UN chief calls for ‘unconditional release’ of Israeli captives
Antonio Guterres has released a video statement to mark one year since Hamas’s October 7 attack on southern Israel.
“The October 7th attack scarred souls, and on this day, we remember all those who were brutally killed and suffered unspeakable violence, including sexual violence, as they were simply living their lives,” he said.
“I demand once again the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages. Hamas must allow the International Committee of the Red Cross to visit those hostages,” he added.
Guterres also spoke about the “shocking violence and bloodshed” that has erupted since the events of October 7, saying the war that has followed “continues to shatter and inflict profound human suffering” in Gaza and now in Lebanon.
“It is time for the release of the hostages, time to silence the guns, time to stop the suffering that has engulfed the region, time for peace, international law and justice,” he said.
My message to mark one year since the October 7 attacks. pic.twitter.com/0NPlHyAT6s
— António Guterres (@antonioguterres) October 5, 2024
Man sets himself on fire at pro-Palestine protest in US
The Reuters news agency published pictures of the man with his arm on fire at a pro-Palestine protest in Washington, DC, as well as images of bystanders using their Keffiyeh scarves to put out the flames.
The Washington Post reported that the man, who has not been named, claimed he was a journalist and guilty of spreading misinformation about the crisis in the Middle East.
The rally in the US capital, attended by about 1,000 people, was one of several in cities around the globe marking the one-year anniversary of the Hamas-led October 7 attacks and Israel’s war on Gaza.
Police put out a fire after a self-proclaimed journalist self immolated during a pro-Palestinian rally outside the White House in Washington on October 5
86% of Israelis unwilling to live near Gaza after war: Poll
Some 86 percent of Israelis say won’t live in settlements near the Gaza Strip after the end of the devastating conflict, a new poll conducted by Israel’s public broadcaster KAN shows.
The poll included 600,000 Israelis and found only 14 percent said they would consider living in areas adjacent to Gaza. The survey found 27 percent of Israelis believe their country has “won the war against Hamas” while 35 percent said it has “lost”. The remainder were unsure.
The Israeli onslaught has displaced almost the entire population of Gaza. Israel faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its actions there.
Protests in Canada, Mexico, US call for end to Israeli wars on Gaza, Lebanon
As we’ve been reporting, protests have been taking place in major cities around the world to demand an end to Israeli wars on Gaza and Lebanon.
In the United States, hundreds of people took to the streets of central Detroit and Washington, DC, in a show of support for Palestinians and Lebanese, as Israel’s war on Gaza approaches its first anniversary.
Similar protests took place in the Canadian city of Toronto, as well as Mexico’s capital, Mexico City, where demonstrators marched carrying Palestinian flags and banners urging newly inaugurated President Claudia Sheinbaum to break diplomatic and economic ties with Israel.
Pro-Palestinian supporters hold up posters with an image of US President Joe Biden that reads in Spanish, “War criminal, genocide” during a protest in Mexico City
