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Evgeniia Kozlova was at home in St Petersburg last weekend when she got the call from her Israeli liaison officers.

“They asked, ‘how are things, how are you feeling? Are you alone there? Are you sitting down?’

“I dropped the phone to one side, and it fell under the table.”

Israel-Hamas war latest: IDF strikes back after Hezbollah fires 160 rockets

Her son, Andrey, had been living in Israel and working as a security guard at the Nova music festival when he was kidnapped by Hamas on October 7th.

After eight months of hoping he was still alive but hearing nothing about his condition or whereabouts, Evgeniia feared the worst.

Yevgenia Kozlov, who's son Andrey was taken hostage by Hamas

“Suddenly I heard from under the table ‘it’s good news, good news!’ and so I crawled under the table.

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“Did you say good news?

“‘Yes, they are bringing Andrey over by helicopter, he’s almost in Israel now!’

“They said it three times, and I still couldn’t comprehend. Who is bringing whom over, and where?

“They said it over and over until I got it. From that moment on I haven’t stopped smiling, I haven’t stopped laughing!”

Mikhail Kozlov, divorced from his wife but on good terms, packed instantly and ran over to join her. They flew to Israel the following day.

An emotional video of them being reunited with the son in an Israeli hospital showed Andrey breaking down and hugging his mother’s legs.

Read more: The hostages rescued by Israel

“During the eight months we’ve been waiting for him we feared he would be changed a lot, that he would be a different man and we would have to help him rehabilitate, help him recover,” Evgeniia said.

Footage released by Israeli counterterrorism police showed the moment they were rescued amid heavy explosions and gunfire.

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Video of hostage rescue

As well as Andrey, three other hostages were rescued: Noa Argamani, Almog Meir Jan and Shlomi Ziv.

Ziv, Jan and Kozlov were held together. Kozlov doesn’t speak fluent Hebrew or English and so it was hard for him to communicate with the other two, but they supported each other through their captivity and remain close.

“One of the phrases that really scared or hurt us, was when he said, ‘there are some things I will never tell you about,’ as for everything else, yes, he tells us, but it’s as if he’s playing storyteller, as if to entertain us,” Evgeniia added.

“Even the fact that his hands and feet were tied for two months – his hands and feet were tied – he tells it as if it were a joke.

Yevgenia and Mikhail Kozlov, who's son Andrey was taken hostage by Hamas on 7 October

“At first, their hands were tied behind their backs, and he told us how proud he was that he managed to eat with his hands tied, unaided.

“Andrey said that they are kept in very difficult conditions. His guards told him ‘your conditions are good compared to the rest, they are kept in much worse conditions’.

“The main thought he carried out of there was that all those remaining there must be freed. For a living, normal person it is unbearable to stay there for such a long time, eight months.

“These are impossible conditions. Impossible.”

Hamas claims at least 274 Gazans were killed during the raid and hundreds injured. Mobile phone footage shows scores of dead and wounded in the crowded Nuseriat market area.

Israel says the death toll was below a hundred and blames Hamas for holding the hostages in a busy civilian area, but the United Nations has suggested both sides could be guilty of war crimes.

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From Sunday: Hundreds killed as hostages rescued

Diplomatic efforts to secure a new ceasefire and hostage deal are progressing unsteadily, despite the presence of US secretary of state Antony Blinken in the region again.

Hamas formally responded to President Biden’s proposal on Tuesday night but reportedly want amendments that might not be acceptable to Israel.

Both sides continue to differ over when a permanent ceasefire should come into force: Hamas insists on it being agreed before any deal is implemented, whilst Israel is sticking firm on its commitment to keep fighting.

Read more from Sky News:
Israel hit school while ‘targeting Hamas’

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Tensions have also risen to new levels on Israel’s northern border with Lebanon. More than 160 rockets were fired into Israel on Wednesday morning after Israel killed a Hezbollah commander on Tuesday, the most senior killed during the war so far.

No casualties were reported, although small fires broke out where some of the rockets landed.

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Dublin Airport terminal evacuated as ‘safety precaution’

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Dublin Airport terminal evacuated as 'safety precaution'

Passengers have been evacuated from Dublin Airport’s Terminal 2 as a “precautionary measure”. 

Flights could be “temporarily impacted”, the airport said in a statement.

It did not give any details about the reason for the evacuation but said “the safety and security of our passengers and staff is our absolute priority”.

At this stage there is no suggestion the evacuation is linked to the cyber attack that has caused disruption at several European airports.

“We advise passengers to check with their airline for the latest updates,” the airport added, saying further information would be provided as soon as it is available.

This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly.

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At least 70 killed in Sudan after paramilitary attack on mosque

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At least 70 killed in Sudan after paramilitary attack on mosque

At least 70 people have been killed after a paramilitary drone attack on a mosque in Sudan.

The Sudanese army and aid workers said the paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces (RSF) carried out the attack during Friday prayers in the North Darfur region.

The attack took place in the besieged city of Al Fasher and was said to have completely destroyed the mosque.

With bodies still buried under the rubble, the number of deaths is likely to rise, a worker with the local aid group Emergency Response Rooms said.

The worker spoke anonymously, fearing retaliation from the RSF.

Further details of the attack were difficult to ascertain because it took place in an area where many international and charitable organisations have already pulled out because of the violence.

In a statement, Sudan’s army said it was mourning the victims of the attack.

It said: “Targeting civilians unjustly is the motto of this rebel militia, and it continues to do so in full view of the entire world.”

Sky News Africa correspondent Yousra Elbagir reported earlier this month on the situation in North Darfur, where people are facing torture, rape and forced starvation.

The Sudan war started in April 2023, when long-simmering tensions between the Sudanese army and the RSF broke out in Khartoum.

The US special envoy to Sudan estimates that 150,000 people have been killed, but the exact figure is unknown. Close to 12 million people have been displaced.

Several mediation attempts have failed to secure a humanitarian access mechanism or any lulls in fighting.

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The Resistance Committees in El Fasher, a group of local activists who track abuses, posted a video on Friday claiming to show parts of the mosque reduced to rubble with several scattered bodies.

The Darfur Victims Support Organisation, which monitors abuses against civilians, said the attack happened at a mosque on the Daraga al Oula street at around 5am local time, citing witnesses.

The attack is the latest in a series of heavy clashes in the past week of between the two sides in Al Fasher.

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Less camp, more conservative – welcome to Russia’s alternative Eurovision

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Less camp, more conservative - welcome to Russia's alternative Eurovision

Banned from Eurovision after its invasion of Ukraine, Russia will hold a rival international song contest on Saturday, with an emphasis on “traditional values”.

Instead of camp, think conservative – patriotic pop with a PG-rating.

“Intervision” was launched under the order of Vladimir Putin, with the hope it would serve as an expression of Moscow’s international pulling power.

Intervision decorations in  Red Square, Moscow, ahead of the contest
Image:
Intervision decorations in Red Square, Moscow, ahead of the contest

There are contestants from 23 countries, which are a mixture of Russia’s allies old and new, including Belarus, Cuba and Tajikistan as well as China, India and Saudi Arabia.

The odd one out is the United States, who’ll be represented by an artist called “Vassy”. She’s not part of an official delegation, but an American voice is still a coup for the Kremlin, which will seek to use this contest as proof of the West’s failure to isolate Russia on the global stage.

‘War whitewash’

Intervision is not entirely new. It was originally launched in the 1960s as an instrument of Soviet soft power, before largely fading from view in the 1980s.

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According to Moscow, its revival has nothing to do with politics. But Ukraine has condemned it as propaganda, and an attempt to whitewash Russia’s war.

It was a point I put to some contestants after their final press conferences, but it didn’t go down well.

“We don’t think like that, we are here to spread peace,” India’s Rauhan Malik told me, when I asked if his participation was a show of support for Russia’s invasion.

Malik, one of the contestants
Image:
Malik, one of the contestants

“Are you not turning a blind eye to Russia’s aggression?” I countered.

“I have no idea about it,” he said. “I have no idea about the current situation that’s happening. I don’t want to speak about that as well.”

Eurovision legends Abba would almost certainly not make the Russian contest guest list. Pic: AP
Image:
Eurovision legends Abba would almost certainly not make the Russian contest guest list. Pic: AP

Really? He had no idea? But before I could go on, I felt a forceful hand on my shoulder and a minder stepped in.

The intervention was even quicker when it came to speaking to Brazil’s act. As soon as I mentioned the word Ukraine, I was drowned out by shouts of “no, no, no, no” and the duo were ushered away.

Brazilian contestants, duo Luciano Calazans and Thais Nader
Image:
Brazilian contestants, duo Luciano Calazans and Thais Nader

Where’s the glitter?

Intervision is not just a reaction to Russia’s recent exclusion from Eurosivion, however, it’s also a reaction to the contest’s values and what it’s come to represent.

Its celebration of sexual diversity and LGBTQ+ rights are seen as a symbol of what the Kremlin calls the West’s moral decline. In contrast, Intervision organisers say their contest will promote “traditional, family values.”

Judging by the costumes on show ahead of last week’s draw, that translates to less glitter, more embroidery, with a thematic emphasis on national heritage.

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So what do Russians think of Intervision’s resurrection? Can it replace Eurovision?

“We don’t miss Eurovision,” Galina and Tatiana say, underneath a collection of purple and pink ‘Intervision’ flags near Red Square.

“It was so horrible, especially lately. We didn’t like watching it at all.”

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Why are countries boycotting Eurovision?

Polina agrees, believing Russia’s version will be “more interesting”.

“Many countries that participated in Eurovision want to boycott it, so it’s interesting to see a more peaceful event now,” she says.

Igor is more circumspect. “I’d like to believe that this isn’t a political event,” he says, “but rather an event that unites nations and people.”

Intervision will succeed in uniting some nations. But at the same time, it may only deepen divisions with others – further evidence that Russia and the West are singing very different tunes.

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