UN suspends aid work in Houthi stronghold after staff taken in Yemen

 For full article go to https://tinyurl.com/yhjk3mn7

 ( Ed comment -  if this had been Israel can you imagine the hysterical reactions?) 

The United Nations on Monday said it suspended its humanitarian operations in the stronghold of Yemen’s Houthi rebels after they detained eight more U.N. staffers, affecting the global response to one of the world’s worst humanitarian disasters. 

In a statement, the U.N. said the “extraordinary” decision to pause all operations and programs in northern Saada province was due to the lack of necessary security conditions and guarantees. 

A spokesman for the Houthis didn’t immediately respond to messages seeking comment.

The rebels in recent months have detained dozens of U.N. staffers, as well as people associated with aid groups, civil society and the once-open U.S. Embassy in Sanaa, Yemen’s capital. None of the U.N. staffers has been released.

The U.N. statement said the pause in operations is meant to give the Houthis and the world body time to “arrange the release of arbitrarily detained U.N. personnel and ensure that the necessary conditions are in place to deliver critical humanitarian support” in rebel-held areas.

It said the latest detained U.N. staffers — taken late last month — included six working in Saada, on Yemen’s northern border with Saudi Arabia.

Seven U.N. agencies operate in Saada, including the World Food Program, the World Health Organization and UNICEF, along with several international aid organizations, according to the U.N. humanitarian agency.

The U.N. late last month suspended all travel into Houthi-held areas. 

The war in Yemen has killed more than 150,000 people, including fighters and civilians. The Iranian-backed Houthis have been fighting Yemen’s internationally recognized government, which is backed by a Saudi-led coalition, since 2014, when they descended from their stronghold in Saada and took control of Sanaa and most of the north.

The U.N. had projected that over 19 million people across Yemen will need humanitarian assistance this year as many deal with climate shocks, malnutrition, cholera and the economic effects of war.

 

 

 

Israel Protects Syrian Druze

In the ongoing battle between Druze, Bedouin and Syrian regime forces, the IDF is targeting the Syrian regime near Druze strongholds: In parallel, the Israeli Air Force struck Syrian military vehicles — including tanks, APCs, and MLRS — advancing toward the Druze-majority city of Sweida in southern Syria. These strikes were conducted to block the convoys' access, prevent escalation and protect the Druze.

The Syrian regime had entered Sweida amid deadly clashes with Bedouin tribes, prompting concerns in Israel over the safety of the Druze population there.

In a joint statement, Prime Minister Netanyahu and Defense Minister Katz declared: “We have instructed the IDF to strike Syrian forces and weapons in the Sweida area. This action follows Syrian forces entering the territory in violation of demilitarization agreements and threatening Israel.”

They underscored Israel’s unwavering commitment to protect the Druze in Syria, highlighting the strong familial and historical bonds with Israel’s own Druze citizens. “Israel is committed to preventing harm to the Druze in Syria due to the deep brotherly alliance with our Druze citizens in Israel... and we are acting to ensure the demilitarization of the area adjacent to our border with Syria,” the statement added.

Following these instructions, the IDF promptly struck regime convoys approaching the region, targeting both vehicles and roads to halt further movement.

This strategic message demonstrates Israel’s commitment upholding border demilitarization agreements. The IDF remains on high alert and prepared for all future developments.

Israel Attacks Hezbollah Trying to Rebuild Radwan Force

The IDF, under the direction of the Intelligence Directorate and Northern Command, launched a wave of airstrikes today targeting Hezbollah terror sites in Lebanon’s Beqaa region. The strikes focused on military compounds used by Hezbollah's elite “Radwan Force” for weapons training and tactical drills aimed at preparing yet again, attacks on IDF soldiers and Israeli civilians.

This force is infamous for its "Conquer the Galilee" plan, a long-standing threat that saw a major setback in September 2024 when Israeli operations eliminated its commanders in Beirut and southern Lebanon during Operation Northern Arrows. Since then, Hezbollah has attempted to rebuild Radwan’s operational strength — efforts that the IDF has worked continuously to disrupt over the past two years.

Defense Minister Israel Katz stated: “Our strikes in Lebanon are a clear message to the Hezbollah terror organization — which is working to rebuild its Radwan Force infiltration capabilities against Israel — and to the Lebanese government, which is obligated to uphold its commitments to Israel. We will strike every terrorist, eliminate every threat, and respond with maximum force to any attempt at rebuilding.”

Katz emphasized that Hezbollah’s use of these training camps, along with their storage of weapons, violates Israeli-Lebanese agreements and poses an ongoing threat to Israel's national security.

The Difference Between the Media and Propaganda

 

From Yaffa Shir Raz of the Reichman International School, Haifa University

Honesty, accuracy, information verification, fairness, independence, responsibility.

This is not a theoretical concept. These are the fundamental principles that differentiate between press and propaganda.

And when we're in the midst of a war for our existence, this question is not just principled - it's fatal. Because when a journalist violates these standards, he not only abuses the public trust - he puts them in grave danger.

In an article written in October 2023 after the explosion at Al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza, I described the moral, ethical and professional failure of the elite newspapers - The New York Times, the BBC, the CNN, the Guardian - which almost unanimously stood by the Hamas propaganda, echoed his lies without even checking or verifying, and without really correcting even when it was already clear that the lie was revealed.

In recent months this sick propaganda has been infiltrating, like a poisonous bug, also into the conversation in Israel, with the movements and messages that have been developed in the explanatory systems of Hamas and Iran - penetrating the press, academia and Israeli politics:

• israel kills children"

• "Concentration Camp"

• "Genocide"

Same narrative, same framing, same rhetoric, same terms that Hamas and Iran have planted in their propaganda starting October 7.

Already on the 7th of this month, the Guardian published an interview with a holocaust historian from the Hebrew University, Prof. Amos Goldberg, who without hesitation used the horrifying pair of words "concentration camp".

And just yesterday - the Haaretz newspaper published an opinion column that sounded almost identical.

This is not investigative journalism. Not a criticism, nor a "human journalistic observation".

This is copy paste of the words of the terrorists.

A page of messages and rhetoric of Hamas and Iran - copied and adopted by the international press, and now mostly the horror also by journalists, academics and politicians in Israel.

And in the journalistic aspect - it's a kick in the head for any ethical, moral and professional code. Because a journalist does not make an effort and echoes a narrative of a terrorist organization and doesn't even quote the Hamas message page as if there was an investigation.

I don't step on our children, brothers and friends who are in the active field - just to show "morality".

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GHF Doing its Job - delivering meals

 The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) has provided details about the type of food it is distributing in Gaza, regarding its ongoing operations and its application for US government funding.

According to the organization, each aid box distributed is designed to sustain a family of 5.5 individuals for approximately 3.5 days.

The contents of the boxes vary slightly depending on availability and cost but typically include flour, sugar, rice, cooking oil, pasta, a protein such as canned tuna, and dried beans. Additional items such as tea, coffee, cookies, chocolates are available. GHF has also begun distributing potatoes, which the organization said have been well received by recipients.

GHF delivered more than 66 million meals over a month

The group stated that the food packages exceed the caloric minimums set by the international humanitarian community and are consistent with aid typically provided by other organizations. GHF said it has also distributed aid on behalf of other humanitarian groups.GHF spokesperson Chapin Fay said on Tuesday that the organization has delivered more than 66 million meals over a month and highlighted what he described as the group’s success in distributing food without interference from Hamas.

“GHF has done what others could not: deliver free, nutritious, and secure emergency food aid directly to the people of Gaza without interference from Hamas,” said Fay. “In just over a month, we’ve delivered more than 66 million meals. We’re grateful to the Trump Administration for recognizing the impact of our work with a $30 million commitment to help expand our operations.”

The group also addressed questions surrounding a review performed by USAID of GHF’s application for grant funding, stating that the process is routine and that the organization is cooperating fully. Fay noted that the organization’s operational model is designed to prevent diversion, fraud, or misuse of aid.

“Every dollar we receive is safeguarded to ensure all resources – which will eventually include American taxpayer funds – reach the people of Gaza, not Hamas,” he said.

GHF also alleged that some long-standing international aid groups have failed to prevent diversion of aid in Gaza and claimed that such organizations view GHF as a threat. Fay said that such criticism only harms the civilian population.

“The bottom line is GHF is delivering where others have not,” the organization concluded.

Nvidia boosts presence in Israel with multibillion-dollar tech campus.

 (For full article go to https://tinyurl.com/mry8yf26)

Nvidia is actively seeking land to build a massive multibillion-dollar tech campus in Israel’s north, which is expected to provide thousands of jobs in what promises to be a major expansion of the US chip giant’s operations in the country.

The computing juggernaut announced on Sunday that it had issued a so-called request for information (RFI) tender to locate a plot of land spanning 70 to 120 dunams (30 acres) with construction rights to build a campus of 80,000–180,000 square meters. Nvidia is interested in buying land with “high accessibility to main traffic arteries and public transportation” around Zichron Yaakov, Haifa, and the Jezreel Valley areas.

“It’s a very sizable investment, and to decide to locate it in Israel goes a long way and is a sign of confidence in the Israeli high-tech ecosystem,” Israel Innovation Authority CEO Dror Bin told The Times of Israel. “This declaration is mutually beneficial: Nvidia is enjoying the benefits of the local ecosystem and talent, and the ecosystem will enjoy this big investment of Nvidia because it will help Israel remain at the forefront of innovation and technology, especially in the artificial intelligence space.”

Bin added that a project of this size is slated to be one of the largest tech campuses in Israel. Its economic implications for the north of the country, he said, range from Nvidia’s level of commitment to Israel to the broader employment and suppliers needed to support the tech campus, and the companies that will develop around the site.

As global tech firms including Microsoft, Amazon, Alphabet, and Tesla race to build AI data centers and dominate the emerging technology, demand for Nvidia’s most advanced processors is surging.

“Israel is a superpower when it comes to chip design and development, and most of the large multinationals such as Intel and Apple that develop chips have a presence in Israel because of the local human talent and its capabilities in making real breakthroughs,” Bin added.

Nvidia’s R&D activities in Israel are already the firm’s largest outside of the US. At the end of December, the chipmaker announced the completion of the acquisition of Israeli AI workload management startup Run:ai for an estimated $700 million.

 

Nvidia employs over 5,000 workers in Israel in seven R&D centers, from Yokne’am, the headquarters of Mellanox, to Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Ra’anana, and Beersheba in the south. This year, Nvidia also boosted its footprint in Tel Aviv by renting another 10 floors in the Rubinstein Twin Towers, in addition to the eight floors it already occupied.

GHF Confirm Success in Food Distribution in Gaza