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Shavuot Returns to Israeli Communities in the North and South
Shavuot. Ruth in Boaz’s Field by Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld, oil on canvas, 1828; National Gallery, London. Photo: Wikipedia.
i24 News – For the first time since the October 7 attacks, the communities of northern Israel and the Gaza envelope marked the Shavuot holiday on Sunday, transforming grief into a poignant celebration of resilience and continuity.
In Kibbutz Nir Oz, one of the hardest-hit communities during the Hamas attack, residents gathered for an emotional ceremony dedicated to the memory of the kibbutz’s agricultural workers (GADASH) and Thai laborers who were murdered on October 7.
The event, held amidst the kibbutz’s slow process of recovery, honored those lost while reaffirming the community’s determination to rebuild.
Gadi Moses, who was recently released after 482 days in Hamas captivity as part of the second hostage deal, spoke during the ceremony. “This year we hold the ceremony in an atmosphere of sorrow and absence,” he said. “We are here in honor of our friends in the IDF who were murdered, who are just a small part of all we’ve lost along the way.”
Another survivor, Shoshbi, called the ceremony “the beginning of our rehabilitation as a community.” With quiet defiance, he declared: “We will prove to the entire world that we are here to stay—with all the pain and sorrow that the murder of our loved ones leaves behind.”
Gadi also expressed appreciation for the Thai workers who had completed their service and renewed their bond with the kibbutz.
In Metula, the northernmost town in Israel, Shavuot was celebrated for the first time since the war and the IDF’s Operation Northern Arrows. The community, which faced severe damage and a prolonged evacuation, marked the occasion with a touching gesture: the release of 58 yellow balloons in solidarity with the families of Israeli abductees.
The celebration centered around a vibrant tractor procession decorated with Israeli flags, fresh agricultural produce, and symbols of the kidnapped. Local families, children, farmers, and guests participated in the parade, waving flags of Israel, Metula, and a special flag bearing the emblem of the hostages.
David Azulai, head of the Metula Regional Council, reflected on the significance of the event: “After a year and a half of evacuation, uncertainty, and deep wounds, Metula has come back to life—and today we celebrate Shavuot with a profoundly moving ceremony.”
The return of Shavuot to these devastated communities offered not just a reminder of past loss, but a declaration of presence, unity, and hope for healing.
The post Shavuot Returns to Israeli Communities in the North and South first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Kurdish-led SDF Say Five Members Killed During Attack by Islamic State in Syria
Islamic State slogans painted along the walls of the tunnel was used by Islamic State militants as an underground training camp in the hillside overlooking Mosul, Iraq, March 4, 2017. Photo: via Reuters Connect.
The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces said on Sunday that five of its members had been killed during an attack by Islamic State militants on a checkpoint in eastern Syria’s Deir el-Zor on July 31.
The SDF was the main fighting force allied to the United States in Syria during fighting that defeated Islamic State in 2019 after the group declared a caliphate across swathes of Syria and Iraq.
The Islamic State has been trying to stage a comeback in the Middle East, the West and Asia. Deir el-Zor city was captured by Islamic State in 2014, but the Syrian army retook it in 2017.
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Armed Groups Attack Security Force Personnel in Syria’s Sweida, Killing One, State TV Reports
People ride a motorcycle past a burned-out military vehicle, following deadly clashes between Druze fighters, Sunni Bedouin tribes, and government forces, in Syria’s predominantly Druze city of Sweida, Syria, July 25, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi
Armed groups attacked personnel from Syria’s internal security forces in Sweida, killing one member and wounding others, and fired shells at several villages in the violence-hit southern province, state-run Ekhbariya TV reported on Sunday.
The report cited a security source as saying the armed groups had violated the ceasefire agreed in the predominantly Druze region, where factional bloodshed killed hundreds of people last month.
Violence in Sweida erupted on July 13 between tribal fighters and Druze factions. Government forces were sent to quell the fighting, but the bloodshed worsened, and Israel carried out strikes on Syrian troops in the name of the Druze.
The Druze are a minority offshoot of Islam with followers in Syria, Lebanon and Israel. Sweida province is predominantly Druze but is also home to Sunni tribes, and the communities have had long-standing tensions over land and other resources.
A US-brokered truce ended the fighting, which had raged in Sweida city and surrounding towns for nearly a week. Syria said it would investigate the clashes, setting up a committee to investigate the attacks.
The Sweida bloodshed last month was a major test for interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa, after a wave of sectarian violence in March that killed hundreds of Alawite citizens in the coastal region.
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Netanyahu Urges Red Cross to Aid Gaza Hostages
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a press conference, in Jerusalem, May 21, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun/Pool
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday he spoke with the International Red Cross’s regional head, Julien Lerisson, and requested his involvement in providing food and medical care to hostages held in Gaza.