BEN GVIR CALLS FOR SOVEREIGNTY OVER GAZA.

JEWISH KING JESUS IS COMING AT THE RAPTURE FOR US IN THE CLOUDS-DON'T MISS IT FOR THE WORLD.THE BIBLE TAKEN LITERALLY- WHEN THE PLAIN SENSE MAKES GOOD SENSE-SEEK NO OTHER SENSE-LEST YOU END UP IN NONSENSE.GET SAVED NOW- CALL ON JESUS TODAY.THE ONLY SAVIOR OF THE WHOLE EARTH - NO OTHER. 1 COR 15:23-JESUS THE FIRST FRUITS-CHRISTIANS RAPTURED TO JESUS-FIRST FRUITS OF THE SPIRIT-23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.ROMANS 8:23 And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.(THE PRE-TRIB RAPTURE)

 BEN GVIR CALLS FOR SOVEREIGNTY OVER GAZA.

GODS PROMISED LAND FOR ISRAEL.

And here are the bounderies of the land that Israel will inherit either through war or peace or God in the future. God says its Israels land and only Israels land. They will have every inch God promised them of this land in the future.
Egypt east of the Nile River, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, The southern part of Turkey and the Western Half of Iraq west of the Euphrates. Gen 13:14-15, Psm 105:9,11, Gen 15:18, Exe 23:31, Num 34:1-12, Josh 1:4.ALL THIS LAND ISRAEL WILL DEFINATELY OWN IN THE FUTURE, ITS ISRAELS NOT ISHMAELS LAND.12 TRIBES INHERIT LAND IN THE FUTURE.

Joel 3:2-King James Version (YOU DIVIDE JERUSALEM IN HALF - YOUR POKING GOD IN THE EYE - GOD SAYS AN EYE FOR AN EYE AND A TOOTH FOR A TOOTH- YOU WANNA DIVIDE JERUSALEM IN HALF -  HALF OF EARTHS POPULATION 4 BILLION DIE ON EARTH.
2 I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land.

DANIEL 9:26-27
26 And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come (ROMANS IN AD 70) shall destroy the city and the sanctuary;(ROMANS DESTROYED THE 2ND TEMPLE) and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.
27 And he( EU ROMAN, JEWISH DICTATOR) shall confirm the covenant with many for one week:( 7 YEARS) and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease,( 3 1/2 YRS) and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.

PROOF HALF ON EARTH DIE DURING THE 7 YR TRIBULATION PERIOD (8 BILLION ON EARTH)

REVELATION 6:7-8 (8 BILLION- 2 BILLION = 6 BILLION)
7 And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see.
8 And I looked, and behold a pale horse:(CHLORES GREEN) and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth,(2 BILLION) to kill with sword,(WEAPONS) and with hunger,(FAMINE) and with death,(INCURABLE DISEASES) and with the beasts of the earth.(ANIMAL TO HUMAN DISEASE).

REVELATION 9:15,18 (6 BILLION - 2 BILLION = 4 BILLION)
15 And the four(DEMONIC WAR) angels were loosed,
18 By these three was the third part of men killed,(2 BILLION) by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths.(NUCLEAR ATOMIC BOMBS)

HALF OF EARTHS POPULATION DIE DURING THE 7 YR TRIBULATION.(THESE VERSES ARE JUDGEMENT SCRIPTURES NOT RAPTURE SCRIPTURES)

LUKE 17:34-37 (8 TOTAL BILLION - 4 BILLION DEAD IN TRIB = 4 BILLION TO JESUS KINGDOM) (HALF DIE DURING THE 7 YR TRIBULATION PERIOD JUST LIKE THE BIBLE SAYS)(GOD DOES NOT LIE)(AND NOTICE MOST DIE IN WAR AND DISEASES-NOT COMETS-ASTEROIDS-QUAKES OR TSUNAMIS)
34 I tell you, in that night there shall be two men in one bed; the one shall be taken,(IN WW3 JUDGEMENT) and the other shall be left.(half earths population 4 billion die in the 7 yr trib)
35 Two women shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken,(IN WW3 JUDGEMENT) and the other left.
36 Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken,(IN WW3 JUDGEMENT) and the other left.
37 And they answered and said unto him, Where, Lord? And he said unto them, Wheresoever the body is, thither will the eagles be gathered together.(Christians have new bodies,this is the people against Jerusalem during the 7 yr treaty)(Christians bodies are not being eaten by the birds).THESE ARE JUDGEMENT SCRIPTURES-NOT RAPTURE SCRIPTURES.BECAUSE NOT HALF OF PEOPLE ON EARTH ARE CHRISTIANS.AND THE CONTEXT IN LUKE 17 IS THE 7 YEAR TRIBULATION OR 7 YR TREATY PERIOD.WHICH IS JUDGEMENT ON THE EARTH.NOT 50% RAPTURED TO HEAVEN.

MATTHEW 24:37-42 (THESE ARE JUDGEMENT SCRIPTURES-SURE NOT RAPTURE SCRIPTURES)
37 But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,
39 And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
40 Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken,(IN WW3 JUDGEMENT) and the other left.
41 Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken,(IN WW3 JUDGEMENT) and the other left.
42 Watch therefore:(FOR THE LAST DAYS SIGNS HAPPENING) for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.

2 Peter 3:6-7 Amplified Bible (AMP) (HOT SUN, NUKES ETC)
6 By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. 
7 By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.

ISAIAH 66:7-8
A Nation Born in a Day

7 Before she was in labor, she gave birth.Before her pain came, she delivered a male child.
8 Who has heard such a thing? Who has seen such things? Can a land be born in one day? Can a nation be brought forth at once? For as soon as Zion was in labor, she gave birth to her children.

Ben Gvir calls for sovereignty over Gaza-In first, Ben Gvir openly leads prayers on Temple Mount, in violation of status quo-Far-right leader is first minister to pray overtly at flashpoint site as 1,250 Jewish worshipers ascend on fast day; Jordan, PA, Saudis condemn act; Netanyahu says status quo intact-By Charlie Summers-Today, 1:43 pm-AUG 3,25

In an unprecedented move, far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir led a group of Jewish worshippers in prayer atop the Temple Mount on Sunday as he marked the Tisha B’Av fast day — the first time that a government minister has overtly worshipped at the flashpoint site in violation of the status quo.The Temple Mount, which was the site of the Jewish Temples and today houses the Al Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock shrine, has been one of the most volatile flashpoints in the Middle East, and Ben Gvir’s actions immediately drew sharp condemnations from the Palestinian Authority, Jordan and Saudi Arabia.Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a statement in response to Ben Gvir’s visit, insisting that “Israel’s policy of maintaining the status quo on the Temple Mount has not changed and will not change.”Since first receiving the national security portfolio in 2022, the ultranationalist politician has continuously asserted that his policy is to allow Jewish prayer atop the Temple Mount, flouting the longtime status quo between Israel and Jordan, which administers the site through the Jerusalem Islamic Waqf. According to the unwritten agreement, Jews are permitted to visit the site but are forbidden from praying there.Ben Gvir brazenly violated this understanding on Sunday while leading aloud the recitation of the “Amida” prayer for dozens of other Jews observing Tisha B’Av, a fast day marking the destruction of both Jewish Temples located atop the Temple Mount in ancient times.Though the Waqf governs the complex itself, its entrances are manned by Israeli police and Border Police officers.The minister, who oversees the police, was flanked by officers while entering and touring the site. Police detained an Arab man who had shouted at Ben Gvir and his group of worshippers, according to Israeli news channel Arutz 7.Police had no comment on arrests.According to the Waqf, Ben Gvir was among some 1,250 Jewish worshippers who ascended the Temple Mount on Sunday morning.Negev, Galilee and National Resilience Minister Yitzhak Wasserlauf, part of Ben Gvir’s ultranationalist Otzma Yehudit party, accompanied his party chairman.Likud lawmaker Amit Halevi also visited the Temple Mount and was filmed alongside several other Jewish Israelis singing the “Hatikvah” national anthem while holding Israeli flags in front of the steps leading up to the Dome of the Rock.Meanwhile, Defense Minister Israel Katz vowed that Israel would strenthen its hold on the holy site “forever.”In a post on X, Katz shared images of himself visiting the Western Wall and posing with IDF soldiers, stating that he prayed for the return of hostages, peace for Israeli communities, the defense of security forces and the defeat of Hamas.“On Tisha B’Av, two thousand years after the destruction of the Second Temple, the Western Wall and the Temple Mount are again under the sovereignty of the State of Israel,” he wrote.“Israel haters around the world continue to make decisions against us and protest, and we will strengthen our hold and sovereignty over Jerusalem, at the Western Wall, and the Temple Mount, forever,” he added.After leading morning prayers, Ben Gvir stood in front of the shrine, demanding Israel enforce “sovereignty and governance” on the Temple Mount.He said “Hamas’ horrific videos” — the harrowing footage released by the terror group in recent days of hostages Rom Braslavski and Evyatar David — were meant to exert pressure on Israel.“From here in particular, we must send a message that today, we are already occupying all of the Gaza Strip, declaring sovereignty across the entire Gaza Strip, eliminating every Hamas member and encouraging voluntary emigration [of Gazans]. Only in this way will we return the hostages and achieve victory in the war,” he declared to the camera.Before Ben Gvir became national security minister, the Israel Police had often ejected or detained Jewish visitors caught praying on the Temple Mount. This policy has fallen to the wayside over the past three years as officers have become increasingly tolerant of limited, discreet prayer.Ben Gvir has gone onto the Temple Mount many times in highly-publicized visits since joining Netanyahu’s current government, but Sunday marked the first time he — or any minister — has overtly prayed there in a minyan, a quorum of 10 Jewish men.The firebrand politician’s insistence on encouraging prayer on the Temple Mount has in the past prompted alarmed responses from Netanyahu, usually quick to disavow his coalition partner’s remarks and insist that the status quo has not changed.In addition, many Jewish religious authorities have historically proscribed visits to the Temple Mount, due to concerns of treading on holy ground while ritually impure.Changes to the Temple Mount’s status quo evoke strong emotions and are frequently cited as a Muslim motivation for religious violence. The site is of central importance to Hamas, which termed its October 7, 2023, massacre in southern Israel “Operation Al-Aqsa Flood.”Ben Gvir’s visit sparked condemnation from the Palestinian Authority, as a spokesman for President Mahmoud Abbas said it “crossed all red lines.”“The international community, specifically the US administration, must intervene immediately to put an end to the crimes of the settlers and the provocations of the extreme right-wing government in Al-Aqsa Mosque, stop the war on the Gaza Strip and bring in humanitarian aid,” said Nabil Abu Rudeineh in a statement.Jordan, which acts as the site’s custodian, condemned the minister’s visit as “an unacceptable provocation, and a reprehensible escalation.”The Jordanian statement noted that police had escorted the minister as he toured the site and stressed that  Israel has “no sovereignty over the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque.”Saudi Arabia also condemned the move, charging that such practices “fuel conflict in the region.”Ariela Karmel and agencies contributed to this report.

Trump deploys nuclear submarines in row with Russia-By Sebastian Smith with Sergii Volskyi and Victoria Lukovenko in Kyiv.

Washington (AFP) Aug 2, 2025-US President Donald Trump ordered the deployment of two nuclear submarines Friday in an extraordinary escalation of what had been an online war of words with a Russian official over Ukraine and tariffs.Trump and Dmitry Medvedev, the deputy chairman of Russia's security council, have been sparring on social media for days.Trump's post on his Truth Social platform abruptly took that spat into the very real -- and rarely publicized -- sphere of nuclear forces."Based on the highly provocative statements," Trump said he had "ordered two Nuclear Submarines to be positioned in the appropriate regions, just in case these foolish and inflammatory statements are more than just that.""Words are very important, and can often lead to unintended consequences, I hope this will not be one of those instances," the 79-year-old Republican posted.Trump did not say in his post whether he meant nuclear-powered or nuclear-armed submarines. He also did not elaborate on the exact deployment locations, which are kept secret by the US military.But in an interview with Newsmax that aired Friday night, Trump said the submarines were "closer to Russia.""We always want to be ready. And so I have sent to the region two nuclear submarines," he said."I just want to make sure that his words are only words and nothing more than that."Trump's remarks came hours after Russian President Vladimir Putin said Moscow had started mass producing its hypersonic nuclear-capable Oreshnik missile, and could deploy them to Belarus, a close Russian ally neighbouring Ukraine, by year-end.The nuclear sabre-rattling came against the backdrop of a deadline set by Trump for the end of next week for Russia to take steps to ending the Ukraine war or face unspecified new sanctions.Despite the pressure from Washington, Russia's onslaught against its pro-Western neighbor continues to unfold at full bore.An AFP analysis Friday showed that Russian forces had launched a record number of drones at Ukraine in July.Russian attacks have killed hundreds of Ukrainian civilians since June. A combined missile and drone attack on the Ukrainian capital Kyiv early Thursday killed 31 people, rescuers said.Putin, who has consistently rejected calls for a ceasefire, said Friday that he wants peace but that his demands for ending his nearly three-and-a-half year invasion were "unchanged".Those demands include that Ukraine abandon territory and end ambitions to join NATO.Putin, speaking alongside Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, said Belarusian and Russian specialists "have chosen a place for future positions" of the Oreshnik missiles."Work is now underway to prepare these positions. So, most likely, we will close this issue by the end of the year," he added.- Insults, nuclear rhetoric -The United States and Russia control the vast majority of the world's nuclear weaponry, and Washington keeps nuclear-armed submarines on permanent patrol as part of its so-called nuclear triad of land, sea and air-launched weapons.Trump told Newsmax that Medvedev's "nuclear" reference prompted him to reposition US nuclear submarines."When you mention the word 'nuclear'... my eyes light up. And I say, we better be careful, because it's the ultimate threat," Trump said in the interview.Medvedev had criticised Trump on his Telegram account Thursday and alluded to the "fabled 'Dead Hand'" -- a reference to a highly secret automated system put in place during the Cold War to control the country's nuclear weapons.This came after Trump had lashed out at what he called the "dead economies" of Russia and India.Medvedev had also harshly criticized Trump's threat of new sanctions against Russia over its war in Ukraine.Accusing Trump of "playing the ultimatum game," he posted Monday on X that Trump "should remember" that Russia is a formidable force.Trump responded by calling Medvedev "the failed former President of Russia, who thinks he's still President."Medvedev should "watch his words," Trump posted at midnight in Washington on Wednesday. "He's entering very dangerous territory!"Medvedev is a vocal proponent of Russia's war -- and generally antagonistic to relations with the West.He served as president between 2008-2012, effectively acting as a placeholder for Putin, who was able to circumvent constitutional term limits and remain in de facto power.The one-time reformer has rebranded over the years as an avid online troller, touting often extreme versions of official Kremlin nationalist messaging.But his influence within the Russian political system remains limited.In Kyiv on Friday, residents held a day of mourning for the 31 people, including five children, killed the day before, most of whom were in a nine-storey apartment block torn open by a missile.Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said only Putin could end the war and renewed his call for a meeting between the two leaders."The United States has proposed this. Ukraine has supported it. What is needed is Russia's readiness," he wrote on X.burs-sms/sco/tym

Israel army chief warns of combat 'without rest' unless hostages are freed.

Jerusalem, Aug 2 (AFP) Aug 02, 2025-Israel's top general has warned that there will be no respite in fighting in Gaza if negotiations fail to quickly secure the release of hostages held in the Palestinian territory."I estimate that in the coming days we will know whether we can reach an agreement for the release of our hostages," said army chief of staff Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir, according to a military statement."If not, the combat will continue without rest," he said, during remarks to officers inside Gaza on Friday.Footage released by the Israeli military showed Zamir meeting soldiers and officers in a command centre.Of the 251 people who were kidnapped from Israel during Hamas's attack in October 2023, 49 remain in Gaza, 27 of them dead, according to the military.Palestinian armed groups this week released two videos of hostages looking emaciated and weak.Negotiations -- mediated by the United States, Egypt and Qatar -- to secure a ceasefire and their release broke down last month, and some in Israel have called for tougher military action.This comes against the backdrop of growing pressure -- both internationally and domestically, including from many of the hostages' families -- to resume efforts to secure a ceasefire in the nearly 22-month conflict.Aid agencies have meanwhile warned that Gaza's population is facing a catastrophic famine, triggered by Israeli restrictions on aid.Zamir nonetheless rejected these allegations out of hand."The current campaign of false accusations of intentional starvation is a deliberate, timed, and deceitful attempt to accuse the IDF (military), a moral army, of war crimes," he said."The ones responsible for the killing and suffering of the residents in the Gaza Strip is Hamas."Hamas's 2023 attack resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to a tally based on official figures.A total of 898 Israeli soldiers have also been killed since ground troops were sent into Gaza, according to the military.Israel's campaign in Gaza has killed at least 60,332 people in Gaza, mostly civilians, according to figures from the Hamas-run territory's health ministry, deemed reliable by the UN.

Jihadists kill 'dozens' of soldiers and civilians in Burkina Faso.

Abidjan, Aug 1 (AFP) Aug 01, 2025-Two jihadist attacks in northeastern Burkina Faso early this week killed "several dozens" of soldiers and civilians, two security sources and a local source told AFP on Friday.In a "major" attack carried out on Monday, a military unit in the village of Dargo was targeted by "armed terrorist groups", leaving "several dozens of deaths on each side", one of the regional security sources said.The other security source told AFP that jihadists waged a second attack on Monday, on a supply convoy going between the towns of Dori and Gorom-Gorom."In that ambush, several soldiers were killed, along with civilians, notably truck drivers transporting supplies," said the source.A manager in a road haulage company confirmed the convoy attack, and said that "some 20 drivers and their apprentices were killed".The attack on the military base was on Tuesday claimed by the JNIM, an armed Islamist militant group affiliated with Al-Qaeda that is active also in Mali and Niger. The group indicated it had killed 40 Burkinabe soldiers.The JNIM has risen to become the most influential jihadist threat in the Sahel region, according to the United Nations.Burkina Faso has been plagued by attacks by the JNIM and the Islamic State group since 2015.Wamaps, a group of West African journalists specialising in Sahel security issues, said the attack on the Dargo base was one of the deadliest attacks against Burkina's military "in recent weeks".In a post on X, the Wamaps group cited local sources as saying that around 50 soldiers were killed.In the convoy attack, "nearly 200 terrorists" from the Islamic State group in the Sahel were believed to have taken part, the group said, adding that "some 15 escort soldiers were killed and more than 10 drivers executed".bur/rmb/gv

CHINA.WIRE-African armies turn to drones with devastating civilian impact.

Paris, Aug 1 (AFP) Aug 01, 2025-The Easter period usually offers a rare respite in Gedeb, in Ethiopia's deeply troubled north, but on April 17 death rained from the skies in this sleepy town caught up in a war between rebels and the army.On this important holiday for Ethiopian Orthodox and Protestant Christians, many families had gathered in the morning to repair the local primary school.But out of the blue, shortly before 11:00 am (1400 GMT), "a drone fired on the crowd and pulverised many people right in front of my eyes", a resident told AFP.Ethiopia and many other African nations are increasingly turning to drones as a low-cost means of waging war, often with mixed military results but devastating consequences for civilian populations.Last year, Ethiopia carried out a total of 54 drone strikes, compared to 62 attacks in Mali, 82 in Burkina Faso and 266 in Sudan, according to data collected by the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED), a US-based monitor.According to one of two Gedeb residents contacted by AFP, the strike killed "at least" 50 people, and according to the second, more than 100 -- a figure corroborated by several local media outlets.It is one of the deadliest in a series of drone attacks since the conflict began in August 2023, pitting the Ethiopian army against the Fano, the traditional "self-defence" militias of the Amhara ethnic group.A shoe seller at the scene, whose nephew was killed instantly, also blamed an armed drone that continued to "hover in the air" some 20 minutes after the strike."The sight was horrific: there were heads, torsos and limbs flying everywhere and seriously injured people screaming in pain," he recalled.Ethiopian authorities have not released any information about this attack in Amhara, where the security situation makes some areas very difficult to access and communications are subject to significant restrictions.The Ethiopian army's use of drones, which began during the bloody Tigray War (2020-2022), has since spread to the Amhara and Oromia regions amid multiple insurgencies.In the Amhara region alone, now the hardest-hit, at least 669 people have been killed in more than 70 drone strikes since 2023, according to ACLED data analysed by AFP.- Low-cost -Remotely piloted aircraft used for reconnaissance and strikes -- low-cost technologies now ubiquitous in current conflicts and particularly in Ukraine -- are generating massive interest in Africa.Some 30 African governments have acquired drones, according to data cross-referenced by AFP from the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) "Military Balance" and the Center for a New American Security's Drone Proliferation Dataset.For decades, wars in Africa had been fought on land, conducted primarily by light and mobile infantry units."Drones offer sub-Saharan African militaries more affordable and flexible access to air power, which has been out of reach until now due to its cost and operational complexity," said Djenabou Cisse, a west African security specialist at the Foundation for Strategic Research.Countries like China, Turkey and Iran have the advantage of selling drones "without attaching any political conditionality related to respect for human rights", she added.Among African military commands, the most popular is undoubtedly the Turkish Bayraktar TB2 drone, which, along with its big brother, the Akinci, has dethroned the Chinese Wing Loong in recent years.The TB2 made a notable appearance in 2019 in Libya, the first African theatre of drone warfare, between the Ankara-backed Government of National Accord and its eastern rival, Marshal Haftar, equipped with Chinese weapons supplied by the United Arab Emirates.The following year, its deployment in the Karabakh region during the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan, and then in Ukraine starting in 2022, boosted its popularity.Orders soared and waiting lists grew. While contract details are kept secret, experts consulted by AFP estimate that a "system" of three drones costs nearly $6 million -- significantly less than the several tens of millions for a fighter jet or combat helicopter.This offsets its rather average performance, with a range limited to 150 kilometres (75 miles).The TB2 is produced by private company Baykar, headed by the son-in-law of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.It "is now an integral part of Turkey's foreign policy, whose strategy is to export its military products worldwide," said Batu Coskun, a researcher at the Sediq Institute in Tripoli.The growing footprint of Turkish drones in Africa is partly due to the fact that unlike the West, Ankara is free from the cumbersome export control procedures for military equipment."It's essentially at the president's discretion," he said.- Turkish military cooperation -After severing ties with former colonial ruler France, the military regimes of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger have turned to Turkish drones to attack jihadist fighters as well as separatists.In December last year, the Malian army eliminated a leader and several members of the Azawad Liberation Front (FLA), a pro-independence coalition, in a drone attack.In November 2023, drones played a decisive role in the recapture of the northern Malian city of Kidal from predominantly Tuareg rebels.A senior Malian officer praised the "discretion" of Turkish military cooperation."When you pay for military equipment in the West, it has to go through political agreements, negotiations," he said, speaking on condition of anonymity."With Turkey, we have a speed that we don't have elsewhere, not even in Russia or China," two countries that also supply military equipment, he added.According to a young Malian surveillance drone pilot, who also wished to remain anonymous, the Turkish aircraft "are easy to pilot, which means we don't need a long training period".In Chad, four Turkish drones have replaced French fighter jets at the forward bases they occupied until N'Djamena ended its military cooperation agreements with France at the end of 2024.The latter had repeatedly provided air support to help the Chadian government halt the advance of rebels threatening the capital.The capital N'Djamena is equipped with only five Russian Sukhoi aircraft and as many ageing Mi-24 helicopters.Contrary to Franco-Chadian relations, "there is no military cooperation agreement (between N'Djamena and Ankara) but a trade agreement that allows us to acquire military equipment", a Chadian officer told AFP.Turks are present to provide technical assistance and the former French bases are "entirely in the hands of the Chadian military", the same source added.This flexible cooperation on drones clearly illustrates the desire of some African leaders to "assert their sovereignty and greater strategic autonomy", said researcher Djenabou Cisse.- 'Extreme fear' -On the ground, however, the tactical and strategic gains from the use of drones do not always materialise, several experts said."Drones alone cannot defeat an adversary," Cisse said, adding: "We saw this in Libya, where both sides had sophisticated drones, and more recently in Sudan, where each side uses drones, but with very unequal capabilities.""Not only have these countries failed to fully stabilise but conflicts have often become entrenched or even escalated," the researcher added.Drones are proving especially decisive in open terrain, when the enemy is unable to disperse and hide as is the case with jihadists in the Sahel, according to a detailed study by the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP).In Ethiopia, they helped turn the tide of the conflict in Tigray at a key moment, giving a decisive advantage to federal forces without, however, securing a definitive victory.In the summer of 2021, a large column of Tigray rebel forces, which reached within 200 kilometres of Addis Ababa and threatened to seize the capital, was stopped by the arsenal of drones deployed by the government.Analysis of satellite images by Dutch peace organisation PAX at several Ethiopian air bases confirmed the presence of TB2s and, more recently, the Akinci, as well as Chinese Wing Loongs and Iranian Mohajer-6s.These drones have "significantly increased the Ethiopian army's intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities, as they can prowl for nearly 24 hours, track enemy movements, identify their positions, provide targeting information or directly strike targets," Wim Zwijnenburg, a drone specialist for PAX, told AFP.While the fighting subsequently focused primarily on Tigray, it continued into 2022 and high tensions remain in the region despite the conclusion of a fragile peace agreement, while other hotbeds of violent insurrection have spread to Amhara and Oromia.Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, winner of the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize for his peace efforts with neighbouring Eritrea, is now regularly accused of indiscriminate abuses against the population."The drones continued to target civilians despite the presence of sophisticated sensor systems, high-definition cameras and night vision," supposedly allowing for better threat identification, said Zwijnenburg, deploring "a lack of operator training or, in the worst case, a deliberate decision".In Gedeb, the small Amhara town targeted during Passover, residents contacted by AFP said there had been no fighting in the area in the run-up to the attack.They live in constant fear now."We are ready to flee to the bush at any moment in the event of a sudden drone strike," said one of them. "We live in extreme fear."burs-cl-mra/dab/sva/ach/cw/djt/giv

Eisenkot: An 'unforgivable failure' by the cabinet-‘A shell of himself,’ ‘This is starvation’: Ex-hostage, leaders appalled by captive’s video-Tal Shoham, who was in tunnel with Evyatar David, says terrorists holding him have A/C, cable TV and plenty of stolen food; Herzog: ‘Silence is not an option’By ToI Staff Today, 2:56 am-AUG 2,25

Former hostages and Israeli leaders reacted with shock and outrage Saturday night to new footage issued by terror groups of emaciated Israeli captives held in Gaza’s tunnels, as politicians accused Hamas of being the true culprit behind the hunger crisis in the enclave.Former hostage Tal Shoham said he had been held with Evyatar David and other captives in the tunnel where David was seen in a video released by Hamas, and that off-camera, terrorists were enjoying air conditioning, cable television and “plenty of food” stolen from aid deliveries.The footage of David, a clip of which his family approved for publication on Saturday, came after Palestinian Islamic Jihad released similarly harrowing propaganda footage of hostage Rom Braslavski. The clip of David showed him to be skeletal and digging what he said he feared was his grave.Shoham spoke with Channel 12 as Israel accused Hamas of starving both the hostages and Gaza’s civilians, amid mounting international criticism of Israel over the humanitarian crisis in the Strip. Meanwhile, some members of the opposition assailed the government for failing to secure the hostages’ release.‘Shocked to the depths of my soul’Shoham, who was released in February as part of the last ceasefire-hostage deal with Hamas, said he had been held together with hostages David and Guy Gilboa-Dalal, as well as fellow former hostage Omer Wenkert, in the tunnel that could be seen in the Hamas footage.Shoham said Gilboa-Dalal was likely standing behind a blanket seen in the video that the Hamas captors had put up as a curtain.“Behind the curtain they’ve put up, which is just one of the blankets we used, apparently Guy Gilboa-Dalal is standing or sitting, because they don’t let them go to a different tunnel,” said Shoham when asked what the video didn’t show.“And right behind the cameraman, there’s an iron door, and a well-lit room, with air conditioners and a group of terrorists who sit and sleep there. They have cable TV; they have plenty of food — food they have stolen from the humanitarian supplies that Israel sent in for a very long time,” he said. “We could see that they were well fed, that they lacked for nothing. They also bragged about having stolen it, that they had months of supplies in that tunnel and all their tunnels.”Shoham said his captors’ weight appeared to remain stable even as he lost 30 kilograms (66 pounds) in captivity: “We didn’t see them losing even a kilo.”Shoham said he was “shocked to the depths of my soul” to see David’s condition in the new footage. “He is broken mentally, emotionally. I can’t see now any of the joy of life that he had managed to retain in his eyes,” said Shoham. “Really, it’s a shell of the Evyatar I knew.”He said David was doubtlessly digging the ostensible grave in the clip on the orders of his Hamas captors, “but I can see that he believes it. He really believes that [he and Gilboa-Dalal] will end their life there.”Shoham also recalled that Hamas had at one point filmed himself, Wenkert, David and Gilboa-Dalal being fed generously in a propaganda video shot shortly before he and Wenkert were released.Another video later showed David and Gilboa-Dalal pleading for release while being forced to watch the propaganda ceremony where Shoham and Wenkert were handed over to the Red Cross.Appealing to his former cellmates, Shoham said: “Hold on…  I want to believe that the government will do the right thing very soon, free you, make a deal.” He also expressed hope that Hamas could be pressured “to give you food, because there’s food meters away.”“Do everything you can to hold on,” said Shoham, “so that we can embrace you both at home, God-willing, soon.”‘This is what starvation looks like’Writing in several languages, including Hebrew, English, Arabic and French, President Isaac Herzog accused Hamas of starving the hostages and the people of Gaza by “looting aid and blocking humanitarian deliveries, which Israel has worked with its international partners to increase.“Now Hamas spreads lies and libels, blaming Israel to exploit global compassion,” said Herzog on X. “Hamas rejoices as it succeeds in distracting the world from its own crimes against humanity.”“The faces of hostages Evyatar David and Rom Braslavski say it all. Forced to dig their own graves. Tormented with execution. Starved, tortured, wasting away,” wrote Herzog. “This is pure cruelty. I urge world leaders: Demand the hostages’ release. Ensure aid reaches civilians – not terrorists. This is a test of humanity. Silence is not an option.”Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he’d spoken at length to the hostages’ families and “expressed to them my deep shock over the horrific footage.” He said he “told them in the clearest terms [that] we are continuing our efforts to bring back all the hostages — persistently, resolutely, and tirelessly.“Hamas’s cruelty knows no bounds. While the State of Israel allows humanitarian aid into Gaza, Hamas terrorists deliberately starve our hostages, documenting them in a cynical, humiliating, and malicious way. They are also starving the residents of Gaza – deliberately. They prevent them from receiving aid, then lie to the world and conduct a false propaganda campaign against Israel. I call on all the nations of the world – stand up against this Nazi-like abuse. Do not stand idly by. This is a moral test.”Opposition Leader Yair Lapid and fellow opposition party leaders demand global condemnation of Gaza’s terror groups for their treatment of the hostages they have held for the last 666 days.In an English-language statement on X, Lapid shared a side-by-side comparison of Evyatar David before he was abducted from the Nova music festival on October 7, 2023, versus his appearance in a Hamas propaganda video in February of this year anf dinally in the latest clip.“This is what starvation looks like,” Lapid declared. “The entire world should condemn the murderous terrorist organization Hamas, which is intentionally starving the Israeli hostages,” he wrote. “The entire world should join the call for the release of all the hostages. Now.”Avigdor Liberman, the hawkish leader of Yisrael Beytenu, also opted to address the situation in English, writing on X that “Hamas is the devil incarnate.”“Our hostages are being held as human shields in horrific conditions,” he stated. “As long as they are in Gaza, Hamas knows that the IDF’s hands are tied.”He said Israel must first recover the remaining 50 hostages, and only then “can we win and destroy Hamas.”Finally, National Unity-Blue and White chair Benny Gantz suggested to world leaders to reconsider their plans to recognize a Palestinian state.“Instead of rewarding terror and recognizing an illusionary Palestinian state – how about you first look at reality for what it is,” he wrote on X, sharing a still image from the video of David.Former IDF chief of staff and ex-National Unity MK Gadi Eisenkot said, “As chief of staff, I never imagined that there would come a day when we would see images of Jews dying and there would be no savior.”He said that “Netanyahu and the ‘October 7’ cabinet ministers are responsible for an unforgivable failure, and for the failed management of the war that brought us to this point.”Eisenkot demanded that ministers make the “Jewish, ethical, moral decision to immediately sign a hostage deal — a comprehensive one, even at the cost of a permanent ceasefire.”Lapid notes that on the agenda for the upcoming weekly cabinet meeting was “for the seven-thousandth time: a discussion about threats to the prime minister’s life.”Absent from the agenda, he said, was any discussion on the hostages or about negotiations for their release.“I obviously condemn any threat to the prime minister’s life, but he is the most secure person in Israel,” said Lapid. “I suggest replacing this topic with a discussion about the far more real threats to the life of Evyatar 

Israelis lament, and cling to, societal divides on a holiday mourning ancient disunity-Increasingly riven by the ongoing war in Gaza, secular and religious, left and right are all mourning on Tisha B’Av – but for vastly different reasons-By Deborah Danan 2 August 2025, 8:39 pm

JTA — Two days before Tisha B’Av, the Israeli scholar Tomer Persico warned that the country was facing another destruction of Jerusalem, this time of its “moral and religious core” brought on by Israel’s conduct in Gaza.Citing the verse from Lamentations, “Look, Lord, and see, children starve in the streets,” he pointed to the images of emaciated children now circulating the globe.“Our country has become one of a cruel minority committing crimes against humanity,” he told a live Zoom audience gathered for what was framed as a national soul-searching ahead of the fast day, which began on Saturday night.“Yes, Hamas should have surrendered long ago. Yes, they steal aid. Yes, they manipulate the media. But in the end, it doesn’t matter. We could have flooded Gaza with humanitarian supplies. We didn’t,” he added.Other commentators used Tisha B’Av to make the opposite claim. Yedidya Meir, a columnist for the right-wing Channel 14, compared accusations of deliberate starvation in Gaza to a modern blood libel and mocked Israel’s attempts to respond. He pointed to the Foreign Ministry’s statement on Sunday denying the charge and calling out Hamas for distributing images of children with terminal illnesses for propaganda purposes while simultaneously announcing daily tactical pauses in the fighting and airdrops of food.“Do you understand? I really don’t,” he wrote, likening the government’s mixed messaging to the logic of a medieval blood libel: “We do not use the blood of Christian children to bake matzah. This is vile slander. But to refute the false claim, we decided to shut down the matzah bakeries during the hours that Christian children finish their studies.”Meir, who is Haredi, pointed to the Haredi draft exemption as the latest flashpoint in the national rift and questioned the sincerity of Tisha B’Av unity events. “Why is it then that this year, on the eve of Tisha B’Av, there are no fancy ads inviting people to evenings of dialogue and reconciliation with the ultra-Orthodox?”Meir also quoted a viral Facebook post by Leah Zakh Aharoni, a religious mother of a soldier, who wrote that she could “physically no longer take the debate over the draft.” Referring to scenes of Jews clashing at recent protests, she wrote, “I’m scared for us. For our people. For what we’re doing to each other,” warning that the Jewish people had survived everything in its history, except turning on each other. Ahead of Tisha B’Av, she said, Jews were fighting over “who carries the truth.”“You can’t scream ‘Torah protects us’ and ignore the mothers of soldiers sitting up all night in fear. And you can’t scream ‘share the burden’ and spit on people who’ve never missed a Shacharit since age five,” she wrote, referring to the morning prayer. “Ahavat Yisrael [love of Israel] isn’t a bumper sticker. It’s a lifeline. And every word of hatred is a bullet in our enemies’ weapons.”Elazar Symon, a rabbi at the liberal Orthodox Hadar Institute in Jerusalem, also took to Facebook to share a flyer he found in his mailbox advertising a far-right march set for the night of Tisha B’Av under the slogan “Not with weeping, with roaring.”The event, organized by Temple Mount activists and backed by several far-right Knesset members, promised a “flag parade” around Jerusalem’s Old City walls. According to Symon, replacing mourning with the “secular language of sovereignty” and nationalism was a desecration of Tisha B’Av and of the Temple itself.“Choosing sovereignty over weeping for the Temple and praying for its rebuilding is a choice of death,” he wrote, and went on to cite German theologian Franz Rosenzweig, who warned that when a nation “loves its land more than the essence of its life,” that love will eventually destroy it.Speaking to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Symon said, “I may have come off as a bit militant, and I’m not trying to attack anyone, certainly not any one group,” but said he was shocked that less than two years after Hamas’s October 7, 2023, onslaught, with hostages taken from Israel still in Gaza tunnels, anyone could suggest that even on Tisha BAv crying wasn’t appropriate. He also noted the parade would likely mean another night of lockdown for Arab residents of the Old City.“The next time one of these figures calls concern for the hungry in Gaza a progressive distortion, or says prioritizing the hostages is defeatist, remember they also think weeping on Tisha B’Av is a mistake,” he wrote in his post.His one consolation was the thought that the messianist movement would not endure and would one day be “an embarrassing historical memory, because anyone who doesn’t know how to cry on Tisha B’Av is giving up eternal life.”A stone’s throw away from the march around the Old City walls, a separate Tisha B’Av gathering will be held at Zion Square, commemorating 10 years since the murder of Shira Banki, who was stabbed at the 2015 Jerusalem Pride Parade — an event that became a symbol of baseless hatred in the capital. The gathering will include a public reading of Lamentations, musical interludes, and panel discussions on topics ranging from the judicial overhaul to the draft and the rule of law. Among the participants is Shir Siegel, daughter of former hostage Keith Siegel, an American-Israeli released during a ceasefire in February.Siegel, 29, also spoke on Thursday evening’s Zoom and said she never imagined she would become so involved in religious conversations. Coming from a secular family, she admitted she had known little about Tisha B’Av but said that in the hardest moments during her father’s captivity, it was the sense of national unity that gave her and her family strength.She added that before October 7, she hadn’t felt deeply connected to the country, and that many in her generation felt the same. But now, she called on others to step up, especially in the political sphere. “When people ask me when I’m going into politics, I always turn the question back on them. When are you? My request is that we all feel more connected to this country. We’re all equal. Politics is not a bad word.”She ended with the hope that Israel would find its way out of darkness and into light, and pointed to her own wedding as a kind of marker. She had been engaged before October 7, but the abduction of her parents and the year and a half that followed put everything on hold. Now, with the wedding set for Thursday, she said, “I hope my wedding gives people hope that it can be good.”In Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square, a Tisha B’Av gathering will be held on Saturday night immediately after the weekly rally with a public reading of Lamentations, followed by dialogue circles with the families of the hostages. The event’s organizer, Anat Sharbat, invited Israelis of all streams to join the event, telling JTA that the Second Temple was destroyed not because of hatred in the way people often imagine, but because of the notion that everyone must think the same.“Baseless hatred is not just hatred,” she said. “It is the inability to tolerate another opinion. Unconditional love is the opposite — understanding that we are different, and that this does not come at the expense of unity. On the contrary, it’s precisely this diversity that builds a healthy, living society. If we can understand that, maybe we really can start to rebuild.”

Renewed violence in Syria’s Sweida kills two as armed groups fight government forces-War monitor says one Syrian security forces member killed along with one ‘local fighter’ as violence erupts again weeks after deadly sectarian strife shook the Druze region-By Agencies and ToI Staff Today, 4:33 pm-AUG 3,25

Renewed sectarian clashes in southern Syria’s Druze-majority Sweida province killed at least two people on Sunday, according to reports, in the first deadly incident since a ceasefire last month.According to the state-run Ekhbariya TV, armed groups attacked personnel from Syria’s internal security forces in Sweida, killing one member and wounding others, and fired shells at several villages in the violence-hit southern province.The report cited a security source as saying the armed groups had violated the ceasefire agreed on in the predominantly Druze region, where factional bloodshed killed hundreds of people last month.“A member of the General Security forces was killed and seven others were injured… as clashes erupted with local factions around Tal Hadid in the western Sweida countryside,” said the the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which also reported the death of a “local fighter.”Tal Hadid is a “key control point” at a relatively high altitude, according to the monitor, allowing whoever controls it to overlook neighboring areas.Fighting also erupted around the city of Thaala, the Observatory said, “following bombardment of the area with shells and heavy weapons launched from areas under the control of government forces, while the sound of explosions and gunfire was heard in various parts of Sweida city.”According to the monitor and Sweida locals, Damascus has been imposing a siege on the province, with the Observatory saying the government wants to “force inhabitants to comply.”The road linking Sweida to Damascus has been cut off since July 20, after the province witnessed deadly clashes between Druze fighters and Sunni Bedouins in July that drew the intervention of government forces in the area.Israeli forces then carried out strikes on Syrian military forces in southern Syria and government targets in Damascus, with Jerusalem saying it intervened to block Syrian troops from entering southern Syria – which Israel has publicly said should be a demilitarized zone – and to uphold a longstanding commitment to protect the Druze, thousands of whose coreligionists live in Israel.A ceasefire put an end to the week of bloodshed — which killed 1,400 people, according to the Observatory — but the situation remained tense, flaring into violence again on Sunday.The Syrian government accuses Druze groups of blocking the main road, but the Observatory said armed groups allied with the government took control of the area and have been blocking travel.The government said it would investigate the July violence in the province, and a committee in charge of the inquiry held its first meeting on Saturday.The government under interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa has been struggling to consolidate control since Sharaa led a surprise insurgency that ousted former president Bashar al-Assad in December, ending the Assad family’s decades-long autocratic rule.Political opponents and ethnic and religious minorities have been suspicious of Sharaa’s de facto Islamist rule and cooperation with affiliated fighters that come from militant groups.Though his own fighters have roots in al-Qaeda, Sharaa has promised to protect members of Syria’s many sectarian minorities. But that pledge has been challenged, first by mass killings of members of Assad’s Alawite sect in March, and now by the latest violence in the southwest. 

MAYBE GOD WILL ALLOW A DEATH CULT PEDOPHILE MAHUDI ARAB WORSHIPPER TO BLOW THAT BRIDGE TO BITS FOR COMING AGAINST ISRAEL. OR A NICE 9.0 QUAKE TO BRING THAT POLLUTED BRIDGE TO ITS END. AND MAYBE GOD WILL DO THE SAME TO THE EIFFEL TOWER IN FRANCE. A TERRORIST ATTACK OR A GIGANTIC QUAKE. WE WILL SEE.BUT THESE ARAB,MUSLIM SUCK UP COUNTRIES WILL PAY A PRICE OF SOME KIND OF JUDGEMENT.

Tens of thousands join anti-Israel, pro-Palestinian march over Sydney Harbour Bridge-Organizers call for unrestricted aid into Gaza, an Israeli ceasefire and withdrawal from the enclave, and sanctions and an arms embargo against Israel-By Reuters and ToI Staff Today, 2:16 pm-AUG 3,25

Tens of thousands of pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel demonstrators marched across Sydney’s iconic Harbour Bridge on Sunday to call for increased aid deliveries to Gaza and sanctions on Israel.The march in Australia’s largest city occurred days after a government minister said the country would recognize a Palestinian state in the future, and as global pressure has mounted on Israel amid reports of deepening starvation in Gaza.The march was organized by Palestine Action Group Sydney, which has accused Israel of genocide in its war against Hamas in Gaza, a charge Israel rejects. The group posted on Facebook ahead of the protest that its demands were to remove restrictions on aid into Gaza; for an “Immediate Israeli ceasefire and withdrawal” from the enclave; and for Israel to be subject to sanctions and an arms embargo.The demonstration was called the “March for Humanity.” The Facebook post listing demands did not mention Hamas or the 50 Israeli hostages the terror group is holding in Gaza.Some of those attending carried pots and pans as symbols of the hunger in the Strip.“Enough is enough,” said Doug, a man in his 60s with a shock of white hair. “When people from all over the world gather together and speak up, then evil can be overcome.”Marchers ranged from the elderly to families with young children. Among them were WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and former Australian Foreign Minister Bob Carr.Many carried umbrellas amid heavy rain. Some waved Palestinian flags and chanted “We are all Palestinians.” Members of the crowd also chanted, “Long live the intifada,” a reference to the violent uprisings by the Palestinians that killed hundreds of Israelis, according to videos from the demonstration. At least one person carried a photo of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader.New South Wales police said up to 90,000 people had attended, far more than expected. Palestine Action Group Sydney said in a Facebook post that as many as 300,000 people may have marched.New South Wales police and the state’s premier last week tried to block the march from taking place on the bridge, a city landmark and transport thoroughfare, saying the route could cause safety hazards and transport disruption. The state’s Supreme Court ruled on Saturday that it could go ahead.Acting Deputy Police Commissioner Peter McKenna said more than a thousand police were deployed and the size of the crowd had led to fears of a crush.“No one was hurt,” he told a press conference. “But gee whiz, I wouldn’t like to try and do this every Sunday at that short notice.”Police were also present in Melbourne, where a similar protest march took place.Diplomatic pressure ramped up on Israel in recent weeks. France and Canada have said they will recognize a Palestinian state, and Britain says it will follow suit unless Israel addresses the humanitarian crisis, reaches a ceasefire and restarts a peace process.Israel has condemned these decisions as rewarding Hamas for the October 7, 2023, attack that launched the war, killed some 1,200 people and took more than 250 hostage. Israel has also denied pursuing a policy of starvation and accused Hamas of stealing aid.The Hamas-run Gaza health ministry says more than 60,000 people in the Strip have been killed or are presumed dead in the fighting so far, though the toll cannot be verified and does not differentiate between civilians and fighters. Israel says it has killed some 20,000 combatants in battle as of January and another 1,600 terrorists inside Israel during the October 7 onslaught.Israel has said it seeks to minimize civilian fatalities and stresses that Hamas uses Gaza’s civilians as human shields, fighting from civilian areas including homes, hospitals, schools, and mosques. Israel’s toll in the ground offensive against Hamas in Gaza and in military operations along the border with the Strip stands at 459.Australia’s center-left Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has said he supports a two-state solution and Israel’s denial of aid and killing of civilians “cannot be defended or ignored,” but has not recognized Palestine. Another minister said such recognition would happen in the future.“It’s a matter of when, not if, Australia recognizes a Palestinian state… but I don’t want to put a time frame on it,” Treasurer Jim Chalmers told Australian public broadcaster ABC last week.Australia has seen a string of antisemitic attacks since October 7, including some at anti-Israel demonstrations. Australia has probed whether foreign support is behind the attacks.

Hamas vows not to lay down arms after Witkoff reportedly says it’s ready to demilitarize-Accusing US of complicity in ‘genocide and starvation,’ terror group pledges to continue violent resistance ‘as long as the occupation exists,’ slams US envoy’s visit to GHF site-By Emanuel Fabian-and ToI Staff 2 August 2025, 8:00 pm

Hamas on Saturday said it would not disarm “as long as the occupation exists,” denying reported remarks to the contrary by US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and blasting him for visiting an aid site run by the controversial, US- and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation.In a statement, Hamas vowed to continue its violent struggle, saying its right to do so was guaranteed by international law until Palestinians’ “national rights” were realized, “foremost among them… the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with full sovereignty and Jerusalem as its capital.”The terror group also assailed Witkoff’s visit to the GHF amid reports of soaring hunger in Gaza, and that hundreds of Palestinian aid seekers have been killed near the agency’s four distribution sites in the south and center of the enclave since they started operating in mid-May.“The American administration is a full partner in the crime of starvation and genocide,” said Hamas. It added that Witkoff’s visit was “nothing more than a pre-arranged theatrical performance” to provide Israel with “political cover for managing starvation and continuing the systematic killing of children and unarmed civilians from our people.”The terror group called on the US “to bear its historical responsibility by lifting the cover from the crime of the century in Gaza and moving toward a ceasefire agreement that leads to ending the aggression.”Israel has vociferously denied the claim it is committing genocide in the Gaza Strip, saying it takes steps to mitigate harm to civilians and accusing Hamas of using civilians and human shields. Jerusalem has also rejected as Hamas propaganda allegations that it is purposely starving the territory, and accuses the terror group of hijacking UN aid deliveries.GHF, which seeks to circumvent Hamas in the distribution of aid, launched its operations in May, sidelining the longstanding UN-led humanitarian system just as Israel was beginning to ease a more than two-month aid blockade it had imposed on Gaza.Other humanitarian groups have refused to cooperate with the GHF, saying its distribution plan puts aid-seekers in danger. Since the group began operating in Gaza, Hamas’s civil defense agency and foreign correspondents inside Gaza have reported frequent incidents in which Israeli troops have opened fire on crowds of desperate Palestinian civilians approaching GHF centers seeking food.Israel has accused Hamas of attacking Gazan aid seekers and falsifying death tolls, but has also acknowledged that Palestinian civilians have been killed near GHF aid distribution sites. The IDF says troops have been issued new instructions following what it called “lessons learned.”Witkoff: No ‘perfect news’ to share on ceasefire-hostage talks-Hamas’s vow to retain its arsenal came four days after an unprecedented declaration by the entire Arab League, as well as dozens of other countries, urging the terror group to disarm and condemning its onslaught of October 7, 2023, which sparked the war in Gaza.Witkoff appeared to allude to the declaration when he told hostage families during a visit to Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square on Saturday that “some Arab countries are demanding that Hamas disarm,” according to Hebrew media accounts of his comments.“Hamas said that it is ready to demilitarize,” Witkoff reportedly said.At the same time, he told the hostage families that he has no “perfect news” to share with them about the Gaza ceasefire-hostage talks, which have stalled for over a week following the US and Israel’s withdrawal of their negotiators from Doha.“I wish I had perfect news for you, but it’s a super-complicated situation and I don’t have perfect news for you,” said Witkoff, according to audio from the meeting published by Channel 12. “Do I believe we are going to be successful here ultimately? I do, for a lot of reasons and some of those I can’t discuss right now.”Witkoff also said that US President Donald Trump was now seeking a comprehensive deal to end the war and bring all the hostages home, echoing a senior Israeli official who had told reporters Thursday that “there will be no more partial deals” with Hamas.In the audio published by Channel 12, Witkoff could be heard saying: “No piecemeal deals… that doesn’t work.” He also reportedly called negotiations with Hamas frustrating, accusing the terror group of failing to stand by its word.The Hostages and Missing Families Forum has slammed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for repeatedly presenting proposals that would release only some of the remaining 50 hostages, 28 of whom have been confirmed dead by the IDF

Protesters block Tel Aviv’s Ayalon Highway in call to release hostages, end war-Demonstration includes relatives of freed hostages and comes on Tisha B’Av fast day, shortly after videos of two emaciated hostages cause shock in Israel but muted reaction overseas-By ToI Staff Today, 12:51 pm-AUG 3,25

Dozens of protesters blocked traffic on Tel Aviv’s Ayalon Highway on Sunday morning, calling to free the hostages held by Hamas in Gaza, after videos of two emaciated captives shocked Israelis and amplified calls for their release.The demonstrators, led by the Women’s Protest group and including relatives of freed hostages, carried a banner reading “Abandonment of the hostages = destruction of the Third Temple,” along with “Everyone in a deal. Get out of Gaza.” Another sign read, in English, “Never again is now.”They chanted, “Why are they still in Gaza?” and “Bringing them back, everyone now.” Among the marchers were Shai Mozes, nephew of released hostage Gadi Mozes, and Meor Rosenberg, a relative of freed hostage Arbel Yehoud, according to Channel 13.The protest, which lasted about 20 minutes according to Haaretz, took place on the morning of the Tisha B’Av fast day, which commemorates the ancient destruction of the two Temples in Jerusalem, as well as a litany of other Jewish historical tragedies. It also occurred after Hamas and Islamic Jihad released videos of hostages Evyatar David and Rom Braslavsky, respectively, both looking severely emaciated.The video of David, in which his bones could be seen protruding through his skin and he was filmed digging his own grave, provoked outrage in Israel and beyond.“This morning is the Ninth of Av, and the greatest destruction has only been getting deeper for 667 days,” read a statement from the protesters, referring to the number of days since the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack that launched the war. They blamed the government for not doing more to free the captives.“It is impossible to breathe in the face of the pictures of Evyatar David and Rom Braslavsky, who have been abandoned thanks to this bad government,” the statement said. “Bring everyone back, the living and the dead, and end the war already.”The videos were released as global anger has mounted over reports of widening starvation in Gaza. Israel has denied that there is famine in the enclave but, in response to international pressure, instituted several measures a week ago to increase the flow of aid.International reaction to the hostage videos appears to be muted thus far.“The images of Israeli hostages are appalling and expose the barbarity of Hamas,” EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas posted on X on Sunday. “All hostages must be released immediately and unconditionally. Hamas must disarm and end its rule in Gaza. At the same time, large-scale humanitarian aid must be allowed to reach those in need.”On Sunday, Ynet reported that US President Donald Trump had seen the video of David. On Saturday, US Sen. John Fetterman, an outspoken advocate of Israel, condemned the video.“I had the honor to meet with his family in my office. I cannot even begin to imagine the horror of this video for them,” he wrote of David. “I continue to stand with these families and every last hostage. Hamas: send these poor souls home, disarm, and end this hell on earth in Gaza.”Several relatives of Braslavsky, David and other hostages have spoken out since Hamas released the videos on Thursday and Friday. Thousands demonstrated on Saturday night at Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square, where relatives of the two decried the videos and called for the hostages to be freed.A statement by David’s family said he has “only a few days left to live in his present state.”“Hamas is using our son Evyatar as a live experiment in human starvation,” the statement said. “Israel and the international community must object to Hamas’ cruelty and ensure that our Evyatar immediately receives adequate nutrition.”David was previously shown in a video in February, when Hamas brought him and fellow hostage Guy Gilboa-Dallal to witness the release of other captives. Islamic Jihad said more than a week ago that it lost contact with the captors holding Braslavsky and said this video was filmed beforehand.Tal Shoham, a freed captive who was held together with David, said in a video statement that he recognized where the footage of David was filmed, and that he remembers his Hamas captors having ample food supplies for themselves there. He said that when he was released from captivity during a ceasefire in February, David was suffering from scurvy.“This is a deliberate starvation by Hamas commanders that is only for propaganda in a really, really sadistic way,” he said in the video, adding that David is in “under really extreme life-threatening danger right now.”And in a column for Ynet Sunday morning, freed hostage Ohad Ben-Ami wrote that the starvation Braslavsky and David are enduring was familiar to him.“When I returned from captivity, my body had only 3.5 percent body fat,” he wrote. “It was said to me that had I stayed there another two or three weeks, I wouldn’t have survived. Evyatar and Rom, according to the pictures, may be in this situation as well — and so the negotiations need to be quick, so we can save the

IDF says soldiers questioned suspected dealers, seized arms in overnight Syria raid-Numerous weapons captured during operation in Hader, army says; over 300 ‘routine operations’ conducted in southern Syria in recent months-By Emanuel Fabian-Today, 12:08 pm-AUG 3,25

Israeli soldiers questioned several suspected arms dealers and seized weapons during an overnight raid in southern Syria, the military said Sunday morning.Troops of the 226th Reserve Paratroopers Brigade and field interrogators of the Intelligence Directorate’s Unit 504 operated in the Druze town of Hader, just across the border.The Israel Defense Forces said information gathered during the questioning of suspected arms dealers, along with prior intelligence, led the troops to four sites in the area where weapons were being stored.The soldiers raided the sites simultaneously and seized “numerous weapons that the suspects had been trafficking,” the army said.Israel has been involved militarily in Syria since the fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime in December 2024. In the immediate aftermath, Israel occupied Syria’s demilitarized zone and destroyed most of the Assad military’s facilities in a widespread bombing campaign.Since the fall of the Assad regime, the IDF has been deployed to nine posts inside southern Syria, mostly within the UN-patrolled buffer zone.Troops have been operating in areas up to around 15 kilometers deep into Syria, aiming to capture weapons that Israel says could pose a threat to the country if they fall into the hands of “hostile forces.”In recent months, the IDF said ground troops had conducted over 300 “routine operations” in southern Syria, including arresting suspected terror operatives, preventing “enemy entrenchment,” and thwarting arms smuggling to Lebanon.The military has also been operating a medical facility next to Hader to treat the Druze residents of the town and other Syrians. The “forward mobile triage” site was established in May. It was closed due to the war in Iran in June, as the forces operating it were diverted to other tasks, and reopened last month.The military has also been constructing a barrier, dubbed “New East,” along the Israeli-Syrian border, which resembles a trench to prevent the crossing of vehicles.In July, the IDF conducted airstrikes on Syrian government forces to support Syrian Druze — who have close relations with Israel’s Druze community — amid violent clashes in the Sweida area of southern Syria.

New US lawsuit demands UNRWA pay for crimes of Hamas, Hezbollah-Filing follows Department of Justice position in April that Palestinian refugee agency is not entitled to immunity-By ToI Staff Today, 6:19 am-AUG 3,25

US citizens who were victims of Hamas and Hezbollah attacks, as well as relatives of such individuals, are suing the UN’s Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA, demanding it be held liable for aiding and enabling the actions of the terror groups.The New York Times reported that the lawsuit was filed Thursday at a federal court in DC, based on a Department of Justice decision in April that UNRWA is not entitled to immunity from US lawsuits.According to the complaint, UNRWA has provided material aid to Hamas and Hezbollah in violation of antiterrorism laws. It also claims that UNRWA USA assisted the groups by gathering donations.The lawsuit alleges that rather than promoting peace and coexistence, UNRWA actively encourages anti-Israel and antisemitic attitudes through its positions, services, and education system.A second lawsuit filed in New York last year by the families of more than 100 victims of the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led terror assault is ongoing.UNRWA, formally titled the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, was established in 1949 following the 1948 War of Independence with Arab armies that accompanied the creation of the modern State of Israel. It provides aid, health and education to millions of Palestinians in Gaza, the West Bank, and neighboring Arab countries — Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan.Some 5.9 million people are registered as Palestinian refugees by UNRWA, because they are descended from Arabs displaced in the war surrounding Israel’s creation in 1948.Israel has long argued that UNRWA perpetuates the Israeli-Palestinian conflict by using this definition of refugee, the only case globally in which the status is passed down generationally. The rest of the world’s refugees are under a different UN agency that doesn’t enable passing down the status to offspring who themselves haven’t been displaced. The UNRWA definition of refugees means that the Palestinian refugee population is always increasing over time, even when the refugee descendants attain citizenship in another country.An Israeli ban on the agency was passed by the Knesset in November with a large majority that included the support of opposition parties, amid a series of revelations about employees of the agency who were actively involved in terror groups in the Gaza Strip, participation of some of its staff in the October 7 Hamas invasion and slaughter, and repeated use of UNRWA infrastructure for terror activities.Israel has also provided evidence that the agency’s schools incited hatred of Israel and glorification of attacks against Israelis.In September 2024, the Department of Justice, then under the administration of former president Joe Biden, asserted that the UN had not waived its immunity in US courts, and as such UNRWA was exempt from prosecution and the New York lawsuit could not proceed.But in April, the department said that while “previously, the Government expressed the view that certain immunities shielded UNRWA from having to answer” to allegations regarding its role in the “heinous offenses” of October 7, it had “since reevaluated that position, and now concludes UNRWA is not immune from this litigation.”Presenting its position, the department stated that while the UN in and of itself enjoys immunity in US courts, its “subsidiary organs,” such as UNRWA, do not.

Analysis-With Palestine recognition, allies try to get Netanyahu to listen, but risk boosting Hamas-Macron, Starmer and Carney are sending a frustated message to Israel, but give Hamas more reason to avoid a ceasefire; their actions are unlikely to change anything for the better-By Lazar Berman-2 August 2025, 11:36 am

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu prides himself on his diplomatic acumen. One of the most experienced leaders on the world stage, he has weathered challenging Democratic administrations and managed to return to US President Donald Trump’s good graces after a crisis in ties, signed normalization deals with Arab states and found new allies across the globe.Yet he was outmaneuvered diplomatically in recent months by a generally weak and ineffective leader, the sclerotic Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, the effects of which we are now witnessing.In April, French President Emmanuel Macron announced that he might recognize a Palestinian state “in the coming months,” in the lead-up to a United Nations conference in June co-hosted with Saudi Arabia on the issue.Ahead of the conference — which was eventually postponed to this week because of Israel’s aerial campaign against Iran — Abbas penned a letter to Macron and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman outlining the main steps he thinks must be taken to end the war in the Gaza Strip and achieve peace in the Middle East.“Hamas will no longer rule Gaza and must hand over its weapons and military capabilities to the Palestinian Security Forces,” wrote Abbas.He said he was “ready to invite Arab and international forces to be deployed as part of a stabilization/protection mission with a (UN) Security Council mandate.”“We are ready to conclude within a clear and binding timeline, and with international support, supervision and guarantees, a peace agreement that ends the Israeli occupation and resolves all outstanding and final status issues,” Abbas wrote.“Hamas has to immediately release all hostages and captives,” he added.Abbas reaffirmed his commitment to reform the Palestinian Authority and confirmed his intention to hold presidential and general elections “within a year” under international auspices.“The Palestinian State should be the sole provider of security on its territory, but has no intention to be a militarized State.”Macron, clearly impressed, called the letter “a decisive moment.”In his July 24 letter to Abbas announcing his decision to soon recognize a Palestinian state, Macron cited the PA leader’s missive and the commitments therein as the impetus for the move.Netanyahu, on the other hand, only pushed Macron further toward such recognition, against Israel’s will and over its head. He let the humanitarian situation in Gaza, and the narrative around it, get out of hand.He also failed to enforce Israeli law against Jewish extremists in the West Bank, who killed Palestinian civilians and set fires near the ruins of an important 5th-century church.And it seems no one at the top had the foresight to sit with IDF commanders to ensure that tactical units would figure out how they can protect themselves without firing live ammunition against crowds of Gazan civilians trying to get to aid sites, and to ensure that sufficient measures were in place to avoid firing near the only Catholic church in the Strip. An Israeli tank shell struck the roof of the Holy Family Church last month, killing three civilians and wounding the priest.The French are particularly sensitive to the fate of Catholics in the Holy Land. For four centuries, France enjoyed a special status as protector of Christian traders and priests. It lost its status after World War I, but maintains four “national domains” in Israel and asserts its historic role whenever it sees an opportunity.Israel offered it one, and that French decision opened the floodgates.Following on from Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced on Tuesday that the UK would also recognize a Palestinian state in September unless the Israeli government takes substantive steps to end the war and humanitarian crisis in Gaza and meets several other conditions, including recommitting to a viable peace process.More Western countries quickly said they were considering the move as well — Andorra, Australia, Canada, Finland, Luxembourg, New Zealand, Portugal, San Marino, and Malta.“I wouldn’t call it a tsunami yet,” said Maya Sion-Tzidkiyahu, an expert on Israel-Europe relations at the Mitvim Institute on Wednesday. “But we are standing on the edge of the abyss.”The ground crumbles-Hours after Starmer’s announcement, Israel slipped further toward the diplomatic void.Prime Minister Mark Carney announced that Canada, another member of the G7 forum of leading global economies, will recognize a Palestinian state in September.For now, other important countries like Australia and New Zealand have affirmed their “unwavering commitment to the vision of the two-state solution,” a vague and non-binding declaration.Germany, one of Israel’s closest allies, said it “does not plan to recognize a Palestinian state in the short term.” Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said the move would be “counterproductive.”The remaining Western holdouts are being cautious, and with good reason.“It’s a card that can only be played once,” said Rémi Daniel, head of the Europe research program at the Institute for National Security Studies in Tel Aviv.“I do think there is still a desire among leaders not to go too far against Israel,” Daniel noted.They also have to weigh the risk they are willing to assume by recognizing a state of Palestine, with analysts saying the move could backfire by exposing the ineffectiveness of the move.“If in the end the feeling is that international recognition by a country like France or Britain doesn’t change anything, doesn’t affect anything, it’s actually proof and an illustration of the weakness of those countries,” said Daniel. “That’s why I think leaders are considering it because they don’t want to get into an embarrassing situation.”“They’re ineffective, they’re pathetic, and they’re tragic,” Michael Oren, former Israeli ambassador to the United States, said of the announcements, noting that “over 140 countries have already recognized the Palestinian state, and it’s done nothing for the Palestinian state.”“These are countries that used to have a voice, a serious voice, in international affairs,” Oren continued. “They no longer do. And it actually shows their weakness. It shows they’re irrelevant.”“Everyone knows that the Palestinians had a de facto state in Gaza,” an Israeli official told The Times of Israel. “They had a de facto state in Gaza since August 2005. It enabled the October 7, 2023, atrocities, the slaughter of 1,200 innocent people, and the abduction of another 251 innocent people into the Hamas dungeons of Gaza. Well, the French leader can bow to terror again, but for Israel, never again is now.”The Western leaders acknowledge there won’t be a Palestinian state any time soon, but they are eager to find ways to send a message to the current Israeli government.“They understand that it’s just a rhetorical statement,” said Emmanuel Nahshon, former ambassador to Belgium and Foreign Ministry deputy director-general for public diplomacy, “but it’s meant first and foremost at the Israeli government in order to show displeasure and disapproval of the actions of the Israeli government not only in Gaza, but also the free hand given to extreme settlers in the West Bank.”And, of course, domestic politics can never be overlooked in a democracy.“It’s an internal Labour party matter,” argued British Conservative MP Bob Blackman, speaking from the Gaza border during a visit with the European Leadership Network. “Huge pressure has been put on the prime minister to recognize the state of Palestine. The messages and the media that we see in the UK are full of the problems of starvation in Gaza, and that’s piling the pressure on [Starmer] to take action.”“You see the Muslim Brotherhood riots in their city centers and on their campuses,” said the Israeli official. “You also know who finances the campaigns. That’s the story. Their statements have little to do with foreign policy and a lot to do with their domestic issues.”Palestinian independence day? Yet, driven by internal political calculations and a desire to impose consequences on Netanyahu, Western leaders could make it harder to end the war in Gaza by emboldening Hamas.Starmer, rather bizarrely, said that Israel could forestall UK recognition by reaching a ceasefire in Gaza. In other words, Hamas would now be getting in the way of recognition for Palestine if it agrees to a truce before September.“The UK and other nations put out statements trying to put pressure on Israel, which hardened Hamas’s position,” said Blackman. “What this has done is basically say to Hamas, ‘Well, if you just keep holding out, holding out, holding out, we’ll recognize the state of Palestine.’ Hamas ends up with a Palestinian state, no requirement to release the hostages, and indeed, rewarding the treacherous acts of terrorism they inflicted on the people of Israel.”Moreover, Hamas has paid attention throughout the war to international pressure on Israel. When it seems that Western allies are forcing concessions from Israel with nothing demanded from Hamas, the terror group sits back and watches its negotiating position improve while Israel’s slips.Hamas didn’t agree to a truce even when international pressure was mounting against it in recent weeks. It certainly won’t now as Israel takes more blows with each passing day.And though the countries announcing plans to recognize a Palestinian state are convinced they are strengthening the Palestinian Authority, Hamas has a much better case to make now to the Palestinian street that, despite the costs, only violence against Israel can lead to progress on statehood, and ultimately Israel’s destruction. Many could well treat the October 7 slaughter as Palestine’s independence day. 

STORMS HURRICANES-TORNADOES

OZONE DEPLETION JUDGEMENT ON THE EARTH DUE TO SIN

ISAIAH 30:26-27
26 Moreover the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold,(7X OR 7-DEGREES HOTTER) as the light of seven days, in the day that the LORD bindeth up the breach of his people,(ISRAEL) and healeth the stroke of their wound.
27 Behold, the name of the LORD cometh from far, burning with his anger, and the burden thereof is heavy: his lips are full of indignation, and his tongue as a devouring fire:

MATTHEW 24:21-22,29
21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.
22 And except those days should be shortened,(DAY LIGHT HOURS SHORTENED) there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake (ISRAELS SAKE) those days shall be shortened (Daylight hours shortened)(THE ASTEROID HITS EARTH HERE)
29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:

REVELATION 16:7-9
7 And I heard another out of the altar say, Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are thy judgments.
8 And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun; and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire.
9 And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues: and they repented not to give him glory.

EZEKIEL 32:6-9
6  I will also water with thy blood the land wherein thou swimmest, even to the mountains; and the rivers shall be full of thee.
7  And when I shall put thee out, I will cover the heaven, and make the stars thereof dark; I will cover the sun with a cloud, and the moon shall not give her light.
8  All the bright lights of heaven will I make dark over thee, and set darkness upon thy land, saith the Lord GOD.
9  I will also vex the hearts of many people, when I shall bring thy destruction among the nations, into the countries which thou hast not known.

REVELATION 16:3-7
3 And the second angel poured out his vial upon the sea; and it became as the blood of a dead man: and every living soul died in the sea.(enviromentalists won't like this result)
4 And the third angel poured out his vial upon the rivers and fountains of waters; and they became blood.
5 And I heard the angel of the waters say, Thou art righteous, O Lord, which art, and wast, and shalt be, because thou hast judged thus.
6 For they(False World Church and Dictator and baby murderers by abortion) have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and thou hast given them blood to drink; for they are worthy.

B.C. wildfire wories grow after thousands of lightning strikes By Chuck Chiang The Canadian Press-Posted August 1, 2025 12:46 pm

Tens of thousands of lightning strikes across British Columbia since Wednesday have created “a very dynamic” wildfire situation, with more than half the current fires started since the storms.Emelie Peacock, an information officer with the BC Wildfire Service, said a week of dry and hot weather combined with lightning led to many new fire starts.Since Wednesday, more than 35,000 lightning strikes were recorded across the province, Peacock said.Severe thunderstorm watches remained in place on Friday for a large swatch of the southern Interior and stretching to locations into the northeast. Above-seasonal temperatures, especially in the southern Interior, roasted many parts of the province earlier in the week, Peacock said.“So, we’ve certainly seen the southern parts of the province really come on board later in the season than we’re used to, but the southern parts of the province are now fully in wildfire season,” she said in an interview Friday.The lightning storms set off 65 new fires between Thursday and Friday, with some of them burning close to communities in the Interior, in the Fraser Canyon and on the Vancouver Island. There are about 130 active wildfires burning in the province.While she said the cooling trend and showers “are going to help us out,” the province isn’t “completely out of the woods yet.”“We will likely see new wildfire starts, what we call holdover lightning fires,” said Peacock, adding the holdover fires usually take several days to become visible.Residents who were rushed out of their homes by a wildfire near Peachland on Wednesday were allowed to return home.The Central Okanagan Emergency Operations Centre said those at 118 properties were allowed to go home on Friday, a day after residents of about 380 homes were allowed to return.The centre said those in the 118 homes must remain on evacuation alert, although all alerts had been lifted for another 490 properties.The BC Wildfire Service said the blaze near Peachland has been classified as being held and is no longer out of control.The Nanaimo Regional District on Vancouver Island declared a state of local emergency because of wildfire burning on the north banks of Cameron Lake, about 60 kilometres from the City of Nanaimo.Homes on the north side of the lake have been ordered evacuated, while other nearby properties have been put on evacuation alert.The district said 289 properties were put on evacuation alert, while a few dozen were evacuated Thursday.Peacock said the fire, which is measured just under a square kilometres in size and visible from Highway 4, is “burning aggressively” in terrain that is difficult to access.More than 40 firefighters and helicopters are working on the fire, and Peacock said Highway 4 is still open and unaffected.A wildfire south of Lytton, B.C., has been measured at just over 12-square kilometres in size and an evacuation order issued by the Lytton First Nation remains in place because of the blaze.The wildfire service says the fire is highly visible from Highway 1, and motorists are asked to use extra caution and be aware of their surroundings while passing through.While a cooling trend was coming for the province over the long weekend, Peacock said thunderstorm activity will continue in the North, and they will likely bring dry lightning.Peacock said people who want to get out and enjoy the long weekend are encouraged to check wildfire and driving information before they leave, as the wildfire situation is “very dynamic, and road conditions can change very quickly.”

The longest ride I ever had': Pinehouse residents evacuate to Regina as Muskeg Fire nears community-Northern village of Pinehouse, around 575 kilometres northwest of Regina, under mandatory evacuation order-Katie Swyers, Aliyah Marko-Omene · CBC News · Posted: Jul 31, 2025 12:29 PM EDT |

Residents of the northern village of Pinehouse, Sask., had a long drive south Wednesday night after wildfires forced them to evacuate to Regina by convoy.Andrew Netmaker was in the middle of getting ready for work when he received the call to evacuate the village, which is about 575 kilometres northwest of Regina."It kind of caught me off guard," he said."Knowing that the safety of the community was at risk … the people in charge told us it was a mandatory evacuation."Netmaker packed "nothing super personal," only taking his clothes and hygiene items."I couldn't even bring much that I wanted to, but I understand in the heat of the moment it's not really something to prioritize," he said.Netmaker left as part of the first convoy of evacuees around 9:30 p.m. CST Wednesday and arrived in Regina just before 6 a.m. Thursday."I haven't gotten any sleep, but that's just how it is," Netmaker said.He said they saw "a few fires burning" about 20 minutes out of the northern village."Nothing too big, but not something you're comfortable with at all," Netmaker said. "It was kind of frightening and I am happy to be away from that."Jeffrey Natomagan was also part of the first convoy late Wednesday night.He made his way to the community hall, where those with rides were separated from those taking buses."As soon as the road opened we got our first convoy out," Natomagan said.The second bus followed behind shortly after.The evacuation was not as frightening as some Natomagan has experienced in the past. "The town made it feel comfortable," he said, adding the evacuation was managed well.He said he saw more fire crews coming in with three bulldozers as the buses were leaving. "I am very confident," he said about the community's firefighting efforts.Bonnie Kim Natomagan also left the village late Wednesday night. "That's the longest ride I ever had," she said.She was joined by some of her family, including her youngest daughter and her granddaughter. "I think I only had one hour of sleep," she said.She said it's the third time she has had to evacuate, but her first time coming to Regina."It's beautiful out here," she said.She expects to stay in Regina for the next week or two. Shelley Natomagan works with the Kineepik Métis Local and arrived in Regina a week ago to help accommodate evacuees. She's also a resident of Pinehouse.She said they've been busy since the two buses of evacuees arrived early Thursday morning."We're still working to try and get everyone settled and in the right hotels," she said.Evacuees have been accommodated across four Regina hotels, including the Ramada in the city's downtown area. "I'm just really grateful and thankful for all the help that we've been getting in the city," Shelley said. "It helps us to, you know, to be comfortable here and not feel like, lonely for home."The call to evacuate-The Facebook page for the village asked residents Wednesday to pack lightly and prepare for the trip south."This will be a long trip as we will be going further down south. Please pack water, snacks, anything you would need for a long trip," the post said.Buses were available to take residents to Regina, according to the post.The community is being threatened by the Muskeg Fire, which also encroached on the neighbouring community of Beauval.Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA) vice-president Steve Roberts said the eastern side of that fire, opposite Beauval, is now impacting the area around Pinehouse."That community will now be going under an evacuation order and removing all of their non-essential residents," Roberts said.Meanwhile, non-vulnerable residents of Beauval were allowed to return home yesterday. Beauval Mayor Rick Laliberte previously told CBC the community is better protected from the Muskeg Fire as there's a river separating it from the village. "The southern part of the fire has been very well secured," Roberts said, but other areas of the Muskeg fire are threatening communities like English River First Nation and the hamlet of Patunak.Roberts said 11 communities across Saskatchewan were currently evacuated and around 3,000 people are displaced across Saskatchewan due to wildfires, as of Wednesday afternoon. Up-to-date info on active fires, smoke and related topics is available at these sources:

Megaflash! Longest lightning bolt ever sets new record at 829 km in span-Published August 1-Taylor Katzel-Associate Producer 

New tech allowed scientists to measure 2017 event-The most epic lightning bolt in history happened eight years ago.Now, thanks to new technology, it’s finally getting recognition as the force of nature that it was.On July 31, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) announced that a lightning flash that occurred in the United States back in October 2017 was the largest in recorded history.It happened during a major thunderstorm and stretched 829 kilometres from eastern Texas to Kansas City, Missouri.According to the WMO, if you drove from one end of the lightning flash to the other, it would take you roughly eight to nine hours.WMO said its Committee on Weather and Climate Extremes was able to recognize the record using new satellite technologies that give us a deeper look into weather events. “This new record clearly demonstrates the incredible power of the natural environment,” said Randall Cerveny, an extreme weather expert for the WMO, in a press release. He said it also demonstrates “the significant scientific progress in observing, documenting and evaluating such events,” and that even more powerful flashes are sure to come.The previous record was 768 kilometres from a 2020 lightning flash. Even though it occured three years later, the 2020 record was measured by scientists first. Both the new and old records took place in the Great Plains, a part of the United States made up of 10 states known for a special weather system that gives rise to extreme weather. Staying safe from lightning-If a lightning storm is happening around you, it’s important to go somewhere safe.“The only lightning-safe locations are substantial buildings that have wiring and plumbing; not structures such as at a beach or bus stop,” said lightning specialist Walt Lyons in the WMO press release. “The second reliably safe location is inside a fully enclosed metal-topped vehicle; not dune buggies or motorcycles.”