JERUSALEM: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed on Thursday to catch the killers of a pregnant Israeli woman who died following an attack in the occupied West Bank the night before.
The woman and her husband were driving near the Israeli settlement of Bruchin on Wednesday when their vehicle was fired at, according to Israeli authorities.
The 37-year-old mother of three, Tzeela Gez, died from her injuries, while her baby was delivered via an emergency C-section, Beilinson Hospital near Tel Aviv said Thursday.
The victim’s husband was lightly injured, the hospital said.
The baby, treated in intensive care, was in “serious but stable” condition on Thursday morning, according to Schneider Children’s Hospital.
“We will catch the killers as we always do, we will fight them and we will defeat them,” Netanyahu said in a video released by his office later in the day.
Israeli army chief Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir had earlier said “we will use all the tools at our disposal and reach the murderers in order to hold them accountable.”
Thousands gathered for Gez’s funeral in Jerusalem’s main cemetery on Thursday evening, many visibly distraught.
“I am very proud of you, you have a heart of gold, I love you. You raised three sweet children — Lavi Nehorai and Amitai — with love, devotion and warmth. Just now we almost had another baby together,” her husband Hananel Gez said.
“I think it’s important to also say in English to the global audience — we’re the Jewish nation, the chosen nation. Those who respect us, they’ll be blessed, they’ll benefit. Those who hurt us will face tremendous suffering,” he added.
WhatsApp groups for Israeli settlers in the West Bank were rife with calls for vengeance in retaliation for the attack.
Bruchin was initially built without Israeli government approval but was later retroactively legalized by authorities.
Netanyahu had earlier said he was “deeply shocked by the horrific terrorist attack.”
“This abhorrent incident precisely reflects the difference between us, who desire and bring life, and the reprehensible terrorists, whose goal is to kill us and destroy life,” he said in a statement.
Since the beginning of the Gaza war, sparked by Palestinian militant group Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, the West Bank has seen a surge in violence.
Israel has occupied the West Bank since 1967, and Israeli settlements in the Palestinian territory are considered illegal under international law.
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Netanyahu vows to catch killers of pregnant woman in West Bank
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Netanyahu vows to catch killers of pregnant woman in West Bank
- Bruchin is an Israeli settlement built on West Bank land without the Israeli authorities’ approval which was retroactively legalized by the Israeli government
Organizers say a new civilian-led aid flotilla with over 100 boats will sail to Gaza in March
Campaigners described the upcoming mission as the biggest civilian-led mobilization against Israel’s actions in Gaza
They called on the international community to prevent Israeli forces from intercepting the operation
JOHANNESBURG: Organizers of an international flotilla of boats carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza on Thursday announced plans for another mission with more than 100 boats in March.
Campaigners, who organized a similar aid flotilla last year, described the upcoming mission as the biggest civilian-led mobilization against Israel’s actions in Gaza. They called on the international community to prevent Israeli forces from intercepting the operation.
The announcement was made at the Nelson Mandela Foundation in South Africa and speakers included Mandla Mandela, grandson of the late former South African president.
The United Nations said that hundreds of thousands of pallets of humanitarian supplies have been offloaded and collected at various crossings into Gaza since a fragile ceasefire was announced in October.
But Israel has suspended more than two dozen humanitarian organizations from operating in the Gaza Strip for failing to comply with new registration rules, and the territory’s population of over 2 million Palestinians still face a humanitarian crisis.
Mandela was part of the flotilla that embarked on a mission to Gaza last year and was detained along with other activists when their boat was intercepted by Israeli forces before they could reach Gaza shores.
According to organizers, more than 1,000 activists including medical doctors, war crimes investigators and engineers will form part of the new flotilla. It will be supported by a land convoy that is expected to attract thousands more activists across countries including Tunisia and Egypt.
The boats are expected to sail from Spain, Tunisia and Italy toward Gaza.
“This time around we expect hundreds and thousands to sign up and to mobilize entry through Egypt, through Lebanon, through Jordan and every other border that is feasible for us to get into occupied Palestine and to Gaza,” Mandela said. “We want to mobilize the entire global community to join forces with us.”
Activists said they were aware that they might be confronted by Israeli forces but that they were protected by international law.
“The International Court of Justice in the provisional ruling in the case opened by South Africa against the genocide state of Israel, states very clearly that Israel or any other nation are prohibited to hinder any type of humanitarian mission on the way to Gaza,” said Thiago Avila, a Brazilian activist who is part of the steering committee.
Mandela said they had chosen to host the briefing at the Nelson Mandela Foundation to highlight Nelson Mandela’s support for the Palestinian cause. They also welcomed the country’s decision to expel Israel’s deputy ambassador to South Africa.
Last year’s mission mobilized about 50 vessels and 500 activists. Organizers said Israeli vessels approached the boats while they sailed in international waters, spraying some with water canons.
An estimated 443 participants were detained, including Mandela, activist Greta Thunberg and European Parliament member Rima Hassan.
They called on the international community to prevent Israeli forces from intercepting the operation
JOHANNESBURG: Organizers of an international flotilla of boats carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza on Thursday announced plans for another mission with more than 100 boats in March.
Campaigners, who organized a similar aid flotilla last year, described the upcoming mission as the biggest civilian-led mobilization against Israel’s actions in Gaza. They called on the international community to prevent Israeli forces from intercepting the operation.
The announcement was made at the Nelson Mandela Foundation in South Africa and speakers included Mandla Mandela, grandson of the late former South African president.
The United Nations said that hundreds of thousands of pallets of humanitarian supplies have been offloaded and collected at various crossings into Gaza since a fragile ceasefire was announced in October.
But Israel has suspended more than two dozen humanitarian organizations from operating in the Gaza Strip for failing to comply with new registration rules, and the territory’s population of over 2 million Palestinians still face a humanitarian crisis.
Mandela was part of the flotilla that embarked on a mission to Gaza last year and was detained along with other activists when their boat was intercepted by Israeli forces before they could reach Gaza shores.
According to organizers, more than 1,000 activists including medical doctors, war crimes investigators and engineers will form part of the new flotilla. It will be supported by a land convoy that is expected to attract thousands more activists across countries including Tunisia and Egypt.
The boats are expected to sail from Spain, Tunisia and Italy toward Gaza.
“This time around we expect hundreds and thousands to sign up and to mobilize entry through Egypt, through Lebanon, through Jordan and every other border that is feasible for us to get into occupied Palestine and to Gaza,” Mandela said. “We want to mobilize the entire global community to join forces with us.”
Activists said they were aware that they might be confronted by Israeli forces but that they were protected by international law.
“The International Court of Justice in the provisional ruling in the case opened by South Africa against the genocide state of Israel, states very clearly that Israel or any other nation are prohibited to hinder any type of humanitarian mission on the way to Gaza,” said Thiago Avila, a Brazilian activist who is part of the steering committee.
Mandela said they had chosen to host the briefing at the Nelson Mandela Foundation to highlight Nelson Mandela’s support for the Palestinian cause. They also welcomed the country’s decision to expel Israel’s deputy ambassador to South Africa.
Last year’s mission mobilized about 50 vessels and 500 activists. Organizers said Israeli vessels approached the boats while they sailed in international waters, spraying some with water canons.
An estimated 443 participants were detained, including Mandela, activist Greta Thunberg and European Parliament member Rima Hassan.
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