Timor-Leste Prime Minister Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão has paid tribute to the “courageous and determined” contribution of Australian journalist Robert Domm to the struggle of the Timorese people in gaining independence from Indonesia. He died last Friday.
Domm was remembered for meeting in secret with the then Timorese resistance leader Gusmão in an exclusive interview.
“The government and people of East Timor are deeply saddened by the passing of Robert Domm, whose courage and determination helped bring to the world the truth of our fight for self-determination,” Gusmão’s statement said.
“In September 1990, when few in the world were aware of the devastation in occupied East Timor, or that our campaign of resistance continued despite the terrible losses, Robert Domm made the perilous journey to our country and climbed Mount Bunaria to meet with me and the leadership from FALINTIL.
“He was the first foreign journalist in 15 years to have direct contact with the Resistance.
“Your interview with me, broadcast by the ABC Background Briefing programme, broke the silence involving Timor-Leste since 1975.
“He conveyed to the world the message that the Timorese struggle for self-determination and resistance against foreign military occupation was very much alive.
Merchant seaman
“Robert Domm visited East Timor in the 1970s, then under Portuguese colonial control, as a merchant seaman on a boat crossing between Darwin and Dili, transporting general cargo and fuel.
“He returned in 1989, when Indonesia allowed tourist entry for the first time since 1975.
“He returned in 1990, allegedly as a “tourist”, but was on a secret mission to interview me for the Australian Broadcasting Commission.
“Robert Domm’s journey to find me took extraordinary courage. His visit was organised by the Timorese resistance with, as he later recalled, “military precision”. He involved more than two hundred people from Timore who guided him through villages and checkpoints, running great risk for himself and the Timore people who helped him.
“He was a humble and gentle Australian who slept next to us on the grounds of Mount Bunaria, ate with us under the protection of the jungle and walked with our resistance soldiers as a comrade and a friend. I am deeply moved by your concern for the people of Timore.
He risked his own life to share our story. His report has given international recognition to the humanity and the resolve of our people.
“Following the broadcast, the Indonesian military carried out large-scale operations in our mountains and many of those who helped them lost their lives for our freedom.
Exposed complicity
“Robert continued to support East Timor after 1990. He spoke out against the occupation and exposed the complicity of governments that have remained mute. He was a co-author, with Mark Aarons, of East Timor: A Tragedy Created by the West, a work that deepened the international understanding of our suffering and our right to self-determination.
“He remained a friend and defender of East Timor long after the restoration of independence.
“In 2015, twenty-five years after his maiden voyage, Robert returned to East Timor to commemorate our historic encounter. Together, we walked to Mount Bunaria, in the municipality of Ainaro, to celebrate the occasion and remember the lives lost during our fight.
“The place of our meeting has been recognised as a place of historical importance.
“In recognition of his contribution, Robert Domm was awarded the Order of Timor-Leste in August 2014. This honour reflected our nation’s gratitude for its role in taking our struggle to the world. Robert’s contribution is part of our nation’s history.
“Robert’s soul now rests on Mount Matebian, next to his Timorese brothers and sisters.
“On behalf of the government and people of East Timor, we express our deepest condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of Robert Domm. His courage, decency and sense of justice will forever remain in the memory of our nation.”
Journalist Robert Domm with Timorese resistance leader Xanana Gusmão, now Prime Minister of Timor-Leste, in a jungle hideout in 1990. Image: via Joana Ruas
French Minister for Overseas Naïma Moutchou’s first visit to New Caledonia is marked by marathon political talks and growing concerns about the French Pacific territory’s deteriorating economic situation.
Moutchou arrived on Monday on a visit scheduled to last until tomorrow.
With a backdrop of political uncertainty and the economic consequences of the May 2024 riots, she has been meeting with a large panel of political and economic stakeholders over concerns about New Caledonia’s future.
French Overseas Minister Naïma Moutchou . . . growing concerns about the French territory’s economy and political future. Image: APR File
On Monday, she met a group of about 40 political, business and economic leaders.
All of them voiced their concerns about New Caledonia’s short-term future and what they term as a “lack of visibility” and fear about what 2026 could hold.
Some of these fears are related to a lack of financial support necessary for a proper recovery of the local economy, which was devastated by the 2024 riots and caused damages of over 2 billion euros (NZ$4 million) with an estimated drop of the local GDP by 13.5 percent, the destruction of hundreds of businesses and the subsequent loss of tens of thousands of jobs.
The French government last year unlocked a special loan of 1 billion euros, but it will now have to be reimbursed and has created a huge debt for the French Pacific archipelago.
Huge loan issue
A vast majority of economic and political leaders now seem to agree that the huge loan granted in 2024 should be converted into a non-refundable grant.
New Caledonia’s indebtedness rate, as a result, soared to 360 percent for debts that will have to be refunded as early as 2026, at a high interest rate of 4.54 percent.
“The urgency is about finding jobs for those 12,000 people who have lost their jobs”, employers’ association MEDEF-NC vice president Bertrand Courte told reporters after the meeting.
“We need to kick-start the economy with large-scale works and only the French State can do it”, he said, echoing a feeling of disappointment.
The fears are further compounded by looming deadlines such as the local retirement scheme, which is threatening to collapse.
A special scheme to assist the unemployed, which was extended from 2024, is also to come to an end in December 2025. There are pleas to extend it once again at least until June 2026.
“We do understand that now, from France’s point of view, it’s a give and take situation”, said Medium and Small Businesses president Christophe Dantieux.
Public spending cuts
“[France] will only give if we make more efforts in terms of reforms. But there have already been quite a few efforts made in 2025, especially 15 percent cuts on public spending, but it looks like it’s not enough.”
One of the scheduled large-scale projects was the construction of a new prison, which was announced in 2023 but has not started.
On the macro-economic scale, New Caledonia is also facing several crucial challenges.
Huge losses in terms of tax collection have been estimated to a staggering US$600 million, as well as a deficit of some US$500 million in public accounts.
Another obstacle to boosting investments or re-investments, since the 2024 riots, was that most insurance companies are continuing to exclude a “riots risk” clause in their new policies.
On the French national level, the much-disputed 2026 Budget for Overseas is scheduled to take place starting November 18 and this also includes threats such as the intention to scrap tax exemption benefits for French companies intending to invest in France’s overseas territories, including New Caledonia.
“There is an economic, financial and budget urgency”, New Caledonia government President Alcide Ponga said following the minister’s meeting with the whole Cabinet.
“The minister is well aware that our budget situation is catastrophic and she intends to help us”, Congress (Parliament) President Veylma Falaeo said after her meeting with Moutchou.
Yohann Lecourieux, mayor of the city of Dumbéa (near the capital Nouméa), also provided a telling example of the current hardships faced by the population: “Eight hundred of our students no longer eat in our schools’ canteens simply because the families can no longer afford to pay.”
Political talks: no immediate outcome On Tuesday, Moutchou focused on political talks with all parties on the local chessboard, one after the other.
The major challenge was to resume political discussions after one of the major components of the pro-independence movement, the FLNKS (Kanak and Socialist National Liberation Front), mainly dominated by historic Union Calédonienne, decided to withdraw from a proposed consensual project signed in July 2025 in Bougival (in the outskirts of Paris) after a week-long session of intense talks fostered by Moutchou predecessor, Manuel Valls.
The Bougival text was proposing to create a “State of New Caledonia”, as well as a New Caledonian nationality and transfer of key powers (such as foreign affairs) from France.
Since FLNKS denounced its negotiators’ signatures, all of New Caledonia’s other parties have committed to defend the Bougival text, while at the same time urging FLNKS to come back to the table and possibly submit their desired modifications.
Since she was appointed to the sensitive portfolio last month, Moutchou, in Paris repeated that she did not intend to “do without” FLNKS, as long as FLNKS did not intend to “do without the other (parties)”.
Moutchou also said her approach was “listen first and then reply”.
Following a two-hour meeting on Tuesday between Moutchou and the FLNKS delegation, it maintained its stance and commitment to “sincere dialogue” based on a “clear discussion and negotiation method”.
‘We will not change course’ – FLNKS “We will not change course. This is a first contact to remind of the defiance and loss of trust from FLNKS with the [French] State since December 2021,” FLNKS spokesperson Dominique Fochi said.
He said the FLNKS still “wishes out of the French Republic’s fold in order to create solid ties with countries of the region or even with France”.
Saying the Bougival text was a “lure of independence”, FLNKS had previously also posed a pre-requirement that future negotiations should be held in New Caledonia and placed under the auspices of the United Nations, in a spirit of decolonisation.
Late October 2025, both Houses of the French Parliament endorsed, for the third time, that New Caledonia’s crucial provincial local elections (scheduled to be held before December 2025) should now take place no later than June 2026.
The postponement was validated by France’s Constitutional Council on November 6.
This was specifically designed to allow more time for political talks to produce a consensual agreement on New Caledonia’s political future, possibly a continuation or refining (by way of amendments) of the Bougival text.
Pro-France parties On the side of parties who want New Caledonia to remain part of France (and are opposed to independence), Les Loyalistes leader and Southern Province President Sonia Backès, said she and other pro-France parties also remained open to further discussions.
“But we’ve already made a lot of concessions in the Bougival agreement”, she said.
“[Moutchou] now has understood that New Caledonia is out of breath and that we now have to move forward, especially politically”, Rassemblement-LR leader Virginie Ruffenach said after talks with the French minister.
“We can no longer procrastinate, or else New Caledonia will not recover if we don’t have an agreement that carries prospects for all of our territory’s population,” Ruffenach said.
“We are still hopeful that, by the end of this week, we can move forward and find a way… But this cannot be the theory of chaos that’s being imposed on us.”
The ‘moderate’ pro-independence parties Two former pillars of FLNKS, now described as “moderates” within the pro-independence movement, the PALIKA (Kanak Liberation Party) and UPM (Progressist Union in Melanesia), who have distanced themselves from FLNKS since August 2024, after the riots, are now staunch supporters of the Bougival project.
“We are committed to (the Bougival) accord… Our militants said some improvements could be made. That’s what we told the minister and she said yes”, UNI Congress caucus president Jean-Pierre Djaïwé told local media after discussions with Moutchou.
He said those possible amendments could touch on the short-term handing over of a number of powers by France, but that this should not affect the Bougival project’s fragile “general balance”.
They say the text, although not perfect because it is a compromise, still makes full sovereignty achievable.
PALIKA held its important annual congress over the weekend and says it will announce its main outcomes later this week.
A strong faction within PALIKA is currently pushing for the “moderate” line (as opposed to the hard-line FLNKS) to be pursued and therefore a formal divorce with FLNKS should be made official.
On the “pro-Bougival” side, currently re-grouping all pro-France parties and the pro-independence moderates PALIKA and UPM, grouped into a “UNI” (Union Nationale pour l’Indépendance) caucus at the local Congress, some of the mooted possible future options could be to place all bets on the local referendum to be held early 2026 and its possible outcome pronouncing a vast majority for the July 2025 text.
They believe, based on the current party representation at the Congress, that this Bougival text could gather between 60 and 80 percent of local support.
Another party, Wallisian-based Eveil Océanien and its vice-president Milakulo Tukumuli told public broadcaster NC la 1ère on Sunday another option could be to just “agree to disagree” and base the rest of future developments on the outcomes of New Caledonia’s provincial elections.
This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.
As winter creeps into Gaza with its cold arrival, thousands of displaced people are enduring new chapters of suffering inside tattered tents that offer no protection from the wind or rain. After a long summer whose heat almost melted them, they now face the rainy season exposed, without cover or a floor to protect children from drowning in the mud.
In the camps stretching from the north to the south of the Gaza Strip, the fear of drowning is renewed every evening. The rain, which was once a harbinger of life, has now become a constant source of fear.
Um Mahmoud, displaced from the Zeitoun neighborhood in Gaza, told the Canary:
Our tent is torn at the sides. We put pieces of nylon over it, but the wind comes in from everywhere. With the first rain, we don’t know where we will go or how we will protect the children.
Despite repeated promises to allow the entry of relief supplies and new tents, the occupation continues to prevent their entry through the crossings, leaving families who lost their homes in the last war to face their fate in tattered tarpaulins and with water seeping into their children’s bodies.
Gaza winter: the siege exacerbates the suffering.
According to UNRWA and human rights sources, the Israeli occupation prevents the entry of tents, basic aid, and cooking gas into the Gaza Strip, despite the dire humanitarian need.
More than 1.5 million displaced people are living without adequate shelter, their tents deteriorating due to the long summer heat and frequent winds, increasing the risk of drowning and disease as winter approaches.
The Government Media Office in Gaza indicates that the restrictions on the entry of relief supplies constitute collective punishment, violating the rights of civilians under the Geneva Conventions, at a time when the camps desperately need blankets, new tents, utensils, and clothing to meet basic needs.
According to UNRWA, aid entering Gaza since the ceasefire has reached only 28% of the required amount, deepening the humanitarian needs gap and leaving thousands of displaced people without protection from the winter cold and heavy rains.
A Cry from the Camps
Abu Ahmed, displaced from the northern Gaza Strip, told the Canary:
We fear every cloud that passes overhead. This time, the rain isn’t a blessing, but a fear of drowning and freezing cold. Our tent is dilapidated, and we have no alternative.
Humanitarian organisations are calling on the international community to pressure the Israeli occupation to open the crossings and allow the immediate entry of tents and basic shelter materials, in anticipation of a potential humanitarian catastrophe with the onset of winter.
In Gaza this year, winter brings not its usual blessings, but rather knocks on the doors of worn-out tents laden with fear and hunger. Thousands of families await delayed warmth and shelter before the rains turn into a disaster.
As winter approaches, Gaza’s tattered tents remain the last refuge for the displaced, and the youngest children bear the brunt of the cold, rain, and hunger. Every day that passes without the arrival of essential aid exacerbates the suffering of families and turns winter into a test of survival.
The message is clear: life in Gaza is not just about survival, but a constant struggle for the most basic necessities. The international community must act now before the coming rains become an unstoppable humanitarian catastrophe.
Riyasa, a young southern Lebanese girl living in Beit Leif — a small town near the border with Israel — says her life has completely changed since the last war between both sides. Her usual strolls near the forest have become more of a risk than a leisure activity, not because of wild animals, but because of Israeli war drones constantly buzzing over her head and over the heads of residents of the South in general. Israeli violations have now become the norm.
The Israeli violations of the ceasefire with Lebanon — which ended a 66-day full-scale war following nearly a year of mutual bombardments that began on October 8, 2023 — have become “a norm” for the Arab state. What changed in recent months is the gradual escalation Israel has carried out against Hezbollah personnel, civilians, and infrastructure, and even public workers. These violations left 140 civilians dead and 398 injured, with 2,950 violations recorded according to Information International, an independent regional research firm based in Beirut.
Israeli violations never stop
Following the 2006 war between Israel and Lebanon, a UN-brokered ceasefire under Resolution 1701 was meant to prevent further hostilities and maintain stability along the Lebanese-Israeli border. But in practice, the agreement has been repeatedly violated — primarily by Israel — through near-daily overflights, artillery fire, and cross-border attacks. Since October 2023, these violations have intensified in parallel with the Gaza war, as Israel justifies its strikes as “targeting Hezbollah positions.” Yet many of these attacks have hit civilian areas, farmland, and small villages across South Lebanon, displacing thousands of residents and destroying infrastructure. While the Lebanese Army and the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) have documented hundreds of breaches, the international response remains muted, leaving border communities to bear the brunt of an undeclared war that is steadily eroding what remains of the ceasefire.
Riyasa told the Canary:
We feel death is near since the drones are directly over our village. We barely go out, and if we go hunting, we return early because Israel might think we’re building something against it and could target us. If the drone is close, I don’t go out, I don’t go to the gym, I tell my siblings to come back home — our friends as well — because Israel targets whoever it wants with no accountability. The drone’s sound has become a synonym for death. Every time it’s near and going faster, we sense death is closer. We got used to the sound; when it speeds up, it means it’s targeting someone — whether it’s you or someone near you.
From her house, she can hear the constant Israeli bombardment and gunfire toward Aita al-Shaab, a border town that overlooks several Israeli outposts, where the IDF casually enters the empty town and blows up what remains of civilian structures about 1.5 km inside Lebanese territory. She also hears the distant airstrikes on other towns in southern Lebanon, where Israel claims it is targeting “Hezbollah activity and infrastructure” — yet without providing evidence.
Largest post-war attack
One such attack targeted excavator dealerships in Msayleh (60 km from the Israeli border) in the largest post-war attack. The strikes completed destroyed 6 excavator dealerships at 4 am on October 11, wiping out over 300 machines. The IDF claimed Hezbollah was using the equipment to “rebuild the areas it was operating in,” but Lebanese MP Kassem Hashem said that day:
This is a massacre of people’s livelihoods. Israel is only aiming to make southern Lebanon an uninhabitable area.
So why does Israel continue to violate the ceasefire, conducting airstrikes and destroying civilian structures?
Dr. Leila Nicola, a political analyst, told the Canary that there are:
many intersecting goals behind Israel’s daily attacks on the South — such as putting pressure on Hezbollah and the Lebanese government through escalation, and forcing Beirut into direct peace negotiations with Israel, which would amount to official recognition of the state. In addition, Israel seeks a security arrangement that gives it the upper hand in southern Lebanon while preventing Hezbollah from regaining strength — a goal it could not achieve through its previous wars or during its occupation of Lebanon (1982–2000).
Nicola added:
At this point, no one knows if things will escalate into a full-scale war in the coming months. For now, we remain in a status quo — an escalation short of full war. Hezbollah will not give Israel a pretext to expand its aggression, and Israel won’t launch a ground invasion since it has tried that before with limited success. Instead, it will continue this low-cost war that hurts Hezbollah and Lebanon economically, socially, and militarily — until it gets an American green light for a full-scale war. For now, the U.S. administration seems content with the pressure Israel’s campaign, alongside its economic and political pressure, is exerting on Lebanon.
Israeli violations — ‘We feel life has stopped’
In the town of Kfarshouba, on the eastern side of the border, Dima shares her frustration with the Canary:
We can’t reach our farms, especially the olive fields — people couldn’t harvest their crops because of the Israeli attacks. Everything changed since the ceasefire,” she adds, half-jokingly, “Death is near? We feel life has stopped. Of course, we fear war might break out again — drones are always above us, and gunfire from Israeli outposts has become more frequent.
Meanwhile in central South Lebanon, Zeinab, a nurse working in Bint Jbeil — known as the capital of resistance and liberation — expresses her disappointment at the lack of media and international attention:
It’s like there has to be a huge incident for anyone to notice us. Very few media outlets cover what’s happening here, and most treat it as if it’s a daily norm. Our lives have changed — there’s no sense of security in town anymore. No one trusts the situation, or Israel.
UNIFIL spokesperson Dany Ghafari told the Canary:
Israel still takes control of several points on the Lebanese side of the border, which is a violation of the 1701 agreement. We hand reports to the security council concerning this.
Shockingly, Ghafari said that:
We also have observed since 27th of November more than 7000 aerial violations, and more than 1400 on-ground violations by the Israeli military.
For those who remain in the South, every explosion is a reminder that the ceasefire exists only on paper — and that Lebanon’s borderlands are once again paying the price for Israeli violations the world refuses to see.
Riyasa, a young southern Lebanese girl living in Beit Leif — a small town near the border with Israel — says her life has completely changed since the last war between both sides. Her usual strolls near the forest have become more of a risk than a leisure activity, not because of wild animals, but because of Israeli war drones constantly buzzing over her head and over the heads of residents of the South in general. Israeli violations have now become the norm.
The Israeli violations of the ceasefire with Lebanon — which ended a 66-day full-scale war following nearly a year of mutual bombardments that began on October 8, 2023 — have become “a norm” for the Arab state. What changed in recent months is the gradual escalation Israel has carried out against Hezbollah personnel, civilians, and infrastructure, and even public workers. These violations left 140 civilians dead and 398 injured, with 2,950 violations recorded according to Information International, an independent regional research firm based in Beirut.
Israeli violations never stop
Following the 2006 war between Israel and Lebanon, a UN-brokered ceasefire under Resolution 1701 was meant to prevent further hostilities and maintain stability along the Lebanese-Israeli border. But in practice, the agreement has been repeatedly violated — primarily by Israel — through near-daily overflights, artillery fire, and cross-border attacks. Since October 2023, these violations have intensified in parallel with the Gaza war, as Israel justifies its strikes as “targeting Hezbollah positions.” Yet many of these attacks have hit civilian areas, farmland, and small villages across South Lebanon, displacing thousands of residents and destroying infrastructure. While the Lebanese Army and the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) have documented hundreds of breaches, the international response remains muted, leaving border communities to bear the brunt of an undeclared war that is steadily eroding what remains of the ceasefire.
Riyasa told the Canary:
We feel death is near since the drones are directly over our village. We barely go out, and if we go hunting, we return early because Israel might think we’re building something against it and could target us. If the drone is close, I don’t go out, I don’t go to the gym, I tell my siblings to come back home — our friends as well — because Israel targets whoever it wants with no accountability. The drone’s sound has become a synonym for death. Every time it’s near and going faster, we sense death is closer. We got used to the sound; when it speeds up, it means it’s targeting someone — whether it’s you or someone near you.
From her house, she can hear the constant Israeli bombardment and gunfire toward Aita al-Shaab, a border town that overlooks several Israeli outposts, where the IDF casually enters the empty town and blows up what remains of civilian structures about 1.5 km inside Lebanese territory. She also hears the distant airstrikes on other towns in southern Lebanon, where Israel claims it is targeting “Hezbollah activity and infrastructure” — yet without providing evidence.
Largest post-war attack
One such attack targeted excavator dealerships in Msayleh (60 km from the Israeli border) in the largest post-war attack. The strikes completed destroyed 6 excavator dealerships at 4 am on October 11, wiping out over 300 machines. The IDF claimed Hezbollah was using the equipment to “rebuild the areas it was operating in,” but Lebanese MP Kassem Hashem said that day:
This is a massacre of people’s livelihoods. Israel is only aiming to make southern Lebanon an uninhabitable area.
So why does Israel continue to violate the ceasefire, conducting airstrikes and destroying civilian structures?
Dr. Leila Nicola, a political analyst, told the Canary that there are:
many intersecting goals behind Israel’s daily attacks on the South — such as putting pressure on Hezbollah and the Lebanese government through escalation, and forcing Beirut into direct peace negotiations with Israel, which would amount to official recognition of the state. In addition, Israel seeks a security arrangement that gives it the upper hand in southern Lebanon while preventing Hezbollah from regaining strength — a goal it could not achieve through its previous wars or during its occupation of Lebanon (1982–2000).
Nicola added:
At this point, no one knows if things will escalate into a full-scale war in the coming months. For now, we remain in a status quo — an escalation short of full war. Hezbollah will not give Israel a pretext to expand its aggression, and Israel won’t launch a ground invasion since it has tried that before with limited success. Instead, it will continue this low-cost war that hurts Hezbollah and Lebanon economically, socially, and militarily — until it gets an American green light for a full-scale war. For now, the U.S. administration seems content with the pressure Israel’s campaign, alongside its economic and political pressure, is exerting on Lebanon.
Israeli violations — ‘We feel life has stopped’
In the town of Kfarshouba, on the eastern side of the border, Dima shares her frustration with the Canary:
We can’t reach our farms, especially the olive fields — people couldn’t harvest their crops because of the Israeli attacks. Everything changed since the ceasefire,” she adds, half-jokingly, “Death is near? We feel life has stopped. Of course, we fear war might break out again — drones are always above us, and gunfire from Israeli outposts has become more frequent.
Meanwhile in central South Lebanon, Zeinab, a nurse working in Bint Jbeil — known as the capital of resistance and liberation — expresses her disappointment at the lack of media and international attention:
It’s like there has to be a huge incident for anyone to notice us. Very few media outlets cover what’s happening here, and most treat it as if it’s a daily norm. Our lives have changed — there’s no sense of security in town anymore. No one trusts the situation, or Israel.
UNIFIL spokesperson Dany Ghafari told the Canary:
Israel still takes control of several points on the Lebanese side of the border, which is a violation of the 1701 agreement. We hand reports to the security council concerning this.
Shockingly, Ghafari said that:
We also have observed since 27th of November more than 7000 aerial violations, and more than 1400 on-ground violations by the Israeli military.
For those who remain in the South, every explosion is a reminder that the ceasefire exists only on paper — and that Lebanon’s borderlands are once again paying the price for Israeli violations the world refuses to see.
The BBC‘s anti-Palestinian propaganda during Israel’s genocide in Gaza has been appalling — one telling example came when it dropped a piece about British and Palestinian children sharing poetry ‘for impartiality’ reasons. The BBC Gaza coverage sinks to a new low.
We spoke to the project coordinator behind the collaboration to find out more.
Showcasing the humanity of Gaza’s children
The latest pro-Israel coup at the BBC is the culmination of longstanding efforts to further compromise its already dismal reporting on the illegalsettler-colonialoccupation of Palestine. But its decision to drop a piece showing the humanity of Gaza’s children exemplifies how the BBC has consistently prioritised Israeli lives over Palestinian lives.
In early 2025, the Hands Up Project brought British children together with children from Gaza via a poetry event. The educational charity seeks to connect children around the world through
online interaction, drama, and storytelling — and recently organised an event at a primary school in Dartington, Devon.
Hands Up had previously arranged an international poetry competition, which later became a book – Moon tell me truth – including the poems and illustrations of 9-to-15-year-old children from Palestine, India, Argentina, and Spain. An exhibition of the collection then toured the UK.
Dartington primary offered to host the exhibition. But as Hands Up coordinator Nick Bilbrough told us, the school had insisted on the event being purely cultural rather than political. Considering the fact that “it’s been really difficult to get any of our work into UK schools”, he said, the tough decision was made to remove a couple of poems that explicitly mentioned Palestine. This made it possible for the work of other Palestinian children to enter the school.
Soon after, local BBC journalists expressed interest. Bilbrough asked if they wanted to come to the school and “do an interview with me there, and with the teacher, and some of the kids”. He said “they loved that idea”. So they got all of the necessary permissions and then sent someone along to film.
Weeks of silence followed, until a BBC editor finally confirmed the broadcaster had dropped the story.
So why might BBC bosses have stepped in?
Bilbrough explained:
We did a live link-up with one of the young poets, Nada, who at that time was still in Gaza. She’s got three poems in the book. The kids at Dartington primary interviewed her. And I had a really lovely chat with her about why she writes poetry, and what it’s like to be a poet in Gaza.
He added that:
The kids were blown away by her – very inspired by her.
The children in Britain also “read out some of the poems that they’d written, inspired by the poetry of the children of Gaza”.
The BBC reporter got lots of content, and “obviously didn’t want to make it political in any way”. But as Bilbrough said:
All the kids know, even though the BBC‘s trying to keep it all quiet or doing their best to, what’s going on in Gaza. And responding to the question ‘What was it like to meet a poet from Gaza?’ they were saying things like ‘Wow, it’s amazing that, even though Israel is bombing them really badly, she’s able to write such beautiful poetry’.
So considering the longstanding pro-Israel bias at the BBC, it’s understandable that it wouldn’t want to green-light that kind of clear, factual statement specifically. But as Bilbrough stressed:
There was enough footage for them to show. I wasn’t talking about anything political, nor was the teacher. We were all just talking about the value of writing poetry in a difficult situation, and how inspirational the poems are.
He also argued that Nada’s efforts alone should have been reason enough to show at least a short report on the event:
Nada had gone out of her way. At that time, she was still in Gaza. She subsequently managed to get out. At considerable risk to herself, she had to go somewhere where she could do the Zoom link and it was quite risky for her to do that.
Indeed, the reporter suggested the piece may be “out by the end of the week” on local news programme BBC Spotlight. But the higher-ups clearly had a problem with that.
Below is a short clip that Bilbrough had recorded himself:
BBC Gaza coverage — when impartiality during a genocide becomes complicity
Many days came and went with no news. And then, weeks later, a BBC editor sent Bilbrough an email (which the Canary has seen), saying “some key people [have] been away” and “it’s taken time to fully understand what happened”. But the crux of the message was to inform him that:
After reviewing everything, we’ve decided not to proceed with the piece.
The explanation was that:
Every story we run is carefully considered, balancing editorial considerations, news value, and audience interest, while also being assessed in the context of what else is in the news at the time. In this case, it became clear that to meet our editorial standards, we would need to provide significantly more context to ensure due impartiality, which would be challenging within the scope of the piece.
Did they think poetry from Israeli bomber pilots was necessary to balance the story out? We’ll never know.
But as Bilbrough said, there was clearly more than enough material for the BBC to, at the very least, put out a dry 30-second report with a couple of quotes about the importance of children from around the world sharing poetry and sharing their humanity. That was apparently not something BBC editors wanted, though. Bilbrough added:
I just think they don’t want to show this human side of the children of Gaza.
That wouldn’t be surprising. Because this is just one instance of many where the BBC selectively humanises people according to whether the British state sees them as worthy or unworthy victims (depending on whether Britain’s adversaries or allies are to blame). One report earlier in the year, for example, showed that Israelis who died had got 33 times more BBC coverage, despite Israeli occupation forces killing at least 34 times more Palestinians. In short, it’s hard to argue that the BBC has even sought to be ‘impartial’ during the genocide. Instead, it has unapologetically taken Israel’s side.
This is the humanity of Gaza’s children that BBC bosses have actively sought to silence or minimise in the last two years, with the excuse of ‘impartiality’.
Israeli soldiers have revealed that Palestinian civilians were killed inside Gaza in a free-for-all at the wish of army officers amid a collapse of legal and military norms during Tel Aviv’s two-year brutal war on the besieged enclave, reports Anadolu Ajensi.
“If you want to shoot without restraint, you can,” Daniel, the commander of an Israeli tank unit, said in a documentary, Breaking Ranks: Inside Israel’s War, set to be aired in the UK on ITV on Monday.
The Israeli army has killed more than 69,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and wounded over 170,000 in Gaza and left the enclave uninhabitable since October 2023.
Israeli soldiers, some of whom spoke on condition of anonymity, said Palestinian civilians were used as human shields during the conflict, The Guardianreported.
Captain Yotam Vilk, an armored corps officer, said soldiers did not apply the long-standing army standard of firing only when a target had the “means, intent and ability” to cause harm.
“There’s no such thing as ‘means, intent and ability’ in Gaza,” he said. “It’s just suspicion – someone walking where it’s not allowed.”
Another soldier, identified only as Eli, said: “Life and death isn’t determined by procedures or opening fire regulations. It’s the conscience of the commander on the ground that decides.”
‘Hanging laundry’
Eli recounted an officer ordering a tank to demolish a building where a man was just “hanging laundry,” resulting in multiple deaths and injuries.
The documentary also presents detailed accounts of Israeli soldiers opening fire unprovoked on civilians running toward food handouts at militarized aid distribution points operated by the US- and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF).
Film maker talks about Israeli ‘shoot to kill’ policies in Gaza Video: LBC
A contractor identified only as Sam, who worked at GHF sites, said he saw Israeli soldiers shooting two unarmed men running to get aid.
“You could just see two soldiers run after them,” he recalled. “They drop onto their knees and they just take two shots, and you could just see . . . two heads snap backwards and just drop.”
Sam also described a tank destroying “a normal car . . . just four normal people sat inside it.”
According to UN figures, at least 944 Palestinian civilians have been killed by Israeli fire near such aid points.
Extremist rhetoric
The film also highlights the spread of extremist rhetoric inside Israel, including statements from rabbis and politicians depicting all Palestinians as legitimate targets after the October 7 events.
“You hear that all the time, so you start to believe it,” Daniel said.
Rabbi Avraham Zarbiv, who served more than 500 days in Gaza, defended large-scale home demolitions by the Israeli army in Gaza.
“Everything there is one big terrorist infrastructure . . . We changed the conduct of an entire army.”
In September, a UN commission concluded that Israel had committed genocide in Gaza, where a ceasefire came into force on October 10 after two years of Israeli bombardment.
“I feel like they’ve destroyed all my pride in being an Israeli — in being an IDF (army) officer,” Daniel says in the programme. “All that’s left is shame.”
Israeli Minister Haskel speaks to RNZ on Pacific visit Video: RNZ
“It was an important message for our people and it was a great opportunity for me to thank them in person and to see how we can strengthen our friendship.”
The countries were “strategic allies” who worked together in the areas of agriculture, water technology and cybersecurity, Haskel said.
She pointed to the agricultural industry in PNG.
“They used to import almost all of their products, vegetables, fruits,” she said.
Agricultural help
“There are a few Israeli companies that went into the industry, developing a lot of the agricultural aspect of it to the point where all of the products they’re eating are local and they’re even exporting some of these products.”
Fiji Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka (left) and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem on 17 September 2025. Image: RNZ Pacific/Fiji govt
Israeli farms there had also helped with the growth of the local dairy industry, she said.
“This is part of the collaboration that we want to do,” she said. “I came with a delegation of businessmen coming from those industries to see how can continue and develop it, it’s a win-win situation.”
Also while in Fiji, Haskel signed a memorandum of understanding on cybersecurity.
She said that came after three hacking attacks on the Fiji government’s system.
“[The MOU] starts a dialogue between our cybersecurity agency and between the proper agencies in Fiji as well,” she said.
Cybersecurity experience
““This is something that they’re starting to build, we’ve got a lot of experience with it and I think the dialogue can give them and lot of advice and also to connect them to quite a few Israeli companies.”
Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Sharren Haskel . . . “We have a lot of cybersecurity systems so it’s a start of a building of a relationship.” Image: RNZ/Nick Monro
A representative from Israeli defence and security company Elbit was among the delegation.
“They have a lot of cybersecurity systems so it’s a start of a building of a relationship,” Haskel said.
Israel’s relationships with PNG and Fiji had been going for many decades, and were not about the amount of aid given, she said.
“Israel is not a major economic power that has a lot of money to spend, especially during times of war,” she said.
“It’s not about the amount of money that we can invest but the quality and the things and how it affects the people.”
Commitments honoured
Asked about aid projects that had been cancelled, Haskel said Israel had honoured any commitments it made. It was not responsible for changes to United States policy that had seen trilateral agreements cut, she said.
“There were many projects that were committed in many different countries, together Israel and the Americans, some are continuing and some are cancelled,” she said.
“This is part of [US President Donald] Trump’s policy. We can’t predict that.”
Haskel also met with people from indigenous, Christian and farming communities while in Fiji and PNG and she said Israel is also hoping to become and observer of the Pacific Islands Forum next year.
The PNG government said it continued to regard Israel as a valuable partner in advancing shared development goals.
Meanwhile, Fiji’s government said the “historic” visit between the nations would foster continued cooperation, innovation and friendship.
‘Strategic step’
Prime Minister Rabuka said the cybersecurity agreement was “a strategic step forward to strengthen Fiji’s security framework and promote deeper cooperation across sectors”.
Oliver Nobetau, a Papuan development expert at the Australian Lowy Institute, told RNZ Pacific that Israel wanted to lock in UN support for the future.
“I think they have demonstrated their support, but also may have an ability to sort of sway between votes,” he said.
“We’ve seen it, between the switching from recognition from China to Taiwan. And this can be another instance now where they can be persuaded to vote in a different way.”
On aid, Nobetau said there would now be a hope that Israel increased its aid to the region.
“I would say there’s an expectation on Israel to carry on or fill in that funding gap,” she said.
“The question now falls on the Pacific governments themselves, if this is something that’s worth pursuing . . . they would prefer, if the USA are now is out of the picture, if Israel can continue to fill that.”
Nobetau expected Israel to look at bringing its military and intelligence services closer to the Pacific.
“From what I recall, when I was working with the government, there were institutional exchanges with the Mossad: internal capabilities to collect intelligence is something that’s that’s needed within Pacific countries,” he said.
“So I think that could be another area as well.”
This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.
Pacific nations are at the world’s biggest climate talks making the familiar plea to keep global warming under 1.5C to stay alive, as scientists say the world will now certainly surpass the limit — at least temporarily.
At the opening of the COP30 climate summit in Belém Brazil, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres made the same call that Pacific nations have for years.
“Let us be clear, the 1.5-degree limit is a red line for humanity. It must be kept within reach and scientists also tell us that this is still possible,” Guterres said.
“If we act now at speed and scale, we can make the overshoot as small, as short and as safe as possible.”
The World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) confirmed in its State of the Climate update that greenhouse gas emissions, which are heating the planet, have risen to a record high, with 2025 being on track to be the second or third warmest year on record.
“It will be virtually impossible to limit global warming to 1.5C in the next few years without temporarily overshooting this target,” WMO secretary-general Celeste Saulo said.
“But the science is equally clear that it’s still entirely possible and essential to bring temperatures back down to 1.5C by the end of the century.”
Pacific Network on Globalisation (PANG) climate justice campaigner India Logan-Riley said the world was now in “deeply unstable territory” with the “very existence” of some Pacific communities now at risk.
COP31 – a Pacific COP? As this COP starts, there is still uncertainty over where COP31 in 2026 will be hosted.
Both Australia — in conjunction with the Pacific — and Türkiye have bid to host the event.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has written twice to his counterpart looking for a compromise to break the deadlock.
Palau’s President Surangel Whipps Jr, who is in Belém, said it was important for Australia to be successful in its bid.
“We’re here in Brazil and the Amazon, and the focus next year needs to be a ‘Blue COP’, we need to focus on the oceans,” President Whipps said.
“One of the things I always tell people is, in some countries they only face droughts, or they may face a storm but in the Pacific we suffer from all of them; sea-level rise, storms, droughts, extreme heat.
“Other people, they can’t relate or they think it may be unreal.”
One of those people, US President Donald Trump, told the UN last month the climate crisis is “the greatest con job ever perpetrated on the world”.
Palau has a particularly close relationship with the US as one of the Compact of Free Association (COFA) nations. The agreement gives the US military access to Palau, which in return is given financial assistance and for Palauans the right to work in the US.
Whipps said Trump’s comments were unfortunate, and more reason for COP to come to the Pacific.
“I would invite President Trump to come to the Pacific. He should visit Tuvalu, and he should visit Kiribati and Marshall Islands.”
Palau’s President Surangel Whipps Jr, who is in Belém . . . the renewable energy transition “gives us energy independence”. Image: UN Photo
100% renewable Pacific
The Pacific is aiming to be the first region in the world to be completely reliant on renewable energy, a campaign which being led by Whipps.
“Leading the energy transition not only helps the planet by reducing our carbon footprint, but also gives us energy independence, [it] allows us to create jobs locally, and it keeps the money circulating.”
Whipps wants Palau to be running completely off renewable energy by 2032.
Meanwhile, the UN emissions gap report shows the world is on track for 2.3C to 2.5C global warming, if nations stick to Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).
However, it is an improvement from last year’s report, which predicted 2.6C to 2.8C of warming.
Pacific Islands Climate Action Network (PICAN) policy advisor Sindra Sharma said the report laid bare the fact that global ambition is nowhere near where it needs to be.
“[The new forecast] still is quite unacceptable for vulnerable communities and small island states in particular, because we’ll feel the effects the fastest with crossing anywhere beyond 1.5 even 1.51 it’s going to have significant implications.
“We’ve always had all the solutions to be able to do so and it’s just a lack of political will. It’s a choice that’s being made consistently and that choice is going to affect every single one on this earth.”
Sharma is hopeful there will be positive outcomes at this year’s COP, despite ongoing geopolitical tensions, which are in part driven by it being hosted close to the Amazon Rainforest — often referred to as the lungs of the earth — and marking 10 years since the Paris Agreement was signed.
It is also the first time Pacific nations have confirmation from the world’s top court that failing to protect people from the effects of climate change could violate international law.
“The advisory opinion that we have now is the first time that we’re going into COP with this kind of legal clarity and the legal clarity is telling us that there’s due diligence in terms of limiting warming to 1.5C.”
This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.
This content originally appeared on Asia Pacific Report and was authored by APR editor.
The Freedoms Committee of the Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate says the Israeli occupation forces have killed 44 Palestinian journalists inside displacement tents in the Gaza Strip.
The committee said that these journalists were among 254 media workers who had been killed since the beginning of the Israeli assault on Gaza in October 2023 until the end of October 2025, reports Middle East Monitor.
According to the report, the attacks were systematic, targeting displacement tents located around hospitals and UNRWA shelters, in addition to direct sniper shootings inside displacement areas.
It added that the victims were working for local and international media outlets, and most of them were killed while covering the humanitarian situation in the displacement camps.
The syndicate affirmed that such targeting reflects a deliberate attempt to silence the Palestinian press and prevent the truth from reaching the world.
It also stressed the need to hold the Israeli occupation accountable for its crimes against journalists and to ensure international protection for media crews working in Gaza.
Israel’s audiovisual media bill ‘a nail in coffin of editorial independence’
Meanwhile, the Paris-based media freedom watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has sounded the alarm following the first reading of a bill sponsored by Israel’s Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi that would strengthen the executive branch’s control over the audiovisual media, despite opposition from the Attorney General and the Union of Journalists in Israel.
The bill includes measures that RSF condemned a year ago.
Although the rest of the legislative process is likely to be difficult, Israel’s Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi, a member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party, has managed to get a foot in the door. On the evening of November 3, around midnight, his media broadcasting bill was adopted after its first reading, as part of a voting pact with ultra-Orthodox MPs.
The bill calls for the creation of a Broadcast Media Authority largely composed of members appointed by the Communications Minister himself. His ministry would also be entrusted with calculating television audiences, a measure approved by the Ministerial Committee for Legislation a year ago that was condemned by RSF.
Legal and legislative barriers are already being put in place in response to this attempt to strengthen the Israeli government’s control over the media landscape.
Attorney-General Gali Baharav-Miara, who is responsible for advising the government on legislative matters, is opposed to the bill, which has been deemed unconstitutional by the Knesset, Israel’s Parliament.
Two petitions against the bill have also been filed with the Supreme Court. One was submitted by the Union of Journalists in Israel, which represents around 3000 media professionals. The other was instigated by the NGO Hatzlacha (meaning “success” in Hebrew), which promotes social justice.
“This first reading vote is the first nail in the coffin of broadcast media’s editorial independence in Israel,” said RSF editorial director Anne Bocandé.
“Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi is openly attacking a pillar of democracy. Against a backdrop of war and an upcoming election campaign, Benjamin Netanyahu’s government is seeking to silence voices that are critical of the far-right coalition in power.
“RSF reiterates the warning it issued a year ago: these legislative attacks will have lasting, negative consequences on Israel’s media landscape.”
Incorporating the ‘Al Jazeera’ ban on foreign broadcasters into common law In parallel with his legislative attack on the editorial independence of the country’s broadcast media, Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi is also continuing his battle against international broadcasters operating in Israel.
Although his so-called “Al Jazeera law” — which allowed Israeli authorities to shut down any foreign broadcasters perceived as undermining national security and was condemned by RSF in April 2024 — expired on October 27 with the end of the state of emergency, the minister informed the National Security Council — which is attached to the Ministry of National Security — that he now intended to turn the measure into common law.
After the missile exchanges between Israel and Iran in June 2024, the Prime Minister’s party had already attempted to amend the “Al Jazeera law” in an attempt to give additional powers to the Minister of Communications to stop the broadcasting of foreign channels in the country.
This content originally appeared on Asia Pacific Report and was authored by Pacific Media Watch.
A shocking new investigation has uncovered the existence of a secret Israeli underground prison known as ‘Rakefet’ (Zahrat al-Siklamin). Here, almost a hundred Palestinians from the Gaza Strip are being held in conditions described as harsh and inhumane. They live in complete isolation from daylight, deprived of adequate food, and any contact with their families or the outside world.
Israel secret underground prison
The Guardian reported that among those detained are a Palestinian nurse who was arrested at his workplace while wearing his medical uniform, and an 18-year-old man who worked selling food, both of whom have been detained for months without charge or trial.
Lawyers from the Public Committee Against Torture in Israel (PCATI), who represent the two men, said they were transferred to the lower complex of Rakefet Prison in January and spoke of repeated beatings and violence consistent with patterns of torture documented in other Israeli detention centres. The Guardian reported that:
Rakefet prison was opened in the early 1980s to house a handful of the most dangerous organised crime figures in Israel but closed a few years later on the grounds that it was inhumane. The far-right security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, ordered it back into service after the 7 October attacks in 2023.
Underground detention conditions: constant darkness, torture, and stifling air
Official data obtained by PCATI shows that the prison, which was designed to hold only 15 people in solitary confinement, currently holds around 100 detainees.
The Guardian found that detainees live in cells with no windows or ventilation, with three to four people in each cell, and often feel suffocated and short of breath. Mattresses are removed at 4 a.m. and returned late at night, forcing detainees to sit all day on cold metal frames. Prisoners are only allowed into a cramped underground exercise yard with no natural light for five minutes every two days.
Detainees reported being beaten, trampled on, and attacked by dogs with iron muzzles. Many reported the denial of medical care, and a severe lack of food – barely enough to survive.
After arrest, the court “approves” the detention in a perfunctory manner: the detainee appears only as a face on a soldier’s phone screen, and the judge tells him, “You are detained until the end of the war,” without inquiring about his circumstances or conditions of detention. Such a process reflects a blatant abdication of the judiciary’s basic responsibility to oversee prisons and the conditions of those held in them—oversight that is essential, especially when all other monitoring is absent, as is the case in these prisons.
‘they are talking about civilians, not fighters,’ noting that one of them was a young man who worked as a food vendor and was arrested at a roadblock.
Lawyer Saja Mashirqi Bransi, who visited the prison with Abdu, said that the detained nurse had not seen sunlight since 21 January and that he asked her at the beginning of the meeting, “Where am I? Why am I here?| because he had not been told the name of the prison.
‘Deliberate humiliation’ under the eyes of the guards
The two lawyers described their trip to the prison as ‘a descent into hell.’
Masked and heavily armed guards led them down a dirty staircase littered with dead insects to the visiting rooms, where even the privacy of the lawyers was violated by surveillance cameras inside the meeting rooms.
‘If these are the conditions in the lawyers’ room, what must the conditions in the cells be like?’ said Abdo. ‘We found the answer when we saw the detainees, handcuffed, heads bowed, forced to bend over.’
Tal Steiner, executive director of PCATI, confirmed that the conditions of detention in Rakefet are oppressive and harsh to the point of being life-threatening, adding that the absence of daylight makes existence extremely difficult:
It’s very hard to remain intact when you are held in such oppressive and difficult conditions.
Steiner said these practices constitute “a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law,” noting that “detention in darkness underground is one of the most severe forms of psychological and physical torture that can be inflicted on a human being.”
Official silence and mutual accusations
The Israel Prison Service (IPS) refused to respond to the Guardian’s findings, issuing only a statement saying that it:
operates in accordance with the law and under official supervision.
According to official data, around 1,000 Palestinian detainees remain in Israeli custody in similar conditions, despite the release of 250 convicted prisoners and 1,700 detainees from Gaza during the truce agreement in mid-October.
Confidential Israeli documents confirm that the majority of detainees are civilians, raising serious legal and humanitarian questions about the legality of these arbitrary arrests.
The investigation concluded with a striking testimony from lawyer Saja Misherqi Baransi, who said that when she spoke to one of the detainees, they pleaded with her:
While football referees around the world prepare to participate in international tournaments and others train on the latest electronic refereeing systems, Gaza’s referees have had to fight a different kind of battle. Instead, they’ve been embroiled in a battle for survival under Israeli bombardment that did not distinguish between players on a football pitch, a house, or a child carrying a piece of bread.
Over the past two years, during Israel’s devastating war on the Gaza Strip, the Palestinian sporting community has lost some of its elite referees. They have been martyred in the bombardment, while others have been injured and left with physical disabilities that forcibly ended their careers. Five referees lost their lives, and seven others suffered varying injuries. Some referees have had their legs amputated, while others were paralysed or suffered deep wounds. However, they all share one fate: they are denied the opportunity to return to the field.
Football in Gaza a thing of the past
Among the martyrs is international assistant referee Mohammed Khattab. He was considered one of the most prominent referees in Gaza. Months before his martyrdom, he refereed matches in the West Asian Youth Championship in Jordan and dreamed of reaching the Asian Cup for adults.
But that dream was shattered in a single night when Israeli shelling targeted his apartment in Deir al-Balah, killing him and his entire family. His whistle, which used to set the pace of the matches, fell silent under the rubble, and the world did not hear that silence.
His colleague Hani Masmouh, an international beach soccer referee, followed him a few days later. Hani suffered a serious abdominal injury, and with his death there went the legacy of one of the most prominent referees who raised the name of Palestine in football.
As for the three referees, Rashid Hamdouna, Omar Al-Kilani, and Mohammed Darabi, all have refused to leave northern Gaza despite warnings, clinging to their homes and families. Their fate was also martyrdom, like many of the people of the Strip who found no safe place to take refuge.
Injuries end the journey… and dreams remain unfulfilled
The pain did not end with martyrdom. Referee Ramadan Sabra was seriously injured, resulting in the amputation of his left foot, after an Israeli air strike targeted the area where he lived.
In a scene no less cruel, referee Mohammed Al-Najjar lies paralysed from the waist down, waiting for an opportunity to cross the Rafah crossing to receive treatment outside the Strip.
Referee Islam al-Shukrit is receiving treatment in Egypt after suffering multiple fractures, while Mahmoud Abu Hasira is living with the consequences of serious injuries he sustained during a bombing that targeted his home, leading him to decide to retire from refereeing permanently after having been one of the most prominent up-and-coming referees in Gaza.
Referee Khaled Bader lost his eldest son in a bombing that targeted the area where he was, and he himself suffered various injuries that made it difficult for him to return to the field. As for the young Hazem Al-Sufi, he was pulled from the rubble three days after losing consciousness, returning to life with a broken body and a soul still searching for its lost whistle.
The game the world lost
What happened is not just a local tragedy, but a global loss for a sport in which Palestinians had made a respectable showing despite the blockade and limited resources.
Gaza used to produce talented referees who represented Palestine in Arab and Asian championships and trained new generations of young referees. But the war destroyed the sports infrastructure, halted training programmes, and turned Gaza’s stadiums into grey arenas where only the sirens of ambulances can be heard.
Despite all this, there are still those who cling to hope. The referees who survived sometimes gather in destroyed stadiums, sharing stories of their martyred colleagues and dreaming of the day when the sound of the whistle will return to the stands of Gaza.
One of them told them the Canary:
We may have lost our stadiums, uniforms and international badges, but we have not lost the justice we dreamed of. We will teach our children how the whistle is a symbol of life, not silence.
When justice is bombed
In sport, the referee’s whistle represents a moment of justice on the pitch, but in Gaza, justice itself has been bombed.
The targeting of referees was no accident, but part of a systematic attempt to kill everything that symbolises order, fairness, and the human dream.
Nevertheless, the whistle of football in Gaza is not dead; its echoes still reverberate in every home that has lost a referee and in every stadium that awaits their return, telling the world that sport is not a luxury in Palestine, but a form of resistance.
Pacific Media, a new regional research journal, made its debut today with a collection of papers on issues challenging the future, such as independent journalism amid “intensifying geostrategic competition”.
The papers have been largely drawn from an inaugural Pacific International Media conference hosted by The University of the South Pacific in the Fiji capital Suva in July last year.
“It was the first Pacific media conference of its kind in 20 years, convened to address the unprecedented shifts and challenges facing the region’s media systems,” said conference coordinator and edition editor Dr Shailendra Singh, associate professor in journalism at USP.
The cover of the first edition of Pacific Media. Image: PM
“These include pressures arising from governance and political instability, intensifying geostrategic competition—particularly between China and the United States—climate change and environmental degradation, as well as the profound impacts of digital disruption and the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Topics included in the volume include “how critical journalism can survive” in the Pacific; “reporting the nuclear Pacific”; “Behind the mic” with Talking Point podcaster Sashi Singh, the “coconut wireless” and community news in Hawai’i,; women’s political empowerment in the Asia Pacific; “weaponising the partisan WhatsApp group in Indonesia; and “mapping the past to navigate the future” in a major Pacific Islands News Association (PINA) publishing project.
Other contributors include journalists and media academics from Australia and New Zealand featuring a “Blood on the tracks” case study in investigative journalism practice, and digital weather media coverage in the Pacific.
This inaugural publication of Pacific Media has been produced jointly by The University of the South Pacific and the New Zealand-based Asia Pacific Media Network (APMN), with Dr Amit Sarwal, one of the conference organisers, joining Dr Singh as co-editor.
APMN managing editor Dr David Robie welcomed the new publication, saying “this journal will carry on the fine and innovative research mahi (work) established by Pacific Journalism Review during a remarkable 30 years contributing to the region”.
Associate Professor Shailendra Singh (left) and Dr Amit Sarwal. Image: PM
The new journal will open up some new doors for community participation.
Both the PJR and PM research archives are in the public domain at the Tuwhera digital collection at Auckland University of Technology.
Khairaih A Rahman has been appointed by APMN as Pacific Media editor and her first edition with a collection of papers from the Asian Congress for Media and Communication (ACMC) conference in Vietnam last October will also be published shortly.
Published with permission from Asia Pacific Media Network.
Pacific civil society groups say 2025 has been a big year for the ocean.
Development Alternatives with Women for a New Era (DAWN) representative Maureen Penjueli said the Pacific Ocean was being hyper-militarised and there was a desire for seabed minerals to be used to build-up military capacity.
“Critical minerals, whether from land or from the deep ocean itself, have a military end use, and that’s been made very clear in 2025,” Penjueli said during the Pacific Network on Globalisation (PANG) 2025 State of the Ocean webinar.
“They’re deemed extremely vital for defence industrial base, enabling the production of military platforms such as fighter aircraft, tanks, missiles, submarines.
“2025 is the year where we see the link between critical minerals on the sea floor and use [in the] military.”
PANG’s Joey Tau said one of the developments had been the increase in countries calling for a moratorium or pause on deep sea mining, which was now up to 40.
“Eight of which are from the Pacific and a sub-regional grouping the MSG (Melanesian Spearhead Group) still holds that political space or that movement around a moratorium.”
Deep-sea mining rules
Tau said it came as the UN-sanctioned International Seabed Authority tried to come to an agreement on deep-sea mining rules at the same time as the United States is considering its own legal pathway.
“It is a bad precedent setting by the US, we hope that the ISA both assembly and the council would hold ground and warn the US.”
He said unlike US, China spoke about the importance of multilateralism and it for global partners to maintain unity within the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) agreement which has not been ratified by the United States.
Also in February was the deep sea minerals talanoa, where Pacific leaders met to discuss deep sea mining.
“Some of our countries sit on different sides of the table on this issue. You have countries who are sponsoring and who are progressing the agenda of deep-sea mining, not only within their national jurisdiction, but also in the international arena,” Tau said.
In May, UN human rights experts expressed concern about the release of treated nuclear wastewater.
Japan’s government has consistently maintained the release meets international safety standards, and monitoring by the International Atomic Energy Agency shows there is no measurable impact beyond Japan’s coastal waters.
Legal and moral problem
However, Ocean Vision Legal’s Naima Taafaki-Fifita said as well as being an environmental issue, it was also a legal and moral problem.
“By discharging these radioactive contaminants into the Pacific, Japan risks breaching its obligations under international law,” she said.
“[The UN special rapporteurs] caution that this may pose grave risks to human rights, particularly the rights to life, health, food and culture, not only in Japan, but across the Pacific.”
Taafaki-Fifita said it was a “deeply personal” issue for Pacific people who lived with the nuclear legacy of testing.
In September, what is known as the “High Seas Treaty” received its 60th ratification which means it will now be legally effective in January 2026.
The agreement allows international waters — which make up nearly two-thirds of the ocean — to be placed into marine protected areas.
Taafaki-Fitita said it was important that Pacific priorities were visible and heard as the treaty became implemented.
This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.
Turkiye has issued Israel arrest warrants for 37 senior officials. They are all accused of genocide and crimes against humanity. This comes in response to the Israeli occupation’s military operation in Gaza.
Senior Israeli occupation officials have no place to hide
Only five of the officials have been named. They are war criminal Netanyahu, far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, Defence Minister Israel Katz, Israeli occupation forces (IOF) Border and Security Minister Eyal Zamir, and Naval Forces Commander David Salama.
The charges stem from allegations that the IOF has waged “systematic violence against civilians in Gaza”. Infrastructure has been intentionally destroyed, and humanitarian aid has been blocked, while medical assistance has been denied.
Turkish prosecutors cited specific targeted attacks in Gaza, between October 2023 and March 2025. These included the devastating attack on the Al-Ahli Arab Baptist Hospital on October 17, 2023, in which more than 470 people were massacred and 340 injured, from an explosion in the hospital car park. The Israeli regime blamed the incident on a failed rocket launch by Hamas, and continues to do so today. But according to analysis by Forensic Architecture there was a campaign of disinformation from the Israeli occupation forces about the incident.
The prosecutors also refer to the “Turkish-Palestinian Friendship Hospital”. This was built by Turkiye, and was the only cancer hospital in Gaza. It was bombed in March of this year, after ‘Israel’ claimed again, without any evidence, that the hospital was being used by Hamas.
They also referenced the killing of seven aid workers from the World Central Kitchen on April 1, 2024. All three vehicles were clearly marked with their logo, even on the roof, and their route had been agreed upon with the IOF beforehand. But they were targeted by Israeli precision drone strikes, and were killed.
Israel arrest warrants — regime calls it a ‘PR stunt’
The Foreign Minister for the Israeli regime, Gideon Saar has dismissed the announcement of the charges by calling them “the latest PR stunt by the tyrant Erdogan.” Even though Saar is deeply complicit in Gaza’s genocide, the UK government actively shielded him from arrest during a visit to Britain earlier this year.
Hamas has welcomed the decision by Turkiye to issue the arrest warrants. In a statement, the resistance group said:
We call on all countries worldwide, and their judicial bodies, to issue legal warrants to pursue the terrorist Zionist occupation leaders everywhere, and work to bring them to court, and hold them accountable for their crimes against humanity.
Turkiye has been a vocal critic of the genocide in Gaza, and suspended diplomatic and trade relations with Israel over the conflict. But the country has a long history of diplomatic relations with the Israeli regime. It was the first Muslim majority country to officially recognize the Israeli regime in 1949. For decades, the two countries cooperated in areas such as trade, military, and intelligence. In the 1990s and early 2000s, security and economic ties deepened between the two and, in 2006, the Israeli occupation’s Foreign Ministry described its country’s relationship with Turkiye as “perfect”.
In 2010 ‘Israel’ killed 10 Turkish activists
Relations started to strain following Turkiye’s condemnation of Operation Cast Lead. Israeli occupation’s devastating 22 day military assault on Gaza in 2008, killed almost 1390 Palestinians, wounded 5000, and obliterated much of Gaza’s infrastructure. Relations deteriorated further after the 2010 Gaza Flotilla incident, where Israeli occupation forces raided the Turkish-owned aid ship Mavi Marmara in international waters, killing 10 Turkish activists. The boat was attempting to break the occupation’s blockade on Gaza. This led to a sharp diplomatic break and the suspension of military ties.
Trump’s 20 Point Plan for Gaza states that an International Stabilisation Force (ISF) will soon be deployed to Gaza. Its task would be to oversee the ‘ceasefire’, and provide security in Gaza. It would oversee aid distribution, train a Palestinian police force and also ensure that Hamas hands over its weapons. The US wants Islamic and Arab states to contribute with funding and troops. Turkey says it will commit to the ISF, and Gaza’s reconstruction. But the Israeli regime insists that any foreign troops deployed in Gaza must have its approval, and says any Turkish military presence in Gaza is unacceptable.
Israel arrest warrants — Countries have a legal obligation
History shows us a pattern of cooperation and confrontation between Turkiye and ‘Israel’, but Turkiye is now pursuing legal measures. The country wants to challenge Israeli’s impunity for war crimes. The decision also places renewed pressure on other governments. Those who have remained silent or complicit — failing their obligations under international law.
As the warrants set a new precedent, Turkiye’s move challenges the longstanding impunity that Israeli occupation officials have enjoyed on the world stage. More countries must act. Rather than countries such as the UK shielding criminal Israeli occupation officials, arrest warrants must continue to be issued. All ties must also be cut with the regime. Foreign Minister Gideon Saar, has told us that ‘Israel’ will be destroyed if it suffers from an arms embargo. But we need to ensure diplomatic, economic, academic and cultural boycotts take place as well.
Under international law, every country has a moral and legal obligation to prevent genocide, and stop it happening. It is time we fulfilled our obligations and held the Israeli occupation to account for its many crimes.
In an open letter released at the Belém Climate Summit, special envoys for strategic regions have expressed their support for the COP30 presidency and for all leaders committed to advancing climate crisis action.
Former New Zealand prime minister Dame Jacinda Ardern, the “voice” for Oceania, was among the seven climate envoys signing the letter.
The document acknowledges the progress achieved through the Paris Agreement and the Dubai Consensus, while underscoring the need for further advances “in light of the Global Stocktake” and warning of the growing challenge posed by climate disinformation.
The text calls for unity and concrete action to bridge the “triple gap” between climate finance, adaptation, and mitigation.
These bottlenecks, it emphasised, could not be resolved solely through revisions to Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), but required tangible policy measures.
The Baku to Belém Roadmap is highlighted as a vehicle for developing innovative solutions to unlock large-scale investments while reducing financing costs.
In addressing the spread of climate disinformation, the special envoys underlined the need for coordinated responses, collective strategies, and reinforced regulatory frameworks.
The letter was signed by Special Envoys Adnan Z. Amin (Middle East), Arunabha Ghosh (South Asia), Carlos Lopes (Africa), Jacinda Ardern (Oceania), Jonathan Pershing (North America), Laurence Tubiana (Europe), and Patricia Espinosa (Latin America and the Caribbean).
The open letter to leaders in Belém and to the COP30 presidency from the special envoys for strategic regions
We, the Special Envoys for our respective regions, wish to express our strong support for the Brazilian Presidency and all leaders committed to climate action at Belém.
COP30 presents both a significant opportunity and a profound challenge. To remain aligned with the ambition of the Paris Agreement amidst an increasingly complex geopolitical environment, we must demonstrate decisive progress. Multilateralism, grounded in international law and guided by the Paris Agreement, remains our most effective framework.
A clear signal from COP30 that the international community stands united in its determination to confront climate change will resonate globally. Our shared commitment to fully implement the Paris Agreement is the strongest collective response to a crisis that is disproportionately affecting vulnerable households and countries, devastating lives, livelihoods, and the ecosystems upon which we all depend.
We should also recognise the progress achieved since the Paris Agreement in 2015. The rapid growth of clean solutions is bending the trajectory of global emissions; where we had been on track to exceed a devastating temperature increase of more than 4°C, we are now able to project a level of less than 2.5°C.
But we need greater progress. We are not on track to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement, and in particular, we are taking insufficient action to keep 1.5°C within reach, or even enough to keep warming well below 2°C. And every tenth of a degree of additional warming will mean harsh consequences for the world.
COP30 must acknowledge and address the “triple gap” in mitigation, adaptation and finance. Doing so requires an accelerated effort across the next decade, mobilising the full range of tools, resources, and partnerships available to us. This is at the heart of the goal of COP30: to advance the full implementation of both the Paris Agreement and the UAE Consensus, informed by the Global Stocktake presented at COP28 in Dubai.
To accelerate progress, we must maintain a laser focus on concrete, coordinated action.
The Action Agenda is a powerful reservoir of those actions, which must be structured, monitored, and supported for effective delivery. Addressing the gap should not be understood solely as revising Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), but rather as translating ambition into policies that enable each country to overperform on its existing commitments. And the policies we take, as has been amply demonstrated in our successes to date, can marry not only climate benefits, but also contribute to growing our economies, promote our national security, improve the welfare of our citizens, and promote a healthy environment.
Tripling global renewable energy capacity is a goal within reach. Collectively, we have the technology and resources: what is required now is scaled investment in all regions. The Baku to Belém roadmap to mobilise US$1.3 trillion annually for developing countries outlines both established and innovative solutions to deliver investment at scale at reduced costs of finance. To operationalise it, clear milestones, mandates, and responsibilities are needed.
Ministers of finance should take the lead in defining the priorities. Creating fiscal space, minimizing debt burdens, effectively mobilising domestic and international finance, and ensuring enabling policy environments, alongside increased investment in the Global South, are all essential to making this roadmap credible and implementable.
Strengthening resilience and adaptation are equally critical. Climate impacts are increasingly a major barrier to sustainable economic and social development. We must work together to define the indicators that do not impose resource-intensive reporting burdens but instead help our economies and societies adapt to their local circumstances and become resilient.
We must engage the insurance sector, central banks, and private investors to close the protection gap that threatens long-term developmental gains.
Countries pursuing the transition away from fossil fuels should define roadmaps, in line with their national circumstances, while fostering dialogue between producers and buyers of fossil fuels. Roadmaps to end deforestation and restore ecosystems are equally necessary. Taken together, these pathways can allow countries to implement the long-term strategies submitted in previous years.
For the first time, COP30 will also confront the challenge of climate disinformation: a growing threat that undermines public trust and policy implementation. Combatting this challenge requires coordinated approaches, shared strategies, and strengthened regulatory cooperation. We must shine the spotlight on our collective progress, in general, but also cases in particular where countries have met their climate targets ahead of schedule, demonstrating a positive bias for action.
Lastly, we need an evolution of the climate regime that makes implementation more effective and inclusive. Progress depends on joining forces with the local authorities, economic sectors, governments, and civil society. Subnational leaders, from governors, to regional authorities, mayors, and community representatives, must be empowered to reinforce and complement NDCs and National Adaptation Plans (NAPs). COP30 is the moment to have them at the table and to craft a new approach that brings all relevant actors together in a global effort to safeguard our common future.
It is the moment to remind ourselves of the need for solidarity, and to recognise our agency — we have it within our power to change the future for the better.
Signed:
Adnan Z. Amin (Special Envoy for Middle East), chair, World Energy Council; CEO of COP28; former director-general, International Renewable Energy Agency
Arunabha Ghosh (Special Envoy for South Asia), founder-CEO, Council on Energy, Environment and Water
Carlos Lopes (Special Envoy for Africa), chair, Africa Climate Foundation; former executive
secretary, UN Economic Commission for Africa
Jacinda Ardern (Special Envoy for Oceania), former Prime Minister of New Zealand
Jonathan Pershing (Special Envoy for North America); former US Special Envoy for Climate Change
Laurence Tubiana (Special Envoy for Europe), dean, Paris Climate School; CEO, European
Climate Foundation; former French Special Envoy for Climate Change
Patricia Espinosa (Special Envoy for Latin America and the Caribbean), former executive
secretary, UN Framework Convention on Climate Change
Ms Rachel is a children’s entertainer who has drawn significant criticism for speaking out on behalf of Palestinian children. While the pressure she’s faced has been immense, she’s remained steadfast, and now she’s joined the boycott of the New York Times (NYT):
Ms Rachel, an American children’s entertainer, is facing attacks from pro-Israel groups. Otherwise known as Rachel Accurso, the performer has used her massive following to call for the famine and murder of Palestinian children to be stopped. Incredibly, this has led a number of Zionist lobbyists and mainstream media outlets to question if Ms Rachel is funded by Hamas.
At the time, Ms Rachel said:
When it’s controversial to advocate for children that have been killed in the thousands, are blocked from food and medical care, and have become the largest cohort of amputees in modern history, we have lost our way.
It’s my unwavering belief that children aren’t less valuable or less equal because of where they were born, the color of their skin, or the religion they practice.
In a follow-up message to her NYT boycott post, Ms Rachel highlighted why people are taking action:
In October, Middle East Eye reported that 150 NYT contributors had pledged not to write for the outlet until it ends its bias against Palestinians. Their letter stated:
Until The New York Times takes accountability for its biased coverage and commits to truthfully and ethically reporting on the US-Israeli war on Gaza, any putative ‘challenge’ to the newsroom or the editorial board in the form of a first-person essay is, in effect, permission to continue this malpractice
Only by withholding our labor can we mount an effective challenge to the hegemonic authority that the Times has long used to launder the US and Israel’s lies
The letter detailed the many examples of shoddy journalism perpetrated by the NYT, including:
The writers also called on The New York Times to retract a December 2023 article titled “Screams Without Words,” which alleged that Palestinians who took part in the Hamas-led 7 October 2023 attack committed sexual assault against Israeli women.
That article relied largely on the testimony of an unnamed Israeli special forces paramedic. A spokesperson for the kibbutz where the article claimed the assaults took place later denied the allegations made by The New York Times.
Anat Schwartz, one of the report’s authors, was later investigated by the paper after it emerged that she had liked a social media post calling for Gaza to be turned into a “slaughterhouse”.
Prior to the article, family members of the girls killed during the attack, who were the alleged victims of the sexual assault, gave several interviews that appeared to contradict the claims made in the story. However, none of these interviews were used in the New York Times piece.
History repeats itself
Like much of the British media, the NYT helped sell the lies which led to the Iraq War. They apologised for that, but clearly they haven’t learned.
Solidarity with the Palestinians and with all those who are boycotting the NYT.
On November 7, the US became only the second country in history – after ‘Israel’ in 2013 – to skip its scheduled Universal Periodic Review (UPR) at the United Nations.
The Universal Periodic Review
The Universal Periodic Review is designed to promote and protect human rights in every UN member country.
The UPR was established in 2006, and occurs every four to five years. Its aim is to review each of the 193 UN member states’ human rights record. The most recent review session took place on Friday, at the Human Rights Council in Geneva. There was no US representative present.
This has shocked the international human rights community and also sparked widespread criticism and concern. The move ends nearly two decades of unbroken US participation, and comes at a time when there has been growing concerns over America’s human rights record. The US absence raises serious questions not only about accountability, but also the undermining of global efforts on human rights.
US Human Rights absence
Amnesty International called the US boycott of its UPR “shocking,” and accused Washington of “walking away from even the impression of caring about the safety and security of people in the US and around the world.”
Human Rights Watch said although the US may avoid this formal scrutiny for a time,
it will only generate international criticism and further erode its place on the world stage.
Larry Krasner, District Attorney of Philadelphia, claimed Trump did not want a report card on “his unceasing violations of human rights”. He said the President “wants to be Adolf Hitler,” and it was unsurprising the “criminal” Trump administration “wants to escape accountability”.
To support the US review, hundreds of organisations had submitted reports on a wide range of human rights violations taking place in the country. These included arbitrary detention, and regression in sexual, reproductive and LGBTQ+ rights. Raids by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), systemic racial discrimination and the abusive treatment of immigrants were also on the agenda for discussion. So were the excessive use of force during demonstrations, attacks on free speech, and the death penalty.
US has refused to attend its UPR
The US decision to disengage from this review is linked directly to Trump’s administration. It ordered the move following the February 4 executive order to withdraw from several UN agencies. These were the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC), along with the UN Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), and also the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA). In a statement, the White House claimed these UN bodies have “drifted from their mission” and instead:
act contrary to the interests of the United States while attacking our allies and propagating anti-Semitism.
The US Department of State issued another statement on Friday. It framed its withdrawal from the UPR as a rejection of what it sees as the Human Rights Council’s failures to condemn severe human rights violations from UNHRC members such as Venezuela, China, and Sudan. It also stated that the US would not accept lectures about its human rights record from these countries.
Significant and multiple human rights abuses
Recent reports show disturbing human rights abuses in the United States, particularly related to law enforcement practices. As of October 2025, over 1,000 people have been killed by police officers, marking the twelfth consecutive year of exceeding this grim milestone. These killings often involve excessive use of force. They frequently affect unarmed individuals including those who are mentally ill or just in need of help. This persistent pattern highlights systemic issues within US law enforcement agencies.
Racial minorities in the US face a higher likelihood of being targeted with lethal force. Although Black Americans make up around 12 percent of the US population, they account for an estimated 20% of those fatally shot by police in 2025. The same applies to the Hispanic population in the US. Police misconduct, disproportionate arrests and use of force against minorities are also common US human rights abuses.
Systemic injustice also extends into the US criminal justice system. Around two million people are imprisoned in the country, and there is an overrepresentation of racial minorities. ICE are conducting violent raids against immigrants, who are then systematically detained for prolonged period, seriously abused, and deported.
America ‘claims’ to uphold human rights
The continuation of the death penalty is also a stain on the US’s human rights record. Several states maintain use of the death penalty, sometimes employing methods such as nitrogen hypoxia criticized internationally as cruel and inhumane. In addition, places such as Guantanamo Bay continue to indefinitely detain individuals, without trial, violating international law. Environmental justice, violence against Indigenous peoples, and the LGBTQ community should also have been brought up in the UPR, if the US had attended, to push for necessary reforms.
The UN Universal Periodic Review is designed to hold all UN member states accountable, regardless of their global power. The US decision not to participate signals its clear refusal to accept external scrutiny. It raises serious questions about its commitment to human rights.
By withdrawing from the UPR, the US also gives other countries with human rights abuses an excuse to follow suit.
The UN Human Rights Council has postponed the US review until November 2026. The Council warned it may take further action if the US continues to refuse cooperation.
The European sporting arena has recently witnessed remarkable shifts in attitudes towards Israel, with increasing calls to freeze its participation in continental football tournaments, against the backdrop of crimes committed in the Gaza Strip.
These moves, which began with clubs and fans and then reached national federations such as the Irish Football Association, reflect a gradual moral shift within Europe that raises a fundamental question: Can sport remain silent in the face of genocide?
From Aston Villa… signs of European awakening
The British authorities’ decision to ban fans of Israeli club Maccabi Tel Aviv from attending their team’s match against Aston Villa in the Europa League competition sparked widespread reaction in both sporting and political circles.
Despite the ban being justified on security grounds, many in Europe – including pro-Palestinian activists – saw the move as an implicit rejection of normalising sport with an entity that commits war crimes against civilians in Gaza.
The scene was not limited to England, as the Irish Football Association announced its intention to vote on a formal proposal calling on the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) to suspend the Israeli association’s membership and ban it from its competitions, based on violations related to the practices of Israeli clubs in the occupied Palestinian territories and their failure to implement anti-racism standards.
Growing popular sentiment in Europe
There has been a growing awareness among the European public of what is happening in Palestine, especially with the continuing massacres in the Gaza Strip and the tens of thousands of victims. This awareness has translated into clear sporting action:
Demonstrations in front of stadiums in London, Amsterdam and other European cities chanting ‘No football for genocide’.
Fans of major clubs — such as Celtic in Scotland and Ajax in the Netherlands — raised Palestinian flags during matches, defying warnings from local federations.
In response, popular demands have grown for UEFA and FIFA to be held accountable for their double standards, after they rushed to punish Russia for its invasion of Ukraine while remaining silent on Israel’s aggression, which has been ongoing for more than a year.
This shift in European public sentiment represents a turning point in Western public opinion, with the Palestinian cause now present in the consciousness of broad sections of young people, athletes and fans, who see sport as a space for defending justice rather than merely commercial competition.
Increasing influence on official sports institutions
At the institutional level, this wave has begun to pressure European national federations to reconsider their position on Israel.
The Irish Football Association, with the support of Bohemian FC, broke the official silence and opened the door to the first vote of its kind in Europe to call for a ban on Israel.
According to media sources, officials within some federations are discussing the possibility of adopting similar positions, based on Israel’s violation of the conditions for joining UEFA, particularly with regard to discrimination and racism.
Even within UEFA itself, a legal debate has begun on how to apply the regulations to the case of the Israeli occupation, amid increasing pressure from human rights and media groups.
For Palestinians, these developments are a historic precedent in official European awareness, as they shift the position from the realm of ‘humanitarian sympathy’ to that of institutional action capable of bringing about real change.
Sport is not immune to justice
From a Palestinian perspective, these steps represent a true translation of the principle that sport cannot be neutral in the face of injustice.
The Israeli occupation uses sporting participation as a front to improve its image abroad, while continuing to kill civilians and besiege Gaza.
Therefore, every European step – however symbolic – towards holding it accountable or restricting its sporting presence is a moral victory for the Palestinian people and a message that justice can begin in any field, even on the playing field.
A moral European sporting front
What is happening on European pitches today is not just a sporting dispute, but a moral and popular shift in attitudes towards the genocide in Palestine.
The voices of fans and clubs such as Aston Villa and Bohemian are paving the way for Europe to correct its position, not only with statements, but with institutional action.
While some federations hesitate to take a clear decision, there is a growing conviction that history will record who stood up for justice and who remained silent.
The Phoenix & Friends Podcast is seeking to connect people and inspire them with positivity. And the Canary spoke to Phoenix to find out more.
In a wide-ranging conversation, Phoenix stressed the importance of nurturing curiosity – of breaking away from the short-form doom-scroll overload of social media today and delving into issues more deeply and meaningfully instead. He also described his personal connection to Africa and interest in boosting the past and present stories of the continent in a Western corporate media environment that too often ignores them. And he noted that, while protests have their benefits, campaigners today need to develop new tactics to really foster and bring about change.
With his podcast, he hopes to help motivate people with constructive conversations that can have a positive impact on them and the communities around them.
Phoenix & Friends Podcast: about the power of human passion and potential
Phoenix has interviewed a diverse group of people so far since starting his podcast earlier this year. These include an Olympian, community-project organisers, a mayor, and “creatives from different fields”. What they aren’t, he asserted, is “some unattainable celebrity that was born into status and wealth”. The main message that comes across is one of:
Persistence and patience with yourself, and faith in yourself, and finding something that you want to do, regardless of what that is, and just starting and keeping going and seeing that, when you really follow that passion, that is such an important thing
He wants the podcast to help people see that:
there is something that you can do that you’re passionate about that can make a positive change in the world, and pay your bills and put food on the table, and you can find a way to do that
As he insisted:
human potential is amazing
We need a different approach
Growing up and participating in protests, the tactics of the state’s apparatus convinced Phoenix that the protests of the past aren’t going to cut it anymore. One barrier to their success, he said, is the bias of the mainstream media. Because today’s media landscape:
allows states to… shape the picture of what’s happening at protests, and allows them to tell the story how they want it to be told, and more often than not puts the protesters in places of aggression.
In one protest he attended, for example:
we got run down by a bunch of horses, and I went back home, and I watched the BBC footage, and they played everything backwards… [and] out of order to make it look as if the crowd were the aggressors in the situation.
Insisting he’s “tired of just chanting the same things over and over”, he argued that:
We’ve got to actually speak beyond just chants and slogans, because… that doesn’t say much or do much for anyone.
This realisation informed his decision to:
transition into doing something more with media and with arts, and finding a way… [to] get into the homes of people who we can’t reach by being out on the streets.
He added that “states and police forces overall are too well-practised and rehearsed now” to allow protests to be really effective. While such events are good for venting frustration and recharging hope via the energy of many like-minded people, he said, “we have to kind of come up with new methods to create that change” we want to see. “It needs to evolve.”
“Connecting with people in person”
Having travelled around the country with a group of musicians in support of Black Lives Matter, Phoenix said people came up to them – having been drawn in by a song, dance, or poem – to find out more. Creating opportunities to talk and connect with other people, he insisted, is so important. And it “definitely means being there in person, as opposed to being behind a keyboard or reading a comment” because:
Communication is 2% the words we use, which is basically online communication, and 98% is our tone of voice, our body language, everything else, and that is all taken out when we’re speaking online, unless we’re watching a video, and even then… our attention spans are so short. There’s so many people talking at us. It’s just not comparable with connecting with people in person.
Online engagement does matter, though. Because it creates connections with people who “don’t necessarily go out, don’t take part in community”, or are suffering from the “massive loneliness crisis”. And on that topic, he pointed out the dangers of short posts on social media (see Watching short form content damages the brain five times worse than alcohol). He suggested that it’s normal for kids to have short attention spans because “everything is still new and interesting and fascinating”, but that when adulthood starts to hit there’s more space to encourage deep-dives into specific topics. At the same time, he noted that schools in Britain seem to have dulled the spark of curiosity for too many kids.
“The education system has really gone down the drain,” he said, adding:
I grew up between here and Africa, and one of the… I left just after I did my GCSEs and spent a year in Africa. And even then, in 2005-6, it struck me, because I came from an environment where everyone was like, ugh, school, I don’t want to go, I don’t want to do this, I’m not interested in learning, to a place where everyone’s like: ‘all I want to do is go to school. I wish I could go to school and learn.’ … We’ve made… expanding our minds, for so many people, an unattractive thing.
He wants us to nurture that natural human interest in learning – not just about the world, but about each other:
I will listen to anyone, even the people that I disagree with, … to understand where you’re coming from, at least.
And he stressed that we can almost always find some common ground, even if “sometimes it takes time to discover that”. So much polarisation, he asserted, comes from the fact that many people have never had meaningful interactions with people who have different experiences, backgrounds, or opinions. On top of that, the:
atmosphere of fear that the media has created, and of alienation, leads people to jump to these wild assumptions, and not have the curiosity to look into it
He hopes to challenge that with his podcast.
Phoenix & Friends Podcast: take the time to listen
Phoenix argued that:
In so many ways, I think things like long-form YouTube videos or podcasts have replaced the radio for a generation
When he’s cleaning or doing other tasks around the house, he said:
I will actively look for a video that’s as long as possible
So he’s been creating something that can be positive for others with similar habits.
Despite delving into some “really massive, huge, difficult topics… from genocide and ecocide to mental health difficulties”, he always seeks to leave “something that people can take away that is also positive or constructive”. With that in mind, he specifically asks podcast guests to only discuss challenges they’ve faced if they also have a:
form of solution or thing that people have used to overcome that, or deal with that along the way if they can’t overcome it
One problem we discussed was rising fascism. And as Phoenix stressed, fascists are using the longstanding “fear playbook of ‘identify something different that isn’t present, but you can make it a looming threat, and then scare everyone about it”. But he strongly believes “the only way to resolve that is through conversation”.
We could hardly agree more with Phoenix. Because we absolutely need to be doom-scrolling less and interacting with others more. And when we can’t do that, we can allow inspiring and positive podcasts like Phoenix & Friends to nurture our mind and soul.
This was Rich before these conditions took hold in February of this year. Even though he was also living with myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) he still had some quality of life:
Rich explains that now:
My life is falling apart around me as I struggle within a healthcare system that has proved both indifferent to and incapable of diagnosing or treating this complex and rapidly worsening health crisis.
For six months he has been “repeatedly sent home from the emergency room,” despite visible neurological decline – and even psychosis. The leaking CSF causes brain sagging, vein rupture, bleeding, and iron toxicity. The latter is killing off nerves in his brain, leading to permanent damage – and it is this which is causing rich to experience psychosis.
Freiburg University Hospital in Germany, a world leader in CSF-leak treatment, has given him hope. They’ve confirmed his diagnosis and have a plan for targeted repair — “treatment ready and waiting,” as he writes — but cost is the only obstacle.
Rich describes his daily life as one of isolation and despair. He says:
It’s an absurd situation — to not receive the care you need in your own country — and profoundly uncomfortable to so publicly and literally have to beg for your life.
A creative soul who once loved sound and light, he now lives in near-darkness, unable to bear loud noise or movement:
The emotional toll is palpable. “No more listening to or making music… the things you take for granted suddenly become unbearably painful,” he writes. Each day without treatment risks further nerve death, deeper disability, and the permanent loss of independence.
Systemic failures
Sweden’s failure is not an individual oversight; it’s a systemic collapse around the world. A supposedly advanced healthcare system has let bureaucracy and ignorance consign a man to worsening neurological damage. Supposed rare-disease patients like Rich fall through cracks too wide to close — cracks widened by medical arrogance and ignorance. They’re also widened by the notion that diseases are rare – when in fact, they all-too-often not.
But crucially, it’s the notion – pushed by psychiatrists and adopted by mainstream medicine – that physical illness can somehow be psychomatic which is most damaging. As Rich describes in the below video, doctors think his and so many other people’s illnesses are somehow ‘all in their heads’ – when they are demonstrably not:
Rich writes,:
After six months of being repeatedly sent home… I’ve reached a terrifying crossroads: I’m now far too sick to keep fighting this uphill battle.
His words cut to the core of a state that prides itself on universal care yet forces its citizens to crowdfund survival.
He needs your support
Germany, by contrast, offers a clear route: advanced imaging, dynamic myelography and surgical sealing of the leak. It’s sophisticated, evidence-based medicine — but it costs money Rich doesn’t have. The fundraiser seeks 150,000 SEK to cover diagnostics and treatment.
Rich promises transparency:
Every donation, no matter how small, could be what saves my life… Any reimbursement will be refunded to donors.
What stands out most is his courage to write with such honesty. He jokes darkly about the surreal task of fundraising for your own life — “being told it has to be catchy and filled with cheerful photos of you so people will want to help.” Yet behind the gallows humour lies desperation:
Desperation and death anxiety are very strong motivators.
The Swedish health authorities should hang their heads in shame. A man shouldn’t have to explain his suffering to strangers because alleged medical professionals refuse to listen. Their delays have made his disease worse — his brain damage, pain, his tinnitus, his dizziness, psychosis, and paralysis, all avoidable with earlier intervention.
Rich’s case exposes a more profound truth: when systems stop seeing patients as people, they condemn them quietly. Bureaucracy becomes triage; neglect becomes policy. Sweden’s international image as a compassionate healthcare model means nothing to those it abandons.
Help Rich if you can
For Rich, however, there is still a window of hope. The specialists in Freiburg can act — but only if they reach them in time. “The care I urgently need is available and waiting in Germany, while I lie here rapidly deteriorating,” he pleads.
His situation shouldn’t exist. And yet, as he writes from his darkened room:
Time is running out.
Your donation could buy more than medical intervention — it could bring him back the sounds, lights, and sensations of a life worth living.
Please, if you can, give what you’re able. Share his story. Be part of the humanity that Sweden’s healthcare system has forgotten.
A Pacific people’s mission to Kanaky New Caledonia was repeatedly confronted with a “profound sense of distrust” in the French state’s role in the decolonisation process, a new report released this week has revealed.
“This scepticism, articulated by Kanak representatives, is rooted in the belief that France is not a neutral arbiter but a key actor in perpetuating the conflict,” said the mission, which concluded that the French management of the territory continued to undermine the Kanak right to self-determination and breached international commitments on decolonisation.
As one speaker cited in the report explained:”France is acting like a referee, but instead they are the main perpetrator.”
The mission — led by the Pacific Network on Globalisation (PANG), the Pacific Conference of Churches (PCC) and the Protestant Church of Kanaky New Caledonia (Église protestante de Kanaky Nouvelle-Calédonie, EPKNC) — was conducted on April 10-19 this year following invitations from customary and church leaders.
Its findings, released last Wednesday by PANG, reveal persistent inequality, systemic discrimination, and political interference under the French administration. The report said that France’s role in Kanaky’s long-delayed decolonisation process had deepened mistrust and weakened the foundations of self-rule.
“The Pacific Mission in Kanaky New Caledonia is a reminder of our Pasifika connection with our families across the sea,” said Pastor Billy Wetewea of the EPKNC.
“It shows that we never exist alone but because of others, and that we are all linked to a common destiny. The journey of the Kanak people toward self-determination is a journey shared by every people in our region still striving to define their own future.”
The delegation included Anna Naupa (Vanuatu — the mission head), Lopeti Senituli (Tonga), Dr David Small (Aotearoa New Zealand), Emele Duituturaga-Jale (Fiji), with secretariat support by PANG and Kanak partners.
The team met community leaders, churches, women’s groups and youth networks across several provinces to document how the effects of French rule continue to shape Kanaky’s political, economic and social life.
Key findings
The Pacific Peoples’ Mission Report identifies four main areas of concern:
France is not a neutral actor in the transition to independence. The state continues to breach commitments made under the Accords through election delays, political interference and the transfer of Kanak leaders to prisons in mainland France.
Widening socio-economic inequality. Land ownership, employment, and access to public resources remain heavily imbalanced. The 2024 unrest destroyed more than 800 businesses and left 20,000 people unemployed.
A health system in decline. About 20 percent of medical professionals left after the 2024 crisis, leaving rural hospitals and clinics under-resourced and understaffed.
Systemic bias in the justice system. Kanak youth now make up more than 80 percent of the prison population, a reflection of structural discrimination and the criminalisation of dissent.
Kanak writer and activist Roselyne Makalu said the report documented the lived experiences of her people.
“This support is fundamental because, as the Pacific family, we form one single entity united by a common destiny,” she said.
“The publication of this report, which constitutes factual evidence of human-rights violations and the denial of the Kanak people’s right to decide their future, comes at the very moment the French National Assembly has voted, against popular opinion, to postpone the provincial elections.
“This Parisian decision is nothing short of a blatant new attack on the voice of the Caledonian people, intensifying the political deadlock.”
Tongan law practitioner and former president of the Tonga Law Society, Lopeti Senituli, who was a member of the mission, said the findings confirmed a deliberate system of control, adding that “the deep inequalities faced by Kanak people — from land loss and economic marginalisation to mass incarceration — are not accidents of history”.
“They are the direct outcomes of a system designed to keep Kanaky dependent,” he added.
‘Politics of revenge’
Head of mission Anna Naupa said France could not act as both referee and participant in the decolonisation process.
“Its repeated breaches, political interference and disregard for Kanak rights expose a system built to protect colonial interests, not people,” she said.
“The mission called for immediate action — the release of political prisoners, fair provincial elections, and a Pacific-led mediation process to restore trust and place Kanaky firmly on the path to self-determination and justice.”
The mission also confirmed that the May 2024 crisis was an uprising by those most affected by France’s flawed governance and economic model.
It described France’s post-crisis policies — including scholarship withdrawals, fare increases, and relocation of public services — as “politics of revenge” that had further harmed Kanak and Oceanian communities.
Recommendations The mission calls for:
• Free and fair provincial elections under neutral international observation;
• A new round of negotiations to be held to find a new political agreement post Nouméa Accord; and
• Pacific-led mediation through the Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG) and the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF).
The report further urges Pacific governments to ensure Kanaky remains on the United Nations list of Non-Self-Governing Territories and to revitalise regional solidarity mechanisms supporting self-determination and justice.
“The world is already in the fourth international decade of decolonisation,” the report concludes.
“Self-determination is an inalienable right of colonised peoples. Decolonisation is a universal issue — not a French internal matter.”
The full report, Pacific Peoples’ Mission to Kanaky New Caledonia, is available here through the Pacific Network on Globalisation.
Supporters of Kanak self-determination hold aloft the flags of Fiji and Kanak independence in Suva. Image: PANG
A Pacific people’s mission to Kanaky New Caledonia was repeatedly confronted with a “profound sense of distrust” in the French state’s role in the decolonisation process, a new report released this week has revealed.
“This scepticism, articulated by Kanak representatives, is rooted in the belief that France is not a neutral arbiter but a key actor in perpetuating the conflict,” said the mission, which concluded that the French management of the territory continued to undermine the Kanak right to self-determination and breached international commitments on decolonisation.
As one speaker cited in the report explained:”France is acting like a referee, but instead they are the main perpetrator.”
The mission — led by the Pacific Network on Globalisation (PANG), the Pacific Conference of Churches (PCC) and the Protestant Church of Kanaky New Caledonia (Église protestante de Kanaky Nouvelle-Calédonie, EPKNC) — was conducted on April 10-19 this year following invitations from customary and church leaders.
Its findings, released last Wednesday by PANG, reveal persistent inequality, systemic discrimination, and political interference under the French administration. The report said that France’s role in Kanaky’s long-delayed decolonisation process had deepened mistrust and weakened the foundations of self-rule.
“The Pacific Mission in Kanaky New Caledonia is a reminder of our Pasifika connection with our families across the sea,” said Pastor Billy Wetewea of the EPKNC.
“It shows that we never exist alone but because of others, and that we are all linked to a common destiny. The journey of the Kanak people toward self-determination is a journey shared by every people in our region still striving to define their own future.”
The delegation included Anna Naupa (Vanuatu — the mission head), Lopeti Senituli (Tonga), Dr David Small (Aotearoa New Zealand), Emele Duituturaga-Jale (Fiji), with secretariat support by PANG and Kanak partners.
The team met community leaders, churches, women’s groups and youth networks across several provinces to document how the effects of French rule continue to shape Kanaky’s political, economic and social life.
Key findings
The Pacific Peoples’ Mission Report identifies four main areas of concern:
France is not a neutral actor in the transition to independence. The state continues to breach commitments made under the Accords through election delays, political interference and the transfer of Kanak leaders to prisons in mainland France.
Widening socio-economic inequality. Land ownership, employment, and access to public resources remain heavily imbalanced. The 2024 unrest destroyed more than 800 businesses and left 20,000 people unemployed.
A health system in decline. About 20 percent of medical professionals left after the 2024 crisis, leaving rural hospitals and clinics under-resourced and understaffed.
Systemic bias in the justice system. Kanak youth now make up more than 80 percent of the prison population, a reflection of structural discrimination and the criminalisation of dissent.
Kanak writer and activist Roselyne Makalu said the report documented the lived experiences of her people.
“This support is fundamental because, as the Pacific family, we form one single entity united by a common destiny,” she said.
“The publication of this report, which constitutes factual evidence of human-rights violations and the denial of the Kanak people’s right to decide their future, comes at the very moment the French National Assembly has voted, against popular opinion, to postpone the provincial elections.
“This Parisian decision is nothing short of a blatant new attack on the voice of the Caledonian people, intensifying the political deadlock.”
Tongan law practitioner and former president of the Tonga Law Society, Lopeti Senituli, who was a member of the mission, said the findings confirmed a deliberate system of control, adding that “the deep inequalities faced by Kanak people — from land loss and economic marginalisation to mass incarceration — are not accidents of history”.
“They are the direct outcomes of a system designed to keep Kanaky dependent,” he added.
‘Politics of revenge’
Head of mission Anna Naupa said France could not act as both referee and participant in the decolonisation process.
“Its repeated breaches, political interference and disregard for Kanak rights expose a system built to protect colonial interests, not people,” she said.
“The mission called for immediate action — the release of political prisoners, fair provincial elections, and a Pacific-led mediation process to restore trust and place Kanaky firmly on the path to self-determination and justice.”
The mission also confirmed that the May 2024 crisis was an uprising by those most affected by France’s flawed governance and economic model.
It described France’s post-crisis policies — including scholarship withdrawals, fare increases, and relocation of public services — as “politics of revenge” that had further harmed Kanak and Oceanian communities.
Recommendations The mission calls for:
• Free and fair provincial elections under neutral international observation;
• A new round of negotiations to be held to find a new political agreement post Nouméa Accord; and
• Pacific-led mediation through the Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG) and the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF).
The report further urges Pacific governments to ensure Kanaky remains on the United Nations list of Non-Self-Governing Territories and to revitalise regional solidarity mechanisms supporting self-determination and justice.
“The world is already in the fourth international decade of decolonisation,” the report concludes.
“Self-determination is an inalienable right of colonised peoples. Decolonisation is a universal issue — not a French internal matter.”
The full report, Pacific Peoples’ Mission to Kanaky New Caledonia, is available here through the Pacific Network on Globalisation.
Supporters of Kanak self-determination hold aloft the flags of Fiji and Kanak independence in Suva. Image: PANG
On Saturday 8 November, Ireland’s Football Association approved a decision calling on the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) to suspend Israel’s participation in European football competitions.
Ireland says ban Israel from UEFA
The resolution states that the Israeli association has violated two fundamental provisions of UEFA’s statutes. The first relates to the organisation of clubs in the occupied Palestinian territories without the consent of the Palestinian association, which is a direct violation of European football laws.
The second clause relates to the Israeli association’s failure to implement an effective anti-racism policy, which is a prerequisite for membership of any association within the UEFA system.
The resolution also called for clear and transparent criteria for suspending or excluding member associations that violate fundamental laws, thereby ensuring the protection of sporting values and fairness within the European Football Association.
As the homes of Gaza’s families lie in ruins, its farmlands and water supply now also pose lethal risks in environmental and health catastrophe.
SPECIAL REPORT:By Elis Gjevori
Israel’s war on Gaza has not only razed entire neighbourhoods to the ground, displaced families multiple times and decimated medical facilities, but also poisoned the very ground and water on which Palestinians depend.
Four weeks into a fragile ceasefire, which Israel has violated daily, the scale of the environmental devastation is becoming painfully clear.
In Gaza City’s Sheikh Radwan neighbourhood, what was once a lively community has become a wasteland. Homes lie in ruins, and an essential water source, once a rainwater pond, now festers with sewage and debris.
For many displaced families, it is both home and hazard.
Umm Hisham, pregnant and displaced, trudges through the foul water with her children. They have nowhere else to go.
“We took refuge here, around the Sheikh Radwan pond, with all the sufferings you could imagine, from mosquitoes to sewage with rising levels, let alone the destruction all around. All this poses a danger to our lives and the lives of our children,” she said, speaking to Al Jazeera’s Ibrahim Alkhalili.
The pond, designed to collect rainwater and channel it to the sea, now holds raw sewage after Israeli air attacks destroyed the pumps. With electricity and sanitation systems crippled, contaminated water continues to rise, threatening to engulf nearby homes and tents.
Grave impacts
“There is no doubt there are grave impacts on all citizens: Foul odours, insects, mosquitoes. Also, foul water levels have exceeded 6 metres high without any protection; the fence is completely destroyed, with high possibility for any child, woman, old man, or even a car to fall into this pond,” said Maher Salem, a Gaza City municipal officer speaking to Al Jazeera.
Local officials warn that stagnant water could cause disease outbreaks, especially among children. Yet for many in Gaza, there are no alternatives.
Gaza contaminated water risk Video: Al Jazeera
“Families know that the water they get from the wells and from the containers or from the water trucks is polluted and contaminated … but they don’t have any other choice,” said Al Jazeera journalist Hani Mahmoud, reporting from Gaza City.
Palestinian Ambassador to Brazil Ibrahim al-Zeben at COP30 . . . “the deliberate destruction of sewage and water networks has led to the contamination of groundwater and coastal waters.” Image: SBS TikTok screenshot APR
Destroyed water infrastructure At the COP30 Climate Summit in Brazil, described the crisis as an environmental catastrophe intertwined with Israel’s genocide.
“There’s no secret that Gaza is suffering because of the genocide that Israel continues to wage, a war that has created nearly a quarter of a million victims and produced more than 61 million tonnes of rubble, some of which is contaminated with hazardous materials,” he said.
“In addition, the deliberate destruction of sewage and water networks has led to the contamination of groundwater and coastal waters. Gaza now faces severe risks to public health, and environmental risks are increasing,” al-Zeben added.
Agricultural land ‘destroyed’
Israel’s attacks have also “destroyed” much of the enclave’s agricultural land, leaving it “in a state of severe food insecurity and famine with food being used as a weapon,” he said.
In September, a UN report warned freshwater supplies in Gaza are “severely limited and much of what remains is polluted”.
Piles of Gaza garbage have bred many pests and spread diseases. Image: AJ screenshot APR
“The collapse of sewage treatment infrastructure, the destruction of piped systems and the use of cesspits for sanitation have likely increased contamination of the aquifer that supplies much of Gaza with water,” the report by the United Nations Environment Programme noted.
Back in Sheikh Radwan, the air hangs thick with rot and despair. “When every day is a fight to find water, food, and bread,” journalist Mahmoud said, “safety becomes secondary.”
A New Zealand pro-Palestine protester with a watermelon “Free Palestine” placard at traffic lights in a West Auckland rally yesterday. Image: Asia Pacific Report
The Gaza government’s emergency operations unit has issued an urgent appeal to the United Nations, its agencies, and international humanitarian organisations. It’s calling for immediate action to protect thousands of displaced families facing the threat of flooding as winter approaches.
Displaced families face imminent threat of flooding and need to be relocated
Dr. Samah Hammad, head of the operations unit, described the situation as “extremely dire.” She said families living in coastal and low-lying areas face an immediate threat from flooding, rainwater, and storm surges. Hammad urged the relocation of families to safe shelters and called for urgent delivery of aid.
The ongoing genocide has destroyed infrastructure across Gaza — including drainage systems and roads. Gaza Municipality reports that most wastewater plants, pumping stations, and sewage networks are in ruins. This extensive destruction has led to a build-up of contaminated water, environmental toxicity, and serious public-health risks.
Collapsed water and sanitation systems make neighbourhoods more prone to flooding and prevent communities from coping with heavy rains. Living conditions are worsening fast — many displaced people have no protection from the cold and no heating at all.
Items needed for winter survival are prevented from entering Gaza by the Israeli occupation
Gaza’s humanitarian crisis has deepened under years of blockade and repeated Israeli assaults. Even before October 2023, 80% the population relied on aid to survive. Israel continues to ban construction materials, blocking any real reconstruction effort. Now the siege is stopping tents, building materials, and winter supplies from entering — even as storms approach.
Hammad said international organisations already have shelter supplies ready, but Israel has refused to grant border access. Aid entry remains severely restricted — in clear breach of the ceasefire agreement promising 600 trucks per day.
According to Gaza’s Government Media Office, between 10 October and 31 October 2025 only 3,203 aid trucks entered Gaza — an average of just 145 a day. That’s nowhere near enough to meet urgent needs.
Humanitarian aid needs to be immediate and unrestricted
The Ministry of Public Works and Housing has identified almost 300 temporary shelter sites equipped with basic water and sanitation facilities near displaced communities. But these safe zones can only function if international and local authorities coordinate — and if Israel stops blocking access.
Humanitarian groups like the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) are mobilising to help but need unrestricted entry to do their work.
Hammad urged the international community to demand the immediate, unhindered delivery of tents, shelter materials, and prefabricated housing units. Without this, hundreds of thousands of people face another winter without safety or dignity.
In a city where the echoes of bombardment mingle with the groans of the wounded, the health system in Gaza is collapsing under the weight of the siege and denial of medical supplies. The scene is no longer limited to the wounded waiting for a bed, but also includes doctors searching for a single dose of painkillers in nearly empty warehouses.
The Director General of the Ministry of Health in Gaza, Dr. Munir al-Barsh, painted a grim picture of the situation, telling journalists that the amount of medicine that has entered since the ceasefire on October 10th does not exceed 10% of the Strip’s needs.
“Medicine has become part of the battlefield, not a means of healing,” said Al-Barsh, referring to what he described as a “deliberate medical siege.”
Gaza medicine — An open-ended crisis
Since the ceasefire was declared, only 60 truckloads of medical supplies have been allowed in, a meagre number compared to the needs of two million people living amidst destruction and disease.
According to the Ministry of Health, the shortage of medicines has reached 65%, while the shortage of medical supplies has reached 70%, unprecedented levels even during the most brutal phases of the war. As Al-Barsh puts it:
Some essential medicines are completely out of stock. We are treating the wounded with what remains of expired packages or alternative medications that are insufficient
Medicine in the Market: Between Scarcity and Greed
In the few markets that are still operating, pharmacies have become like museums of rare medicines, where medication is sometimes available, but at exorbitant prices.
Al-Barsh confirmed that some medicines reach the private sector in “very small” quantities, which explains the sharp rise in prices, especially for painkillers and antibiotics.
Targeting the Pharmaceutical Infrastructure
The occupation did not stop at blocking the entry of trucks. It also destroyed what remained of the health facilities. According to the Ministry of Health, approximately 860 private pharmacies were destroyed during the two years of the war, in what Al-Barsh described as “a direct attack on people’s right to treatment and life.”
When the hospital is destroyed and the pharmacy closes, all that remains is the tent and waiting… waiting for death or a miracle
Medical Care Amidst the Rubble
In hospital corridors, doctors work with whatever supplies and bandages are left. Operating rooms are sometimes lit by emergency lights, and the wounded are given insufficient anaesthesia.
Sometimes we perform surgeries without anaesthesia. Pain has become part of the treatment.
Thus, in Gaza, wounds have become a daily reality, and medicine a wish suspended at a military checkpoint.
Open the crossings
Al-Barsh concluded his remarks with an urgent appeal to international organizations and humanitarian agencies to take immediate action, emphasising that the continued siege “means the slow death of thousands of patients and the wounded.”
The occupation is not only bombing, but also preventing treatment. The medical blockade is a crime committed in broad daylight, and the world watches.
Gaza medicine — a Political Issue
The health crisis in Gaza is no longer a matter of relief, but a political issue used by Israel for control and subjugation. Every delayed shipment of medicine and every denied permit means more suffering in hospital wards and more postponed funerals.
Despite all this, doctors continue to work, patients persevere, and the people of Gaza cling to life with their last lifeline.
New Zealand Pro-Palestine protesters gathered at West Auckland’s Te Pai Park today, celebrating successes of the BDS movement against apartheid Israel while condemning the failure of the country’s coalition government to impose sanctions against the pariah state.
“They’ve done nothing,” said Neil Scott, secretary of the Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa (PSNA), noting that some 35 protests were taking place across the motu this weekend and some 4000 rallies had been held since Israel began its war on Gaza in October 2023.
He outlined successes of the global BDS Movement and explained now New Zealanders could keep up the pressure on the NZ government and on the Zionist state that had been “systematically” breaching the US-brokered “ceasefire” in Gaza.
The criticisms followed the condemnation of New Zealand’s stance last week by the secretary-general of the global human rights group Amnesty International, Agnès Callamard, who said the government had a “Trumpian accent” and had remained silent on Gaza.
“Internationally, we don’t hear New Zealand. We haven’t heard New Zealand on some of the fundamental challenges that we are confronting, including Israel’s genocide, Palestine or climate,” she said in a RNZ radio interview.
Te Atatu MP Phil Twyford also spoke at the Te Pai Park rally, saying that the government was “going backwards” from the country’s traditional independent foreign policy and that it was “riddled with Zionists”.
After the rally, protesters marched on the local McDonalds franchise. McDonalds Israel is accused of supporting the IDF (Israeli Defence Forces) genocidal crimes in Gaza by supplying free meals to the military, prompting a global BDS boycott.
Türkiye arrest warrants for Israelis
Meanwhile, Türkiye has issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and 36 other suspects over Gaza genocide charges
Israel, under Netanyahu, has killed close to 69,000 people, mostly women and children, and wounded more than 170,600 others in the genocide in Gaza since October 2023.
PSNA secretary Neil Scott speaking at today’s Te Pai Park rally in West Auckland. Image: Asia Pacific Report
TRT World News reports that the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office said yesterday it had issued arrest warrants for 37 suspects, including Netanyahu, on charges of “genocide” in Gaza.
In a statement, the Prosecutor’s Office said the warrants were issued after an extensive investigation into Israel’s “systematic” attacks on civilians in Gaza, which it described as acts of genocide and crimes against humanity.
The probe was launched following complaints filed by victims and representatives of the Global Sumud Flotilla, a civilian humanitarian mission, that was recently intercepted by Israeli naval forces while attempting to deliver aid to Gaza.
A “Free Gaza now” placard at today’s Te Pai Park rally in West Auckland. Image: Asia Pacific Report
The statement said evidence gathered from victims, eyewitnesses, and international law provisions indicated that Israeli military and political leaders were directly responsible for ordering and carrying out attacks on hospitals, aid convoys, and civilian infrastructure.
Citing specific incidents, the Prosecutor’s Office referred to the killing of six-year-old Hind Rajab by Israeli soldiers, the bombing of al-Ahli Arab Hospital that killed more than 500 people, and the strike on the Turkish-Palestinian Friendship Hospital, among other atrocities.
Turkiye has issued arrest warrants for Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu and other senior officials, accusing them of ‘genocide and crimes against humanity’ over Israel’s war on Gaza https://t.co/ijOfz1wZSFpic.twitter.com/34UJIQosKR
Additional war crimes The office said that the investigation determined Israel’s blockade of Gaza had “deliberately prevented humanitarian assistance from reaching civilians,” constituting an additional war crime under international law.
The suspects, including Netanyahu, Defence Minister Israel Katz, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, Chief of General Staff Herzi Halevi, and Navy Commander David Saar Salama, were accused of “genocide” and “crimes against humanity.”
As the individuals are not currently in Türkiye, the Prosecutor’s Office requested the court to issue international arrest warrants (red notices) for their detention and extradition.
The investigation is being carried out with the cooperation of the Istanbul Police Department and the National Intelligence Organization (MIT), and it remains ongoing.
The statement concluded that Türkiye’s legal actions are based on its obligations under international humanitarian law and the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, affirming the country’s commitment to accountability for war crimes and justice for the victims in Gaza.
Last November, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his former Defence Minister, Yoav Gallant, for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave and Türkiye has joined South Africa and other countries in bringing the allegations.
A fragile ceasefire has been in force in the devastated Palestinian territory since October 10 as part of US President Donald Trump’s regional peace plan.
The Islamist militant group Hamas welcomed Türkiye’s announcement, calling it a “commendable measure [confirming] the sincere positions of the Turkish people and their leaders, who are committed to the values of justice, humanity and fraternity that bind them to our oppressed Palestinian people”.
The Te Pai Park pro-Palestinian rally in West Auckland today. Image: Asia Pacific Report
New Zealand Pro-Palestine protesters gathered at West Auckland’s Te Pai Park today, celebrating successes of the BDS movement against apartheid Israel while condemning the failure of the country’s coalition government to impose sanctions against the pariah state.
“They’ve done nothing,” said Neil Scott, secretary of the Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa (PSNA), noting that some 35 protests were taking place across the motu this weekend and some 4000 rallies had been held since Israel began its war on Gaza in October 2023.
He outlined successes of the global BDS Movement and explained now New Zealanders could keep up the pressure on the NZ government and on the Zionist state that had been “systematically” breaching the US-brokered “ceasefire” in Gaza.
The criticisms followed the condemnation of New Zealand’s stance last week by the secretary-general of the global human rights group Amnesty International, Agnès Callamard, who said the government had a “Trumpian accent” and had remained silent on Gaza.
“Internationally, we don’t hear New Zealand. We haven’t heard New Zealand on some of the fundamental challenges that we are confronting, including Israel’s genocide, Palestine or climate,” she said in a RNZ radio interview.
Te Atatu MP Phil Twyford also spoke at the Te Pai Park rally, saying that the government was “going backwards” from the country’s traditional independent foreign policy and that it was “riddled with Zionists”.
After the rally, protesters marched on the local McDonalds franchise. McDonalds Israel is accused of supporting the IDF (Israeli Defence Forces) genocidal crimes in Gaza by supplying free meals to the military, prompting a global BDS boycott.
Türkiye arrest warrants for Israelis
Meanwhile, Türkiye has issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and 36 other suspects over Gaza genocide charges
Israel, under Netanyahu, has killed close to 69,000 people, mostly women and children, and wounded more than 170,600 others in the genocide in Gaza since October 2023.
PSNA secretary Neil Scott speaking at today’s Te Pai Park rally in West Auckland. Image: Asia Pacific Report
TRT World News reports that the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office said yesterday it had issued arrest warrants for 37 suspects, including Netanyahu, on charges of “genocide” in Gaza.
In a statement, the Prosecutor’s Office said the warrants were issued after an extensive investigation into Israel’s “systematic” attacks on civilians in Gaza, which it described as acts of genocide and crimes against humanity.
The probe was launched following complaints filed by victims and representatives of the Global Sumud Flotilla, a civilian humanitarian mission, that was recently intercepted by Israeli naval forces while attempting to deliver aid to Gaza.
A “Free Gaza now” placard at today’s Te Pai Park rally in West Auckland. Image: Asia Pacific Report
The statement said evidence gathered from victims, eyewitnesses, and international law provisions indicated that Israeli military and political leaders were directly responsible for ordering and carrying out attacks on hospitals, aid convoys, and civilian infrastructure.
Citing specific incidents, the Prosecutor’s Office referred to the killing of six-year-old Hind Rajab by Israeli soldiers, the bombing of al-Ahli Arab Hospital that killed more than 500 people, and the strike on the Turkish-Palestinian Friendship Hospital, among other atrocities.
Turkiye has issued arrest warrants for Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu and other senior officials, accusing them of ‘genocide and crimes against humanity’ over Israel’s war on Gaza https://t.co/ijOfz1wZSFpic.twitter.com/34UJIQosKR
Additional war crimes The office said that the investigation determined Israel’s blockade of Gaza had “deliberately prevented humanitarian assistance from reaching civilians,” constituting an additional war crime under international law.
The suspects, including Netanyahu, Defence Minister Israel Katz, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, Chief of General Staff Herzi Halevi, and Navy Commander David Saar Salama, were accused of “genocide” and “crimes against humanity.”
As the individuals are not currently in Türkiye, the Prosecutor’s Office requested the court to issue international arrest warrants (red notices) for their detention and extradition.
The investigation is being carried out with the cooperation of the Istanbul Police Department and the National Intelligence Organization (MIT), and it remains ongoing.
The statement concluded that Türkiye’s legal actions are based on its obligations under international humanitarian law and the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, affirming the country’s commitment to accountability for war crimes and justice for the victims in Gaza.
Last November, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his former Defence Minister, Yoav Gallant, for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave and Türkiye has joined South Africa and other countries in bringing the allegations.
A fragile ceasefire has been in force in the devastated Palestinian territory since October 10 as part of US President Donald Trump’s regional peace plan.
The Islamist militant group Hamas welcomed Türkiye’s announcement, calling it a “commendable measure [confirming] the sincere positions of the Turkish people and their leaders, who are committed to the values of justice, humanity and fraternity that bind them to our oppressed Palestinian people”.
The Te Pai Park pro-Palestinian rally in West Auckland today. Image: Asia Pacific Report
