CrossFireArabia
An Australian priest, identified as David Gould, has announced his conversion to Islam after serving for 45 years in the Australian Church. Following his decision, he has adopted the name Abdul Rahman, describing the move as a personal spiritual journey.
CrossFireArabia
An Israeli soldier killed himself in a military base in northern Israel, taking the suicide-related death toll to 61 since the beginning of the Gaza war in October 2023, local media said.
According to the Haaretz newspaper, a soldier serving compulsory military service sustained critical injuries after shooting himself inside a base and was pronounced dead Tuesday evening in a hospital.
A military statement earlier said that a soldier was seriously injured in a shooting at a military base in northern Israel and was taken to the hospital, where he later died, noting that the military police had opened an investigation into the incident.
A total of 279 Israeli soldiers have attempted to commit suicide from the beginning of 2024 until July 2025, amounting to roughly one completed suicide for every seven attempts, according to a report by the Knesset Research and Information Center.
The Israeli army earlier confirmed that 48 soldiers had taken their own lives during military service since the start of the war in Gaza in October 2023.
At least 13 soldiers also died of suicide outside military service due to psychological problems, including six since the beginning of this year; raising the total number of suicides since the start of the war to 61, Haaretz said.
Twenty Israeli soldiers died by suicide in 2024, and 16 others since the beginning of this year until July, Haaretz reported, noting that since then at least four additional soldiers have taken their own lives.
In October, Israeli Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir acknowledged a worsening mental health crisis within the army, saying thousands of soldiers were receiving psychological treatment. He urged commanders to stay alert, detect mental health problems within their units, and ensure that soldiers seek immediate treatment.
Nearly 10,000 Israeli soldiers out of 19,000 injured in Gaza are suffering from psychological disorders such as post-traumatic stress disorder and are being treated at the Defense Ministry’s Rehabilitation Department, according to a previous report by the public broadcaster KAN published in late July.
Israel has killed nearly 70,700 victims, mostly women and children, and injured more than 171,000 in Gaza since October 2023 and reduced the enclave to rubble according to Anadolu.
CrossFireArabia
Civil defense teams retrieved the bodies of 30 victims from the same family on Tuesday from the rubble of their house in western Gaza City.
The victims were members of the Salem family, who were killed Dec. 19, 2023, in an Israeli airstrike on their house in the al-Rimal neighborhood in Gaza City, the Civil Defense said in a statement.
Sixty family members are believed to have been killed in the attack.
The house was the first site included in an organized campaign launched by the Civil Defense to search for thousands of Palestinians believed to be trapped under the rubble of destroyed buildings in the Gaza Strip according to Anadolu.
Search operations will continue using limited equipment, including an excavator, to recover the bodies from the rubble, said the agency.
Israel occupies more than half of Gaza and continues to target Palestinians in other areas outside its control, according to Palestinian authorities.
Israel has killed nearly 70,700 victims, mostly women and children, and injured more than 171,000 in Gaza since October 2023, and reduced the enclave to rubble.
CrossFireArabia
Palestinian architect Dr. Suad Amiry won the “Arab Geniuses 2025” Award, held in Dubai, in the Architecture and Design category. The award underscores that architecture embodies the identity of peoples and serves as a record of their history, and that preserving architectural heritage is a civilizational duty that reflects a nation’s respect for its history and future.
Dr. Suad Amiry, founder of the Riwaq Center for Architectural Heritage in Palestine, has made pioneering contributions to preserving Palestinian architectural heritage, restoring historical buildings, and repurposing them in ways that enhance architectural identity. She also participated in one of the largest architectural documentation projects in Palestine, resulting in a register of more than 50,000 historical buildings and the revitalization of 50 historical centers. Furthermore, she has involved local residents and artisans in village restoration projects, utilizing traditional building materials.
CrossFireArabia
An old 1967 photo of a Palestinian woman from Jericho holding a water canister on top of her head in Jericho.
