INTERNATIONAL

A team of "selectors" from Israel recently concluded a visit to India, and another senior delegation is scheduled to depart next week to commence the recruitment process for filling the acute labor shortage faced by Israel's construction industry. The Israel Builders Association (IBA) is set to start the process in Delhi and Chennai on December 27, aiming to recruit 10,000 workers initially, with plans to scale up to 30,000 in the near future. The selection process, anticipated to last 10-15 days, involves a delegation led by Izchak Gurvitz and CEO Igal Slovik, along with other members of the IBA team and Director General Yehuda Morgenstern from the Ministry of Construction and Housing. During a recent conversation with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Israeli Prime Minister B...

A devastating earthquake in northwest China resulted in the loss of at least 116 lives, according to state media reports on Tuesday. The catastrophe, which struck around midnight, claimed 116 lives and left nearly 400 injured in Gansu province, local officials confirmed. Additionally, 11 people lost their lives while 100 were injured in Haidong, a city in the neighboring province of Qinghai, as reported by state broadcaster CCTV. The shallow, powerful tremor caused widespread destruction, toppling buildings and prompting terrified residents to flee to the streets for safety, detailed the state news agency Xinhua. Heart-wrenching accounts emerged, with a woman, visibly shaken, sharing her fear and near-death experience through a video posted on a social media account linked with...

Images circulating on social media from Palestine have displayed a distressing scene in Gaza: Palestinian men, stripped down to their underwear, were captured in stark vulnerability. The photos depicted more than 20 individuals kneeling on the pavement, heads bowed, while others were crammed into a nearby truck, both scenes under the watchful presence of Israeli soldiers. Among the discarded shoes and sandals strewn across the road, the semi-naked men appeared surrounded and exposed. Israeli television aired footage claiming these men were captured Hamas fighters discovered in Gaza City. The location, said to be in areas considered strongholds for Hamas – Jabalia and Shejaiya – raised questions and drew attention to the situation's complexity. Israeli government spokesperson...

Israeli authorities obtained a comprehensive battle plan by Hamas for an attack on October 7th more than a year in advance. This 40-page document, codenamed "Jericho Wall," detailed a meticulous invasion strategy causing around 1,200 casualties, reported New York Times. Despite circulating among Israeli military and intelligence leaders, experts deemed the attack beyond Hamas's capabilities, dismissing it as aspirational. Even warnings close to the event were downplayed or disregarded, leading to an unprepared Israeli military as the attack unfolded, resulting in the deadliest day in Israel's history. The failure to take these warnings seriously and the deep-rooted belief that Hamas lacked the capacity for such an attack led to a cascade of missteps, now regarded as Israel's wo...

Amid escalating tensions, the Israeli army's widespread destruction in the Gaza Strip has leftover 60% of homes and residential units razed, according to the government media office in Gaza. The severe humanitarian crisis is compounded by the collapse of the health sector, with 26 hospitals and 55 health centers rendered inoperable due to targeted bombings. Tragically, thousands of bodies remain trapped under rubble, as civil defense teams struggle with limited resources and equipment. Gaza requires 1,000 daily aid trucks and one million liters of fuel to initiate recovery. The international community is urged to address the dire situation, holding Israel accountable for the devastating consequences. Continuation - Humanitarian Appeal: The media office underscores the immediate...

Two Imams, one from Algeria and one from Turkey were arrested by Saudi Arabia Police for making prayers for Palestine in the holy mosques. As per news reports, the Algerian Imam was detained at the mosque of the Prophet in Madina after he made prayers for the people of Gaza in Palestine. The Imam was later released after six hours, only after a local court ordered the confiscation of his mobile phone. Mustafa Efe, a revered imam recognized for his heartening cat videos in Istanbul's Üsküdar district, found himself detained in Mecca due to his choice of words. Educated at Marmara University and Ankara University's Theology Faculty, Efe previously served at Üsküdar's Aziz Mahmud Hüdayi Mosque. Efe broke the news of his detention in Mecca through a concise video on social media...

An Israeli-owned ship was damaged in a suspected drone attack by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in the Indian Ocean, a US defence official said on Saturday. "We are aware of reports that there was a suspected IRGC-initiated Shahed-136 UAV (that) struck a civilian motor vessel in the Indian Ocean," the official said adding that "the ship incurred minor damage" and there were "no injuries".

Hamas and Israel has agreed upon a humanitarian ceasefire spanning at least four days, aiming to enable humanitarian aid to enter Gaza and secure the release of 50 hostages held by Hamas mlitants, in exchange for the freedom of around 150 Palestinians detained in Israel. "Russia embraced the ceasefire agreement brokered on Wednesday between Israel and Hamas in the Israel-Palestinian conflict. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov lauded this development as a positive breakthrough, stressing the crucial role of humanitarian pauses in shaping future initiatives for a sustainable resolution."

At least 50 individuals lost their lives, and numerous others sustained injuries as Israeli warplanes, in the midst of the regime's genocidal war, targeted a mosque in the central Sabra neighborhood of the Gaza Strip during prayers, when the mosque was filled with worshipers, according to reports on Wednesday evening. In another incident, an Israeli strike on telecommunications towers in Khan Yunis, located in the southern Gaza Strip, resulted in the tragic death of at least one child. Despite Israel's encouragement for Palestinians to relocate from northern to southern Gaza for safety, Palestinians argue that nowhere is secure, as Israeli bombings persist everywhere. Since October 7, when the regime initiated actions in the blockaded coastal territory, the toll stands at a staggerin...

During the ongoing, relentless month long bombardment of the Gaza Strip, attention toward the Syrian and Lebanese fronts with Israel has diminished. However, intermittent episodes of irregular fighting and isolated missile strikes conceal a deeper, escalating "shadow war." On Wednesday, Lebanese news agencies reported that the Israeli military targeted several Lebanese towns and villages near the border with occupied Palestine. "Early Wednesday morning, the Israeli forces launched heavy artillery shelling in the vicinity of Naqoura, Tayr Harfa, and al-Khiyam towns. Since Tuesday evening, there has been an escalation in bombings near Naqoura, Jabal al-Labouneh, Alma al-Shaab, and other towns," reported the Lebanese National News Agency. Furthermore, the Israeli aircrafta persist...