“The families of several Israeli female soldiers taken hostage during the
Hamas-led attack on Oct. 7 have released video of their abduction in an attempt
to pressure the Israeli government to revive stalled cease-fire talks that
could pave the way for the captives’ release. Family members first saw the
footage a few weeks ago via the Israeli military, which formally handed them a
copy on Tuesday night, according to the Hostages and Missing Families Forum,
which represents families of hostages held captive in Gaza. “I’m asking you,
please show this clip every day, open your broadcasts with it,” Eli Albag,
whose daughter Liri Albag can be seen in the video, said in a television
interview with Israel’s Channel 12. “Until somebody wakes up, the nation wakes
up, and realizes that they’ve been abandoned there for 229 days.””











<[link removed]>
<[link removed]>



**NOTE: Eye On Extremism media monitoring will be suspended on Friday, May 24
and Monday, May 27 in observance of Memorial Day. It will resume Tuesday, May
28.**



Eye on Extremism



May 23, 2024



The New York Times: New Video Shows Hamas Fighters Taking Israeli Soldiers
Hostage
<[link removed]>



“The families of several Israeli female soldiers taken hostage during the
Hamas-led attack on Oct. 7 have released video of their abduction in an attempt
to pressure the Israeli government to revive stalled cease-fire talks that
could pave the way for the captives’ release. Family members first saw the
footage a few weeks ago via the Israeli military, which formally handed them a
copy on Tuesday night, according to the Hostages and Missing Families Forum,
which represents families of hostages held captive in Gaza. “I’m asking you,
please show this clip every day, open your broadcasts with it,” Eli Albag,
whose daughter Liri Albag can be seen in the video, said in a television
interview with Israel’s Channel 12. “Until somebody wakes up, the nation wakes
up, and realizes that they’ve been abandoned there for 229 days.””



Associated Press; Missile Splashes Into The Red Sea, Causing No Damage In
Latest Suspected Yemen Houthi Rebel Attack
<[link removed]>



“A missile splashed down in the waters of the Red Sea on Thursday, but caused
no damage to a passing commercial vessel in an attack likely carried out by
Yemen’s Houthi rebels, officials said. The Houthis did not immediately claim
the attack, though it can take hours or even days for them to acknowledge their
assaults. The attack happened in the southern Red Sea near the crucial Bab
el-Mandeb Strait, the British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade
Operations center said. The private security firm Ambrey similarly reported the
attack. The Houthis have launched attacks on shipping in the Red Sea and the
Gulf of Aden in recent months, demanding that Israel ends the war in Gaza,
which has killed more than 35,000 Palestinians there. The war began after
Hamas-led militants attacked Israel on Oct. 7, killing about 1,200 people and
taking some 250 hostage.”



United States



The Washington Post: GOP Challengers Make Gains But Lose Bid To Oust Hard
Right In North Idaho
<[link removed]>



“A rebel Republican bloc aiming to curb far-right extremism in North Idaho
made significant gains Tuesday, flipping dozens of local seats, but fell short
of the votes needed to change the hard-line GOP leadership in an area with
historic ties to the far right. The primary-election showdown in Kootenai
County, a mountainous region near the Canadian border, drew national attention
as a rare example of self-described “traditional” Republicans organizing
against the party’s hard-right swing of recent years. Ultimately, however, a
majority of members of the county GOP committee kept their jobs. “The
predictions of my demise were greatly exaggerated,” Brent Regan, chairman of
the GOP committee and target No. 1 for the challengers, posted on X early
Wednesday. Regan and other GOP leaders have been linked to far-right figures
but have strongly rejected the extremist label.”



Iraq



Reuters: Islamic State Claims Attack On Vehicle In Iraq Which Killed Soldier
<[link removed]>



“One Iraqi soldier was killed and two were wounded after an explosive device
detonated on their vehicle in an area between the Diyala and Salahuddin
governorates in eastern Iraq on Wednesday, two security sources said. The
Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement on its
Telegram channel later on Wednesday.”



Pakistan



Voice Of America: Pakistan Claims Killing Dozens Of Afghan-Based 'Terrorists'
In Recent Operations <[link removed]>



“Pakistan’s military said Wednesday that its operations against a recent
surge in terrorist attacks from Afghanistan, and cross-border militant
infiltration attempts, have resulted in the killings of nearly 30 “terrorists"
in the last month. The announcement came a day after a U.S. research group said
in a report that "Afghanistan has become a breeding ground for terrorist
activities” since the Taliban regained power in 2021. While sharing details of
its ongoing counterterrorism actions, the Pakistani military said it was
focused on parts of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Baluchistan border provinces. It
noted that one of the operations a week ago also led to the death of an army
major. “Of late, Pakistan has witnessed a surge in terrorist incidents
orchestrated from Afghan soil, wherein terrorists from Afghanistan attempt to
infiltrate through the Pakistan-Afghanistan border and target security forces
as well as innocent civilians,” the statement said.””



Qatar



Reuters: Qatari Emir, Gulf Foreign Ministers Travel To Iran For President
Raisi's Funeral
<[link removed]>



“Qatar's emir and the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab
Emirates and Kuwait travelled on Wednesday to Tehran to attend the funeral of
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, under whose tenure a historic deal that thawed
relations between Tehran and its Gulf neighbours was brokered. While Qatar has
typically enjoyed warm relations with Iran, acting as a mediator between the
Shi'ite Muslim country and the United States, other Gulf states had volatile
relations with their neighbour. They had accused Iran of interfering in
internal state affairs and backing regional foes, up until Riyadh and Tehran
signed a landmark deal to normalise ties in 2023. In the same year, the UAE
also upgraded diplomatic ties with Iran. Both states share business and trade
ties stretching back more than a century, with the UAE's Dubai long being one
of Iran's main links to the outside world.”



Middle East



Associated Press: Far-Right Minister Who Visited Contested Jerusalem Site Has
Long History Of Controversy
<[link removed]>



“Israel’s far-right national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, visited
Jerusalem’s most sensitive holy site on Wednesday in what he described as a
protest against the recognition of a Palestinian state by three European
countries. It was the latest act of defiance by an ultranationalist settler
leader who has transformed himself over the decades from an outlaw and
provocateur into one of Israel’s most influential politicians. In his Cabinet
post, Ben-Gvir oversees the country’s police force. As a key coalition partner,
Ben-Gvir also has the power to rob Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of his
parliamentary majority and force early elections. Ben-Gvir has used his
influence to push forward pet projects and encourage Netanyahu to press ahead
with the war in Gaza against widespread calls to reach a cease-fire deal that
would bring home hostages.”



Reuters: Israeli Forces Kill Dozens Of Palestinians As They Push Deeper In
Gaza's North And South
<[link removed]>



“Israeli forces killed 35 Palestinians in aerial and ground bombardments
across the Gaza Strip on Thursday and battled in close combat with Hamas-led
militants in areas of the southern city of Rafah, health officials and Hamas
media said. Israeli tanks advanced in Rafah's southeast, edged towards the
city's western district of Yibna and continued to operate in three eastern
suburbs, residents said. "The occupation (Israeli forces) is trying to move
further to the west, they are on the edge of Yibna, which is densely populated.
They didn't invade it yet," one resident said, asking not to be named. "We hear
explosions and we see black smoke coming up from the areas where the army has
invaded. It was another very difficult night," he told Reuters via a chat app.”



Associated Press: First Aid From US Pier In Gaza Has Reached Starving
Palestinians, The UN Says
<[link removed]>



“The U.N. World Food Program said Wednesday that it has handed out in Gaza in
recent days a “limited number” of high-energy biscuits that arrived from a
U.S.-built pier, the first aid from the new humanitarian sea route to get into
the hands of Palestinians in grave need. The small number of biscuits came in
the first shipments unloaded from the pier Friday, WFP spokesman Steve
Taravella said. The U.S. Agency for International Development told The
Associated Press that a total of 41 trucks loaded with aid from the more than
$320 million pier have reached humanitarian organizations in Gaza. “Aid is
flowing” from the pier, U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan told
reporters Wednesday in response to questions about the troubled launch of aid
deliveries from the maritime project. “It is not flowing at a rate that any of
us are happy with.””



Somalia



Garowe Online: UN Security Council Sanctions Top Al-Shabaab Leaders
<[link removed]>



“The United Nations Security Council has yet again sanctioned more Al-Shabaab
leaders, in a strategy that conforms with Somalia’s fight against the
militants, who control huge swathes of rural central and southern regions.
Somalia has devised both military and ideological approaches in the fight
against the group, with international partners helping the country maintain
order. The United Nations has invested in sanctions, which freeze the militants
from accessing other parts of the world and opportunities. Abdikadir Mohamed
Abdikadir, a member of the group, topped the list of the latest victims of
sanctions, with the UN Security Council blaming him for participating in the
financing, planning, facilitating, preparing, or perpetrating of acts or
activities by, in conjunction with, under the name of, on behalf of, or in
support of Al-Shabaab.”



Africa



Associated Press: Tunisia Sentences Journalists To A Year In Prison For
Criticizing The Government
<[link removed]>



“A Tunisian court on Wednesday sentenced two TV and radio journalists to one
year in prison for criticizing the government on their programs and on social
networks. Borhane Bsaïs and Mourad Zeghidi were each given six months’
imprisonment for disseminating “fake news” and an additional six months for
“making false statements with the aim of defaming others,” in reference to
Tunisian President Kaïs Saied, court spokesperson Mohamed Zitouna said. The
sentences come less than two weeks after both were arrested. They are among a
broader group of journalists, activists and lawyers charged under Decree 54, a
law criminalizing the dissemination of “fake news” aimed at harming public
safety or national defense. The law, passed in 2022 to fight cybercrime, has
been widely criticized by rights advocates who say the offenses are vaguely
defined and are being used to crack down on the president’s critics.”



United Kingdom



BBC: Crime Report Reveals Scotland 'Terror Attack' Plan
<[link removed]>



“A multi-agency police inquiry has investigated what appear to have been
preparations for a terrorist attack in Scotland. Brief details of the case have
been revealed in a report from the National Crime Agency (NCA). The NCA said a
counter terrorism investigation titled Operation Ferulic was led by Police
Scotland and centred on "the apparent preparation for a firearms attack in the
Edinburgh area." Several specialists from the NCA's Major Crime Investigative
Support unit were drafted in to assist the inquiry. Forensic clinical
psychologists, behavioural investigative advisors and interview advisors were
involved in assessing and managing risk and interview preparation. The report
does not reveal the outcome of the investigation or whether anyone was arrested
or charged. Police Scotland has been approached for comment.”



The Counter Extremism Project depends on the generosity of its supporters. If
you value what we do, please consider making a donation.

DONATE NOW
<[link removed]>
 




Click here to unsubscribe.
<[link removed]>