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A memorial is left inside a bomb shelter near the Supernova music festival, where eyewitnesses reported Hamas members gang-raping and killing women. Alexi J. Rosenfeld/Getty Images

Hamas’ use of sexual violence is an all-too-common part of modern war − but not in all conflicts

Sexual violence can be used as a weapon of war. Hamas’ use of sexual violence was likely meant to show its power over Israeli women and girls and to humiliate Israeli men and Israel’s military.
People holding signs calling for an end to genocide in the Gaza Strip have been a common occurrence at pro-Palestinian protests. Christoph Reichwein/picture alliance via Getty Images

Both Israel and Palestinian supporters accuse the other side of genocide – here’s what the term actually means

People talk about genocide in a few different ways, ranging from technical to colloquial – but a war of words does not replace a path to peace, a genocide scholar writes.
Israelis whose relatives are being held hostage demonstrate on October 26, 2023 in front of the Defense Ministry building in Tel Aviv, demanding the government to bring back their loved ones. Mostafa Alkharouf/Anadolu via Getty Images

‘I see no happy ending’ − a former national security leader on the Gaza hostage situation

No government wants to have to deal with a hostage crisis. A former US national security official explains that there is no winning without losing in such situations.
People in Tel Aviv on Oct. 12, 2023, light candles in memory of civilians and soldiers killed, as well as hostages taken, by Hamas. Amir Levy/Getty Images

Reflections on hope during unprecedented violence in the Israel-Hamas war

Israel’s war with Hamas is unlike anything Israelis have seen before in some important ways, writes an Israeli filmmaker. But in other ways, it is reminiscent of the distant and not so long ago past.
A window pierced by bullets is seen from inside a house in kibbutz Kfar Azza on Oct. 10, 2023. Hamas militants overran Kfar Azza on Saturday, where many Israelis were killed and taken captive. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)

Israeli hostages will undoubtedly be used as human shields in brutal Hamas-Israel war

The Israeli hostages in Gaza are living a nightmare. They’re likely to remain displaced, under duress and will be the human shields of this war.
Ivorian sailors participate in an anti-piracy hostage rescue scenario with the Ghanaian Navy during Exercise Obangame Express. Wikimedia Commons

Fighting piracy in the Gulf of Guinea needs a radical rethink

Feeding a simple narrative of piracy without a broader look at other maritime security challenges hinders progress in dealing with it.
French police storm the Jewish supermarket where hostages were held. Ian Langsdon/EPA

Charlie Hebdo attackers killed, now France seeks answers

The hunt for the two killers who attacked the offices of Charlie Hebdo is over, after a three-day chase and a standoff at a warehouse outside Paris. The two suspects were killed, and the hostage they took…
We need to temper the desire to offer well-intentioned care to Sydney siege hostages by abiding to the guiding principle of not causing harm. AAP/Joel Carrett

Why not all Sydney siege hostages will need mental health help

As the country reels from the Sydney siege and its unhappy end, many will be wondering what can be done for the hostages stuck for hours with the gunman in the Lindt café. The answer may be surprisingly…
Onlookers must respect boundaries. EPA

Sydney siege shows social media is a risky business

As the hostage crisis in Sydney came to a dramatic, deadly end, people were flooded with information. The siege at the building in the city’s Central Business District is over and the gunman is dead. The…

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