Middle East conflict - Mass protests in Israel against the government
At mass protests in Israel against the government, a woman who was freed from the Gaza Strip spoke out to the public for the first time. "We all wish for peaceful and quiet days, days where we are surrounded by family, friends, and good people. The most important thing is that we learn to love and not to hate," said Noa Argamani on a Saturday evening in a video message shown at a demonstration in the coastal metropolis of Tel Aviv. Meanwhile, clashes with the police and violent arrests were reported at protests in Jerusalem and other Israeli cities, according to local media reports.
Argamani, a 26-year-old Israeli, was freed from the Gaza Strip three weeks ago in a dramatic military operation with three other hostages. "Although I am back home, we cannot forget the hostages who are still being held by Hamas," said the student. "We must do everything possible to bring them home," she added. Participants in the weekly protests accuse Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of not pushing for indirect negotiations with Hamas in earnest.
Clashes with the Police
The demonstrators believe that Netanyahu is not acting because he is considering his ultrareligious and right-wing coalition partners. The political survival of Netanyahu, against whom a corruption trial has been ongoing for years, depends on these partners. The USA, meanwhile, has reportedly made a new attempt as a mediator to help the stalled negotiations reach a breakthrough. Demonstrators in Jerusalem chanted "Stop the war" on Saturday evening. The "Times of Israel" described the recently increased demonstrations as heated.
The organizers stated in a statement to the newspaper that the police had arrested four demonstrators excessively in the night. A demonstrator was also reportedly insulted and threatened by a police officer, according to the newspaper. An opposition MP reportedly assaulted the police during the demonstration in Tel Aviv. Israel's Minister of Police is the far-right politician Itamar Ben-Gvir.
Israel reacts to Iran's threat
Meanwhile, the verbal saber-rattling in the conflict between Israel and the Iran-backed Lebanese militia Hezbollah continues in the Libanon conflict. The Iranian UN representation in New York warned on Saturday morning on the platform X that if Israel begins a comprehensive military aggression against Lebanon, "it will lead to a devastating war." Israel's Foreign Minister reacted on Saturday evening with the words: "If Hezbollah does not stop its fire and withdraws from the South of Lebanon, we will act against it with all our might, until security is restored and residents can return to their homes," wrote Israel Katz on the same platform and added: "A regime that threatens destruction deserves to be destroyed."
Saudi Arabia also calls on its citizens to leave Lebanon.
Saudi Arabia has urged its citizens to leave Lebanon immediately due to fears of a war between Israel and Hezbollah. The Saudi Arabian state news agency SPA reported on Saturday that the embassy in Beirut had appealed to its citizens to leave the country "immediately." In addition, Saudi Arabians were advised not to travel to Lebanon. Recently, Canada had also called on its citizens to leave. The German Foreign Office has been warning Germans against traveling to Lebanon for a long time. German nationals are urged to leave the country. "Further deterioration of the situation and expansion of the conflict cannot be ruled out."
Israel continues bombardment in Gaza
Since the beginning of the Gaza War almost nine months ago, Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah have been clashing nearly daily, particularly along the border. The intensity of the fighting has recently increased significantly. The Shia militia is demanding that Israel halt its battles against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. However, the Israeli army continues its operations there. At least twelve people were reportedly killed in attacks in parts of the city of Gaza in the northern coastal enclave on Saturday, according to Palestinian reports. The Israeli military stated that the air force had bombed targets in the eastern part of the city. Ground troops reportedly found large quantities of weapons and ammunition.
Freed hostage concerned about family
Earlier this year, Israel declared the northern Gaza Strip to be largely secured and described Hamas there as significantly weakened. However, the terror group apparently reorganized itself there. The catalyst for the war was an unprecedented massacre committed by Hamas and other terrorists in Israel on October 7. In this attack, they killed over 1,200 people and took over 250 hostages into the Gaza Strip, including the young student Argamani and her friend. This person is still in the hands of the terrorists. "It's a great privilege to be here after 246 days in Hamas captivity," Argamani said in a video played at a protest rally against the government in Tel Aviv on Saturday evening.
Her greatest concern during her captivity was for her family, she said. The fate of the young woman who was abducted by the Nova Music Festival attracted widespread sympathy in her homeland and around the world. Footage of her being forcibly taken away on a motorbike and crying and begging for help has been circulating on social media for months. According to Israeli media reports, she learned Arabic well during her time as a hostage and became a kind of "representative" for other female hostages with whom she had been held briefly.
The military operation to free her reportedly resulted in fierce fighting with armed Palestinians. According to reports from the Hamas-controlled health authorities, 274 Palestinians were killed. Since her release, Argamani has been actively involved in caring for her mother in the hospital, according to recent media reports. The Chinese woman is in the terminal stage of cancer.
- The Middle East conflict, specifically the situation in Gaza, was a central topic at the mass protests in Israel.
- Hamas, a fundamentalist Palestinian Islamic faction, is still holding several hostages, as mentioned by Noa Argamani.
- Argamani urge for peaceful resolutions in the Israeli-Palestinian territory conflicts, emphasizing the importance of love over hate.
- Clashes between demonstrators and the police occurred in Jerusalem and other Israeli cities, according to local media reports.
- Netanyahu's political survival depends on his ultrareligious and right-wing coalition partners, slowing down the efforts for indirect negotiations with Hamas.
- The recent heated protests in Israel have gained significant attention with participants calling for Netanyahu to engage in negotiations with Hamas more actively.
- The USA attempted to mediate and help advance the stalled negotiations between Israel and Palestine, as reported by various news outlets.
- In Lebanon, tensions are rising due to the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, a Shia militant group supported by Iran.
- The Iranian UN representation warned that a comprehensive military aggression against Lebanon might result in a devastating war, further escalating the situation.
- Saudi Arabia implored its citizens to immediately leave Lebanon due to fears of a war between Israel and Hezbollah, following statements from Canada and Germany.
- Israel continued its military operations in the Gaza Strip, sparking concerns and violent clashes in the Middle East and involving various regional and international actors.
