The Israel-Hamas War|The Victims

Islands of Arab-Jewish cooperation in the shadow of war

In the shadow of the war, initiatives of Arab-Jewish solidarity are emerging, reports Haaretz. 

 

48-year-old Sleman Shlebe, who belongs to a Muslim Bedouin people in the Negev region of Israel, quickly gathered 600 volunteers who set out in all-terrain vehicles to search for Israelis who had been killed or abducted. 

 

- We tried to help everyone we could, but unfortunately it was too late for many of them. 

 

In several other cities, there are both established and newly added citizen initiatives in which both Jews and Arabs are included. In Haifa, residents have come together to clean and renovate shelters. Last Saturday, when Hamas attacked, the group grew from 40 to 600 members in one day. 

 

 - Political dialogue is currently not the greatest act of solidarity. It is not time for talk, but for action, says Palestinian activist Sally Abed. 

 

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Several protests against Israel: "No to the occupation" '

 

Residents of countries in the area around Israel and Palestine have taken to the streets to show their support for the Palestinians, several media reports. 

 

In Iraq's capital Baghdad, thousands of people participate in demonstrations, according to AFP. 

 

- No to the occupation, no to the USA, the crowds chant.  

 

Al Jazeera writes that hundreds of Jordanians are on their way to the Israeli border. The country's king came out earlier this week and said that peace in the region is not possible without a Palestinian state. In the capital Amman, people have taken to the streets to protest against Israel.  

 

AP reports that the situation in Gaza is highlighted in connection with the Friday prayer in many mosques around the world today. 

 

- Prayer is a weapon for pious Muslims, said an imam at a mosque in  

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Evacuation leaflets rain on Gaza: "Pushed further into the abyss"  

During Friday, Israel released leaflets over northern Gaza with messages in Arabic to evacuate in a southern direction, several media reports.  

 

1.1 million people are being urged to head south of Wadi Gaza, a wetland area that bisects the city.  

 

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) writes in a statement that Israel's call for evacuation is "horrific" and that parts of the Gaza Strip are rapidly becoming "hell".  

 

- This will only cause the situation to reach new levels of misery and push the people of Gaza further into the abyss, says Philippe Lazzarini, Commissioner for UNRWA.