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Israelis Won Medals and Performed Remarkably on Day 6 of the Olympics
Paris 2024 Olympics – Judo – Women -78 kg Victory Ceremony – Champ-de-Mars Arena, Paris, France – August 01, 2024. Silver medallist Inbar Lanir of Israel celebrates. Photo: REUTERS/Arlette Bashizi
It’s amazing how quickly things can change.
After five days of these 2024 Olympics, Israel hadn’t done anything to write home about — the most significant results were gymnast Artem Dolgopyat qualifying for the floor final, and the men’s 4 x 200m freestyle relay team qualifying for their final.
All that changed on Day 6.
For the first ever time, Israel won two Olympic medals in a single day — both of them in Judo.
Peter Paltchik started the day looking focused after defeating his Mongolian opponent in the first round. Then he had to take on a hometown Frenchman in the Round of 16.
Even though the Israeli was significantly higher in the rankings and considerably more experienced, the Frenchman was buoyed by the enthusiastic crowd and held his own with Paltchik. The match went on for an unusual amount of time: first through the four minutes of regulation and then another four or so minutes until Paltchik finally won.
Next up, he competed against the world champion from Azerbaijan. Paltchik looked like he leveled it up in the last 10 seconds, only for the point to be canceled on review. He then defeated a Dutch opponent, meaning he was playing Daniel Eich of Switzerland for a bronze medal.
With just 10 seconds to go and in the lead, it appeared he might be disqualified, but it was negated on review, leaving him to win the bronze, just like his coach Oren Smadja did 32 years ago.
Another 32-year first was an Israeli in an Olympic Judo final.
Inbar Lanir had a first-round bye, and then steamrolled her way through the competition defeating opponents from Mongolia, the Netherlands, and then Germany. In the final, she was up against the Italian, Alice Bellandi. Bellandi seemed more prepared for Lanir than the Israeli’s previous opponents, and Lanir was lacking a Plan B. With Bellandi up a point and the clock winding down, Lanir received a third yellow card and that was that.
But it was still an incredible achievement to win Israel’s second ever silver medal.
Lanir and Paltchik joined sailor Gal Fridman as the only Israelis to win multiple Olympic medals.
Also on Day 6, the jumping team of Daniel Bluman, Ashlee Bond, and Robin Muhr qualified in 9th position for the 10-team final, which is happening on Day 7.
The windsurfing competition concludes in Marseille on Friday, and Sharon Kantor and Tom Reuveny are both in the semi-final of their respective competitions. Only four competitors make the semi-final, and if they finish in the top two of the semi-final, they’re guaranteed to win a medal.
While the medalists get all the attention and plaudits, every single one of our Olympians has done a remarkable job just to get there — and has inspired generations of Israeli children who see what’s possible in each of their individual sports.
These athletes have inspired the next generation of Israelis to follow in their footsteps and become champion archers, triathletes, fencers, surfers, or whatever sport they want to play.
David Wiseman is the co-founder of Follow Team Israel, a page that shares the stories of Israeli sports to the world. You can find it on Facebook and Instagram. He is also the head of online reputation management at Buzzdealer.
The post Israelis Won Medals and Performed Remarkably on Day 6 of the Olympics first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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After False Dawns, Gazans Hope Trump Will Force End to Two-Year-Old War
Palestinians walk past a residential building destroyed in previous Israeli strikes, after Hamas agreed to release hostages and accept some other terms in a US plan to end the war, in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa
Exhausted Palestinians in Gaza clung to hopes on Saturday that US President Donald Trump would keep up pressure on Israel to end a two-year-old war that has killed tens of thousands and displaced the entire population of more than two million.
Hamas’ declaration that it was ready to hand over hostages and accept some terms of Trump’s plan to end the conflict while calling for more talks on several key issues was greeted with relief in the enclave, where most homes are now in ruins.
“It’s happy news, it saves those who are still alive,” said 32-year-old Saoud Qarneyta, reacting to Hamas’ response and Trump’s intervention. “This is enough. Houses have been damaged, everything has been damaged, what is left? Nothing.”
GAZAN RESIDENT HOPES ‘WE WILL BE DONE WITH WARS’
Ismail Zayda, 40, a father of three, displaced from a suburb in northern Gaza City where Israel launched a full-scale ground operation last month, said: “We want President Trump to keep pushing for an end to the war, if this chance is lost, it means that Gaza City will be destroyed by Israel and we might not survive.
“Enough, two years of bombardment, death and starvation. Enough,” he told Reuters on a social media chat.
“God willing this will be the last war. We will hopefully be done with the wars,” said 59-year-old Ali Ahmad, speaking in one of the tented camps where most Palestinians now live.
“We urge all sides not to backtrack. Every day of delay costs lives in Gaza, it is not just time wasted, lives get wasted too,” said Tamer Al-Burai, a Gaza City businessman displaced with members of his family in central Gaza Strip.
After two previous ceasefires — one near the start of the war and another earlier this year — lasted only a few weeks, he said; “I am very optimistic this time, maybe Trump’s seeking to be remembered as a man of peace, will bring us real peace this time.”
RESIDENT WORRIES THAT NETANYAHU WILL ‘SABOTAGE’ DEAL
Some voiced hopes of returning to their homes, but the Israeli military issued a fresh warning to Gazans on Saturday to stay out of Gaza City, describing it as a “dangerous combat zone.”
Gazans have faced previous false dawns during the past two years, when Trump and others declared at several points during on-off negotiations between Hamas, Israel and Arab and US mediators that a deal was close, only for war to rage on.
“Will it happen? Can we trust Trump? Maybe we trust Trump, but will Netanyahu abide this time? He has always sabotaged everything and continued the war. I hope he ends it now,” said Aya, 31, who was displaced with her family to Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip.
She added: “Maybe there is a chance the war ends at October 7, two years after it began.”
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Mass Rally in Rome on Fourth Day of Italy’s Pro-Palestinian Protests
A Pro-Palestinian demonstrator waves a Palestinian flag during a national protest for Gaza in Rome, Italy, October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Claudia Greco
Large crowds assembled in central Rome on Saturday for the fourth straight day of protests in Italy since Israel intercepted an international flotilla trying to deliver aid to Gaza, and detained its activists.
People holding banners and Palestinian flags, chanting “Free Palestine” and other slogans, filed past the Colosseum, taking part in a march that organizers hoped would attract at least 1 million people.
“I’m here with a lot of other friends because I think it is important for us all to mobilize individually,” Francesco Galtieri, a 65-year-old musician from Rome, said. “If we don’t all mobilize, then nothing will change.”
Since Israel started blocking the flotilla late on Wednesday, protests have sprung up across Europe and in other parts of the world, but in Italy they have been a daily occurrence, in multiple cities.
On Friday, unions called a general strike in support of the flotilla, with demonstrations across the country that attracted more than 2 million, according to organizers. The interior ministry estimated attendance at around 400,000.
Italy’s right-wing government has been critical of the protests, with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni suggesting that people would skip work for Gaza just as an excuse for a longer weekend break.
On Saturday, Meloni blamed protesters for insulting graffiti that appeared on a statue of the late Pope John Paul II outside Rome’s main train station, where Pro-Palestinian groups have been holding a protest picket.
“They say they are taking to the streets for peace, but then they insult the memory of a man who was a true defender and builder of peace. A shameful act committed by people blinded by ideology,” she said in a statement.
Israel launched its Gaza offensive after Hamas terrorists staged a cross border attack on October 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 people hostage.
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Hamas Says It Agrees to Release All Israeli Hostages Under Trump Gaza Plan
Smoke rises during an Israeli military operation in Gaza City, as seen from the central Gaza Strip, October 2, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas
Hamas said on Friday it had agreed to release all Israeli hostages, alive or dead, under the terms of US President Donald Trump’s Gaza proposal, and signaled readiness to immediately enter mediated negotiations to discuss the details.