israel

The bodycam footage, cut together with clips from CCTV, dashboard cameras and the mobile phones of both Hamas gunmen and victims, showed in stark detail the sheer horror visited on a music festival and family neighbourhoods in southern Israel.

The Israeli military also released documents which they said were recovered from dead Hamas members, containing detailed operational planning and instructions for attacking the neighbourhoods and taking hostages.

It urged CEO Shou Zi Chew in a letter to "urgently step up" efforts, and spell out "within the next 24 hours" how it is complying with European law.

Social media firms have seen a surge in misinformation about the conflict, including doctored images and mislabelled videos.

The EU previously warned X, formerly Twitter, and Meta about such content.

It said TikTok needed to be mindful of its popularity with young people.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Nanaia Mahuta said the situation in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories remained highly volatile so any New Zealanders who can get out of the region on commercial airlines should do so.

On Saturday, Palestinian Islamic group Hamas launched an unexpected attack on Israel which saw rockets fired and gunmen cross the border.

In response, Israel began firing back. More than 1000 people have lost their lives and even more are wounded.

The flight comes in the midst of the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine, which has resulted in significant loss of life and turmoil in the region.

Family and friends, filled with anticipation and joy, had gathered at the airport in the early hours of the morning to welcome their loved ones back home.

The sight of reunions, warm embraces, and the sounds of laughter echoed through the airport as passengers disembarked. A traditional Fijian welcome ceremony was organized to greet the returning Fijians.

Delegations from the Cook Islands, Fiji, Samoa and Tonga were among 3000 visitors from over 80 nations attending the biggest Christian festival in Israel, the week-long Feast of the Tabernacle.

As part of the visit, over 300 Pacific Islanders had been touring the country, visiting historical sites, participating in services and parades and celebrating their faith.

It happened near the village of Huwara - which has been the scene of previous deadly attacks on Israelis and rampages by Jewish settlers in retribution.

The shooting took place at a carwash.

The gunman is said to have approached on foot and opened fire with a handgun.

The Israeli ambulance service said the two men aged 28 and 60 were pronounced dead at the scene. Both are said to have been civilians from Ashdod in southern Israel.

Israeli media reported that they had come to the West Bank to fix their car and spent several hours in Huwara.

Ambassador Yaakoby is based at the embassy in Wellington, New Zealand.

Since the establishment of diplomatic relations between Samoa and Israel in 1977, both countries have continued to maintain cordial relations.

As highlighted in the remarks delivered by the Member of the Council of Deputies and the Ambassador of Israel during the Credential ceremony, Samoa continues to benefit from the MASHAV development cooperation program of Israel through capacity building and training opportunities in the fields of health, agriculture and education.

"Our arrangement for visa travels with Israel has been officially approved by the Cabinet this past week," said Fiame.

Prime Minister Fiame explained that this arrangement was delayed by a few clarifications that were required by both countries and Israel, with regards to immigration laws and provisions. 

"An Israeli travelling to Samoa may stay up to 90 days, we are permitted for up to 60 days of visa free in Israel."

In 2019, Samoa and Israel signed an agreement to allow Samoans to travel to Israel without a visa.

Further pressuring the Israeli leader were images unseen for years in Tel Aviv where police fired stun guns and scuffled with Israeli protesters on a main road during a national "day of disruption" over government plans to overhaul the judiciary.

Reuters reports the head of a pro-settler party in Netanyahu's nationalist-religious coalition, Smotrich made the comments at a conference on Wednesday amid a spate of deadly Palestinian attacks and Israeli settler violence in the occupied West Bank.

The Palestinian health minister warned that the situation was "critical" in Jenin, with many other people injured and ambulances unable to reach them.

The children's ward of a local hospital was hit by Israeli tear gas, she said.

Israel's military released few details, but Israeli media said it had acted to foil "a major attack" by militants.

The Palestinian militant groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad said they were battling Israeli troops in the flashpoint town, where there have been repeated Israeli raids.