Ceasefire ‘victory’ looks bleak as Hezbollah bodies exhumed from makeshift mass graves
In scrubland on the outskirts of Tyre, southern Lebanon, they started digging out the bodies – 186 of them.
One family of women, mothers and daughters all dressed in black, fell on the coffin of their brother, their son, stroking it, sweeping the dust off, wailing.
His name was Hussein Fakih and he was a Hezbollah militant.
This was not an ordinary graveyard.
Pic: Michael Greenfield/Sky
A makeshift mass grave, the corpses were mainly those of Hezbollah fighters. A temporary solution while the war was at its raging peak.
Get them in the ground quick. Bury them later.
Framed against a bright blue sky, a yellow digger scraped the topsoil off. People wore masks to protect against the overpowering stench.
Others went to the exposed coffins, wiping the dirt off the nameplates to see who the coffins contained.
Pic: Michael Greenfield/Sky
We spoke to one 15-year-old boy, waiting for them to find his father Moeen Ezzedine, a senior Hezbollah commander who had been in charge of its forces in Tyre, Lebanon’s second city.
He was killed in an airstrike in early November.
“As martyr Ezzedine says, martyrdom is sweeter to us than honey: that’s how much we love martyrdom,” Mohammad said of his father.
“I am so proud of him and will stay on his path because he was martyred for the Palestinian cause.
“Hopefully I am on his path and hopefully I will meet him.”
Pic: Michael Greenfield/Sky
There is no shortage of sons willing to take their fathers’ place, even if it means joining them in the ground.
A cry went up when they found Ezzedine. His sister collapsed, crying “Oh God, oh God.”
Blood and rotted matter seeped from a corner of the coffin as they turned it.
Mohammad helped carry the coffin into the ambulance and stood there watching, silent, as the doors closed.
Pic: Michael Greenfield/Sky
Hezbollah’s stated aim is to destroy Israel and it is designated as a terrorist organisation by the US, UK, Israel and other governments.
The group fired missiles into Israel on 8 October 2023 in support of Gaza, sparking the most recent round of violence between the two sworn enemies.
This exhumation is only possible because of the ceasefire agreed by Israel and Hezbollah. And as the diggers went about their work, UN troops drove past.
They were moving south, to take up the positions formerly held by these Hezbollah fighters, as part of the ceasefire agreement.
Read more:
Defiance or defeat? Thousands visit killed Hezbollah leader’s shrine
Hezbollah flags still fly as fragile peace deal holds
That agreement means people have been able to return to Tyre, an ancient city – and they have found fresh ruins.
Block after block has been levelled – the Israeli air force was hitting right up until the truce came into force at 4am on Wednesday.
Imad Hijazi thought his mobile phone repair shop had survived more than a year of war. But he came back to find it a wreck.
“This shop, the last day before they stopped firing, the last day, it’s damaged,” he said. “An hour before [the ceasefire].”
“I’m feeling bad, very, very bad. I’ve worked here for almost 15 years. I don’t know what to do now.”
Pic: Michael Greenfield/Sky
It will probably take years for this city to recover fully.
At the grave site, people kept telling us that death – “martyrdom” as they put it – was victory.
Victory looks bleak.
The man at the centre of negotiations over a Gaza ceasefire has told Sky News Donald Trump wants a deal done before he takes power in January.
Speaking exclusively to Sky’s The World with Yalda Hakim, the prime minister of Qatar expressed cautious optimism but said it required “maximum pressure” on all parties to end the fighting.
Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim al Thani said Mr Trump’s advisers and the incoming administration have said they want the situation resolved by his 20 January inauguration.
“We are trying to coordinate with them our efforts, and all of us, we agree, and we are hoping to get over this situation before the president comes to the office,” he said.
The prime minister said the Trump team “want this to be resolved now – today even”.
Mr al Thani also defended Hamas being allowed to continue operating its political office from Doha, Qatar’s capital.
He stressed it was set up “with full transparency and coordination, and at the request of the US and Israel at that time to have this as to be used as a negotiation platform”.
He said multiple ceasefires had been brokered through the office since 2014.
“There are tons of situations where we have prevented an escalation from the beginning in order not to put ourselves in a situation like what we ended up with on 7 October,” he said.
The prime minister added: “There will be always be criticism, a lot of parties who will not like this kind of policy, yes, but it’s needed.”
A man and child on the site of an Israeli strike in Deir Al-Balah, Gaza, on 4 December. Pic Reuters
A building hit by an Israeli strike in Nuseirat refugee camp, Gaza, on 28 November. Pic: Reuters
Negotiations over a Gaza ceasefire have so far proved unsuccessful, with more than 44,500 Palestinians killed in the war, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
Israel has vowed to wipe out Hamas after the group killed about 1,200 people and took more than 200 hostages in its October 2023 terror attack.
About 100 hostages are still inside Gaza – but at least a third are believed to be dead.
On Monday, Donald Trump said there would be “hell to pay” if the hostages were not released before he re-enters the White House.
“Those responsible will be hit harder than anybody has been hit in the long and storied History of the United States of America,” he wrote on his Truth Social site.
Speaking about what Mr Trump’s re-election means for the Middle East – including relations with Iran – the Qatari prime minister said there were “a lot of risks” but “plenty of opportunities”.
“I hope that everyone sees these opportunities,” he added.
Read more:
Qatar gets gift of state visit but questions remain over rights
Qatar threatens to suspend mediation rule in Gaza talks
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King hosts Qatari ruler at state banquet
Qatar’s emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al Thani, is currently in the UK for a state visit and a lavish banquet was held in his honour at Buckingham Palace on Tuesday.
The Gulf state’s prime minister told Sky News the trip was a “celebration” of long-standing links between Britain and Qatar – and that it was especially welcome as loyalty was “in short supply in the world”.
He also addressed criticism of Qatar’s human rights record, with some urging Sir Keir Starmer to raise the issue during the visit.
Campaigners have frequently accused it of abuses against migrant workers, curtailing freedom of expression, and discrimination against women and LGBTQ people.
Mr al Thani said the wealthy Gulf state was doing its best to address issues.
“It’s unfortunate sometimes when we see all this criticism in human rights or so-called human rights records in Qatar,” he said.
“We are not saying that we are a perfect nation or a perfect country, but we are a country that when we see there is something wrong, we acknowledge the facts that these are wrong things, and we are trying to do our best according to our systems and our customs, to modify it and to reform it.”
Police in New York are hunting a gunman who shot dead a healthcare executive outside a hotel in what was a “brazen targeted attack”.
Brian Thompson, who had been the chief executive of UnitedHealthcare since April 2021, was killed outside the Hilton Hotel in midtown Manhattan.
The gunman, who was wearing a face mask, was lying in wait for about five minutes before he approached the 50-year-old victim from behind.
Mr Thompson had been in his role for three years. Pic: UnitedHealthcare/AP
He opened fire several times, shooting him in the back and leg. He then walks towards Mr Thompson and continues to shoot.
Police said the weapon jammed during the attack, which happened at around 6.45am local time on Wednesday. But the shooter cleared the jam and started firing again.
The suspect then fled on foot before getting on a GPS-tracked e-bike and was last seen in Central Park.
Mr Thompson, who lived in Minnesota, was taken to a nearby hospital but could not be saved.
Police are still searching for the suspect and are offering a $10,000 (£7,866) reward for information. Officers also said they did not yet have a motive for the shooting.
Photos taken from CCTV footage shows a man wearing a grey backpack riding a bicycle, and another photo of the individual appearing to be pointing a gun.
An image of the individual sought in connection to the investigation of the shooting of Brian Thompson. Pic: NYPD/Reuters
Pic: NYPD/Reuters
The suspect was described as a light-skinned male, wearing a light brown or cream coloured jacket, a black face mask, black and white trainers and distinctive grey rucksack.
Police said there was another person standing next to Mr Thompson when he was attacked outside the hotel, and are in the process of identifying them.
New York City’s police commissioner Jessica Tisch said the shooting was a “brazen, targeted attack”.
“This does not appear to be a random act of violence. Every indication is that this was a premeditated, pre-planned, targeted attack,” she said.
Who was Brian Thompson?
Brian Thompson was the boss of UnitedHealth’s insurance division.
He had been at the company, in various roles, for 20 years and had served in his current job since 2021.
Mr Thompson worked under group chief executive Sir Andrew Witty, the experienced British executive best known in the UK for his tenure in charge at pharmaceutical firm GlaxoSmithKline in the early 2000s.
UnitedHealthcare is the largest provider of Medicare health insurance plans in the United States – policies that holders generally find cause to complain about industry-wide.
Medicare plans cover people aged 65 or older and younger people with disabilities.
America’s healthcare insurance costs rank as the most expensive in the world.
The firm also manages health insurance for companies.
Mr Thompson’s wife, Paulette Thompson, said that he had been receiving threats.
“There had been some threats,” she said in a phone call to Sky’s US partner network, NBC News. “Basically, I don’t know, a lack of coverage? I don’t know details. I just know that he said there were some people that had been threatening him.”
“I can’t really give a thoughtful response right now. I just found this out and I’m trying to console my children,” she added.
Pic: Reuters
Police officers stand near the scene where the chief executive of UnitedHealthcare Brian Thompson was shot and killed in Midtown Manhattan. Pic: Reuters
The attack happened as the company was scheduled to have its annual meeting with investors on Wednesday morning in the Hilton. Mr Thompson had arrived in New York on Monday to attend the meeting and was staying in a hotel opposite the Hilton.
It is understood Mr Thompson was in charge of organising the conference and was due to speak at the meeting.
Bullets lie on the footpath of the scene outside the Hilton Hotel in midtown Manhattan. Pic: AP
A member of the NYPD Crime Scene Unit takes a picture of a shell casing found at the scene. Pic: Reuters
“We’re dealing with a very serious medical situation with one of our team members, and as a result, I’m afraid we’re going to have to bring to a close the event today,” UnitedHealth’s chief executive Sir Andrew Witty said.
The suspect was described as using a firearm with a silencer, CNBC reported, citing a person familiar with the incident.
UnitedHealthcare is the insurance arm of the healthcare giant UnitedHealth Group.
The scene after Brian Thompson was fatally shot in New York. Pic: AP
Pic: Reuters
Members of the NYPD Crime Scene Unit work near evidence markers placed where shell casings were found. Pic Reuters
In a statement, it said: “Brian was a highly respected colleague and friend to all who worked with him. We are working closely with the New York Police Department and ask for your patience and understanding during this difficult time.
“Our hearts go out to Brian’s family and all who were close to him.”
There have been no arrests, and the investigation is active and ongoing.
The scene of the shooting is a short walk from tourist sites such as the Museum of Modern Art and Rockefeller Centre. The popular Rockefeller Centre Christmas tree lighting is set to take place Wednesday evening.
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