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Revision as of 01:48, December 22, 2025
, 01:48, December 22, 2025→Dec 14, 2025+
Social media footage shows Bitton approaching one of the attackers with another man, appearing to distract the gunman in an effort to protect others.
Social media footage shows Bitton approaching one of the attackers with another man, appearing to distract the gunman in an effort to protect others.
[https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-880836 JPost]
[https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-880836 JPost]
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Hamas Ran Gaza’s Aid System — and NGOs Helped Keep the Secret.
By HonestReporting Staff. December 19, 2025.
For years, international NGOs and humanitarian agencies told the world they were working “neutrally” in Gaza. But according to newly declassified Hamas documents, that neutrality never existed.
In a conversation with HonestReporting, NGO Monitor vice president Olga Deutsch explains how Gaza was run not as a normal territory, but rather as a tightly controlled police state where Hamas oversaw almost every aspect of international aid. “No one was neutral or independent in Gaza,” she says. “Hamas controlled everything.”
The documents, seized by the IDF and later declassified, come from Hamas’ own ministries. They show a system in which Hamas approved NGO staff, tracked individual employees, and controlled which projects and grantees received funding.
The “Guarantors” Inside Humanitarian Groups.
At the heart of this system is something Hamas called the “guarantor.”
Every international organization working in Gaza had a local liaison, many of whom held senior roles inside the NGOs, and at least some of them were identified as Hamas members or affiliates. That person had two jobs: report back to Hamas on what the organization was doing, and make sure foreign staff didn’t see what Hamas didn’t want them to see.
The guarantors watched staff behavior, tapped phones, monitored social media, and filed detailed reports. Those reports graded organizations as “cooperative,” “medium cooperative,” or “non-cooperative” — but even “non-cooperative” groups still had to toe Hamas’ line if they wanted to operate at all.
It wasn’t just about skimming food or supplies. Hamas treated NGOs as a strategic asset: a way to control the population, gather intelligence, and cover military activity. Aid groups working on agriculture near the Israeli border were of particular interest, because those areas overlapped with Hamas infiltration routes and surveillance of the fence.
One internal report describes a Norwegian Refugee Council delegation visiting an elderly couple whose apartment floor was shaking from below. The couple suspected Hamas was digging a tunnel. The delegation, escorted by Hamas officials, ignored the complaint and moved on. No warning was issued, no public statement was given when the delegation later returned home. Just silence.
Why Gaza Is Different — and Why That’s Not an Excuse.
Deutsch acknowledges that working under a terror regime poses real risks for aid workers. But she rejects the idea that this explains everything, or excuses anything.
In other conflict zones, she notes, the same organizations have no problem openly labeling groups like Boko Haram or Al-Qaeda as terrorist organizations, even while negotiating access on the ground. In Gaza, by contrast, Hamas is often softened into “militants” or “fighters,” while Israel is frequently accused of crimes that are never substantiated.
Gaza is also structurally unique. In many war zones, international staff live in fortified compounds separate from the local population. In Gaza, NGOs live and work inside the civilian areas, making it easier for Hamas to monitor their every move — and harder for them to claim they don’t know what was going on.
But whatever the operational challenges, Deutsch says the line was clearly crossed when organizations not only adapted to Hamas rule but then turned around and accused Israel of crimes while hiding what they knew about Hamas’ tactics.
From “Neutral NGOs” to Narrative Warfare
The documents also confirm what Israel has long said about Hamas’ use of hospitals and medical centers.
According to Deutsch, Hamas records show that every hospital and medical center in Gaza had a Hamas wing, with at least one tunnel linked to many of these sites. All the international organizations working there knew that Hamas used protected civilian infrastructure for meetings, medical treatment of operatives, and military activity.
Yet when the IDF struck near these sites after October 7, many of the same humanitarian groups were among the first to accuse Israel of targeting civilians or attacking hospitals, without mentioning Hamas’ presence at all.
Deutsch says part of the problem is what NGO Monitor calls the “halo effect.” NGOs are treated by journalists, politicians, and the public as uniquely trustworthy — as if their reports are objective, apolitical snapshots of reality.
In practice, many of these organizations arrive in Gaza with political assumptions already formed by the media and activist networks back home. They then produce reports that reinforce those assumptions, which are eagerly picked up by international outlets and quoted as fact.
Journalists have told Deutsch they “have to stay neutral,” which, in the Israel-Hamas context, means refusing to label Hamas a terrorist organization even when their own governments have done so. At the same time, these outlets unquestioningly quote casualty figures and narratives that originate with Hamas-controlled institutions.
The result is a vicious cycle: NGOs produce politicized reports, the media amplifies them, and then new NGO staff and donors absorb those narratives as the starting point for their own “humanitarian” work.
From Durban to October 7: This Didn’t Start Yesterday.
The entanglement of NGOs, politics, and anti-Israel campaigning is not new. NGO Monitor itself was founded after the 2001 UN Durban Conference in South Africa, where international NGOs embraced the edict that “Zionism is racism” and committed themselves to using human rights language as a strategic weapon against Israel.
What has changed, Deutsch argues, is the intensity. In the last decade, and especially since October 7, accusations that once lived on the fringes — genocide, apartheid, deliberate starvation — have moved into the mainstream language of humanitarian organizations.
At the same time, record levels of antisemitic incidents in North America and Europe have not been treated by major human rights giants as a central human rights crisis, even as those same organizations repeatedly single out Israel.
What the Documents Show — And Why It Matters Now.
The Hamas documents at the center of NGO Monitor’s report were seized by the IDF in Gaza and later declassified. Most come from Hamas’ Ministry of Internal Security — the same body responsible for policing dissent, internal surveillance, and managing foreign organizations. A smaller number are linked to the ministries of education and agriculture, where project activity overlapped.
NGO Monitor translated and analyzed thousands of pages, connecting Hamas’ internal tracking of NGOs with publicly available information on the same organizations and their funding.
Deutsch says the timing of the report is critical. As the international community debates how to rebuild Gaza, estimates for reconstruction have reached around $70 billion. If that money is channeled into the same systems that existed before October 7, she warns, the world will simply rebuild the infrastructure that allowed Hamas to thrive.
For individual donors who want to help civilians but fear enabling Hamas or politicized NGOs, Deutsch’s advice is simple: do basic due diligence.
Check an organization’s public statements and social media. See what it says about Israel, Gaza, and the war. Ask whether it operates in Gaza or the West Bank, and what projects it funds there. If the group regularly accuses Israel of genocide, apartheid, or deliberate starvation, that should trigger serious questions.
“Money should be conditional,” she says. “The same logic you use to choose a doctor or a school should apply to the charities you support. Don’t send money blindly.”
A Moment of Choice.
Deutsch has been presenting this report in parliaments and policy forums across Europe. For her, the stakes go far beyond the Israeli–Palestinian arena.
The way NGOs, governments, and media handle Gaza’s reconstruction will signal whether the international system is willing to confront how human rights and humanitarian language have been weaponized, or whether it will simply pour money back into an unreformed structure controlled by a terror group.
“If we don’t learn from what these documents show,” she says, “we’re not just failing Israelis or Palestinians. We’re undermining the credibility of humanitarian work and the democratic societies that depend on it.”
To read the full report and learn more about the organization’s critical work, visit ngo-monitor.org
HonestReporting is a Jerusalem-based media watchdog with a focus on antisemitism and anti-Israel bias — where a version of this article first appeared.
[https://www.algemeiner.com/2025/12/19/hamas-ran-gazas-aid-system-and-ngos-helped-keep-the-secret/ Algemeiner]
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Exclusive: October 7 – The al-Shifa Hospital Hostage Convoy.
Shortly after 10:40am on October 7 2023, a large convoy of vehicles drove through the gates of al-Shifa Hospital, Gaza’s largest medical complex. They were not ambulances, and they were not carrying wounded terrorists. They were carrying Israeli hostages.
Using newly uncovered footage, it can now be shown that al-Shifa Hospital functioned as a key Hamas control hub in the transfer and distribution of abducted Israelis.
This is the first time this material is being publicly presented and properly analysed.
Until now, official evidence has suggested that only two or three hostages passed through al-Shifa on October 7. The evidence below, including frame-by-frame analysis of previously unseen footage, demonstrates that this figure is a significant underestimate and indicates the true number was far higher.
One of the most revealing aspects of what happened at al-Shifa is not only what occurred, but what didn’t. With prominent Gazan journalists present, no one reported the arrival of hostages. One even misrepresented a jeep full of captive Israeli women as “injured Palestinians” brought for treatment.
Warning: This article contains disturbing footage of hostages taken on October 7.
The Hostages of Nahal Oz.
On the morning of October 7, one of the gravest failures in the history of the IDF unfolded at the Nahal Oz army base near Gaza. The base was rapidly overrun by large numbers of terrorists, and more than 50 soldiers were killed there – including sixteen female surveillance personnel.
Ten live hostages were abducted from the base – seven female surveillance “spotters” and three members of a tank crew.
Of particular importance to this investigation are two pieces of video footage showing hostages abducted from the base.
Firstly – an extended video was released with the families’ permission in May 2024. A frame-by-frame analysis shows that six hostages were forced into a single stolen IDF jeep: four female “spotters,” all visibly alive at the time; a fifth hostage lying prone on the floor of the vehicle; and a sixth, a soldier, who appears to have been seriously injured or already dead:
What follows is a second piece of footage of the hostages. Filmed somewhere inside Gaza, it shows the vehicle surrounded by a noisy mob, and was uploaded to Palestinian Telegram channels on October 7:
(Video Player).
The critical evidentiary detail captured in this footage is the vehicle’s number plate. The abducted women are shown inside a jeep bearing the registration number 703-145:
With the registration plate identified, and by searching through dozens, if not hundreds, of Telegram channels, it became possible to trace part of this vehicle’s journey.
The Hostages Inside Gaza
This footage was taken shortly after the stolen vehicle entered Gaza City. In the clip, the jeep carrying the Nahal Oz hostages is driving through a narrow street in Gaza. The civilians celebrate as the stolen jeep drives past:
(Video Player).
The visible landmarks allowed for a precise location to be attached to the footage (this find with thanks to ‘TwistyCB” on X):
The street we can see in the clip is Riyadh St, and it is in the Shuja’iyya neighborhood. The jeep is travelling westwards towards Rimal and the coast.
Two screenshots from this footage are of particular importance. The first captures the terrorists travelling at the rear of the vehicle. This detail will allow for further identification later, as individuals seen here reappear in footage recorded at the hospital itself.
The second occurs as the clip ends. Several bystanders turn their heads in unison towards the same direction – behaviour consistent with the arrival of another vehicle immediately behind the one that just passed. This coordinated reaction strongly suggests the vehicle was not travelling alone, but as part of a larger convoy moving towards al-Shifa.
Onwards to al-Shifa.
Other images of the jeep allow us to follow the journey. From this location we know this image was taken shortly after the footage of the street scene. This is the jeep at the Baghdad Street – Salah al-Din Road junction, and continuing to head west – towards Gaza’s Rimal district and the coast:
In the image on the left, the number plate 703-145 is visible, confirming this is the same vehicle. In the image on the right we can see satellite imagery of the same junction. Marked features include: (1) tree cluster behind a low construct; (2) distinctive cleared plot and curb; (3) adjacent building massing; and (4) a vehicle choke point.
Another useful image from the same post on Telegram captured the vehicle just before the turn – three distinctive bullet holes can be seen in the windscreen – a tell-tale feature that will later allow the vehicle to be identified again with certainty.
The Abduction of Naama Levy.
Not all of the Nahal Oz hostages were transported in the same vehicle. Some were separated at the base and placed into different cars before being driven into Gaza. Here we see Naama Levy, surrounded by terrorists, as she is driven away from Nahal Oz.
The image below is taken from the widely circulated footage of Naama Levy, who was moved from the rear of a vehicle into the back passenger seats while the jeep was stopped in Gaza City. The vehicle is a dark-coloured Jeep Wrangler:
This footage has also been geolocated, placing this vehicle travelling along the same Baghdad Street route used by the captured IDF jeep carrying the other six hostages.
The significance of this is not the identity of the vehicle alone, but the convergence of routes. Both vehicles are shown moving west through Gaza City towards the Rimal district – the same direction as al-Shifa.
Using the geo-location of the image of the stolen IDF vehicle turning into Baghdad Street, and the position of the Jeep Wrangler holding Naama Levy captive we can difinitively state that these locations are just 160 meters apart.
1 Location of the Naama Levy footage.
2 Location of the jeep at the Baghdad Street junction.
This establishes that at least two separate hostage vehicles, carrying abductees from the same base, were travelling along parallel routes towards the same destination – in the same time window.
The Hospital Argument.
Based on the reconstructed route taken by the Nahal Oz convoy as it travelled towards the Hamas stronghold of Rimal, the vehicles passed another fully operational hospital en route – undermining any credible suggestion that this journey was about providing urgent medical care. Al-Ahli Arab Hospital was functioning normally on October 7. It is significantly closer to Nahal Oz and lies adjacent to the route taken through Gaza City.
As the convoy continued – Al-Ahli hospital was just a minute or two away:
l
But the convoy did not stop there. Instead, it drove straight past Al-Ahli and continued west to al-Shifa, located in the heart of the Rimal district.
The al-Shifa Convoy.
While much of the footage from October 7 circulated widely, some critical material did not. The following video is one of two clips identified by the veteran German journalist Wolfgang Tietze, who worked with Spiegel TV / Der Spiegel from 1990 to 2003.
Both videos were later removed, and the account that uploaded them was deleted. They had been posted with downloading disabled. Recognising their significance, Tietze recorded the footage directly from his screen (Tietze has also issued a statement to be published along with this investigation). He has since shared both videos with me – along with his detailed findings and additional contextual material. Some of this material can still be found on Palestinian Telegram channels.
To my knowledge, this is the first time this footage has been publicly presented and properly analysed.
The video was recorded at the gates of al-Shifa Hospital on the morning of October 7.
As the first vehicle enters the hospital grounds, the number plate 703-145 is visible for a brief moment. This confirms that the same jeep which left Nahal Oz carrying Israeli hostages was present at al-Shifa.
The arrival is met by crowds celebrating. Armed terrorists can be seen exiting the vehicle and surrounding it, guarding the hostages.
Other vehicles arrive alongside it. The footage captures a chilling contrast. Outside, delirious crowds cheer as armed terrorists emerge to protect their prize; inside the vehicle, Israeli hostages endure terror, violence, and complete helplessness:
Armed and unarmed terrorists along with celebrating crowds surround the hostage vehicles at the entrance to al-Shifa Hospital, October 7, 2023.
Crucially, thanks to later IDF disclosures, we can now assign a precise timestamp to this moment.
The IDF CCTV Footage.
On 19 November 2023, the IDF spokesperson, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, held a press briefing in which he released still images taken from CCTV footage showing what he described as “stolen IDF vehicles” entering al-Shifa.
Unwittingly, those stills also captured the arrival of hostages.
When one of the IDF images is compared with a frame from the newly surfaced footage recorded at the hospital gates, it becomes clear that both depict the same moment as the convoy enters al-Shifa.
In both images, a man standing with his young son can be seen behind a white car. Another individual is visible walking in the roadway between the vehicles. The pickup truck following behind is also identical. These background details match precisely across both frames.
This match allows the convoy’s arrival at al-Shifa to be timestamped at 10:53am on October 7 – less than an hour after the vehicles departed the Nahal Oz base.
Given the level of attention and celebration visible at the scene, and with armed terrorists clearly guarding the vehicle, it is evident that hostages were still inside at this point.
Another Hostage Vehicle at al-Shifa: the Jeep Wrangler
Another vehicle of interest arrives at al-Shifa during the same time window: a black Jeep Wrangler that matches the vehicle in which Naama Levy was transported after her abduction from Nahal Oz.
By 11:30am, footage of this vehicle was already circulating on Telegram. The location shown is clearly the entrance to al-Shifa:
As the images demonstrate, both vehicles are dark Jeep Wranglers configured for off-road use, each fitted with a raised snorkel air intake and a whip radio antenna mounted forward of the door – a distinctive combination that significantly narrows the likelihood of coincidence.
Given that we know the captured IDF jeep carrying hostages from Nahal Oz was driven to al-Shifa, the appearance of another hostage-linked vehicle at the hospital during the same time window is not unexpected.
Moreover, the behaviour of onlookers is telling. Their focused attention on the vehicle, and apparent attempts to identify those inside, are consistent with the arrival of another hostage vehicle – very likely the one in which Naama Levy was transported.
The Hamas Command and Distribution Centre
A second piece of deleted footage, filmed by the same person on the access road leading into al-Shifa, further reinforces the picture of al-Shifa as a key Hamas operational hub on the morning of October 7.
In this previously unseen clip, another stolen IDF vehicle can be seen entering the hospital grounds.
There is no visible evidence to confirm whether hostages were inside this vehicle. However, its arrival – alongside other stolen military vehicles converging on the same location within a narrow time window – is significant in itself.
The scale of the convoy becomes impossible to ignore. The evidence places multiple stolen IDF vehicles at al-Shifa within minutes of one another, all arriving to large, celebrating crowds.
The IDF later released additional CCTV footage showing yet another stolen IDF jeep entering al-Shifa at 10:42 – just eleven minutes before the vehicle confirmed to be carrying hostages arrived at 10:53am.
The evidence also shows that dozens of armed fighters were present at the hospital at the time. Taken together, these sequences place al-Shifa at the centre of events – functioning as a command, rendezvous, and distribution point within Hamas’s operational network that morning.
In addition to the vehicles and hostages already documented, multiple confirmed cases further anchor al-Shifa within the broader trajectory of captivity and transfer.
We know that Noa Marciano was held in close proximity to al-Shifa before later being returned there, where she was brutally murdered by a “health professional”.
We also know that Ori Megidish was rescued from a location nearby.
Beyond these cases, footage shows another Israeli hostage – likely already deceased – being transported by motorcycle and then entering al-Shifa, where the arrival is met by a celebrating crowd.
Taken together, these images and outcomes extend the pattern already established by the convoy footage. They show al-Shifa not merely as a transit point, but as a location repeatedly intersecting with hostage movement, detention, and aftermath.
Even before considering hostages abducted from elsewhere – such as Yehudit Weiss, whose body was later found in the vicinity of al-Shifa – the pattern emerging from Nahal Oz alone is striking.
This raises a compelling question: is it now highly likely that all of the Nahal Oz hostages – both alive and dead – were taken to al-Shifa on October 7, at least initially?
Hit and Run.
Although the hostages appear to have been driven to the grounds of al-Shifa, there is little to suggest any were treated or held there for any meaningful length of time.
Images of several of the female surveillance soldiers show what appear to be rudimentary, improvised field dressings rather than professional medical care.
This is difficult to reconcile with a prolonged stay in Gaza’s largest medical facility.
One likely explanation is that the hostages were moved onward rapidly – potentially into the tunnel network beneath or near the hospital – and distributed elsewhere.
Supporting this interpretation, footage uploaded less than half an hour after the convoy’s arrival shows the stolen IDF jeep leaving al-Shifa. At that point, it is no longer clear whether all of the hostages had been removed from the vehicle or whether some remained inside.
If the hostages were still inside the vehicle as it sped away, then there is no plausible reason to drive them towards al-Shifa unless the hospital formed part of a Hamas command structure. If they were not, then who took possession of them on hospital grounds, if not a Hamas operational unit already present there?
The Journalists, Doctors, and Deliberate Deception
For more than two years, much of the international media has downplayed al-Shifa’s role in Hamas operations, disputing Israeli claims that the hospital functioned as anything more than a civilian medical facility. Coverage consistently framed al-Shifa as isolated from Hamas activity and removed from the organisation’s political and security infrastructure.
The events of the morning of October 7 tell a different story.
At the time these events unfolded, multiple journalists were present at al-Shifa Hospital. Cameras were rolling. Live reporting from the hospital complex was taking place throughout the morning.
Yet despite the arrival of stolen military vehicles, armed terrorists, civilian convoys, and large crowds celebrating their arrival, not a single journalist reported the arrival of Israeli hostages at the hospital.
One example is particularly stark. A set of photographs posted on the Rudaw channel, taken by journalist Mohammed Salem, carry the caption: “continuous transfer of wounded Palestinians to the Shifa Medical Complex.”
The three distinctive bullet holes visible on the driver’s side window leave no doubt that this is the same jeep that carried the Nahal Oz hostages. The journalists present could see the crowds and the celebrations. They could see the armed terrorists surrounding the vehicle and knew exactly what was happening.
The post was published on Rudaw’s Facebook page at 11:31am, confirming that reporting was taking place in real time, from the hospital grounds, while hostages were present.
This was not an error made after the fact. It was deliberate misrepresentation.
Hospital officials were also available to speak to the media. Doctors and administrators provided commentary about events unfolding at al-Shifa, offering assurances and narratives that were then relayed uncritically by Western outlets.
These were the sources relied upon by much of the international press in the opening hours of the war. Yet they were already disseminating false or misleading accounts of what was happening inside and around the hospital.
Whether through ideological alignment, fear, or coercion, what followed was not journalism but deliberate omission and distortion. The arrival of Israeli hostages at the heart of Hamas’s stronghold at al-Shifa Hospital was one of the most significant events of the morning of October 7 – and it went unreported.
Until now.
[https://david-collier.com/october-7-al-shifa-hospital-hostage-convoy/ DavidCollier]
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Day of Reflection: Australia pauses to mourn Chanukah terror victims.
At 6:47 p.m., memorials and moments of silence honored those slain in the antisemitic attack in Sydney.
Joshua Marks. (Dec. 21, 2025 / JNS)
Australia was observing a nationwide moment of remembrance on Sunday for the victims of the Bondi Beach Chanukah terrorist attack, one week after the massacre, with vigils taking place at 6:47 p.m., the time the shooting started.
Thousands gathered in Sydney’s eastern suburbs where the attack occurred to observe the minute of silence as part of events taking place across the country. Amid heightened security, the Jewish community of New South Wales held a vigil and commemoration for the victims and survivors at Bondi Beach. Dignitaries and religious leaders addressed the event.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called the Day of Reflection “a moment for Australia to stand with our Jewish community.”
[https://www.jns.org/day-of-reflection-australia-pauses-to-mourn-chanukah-terror-victims/ JNS]
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Australian Prime Minister Booed as Bondi Beach Attack Victims Honored.
By Reuters and Algemeiner Staff. December 21, 2025.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was booed by an angry crowd gathered at the famous Bondi beach on Sunday to honor the victims of a gun attack a week earlier that targeted a seaside Jewish Hanukkah festival event.
The nation marked a day of reflection on Sunday to honor the 15 people killed and the dozens wounded in the attack by two gunmen. With security tight and flags at half-staff on government buildings, a minute of silence was held at 6:47 p.m. (0747 GMT), the time the attack began.
Television and radio networks paused for a minute’s silence.
Tens of thousands, including Albanese and other leaders, attended the memorial that was guarded by a heavy police presence, including snipers on rooftops and police boats in the waters.
Albanese was booed by the crowd on arrival, and later when the speaker mentioned his name during the memorial. He sat on the front row wearing a kippah, the traditional Jewish cap.
Albanese, under pressure from critics who say his center-left government has not done enough to curb a surge in antisemitism since the start of the war in Gaza, was not scheduled to speak at the event.
The government has said it has consistently denounced antisemitism over the last two years and passed legislation to criminalize hate speech. It expelled the Iranian ambassador earlier this year after accusing Tehran of directing two antisemitic arson attacks.
“We have lost our innocence… last week took our innocence,” David Ossip, the president of the New South Wales Jewish Board of Deputies said in a speech to start the proceedings at Bondi.
“Like the grass here at Bondi was stained with blood, so, too, has our nation been stained. We have landed up in a dark place. But friends, Hanukkah teaches us that light can illuminate even the bleakest of places. A single act of courage, a single flame of hope, can give us direction and point the path forward.”
Also present at the memorial was the father of Ahmed al Ahmed, hailed as the “Bondi Hero” for wrestling a gun from one of the attackers.
Authorities invited Australians to light a candle at home on Sunday night, the start of the eighth and final day of the Jewish festival of lights.
Speaking at the memorial, 14-year-old survivor Chaya Dadon said: “We are getting stronger as a nation. We are growing. Sometimes growing hurts… life is going to move on and why not make the best of it.”
RECLAIMING BONDI.
New South Wales Premier Chris Minns, who was cheered and praised at the memorial, said the attack was an attempt to marginalize, scatter, intimidate and cause fear.
“You have reclaimed Bondi Beach for us,” he said.
Albanese announced a review of the country’s law enforcement and intelligence agencies earlier on Sunday. He said the review, to be led by a former chief of Australia’s spy agency, would probe whether federal police and intelligence agencies have the “right powers, structures, processes and sharing arrangements in place to keep Australians safe.”
The attack exposed gaps in gun-license assessments and information-sharing between agencies that policymakers have said they want to plug. Albanese has announced a nationwide gun buyback, while gun safety experts say the nation’s gun laws, among the world’s toughest, are riddled with loopholes.
Authorities are investigating the shooting as an act of terrorism targeting Jews. Patrols and policing across the country have been ramped up to prevent further antisemitic violence. Authorities believe the gunmen were inspired by terrorist Sunni Muslim group Islamic State.
“The ISIS-inspired atrocity last Sunday reinforces the rapidly changing security environment in our nation. Our security agencies must be in the best position to respond,” Albanese said in a statement, adding that the review would conclude by the end of April.
The Bondi Beach attack was the most serious of a string of antisemitic incidents in Australia, which have included attacks on synagogues, buildings and cars, since Israel launched the war in October 2023, in response to an attack by Hamas.
Albanese condemned anti-immigration rallies being held in Sydney and Melbourne on Sunday. Only about 200 people were at the Sydney rally.
Alleged gunman Sajid Akram, 50, was shot dead by police at the scene. His 24-year-old son Naveed Akram, who was also shot by police and emerged from a coma on Tuesday, has been charged with 59 offenses, including murder and terrorism, according to police. He remains in custody in hospital.
[https://www.algemeiner.com/2025/12/21/australian-prime-minister-booed-as-bondi-beach-attack-victims-honored/ Algemeiner]
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Witkoff meets mediators to press phase 2 of Trump Gaza plan.
The U.S. envoy noted the initial stage had produced the return of all but one hostage, a partial IDF withdrawal and expanded humanitarian assistance.
JNS Staff.
(Dec. 21, 2025 / JNS)
Representatives from the United States, Egypt, Qatar and Turkey met in Miami on Friday to review implementation of the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire and to advance preparations for the next stage, U.S. Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff confirmed on Saturday.
[https://www.jns.org/witkoff-meets-mediators-to-press-next-phase-of-trump-gaza-plan/ JNS]
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Saving the heart of a Syrian Druze child.
“When she was born, we realized immediately that something was wrong with her heart and that she needed treatment,” says Nadia, the child’s mother.
Amelie Botbol.
(Dec. 21, 2025 / JNS)
“When she was born, we realized immediately that something was wrong with her heart and that she needed treatment,” said Nadia (not her real name), a Druze woman from a war-affected village in Syria, speaking about her toddler in an interview with JNS.
Nadia arrived in Israel earlier this month with her daughter, in a transfer coordinated by the Israel Defense Forces and Save a Child’s Heart, the nonprofit through which her child received life-saving care.
[https://www.jns.org/saving-a-syrian-druze-childs-heart/ JNS]
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Stefanik Demands Hochul Explain Qatar-Funded NYC School Curriculum.
Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) and House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-KY) are pressing New York Gov. Kathy Hochul to explain why New York City public schools are using curriculum and instructional materials funded by Qatar and what they describe as “malign domestic actors.”
[12.19.25].
[https://archive.is/rHJf9]
[https://www.facebook.com/officialbenshapiro/posts/pfbid02hFWFQcFdPbVqmzSBbeiRPQwr5eZKyYfmm83ZNFbW3LuYxCFrvHjzK4n9cWhp2oM5l/ on FB]
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Disgusting antisemitism.
California Mayor Claims Bondi Beach Pogrom Was Israeli "False Flag".
While the Jewish world picks up the pieces in the wake of the massacre that killed fifteen and wounded many more on the first night of Chanuka, some have other ideas. Richmond Mayor Eduardo Martinez is using his personal social media to promote conspiracy theories that Israel is behind the murder.
Judah Pe'er. Dec 21, 2025 01:39
Richmond, California Mayor Eduardo Martinez is facing mounting scrutiny after he used his LinkedIn account to amplify antisemitic conspiracy theories in the immediate aftermath of the deadly terrorist attack on a Chanuka celebration at Sydney’s Bondi Beach.
In the days following the December 14 attack, which killed 15 people, Martinez reposted and engaged with a series of posts that framed the massacre as a “false flag” operation and blamed Israel and Israelis for antisemitism. One reposted image shared by Martinez read, “The root cause of antisemitism is the behaviour of Israel & Israelis.” ..
That post went further, arguing that Chanuka, “traditionally a time of personal and private reflection,” had been “appropriated by Jewish Zionist organizations and weaponized as a political tool.” Martinez added his own comment to the repost, writing, “What are your thoughts?”
The posts appeared as Australian authorities confirmed the attack was carried out by an ISIS-inspired father and son and warned of a surge in online incitement following the killings. Despite this, Martinez continued to engage with content suggesting Jewish public expression was itself provocative and that the massacre was being manipulated for political ends.
As criticism grew, Martinez deleted the posts and issued a series of apologies. In one, he acknowledged that antisemitism existed long before the establishment of Israel and said he had shared the material “without thinking.” In a follow-up statement, he attempted to separate his remarks from his role as mayor, saying the posts reflected his personal opinions rather than the position of the City of Richmond.
Martinez’s LinkedIn activity was not an isolated incident. In the past, he has compared Hamas to a bullied child in a schoolyard, described support for the group as a “complicated question,” and appeared at events featuring slogans calling for violence against the IDF. As mayor of a city with an active Jewish community, his public amplification of conspiracy theories in the wake of a mass-casualty antisemitic attack has now placed his conduct under sustained public and political scrutiny.
[https://www.jfeed.com/news-world/false-flag-conspiracy-theories JFeed]
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The victims of the Sydney Hanukkah Massacre.
These are the 15 people murdered by two terrorists at a Hanukkah event at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia, ranging in age from 10 to 82.
Israel National News.
Published: Dec 16, 2025, 11:28 AM (GMT+2)
Updated: 12/21/2025, 9:14:00 PM
Fifteen people were murdered, and dozens were wounded when two terrorists opened fire on Sunday, December 14, at Bondi Beach in Sydney during a Hanukkah gathering attended by members of the Jewish community. The victims ranged in age from a young child to elderly attendees.
These are the victims:
Tania Tretiak.
Tania Tretiak, a 68-year-old grandmother, was celebrating Hanukkah at Bondi Beach when she was murdered. Waverley Council confirmed in a statement that Tretiak was not Jewish, but her husband was.
Adam Smyth.
Adam Smyth, a 50-year-old father of four, was murdered as he walked with his wife, Katrina, on Bondi Beach. His family remembered him as a sports fan. He was particularly fond of Liverpool FC, the Sydney Swans, and the Manly Sea Eagles. “We will forever cherish the time we have had with him. Adam was a generous and kind person who will be dearly missed and is forever irreplaceable,” his family said.
Boris Tetleroyd.
Boris Tetleroyd, a 68-year-old immigrant from the former Soviet Union. He spent almost 30 years working with Transport for NSW. Boris was described as a beloved husband and father who loved nature and would often share photos of the animals he encountered on his hikes. Tetleroyd was attending the Hanukkah event at Bodi with his son Yakov. Boris was murdered, and Yakov was wounded. Another one of his children posted on social media following the attack, searching for him. The following day, the family learned that he had been murdered.
Boris and Sofia Gurman.
Boris, 69, and Sofia, 69, a Russian-Jewish couple living in Bondi, were the first two victims of the attack. Boris and Sofia noticed the terrorist, Sajid Akram, emerging with a rifle from a car with an Islamic State flag draped across the windshield. Boris initially managed to push the terrorist to the ground and take his rifle. However, Akram then shot the two at close range before proceeding to murder 13 others.
Edith Brutman
Edith Brutman was among those murdered in the attack. According to 7NEWS, she attended the Hanukkah by the Sea event together with Tibor Weitzen and his wife, and was seated next to Weitzen when the shooting began. Both Brutman and Weitzen were killed during the assault.
Matilda.
Matilda, aged 10, was the youngest victim identified. She was a former student at Sydney’s Harmony Russian School. Teachers and family members described her as a bright and joyful child whose life was cut short while she was celebrating Hanukkah at the event.
Marika Pogany.
Marika Pogany, 82, was identified as one of the victims on Monday night. Friends expressed shock and grief on social media, sharing photos of her from the Bondi Beach gathering and mourning the loss of a close friend.
Tibor Weitzen.
Tibor Weitzen, 78, was a member of Bondi’s Chabad Synagogue. He attended the event with his wife and grandchildren and was reportedly killed while attempting to shield his wife from gunfire.
Peter Meagher.
Peter Meagher, a retired NSW Police detective sergeant, was killed while working as a photographer at the event. After more than three decades in the police force, he had pursued photography following his retirement. His family described him as a devoted husband, brother, and uncle.
Rabbi Eli Schlanger.
Rabbi Eli Schlanger, 41, a British-born Chabad rabbi known as the “Bondi Rabbi,” was killed in the attack. A father of five, he was a prominent and widely loved community figure who regularly organized and promoted Jewish events in Sydney.
Dan Elkayam.
Dan Elkayam, a 27-year-old French national, was also among the dead. He had been living in Australia for two years and was described by friends as a warm and positive presence. His death was confirmed by French officials following the attack.
Alex Kleytman.
Holocaust survivor Alex Kleytman was shot and killed during the shooting. According to his wife, he was struck in the back as chaos erupted and people attempted to flee or take cover.
Rabbi Yaakov Levitan.
Rabbi Yaakov Levitan served as secretary of the Sydney Beth Din. Friends remembered him as a kind and peaceful individual, noting that his final message to one friend ended with the words, “peace and love.”
Reuven Morrison.
Reuven Morrison, a member of the Chabad community who divided his time between Melbourne and Sydney, was killed after attempting to confront one of the gunmen. According to his family, he tried to stop the attacker before being fatally shot by a second assailant.
[https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/419427 INN]
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Erdogan warns Israel, Greece and Cyprus: Turkey will defend its maritime rights.
Remarks come ahead of a trilateral summit in Jerusalem aimed at deepening security and energy cooperation with Athens and Nicosia amid tensions with Ankara.
ynet | 12.21.25
[https://www.ynetnews.com/article/sjh7klrxbl Ynet]
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Israel hosting trilateral summit with Greece and Cyprus on Dec. 22.
The three allies are reportedly examining the creation of a joint rapid-response military force.
JNS Staff.
(Dec. 21, 2025 / JNS)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will hold a trilateral meeting in Jerusalem on Monday with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides, according to Netanyahu’s office.
The three eastern Mediterranean allies, who share a budding strategic partnership focused on energy, defense and economic ties, are reportedly examining the creation of a joint rapid-response military force in the region amid growing concern in Athens over Turkey’s expanding challenges.
[https://www.jns.org/israel-hosting-trilateral-summit-with-greece-and-cyprus-in-jerusalem-on-monday/ JNS]
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Wikipedia's Israel page now unequivocally states Jewish state is 'committing genocide[sic]'
The edit was made on December 11 and has not been reversed since, despite extensive discussion between editors. The section appears at the end of the third paragraph in the top section of the page.
By Mathilda Heller. December 21, 2025.
Wikipedia’s page on Israel now unequivocally states that Israel is committing genocide, despite the fact that there is no formal legal consensus among nations or international courts that this is the case.
This was first reported by JNS, but was independently assessed by The Jerusalem Post on Sunday.
The edit was made on December 11, and has not been reversed despite extensive discussion between editors. The section appears at the end of the third paragraph in the top section of the page.
Before the change, the section read, “Israel’s practices in its occupation of the Palestinian territories have drawn sustained international [criticism], along with accusations from human rights organizations and UN officials that it has committed crimes against humanity, and genocide against the Palestinians during the Gaza war.” The wording acknowledged that accusations of genocide have been leveled, but did not present it as fact.
As of December 11, the section now reads, “Whether to state that Israel has committed .. links to the page on “Gaza genocide[sic].”
Wikipedia founder: Neutrality needs to be improved.
This “Gaza genocide[sic]” page has also raised concerns. Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales said it fails to meet the website’s standards and is an example of how neutrality needs to be improved. “This article fails to meet our high standards and needs immediate attention,” Wales said in a November interview.
In August, the US Congress’s Committee on Oversight and Government Reform began investigating Wikipedia for the possible influence of nation-state actors and bad actors in editing articles related to Israel.
The decision to investigate was at least partially influenced by a March 2025 report by the Anti-Defamation League, which found that at least 30 editors were altering Wikipedia to introduce antisemitic and anti-Israel biases, and that the 30 editors edited twice as much over the last 10 years compared to their colleagues and were 18 times more active in communications than other editors.
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled that the risk of genocide is “plausible” but did not rule that genocide occurred. Likewise, the International Criminal Court (ICC) has pursued charges of crimes against humanity and war crimes, but not pursued formal charges of genocide as of late 2025.
[https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/antisemitism/article-880922 JPost]
The Manufactured “Genocide” Narrative (wiki+)
December 21, 2025
JPost 12. 21.25 reports:
Wikipedia's Israel page now unequivocally states Jewish state is 'committing genocide[sic]'. The edit was made on December 11 and has not been reversed since, despite extensive discussion between editors. The section appears at the end of the third paragraph in the top section of the page.
The Manufactured “Genocide” Narrative
Political Activism Masquerading as Law, Journalism, and Consensus
The accusation that Israel is committing “genocide” is not the product of legal judgment, factual consensus, or evidentiary rigor. It is the result of a coordinated political campaign—spanning activist media, captured international institutions, and manipulated information platforms—designed to delegitimize the Jewish state by weaponizing the most morally charged word in international law.
This is not accountability. It is narrative warfare.
1. Genocide Is a Legal Term — Not a Protest Slogan
Genocide has a precise and demanding definition under the Genocide Convention: specific intent to destroy a protected group as such. Civilian deaths, even at scale, do not constitute genocide without demonstrable intent.
To date, no international court—not the ICJ, not the ICC, not any tribunal—has ruled that Israel has committed genocide. Assertions made by activists, NGOs, UN rapporteurs, or media outlets are opinions, not verdicts. Treating allegations as findings collapses the distinction between law and propaganda.
2. UN Bodies Are Not Courts — and Are Not Neutral
UN commissions of inquiry, special rapporteurs, and expert panels do not determine criminal guilt. They issue political reports reflecting the ideological makeup of UN bodies that have long displayed a disproportionate fixation on Israel.
This includes figures such as UNHRC (Kothari backed by Pilay) as well as appointed “Special Rapporteur” Francesca Albanese, who has repeatedly trafficked in antisemitic tropes and openly hostile framing. Elevating such reports to the status of judicial conclusions is not legal analysis—it is category error dressed as authority.
3. Intent Matters — and Israel’s Intent Is Military, Not Exterminatory
Israel’s objective is the defeat of Hamas, a designated terrorist organization that:
Initiated the war
Embeds itself in civilian infrastructure
Explicitly calls for Israel’s destruction
Israel’s conduct—advance warnings, evacuation corridors, humanitarian pauses, and aid coordination—is incompatible with genocidal intent. These actions do not negate civilian tragedy, but they directly contradict the legal requirement for genocide.
4. Urban Warfare Is Not Genocide
Dense urban combat against an enemy that hides among civilians produces horrific outcomes. This is tragically true in Mosul, Raqqa, Aleppo, and Grozny—none of which were labeled genocide.
That Israel alone is branded as genocidal for conduct comparable to or less destructive than other modern conflicts exposes a double standard, not a discovery of new law.
5. Selective Outrage Reveals Political Targeting
The genocide label is applied relentlessly to Israel while:
Actual mass atrocities elsewhere are ignored or relativized
Hamas atrocities against Israeli civilians, and its true genocidal goal and efforts, are minimized or reframed
This asymmetry signals political targeting, not principled human rights advocacy.
6. Source Laundering Replaces Evidence With Activism
The narrative is sustained through citation laundering, not proof. Outlets with clear ideological or geopolitical agendas are repeatedly elevated as “reliable sources” through sheer repetition:
Qatar-funded Al Jazeera, with documented ties to Hamas officials
Other Qatar's linked Middle East Eye
Turkish state media (Anadolu, TRT) aligned with Erdoğan’s Islamist, anti-Israel policy
News entities, (who, in the last decades had) turned radical 'activist platforms' like Haaretz
This is not sourcing—it is advocacy recycled as authority. Labeling such outlets “RS” does not make them reliable; it merely reveals how evidentiary standards have been replaced by political alignment.
7. Predetermined
The accusations began days after "Palestinian" Oct 7 attacks.
Individuals, groups have predetermined the "aparthied" slur earlier.
8. Wikipedia as a Case Study in Narrative Capture
Nowhere is this process more visible than Wikipedia. On December 11, Wikipedia’s Israel page was altered to state—as fact—that Israel is committing genocide, despite no legal ruling to that effect. Previous language correctly noted that accusations existed; that balance has been removed.
The article now links directly to a page titled “Gaza genocide”, a framing that presupposes guilt and entrenches a legally unproven claim as settled truth. Even Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales has warned that the “Gaza genocide” article fails neutrality standards and requires immediate attention.
The page even cites a fake “genocide experts” group, IAGS, whose membership surged after October 7. Membership required only a $30 fee, and participants included individuals with clearly extremist views. One Gazan member, apparently influenced by anti-Jewish sentiment and admiration for Hitler among Arab Palestinians (then & now), publicly adopted the name “Adolf Hitler”. This is not expert analysis—it is performative activism and propaganda.
9. Evidence of Coordinated Bias
Concerns extend beyond observers:
The U.S. House Committee on Oversight has opened an investigation into possible coordinated activist or nation-state influence on Israel-related Wikipedia content.
A 2025 ADL report found that roughly 30 editors were responsible for a disproportionate share of anti-Israel framing:
Twice as active as peers
18 times more active in coordination
Consistently involved in contentious Israel articles
Such behavior violates Wikipedia’s own rules against canvassing, meatpuppetry, and off‑platform coordination—manufacturing consensus where none exists.
10. No Court Has Ruled Genocide Occurred — Period
The legal facts are unchanged:
The ICJ stated only that a risk of genocide was “plausible,” explicitly declining to rule that genocide occurred.
The ICC has pursued allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity—not genocide.
Yet Wikipedia now presents genocide as settled fact. Israel is currently the only country in the world whose Wikipedia lead paragraph contains an unqualified genocide accusation. That alone exposes the motivation behind the campaign.
Conclusion: Genocide as a Weapon, Not a Finding
The charge of genocide against Israel is not a legal determination. It is rhetorical escalation—a deliberate effort to:
Strip Israel of the right to self‑defense
Equate it with history’s worst crimes
Collapse complex warfare into moral absolutism
This is not journalism, scholarship, or human rights advocacy. It is delegitimization through narrative engineering—funded, coordinated, and enforced across institutions to normalize a lie by repetition.
When courts are bypassed, standards abandoned, and encyclopedias turned into activist battlegrounds, the goal is not truth. It is to make one word unavoidable.
That word is not a finding.
It is a weapon.
[https://justsayingitoutloloud.blogspot.com/2025/12/the-manufactured-genocide-narrative-wiki.html Just sayin]
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The Hanukkah Target
Ambushed in Istanbul: Jewish Community Targeted by Mob During Hanukkah Celebrations
A peaceful walk to a Hanukkah candle lighting turned into a nightmare for seven Jewish residents of Istanbul as an aggressive mob surrounded them, shouting antisemitic slurs and demanding they leave the country.
Eliana Fleming.
Dec 21, 2025 16:23
2 min
[https://www.jfeed.com/antisemitism/istanbul-jewish-community-hanukkah-attack JFeed]
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The Shadow Returns.
ISIS in Syria: The Resurrection of Terror and Israel’s Strategic Response.
With the collapse of the old Syrian regime, ISIS terrorists have launched a desperate bid to reclaim power, forcing Israel to execute a high stakes capture operation on the Golan Heights border.
Eliana Fleming.
Dec 21, 2025
[https://www.jfeed.com/middleeast/isis-syria-israel-golan-heights JFeed]
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'They jumped me with a gun': Israeli rescued from Jericho recounts kidnapping.
The Israeli woman rescued from Jericho told police she had been in contact with her captor for some time and first met him when he led her to an apartment; 'Only later did I find out he was Palestinian'.
Elisha Ben Kimon | published: 15:56
[https://www.ynetnews.com/article/h1p11ccbqze YNet]
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Report: Israel warned US that Iranian drill could be cover for surprise attack.
According to a report on the news site "Axios," IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi informed the commander of the US Central Command, Admiral Brad Cooper, on Saturday that the missile drill launched by Iran's Revolutionary Guards in recent days could be a cover for a surprise attack on Israel. This was reported by three Israeli and American sources. According to the report, an Israeli source claimed that the likelihood of an Iranian attack is "less than 50%, but no one wants to take the risk and determine that it's just a drill." An American source emphasized that US intelligence has no indication of an Iranian attack in the immediate timeframe.
Ynet|12.21.25 18:18
[https://www.ynetnews.com/article/uhws76jrd YNet]
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Iran’s ballistic missiles now rival its nuclear threat to Israel, US Sen. Graham tells 'Post'.
“Hamas and Iran are regenerating. Hezbollah is trying to build more weapons. We hit them hard, but they’re trying to come back - and on the missile side, that’s a real threat to Israel,” said Graham.
By Amichai Stein. December 21, 2025.
Iran’s renewed push to rebuild its ballistic missile arsenal now poses as grave a threat as its nuclear program, US Sen. Lindsey Graham (R - South Carolina) warned in an interview with The Jerusalem Post on Sunday.
[https://www.jpost.com/international/article-880937 JPost]
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Report: Hezbollah rebuilds. weapons‑smuggling network through Syria
US officials warn that Iran is funneling weapons to Hezbollah and to a Kurdish militia in northern Syria through a smuggling network.
Dalit Halevi. Dec 22, 2025, 12:26 AM
[https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/419703 INN]
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Caribbean Terror: How Venezuela Became a Strategic Stronghold for Hezbollah and Iran.
The New Global Hub for Iranian Missiles
Caribbean Terror: How Venezuela Became a Strategic Stronghold for Hezbollah and Iran
In a terrifying shift for regional security, Venezuela has officially become a primary operational base for Hezbollah terrorists and Iranian military forces, using the nation's ports and passports to build a criminal empire just off the American coast.
Eliana Fleming.
Dec 21, 2025
[https://www.jfeed.com/news-world/venezuela-hezbollah-iran-base JFeed]
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'Eyeing the exits': Nearly half of British Jews don't feel welcome in UK, don't see future - poll.
The Campaign Against Antisemitism also found out that a clear majority of British Jews (61%) have considered leaving Britain in the past two years.
By Marhilda Heller. December 21, 2025.
[https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/antisemitism/article-880936 JPost]
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