i24 News – At least fourteen people have been wounded, with several sustaining serious injuries, following a barrage of rockets launched by Hamas terrorists targeting the Kerem Shalom area in southern Israel.

Hebrew-language media reports have indicated that the rocket attack has caused injuries to multiple individuals, with some in critical condition.

However, detailed information regarding the casualties has not yet been provided by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) or medical authorities.

Hamas has claimed responsibility for the rocket barrage, asserting that their Al-Qassam Brigades intentionally targeted the Kerem Shalom area using 114 mm short-range “Rajoum” rockets.

The attack originated from the Rafah area in the Gaza Strip.

According to the IDF, approximately ten rockets and mortars were launched from the vicinity of Rafah towards the Kerem Shalom area.

Consequently, the Kerem Shalom humanitarian crossing has been temporarily closed as a precautionary measure in response to the barrage.

Following the attack, the IDF said it conducted strikes on Hamas rocket launchers in Rafah.

The post Hamas Rocket Barrage Wounds 14 Near Kerem Shalom in Southern Israel first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

i24 News – “October 7 helped spread a fire that was already out of control.”

That’s the finding of an alarming new report from the Anti-Defamation League and Tel Aviv University, which shows that the rate of antisemitic incidents increased by dozens of percentage points around the world.

But the study also shows that the number was growing even before the Gaza war broke out in October.

In the US, the ADL said that antisemitism reached historic levels. In its recently released annual survey, the organization recorded 7,523 incidents in 2023 compared to 3,697 in 2022, and according to a broader definition, it recorded 8,873 incidents. The number of assaults increased from 111 in 2022 to 161 in 2023 and acts of vandalism rose from 1,288 to 2,106. Spotlighting specific cities, in New York City, the city with the largest Jewish population in the world, the NYPD recorded 325 anti-Jewish hate crimes in 2023 in comparison to the 261 it recorded in 2022. In Los Angeles, the figure was 165 compared to the 86 incidents filed the previous year.

Other countries also saw dramatic increases in the number of antisemitic attacks, according to data collected from governmental agencies, law enforcement authorities, Jewish organizations, media, and fieldwork.

In France, the number of incidents increased from 436 in 2022 to 1,676 in 2023, with the number of physical assaults increasing from 43 to 85. In the UK, the number grew from 1,662 to 4,103, and physical assaults nearly doubled (from 136 to 266). And in Germany, the number rose from 2,639 to 3,614.

In South America, Brazil saw the most alarming increase, from 432 incidents in 2022 to 1,774 in 2023, while Argentina saw a rise from 427 to 598. Meanwhile, Australia recorded a stunning 622 antisemitic incidents in October and November alone, compared to 79 during the same period in the previous year.

While the dramatic increases in comparison to 2022 largely followed October 7, the report emphasizes that most countries with large Jewish minorities saw relative increases also in the first nine months of 2023, before the war started.

In France, the number of incidents during January-September 2023 increased to 434 from 329 during the same period in 2022; in Britain – from 1,270 to 1,404. In Australia, 371 incidents were recorded between January and September 2023, compared to 363 in the same period in 2022. On the other hand, Germany and Austria, where national programs for fighting antisemitism are applied, saw decreases.

The ADL’s CEO and National Director, Jonathan Greenblatt, said: “The aftermath of Hamas’s horrific attack on Israel on October 7th was followed by a tsunami of hate against Jewish communities worldwide,” citing the recent survey released by the organization which found 2023 had the highest number of antisemitic incidents in the US ever recorded by the ADL.

While the report focuses on 2023, the recent headlines focusing on the intense pro-Gaza protests on American campuses have added to the sense that the ability of Jews, particularly younger generations, to present themselves in public spaces is at risk. Authorities are grappling with how to balance freedom of expression while protecting the rights and physical safety of others, and the recent passage of the Antisemitism Awareness Act in the US House of Representatives may help prevent the worrying trend from similarly inflating in 2024.

“The year is not 1938, not even 1933. Yet if current trends continue, the curtain will descend on the ability to lead Jewish lives in the West – to wear a Star of David, attend synagogues and community centers, send kids to Jewish schools, frequent a Jewish club on campus, or speak Hebrew,” warns Professor Uriya Shavit, head of the Center for the Study of Contemporary European Jewry at Tel Aviv University.

The report concludes that the effort to fight antisemitism on a global scale has failed. “One of our biggest challenges is how to fight antisemitism without making it the defining factor of Jewish identity in our times,” says Shavit.

The post New Survey Finds Startling Increase in Rates of Antisemitic Incidents Around the World first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

i24 News – Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant made an unexpected visit to the Gaza Strip early Sunday morning.

The visit was centered around the Israeli military corridor in the central region of the Gaza Strip.

Accompanied by high-ranking military officials, including Brigadier General Barak Hiram, commander of the 99th division, Gallant observed firsthand the ongoing operations and engaged in a strategic assessment of the situation with key commanders.

Addressing reserve fighters stationed in the division’s brigades, Gallant reiterated Israel’s steadfast commitment to its objectives in the conflict. “We have clear goals for this war,” he affirmed, “we are committed to the elimination of Hamas and the release of the abductees.”

Expressing concern over Hamas’s intentions, Gallant emphasized the urgency of the situation. “We recognize alarming signs that Hamas actually does not intend to go to any outline agreement with us,” he stated.

“The meaning of this – action in Rafah and the entire Gaza Strip in the near future.”

“We are moments before action in high readiness,” he declared. “The IDF knows what to do, we are prepared for things and it will accompany the entire strip from north to south.”

The post Gallant Warns of Upcoming Rafah Operation in Visit to Soldiers in Central Gaza first appeared on Algemeiner.com.