Rhodes Protest Turns Violent Over Israeli Ship ‘Crown Iris’ Amid Gaza Backlash

Tensions flared on Greece’s island of Rhodes as pro-Palestine protesters clashed with riot police over the arrival of the Israeli cruise ship Crown Iris. Hundreds gathered near the port, waving Palestinian flags and denouncing the docking amid rising anger over the Gaza war. Police used force to push back the crowd, with several arrests reported and accusations of brutality surfacing. The protest reflects growing discontent across Europe over Israel’s military actions in Gaza, while local businesses remain divided over the impact on tourism.

Victim Confronts German FM: Chilling Testimony from West Bank Christians After Settler Attack

Germany’s FM Johann Wadephul visits Taybeh, a Christian village in the West Bank, after recent settler attacks. For more details, watch our story and subscribe to our channel, DRM News.

Hamas Gives Israel A Taste Of Its Own Medicine; Shockwaves In Tel Aviv & DC After Bombshell Video

Hamas has shocked both Trump and Netanyahu by releasing a new video showing hostage Evyatar David alive after 665 days in captivity under brutal conditions. The footage, reportedly recent, is aimed at pressuring Israel into a hostage deal. Evyatar’s brother described horrifying conditions inside Gaza tunnels. In a symbolic move, Hamas used Evyatar during a prior hostage release ceremony in February. Despite repeated calls by Trump and Arab nations for Hamas to surrender and release captives, the group has held firm, issuing an ultimatum to Israel as families continue demanding a deal.

Hamas Releases Captured IDF Soldier's CHILLING Plea for Food, Water; Blames IDF's Op Gideon Chariots



In a harrowing video released by Saraya Al-Quds, Hamas' military wing, captured IDF soldier Ron Breslavsky makes a chilling plea for food and water, revealing the brutal conditions of his nearly two-year captivity in Gaza. Emaciated and visibly distressed, Breslavsky blames Israel's Operation Gideon Chariots for the suffering endured by both hostages and Gazan civilians. His emotional message highlights starvation, medical neglect, and the mental toll of war—accusing Israeli leadership of abandoning its own.

US envoy Steve Witkoff's Gaza visit marked by surge in deadly attacks at aid points

The visit of US envoy Steve Witkoff to Gaza was marked by a surge in deadly attacks at aid distribution points, as heavy gunfire erupted near the American aid zone in Rafah, leaving hundreds dead or wounded. Eyewitnesses described a sharp escalation in violence with children being among those deliberately targeted. Residents called it the most intense violence in weeks, noting that previously sporadic gunfire intensified dramatically during the envoy’s presence. Many had ventured to the area for the first time in over a month, believing the high-level diplomatic visit would bring some measure of safety. Instead, they found themselves caught in what they described as indiscriminate and targeted attacks.

Shot in the head and chest: Investigating the killings of children in Gaza - BBC Africa

The BBC World Service has pieced together the stories of Layan al-Majdalawi, two, and Mira Tanboura, six, both killed in Gaza in separate incidents in November 2023, in areas where the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) was operating.

The BBC has compiled material on over 160 cases where children have been shot in Gaza, and found that in 95 cases the child was shot in the head or chest. In most of these cases the victim was under 12 years old. The cases we found run from the first weeks of the war up to July this year.

Israel does not allow foreign journalists to enter Gaza, and destruction and displacement make it difficult to gather material.

Warning: Contains distressing images of children with injuries, many fatal.

Israeli hostage families hold emergency protest after Gaza militants release videos showing emaciated captives

https://www.cnn.com/2025/08/02/middleeast/israel-hostage-families-protest-gaza-intl

Protestors gathered in Tel Aviv’s “Hostage Square” on Saturday to stage an emergency protest following the release of propaganda videos showing emaciated Israeli hostages still held in Gaza.

Videos released by militant groups Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad this week showed Israeli hostages Evyatar David and Rom Braslavski in a visibly fragile state. In one video posted, the undated footage of David is juxtaposed with images of starving Palestinian children.

...

Steve Witkoff, the United States’ special envoy to the Middle East, attended the public plaza on Saturday amid the protests, one day after he visited a controversial US-backed aid distribution site in the Gaza Strip.

Witkoff later held a “very emotional meeting” that lasted nearly three hours with around 40 representatives of the hostage families, a source who was in attendance at the meeting told CNN.

During the meeting, Witkoff said ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Hamas should be “all or nothing,” with all 50 hostages in Gaza being returned to Israel in one go, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum cited him as saying.

“The plan is not to expand the war, but to end it. We think the negotiations should be changed to all or nothing. End the war and bring all 50 hostages home at the same time – that’s the only way,” Witkoff reportedly said.

That's what everyone, including Hams, has wanted for many months. It's you Witkoff that kept coming with temporary pauses for 10 hostages.

Families call for Gaza deal to bring back captives during major rally

The families of several Israeli captives still held in Gaza have spoken at huge rallies taking place in Tel Aviv to call for a comprehensive agreement that brings back all captives and ends the war.

“Not only were our children kidnapped, you kidnapped us, too,” Michel Illouz, father of captive Guy Illouz, addressed the government during his speech to the crowds gathered at Hostage Square.

“You stole our identity, I lost everything, I lost hope, the joy of life, my heart, I lost my trust in the country.”

Ilay David, brother of captive Evyatar David, accused Hamas of using his brother and others as “live hunger experiments”.

Organisers said more than 60,000 people attended the rally in Tel Aviv.

הזוועות שעוברים החטופים, כפי שראינו כולנו, הוציאו את המוני אזרחי ואזרחיות ישראל לבוא ולתמוך במשפחות החטופים.

למעלה מ- 60 אלף איש הגיעו לעצרת החטופים בכיכר בתל אביב הערב ועוד עשרות אלפים לעצרות ברחבי הארץ.

העם אומר את דברו שוב ושוב - רוצים את החטופים והחטופה בבית ואת סיום… pic.twitter.com/MissYt0EkT

— מטה המשפחות להחזרת החטופים והנעדרים (@BringThemHome23) August 2, 2025

Translation: The horrors experienced by the hostages, as we have all seen, have brought masses of Israeli citizens to come and support the hostages’ families. Over 60,000 people attended the hostages’ rally in Tel Aviv’s square this evening, and tens of thousands more to rallies across the country. The people are speaking out again and again – they want the hostages back home and an end to the war. Only public pressure will bring the hostages back. 



Israeli opposition leaders call for more protests, blast Hamas

Leading Israeli opposition figure Yair Golan released a video of himself participating in the huge rally in Tel Aviv, saying the images of two Israeli captives in Gaza that have been released by Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad are “heartbreaking”.

“We must take to the streets every day, all day, until everyone returns home in a deal,” he said.

Golan said Benjamin Netanyahu and his cabinet ministers have “failed” and must immediately sign a comprehensive agreement with Hamas, “even at the cost of a permanent ceasefire”.

In an English-language statement on X, opposition leader Yair Lapid demanded global condemnation of the treatment of captives in Gaza.

“This is what starvation looks like,” he said, without mentioning starving Palestinians.

Netanyahu tells captives’ families that Hamas is starving Gaza

The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has confirmed that he spoke with the families of the two captives whose images were released by Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad.

Netanyahu expressed “deep shock” and told the families that efforts to bring back all the captives held in Gaza are ongoing.

Countering numerous witness accounts and testimonies by the UN and international aid agencies, he claimed that Israel allows much aid into Gaza, and that the videos prove that Hamas is “deliberately starving our hostages”.

“Hamas terrorists are also intentionally starving the residents of Gaza and preventing them from receiving aid,” Netanyahu said, calling for international condemnation of Hamas.

Israel must respond to captives’ images by destroying Hamas: Smotrich

Bezalel Smotrich, one of two top far-right ministers in Benjamin Netanyahu’s cabinet, believes the images of emaciated captives released by Hamas must lead to intensified war against starving Palestinians in Gaza.

“The purpose of Hamas in publishing the hostage videos is not to give us a sign of life, of course, but to carry out emotional manipulations, to abuse the families, and to tear apart our hearts and exert pressure on us through the terror of manipulations to surrender and stop the war before its destruction,” the finance minister wrote in a post on X.

“This, of course, will not happen. The response to the cruel abuse of the hostages must be the complete destruction of this pure evil from the face of the earth and the return of all the hostages without any conditions. Immediately! With all force and without stopping for a moment!”.

France denounces images of emaciated captives, wants Hamas disarmed

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot has condemned what he called “despicable, unbearable” images of Israeli captives held in Gaza.

“Their ordeal must end,” he wrote on X in both French and Hebrew. “They must be released, unconditionally.”

France’s top diplomat said Hamas must be disarmed and excluded from any governing role in Gaza. He added that humanitarian aid must enter Gaza on a massive scale.

US senator says crisis in Gaza ‘has gone from horrible to hell on Earth’

Maryland Senator Chris Van Hollen has said during a speech that what is happening in Gaza is a “man-made, preventable crisis”.

“The Netanyahu government must immediately allow the UN-led distribution system to resume delivery of aid into Gaza to avert a full-blown famine,” he said.

The Democratic politician reminded listeners that the Israeli government’s move to block all aid going into Gaza for months led to the current crisis.

He said Israel is justified in its war against Hamas and that all still held captive in Gaza must be returned, but Israel is not justified in its “collective punishment of against all of the people of Gaza to pay for the sins of Hamas”.

Mother left searching for son’s body in Gaza

Images of a boy thanking a soldier at a controversial GHF aid site in Gaza have gone viral.

But, in an exclusive interview with Al Jazeera, his mother says her son never returned home.

Mass sit-in at US consulate in Casablanca condemns Gaza starvation

Videos published by local platforms, which have been verified by Al Jazeera, show a mass sit-in in front of the US consulate in Casablanca, Morocco, rejecting famine in Gaza.

Activists with the Moroccan Front for the Support of Palestine and Against Normalization in Casablanca organised the event, with hundreds participating.

The protesters at the sit-in raised Palestinian flags and banners, and chanted slogans in opposition to Israel.

From Paris to Stockholm – protesters rally against Israel’s war on Gaza

_{The protest in Stockholm, organised by numerous civil society organisations, called on the Swedish government to ‘take immediate action to stop Israel’s war crimes in Gaza’}

_{Some released members of the Freedom Flotilla vessel Handala joined the Paris protest}

Hamas condemns settler attack on Aqraba

The group says that the killing of a 17-year-old boy by Israeli forces near the occupied West Bank town proves the “necessity of confronting the settlement attacks with all force and igniting anger throughout all areas of the West Bank”.

As we reported earlier, the boy, whom Hamas named in its statement as Muin Sobhi Abu Kabar Diriyah, was shot in the chest by Israeli soldiers during an attack by Israeli settlers from a nearby outpost. Several others were wounded.

It said that the “crimes committed by settlers in the West Bank are increasing significantly”, and called for “a wide mobilization and popular anger to confront their escalating brutality and attacks”.

Far-right minister leads settlers in Jerusalem flag march

Footage released by Palestinian sources, which has been verified by Al Jazeera, shows far-right Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir leading hundreds of settlers and armed guards in a flag march around the walls of the Old City of Jerusalem.

The move is to mark Tisha B’Av, or “the destruction of the Temple”, a major day of mourning and fasting in the Jewish calendar.

Ben-Gvir has repeatedly created controversy by entering the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound and other areas in the occupied Palestinian territory, accompanied by far-right settlers and armed police.

إيتمار بن غفير يشارك في مسيرة المستوطنين بالبلدة القديمة في القدس المحتلة بمناسبة ما يسمى "ذكرى خراب الهيكل" pic.twitter.com/d7uWSsAsCn

— شبكة قدس الإخبارية (@qudsn) August 2, 2025

Main events on August 2nd

• The Israeli military killed at least 57 people in Gaza, the majority of whom, 45, were seeking desperately needed aid.
• The Israeli government said it allowed five countries to airdrop a limited number of aid packages over the starved enclave, paling in comparison to the needs of the thousands of hungry people.
• A 17-year-old Palestinian boy was killed and seven others were injured during an Israeli settler attack in the town of Aqraba, south of Nablus in the occupied West Bank. Hamas called for an uprising of anger in the West Bank in response.
• Seven more people, including one child, have died of hunger under Israel’s forced starvation campaign, bringing the number of deaths from starvation to 169, including 93 children.
• Hamas dismissed calls for it to disarm, saying it would keep its weapons and continue “resistance” activities until the establishment of a Palestinian state.
• Organisers said that more than 60,000 Israelis participated in protests in Tel Aviv that called on the government to reach a comprehensive deal to bring back all Israeli captives, even if it means ending the war.

It’s Bisan: People In Gaza Say They’re In A Squid Game

“They are playing Squid Game with you.” Palestinians are dodging Israeli snipers and stampedes to get food at the deadly Gaza Humanitarian Foundation sites.

“Everyone is shooting at you. And for what? Just to get a little food,” says Ibrahim, a father of four who risked his life only to walk away with two bags of pasta and a bag of bulgur. “It’s anything but humane.”

Since May 26, the GHF has been the main group Israel’s allowed to distribute food in the territory. It’s run by U.S. security contractors and operates just four sites, all overseen by Israeli forces. Each site opens for roughly 11 minutes every day in an attempt to feed the nearly 2 million population in desperate need of aid.

More than 1,000 people have been killed by Israeli sniper fire or stampedes near the sites. Israel has blocked almost all other aid getting in since March 2, and at least 150 Palestinians have died from malnutrition since Israel launched its war on Gaza.

Reporting from the ground, Bisan Owda says it’s the third time Gaza has reached peak starvation, but this time it’s even worse because “tens of thousands are about to die.”

Israeli Citizen Takes Incredibly Courageous Stand

UK, France, Canada "recognizing Palestine" as cover to support Israel's genocide, with Ali Abunimah

The governments of France, Britain and Canada are among the latest to announce they plan to recognize a Palestinian state in coming weeks. Is this a real shift in policy, a means to put effective pressure on Tel Aviv to end its genocide in Gaza? Ali Abunimah, executive director, will look at the “small print,” arguing that these headline-grabbing initiatives may not be good news for the Palestinian people.

Australia’s iconic Sydney Harbour Bridge closes for pro-Palestine protest

Australia’s iconic Sydney Harbour Bridge has been closed for a major pro-Palestine march in the country’s largest city.

Protesters marched across the bridge on Sunday afternoon after the Supreme Court of New South Wales refused an application by police to prohibit the demonstration.

Police had raised concerns about public safety and the potential for a “crowd crush”, but Justice Belinda Rigg sided with the organisers, finding that they had convincingly explained the reasons why they believe the humanitarian situation in Gaza demands an urgent response.

Palestine Action Group Sydney, the organiser of the march, said it expects tens of thousands of people to attend.


_{Thousands of protesters march towards Sydney Harbour Bridge during the Palestine Action Group’s March for Humanity in Sydney, Australia, on Sunday}

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange joins Sydney protest

Assange is among those attending Sunday’s pro-Palestine march in Australia’s largest city.

The transparency activist, who moved back to his native Australia last year, after reaching a plea deal with the US government to avoid possible life imprisonment for publishing classified government information, was not scheduled to speak at the protest.

_{WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is seen during the Palestine Action Group’s March for Humanity in Sydney, Australia, on August 3}

Australian lawmakers call for sanctions on Israel during Sydney protest

Mehreen Faruqi, the New South Wales senator for the Greens party, has told protesters gathered at central Sydney’s Lang Park that the march would “make history”.

She called for the “harshest sanctions on Israel” while accusing its military of “massacring” Palestinians in Gaza, and criticised New South Wales Premier Chris Minns for saying the protest should not go ahead.

Earlier, we reported that Australia’s iconic Sydney Harbour Bridge was closed before the major pro-Palestine march. It comes as the march was given the go-ahead with legal protection after its organisers won a Supreme Court challenge.

Chris Minns had said the government could not support a protest of 50,000 people across Sydney’s Harbour Bridge, claiming he could not “allow Sydney to descend into chaos”.

Australian Labor backbench MP Ed Husic also attended the march and called for his governing party, led by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, to recognise Palestinian statehood.

Australian protesters ‘outraged’ over Israel’s war on Gaza, government’s ‘complicity’

Antony Loewenstein, author of The Palestine Laboratory, a book on the Israeli arms and surveillance industry, and who spoke at the rally, said he had “never seen a turnout like this” in the Australian city.

“The exact figures are unclear, but I would guess it was at least 100,000 people – as far as the eye could see,” he told Al Jazeera.

“What was so interesting and revealing about this kind of protest, which was similar to what I’m seeing in the US and Europe now, is that the people who are protesting the genocide in Gaza are not the people who normally protest,” Loewenstein said.

He added that participants are “outraged” not just about what Israel is doing in Gaza but also the Australian government’s “complicity”, explaining that Australia has been for many years – including since the start of the war – part of the global supply chain for the F-35 fighter jet that Israel has been using in attacking the besieged territory.

“A lot of Australians are aware of this; we are deeply complicit and people are angry that their government is doing little more than talk at this point.”

Scottish First Minister says ‘clear’ there is a ‘genocide in Palestine’

Scotland’s First Minister John Swinney has told reporters “it’s quite clear that there is a genocide in Palestine – it can’t be disputed.

“I have seen reports of terrible atrocities which have the character of being genocide,” Swinney added, Scotland’s The National newspaper reported.

“I’ve expressed that and obviously it’s not reached all those individuals, but that’s my feeling,” Swinney added, in remarks he made after pro-Palestinian protesters repeatedly interrupted an event where he was speaking, at the Stand Comedy Club in Edinburgh.

Asked about Scotland’s government funding apprenticeships at companies building weapons to send to Israel, he said the government was applying “due diligence checks … unreservedly”.

EU’s Kallas slams video of emaciated Gaza captive amid forced starvation crisis



As we reported yesterday, Hamas’s military wing has released a video of Israeli captive Evyatar David appearing emaciated amid the Israeli-induced starvation crisis in Gaza.

In the four-minute video, subtitled in Arabic and English, he describes severe deprivation, saying, “I don’t know what I’m going to eat today … I haven’t eaten in days … I’ve barely got drinking water.”

The European Union’s foreign affairs chief, Kaja Kallas, has condemned the video, describing the images as “appalling”, and arguing that they “expose the barbarity” of the group.

“All hostages must be released immediately and unconditionally. Hamas must disarm and end its rule in Gaza. At the same time, large-scale humanitarian aid must be allowed to reach those in need,” Kallas added.

At least 175 Palestinians, including 93 children, have died of starvation and malnutrition across the territory since Israel’s war began in October 2023, according to the latest Gaza Health Ministry figures.

UN and other humanitarian officials say Israeli restrictions on humanitarian aid deliveries, though partially lifted in recent days, have left everyone suffering from a lack of food, with starved people struggling to find enough food to feed their families.

Earlier, Gaza’s Government Media Office reported that only 36 aid trucks entered the territory on Saturday, significantly lower than the 500 to 600 aid trucks the UN estimated were needed daily to meet the needs of the population.


_{Six-year-old Yusuf Abdurrahman Matar and his four-year-old brother Emir Abdurrahman Matar face life-threatening malnutrition amid the deepening humanitarian crisis in Gaza City, Gaza on July 25}

‘We do not accept democracy lessons from those who kill civilians,’ Athens mayor tells Israeli envoy

The mayor of the Greek capital of Athens has verbally clashed with Israeli Ambassador to Greece Noam Katz, after the latter accused the city’s municipality authorities of not doing enough to clean up anti-Semitic graffiti.

“It is appalling that the Ambassador focuses solely on graffiti (which, obviously, is being removed) at a time when an unprecedented genocide is taking place in Gaza,” Haris Doukas said in a social media post.

“Athens, the capital of a democratic country, fully respects its visitors and upholds the right of its citizens to free expression. As the city’s municipal authority, we have proven our active opposition to violence and racism.

“We do not accept lessons in democracy from those who kill civilians and children waiting in line for food aid, from those who lead dozens of people to death every day in Gaza, through bombs, hunger, and thirst.”