Category World News

Awdah Hathaleen, a Palestinian activist and English teacher, was shot dead last week in the village of Umm al-Kheir, south of Hebron in the occupied West Bank, killing more than 60 Palestinian women.

The collective action, which started on Thursday, resulted in the receipt of two women’s medical care.

The group is requesting the body of the 31-year-old community leader who co-directed the documentary No Other Land, which won an Oscar this year, be released without condition. No more than 15 people were present at the village’s overnight burial ceremony, which was ordered by Israeli police.

The protesters also demand the release of seven Umm al-Kheir residents who have been detained by Israeli forces and are still undergoing administrative detention, a quasi-judicial procedure where Palestinians are detained without charge or trial.

Umm al-Kheir belongs to Masafer Yatta, a group of Palestinian hamlets on the southern hills of Hebron, where residents have fought for decades to remain in their homes since Israel designated the area as an Israeli “firing” or training area.

Women between the ages of 13 and 70 were taking part in the hunger strike, according to Iman Hathaleen, Awdah’s cousin. She told Al Jazeera, “I am starving and breastfeeding right now as I’m talking.” We’ll carry on until the body is released so that we can honor him according to Islamic customs. According to our religion, we must grieve him.

Awdah was taken by ambulance to Beer Sheva’s Soroka Hospital on July 28 and later declared dead. An Israeli settler had shot him. The police took his body for an autopsy at the Jaffa-based Abu Kabir National Institute of Forensic Medicine on Wednesday. The family then agreed to stringent terms for the funeral and burial, and they then refused to return the body.

A “trick to break their spirit,” they say.

Israeli policy of withholding a Palestinian’s body was a common practice, according to Fathi Nimer, a researcher at the Al-Shabaka think tank. There are hundreds of Palestinians whose bodies are used as bargaining chips by their families to stop any form of activism, resistance, or attempt to overthrow the spirit of resistance, Nimer told Al Jazeera.

This is a tactic to break the village’s spirit because “Awdah was very loved in the village,” he continued.

Yinon Levi, the Israeli settler accused of firing the deadly shots, was put on house arrest for a while in the meantime. Awdah, who was shot in the chest by Levi, was captured on a video that local activists shot him.

Odeh Hadalin, a remarkable activist who assisted us in making No Other Land in Masafer Yatta, was just shot in the lungs by an Israeli settler. Residents identified shooter as Yinon Levi, who has been given EU and US sanctions. In the video, he is wildly firing. pic. twitter.com/xH1Uo6L1wN

On Monday, residents of Umm al-Kheir documented Levi’s return. He was seen overseeing bulldozing work alongside army officers at the nearby settlement in Carmel, according to images shared on social media sites.

Levi is one of several Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank who was previously subject to Israeli law under the former US President Joe Biden’s blatant use of violence against Palestinians.

In an executive order issued shortly after taking office for a second term in January, US President Donald Trump reversed those sanctions. However, Levi is still subject to sanctions from the UK and the European Union.

According to Nimer, individual sanctions have little effect on settler violence and the expansion of Israel’s illegal settlements. There needs to be real international action to sanction Israel and put an end to any of this behavior, he said. It’s not just individuals.

A “continued trauma”

Levi’s return, according to Iman, Awdah’s cousin, raises concerns for the safety of her family. We’re concerned that he’s back and capable of doing this again, and perhaps he’ll shoot someone else, she told Al Jazeera. An Israeli bulldozer struck Suleiman Hathaleen, her father, in 2022, killing him.

The hunger strike was a desperate plea for a community that had lost all hope of obtaining justice through legal means, according to Oneg Ben Dror, a Jaffa-based activist and friend of the Hathaleen family.

The women claim that returning the body is only a last resort because they believe it is their way of protesting. The community needs the opportunity to start grieving and beginning to recover from this horrible crime.

She added that Levi and other settlers were a “continuous trauma and nightmare” for both his wife, who has been widowed while taking care of three young children, in Umm al-Kheir.

On Sunday, dozens of left-wing Israeli and international activists marched in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv to support the demands made by the hunger strikers. During the demonstrations, four people were detained.

Since January, the UN office has reported 757 Israeli-occupied Palestinians, up 13% from the year before, as well as close to 1.000 deaths.

Additionally, hundreds of homes have been destroyed and raids have been carried out across the occupied West Bank. In the town of Qabatiya, south of Jenin, on Monday, Israeli forces killed two Palestinians. Additionally, the Israeli municipality issued a demolition order for Palestinians’ homes in occupied East Jerusalem, Silwan.

Two lions and a 200 kg (440lb) lion-tiger hybrid called “Big George” are the cherished pets of a growing TikTok animal influencer on an unremarkable Thai street.

Tharnuwt Plengkemratch, who updates his feline companions on their almost three million followers, is an enthusiastic advocate for legal lien ownership in Thailand.

From their cage complex in Chiang Mai, he claimed from inside their playful and loving homes, which he said were the same as dogs or cats.

Nearly 500 captive lions have been registered in zoos, breeding grounds, petting kennels, and homes in Thailand in recent years, a rise in the population.

Social media, where owners like Tharnuwarht post humorous content and glitzy scenes with lions, is the driving force behind the boom.

Owners of lions have been required to register and microchip them before moving them, as has Thai law since 2022.

However, liger or tigon hybrids are not subject to breeding caps, few enclosure or welfare requirements, or any other restrictions.

The rise in lion ownership has been tracked by Tom Taylor, the head of Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand, and his colleagues, who also use social media to trawl through social media.

They recorded about 130 in 2018, and nearly 450 by 2024. However, nearly 350 more lions were declared lost after it was too late to confirm their whereabouts for a year.

That might be due to unreported deaths, the removal of an animal from display, or “worst-case scenarios,” Taylor said. We have spoken with local traders who have quoted us for live and dead lions and who have indicated that they can transport them across the border. ”

Lions and their parts can only be sold internationally with permits from the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

Lions, including cubs, have been documented in Cambodia numerous times in recent years thanks to media reports and social media, but CITES has not reported any registered imports since 2003.

Additionally, there is evidence that Laos’ captive lion populations are higher than those of CITES import permits.

In Thailand, however, imports of lion bones, skins, and teeth have decreased in recent years, despite persistent demand, which raises questions about where parts are now coming from.

As the price of reptiles dropped, Thai trader Pathamawadee Janpithak switched to lions. She sells one-month-olds for about 500,000 baht ($15,395), down from a peak of 800,000 baht ($24,638) as breeding operations like hers increase supply.

Between a stately full-maned nine-year-old and a sickly pair of eight-day-olds being bottle-fed around the clock, the three facilities in Pathamawadee house about 80 lions.

He sells about half of the 90 cubs she breeds annually to other breeders, who are increasingly opening “lion cafes” where visitors can pose with and pet young lions.

Wildlife protection director Sadudee Punpugdee acknowledged that Thailand’s Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP) is concerned about the country’s growing lion population.

We’re moving forward slowly, he said, because private ownership has been around for a while.

That includes limiting imports of lions, making domestic animals the only animals available for breeding.

According to Penthai Siriwat, a specialist at WWF Thailand’s illegal wildlife trade organization, authorities are already faced with difficult decisions when enforcing regulations because confiscated animals are their responsibility.

Before stepping in, there is a lot of deliberation, according to Siriwat, taking into account the high costs. Thai owners frequently make use of conservation to justify their pets, but captive lions from Thailand will never survive in the wild.

When he discusses the lion trade, veterinary chief Natanon Panpeth cautions that the “wellbeing of the animals should always come first.”

Although a ban is unlikely at this time, Sadudee is optimistic that some provisions will be made stricter. He reaffirms to potential owners, “Wild animals belong in the wild.

We can keep a lot of other animals as pets, she says. ”

Palestinians in Gaza have been displaced numerous times, and many of them have died from starvation brought on by Israel. The enclave’s residents are also in danger of experiencing an unprecedented water crisis, which is also taking place.

Before nearly 22 months of Israeli bombardment and ground operations that had already harmed more than 80% of the territory’s water infrastructure, Gaza was already experiencing a water crisis.

“Sometimes, I experience internal body thinning.” Um Nidal Abu Nahl, a mother of four in Gaza City, claimed that Thirst is stealing all of my energy and that of my children.

Water trucks occasionally arrive at residents and NGOs place taps in refugee camps, but that is not all.

After the Israeli water company Mekorot cut off supplies in northern Gaza early in the conflict, Israel reconnected some of the country’s water mains, but residents claim the water is still not flowing.

The water distribution network in Gaza has been severely damaged by the war, according to local authorities.

According to Asem Alnabih, a spokesman for Gaza City, Mekorot’s network has been shut down for almost two weeks.

Some wells, which supplied water to some needs prior to the war, have also experienced damage, and some have been contaminated by untreated sewage.

Many wells in Gaza are inaccessible simply because they are in areas where Israeli forces are battling, too close to them, or forced to flee.

Since Israel cut Gaza’s power supply, energy has been running on electric pumps in wells.

The pumps could be powered by generators, but hospitals are prioritized because of the limited fuel deliveries.

Except for one site, which reopened last week after Israel restored its electricity supply, all desalination plants in Gaza are no longer operational.

Alnabih described the bleak infrastructure situation.

More than 75% of wells are inoperable, 85 percent of public works equipment has been damaged, 100 000 meters (62 miles) of water mains have been harmed, and 200 000 meters (124 miles) of sewage lines are unusable.

250 000 tonnes of rubbish are clogging the streets, and the pumping stations are shut down.

Hunderttausende of people are still attempting to extract groundwater directly from wells in an effort to find water.

However, the aquifer at the coast of Gaza is naturally brackish and far below the recommended salinity level for potable water.

UNICEF issued a warning that Gaza’s groundwater was nearly entirely unfit for consumption in 2021.

Some Palestinians mistakenly believe brackish water to be free of bacteria because it is so hard to find clean water.

Aid workers in Gaza have repeatedly warned residents that kidney damage will always result from their initial discomfort.

The water crisis in Gaza has received less media coverage than the country’s current hunger crisis, but its consequences are equally as severe.

Water should never be used for political purposes, according to Rosalia Bollen, a UNICEF spokeswoman. She said, “There is a severe lack of drinking water, but it is very difficult to quantify it.”

As the Trump administration presses New Delhi to stop importing Russian energy, a top US official has claimed that India is funding Russia’s conflict in Ukraine by purchasing oil from Moscow.

In an interview with Fox News, Stephen Miller, one of Trump’s most powerful aides, said, “Trump very clearly stated that it is unacceptable for India to continue funding this war by purchasing oil from Russia.”

In response to Western sanctions, India is the second-largest consumer of Russian oil, behind China, and more than 30% of its fuel comes from Moscow. This revenue supports the Kremlin. Prior to the start of the 2022 Ukrainian war, New Delhi only imported 1% of its oil from Russia.

The Trump administration’s strongest criticism of Miller came after the US imposed a 25% tariff on Indian products on Friday as a result of its purchase of Russian military equipment and energy. If India continued to purchase arms and oil from Russia, the Trump administration also threatened additional sanctions.

“People will be shocked to learn that China and India are essentially tied to one another when it comes to buying Russian oil.” That is an astounding fact,” Miller added.

Trump’s relationship with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, which the US aide described as “tremendous,” was tempered by the US aide.

Trump also emphasized the “friendship” with India the week after enforcing the tariffs on Asia’s second-largest economy.

India was “our friend,” but it had always purchased the majority of its military equipment from Russia. At the same time, China and Russia are now the biggest energy buyers. On July 30th, Trump made a post on his Truth Social platform.

What India does with Russia doesn’t matter to me. For the time being, they can combine their exhausted economies.

Trump has threatened to impose a 100 percent tariff on US imports from Russian oil unless Moscow negotiates a significant peace agreement with Ukraine. India’s inclusion in the BRICS, which Russia and China were the founding members, has also drawn criticism from the US president.

Given that the Trump administration is negotiating with Russia, some analysts believe that the administration’s stance is intended to press Russia, while others see it as a means of negotiating terms with Washington. Trump wants to lower the $45 billion US trade deficit with India.

Time-tested ties are used.

Despite US threats, Indian government sources on Saturday told the Reuters news agency that New Delhi would continue to purchase oil from Moscow.

The Indian Ministry of External Affairs argued that its relationship with Russia should not be seen through the lens of a third nation. It called it “steady and time-tested.” Moscow has ties to New Delhi that date back to the Soviet era.

India receives the most oil and military supplies from Russia. Russia continues to be the largest supplier of weapons and systems to the Indian Armed Forces, according to a report released in March from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).

In an effort to balance its ties between Russia and the West, Prime Minister Modi made a trip to Moscow last year to meet with Vladimir Putin. Since then, he has met Putin at numerous international forums.

Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, India has traditionally purchased most of its crude oil from the Middle East, but this has changed since then because it has purchased the oil at discounted prices after the West has punished Russia.

In January 2022, New Delhi purchased 68 000 barrels of crude oil from Russia. Oil imports increased by 1.12 million barrels per day in June of the same year. Since then, imports have fluctuated, reaching a peak of 2.15 million per day in May 2023.

According to the Press Trust of India, supplies reached a record high of nearly 40% of India’s imports at one point, making Moscow the main crude supplier to New Delhi, citing data from Kpler, a data analytics company.