ASHKELON, Israel: Tatyana Prima thought she’d left the bombs behind when she fled Ukraine more than a year and a half ago, after Russia decimated her city, Mariupol.
The 38-year-old escaped with her injured husband and young daughter, bringing the family to safety in southern Israel.
The calm she was slowly regaining shattered again on Oct. 7, when Hamas militants invaded.
“All these sounds of war that we hear now, they sometimes work as a trigger that brings back memories of what we’ve gone through in Mariupol,” she said. “It’s hard feeling like that you’re the one responsible for your child, the one who wants what’s best for them, and in some way like you’ve failed them.”
Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, more than 45,000 Ukrainians have sought refuge in Israel, according to the Central Bureau of Statistics and aid groups. Like Prima, most of them were slowly picking up the pieces of their lives and finding ways to cope when the war in Israel erupted. Now they are reliving their trauma. Some have left Israel, but many remain — refusing to again flee a war. Most have lost in-person support systems due to restrictions around gatherings. Others have lost hope of reuniting with loved ones they left behind.
On Oct. 7, when Hamas militants attacked, killing some 1,200 people and taking about 240 hostages, Prima awoke to the sound of alarms. She lives in the coastal city of Ashkelon, a few kilometers (miles) from the Gaza Strip. The thud of airstrikes and shelling is constant as Israel pushes forward with its offensive. She describes it as “deja vu,” reminding her of the morning in Mariupol that forever changed her life.
Mariupol has been one of Ukraine’s hardest-hit cities, besieged and bombarded for weeks as people scrounged for food, water and heat and were cut off from the world with no telecommunications. During the war’s early weeks, Prima cooked over an outdoor fire, used snow for drinking water, and sheltered with a dozen relatives on the outskirts of the city, she said.
But the shelling intensified, and rockets fell around them. After her husband’s hand was blown off fetching water, she decided to leave.
“That day marked a descent into hell,” she said.
The family joined a convoy of cars fleeing the city, passing corpses as black ash fell from airstrikes. They went through countless Russian checkpoints and by April 2022 arrived in Israel, where her husband’s relatives lived in Ashkelon. Many Ukrainians live in the country’s south. There’s a large Russian-speaking community, and rent is often lower than in bigger, central cities.
Ashkelon residents were accustomed to occasional rockets from Gaza, but attacks have surged in the war. Air raid sirens are a constant sound. While most rockets are intercepted, about 80 have landed since the war in populated areas or empty fields, accounting for nearly one-third of all Hamas rocket incidents in Israel, according to the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project.
Shelling sounds remind Prima of her agony in Ukraine, yet she remains stoic when speaking about Israel’s war, convinced the army and the country’s Iron Dome defense system will protect her family.
But the war has intensified feelings of isolation, she said. Her community support groups have moved online — in-person gatherings are restricted to buildings with bomb shelters because of the threat of attacks.
“There is this tremendous hopelessness that these people are facing,” said Dr. Koen Sevenants, a mental health specialist with experience in conflict zones. Sevenants and other experts warn that when people who haven’t fully recovered from a traumatic incident are revictimized, the triggering event can often be worse, with risk for depression and anxiety.
Refugee organizations have adapted some of their programs, providing financial assistance and bringing food to people who don’t feel safe leaving their homes. But they can’t do it all, said Rabbi Olya Weinstein of The Project Kesher, which helps some 6,000 people who fled the war in Ukraine and brings families groceries or provides food vouchers.
“Under rockets, it’s very hard to be available for everyone,” said Weinstein, who hears people’s concerns for the future. “They’re asking what will happen ... what will happen with Israel, will we remain here forever, will we remain alive, what will happen to our kids?“
Some Ukrainians have been forced to move within Israel since the war began. About 100 children sheltering at a Jewish home in Ashkelon fled soon after Hamas attacked to the center of the country, said Yael Eckstein, of The International Fellowship of Christians and Jews, a philanthropic organization that supports the children.
It was the second time they were forced from their home in less than two years — they fled a city near Ukraine’s capital and evacuated to Israel during the early weeks of that war. They’re struggling to process everything, Eckstein said, with one asking: “Since he’s now living in a war zone, why can’t he go back to Ukraine?”
Other Ukrainians are trapped in Gaza, with 160 evacuated so far, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. It’s unclear how many remain in Hamas-ruled Gaza, where more than 12,700 Palestinians, most of them women and minors, have been killed since the war began, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which doesn’t differentiate between civilian and militant deaths.
In Israel, Veronika Chotari thought she’d see her 18-year-old daughter, Tereza, for the holidays. Her daughter stayed in Ukraine last year when Chotari sought cancer treatment in Israel for her youngest child, moving into the quiet central town of Petah Tikva. Until October, she’d never heard a siren there, she said.
Now, instead of planning to see each other, the two spend hours texting from bomb shelters, making sure the other is alive.
“I’m worried about you mom, please I know it’s impossible but let’s find another place for you,” Tereza wrote. “I’m tired of all this, I hate these wars.”
Ukrainians who fled their country for Israel find themselves yet again living with war
https://arab.news/wrp9f
Ukrainians who fled their country for Israel find themselves yet again living with war
- Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, more than 45,000 Ukrainians have sought refuge in Israel
- Ashkelon residents were accustomed to occasional rockets from Gaza, but attacks have surged in the war
Israel defense minister orders army to deploy forces to control fire near Jerusalem
JERUSALEM: Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz ordered the military on Wednesday to deploy troops to support firefighters battling rapidly spreading wildfires near Jerusalem, calling the situation a “national emergency.”
“We are facing a national emergency, and all available forces must be mobilized to save lives and bring the fires under control,” Katz said in a statement released by the defense ministry. Israel’s rescue agency MDA reported hundreds of civilians were currently at risk from the fires.
UAE, Egypt sign MoU in ‘significant milestone’ for Arab space cooperation
- Agreement covers joint projects and knowledge exchange in areas such as satellite technology, earth observation and space research
- Signing coincided with the African Space Agency’s headquarters opening in Cairo
DUBAI: The UAE and Egypt have signed a memorandum of understanding to boost collaboration in peaceful space activities, marking what Emirati officials described as a “significant milestone” in Arab space cooperation, state news agency WAM reported on Wednesday.
The agreement was signed on the sidelines of the 11th meeting of the Arab Space Cooperation Group and the “NewSpace Africa” conference in Cairo, with the UAE delegation led by Salem Butti Al-Qubaisi, director-general of the UAE Space Agency.
“The MoU represents a significant milestone in Arab space cooperation and reflects the UAE’s strategic vision, which sees space as a gateway to sustainable development, knowledge exchange and innovative solutions to shared challenges,” Al-Qubaisi said.
He highlighted that partnering with Egypt reinforced the UAE’s commitment to investing in people, localizing scientific expertise and developing a competitive, innovation-driven knowledge economy. He said that these goals aligned with broader regional ambitions for prosperity and stability.
The MoU establishes a long-term framework for cooperation in civil space programs, including the exchange of expertise, research and technology, and the implementation of joint projects supporting both countries’ sustainable development goals.
Planned areas of collaboration include communications technologies, satellite navigation and timing, Earth observation, remote sensing, space situational awareness, remote asset management and R&D in emerging and advanced technologies.
The UAE delegation also attended the opening ceremony of the African Space Agency’s new headquarters at Egyptian Space City, an event that drew senior officials, ministers and space-sector leaders from across Africa.
At least 12 killed overnight by Israeli strikes in Gaza
- The pre-dawn strikes hit three houses in the urban Nuseirat refugee camp
- Israel has carried out daily strikes on Gaza since ending its ceasefire with Hamas last month
At least 12 people including children were killed overnight in Gaza by Israeli strikes, hospital workers said Wednesday.
The pre-dawn strikes hit three houses in the urban Nuseirat refugee camp, according to staff at the Al-Aqsa hospital, which received the bodies. Among the dead were three children, including two brothers whose bodies arrived in pieces, according to the hospital’s morgue.
Israel has carried out daily strikes on Gaza since ending its ceasefire with Hamas last month. It has cut off the territory’s 2 million Palestinians from all imports, including food and medicine, since the beginning of March in what it says is an attempt to pressure the militant group to release hostages.
The strikes come after more than two dozen people were killed earlier this week in Gaza City and Beit Lahiya.
Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza has killed more than 52,000 Palestinians, according to the territory’s Health Ministry.
UAE security services thwart attempt to illegally transfer weapons, military equipment to Sudanese Armed Forces
- UAE Attorney-General says security forces arrested a cell involved in unauthorized trafficking of military equipment to the Sudanese Armed Forces
ABU DHABI: UAE security services have foiled an attempt to illegally transfer weapons and military equipment to the Sudanese Armed Forces, the UAE's Attorney-General Hamad Saif Al Shamsi said on Wednesday.
Al Shamsi stated that the security services succeeded in preventing the transfer of a quantity of military equipment to the Sudanese Armed Forces following the arrest of members of a cell involved in unauthorised mediation, brokering and illicit trafficking of military equipment, without obtaining the necessary licences from relevant authorities.
The defendants were arrested during an inspection of ammunition in a private aircraft at one of the country’s airports.
The plane was carrying approximately five million rounds of (54.7 x 62mm) Goryunov-type ammunition.
Authorities also seized part of the financial proceeds from the deal in the possession of two suspects in their hotel rooms.
Al Shamsi said the investigation revealed the involvement of cell members from the Sudanese military leaders, including former intelligence Chief Salah Gosh, a former officer of the intelligence agency, a former advisor to the finance minister, and a political figure close to General Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan and his deputy Yasser Al-Atta. Several Sudanese businessmen were also implicated.
According to investigators, the cell members completed a military equipment deal involving Kalashnikov rifles, ammunition, machine guns, and grenades worth millions of dollars.
The arms were transferred from the Sudanese army to an importing company in the UAE using the HAWALADARS’ transfer method.
The transaction was facilitated through a company owned by a fugitive cell member working for the Sudanese Armed Forces, in coordination with Colonel Othman Al-Zubair, who is in charge of financial operations in the Sudanese military.
Fake contracts and commercial invoices were used to falsely claim the payments were for a sugar import deal.
The investigation concluded that these deals were carried out at the request of the Sudanese Armed Forces’ Armament Committee, chaired by Al-Burhan and his deputy Al-Atta, with their full knowledge and approval. The cell members were directly assigned to broker and finalise the transactions by Ahmed Rabie Ahmed Al-Sayed, a political figure close to the Sudanese Commander-in-Chief and responsible for issuing end-user certificates and approvals.
Investigators confirmed that Salah Gosh played a central role in managing illegal military equipment trafficking within the UAE, in coordination with other cell members.
The group earned $2.6m in profit margin above the actual value of the two deals, which was distributed among themselves and several accomplices. Gosh’s share was found in the possession of suspect Khalid Youssef Mukhtar Youssef, a former intelligence officer and Gosh’s ex-chief of staff.
The seized shipment had arrived at a UAE airport aboard a private aircraft from a foreign country.
The aircraft had landed to refuel and officially declared it was carrying a consignment of medical supplies.
However, the military cargo was discovered under the supervision of the Public Prosecution, based on judicial warrants issued by the Attorney General.
Authorities also seized copies of the contracts related to the two deals, forged shipping documents, as well as audio recordings and messages exchanged among the cell members.
The investigation uncovered several companies owned by a Sudanese-Ukrainian businessman, including one operating in the UAE.
These companies were found to have provided the Sudanese army with weapons, ammunition, grenades, and drones, in collaboration with the cell members and the military’s financial officer.
One of the companies is listed under US sanctions.
The ongoing investigations revealed that the group’s financial interests and profits are closely tied to the continuation of internal conflict in Sudan.
The Attorney-General stressed that this incident represents a grave breach of the UAE’s national security, turning its territory into a platform for illegal arms trafficking to a country experiencing civil strife, in addition to constituting criminal offenses punishable under law.
He concluded by stating that the Public Prosecution is continuing its investigation procedures in preparation for referring the suspects to urgent trial proceedings.
Final results will be announced upon the completion of the investigation.
US official tells UN top court ‘serious concerns’ over UNRWA impartiality
THE HAGUE: A US official on Wednesday told the International Court of Justice there were “serious concerns” about the impartiality of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA.
ICJ judges are holding a week of hearings to help them formulate an advisory opinion on Israel’s obligations toward UN agencies delivering aid to Palestinians in Gaza.
“There are serious concerns about UNRWA’s impartiality, including information that Hamas has used UNRWA facilities and that UNRWA staff participated in the October 7th terrorist attack against Israel,” said Josh Simmons from the US State Department legal team.
