"The bodies of six Israeli hostages have been retrieved from Gaza during an
overnight military operation in Khan Younis, Israeli authorities said Tuesday,
as the latest ceasefire negotiations continue. In a joint announcement, the
Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and the Israeli Security Agency (ISA) named them as
Yoram Metzger, Alexander Dancyg, Avraham Munder, Chaim Peri, Nadav Popplewell
and Yagev Buchshtab."











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Eye on Extremism



August 22, 2024



CNN: Bodies Of Six Israeli Hostages Retrieved From Gaza, Israel Says
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“The bodies of six Israeli hostages have been retrieved from Gaza during an
overnight military operation in Khan Younis, Israeli authorities said Tuesday,
as the latest ceasefire negotiations continue. In a joint announcement, the
Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and the Israeli Security Agency (ISA) named them as
Yoram Metzger, Alexander Dancyg, Avraham Munder, Chaim Peri, Nadav Popplewell
and Yagev Buchshtab. All but Munder had been announced dead in recent months by
the Israeli military. Israel’s Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said the IDF and
ISA had entered Hamas tunnels in a “complex operation” to retrieve the bodies.”



Associated Press: Israel-Hamas War Latest: Israeli Strikes Kill At Least 16 In
Gaza, Palestinian Officials Say
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“Palestinian health officials say Israeli strikes have killed at least 16
people in the Gaza Strip. The Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital received the bodies,
including the remains of a woman and three children, after strikes overnight
and into Thursday. An Associated Press reporter at the hospital counted the
bodies. A man held the body of a child wrapped in a white shroud as a woman
next to him wept, saying: “My love, my soul.” The Israeli offensive launched in
response to Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack has killed over 40,000 Palestinians in Gaza,
according to the local Health Ministry, which does not say how many were
militants or civilians. Hamas and other militants killed some 1,200 people,
mostly civilians, in the Oct. 7 attack and abducted around 250. Around 110
hostages are still inside Gaza, a third of whom are believed to be dead.”



Associated Press: From Cybercrime To Terrorism, FBI Director Says America
Faces Many Elevated Threats ‘All At Once’
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“The country is facing heightened threats from many corners at a time when law
enforcement agencies are struggling, FBI Director Christopher Wray said in an
exclusive interview, adding that he is “hard pressed to think of a time in my
career where so many different kinds of threats are all elevated at once.” Wray
spoke Wednesday with The Associated Press while visiting the Minneapolis field
office to talk about partnerships between law enforcement agencies and also
with other entities. His remarks come as the FBI confronts heightened concerns
over terrorism, both domestic and international, as well as Chinese espionage
and intellectual property theft and foreign election interference. “I worry
about the combination of that many threats being elevated at once, with the
challenges facing the men and women in law enforcement more generally,” Wray
said at the office in the suburb of Brooklyn Center.”



United States



Reuters: Biden Presses Netanyahu On Need To Reach Gaza Truce Deal
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“U.S. President Joe Biden on Wednesday pressed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu on the urgency of sealing a deal for a truce in Gaza and the release
of hostages, the White House said, but Israel and Hamas stuck firmly to their
demands. The call between the leaders, in which Vice President Kamala Harris
also took part, came after Palestinian health officials reported at least 50
Palestinians killed by Israeli airstrikes over a 24-hour period. Biden stressed
to Netanyahu "the urgency of bringing the ceasefire and hostage release deal to
closure and discussed upcoming talks in Cairo to remove any remaining
obstacles," a White House statement said. U.S., Israeli, Egyptian and Qatari
negotiators, who are expected to meet in Cairo this weekend, have for months
struggled to bridge differences between Israel and Hamas. But Israel and Hamas
on Wednesday held to their demands.”



Afghanistan



Associated Press: The UAE Accepts Credentials Of Taliban Ambassador In A Major
Diplomatic Win For Afghanistan’s Rulers
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“The United Arab Emirates on Wednesday accepted the credentials of the
Taliban’s ambassador to the oil-rich Gulf Arab state, the biggest diplomatic
coup for Afghanistan’s rulers who are not officially recognized as the
country’s legitimate government. The development, the first Taliban ambassador
since one was appointed to China last December, underscored the international
divide over how to deal with the government now in Kabul. The Ministry of
Foreign Affairs in Kabul confirmed the news about Badruddin Haqqani in a post
on the social media platform X. The ministry did not respond to requests for
information about Haqqani, who was previously the Taliban’s envoy to the UAE.
Haqqani is not related to the Acting Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani, who
in June met the UAE leader, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, but he is from
his team.”



Pakistan



The Washington Post: Police Arrest Man In Pakistan Accused Of Fueling Riots In
Britain
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“Police in Pakistan have arrested a Lahore man accused of spreading
disinformation about a deadly stabbing attack last month that spurred
anti-immigrant riots across Britain. Farhan Asif, 32, is accused of sharing
fake information that incited riots in the United Kingdom, Pakistan’s Federal
Investigation Agency said Wednesday. He is accused of amplifying misinformation
about the identity of the attacker who stabbed three children to death July 29
in an article on the website Channel3Now. Ten people were wounded in the
stabbing attack on a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in the northern English
city of Southport. In the hours after the attack, reports circulated online
that claimed incorrectly that the attacker was a Muslim and an asylum seeker
who had entered Britain illegally.”



Yemen



CBS: Ship Hit By Suspected Houthi Missiles In Red Sea, Leaving Vessel "Not
Under Command," U.K. Military Says
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“A commercial ship traveling through the Red Sea came under repeated attack
Wednesday, leaving the vessel "not under command" in an assault suspected to
have been carried out by Yemen's Houthi rebels, the British military said.
There were few details about the attack, but it appeared to be the latest in
the Houthis' monthslong campaign targeting commercial and military ships in
what the group has said is a response to the ongoing Israel-Hamas war in the
Gaza Strip. The attack saw men on small boats first open fire with small arms,
the British military's United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center said.
The ship also was hit by three projectiles, it added.”



Lebanon



Bloomberg: Lebanon’s Goal Of Being Top Tourist Destination Fade After Israel
Airstrike
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“Lebanon’s hopes of boosting a moribund economy with tourism revenue have been
thwarted, after an Israeli airstrike on the capital Beirut and threat of
all-out war triggered a series of travel bans and sent holidaymakers packing.
Summer-season income from visitors — mostly from among Lebanon’s large diaspora
— had been expected to surpass the $5 billion to $7 billion pumped in last
year, according to Minister of Economy and Trade Amin Salam. But, he said in an
interview, that all changed after the strike late last month, which has raised
fears of a wider conflict on Lebanese soil between Israel and the Hezbollah
militant group. The rocket attack in Beirut’s southern suburbs killed a senior
commander of Hezbollah, which has been trading fire with the Jewish state since
the Israel-Hamas war began in October. Israel said the commander, Fuad Shukr,
was responsible for a strike on the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights that
killed 12 youngsters playing football.”



BBC: Hezbollah Rockets Hit Golan Heights After Israel Strikes Deep In Lebanon
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“Hezbollah has launched dozens of rockets at the occupied Golan Heights after
Israeli aircraft struck deep inside Lebanon, as fears of an all-out war grow.
The Israeli military said it hit Hezbollah weapons storage facilities in the
Bekaa Valley overnight. The Lebanese health ministry said one person was killed
and 30 others injured. In response, Hezbollah, which is backed by Iran, said it
targeted Israeli military positions in the Golan with a rocket barrage. Israeli
authorities said two homes were hit and one person was injured. Meanwhile, the
Palestinian Fatah movement accused Israel of assassinating a senior member of
its armed wing in Lebanon in an effort to ignite a regional conflict. The
Israeli military said it had killed Khalil al-Makdah in a strike in the
southern port city of Sidon because he was operating on behalf of Iran’s
Revolutionary Guards and was involved in directing attacks in and smuggling
weapons to the occupied West Bank.”



Middle East



Reuters: Eleven Killed In Israeli Strike On Gaza's Beit Lahiya, Palestinian
News Agency Says
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“At least 11 people were killed in an Israeli strike on a residential building
in the northern Gaza town of Beit Lahiya in the early hours of Thursday,
official Palestinian news agency Wafa said.”



Egypt



Associated Press: Key Mediator Egypt Expresses Skepticism About The Gaza
Cease-Fire Proposal As More Details Emerge
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“Key mediator Egypt expressed skepticism Wednesday about the proposal meant to
bridge gaps in cease-fire talks between Israel and Hamas as more details
emerged a day before negotiations were expected to resume in Cairo. The
challenges around the so-called bridging proposal appeared to undermine the
optimism for an imminent agreement that U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken
carried into his latest Mideast visit this week. Diplomatic efforts have
redoubled as fears grow of a wider regional war after the recent targeted
killings of leaders of the militant Hamas and Hezbollah groups, both blamed on
Israel, and threats of retaliation. President Joe Biden spoke with Israeli
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday, and stressed the urgency of
reaching a cease-fire and hostage release deal, the White House said.”



Nigeria



Voice Of America: Nigeria Deploys Armed Rangers To Protect Farmers
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“As attacks on farmers intensified across Nigeria, Fatima Bello from Sokoto
abandoned dry season farming. The smallholder farmer of rice, millet and beans
shared her experience of farming under constant threat. "During the dry season
last year, I did not even plant anything because of this issue of insecurity,"
she said. "What I would have produced that I would have used for my family and
also take to the market, other people are going to benefit from what I will
sell. They will buy, but now it means if I don't produce anything, then it
means I will not have been able to have something to use." Violent attacks,
land levies and kidnappings have forced many farmers to abandon their lands,
driving up food inflation. In response, the government declared a state of
emergency on food security in 2023 and recently deployed 10,000 agro rangers
across 19 states and the Federal Capital Territory.”



Somalia



Reuters: Somalia's Bomb Disposal Experts Face Down Fear To Save Lives
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“Wearing a bulky protective suit and helmet, Mohamed Ahmed inches towards the
truck where explosives wired to a mobile phone have been planted in Somalia's
capital, Mogadishu. Fortunately for Ahmed, a police officer, this is a training
exercise and the device is a dummy. Bombings using this technique, or suicide
attacks with vehicles, are a common occurrence in Somalia, where insurgents
linked to al Qaeda have been fighting the government since 2007. In one of the
most recent attacks, fighters from the al Shabaab militant group used a car
bomb to blow up a restaurant in the capital where soccer fans were watching the
final of the Euro 2024 tournament on television, killing five people.”



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