KAKAMMPI News

Hamas seized approximately 220 people as hostages, according to Israeli officials. Four have since been released. Tel Aviv, Israel – Hundreds of people have taken to the streets in Tel Aviv, Israel, to demand that the Israeli government secure the release of hostages seized by Hamas in its October 7 attack on southern Israel. Hamas fighters killed at least 1,400 people and kidnapped about 220 others in the attack, according to Israeli officials. Four hostages have since been released. The demonstrators in Tel Aviv sang songs and held placards with pictures of those missing and feared kidnapped, and the words “Bring them home now”. At one point, air raid sirens blasted, forcing people to run to the car pack below. Blasts were heard as the air defence systems kicked into action. Miri Benami, a 44-year-old mother of Yosef Ohana, 24, who had attended the festival near where the attack on southern Israel occurred, says she has prayed that her son comes home. She said the government ha...

After a displaced family of eight narrowly escape an air attack, they contemplate what the war means for their future. Gaza City – Abdulrahman and his family were among the many Palestinians travelling south along Salah al-Din Road – the main highway linking Gaza’s north and south – when a huge explosion struck just a few hundred metres from where they were. On Friday October 13, as families headed south following an Israeli evacuation order and promises of safe movement, at least 70 people were killed in air attacks on vehicles leaving Gaza City. “Surviving that air strike was like a miracle,” said Abdulrahman Ammar who was in a car at the time with his five sisters and parents. “The truck that was hit was full of people. Tens of families,” the 26-year-old recalled, his face pale. “After the attack, we saw the bodies all over the road, scattered and torn apart. We felt like it was time for us too to die.” The attack initially left Abdulrahman and his family paralysed with fear a...

A mourner reacts amidst the bodies as people attend a funeral of Palestinians killed in Israeli strikes By Joseph Stepansky, Farah Najjar and Arwa Ibrahim Two dozen US military personnel wounded in Syria, Iraq attacks: Report NBC News has reported that more US military personnel were wounded in attacks on bases in Iraq and Syria than previously disclosed. Citing US Central Command (CENTCOM), the news outlet said that 20 US military personnel sustained injuries during an attack on the al-Tanf base in Syria on October 18. That same day, four others were wounded in an attack on Ain al-Asad in Iraq, NBC reported, adding that all the injuries were minor. The report comes after a Pentagon spokesman said earlier today that there had been 10 attacks on bases housing US personnel in Iraq and three attacks in Syria between October 17 and 24. Blinken, the top US diplomat, also said today that Washington would respond if its personnel in the region were harmed. Al Jazeera has reached out to...

First open debate on conflict hears repeated calls for immediate ceasefire amid humanitarian crisis in Gaza. The United Nations Security Council has held its first open debate on the Israel-Gaza war, with most members calling for an immediate ceasefire to allow humanitarian aid to reach Palestinians under relentless Israeli bombardment in Gaza. The 15-member council, where the five permanent members including the United States and Russia have a veto, has so far failed to deliver a resolution that would end the violence. The US, Israel’s staunchest ally, last week vetoed a resolution backed by 12 other members of the council, which would have called for a pause in fighting, because it did not do enough to stress Israel’s right to self-defence. An earlier Russian-drafted resolution was also rejected. Nearly 90 countries were on the speakers’ list for Tuesday’s debate including about 30 foreign ministers and deputy ministers, with many echoing calls for a ceasefire and a halt to atta...

Every day in Gaza, the two biggest hopes are to stay alive and not receive word of another devastating loss. Deir el-Balah, Gaza – Welcome to Gaza, a place where every phone call bears the news of somebody being killed, every message conveys the destruction of a friend’s home, and each air strike sends tremors of fear through your heart. In this land, “home” is no longer a sanctuary for living and relaxation; it’s a precarious existence, subject to sudden devastation without warning. The biggest hope one clings to is simply staying alive with their family, avoiding the heart-wrenching loss of a loved one or facing a collective demise. Consider the families erased from the civil registry, obliterated together. At first glance, it seems like a catastrophe, but on closer examination, it resembles a tragic yet merciful conclusion under the relentless bombings. No one is left to mourn. And in a way, some people envy those who found a peaceful end, escaping the ongoing madness of shelli...

The prime minister’s visit comes as the death toll from Israeli air raids in Gaza has risen above 5,000. What is the purpose of his visit? Macron is coming with a four point plan, reported Al Jazeera’s Alan Fisher from occupied East Jerusalem. Macron claims all his points are operational: He wants to prevent an escalation, he wants to free the remaining captives in Gaza, he wants a guarantee of security for Israel and also wants to work towards a two-state solution. He was due to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to express France’s “full solidarity” with Israel, the French presidency said. This is in the wake of the recent violence following the Hamas attack of October 7. Additionally, Macron is expected to address the “preservation of the civilian population” in Gaza, amid Israel’s relentless bombardment, and as it prepares for a ground invasion of the Palestinian enclave. Macron will call for a “humanitarian truce” to allow desperately needed aid into Gaza, whose 2...

By Ted Regencia, Lyndal Rowlands, Hamza Mohamed, Virginia Pietromarchi and Mersiha Gadzo UN calls for ‘unimpeded flow’ of aid; fuel ‘extremely urgent’ The UN’s agency for Palestine refugees says the limited number of aid delivery trucks permitted into Gaza so far is “a trickle in the face of the immense needs of people on the street”. “We call for an unimpeded and continuous flow of humanitarian assistance and medical assistance to continue coming into Gaza,” spokesperson Tamara Alrifai said. She said fuel – which has not been sent to the Gaza Strip along with other humanitarian aid – is crucial. “Fuel is extremely urgent because without fuel the trucks themselves cannot move,” Alrifai said. “Without fuel the generators cannot produce electricity for hospitals, for bakeries, and for the water desalination plant.”