Israel-Hamas war: ‘I stopped counting after the ninth person was shot in front of us’
I stopped counting after the ninth person was shot in front of us on another day of protests in the West Bank.
It was clearly a tactic by the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) to send a message – to the usual suspects who regularly hurl rocks at their vehicles and security posts – that today they weren’t going to mess around.
Even as we pulled up and put our protective equipment on, I could hear the first rounds being fired.
At that stage the road was pretty empty, there were just a few youngsters getting ready for the almost daily theatre of rock throwing followed by live fire shooting.
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Israeli snipers in West Bank
The most remarkable thing to me – and I’ve reported on riots and violent protests all over the world for decades – is that everyone getting ready for this exchange of rocks and bullets knows exactly what is going to happen.
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The teenagers will set tyres on fire and use slings to throw stones, and the IDF will shoot them.
Today it was mainly in the legs – on other days it’s been in the head and the chest.
I just cannot understand why anyone thinks risking one’s life to throw a stone that mainly can’t, and certainly won’t reach the target, is a good idea.
But they do, I’ve watched them, and they have done this for generations.
I very much doubt there is a better example of the cycle of violence that has overwhelmed the Middle East for decades.
And how so often it is utterly futile, and unproductive.
My cameraman Toby Nash filmed as three youths used the burnt-out hulk of a truck for cover – and to get a better angle to hurl stones.
They go forward, a sniper shoots. The injured man is helped away from the firing line, and an ambulance screeches in to pick him up.
We then watch on as another teenager at the front takes another tyre to make more smoke to cover their movements.
A man takes cover
He skips as he crosses back, trying to outwit the snipers.
What he doesn’t know is they have another target, who had come forward from another angle.
But he didn’t get very far, he too was shot.
The ambulance crews move in.
Across the road people take cover at a petrol station, it’s where dozens come to watch all this, often with their children.
Suddenly another round is fired – this time two or three people are hit by the sniper, with the same bullet.
They weren’t even throwing stones; they were just standing watching.
Away from the violence at the check point, the streets of Ramallah echoed with echo the chants of people protesting against the actions of Israel here and in Gaza.
Two boys protesting attacks on civilians
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They’re also protesting against the countries who have given their support to Israel.
The United States and Britain are at the top of the list.
I met Palestinian activist Jamal Jomaa in the crowd. He told me this has been going on too long.
“Since 75 years we are fighting for our simple rights, like any other people in the world to have, to live in peace in our state and we didn’t find this.
“Now it’s ended up like this and it’s supported by Americans, Europeans, this is unacceptable for Palestinians,” he said.
Palestinian activist Jamal Jomaa
He continued: “You hear the people here – it’s become more clear our enemy is not just Israel, our enemy is the United States government, not people, we are appreciating every single voice that came out, especially Jewish voice for peace and all these Jewish voices standing up and saying don’t do this massacre in our names.
“These are our allies, these are the people we are allies with, not with Biden and his racist government, not with Sunak. All of them came to support genocide in Gaza. This is a shame, they should feel ashamed of themselves.”
The city centre came to a standstill. Men, women and children joined the procession as it made its way through the streets.
Many here believe Israeli soldiers will move into Gaza; all acknowledge it will lead to more violence both here in the West Bank and further afield.
A man and young boy wear matching patriotic T-shirts in the West Bank
A solution is desperately needed.
Also in the crowd is Bassam Al-Salhi, a member of the Palestinian Legislative Council.
He told me he has concerns that Israel is committing war crimes with the full support of the US, UK, France, and “all countries who came to support Israel in their war against Palestinians”.
“What we need from all of the people now is to stop this aggression against Palestinians and go through a serious process to end the occupation and implement United Nations resolutions,” he said.
The cycle of protest and violence continues. The flaming anger of Palestinians in the Arab world is burning brighter by the day.
The make-up of the crowd is always interesting – at the front there are men, in the middle there are families, and then, having decided to walk together, are groups of women.
A female protester speaks to Sky’s Stuart Ramsay
Among them was a woman who didn’t want to be named, but she agreed to speak to me about her fears.
Her anger was so passionate – and to me represented the ordinary Palestinians who aren’t involved in politics or armed resistance.
“I’ve lived all my life under occupation, now I am fearful for my children, for my co-workers,” she told me.
“I mean, this government has all the Palestinians, five million Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza, under its complete control. We are civilians, and they have the best weapons in the world to do whatever they want.”
World
Israel postpones release of more than 600 Palestinian prisoners after ‘humiliating hostage ceremonies’
The release of more than 600 Palestinian prisoners planned for Saturday has been postponed “until the release of the next hostages is secured without humiliating ceremonies”, Israel has said.
In a statement early on Sunday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu‘s office accused the Palestinian militant group Hamas of “repeated violations” as it lashed out at “disgraceful ceremonies” during the handover of Israeli captives in Gaza.
The Israeli PM’s office said: “In light of the repeated and ongoing violations by Hamas – including the disgraceful ceremonies that dishonour the dignity of our abductees and the cynical use of captives for propaganda purposes – it has been decided to postpone the release of the terrorists that was planned for yesterday until the release of the next group of abductees is secured, and without the humiliating ceremonies.”
The statement came as vehicles apparently carrying prisoners left the open gates of Ofer prison in the occupied West Bank, only to turn around and go back in.
Israeli forces at Ofer prison in the West Bank
The release of 620 Palestinian prisoners had been delayed for several hours and was meant to happen after six Israeli hostages were released on Saturday.
Five of the six captives were escorted by masked, armed militants in front of crowds – displays that the United Nations and others have criticised as cruel after previous handovers.
The final hostage was released to the Red Cross in private.
The Gaza ceasefire deal continues to hold, despite tensions rising earlier in the week when Hamas initially handed over the body of an unidentified Palestinian woman instead of Israeli mother-of-two Shiri Bibas.
The hostage-prisoner exchange earmarked for Saturday was supposed to be the last for the first phase of the ceasefire.
Israel had been expected to free hundreds of Palestinian prisoners on Saturday, including a man who has been detained for more than 40 years, and many more given life sentences.
However, as night fell across the region, they remained behind bars, with Hamas claiming their release had been delayed because some of them had been “assaulted”.
An Israeli spokesperson has denied the assaults and said the Red Cross were present at the prison.
Follow latest: Delay to prisoner release due to ‘assaults’ – Hamas
Tal Shoham was released on Saturday
Who are the freed Israeli hostages?
The first two hostages released on Saturday were Tal Shoham and Avera Mengistu.
Mr Shoham, 40, was visiting his wife’s family in Kibbutz Be’eri when Hamas militants stormed into the community during the October 7 attacks in 2023.
His wife, two young children and three other relatives were also abducted, but they were freed in an exchange in November 2023.
Abra Mengistu hugs his family in Israel after his release. Pic: IDF
Mr Mengistu, a 39-year-old Ethiopian-Israeli, had been held in Gaza since he entered the territory on his own in 2014.
Watching the moment he was freed on TV, his family broke out in song as he walked free for the first time in more than a decade.
Later on Saturday, Eliya Cohen, Omer Shem Tov and Omer Wenkert were handed over to the Red Cross in Nuseirat, central Gaza.
Omer Shem Tov, a hostage held in Gaza since October 2023, pictured as he is released. Pic: Reuters
Mr Shem Tov, 22, was taken during the October 7 attacks on the Nova music festival.
The computer programmer had shared his live location with his family, who eventually noticed he was headed towards Gaza and contact with him was lost.
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Hostage reunited with parents
Mr Cohen, 27, was also taken from the Nova festival, alongside his fiancee.
Released hostages have said that he was kept in chains and deprived of food and sunlight during his time in captivity, according to reports.
Mr Wenkert, 23, was taken from Nova. He suffers from colitis and requires special medical care, it has been reported.
Finally, Hisham al Sayed, 28, was handed over in a private ceremony.
The Bedouin-Israeli, from the village of Hura in the Negev desert, has been a captive since he crossed into Gaza in 2015.
Nael Barghouti pictured in 2011. Pic: Reuters
Who were the Palestinian prisoners due to be released?
More than 600 Palestinian prisoners had been set to be released on Saturday.
According to the prisons office, which is run by Hamas, they included 50 who had been sentenced to life imprisonment, 60 described as having “high” sentences, 47 prisoners from the “Wafa al Ahrar” 2011 prisoner exchange deal who had since been re-arrested, and 445 who were arrested after 7 October attacks.
The “Wafa al-Ahrar” deal was the 2011 prisoner exchange agreement that saw the release of captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit in exchange for 1027 Palestinian prisoners.
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Among the most high-profile Palestinians who had been set to be released was Nael Barghouti – the longest-serving prisoner, who has been inside for 43 years.
Also on the list were several journalists, many of whom covered events at al Shifa hospital, and Yousef al Mansi, a Palestinian minister in Gaza.
It had been expected that Dr Hussam Abu Safiya, the director of Kamal Adwan Hospital in Gaza, would be among those being released on Saturday.
However it later emerged that he was not on the list of those set to be freed.
Pope Francis is in a critical condition after a “prolonged respiratory crisis” that required a high-flow of oxygen and is “suffering more than yesterday”, the Vatican has said.
The 88-year-old has been in hospital for more than a week being treated for double pneumonia and chronic bronchitis.
In an update on Saturday evening, the Vatican said “the Holy Father’s condition continues to be critical”, adding that this morning he “presented with a prolonged asthmatic respiratory crisis” which required the application of high-flow oxygen.
He also had blood transfusions after tests revealed thrombocytopenia, which is associated with anemia.
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Pope Francis ‘not out of danger’
“The Holy Father continues to be vigilant and spent the day in an armchair even though he was suffering more than yesterday. At the moment the prognosis is reserved,” the Vatican’s statement said.
In an update earlier on Saturday morning – the shortest since Francis was admitted to hospital on 14 February – the Vatican said he will not lead Sunday prayers for the second week running, adding: “The Pope rested well.”
Francis is likely to prepare a written homily for someone else to read at Sunday’s Angelus.
Millions of people around the world have been concerned about the Pope’s increasingly frail health – and his condition has given rise to speculation over a possible resignation, which the Vatican has not commented on.
Doctors on Friday said he was “not out of danger” and was expected to remain at Rome’s Gemelli hospital for at least another week.
Sergio Alfieri, the chief of the pontiff’s medical team, said: “Is he out of danger? No. But if the question is ‘is he in danger of death’, the answer is ‘no’.”
Sergio Alfieri (R) said Pope Francis was a ‘fragile patient’ but was in ‘good spirits’. Pic: AP
He said Francis was affected by seasonal flu before being taken to hospital and that, “due to his challenging duties”, he had suffered fatigue.
He is also fighting a multipronged infection of bacteria and viruses in the respiratory tract.
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The doctors warned that while he did not have sepsis – where germs enter the bloodstream – there was always a risk the infection could spread in his body, and they said that was the biggest concern.
Sepsis is a complication of an infection that can lead to organ failure and death.
Pope Francis has a history of respiratory illness, having lost part of one of his lungs to pleurisy as a young man. He had an acute case of pneumonia in 2023.
One person has been killed and two police officers seriously injured in a knife attack in eastern France.
A man attacked people in Mulhouse, near the German border, at around 4pm on Saturday.
Prosecutors said a 37-year-old Algerian had been arrested and the person who died was a civilian who tried to intervene.
“Horror has just gripped our city,” mayor Michele Lutz said on Facebook.
The man shouted “Allahu Akbar” (“God is greatest”) as he attacked the police officers, prosecutors added.
President Macron told BFMTV it was “beyond doubt” it was an “Islamist terrorist act”. He said the interior minister was heading to Mulhouse and would speak later.
The attacker is said to have been at a police station – where he was due to sign a document for his detention – but refused and ran into the market where he launched the attack.
One police officer was stabbed in the neck and another in the chest, according to French media. Three other police sustained very minor injuries.
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The knifeman had reportedly been under house arrest and was on a terror watchlist.
The French attack comes a day after a stabbing by a 19-year-old Syrian refugee at Berlin’s Holocaust memorial.
A Spanish tourist was badly injured but is expected to survive.
The attacker is said to have wanted to kill Jewish people after being motivated by the conflict in the Middle East, according to prosecutors.
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