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Israel told to 'maintain open' the Rafah Border Crossing
ICJ ORDERS ISRAEL TO HALT RAFAH OPERATIONS THAT RISK DESTRUCTION OF CIVILIAN
POPULATION
FOUR OF THE 15 JUDGES ARGUE RULING DOES NOT REQUIRE THAT ISRAEL HALT ENTIRE
RAFAH CAMPAIGN IF IT ENSURES IT’S COMPLYING WITH THE GENOCIDE CONVENTION; SOUTH
AFRICAN JUDGE DISAGREES
By Jeremy Sharon
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Presiding Judge Nawaf Salam reads the ruling of the International Court of
Justice, or World Court, in The Hague, Netherlands, May 24, 2024 (AP Photo/Peter
Dejong)
In a significant but somewhat ambiguous sharpening of its treatment of genocide
claims against Israel, the International Court of Justice ordered Israel on
Friday to halt military operations in the southern Gazan city of Rafah that
would risk the destruction of the civilian population sheltering there.
“Israel must immediately halt its military offensive, and any other action in
the Rafah governorate, which may inflict on the Palestinian group in Gaza
conditions of life that could bring about its physical destruction in whole or
in part,” the ruling stated.
The order was approved 13 votes to 2 by the justices on the court, with
Vice-President Julia Sebutinde of Uganda and Ad Hoc Judge Aharon Barak of Israel
dissenting.
According to the interpretation of Sebutinde, Barak and two other judges on the
court, the court’s ruling was not a direct and total order to stop the Rafah
operation, but rather a limited order instructing Israel not to violate the
Genocide Convention in that military campaign. The fifth of five judges who
wrote separate opinions or declarations to accompany the ruling, South Africa’s
Dire Tladi, took the opposite view, however, arguing that the ruling, in
“explicit terms, ordered the State of Israel to halt its offensive in Rafah.”
While some are reading the decision as a blanket order to halt the offensive,
the wording appeared to include some conditionality that would allow Israel to
continue operations in Rafah so long as it ensured that the conditions for
Palestinians sheltering there do not deteriorate so as to risk their
mass-destruction. Notably, nearly one million of the 1.4 million Palestinians
sheltering in Rafah have already evacuated, amid IDF orders to do so.
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Such an interpretation was made explicit by Judge Georg Nolte of Germany who
wrote that “The measure obliging Israel to halt the current military offensive
in Rafah is conditioned by the need to prevent ‘conditions of life that could
bring about [the] physical destruction in whole or in part’ of the Palestinian
group in Gaza.”
Judges are seen at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) as part of South
Africa’s request on a Gaza ceasefire in The Hague, on May 24, 2024. (Nick
Gammon/AFP)
Barak, appointed by Israel, wrote in his dissenting opinion to the ruling that
the court had once again rejected South Africa’s request to order Israel to
“cease its military operations in the Gaza Strip” and that the court order
“requires Israel to halt its military offensive in the Rafah Governorate only in
so far as is necessary to comply with Israel’s obligations under the Genocide
Convention (emphasis in the original).” The Romanian judge, Bogdan Aurescu, also
supported this interpretation.
ICJ Vice President Julia Sebutinde (Uganda) warned against misunderstanding the
court’s directive as requiring an Israeli ceasefire in Rafah. The measure “only
operates to partially restrict Israel’s offensive in Rafah to the extent it
implicates rights under the Genocide Convention,” she wrote.
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She cautioned: “… this directive may be misunderstood as mandating a unilateral
ceasefire in Rafah and amounts to micromanaging the hostilities in Gaza by
restricting Israel’s ability to pursue its legitimate military objectives, while
leaving its enemies, including Hamas, free to attack without Israel being able
to respond.”
According to this interpretation, an Israeli military operation which would not
lead to the mass destruction of Palestinian civilian life would be acceptable to
the court.
Prof. Yuval Shany told The Times of Israel that if Israel could effectively
demonstrate that the humanitarian situation in Rafah and for Rafah evacuees was
improving, then Jerusalem could claim that the continued operation does not fall
within the terms of the court’s order.
Judge Tladi of South Africa — who voted in favor of the court orders –wrote in
his declaration, however, that the court, “in explicit terms, ordered the State
of Israel to halt its offensive in Rafah” and also that it “does not permit the
continuation of the military operation… elsewhere in the Gaza Strip.”
In Friday’s decision, the ICJ justices expressed once again that their primary
concern regarding Israel’s obligations under the Genocide Convention, under
which South Africa has taken Israel to court, is that Israel not create the
conditions of life designed to destroy the Palestinian population in Gaza.
In all four rulings the court has issued against Israel starting January 26, it
has made clear that the primary exposure for Israel to claims of genocide under
the Genocide Convention is the explicit clause in article two. This states that
one form of genocide is “Deliberately inflicting on the [national, ethnical,
racial or religious] group conditions of life calculated to bring about its
physical destruction in whole or in part.”
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Israeli legal team, with Yaron Wax, Malcolm Shaw and Avigail Frisch Ben Avraham,
from left, wait for judges to enter the International Court of Justice, or World
Court, in The Hague, Netherlands, May 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)
The court ruling on Friday stated that the concerns it expressed in its February
decision, when South Africa first asked that the court order Israel not to
invade Rafah, “have materialized, and that the humanitarian situation is now to
be characterized as disastrous.”
It said that the developments in Rafah, with the evacuation of hundreds of
thousands of Palestinians from the city, were “exceptionally grave,” and that it
is “not convinced” that Israel’s evacuation efforts and other measures to
protect Gazan civilians “are sufficient to alleviate the immense risk to which
the Palestinian population is exposed as a result of the military offensive in
Rafah.”
Along with its orders regarding Israel’s military operation in Rafah, the court
also ordered Israel to “maintain open” the Rafah Border Crossing between Egypt
and Gaza to allow the “unhindered provision at scale” of humanitarian aid to the
region.
The Rafah Crossing has been closed since the IDF launched an operation earlier
this month to take over the Gaza side of the gateway.
Israel blames Egypt for refusing to reopen the crossing since Cairo does not
want to reopen it as long as the IDF is effectively managing the other side, and
Israel has struggled to recruit another body to run the crossing.
The court also ordered Israel to allow “the unimpeded access to the Gaza Strip”
for commissions of inquiry, fact-finding missions, or other investigative bodies
mandated by the UN to investigate allegations of genocide.
This order could prompt UN agencies to send delegations to start investigations
on the genocide allegations being made by South Africa and other nations against
Israel in the court.
Two demonstrators wave the Palestinian flag outside the Peace Palace, rear,
housing the International Court of Justice, or World Court, in The Hague,
Netherlands,May 24, 2024 (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)
The court ordered Israel to report back to it within one month as to how it has
implemented the orders.
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Should the court deem Israel to have violated the orders, it would be able to
refer such violations to the UN Security Council, which could then decide
whether or not to take punitive measures against Israel as a result.
Additionally, the court noted that it had previously called for the release of
the hostages taken during the Hamas-led onslaught on October 7 and repeated that
appeal.
“The Court finds it deeply troubling that many of these hostages remain in
captivity and reiterates its call for their immediate and unconditional
release,” the ruling said.
The IDF has asserted that Rafah is Hamas’s last major stronghold in Gaza, and
where four of its battalions are located.
Israel believes Hamas leaders and many operatives are hiding in Rafah, and also
that an unspecified number of the remaining 121 hostages kidnapped in the
Hamas-led October 7 atrocities are being held in the city. Israel says it has no
choice but to carry out an operation in the city to root out the Hamas
battalions there and prevent the smuggling of weapons and cash into Gaza.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said that he would consult senior
ministers in a phone call following the ICJ’s decision.
The statement said Netanyahu would speak with Strategic Affairs Minister Ron
Dermer, Justice Minister Yariv Levin, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant,
Attorney-General Gali Baharav-Miara, Foreign Minister Israel Katz, National
Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi and other officials.
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The announcement did not mention war cabinet ministers Benny Gantz or Gadi
Eisenkot.
A Palestinian man and his children sit in a destroyed room following an Israeli
airstrike on residential building in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on May 22,
2024. (Eyad Baba / AFP)
Gantz himself said he was speaking with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on
the phone from IDF headquarters in Tel Aviv, but insisted that Israel must
“continue fighting,” in a subsequent statement.
“The State of Israel embarked on a just and necessary campaign after a brutal
terrorist organization massacred our citizens, raped our women, kidnapped our
children and fired missiles at our city centers,” he said, insisting that the
Jewish state is “obligated to continue fighting to return its hostages and
ensure the safety of its citizens, at any time and place — including in Rafah.”
He said Israel would “continue to act according to international law in Rafah
and wherever we operate, and make an effort to avoid harming the civilian
population. Not because of The Hague tribunal but first of all because of who we
are.”
National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir took to X, describing the ICJ ruling
as the “irrelevant order of the antisemitic court in The Hague” and said that
Israel’s response to it should be “the occupation of Rafah, the increase of
military pressure and the complete defeat of Hamas.”
The ultranationalist minister added. “Our future does not depend on what the
gentiles will say, but on what the Jews will do,” he adds, quoting Israel’s
first Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion.
IDF troops on the Gazan side of the Rafah border crossing on May 7, 2024.
(Israel Defense Forces)
“Those who demand that the State of Israel stop the war, demand that it decree
the cessation of its existence — we will not agree to that,” argued Finance
Minister Bezalel Smotrich. “We will continue to fight for ourselves and for the
entire free world. History will judge who today stood by the Nazis of Hamas and
ISIS.”
Some opposition politicians also blasted the court’s ruling while at the same
time criticizing the Netanyahu government for mismanaging the war and the legal
battle over it.
“Israel is the one that was brutally attacked from Gaza and had to defend itself
against a horrible terrorist organization that murdered children, raped women
and still fires rockets at innocent civilians,” said Opposition Leader Yair
Lapid.
“There is no country in the world that would not react with force to such an
attack. This verdict could and should have been prevented. A sane and
professional government would have prevented [incendiary] statements from
ministers and stopped criminals who burn aid trucks,” he declared.
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By ToI Staff
New Orleans ramming: What we know so far about ISIS-inspired attack that killed
15
By Agencies
FBI says motive of 42-year-old US Army vet Shamsud-Din Jabbar not immediately
clear, but it is investigating incident as possible act of terrorism and
believes he had accomplices
Tesla Cybertruck stuffed with fireworks explodes outside Trump Las Vegas hotel
By AP
Two Israelis among injured in New Orleans attack; Islamic State flag found on
site
By AP
Driver kills 10, injures 30 in suspected terror attack on New Year’s Day in New
Orleans
By Agencies
Archaeology
Study shows ancient Golan stone circle was not an astronomical observatory after
all
By Gavriel Fiske
Geomagnetic analysis and tectonic reconstruction leave mystery unsolved at
‘Stonehenge of the East’; dozens of unknown structures also found near
intriguing Rujm el-Hiri site
Gallant resigns from Knesset, denounces imminent bill to exempt Haredim from IDF
By Sam Sokol
Former defense minister vows to remain in Likud party, indicates he could
attempt a leadership run in the future, saying his ‘journey is not yet complete’
Live updates (closed)Jan. 1: Gallant reportedly resigned to prevent Likud from
kicking him out of the party
By ToI Staff
Survey: Public support for conscripting ultra-Orthodox has surged throughout war
By ToI Staff
Haredi MK says he opposes IDF service because Orthodox soldiers ‘leave religion’
in the army
By Sam Sokol
Op-ed: Day 453
David Horovitz
When Netanyahu’s own hitmen came gunning for him
The PM placed Itamar Ben Gvir and Yitzhak Goldknopf at the heart of his
government, and has indulged their reckless activities for two years. They
rewarded him with an act of spectacular ruthlessness, showing utter contempt for
his health
PM leaves hospital to cast decisive vote on a budget law, thwarting Ben Gvir
revolt
By Sam Sokol
Hundreds chant for ‘intifada’ at New Year’s Day protest in NYC’s Times Square
By Luke Tress
Demonstrators hold signs saying ‘Zionism is cancer,’ argue with pro-Israel
counter-protesters; sides separated by police who are on high alert following
New Orleans terror attack
Armed man arrested for plotting attack on Florida AIPAC office
By Luke Tress
FBI seizes over 150 homemade pipe bombs in Virginia man’s home
By AP
What dreams may come: Surrealistic exhibits mark start of Israel Museum’s 60th
year
By Jessica Steinberg
After international institutions shunned them amid war, the curators of ‘Lucid
Dreams’ and ‘Alma Mater’ turned inward, assembling over 180 local works
PA halts Al Jazeera West Bank broadcasts amid criticism of its terror crackdown
By Agencies and ToI Staff
Ramallah says Qatari-backed network, which lionized armed groups in northern
West Bank, is inciting and misinforming public; move described as temporary, but
no end-date given
AnalysisPalestinian Authority pursuing West Bank terrorists to impress Trump,
analysts say
By AFP and ToI Staff
Gaza population down by 6% since war began, says PA bureau, citing Hamas figures
By Reuters and ToI Staff
Israel confirms commandos raided Iran missile factory deep in Syria 4 months ago
By Emanuel Fabian
In ‘Operation Deep Layer,’ IAF special forces rappeled from helicopters, killed
guards at entrance to scientific center in Masyaf, raided underground site, set
explosives, took documents
AnalysisAs Iran’s network of proxies withers, Israel has an opening to revive
its own
By Lazar Berman
Syrians protest to demand justice and accountability for disappeared activists
By OMAR ALBAM and Sally Abou Aljoud
IDF says soldier lightly injured in West Bank ramming; assailant in serious
condition
By Emanuel Fabian
Palestinian attacker accelerated vehicle toward troops operating in Dayr Qadis,
subsequently tried to flee, but soldiers opened fire and struck him; wounded
Israeli treated at scene
Senior cop suspected of ignoring Jewish attacks in West Bank to win Ben Gvir’s
favor
By Jeremy Sharon
Shin Bet says it foiled 1,040 major terror attacks in West Bank, Jerusalem in
2024
By Emanuel Fabian
Lead prosecutor in indictment of Netanyahu retires from State Attorney’s Office
By Jeremy Sharon
Liat Ben-Ari cites ‘heavy burden’ of work and responsibility for her retirement,
says no connection to PM’s ongoing trial; previously managed prosecution of
former PM Olmert
1,000 people directly impacted by Oct. 7 sign letter urging state commission of
inquiry
By Michael Bachner and ToI Staff
Levin to convene judicial panel, again puts off vote on new Supreme Court
president
By Jeremy Sharon
Ben Gvir orders arrest of Arab Israeli McDonald’s employee who accosted soldiers
By ToI Staff
Video shows employee throwing things at two soldiers, witness says he got irate
after the soldiers started filming him; Ben Gvir says police arrested man on his
orders
Four Border Police officers charged in beating of Palestinian suspect
By ToI Staff
After septuagenarian’s death in Lebanon, IDF probe finds war discipline
increasingly lax
By Emanuel Fabian
Team of experts says fatigue has eroded standards in combat zones, makes
recommendations for reestablishing order
Report: Soldiers allege division commander recklessly endangered troops in Gaza
By ToI Staff
German woman who lives in home looted from Jews must give it up, judge rules
By Toby Axelrod
Capping a decade of legal wrangling, the ruling has exposed the complex stories
German families tell themselves about the Holocaust, and societal ambivalence
towards the victims
Articles that matter
Resilience in action: ToI’s reporters share stories from 2024’s wartime ‘new
normal’
By ToI Staff
Our writers recall their most memorable articles from a year still dominated by
the horrors of Oct. 7, 2023, but in which brighter times can be seen – however
faintly – on the horizon
Those we have lost
Tal Bartik, 48: Mom of 4 and talented volleyball player
By ToI Staff
Murdered by Hamas terrorists while fleeing the Supernova music festival on
October 7
Those we have lostBen Fishman, 21: Combat vet and Hapoel Tel Aviv superfan
By ToI Staff
Those We Have LostStaff Sgt. Yakir Levi, 21: Golani soldier was one of 10
siblings
By ToI Staff
More Headlines
End-of-2024 stats show spike in Israelis leaving, as population growth slows
By ToI Staff
Parents arrested on suspicion of murdering disabled 8-year-old son
By ToI Staff
Consumer body accuses Rami Levy supermarkets of violating bottle deposit law
By Sue Surkes
Ford apologizes for X post declaring ‘Israel is a terrorist state’
By PHILISSA CRAMER
Tel Aviv Stock Exchange to shift to Monday-Friday trading week starting 2026
By Sharon Wrobel
International bowls federation drops ban on Israelis at UK competition after
outrage
By Reuters and ToI Staff
Financial blows take effect on January 1, ushering in an expensive 2025 for
Israelis
By Sharon Wrobel and ToI Staff
IDF: Troops discover large cache of Hezbollah weapons in south Lebanon
By Emanuel Fabian and AFP
US slaps sanctions on groups in Iran, Russia for election interference
By AFP
Five US-Israeli clean tech projects chosen to receive $7.5 million in grants
By Sue Surkes
US court rejects Pentagon chief’s bid to throw out plea deal for 9/11 mastermind
By Ellen Knickmeyer
2024 sees drop in number of small business owners, but ‘shockwave’ to come next
year
By Sharon Wrobel
Top Ops
Shayna Goldberg
A national library like other national libraries – and like no other
The architecture, the design, the grounds, and the collections are world class,
but the sense of connection, shared history, and home is only in Israel
Shira Pasternak Be'eri
The extraordinary ordinary women of the Swords of Iron
An ode to the women who inspired me during the early months of darkness and
others who have joined their ranks in the long months since
Steven Brett Shaklan
Degrees of rage: The Ivy League and vigilantism
The same type of simplistic narrative that led to the murder of an insurance CEO
has been driving the rebirth of antisemitism in the US
Joshua Berman
Biblical grammar enters the culture wars
Could a new book’s deep dive into biblical grammar challenge modern ideas about
when the Torah was written?
Reda Mansour
How President Jimmy Carter made me a movie star
I was the Consul General in Atlanta when a guy with a home video camera caught
my response to Carter’s ’Peace Not Apartheid’ book
Shay Dickmann
Hanukkah miracles do not happen on their own
My cousin Carmel Gat was not saved but it is within our reach to bring the 100
of our people trapped in Gaza’s darkness out into the light
Hilary Faverman
10 years of Hanukkah doughnuts
My family has shared some 400 sufganiyot over a decade of pilgrimages to
taste-test the best ones we can find. What do you think of this year’s winners?
Andrew Silow-Carroll
David Brooks and Bob Dylan – Jews and heresy
High-profile religious journeys between ’Christian-ish’ and ’Jew-ish’ are
stirring a public debate over the limits of Jewish identity
Ron Kampeas
The blessing and burden of bearing first witness to Jewish history
A longtime JTA journalist who showed up to report on some of our darkest moments
ponders the impulse to turn away from Jewish tragedy
Ari Heistein
How the Houthis turned their weaknesses into strengths
Despite domestic unpopularity, the organization has leveraged Yemen’s misery and
its strategic location to wield outsized power
Mijal Bitton
Reclaiming Hanukkah
Step away from the commercialization of the holiday, and fight for Jewish
survival, against assimilation, and to own the Jewish story of resistance
Jennifer Moses
Let there be lights, and let there also be presents
Yes, I am allowed to have a Hanukkah wish list, and, no, it does not include a
salad spinner
Latest Articles
* 60 minutes ago
AnalysisDespite failed revolt against Netanyahu, Ben Gvir seen as unlikely to
get the boot
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What dreams may come: Surrealistic exhibits mark start of Israel Museum’s
60th year
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Day 453 – Drama in Knesset as PM leaves hospital bed for vote
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Those We Have Lost
Stories of the civilians and soldiers who have fallen since Oct. 7
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Full Coverage fall of Assad regime
* Syrians protest to demand justice and accountability for disappeared
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By OMAR ALBAM and Sally Abou Aljoud
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Full Coverage What Matters Now
* What Matters Now to comedian Yochay Sponder: Post-Oct. 7 truth — with laughs
By Amanda Borschel-Dan
* What Matters Now to Andrew Fox: Cynical use of inflated death figures from
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Full Coverage Liveblog
* Hamas police chief and his deputy said killed in IDF strike on Gaza
humanitarian zone
By Michael Bachner and ToI Staff
* Jan. 1: Gallant reportedly resigned to prevent Likud from kicking him out of
the party
By ToI Staff
* Dec. 31: 1,000 families directly impacted by Oct. 7 sign letter urging state
commission of inquiry
By ToI Staff
See All
Full Coverage Houthis
* US hits targets across Yemen as Israel seeks global coalition to confront
Houthis
By AFP and Lazar Berman
* IDF downs ballistic missile from Yemen as sirens heard across central Israel
By Emanuel Fabian, Sam Sokol and ToI Staff
* At UN, Israel warns Houthis could share fate of Hamas, Hezbollah and Assad
By Reuters and ToI Staff
See All
Those we have lost
Stories of the civilians and soldiers who have fallen in the Israel-Hamas war
*
Those we have lost
Sgt. Maj. Aharon Farash, 36: Haredi soldier and father of five
By ToI Staff
*
Those We Have Lost
Rajesh Kumar Swarnakar, 25: Nepali student ‘was family’s hope’
By ToI Staff
*
Those we have lost
Tehila Katabi, 31: Nature lover who moved to Israel’s south
By ToI Staff
*
Those We Have Lost
Zhanna Ruderman, 48: New immigrant from Belarus who loved the sea
By ToI Staff
*
Those we have lost
Command Sgt. Maj. Roman Gendel, 47: Veteran cop and devoted father
By ToI Staff
*
Those We Have Lost
Sgt. Shir Biton, 19: Volunteer medic dreamed of becoming a doctor
By ToI Staff
*
Those we have lost
Staff Sgt. Binyamin Loeb, 23: Orthodox paratrooper son of French rabbi
By ToI Staff
*
Those We Have Lost
Avshalom Haran, 66: Philanthropist, economist and ‘kibbutz pillar’
By ToI Staff
*
Those We Have Lost
Iván Illarramendi, 46, & Dafna Pamela Garcovich, 47: ID’d after a month
By Gabriel Toueg
*
Those We Have Lost
Reuven Heinik, 56: Dairy farmer wouldn’t abandon his cows
By ToI Staff
*
Those we have lost
Sgt. 1st Class Vitaly Skipakevich, 21: Commando lived with no regrets
By ToI Staff
*
Those We Have Lost
Staff Sgt. Itamar Bruchim, 20: Born leader lived fully in the moment
By ToI Staff
*
Those we have lost
Master Sgt. Tomer Dolev, 34: IDF reservist had a love of travel
By ToI Staff
*
Those we have lost
Sgt. Ariel Erez, 19: Golani soldier whose ‘eyes were always sparkling’
By ToI Staff
*
Those We Have Lost
Bar Tomer, 25: ‘Always-smiling’ Israeli-German student
By ToI Staff
*
Those We Have Lost
Staff Sgt. Alroy Ben Shitrit, 20: A fighter with ‘a captivating smile’
By ToI Staff
*
Those we have lost
Staff Sgt. Roy Bareket, 20: ‘Redhead with dimples’ slain in firefight
By ToI Staff
*
Those We Have Lost
Sgt. Osher Barzilay, 19: MDA volunteer planned to be a brain surgeon
By ToI Staff
*
Those We Have Lost
Bar Zohar, 23: Saved others at rave and ‘left us with so much pride’
By ToI Staff
*
Those We Have Lost
Saar Margolis, 37: Dad of two killed while defending Kissufim
By ToI Staff
Those we are missing
The hostages and victims whose fate is still unknown
*
Those we are missing
Taken captive: Shiri Bibas and her redheaded babies
By ToI Staff
*
Those we are missing
Taken captive: Bipin Joshi, Nepalese student who deflected grenades
By ToI Staff
*
Those we are missing
Taken captive: Daniella Gilboa, identified by the shirt she wore
By ToI Staff
*
Those we are missing
Taken captive: Gadi Moshe Mozes, expert potato farmer, ‘saba’ to all
By ToI Staff
*
Those we are missing
Taken captive: Alon Ohel, pianist’s family recorded song for him
By ToI Staff
*
Those we are missing
Taken captive: Ziv Berman, from his home in Kfar Aza’s young generation
neighborhood
By ToI Staff
*
Those we are missing
Taken captive: Informal educator Eitan Horn visiting from Kfar Saba
By ToI Staff
*
Those we are missing
Taken captive: Shlomo Mansour, as his wife of 60 years escaped
By ToI Staff
*
Those we are missing
Taken captive: Avinatan Or, planning to move in with girlfriend
By ToI Staff
*
Those we are missing
Taken captive: Ariel Cunio told brother ‘We are in a horror film’
By ToI Staff
*
Those we are missing
Taken captive: Elkana Bohbot, young son asking, ‘Where’s Daddy?’
By ToI Staff
*
Those we are missing
Taken captive: Matan Zangauker, ‘is a survivor’
By ToI Staff
*
Those we are missing
Taken captive: Thai field hand Watchara Sriaoun
By ToI Staff
*
Those we are missing
Taken captive: Ohad Ben Ami, dual Israeli-German citizen
By ToI Staff
*
Those we are missing
Taken captive: Matan Angrest, turned 21 while held hostage in Gaza
By ToI Staff
*
Those we are missing
Taken captive: Itzik Elgarat, shot in his hand by Hamas terrorists
By ToI Staff
*
Those we are missing
Taken captive: US citizen Keith Siegel, driven to Gaza in his own car
By ToI Staff
*
Those we are missing
Taken captive: David Cunio, abducted from burning house
By ToI Staff
*
Those we are missing
Taken captive: Naama Levy, Hands of Peace project alumnus
By ToI Staff
*
Those we are missing
Taken captive: Eitan Mor, guard at rave who helped save others
By ToI Staff
Tales of the Times
The quirky, improbable, infuriating and uplifting
*
Greece light-ning
Israeli and Greek music mesh in Cyprus concerts on Hanukkah
By Jessica Steinberg
*
Superman
Singer Idan Amedi, injured in Gaza, performs for bereaved kids
By Jessica Steinberg
*
Crowning achievements
Stephen Fry knighted, other British Jews honored by king
By ToI Staff and Agencies
*
Handle with care
Mohammad, Avigail most popular baby names for 2024
By ToI Staff
*
A 'Hannukah' shanda
NYT game misspells Hanukkah in Festival of Lights-themed puzzle
By PHILISSA CRAMER
*
✝ marks the spot
Child finds unique decorated cross on Jerusalem field trip
By Gavriel Fiske
*
Coming in hot
NASA probe makes closest ever pass by sun, sustaining 1,700ºF heat
By AFP
*
'Fighting the darkness'
Zelensky lights candles with rabbis to mark third wartime Hanukkah
By PHILISSA CRAMER
*
Holiday guide
As Hanukkah begins, here are 8 special activities in New York City
By Lisa Keys
*
Not so slick
Cops put squeeze on suspected looters at ancient olive oil complex
By Gavriel Fiske
*
Let there be light
Rare, intact 1,500-year-old ceramic lantern discovered in Galilee
By Gavriel Fiske
*
Bewitching
Viral ‘Wicked’ Hanukkah video shines light with message of resilience
By Zev Stub
*
On the menu
Anu museum offers virtual culinary tours with foodie Gil Hovav
By Jessica Steinberg
*
The way we were
Virtual museum recreates Jewish enclaves in Iran and Morocco
By Jessica Steinberg
*
Spoiler alert
Mossad agent on the loose as Season 3 of ‘Tehran’ finally arrives
By Jessica Steinberg
*
Peace vibes
Local ‘Woodstock’ aims to unite Israelis, Palestinians for peace
By Jessica Steinberg
*
Jewish camp
Son of cantor, 11, makes Broadway debut in musical on drag queens
By Steve North
*
Ace in the hole?
Jewish pitcher Max Fried signs record-breaking deal with NY Yankees
By jacob gurvis
*
Historic text
Adam Schiff sworn into Senate on 1490 edition of Maimonides’ legal code
By Ron Kampeas
*
Ballin' hard
Innovation delivers an array of instant matzah ball options
By Rachel Ringler
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