese som har dødd av underernæring på Gazastripen - ettersom maten han var avhengig av ikke lenger finnes på grunn av blokkeringen av forsyninger og nødhjelp. Her er videoen fra NBC News, som har snakket med familien og leger: Gaza teen with cerebral palsy dies from malnutrition, family says https://www.nbcnews.com/video/shorts/gaza-teen-with-cerebral-palsy-dies-from-malnutrition-family-says-243705925793 17-year-old Abdel-Jawad suffered from cerebral palsy and depended entirely on specialized nutritional milk and constant medical care. However, all these essentials were blocked from entering Gaza, leading to the deterioration of his health until he tragically died. An NBC News crew in Gaza spoke to his family.

«Ytre-venstre» kan du være selv. Personlig anser jeg ikke mitt parti Høyre for å være på noen som helst ytterside.

Jeg vil ikke kalle noen som har jobbet i årevis for Breitbart bare konservativ… https://mediabiasfactcheck.com/breitbart/ Overall, we rate Breitbart Questionable based on extreme right-wing bias, the publication of conspiracy theories and propaganda, as well as numerous false claims.

Breaking with PM, 74% of Israelis back war-ending deal to free all hostages — poll https://www.timesofisrael.com/breaking-with-pm-74-of-israelis-back-war-ending-deal-to-free-all-hostages-poll/amp/ Nearly half of respondents to Channel 12 survey say Netanyahu's insistence on phased deal stems from political rather than security reasons. Seventy-four percent of Israelis, including 60% of people who voted for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition, back an agreement with Hamas that would release all the hostages at once in exchange for an end to the Gaza war, according to a poll aired Friday on Channel 12. Just eight percent of respondents backed the deal being advanced by the prime minister, which would release half of the hostages and set the stage for negotiations on a permanent ceasefire and the release of the rest of the hostages. Twelve percent rejected any deal that includes an end to the war, and six percent said they didn’t know.

Nok en stor demonstrasjon i Tel Aviv i går, der tusenvis tok til orde for stans i krigen, en gisselavtale og at krigen ikke lengre har et sikkerhetsmessig formål. Grupper med foreldre til vernepliktige IDF-soldater mener krigen kun tjener Netanyahus interesser. Noen demonstranter blokkerte motorveier og satte fyr på bildekk. To ble arrestert. Minst 24 demonstranter ble også arrestert i Haifa, i en demonstrasjon. Det er i praksis ikke lov for arabiske israelere å demonstrere mot krigen. Her ble også flere banket opp av politiet, ifølge israelske medier. ‘This war no longer has a security purpose’: Thousands rally for hostages in Tel Aviv https://www.timesofisrael.com/this-war-no-longer-has-a-security-purpose-thousands-rally-for-hostages-in-tel-aviv/ Parents of troops serving in Gaza address protest, lamenting that their kids are being sent to re-capture the same buildings again and again in war that only serves PM’s interests. Thousands of people gathered in Tel Aviv’s Habima Square on Thursday for a protest demanding an end to the Gaza war and return of the hostages after Israel announced it had recalled its negotiators from Qatar, where they had been holding indirect talks with Hamas. The rally, which began with a moment of silence for fallen soldiers, a prayer for the safety of the troops, and the release of the hostages, featured parents of hostages, parents of soldiers, and reservists demanding that the war — on its 657th day — finally come to a close. “In the beginning, this was a just war. But after 22 months, this war no longer has a security purpose,” declared Maj. Gen. (Ret.) Noam Tibon. “The war has turned into a political war, and while the best of us are falling in Gaza, the October 7 government — the government of failure and neglect, is passing a disgraceful draft-evasion bill, weakening the IDF and playing politics on the backs of our fighters,” he said, referring to efforts by the government to keep the coalition together by exempting ultra-Orthodox yeshiva students from mandatory military service. “Today, as the hostage negotiating team is again being recalled, we all already know and understand that the only way to bring all the hostages home is to make a deal to end the war,” Tibon said, adding: “Everyone knows that it’s entirely possible and must happen in one go, without ‘selections,'” — a reference to the partial deal being advanced by the government, which only envisions the initial release of roughly half of the remaining hostages.

Folkerettsekspert Cecilie Hellestveit mener verden nå bør vurdere en humanitær intervensjon i Gaza for å beskytte sivilbefolkningen. Humanitær intervensjon i Gaza: – Tiden er overmoden for en diskusjon https://www.aftenposten.no/verden/i/GyVxXx/humanitaer-intervensjon-av-gaza-tiden-er-overmoden-for-en-diskusjon – Situasjonen har vært svært alvorlig siden i mai og klart alvorlig nok til at Sikkerhetsrådet kunne ha handlet, sier Hellestveit. – Når regjeringsmedlemmer er så tydelige på at man skal fjerne en befolkningsgruppe fra Gaza for selv å bosette området, og virkemiddelet synes å være utsulting, da vil det være sterke forventninger om at USA tar grep eller ikke saboterer andre staters tiltak for å hindre at det fortsetter, sier Hellestveit. – Så blir spørsmålet hva som står i deres makt. Her setter folkeretten rammene, sier Hellestveit. Ifølge Hellestveit må to spørsmål besvares før en humanitær intervensjon kan diskuteres: Hvem skal utføre den, og hva skal skje etterpå? Natos intervenering i folkeopprøret i Libya i 2011, godkjent av Sikkerhetsrådet, ble kraftig kritisert for manglende planlegging. Bombingen var avgjørende for et regimeskifte, noe som ikke var FNs uttalte mål. Landet ble sendt ut i kaos og langvarig borgerkrig. Ifølge Hellestveit arbeides det på bakrommet med å konkretisere planene for hvordan en intervensjon av Gazastripen kan se ut. Det viktigste vil være å sikre humanitær støtte til palestinerne. – Golfstatene og Egypt kommer til å få en sentral rolle som militære aktører på bakken, sier hun. Men USA må være med på laget dersom en inngripen skal gjøres lovlig. Dersom man intervenerer uten godkjenning i Sikkerhetsrådet, risikerer man at folkeretten mister legitimitet, mener folkerettsekspert Gro Nystuen. Man risikerer at stater når som helst går inn der de selv mener det er riktig, slik Russland gjorde i Ukraina. – Tror du ikke at folkeretten også kan miste legitimitet også dersom man ikke griper inn? – Det er klart at sammensetningen av Sikkerhetsrådet, med vetorett for hver av de permanente medlemmene, fører til at det oppstår situasjoner hvor verdenssamfunnet ikke kan gripe inn, selv i helt forferdelige situasjoner. Dette kan nok bidra til å undergrave tilliten til denne delen av folkeretten, sier hun. Dersom man intervenerer uten Sikkerhetsrådets godkjenning, risikerer man at stormaktene, som har vetorett av nettop den grunn, står på hver sin side i konflikten. Da øker risikoen for en stormaktskrig.

Israels forsknings- og teknologiminister Gila Gamliel, har publisert en AI-generert video på X som viser det hun mener bør være Israels planer for Gazastripen etter at befolkningen der har "migrert". Hun skriver "det er oss eller dem". Videoen viser blant annet luksusboliger, kjøpesentre og et gullforgylt Trump Tower. Også Trump og Gamliels partifelle Netanyahu figurerer i videoen, gående langs strandkanten. https://x.com/GilaGamliel/status/1947629456127869012

Det israelske parlamentet har stemt for å annektere hele den okkuperte Vestbredden. Knesset votes 71-13 for non-binding motion calling to annex West Bank http://timesofisrael.com/knesset-votes-71-13-for-non-binding-motion-calling-to-annex-west-bank/ The resolution, which passed 71-13, declared that the West Bank is “an inseparable part of the Land of Israel, the historical, cultural and spiritual homeland of the Jewish people” and that “Israel has the natural, historical and legal right to all of the territories of the Land of Israel.” It called on the government to “apply Israeli sovereignty, law, judgment and administration to all the areas of Jewish settlement of all kinds in Judea, Samaria and the Jordan Valley,” the government’s term for the West Bank. The motion was advanced by Religious Zionism MK Simcha Rothman, Likud MK Dan Illouz and opposition Yisrael Beytenu MK Oded Forer.

USA avviser Israels påstand om at Hamas systematisk har stjålet nødhjelpen som kom inn til Gazastripen. Israel har brukt dette som argument for å stanse internasjonale leveranser av nødhjelp som mat, medisiner, morsmelkerstatning og vann til sivile. USAIDs analyse viser også at minst 44 av 156 rapporterte tilfeller av tap eller tyveri var "direkte eller indirekte" forårsaket av israelske militæroperasjoner. Det gjelder blant annet luftangrep, evakueringsordrer og påtvungne ruter som økte risikoen for overfall. No evidence Hamas stole Gaza humanitarian aid, USAID report shows https://www.france24.com/en/middle-east/20250725-no-evidence-hamas-diverted-gaza-humanitarian-aid-usaid-report-shows An internal US government analysis found no evidence of systematic theft by the Palestinian militant group Hamas of US-funded humanitarian supplies, challenging the main rationale that Israel and the US give for backing a new armed private aid operation.

Ingen har feid 7. oktober under teppet. At de ikke snakker mye akkurat om angrepet i en debatt som omhandler noe helt annet snart to år etterpå er vel ikke akkurat så veldig rart. Ifølge både USA, israelsk etterretning og IDF er trusselen for et større terrorangrep fra aktører på Gazastripen borte.

Hva tenker du om at de støtter Russland, har en anti-Ukraina politikk og sprer russiske talepunkter og desinformasjon? Som du sier, man kan ikke være enig med et parti i alt, men støtten deres til Russland er altså ikke en dealbreaker for deg?

Storbritannia nærmer seg muligens en anerkjennelse av Palestina som selvstendig stat. Britenes linje, på tvers av høyre- og venstre-regjeringer, har lenge vært at en palestinsk stat skal anerkjennes. After France, UK’s Starmer under increasing pressure to recognize Palestinian state https://www.timesofisrael.com/after-france-uks-starmer-under-increasing-pressure-to-recognize-palestinian-state/ British premier says statehood is Palestinians’ ‘inalienable right,’ but hasn’t so far declared recognition, even as members of his cabinet, as well as Macron, urge him to do so.

Frankrike offentliggjør at landet anerkjenner Palestina som selvstendig stat. Formelt skal det skje i september. Macron sier at Frankrike anerkjenner Palestina som stat https://www.nrk.no/nyheter/macron-sier-at-frankrike-anerkjenner-palestina-som-stat--1.17504657 Frankrike vil anerkjenne den palestinske staten under FNs generalforsamling i september – kunngjør Frankrikes president Emmanuel Macron på X. Uttalelsen oversatt: "Tro mot sin historiske forpliktelse til en rettferdig og varig fred i Midtøsten, har jeg besluttet at Frankrike skal anerkjenne staten Palestina. Jeg vil komme med en høytidelig kunngjøring på FNs generalforsamling neste september. Det presserende behovet i dag er at krigen i Gaza tar slutt og at sivilbefolkningen reddes. Fred er mulig. Vi må umiddelbart iverksette våpenhvile, løslate alle gisler og gi massiv humanitær hjelp til befolkningen i Gaza. Vi må også sørge for demilitarisering av Hamas, og sikre og gjenoppbygge Gaza. Til slutt må vi bygge staten Palestina, sikre dens levedyktighet og sørge for at den, ved å akseptere dens demilitarisering og fullt ut anerkjenne Israel, bidrar til sikkerheten til alle i Midtøsten. Det finnes ikke noe alternativ. Franskmennene ønsker fred i Midtøsten. Det er opp til oss, franskmennene, sammen med israelerne, palestinerne og våre europeiske og internasjonale partnere, å demonstrere at det er mulig. I lys av løftene som presidenten for den palestinske selvstyremyndigheten ga meg, skrev jeg derfor til ham og uttrykte min besluttsomhet om å gå videre. Tillit, klarhet og engasjement. Vi vil vinne freden."

Store demonstrasjoner i Tel Aviv i kveld også. Demonstrantene krever at krigen stanses, og gisselavtale. Thousands in Tel Aviv rally to end war, free hostages https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/thousands-in-tel-aviv-rally-to-end-war-free-hostages/ Thousands of people cram into Tel Aviv’s Habima Square and adjacent streets for a protest demanding an “end to the war and return home of the hostages,” according to large screens set up across the plaza. The crowd, a mishmash of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Jewish critics, is so dense that cellular service is sluggish. The rally begins with a moment of silence for fallen soldiers, and a prayer for the safety of the troops and release of the hostages. Closest to the central stage, protesters wave Israeli flags.