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The funeral of British-Israeli woman Lucy Dee has been held after she was killed alongside her daughters in an attack in the West Bank.

The 45-year-old died in an Israeli hospital on Monday, after she was injured in the attack on her family’s car on Friday.

Her daughters, Maia and Rina Dee, aged 20 and 15, died at the scene when they were shot at and forced off the road.

The father and husband of the family, Rabbi Leo Dee, was in another vehicle some distance away and survived the attack.

Mrs Dee’s other children, Karen and Tali, were in tears as they spoke at the funeral in Kfar Etzion – a settlement in the West Bank.

In a eulogy, Rabbi Dee said: “Lucy, you were a great companion to everyone, but for me you were my best friend – we were each others.

“We built a new life for ourselves in the promised land. You would frequently say you couldn’t imagine living anywhere else. Nor could I – even now, especially now.”

An lsrael Defense Forces spokesman tweeted a photo of the family
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Lucy Dee (left), Rina (middle) and Maia. Pic: @LtColRichard
Children of Lucy Dee mourn during her funeral at a cemetery in the West Bank settlement of Kfar Etzion, Tuesday, April 11, 2023. The British-Israeli woman died of wounds suffered in an April 7 shooting by Palestinian gunmen in the West Bank that also killed her daughters, Maia and Rina Dee. (AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo)
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Lucy Dee’s children at her funeral

He also said this week his “family of seven is now a family of four” and that he would be “haunted” by missing a call from one of his daughters during the attack.

Read more:
Why is there tension over Jerusalem holy site?

An Israeli policeman checks a damaged car at the scene of a shooting  in the Jordan Valley in the Israeli-occupied West Bank
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Lucy Dee was airlifted to hospital after the attack

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‘Our family of seven is now a family of four’

The incident happened near Hamra, about 30 miles north of Jerusalem, but the family lived in Efrat – close to Bethlehem.

Leo Dee was senior rabbi at Radlett United Synagogue in Hertfordshire from 2011-2014 and assistant rabbi in Hendon, north London, from 2008-2011.

The family moved back to Israel in 2014.

Italian tourist Alessandro Parini was also killed on the same day as the attack on the Dee family when a car drove in to people in Tel Aviv.

Map of West Bank
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Map of West Bank
Alessandro Parini,30, was killed in Tel Aviv. Pic: Facebook
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Alessandro Parini. Pic: Facebook

Friday’s attacks followed Israeli strikes on Lebanon and Gaza launched in response to rocket attacks on Thursday that it blamed on militant group Hamas.

Tensions are also high following police raids last week on Al Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem as the Muslim and Jewish festivals of Ramadan and Passover coincide.

Violence has surged in the region this year, with more than 90 Palestinians and at least 19 Israelis and foreigners killed.

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Spending review 2025: The key announcements

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Spending review 2025: The key announcements

Rachel Reeves has set out her spending review in the House of Commons.  

It outlines how much day-to-day funding government departments will get over the next three years, until 2029, which is used on things like wages.

It also covers a department’s investment (also known as capital) budget over the next four years, until the end of 2030. This money is used to pay for things like new infrastructure projects.

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The last spending review was held during the COVID-19 pandemic, and before that, in 2015.

Here’s what’s been announced:

Department winners and losers

Sky News’ data and economics editor, Ed Conway, has crunched the numbers to see which government departments have benefited after the spending review, and which have seemingly lost out.

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Ed Conway analyses the spending review

In the chart below sets out which departments are getting the biggest increase in their day-to-day budgets.

The second chart maps the biggest increases in capital spending.

Defence

Spending review

A major recipient of funds is the Ministry of Defence. Defence spending will rise from 2.3% of gross domestic product (GDP) to 2.6% by 2027. This equates to an £11bn uplift and a £600m uplift for security and intelligence agencies.

Within that there’ll be £4.5bn of investment in munitions made across the country and more than £6bn to upgrade to nuclear submarine production.

The department is one of the biggest winners of the spending review.

In total, an extra 3.8% will be spent from this year to the end of 2029, when the spending period ends.

Much of that increase will be capital spending – a rise of 7.3%, whereas day-to-day spending will only go up 0.7% in the same period.

Ms Reeves said it was because of cuts to foreign aid that such defence rises are possible.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office was among the biggest losers, with spending set to fall 8.3% in total over the next three years.

Its capital spending will drop 6.8%, with day-to-day spending down 6.9%.

NHS

Spending review

The chancellor announced an extra £29bn a year will be spent on the NHS, an annual rise of 3% on current levels.

She says she is increasing the NHS technology budget by almost 50%, and £10bn to bring the “analogue health system into the digital age”.

The department in control of the NHS, the Department of Health and Social Care, is also a “real big winner”, Ed Conway says.

Day-to-day spending will rise 2.8%, while there will be no increase in capital expenditure.

Asylum and border security

Spending review

The chancellor says border security funding will increase, with up to £280m more per year by the end of the spending review for the new Border Security Command.

She said the Home Secretary Yvette Cooper will end hotels being used to house asylum seekers by 2029.

The chancellor says funding she has announced today, including from the transformation fund, will also cut the asylum backlog, see more appeal cases heard and “return people who have no right to be here”.

This will save the taxpayer £1bn a year, she claimed.

As a result of these savings, the Home Office will have 1.4% less to spend by 2029, compared to this year.

Broken down on a day-to-day basis, it’s a 1.7% drop but a 0.7% rise in capital expenses.

Education and training

Spending review

The chancellor confirmed that free school meals will be extended to over half a million more children and said that the policy will lift 100,000 children out of poverty.

Nearly £2.3bn a year will go to fix crumbling classrooms. A further £2.4bn will be spent on rebuilding 500 schools.

Another record investment amount was announced by Ms Reeves for training and upskilling – £1.2bn a year by the end of the spending review will go to support more than a million young people into training and apprenticeships.

School-based nurseries have been given £370m. The core schools budget is rising by £3.5bn a year.

Housing

Spending review

Government funding of social and affordable housing has been allocated £39bn, over the next 10 years – which Ms Reeves called the “biggest cash injection into social housing in 50 years”.

She says she is providing an additional £10bn for financial investments, to be delivered through Homes England, to help unlock hundreds of thousands more homes.

Energy

Spending review

A commitment to nuclear power was reiterated, with £30bn allocated.

Of this, £14.2bn is being poured into the Sizewell C nuclear power station – which was announced earlier this week – on the Suffolk coastline.

Another £2.5bn will be invested in a new small modular reactor programme.

Science and technology

Spending review: science and technology

The chancellor says she wants the country’s high-tech industries in Britain to continue to lead the world in the years to come.

Research and development funding will go to a record high of £22bn a year by the end of the spending period.

Artificial Intelligence

The chancellor has backed “home-grown AI” with a £2bn investment.

She says the technology has the potential to “solve diverse and daunting challenges” and create “good jobs”.

Transport

Spending review

The chancellor announced £15bn for new rail, tram and bus networks across the West Midlands and the North. She’s also given the green light to a new rail line between Liverpool and Manchester.

She says investments in buses, train stations, metro lines and transit will be made in places including Rochdale, Merseyside, Birmingham and West Yorkshire.

In London, Ms Reeves says there will be a “four-year settlement” for the Transport for London and a “fourfold increase” in local transport grants by the end of this parliament.

As expected, the £3 bus cap has been extended to March 2027. It had been £2 up to the end of 2024.

Justice

The Ministry of Justice

To fund 14,000 new prison places, £7bn will be invested, with £700m a year going to reform the probation system.

In order to reach the goal of 13,000 more police officers in England and Wales, £2bn will be allocated.

Nations

On the nations of the UK, the chancellor announced:

• Scotland has been allocated £52bn
• Northern Ireland has been allocated £20bn
• Wales has been allocated £23bn.

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Ballymena protests: It is hard to see where the violence will end – and it could go on for weeks

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Ballymena protests: It is hard to see where the violence will end - and it could go on for weeks

The ugly, violent side of this Northern Ireland town was on full display once again last night.

Angry mobs went on a rampage through the streets of Ballymena for a second evening as riot police from across this country were drafted in to push back against an escalating ambush.

Hours of blaring sirens were punctured by the relentless sound of bricks and petrol bombs landing on police vehicles.

A person stands in front of a fire in a Ballymena street. Pic: PA
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Pic: PA

The main roads became a war zone with fires in the middle of the carriageway, cars ablaze and the crunch of broken glass at our feet as we walked the streets.

Masked and hooded young men were blasted with the water cannon as tensions boiled over in a strained, fragile community.

This has been rumbling for days and began when a vigil, held for a girl who was the victim of an alleged sex attack was, according to police, hijacked by anti-immigration mobs.

Authorities say “racist thugs” used the incident to plot their attacks on foreign people living locally.

More on Northern Ireland

A vehicle on fire near Clonavon Terrace, Ballymena. Pic: PA
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Pic: PA

One family with three children were said to have hidden in their attic on Monday night as yobs ransacked their home.

Another man told me how he had to drag his 84-year-old mum from her home of 40 years “kicking and screaming” as it was simply not safe anymore.

“I’ve never seen anything like this,” he said.

Police officers are using a water cannon to disperse protesters engaged in serious disorder. Pic: PA
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Pic: PA

On Tuesday, many displayed posters on their windows in a desperate bid to ensure their house did not become a target. Others draped union jack flags on full display.

“British residents,” one piece of paper stated.

There is a feeling among the crowds here in Ballymena that the police branding them racists has escalated this row further.

Police officers use a water cannon as the protest enters a second night. Pic: PA
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Pic: PA

In a horrifying twist, we got word in the middle of the night that another house had been firebombed.

When we arrived at the scene, it was a charred shell. The property was completely gutted.

Neighbours described how several hundred “protesters” had gathered outside before hounding the foreign occupants out. One woman was pacing up and down, crying in distress at what happened.

PSNI vehicles form a barricade at Clonavon Terrace, Ballymena. Pic: PA
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Pic: PA

Another man, who lived a few doors, down hinted that this community had “had enough” of “people moving in”. He lambasted the media and refused to engage any further.

As I drove out of Ballymena at 1.30am I witnessed other families dragging suitcases full of their belongings through the streets. They were flanked by riot police, armed with shields, who helped them to safety in a late-night escape.

Read more from Sky News:
Overnight curfew imposed in Los Angeles
Details of spending review emerge

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Aftermath of ‘racist thuggery’ in Ballymena

It is hard to see where this ends.

The talk here is that this unrest is only just beginning.

It could go on for weeks – and already there are questions about the pressure that will pile on police who will be desperate to de-escalate this mess.

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Ballymena protest: Fireworks, petrol bombs and glass bottles thrown at riot police as serious disorder deepens

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Ballymena protest: Fireworks, petrol bombs and glass bottles thrown at riot police as serious disorder deepens

Fireworks, petrol bombs and glass bottles have been thrown at riot police as unrest in Ballymena continued for a second night.

Water cannon and plastic baton rounds were used to disperse hundreds of protesters in the Co Antrim town – with officers wearing armour and carrying shields.

Several blazes were reported in the worst-affected areas, with cars set alight and house windows smashed. Police sirens continued to blare throughout the town past midnight.

A protester throws a bin into a fire burning in the street. Pic: PA
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Pic: PA

A person stands in front of a fire in a Ballymena street. Pic: PA
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Pic: PA

Clothes belonging to at least one protester caught fire during the disorder.

Some properties displayed signs about the nationality of the residents inside – including one saying “British household”.

Sky correspondent Connor Gillies, who is in Ballymena, says some families have had to barricade themselves into the attics of their homes as the clashes worsen.

“The talk here in this town is that it could go on for weeks yet,” he added.

More on Northern Ireland

The violent disorder started on Monday, following a peaceful protest supporting the family of a girl who was allegedly sexually assaulted in the area over the weekend.

Police officers use a water cannon as the protest enters a second night. Pic: PA
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Pic: PA

People watch as a vehicle burns during the protest in Ballymena. Pic: PA
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Pic: PA

Two 14-year-old boys were charged with attempted rape and were remanded in custody when they appeared at Coleraine Magistrates’ Court on Monday. The charges were read to them by a Romanian interpreter.

The Police Service of Northern Ireland said on Tuesday that it had made a third arrest in connection with the alleged rape, and is continuing to urge anyone with information to come forward.

The 28-year-old man has since been unconditionally released from custody following questioning.

PSNI Assistant Chief Constable Ryan Henderson described the scenes in Ballymena as “racist thuggery” and said the force was “actively working to identify those responsible” for the “racially motivated disorder”.

Mr Henderson said people from ethnic minorities have “felt fear” – and there will be a significant policing operation in the town in the coming days to reassure the community.

At least 15 police officers were injured on Monday.

The protest has entered its second night, with fires burning on the streets of Ballymena. Pic: PA
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Pic: PA

PSNI vehicles form a barricade at Clonavon Terrace, Ballymena. Pic: PA
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Pic: PA

A 29-year-old man was arrested during the unrest on Monday night and charged with riotous and disorderly behaviour, attempted criminal damage and resisting police.

Mr Henderson said other arrests are expected following the examination of video footage.

Local MP Jim Allister said tensions over immigration had been building for some time.

Mr Henderson said there was no intelligence suggesting the disorder was orchestrated, but added that some at the protest were “clearly intent on violence” and had prepared petrol bombs and masonry to use as missiles.

Read more from Sky News:
Reeves to invest ‘billions’ at spending review
UK sanctions Israeli minister in ‘major step’

Smoke is billowing into the sky during the protest. Pic: PA
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Pic: PA

Police officers are using a water cannon to disperse protesters engaged in serious disorder. Pic: PA
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Pic: PA

A vehicle on fire near Clonavon Terrace, Ballymena. Pic: PA
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Pic: PA

Downing Street said there was “no justification” for the violence.

Sir Keir Starmer’s spokesman said: “The disorder we saw in Ballymena is very concerning.”

He added: “Obviously, the reports of sexual assault in the area are extremely distressing, but there is no justification for attacks on police officers while they continue to protect local communities.

“PSNI and the justice system must be allowed to carry out their jobs and our thoughts are with the victims of the assault as well as the police officers who were injured.”

Hilary Benn, secretary of state for Northern Ireland, said on X that the “terrible scenes of civil disorder” seen on Monday and Tuesday night “have no place in Northern Ireland”.

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