التصنيف: جديد

Footage shared from Gaza City appears to show Israeli soldiers rounding up a group of men stripped down to their underwear.

The video shows several men – and some males who may be children – in the middle of a run-down stadium, seemingly being directed by armed soldiers.

The groups walk to the centre of the pitch, wearing only boxer shorts, and stand in short lines of about four or five people each.

Some hold their hands in the air or over their heads.

Sky News has geolocated this video to the Yarmouk Stadium in Gaza City, but cannot verify when it was filmed or what happened to the detainees.

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The Israel Defence Forces has not denied the video is authentic.

Responding to Sky News, the IDF said it is operating to “dismantle Hamas’s military capabilities” – and as part of its efforts, suspected terrorists are detained and questioned.

“Individuals who are found not to be taking part in terrorist activities are released,” the IDF said.

“The individuals detained are treated in accordance with international law.

“It is often necessary for terror suspects to hand over their clothes such that their clothes can be searched and to ensure that they are not concealing explosive vests or other weaponry.

“Clothes are not immediately returned to the detainees, due to the suspicion they may conceal means that can be used for hostile purposes (such as knives).

“Detainees are given back their clothes when it’s possible to do so.”

The IDF added it is operating to “rescue the hostages brutally kidnapped by the Hamas terrorist organisation”, in reference to the 7 October attack.

It is thought 129 hostages are still captive in Gaza.

IDF’s previous video controversies

It is not the first time footage has been shared that appears to show Israeli soldiers rounding up men in Gaza.

Earlier this month, video showed a row of men – some wearing only underwear – sitting down in a damaged street in northern Gaza.

Some of those held in a group claimed they had been beaten and denied food and water.

Among those who were held was Diaa al Kahlout, a journalist for London-based Qatari-owned news outlet Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, also known as The New Arab.

According to Al Araby, Hamas leader Osama Hamdan said the detainees were unarmed civilians unrelated to military operations.

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In the following days, two other videos surfaced of what appeared to show Israeli troops destroying property in Gaza.

Responding to those two videos, the IDF said it has “taken action” and “will continue acting to identify misconduct and behaviour that does not align with the expected morals and values of IDF soldiers”.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has said the war in Gaza is “greater than a war of extermination”.

Speaking to Egyptian TV channel ON, Mr Abbas claimed the impact of the conflict between Israel and Hamas on the Palestinian people is “greater than a disaster”.

He went on to compare the war to the mass displacement and dispossession of Palestinians during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war – which the Palestinians call nakba, meaning catastrophe in Arabic.

“What happened in 1948, emigration and destruction, and what is happening now is far uglier than what happened (then),” Mr Abbas said.

“What is happening now is the ugliest thing happening to the Palestinian people, not only in Gaza but in the West Bank and Jerusalem in the last 79 days to today.”

It comes as the Hamas-led Gaza health ministry says 250 Palestinians have been killed and 500 wounded in the past 24 hours – with 106 of those said to have died in a Christmas Eve airstrike on the Maghazi refugee camp.

A further six people were killed in the West Bank city of Tulkarm during an Israeli raid, the Palestinian health ministry said on Wednesday.

But despite international efforts to halt the fighting, Israel‘s prime minister told members of his party the war “isn’t close to finished”.

When asked how the Israeli leadership imagines Gaza after the war, Mark Regev, senior adviser to Benjamin Netanyahu, told Sky News Hamas “must be destroyed”.

‘In front of the eyes of the world’

During the interview, the Palestinian president criticised the US for its continued support for Israel since the 7 October Hamas-led attack.

He claimed that the deaths of civilians is happening “in front of the eyes of the world” and America is in the lead.

He implied that if the country accepts a United Nations resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire, rather than vetoing it, the war may have a chance of coming to an end.

On 15 December, Mr Abbas met with US national security adviser Jake Sullivan, who reiterated the US’s stance that the Palestinian Authority should be responsible for governing Gaza at the end of the war.

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But, he acknowledged that significant changes and “a lot of work” would be needed to revamp and revitalise the authority.

Mr Abbas agreed that a Palestinian state must be established in the aftermath of the conflict, reiterating in the Egyptian TV interview that it must be made up of the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem, The Times of Israel reported.

‘Isn’t a day without killing’

The Gaza health ministry reports 20,674 people have been killed and 54,536 injured in Israeli strikes since 7 October. Around 1,200 Israelis were killed by Hamas raiders that day.

Acknowledging the level of destruction, Mr Abbas said “there isn’t a day without killing” in all the cities and refugee camps in Gaza, adding that the Israeli military’s defence about “protecting itself” is without logic.

Meanwhile, both Hamas and Islamic Jihad have been holding separate talks with Egyptian mediators in Cairo.

But, according to two Egyptian security sources, both sides rejected Egypt’s proposal for a permanent ceasefire – which would reportedly involve Hamas giving up power in the Gaza Strip.

“We reiterate that there can be no negotiations without a comprehensive cessation of aggression,” Izzat Al Rishq, a member of Hamas’s political bureau, said in response.

South Korean actor Lee Sun-kyun, best known for his role in Oscar-winning film Parasite, has been found dead in an apparent suicide.

The 48-year-old actor was identified by Seoul Police after a man in his 40s was found unconscious in a car park at 10.30am on 27 December, Yonhap news agency cited police as saying.

Earlier on Wednesday, the actor’s wife reported to police that Lee left home and she had found what appeared to be a suicide note, according to Yonhap.

Lee had been under investigation over illegal drug use allegations amid an ongoing government crackdown.

The actor had been questioned three times by police, including for 19 hours over the weekend.

Drug laws in South Korea are particularly tough, and drug crimes are typically punishable by at least six months to up to 14 years in prison.

Lee claimed he was tricked into taking drugs by a waitress in a bar, who then tried to blackmail him, Yonhap reported.

Known for his role as Park Dong-ik, the rich father in 2019 comedy thriller Parasite, Lee alongside his castmates won a Screen Actors Guild Award for their efforts in the film.

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Parasite went on to win four Academy Awards, including Best Picture at the 2020 Oscars.

The actor is also known for his leading roles in South Korean movies including the 2012 thriller Helpless and 2014’s All About My Wife.

He was also the lead in Apple TV+ 2021 series Dr Brain – the first Korean-language original series on the streaming platform – for which he received an International Emmy Award nomination.

Anyone feeling emotionally distressed or suicidal can call Samaritans for help on 116 123 or email [email protected] in the UK. In the US, call the Samaritans branch in your area or 1 (800) 273-TALK.