Dhaka – Kudos, a popular fast-food chain in Dhaka, has sparked a local awareness campaign by displaying the Palestinian flag on its coffee cups as a gesture of solidarity. The move comes in response to major US food brands and chains expressing support for the Israeli military following its recent offensive against Palestinian civilians in Gaza.
With 18 branches in the Bangladeshi capital, Kudos changed its logo colors to black, white, green, and red on November 1. It also started printing the pre-1947 map of Palestine on its cups, which now read “In Solidarity With Palestine.” The initiative aims to counteract the indirect promotion of Israeli aggression by certain fast-food brands through their packaging.
Hisham bin Mohammad Mustafa, head of business at Kudos, explained the motivation behind the campaign, stating, “It’s not a matter of business. We just wanted to do something.” The initiative has resonated with the local community, drawing individuals like Natasha Ahmed from the upscale Bashundhara area to visit the cafe. For Ahmed, the campaign serves as a reminder not to ignore the ongoing Israeli attacks on Gaza, which have claimed the lives of over 14,800 Palestinians, predominantly women and children, in the past five weeks.
She praised Kudos for its bold and precise approach, stating, “Every time I hold their coffee cup and look at the lines on the wrapper, it reminds me of the faces of innocent Palestinian children who lost their lives in the last one and a half months.”
Similarly, Mohammad Jamil, a recent graduate from the Badda area, sees the campaign as a powerful symbol that he hopes will inspire others. He believes it helps keep the plight of the Palestinian people in the forefront of people’s minds, saying, “The initiative might be a small one, but I believe it may inspire many others to do the same in their own way.”
Kudos staff members also express their pride and support for the campaign. Syed Jayedul Huq, the cafe’s head, stated, “As a Muslim and a member of the Kudos family, I feel very proud to be a part of this initiative.” The sense of solidarity extends beyond religious lines, as exemplified by Limon Halder, a Kudos waiter from the Hindu community. Halder emphasized that standing against oppression is a moral obligation, regardless of one’s background, and expressed hope that more businesses in the country would follow suit.
The solidarity campaign launched by Kudos in Dhaka demonstrates the power of corporate initiatives in raising awareness and promoting solidarity with the Palestinian cause. By taking a stand against oppression, the fast-food chain has inspired both its employees and customers, fostering a sense of unity and empathy in the local community.
Riyadh – British Foreign Secretary David Cameron expressed deep concern on Friday over the high casualty figures resulting from Israel’s ongoing conflict with Hamas in Gaza. In a meeting with Israeli leaders, Cameron emphasized the need for respect of international humanitarian law and called for a reduction in civilian casualties. He urged Israel to take necessary measures to ensure the safety and security of the Palestinian people.
During his visit to the region, Cameron condemned the actions of Israeli settlers in the West Bank, stating that targeting and killing Palestinian civilians is completely unacceptable. He stressed the importance of holding those responsible accountable for their actions and called for the arrest, prosecution, and imprisonment of individuals involved in such crimes.
Cameron underscored the interdependence of Palestinian and Israeli security, stating that long-term safety and stability for Israel can only be achieved if the Palestinian people are afforded the same. He called on Israel to act in a manner that upholds its long-term security interests, which necessitates the establishment of peace, stability, and security for Palestinians in the region.
The recent escalation of violence has led to a significant loss of life and heightened tensions. Palestinian health authorities reported that over 14,000 Gazans, mostly civilians, have been killed since the conflict began. In the West Bank, where more than 3 million Palestinians reside alongside 700,000 Jewish settlers, 229 people have been killed by the Israeli army since the attack on Gaza by Hamas on October 7. The violence has also resulted in the hostage-taking of 240 individuals.
Israel’s settlement expansion in the West Bank was highlighted as a major obstacle to peace and security in the region. Cameron urged Israel to halt the expansion and take steps to facilitate the delivery of aid to Gaza. He emphasized the significance of finding a long-term, durable solution that addresses the security concerns of both Israelis and Palestinians.
Following his discussions with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Isaac Herzog, an agreement was reached between the warring sides. The agreement, which went into effect on Friday, includes a temporary pause in fighting to facilitate hostage exchanges and the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza. Thirteen Israelis, along with individuals of other nationalities, were released, while 39 Palestinian women and children were freed from Israeli jails.
On Friday, the Rafah crossing witnessed the entry of nearly 200 trucks carrying essential humanitarian supplies, including water and medical aid. This marked the largest shipment of aid since the start of the current hostilities.
As the conflict continues to unfold, international pressure mounts for a lasting ceasefire to prevent further civilian casualties. The British Foreign Secretary’s visit aimed to engage in a continuous dialogue with Israeli leaders, emphasizing the importance of adherence to humanitarian law and the protection of civilian lives in the region.
Cairo (Reuters) – Gulf Air said its data was breached on Friday but its operations and vital systems were not affected, Bahrain’s news agency BNA reported on Saturday.
The agency quoted the company as saying that “as a result of this illegal breach some information from the company’s email system and customers’ database could be compromised” and it added emergency plans were deployed to contain the breach.
Cairo (Reuters) – The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) said on Saturday that one of its patrols was hit by Israeli gunfire in the vicinity of Aytaroun of southern Lebanon, although there were no casualties.
UNIFIL condemned the attack on its peacekeepers, calling it “deeply troubling”.
“We strongly remind the parties of their obligations to protect peacekeepers and avoid putting the men and women who are working to restore stability at risk,” it said in a statement.
Gaza/Jerusalem (Reuters) – Hamas was expected to release a second group of Israelis on Saturday under a deal to allow an exchange of 50 hostages for Palestinian prisoners, and Egypt indicated the four-day truce could be extended by one or two days.
An Israeli military spokesman told French TV BFM that, barring last minute changes, 13 Israeli hostages were expected to be freed Saturday, while 39 Palestinian prisoners would be released in return.
Earlier, Egyptian security sources had said they had received the names of 14 Israeli women and children from Hamas and were waiting for more details.
Egypt, which controls the Rafah border crossing through which vital aid has resumed passing into the Gaza Strip under the truce accord, also said it had received “positive signals” from all parties over a possible extension of that deal.
Diaa Rashwan, the head of Egypt’s State Information Service (SIS), said in a statement Cairo was holding extensive talks with all parties to reach an agreement which would mean “the release of more detainees in Gaza and Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.”
Under the existing deal, a total of 50 hostages are to be exchanged for 150 Palestinian prisoners, some of them convicted on weapon charges and violent offences, over four days. The first exchange took place on Friday.
Among the Israelis freed on Friday after almost 50 days in captivity in Gaza was nine-year-old Ohad Munder, who ran down a hospital corridor in Israel into his father’s open arms, footage released by the hospital showed.
He and three other children released at the same time were in relatively good condition, Gilat Livni, the centre’s Director of Paediatrics told reporters.
“I dreamt we came home,” another hostage, four-year-old Raz Asher, said sitting in her father’s arms on a hospital bed after she and her mother and younger sister were freed. “Now the dream came true,” her father, Yoni, replied.
Hamas fighters freed a total of 24 hostages on Friday – 13 Israelis, 10 Thai farm workers and a Filipino – and Israel later released 39 Palestinian women and teenagers from detention.
Aid Trucks
Both sides have said hostilities would resume as soon as the truce ends, though U.S. President Joe Biden said there was a real chance of extending the truce.
Israel has vowed to destroy Hamas after its fighters killed 1,200 people and took about 240 hostages after they broke through security barriers around the Gaza Strip and rampaged through Israeli communities around the blockaded enclave.
Since then, Israel has rained bombs on Gaza, killing about 14,000 people, roughly 40% of them children, Palestinian health authorities say.
For many of the 2.3 million people who live in the tiny Gaza Strip, the pause in the near-constant air and artillery strikes has offered a first chance to safely move around, take stock of the devastation, and seek access to aid imports.
“We hope the truce will continue and be permanent, not just four or five days. People cannot pay the cost of this war,” said Ayman Nofal, in a street market in Khan Younis, in southern Gaza.
[1/9]Aviv Asher, 2,5-year-old, her sister Raz Asher, 4,5-year-old, and mother Doron, react as they meet with Yoni, Raz and Aviv’s father and Doron’s husband, after they returned to Israel to the designated complex at the Schneider Children’s Medical Center, during a temporary truce between Hamas and… Acquire Licensing Rights Read more
Fifty trucks carrying food, water, shelter equipment, and medical supplies, have been deployed to the northern Gaza Strip and to shelters in non-evacuated areas of the Palestinian enclave, Israel said.
This was the first time since the start of the war that a significant amount of aid was deployed to northern Gaza, according to the Israeli Defence Ministry agency that coordinates with the Palestinians.
‘Breathe Little’
A U.N. convoy delivered aid to two shelters for displaced people in northern Gaza for the first time in over a month, the U.N. humanitarian office said.
“We are happy with the truce, it gave the people the opportunity to breathe a little bit,” Palestinian resident Haitham Ahmed said.
Four fuel trucks and four more carrying cooking gas passed through the Rafah crossing into Gaza early on Saturday. Palestinians, suffering acute fuel shortages due to Israel’s blockade of the enclave, stood in long queues to fill their gas cylinders.
But Mohammed Ghandour who waited five hours to fill his cylindrical metal canister, left empty-handed. “I’m now going home without gas,” he said.
Aid groups have also used the temporary truce to evacuate patients and health workers from some northern hospitals that have all but collapsed due to attacks and lack of fuel.
‘Still Afraid’
Thailand welcomed the release of 10 of its nationals from Gaza on Friday under a separate track mediated by Egypt and Qatar, and said a further 20 were still behind held. Iran said it helped facilitate that release.
Among those freed was Thai farm worker Vetoon Phoome, whose family thought he had been killed in the Hamas attack seven weeks ago, according to his sister, Roongarun Wichagern.
In Palestinian homes, the joy of being reunited with loved ones was tinged with bitterness. In at least three cases, prior to the prisoners’ release, Israeli police raided their families’ homes in Jerusalem, witnesses said. Police declined to comment.
“There is no real joy, even this little joy we feel as we wait,” said Sawsan Bkeer, the mother of 24-year-old Palestinian Marah Bkeer, jailed for eight years on knife and assault charges in 2015.
Israeli police were seen raiding her Jerusalem home before her daughter’s release.
“We are still afraid to feel happy,” she added.
In Khan Younis, Tahani al-Najjar, a Palestinian woman returning to home to find it in ruins, said a pause in the fighting was not enough.
“Tell me what we got out of this truce?,” she asked. “What we got out of this truce? You only made our hearts hurt. Do you want to find a solution for us? You should make a permanent truce for us.”
Bangkok (Reuters) – Iran facilitated Friday’s release of 10 Thai hostages from Gaza, providing a list of names to Palestinian group Hamas after a request to do so by Thailand’s Foreign Ministry and parliamentary speaker, Iran’s embassy in Thailand said on social media on Saturday.
“This request was accepted by Hamas and 10 Thai hostages were released after the ceasefire,” it said.
A Thai foreign ministry spokesperson told Reuters that: “we have provided lists since the beginning to everyone,” including Qatar, Egypt, Israel and Iran.
“Different actors would have different influence on Hamas,” the spokesperson added.
A group of Thai Muslim politicians had travelled to Tehran and met senior Hamas officials in October.
Thailand’s Foreign Minister Parnpree Bahiddha-nukara also held talks with senior officials in Cairo and Doha over the release of Thai hostages.
Thailand’s government says that 20 of its nationals are still being held by Hamas.
About 30,000 Thai nationals work in Israel, forming one of its largest groups of migrant workers, many in agriculture.
Bangkok (Reuters) – Vetoon Phoome’s family feared the Thai farm worker had been killed by Hamas in last month’s attack on Israel, until they found out on Saturday he had been freed along with other Thai hostages in Gaza.
“He told me not to cry, to tell mother I’m coming back,” Vetoon’s sister, Roongarun Wichagern, told Reuters after an emotional reunion with him via video call.
Vetoon, 33, who has been living in Israel for five years, was one of 10 Thai hostages freed by Hamas during the first truce of a seven-week-old war that started with the Palestinian militant group’s Oct. 7 assault on southern Israel.
“He said, ‘I’m not dead, I’m not dead’,” Roongarun said, calling his survival a “miracle”.
The 10 Thais were among 24 hostages freed on Friday in a deal negotiated in parallel with the truce and an exchange of 39 Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails. Thailand’s government said 20 of its nationals are still captive.
Thailand’s foreign minister and army chief will travel to Israel to bring the freed hostages back, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin told reporters, adding that his government was still trying to secure the release of the remaining captives.
“We will not stop. We will bring them back,” he said.
Iran’s Embassy in Bangkok said on social media that Tehran had facilitated the release by providing a list of names to Hamas following a request from Thailand’s Foreign Ministry and a parliamentary speaker.
A Thai foreign ministry spokesperson said Thailand had “provided lists since the beginning to everyone,” including Qatar, Egypt, Israel and Iran.
“Different actors would have different influence on Hamas,” the spokesperson said.
Migrant Workers
About 30,000 Thai nationals work in Israel, forming one of its largest groups of migrant workers, many in agriculture.
Vetoon told family members he had shouted “Thailand, Thailand!” when the militants approached, before capturing him and holding him in tunnels, Roongarun said.
He was not wounded or tortured, was given food and water and did not appear to have lost weight, Roongarun added.
His friends believed he had died, but the family followed the news “without sleeping”, hoping he had been taken hostage, she said.
“I saw the news hostages would be released, and then someone sent a photo,” Roongarun said. “It was clearly my little brother.”
The released captives also included the only Thai woman known to be held by Hamas, a factory worker and mother from a poor rural area where many people leave to seek job opportunities abroad.
Photographs from the Thai Foreign Ministry showed them meeting doctors at a medical centre in Israel. They will return home after 48 hours in hospital, the ministry said, thanking Egypt, Iran, Israel, Malaysia, Qatar and the International Committee of the Red Cross for “immense efforts” on the deal to free them.
A source briefed on the negotiations said the release was unrelated to the truce deal with Israel and followed a separate track of talks with Hamas mediated by Egypt and Qatar.
A group of Thai Muslim politicians had travelled to Tehran and met senior Hamas officials in October.
Thongkoon Onkaew told Reuters authorities had said her son, Natthaporn Onkaew, a 26-year-old farm worker, was not among the first group released, but she added that she was “waiting for good news.”
Riyadh (Reuters) – A container ship managed by an Israeli-controlled company was hit by a suspected Iranian drone in the Indian Ocean, causing minor damage to the vessel but no injuries, a U.S. defence official said on Saturday.
The Malta-flagged CMA CGM SYMI, recently renamed Mayet, was struck on Friday by an unmanned aerial vehicle, which appeared to be an Iranian Shahed-136 drone, in the northeast portion of the Indian Ocean, the official said, asking not to be named.
Iran has supplied Shahed-136 “kamikaze” drones to Russia for use in Ukraine. They carry a small warhead that explodes on impact.
The incident comes amid heightened maritime security tensions due to the Israel-Hamas war and follows the seizure of an Israeli-linked cargo ship by Yemen’s Houthis, an ally of Iran, in the southern Red Sea earlier this week. Israel called the vessel’s seizure an “Iranian act of terrorism”.
Singapore-based Eastern Pacific Shipping (EPS), which had rented Mayet, said it was aware a container ship was targeted in a possible security incident on Friday.
“The vessel in question is currently sailing as planned. All crew are safe and well,” EPS said in a statement sent to Reuters.
EPS is controlled by Israeli billionaire Idan Ofer and its ships have previously come under similar attacks.
There was no immediate comment from Iranian and Israeli officials.
Mayet switched off its transponder on Tuesday after leaving Dubai’s Jebel Ali port, LSEG data showed. It was unclear if it made a scheduled stop in Oman’s Sohar port on Wednesday.
The United States has blamed Iran for unclaimed attacks on several vessels in the region in the past few years. Tehran has denied involvement.
In a separate incident, Britain’s Maritime Trade Operations agency (UKMTO) said on Saturday a ship was ordered to alter course in the Red Sea by an entity declaring itself to represent Yemeni authorities and called on other vessels to exercise caution.
Islamabad (Reuters) – A fire tore through a shopping mall in the southern Pakistani city of Karachi, killing at least nine people, officials and local media said on Saturday.
Local broadcaster Geo News said the blaze started early in the morning at the multi-storey RJ shopping mall in Pakistan’s most populous city, and that the fire brigade had rescued around 50 people but more remained inside the building.
Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab Siddiqui confirmed in a post on social media platform X that at least nine bodies had been transferred to local hospitals after the fire.
“Search process continues,” he added.
The cause of the blaze was not immediately clear. Geo reported several people injured in the fire were also being treated in hospital.
Gaza/Jerusalem (Reuters) – Israel has received a list of hostages to be freed from Gaza on Saturday by Palestinian militant group Hamas, officials said, following the release of 24 hostages the previous day, the first of a planned four-day truce.
Israeli security officials were reviewing the list, the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement, after his government’s vow to work for the release of all hostages taken by Hamas in an attack on Israel on Oct. 7.
The pause in the fighting was the first such break, with both sides saying hostilities would resume as soon as the truce ends. U.S. President Joe Biden expressed hope it could be extended, however.
The released hostages, including Israeli women and children and Thai farm workers, were transferred from Gaza and handed to Egyptian authorities at the Rafah border crossing, along with eight staff of the International Committee of the Red Cross in a four-car convoy, the organisation said.
They were then taken to Israel for medical checks and re-unions with relatives.
Qatar, which acted as mediator for the truce deal, said 13 Israelis had been released, some with dual nationality, as well as 10 Thais and a Philippine national – farm workers employed in southern Israel when they were seized.
Thirty-nine Palestinian women and children, some convicted or detained on suspicion of weapon charges and violent offences, were released from Israeli jails. The freed Israeli hostages included four children accompanied by four family members, and five elderly women.
Biden said there was a real chance of extending the truce, adding that the pause was a critical opportunity to get humanitarian aid into Gaza.
He declined to speculate how long the Israel-Hamas war would last. Asked at a press conference what his expectations were, he said Israel’s goal of eliminating Hamas was legitimate but difficult.
The Palestine Red Crescent Society said 196 trucks of humanitarian aid carried food, water and medical supplies through the Rafah crossing on Friday, the biggest such convoy into Gaza since Hamas’ assault on Israel and Israel’s subsequent bombardment of the territory.
About 1,759 trucks have entered the narrow enclave since Oct. 21, it added.
Aid groups have used the truce to evacuate patients and health workers from some northern hospitals that have all but collapsed due to attacks and lack of fuel.
The World Health Organization helped transfer 22 patients from Al Ahli hospital to the south on Friday, its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on social media platform X.
“To meet all the health needs in Gaza, much more support is needed and above all sustained ceasefire,” he said.
Mixed Emotions In Israel
The families of hostages expressed mixed emotions, fearing for those left behind.
“I’m not dead, I’m not dead,” Thai farm worker Vetoon Phoome told his family, who thought he had been killed in the Hamas attack seven weeks ago, according to his sister, Roongarun Wichagern.
She told Reuters from her home in northeastern Thailand that her 33-year-old brother’s survival was a “miracle”.
Ten Thai labourers were among the hostages released. Thailand said 20 of its nationals remain captive, with Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin urging their release “as soon as possible” in a post on social media.
A source briefed on the negotiations said the Thai release was unrelated to the truce deal with Israel and followed a separate track of talks with Hamas mediated by Egypt and Qatar.
“I’m excited for the families who today are going to hug their loved ones,” Shelly Shem Tov, the mother of Omer Shem Tov, 21, said in an interview with Israel’s Channel 12, although he was not among those released on Friday.
“I am jealous. And I am sad. Mostly sad that Omer is still not coming home.”
Israeli tallies show Hamas fighters killed 1,200 people in the October attack and took about 240 hostages.
Since then, Israel has rained bombs on the Hamas-ruled enclave, killing about 14,000 Gazans, roughly 40% of them children, Palestinian health authorities say.
Hundreds of thousands of Gaza’s 2.3 million people have fled their homes, including most of those in its northern half.
The Palestinian Journalists Syndicate estimates as many as 66 media representatives were killed, including six women journalists, with two missing in Gaza since Oct. 7.
After initial medical checks, the released hostages were taken to be reunited with families. Medical authorities said they appeared to be in good physical condition.
Roni Haviv, a relative of Ohad Munder, said she looked forward to giving the nine-year-old his favourite toy.
“I’m waiting to see Ohad and can’t wait to give him his Rubik’s Cube, which I know he really loved and he probably missed it so much,” she added.
Those released on Friday were exchanged for 24 jailed Palestinian women and 15 teenagers, some of them convicted on weapon charges and violent offences.
In at least three cases, prior to the prisoners’ release, Israeli police raided their families’ homes in Jerusalem, witnesses said.
Police declined to comment.
“There is no real joy, even this little joy we feel as we wait,” said Sawsan Bkeer, the mother of 24-year-old Palestinian Marah Bkeer, jailed for eight years on knife and assault charges in 2015.
Israeli police were seen raiding her Jerusalem home before her daughter’s release.
