CAIRO: An Egyptian woman whose act of kindness towards an army conscript drew nationwide praise was honored Sunday by the defense minister.
Safia Abou El-Azm stepped in to buy a ticket for a young soldier who was being berated by a train conductor and was about to be thrown off half way through his journey.
The confrontation and her gesture was caught on video and captured the hearts of Egyptians.
The footage, which went viral, showed El-Azm defend the young conscript when he stood up to leave following the altercation with the conductor and his supervisor.
The soldier, Abdullah Mohammed Antar, was verbally humiliated by the officials before leaving his seat.
El-Azm told him she had “three sons like him” as she paid for his ticket.
The conscript was seen counting whatever money he had to pay her back, but she refused.
At a ceremony held for retired army officers, Mohamed Zaki, the defence minister, honored El-Azm, who has come to be known as “the train lady.”
Military officials thanked her for helping the young conscript, and described her as symbol for “the goodness within Egyptian women.”
She also appeared on many TV talk shows over the weekend to explain her actions.
Meanwhile, the soldier was also honored in Sunday’s event for his discipline during the train incident.
Egypt’s top brass honor woman who paid poor conscript’s ticket
https://arab.news/9rj2x
Egypt’s top brass honor woman who paid poor conscript’s ticket
Israeli airstrike kills two in Gaza, Israel says targeted Hamas militant
- Several people were also wounded in the airstrike, which struck a house in Gaza City
CAIRO/JERUSALEM: An Israeli airstrike killed at least two Palestinians in Gaza on Wednesday, local health authorities said, in what the military said was a retaliatory attack on a Hamas militant that was launched after its troops had come under fire.
Medical officials did not immediately identify the people killed. They said several people were also wounded in the airstrike, which struck a house in Gaza City. There was no immediate comment from Hamas.
The Israeli military said that Hamas militants had shot at soldiers earlier on Wednesday and that the airstrike targeted a senior Hamas militant who had directed attacks on its troops. The military did not say whether it had suffered any casualties.
Separately on Wednesday, in the southern Gaza area of Rafah, an Israeli-backed Palestinian militia said that it had killed two Hamas men, marking a renewed challenge to the militant group.
Hamas has been reestablishing its grip in the enclave, where it continues to command thousands of men despite suffering heavy blows during the war.
Israel occupies over half of Gaza — areas where Hamas’ foes operate beyond its reach. With US President Donald Trump’s plan for Gaza moving slowly, there is no immediate prospect of further Israeli withdrawals.
Fighting has greatly abated since Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire in October after two years of war, but it has not stopped entirely. Both sides have accused each other of violations of the ceasefire.
More than 400 Palestinians, most of them civilians according to Gaza health officials, have been killed since the truce began, as well as three Israeli soldiers.
