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BBC HomepageSkip to contentAccessibility HelpYour accountNotificationsHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeMore menuMore menuSearch BBCHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeCBBCCBeebiesFoodClose menuBBC NewsMenuHomeIsrael-Gaza warCost of LivingWar in UkraineClimateUKWorldBusinessPoliticsCultureMoreTechScienceHealthFamily & EducationIn PicturesNewsbeatBBC VerifyDisabilityWorldAfricaAsiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastUS & CanadaIsrael-Gaza briefing: World watches nervously to see what Iran does nextPublished46 minutes agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingRelated TopicsIsrael-Gaza warBy Lyse DoucetChief international correspondentIn the wars within wars of this grievous Gaza crisis, the most explosive of all is the searing official enmity between Israel and Iran.It’s now at its most perilous point.And this region, and many capitals beyond, are watching and waiting with bated breath to see what Iran does next.It’s Tehran’s move after the airstrike on its diplomatic compound in the heart of the Syrian capital, Damascus on 1 April, which killed senior commanders in its Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC). Israel never admits carrying out such attacks, but everyone knows it was its doing. Image source, AFPImage caption, Onlookers check the car in which three sons of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh were reportedly killed in an Israeli air strikeAnd since the Israel-Gaza war erupted six months ago, Israel has ramped up its targeting of Iran, not just destroying arms supplies and infrastructure in Syria, but assassinating senior IRGC and Hezbollah commanders. “We will make them regret this crime and other ones like it, by God’s will,” warned Iran’s Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.Iran accuses Israel of killing generals in Syria Iran vows to avenge Syria strike blamed on IsraelHis vow triggered an immediate Israeli retort in an escalating war of words. The two regional powerhouses have been at daggers drawn ever since Iran’s 1979 revolution made hostility towards the “Zionist regime” a core tenet of its doctrine. For many years, Israel has conducted targeted killings, mounted cyber operations, and sounded alarm bells about the Islamic Republic’s nuclear ambitions as well as its backing for militias, including Hamas, who threaten Israel’s destruction.”If Iran attacks from its territory – Israel will respond and attack in Iran,” declared Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz in a post on X, formerly Twitter, tagging the Supreme Leader, a most modern of way to communicate for countries with no diplomatic ties.Then the United States – Israel’s staunchest ally and Iran’s most powerful adversary – weighed in, putting Iran on notice that it could also face the wrath of the world’s mightiest army. “We will help defend Israel and Iran will not succeed,” US President Joe Biden proclaimed, hinting that US intelligence was indicating an attack “sooner rather than later”.Image source, AFPImage caption, Israeli army troops stand around their tanks in an area along the border with the Gaza Strip”The US could be trying to force Iran to recalculate and reconsider its options right now,” reflects Dr Sanam Vakil, director of the Middle East and North Africa programme at the London-based Chatham House think tank.American media, quoting unnamed US sources, have spoken of possible maximalist scenarios involving a major Iranian assault against Israeli targets, with a wave of drones and missiles, including ballistic missiles.”The US may be using this messaging to amp up anticipation, so if Iran can’t deliver it, it shows its weakness, ” says Dr Vakil in a nod to the unsettling uncertainty of this moment.Iran, which has long prided itself on playing a long game, responding to any provocations with “strategic patience”, now faces a choice of all choices. Every option is riddled with risk.Its aging Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has to give a green light to a counterattack which placates its militant IRGC commanders who shape Iran’s foreign policy. He also has to preserve Iran’s perceived prestige as the pivot of the “Axis of resistance” of its armed allies and proxies; they’ve been emboldened and empowered by their limited but still lethal attacks in this Gaza war.But this choice also has to be carefully calibrated to avoid sparking a dangerous escalatory spiral. If it pulls in formidable Israeli and American fighting power into this vortex, it could have catastrophic consequences for the Islamic Republic.Image source, ReutersImage caption, Palestinians hold Eid al-Fitr prayers by the ruins of al-Farouk mosque in Rafah, in the southern Gaza StripThe ailing 84-year-old Supreme Leader assumed his mantle in 1989, one year after the punishing Iran-Iraq war which took the lives of as many as 200,000 Iranians. It still casts a long dark shadow.”Avoiding war is essential to his legacy,” points out Iranian analyst Esfandyar Batmanghelidj. “Whatever the retaliation against Israel, it will be designed to avoid a full-scale war.”But this moment is uncharted territory.The precise missile strikes earlier this month smashed the consulate annex next to Iran’s embassy, and killed several IRGC officers including Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Zahedi, its top general in the region in the Quds Force, the elite clandestine branch responsible for foreign operations. And it happened on Iran’s diplomatic property, which Iran considers its own soil.Image source, ReutersImage caption, Palestinians hold Eid al-Fitr prayers by the ruins of al-Farouk mosque in RafahFor many years, Israel has waged what it calls the “war between wars” – strikes on arms shipments, installations, and routes in Syria said to be used by Iranian operatives and their allies, including their most prized and powerful proxy, Lebanon’s Hezbollah militia. But in recent months it has upped the ante, exploiting opportunities for targeted assassinations during these turbocharged tensions of the Gaza war.Iran’s response, so far, has been to mainly hit back through its proxies. The shadow wars stretch from hostilities along Israel’s northern border with southern Lebanon, a Hezbollah stronghold, through Iran-affiliated militias in Iraq and Syria which have struck American targets, and Yemen’s Houthi rebels now attacking shipping lanes in the Red Sea.In January, after a suspected Israel airstrike in Syria killed IRGC military advisors, Iran did respond directly. But it chose what were seen as “soft targets” less likely to provoke a major retaliation: ballistic missiles fired into northern Iraq against what was described as a base of Israel’s Mossad spy agency; and missile and drone launches against Baloch separatists operating across its border in neighbouring Pakistan in another show of force to show its readiness to act. Both sparked outrage and, in Pakistan’s case, a retaliatory airstrike from a traditional ally, but tensions soon eased.Image source, AFPImage caption, A woman cries over the grave of a loved one at the start of the Eid al-Fitr festival at a cemetary in Rafah in the southern Gaza StripIn the midst of this current crisis, minds in Iran as well as in Israel are concentrated not just on this risky tit-for-tat, but also on the more fundamental issue of deterrence. Both sides want to send the clearest of signals to the other that such consequential strikes would be costly, and best avoided in future. For Iran, under pressure at home from unprecedented protests spearheaded by women over restrictions on freedom, and financial hardships, preserving the Islamic Republic is paramount. But it also wants to safeguard its growing sway across the region, and the extensive political and military network its built over many decades.Its options range from direct raids on military targets in Israel, more distant operations against its embassies and interests somewhere in the world, or retaliating through its proxies again. A report by the well-connected Amwaj media cited the Occupied Golan Heights in northern Israel – land seized from Syria in the 1967 war – as a “prime target” and less risky choice. Image source, AFPImage caption, Palestinians carry belongings as people fleeing conflict leave their homes in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central GazaIsraeli expert Raz Zimmt, Senior Researcher at the Institute for National Security in Tel Aviv, believes Iran will act forcefully. “The patience of Iranians has run out in the face of setbacks blamed on Israel,” he posted on X. Iran seized a commercial ship with links to Israel early on Saturday morning, but Mr Zimmt said Tehran is unlikely to consider this an “appropriate response”, adding: “It could afford it additional time to reconsider its next course of action.”But there’s no agreement among Iran watchers about what action it will eventually take. And there’s a risk too that what Iran views as a cautious calculated act, could be seen as, or end up as, an incendiary miscalculation.”It does appear that Iran prefers to respond directly,” Ali Vaez of the International Crisis Group told the BBC. “I don’t think Iran wants to sacrifice Hezbollah or bring it into the fray. It is the top of its spear, and Iran wants to preserve it.”There is also the option of biding its time, at least for a while, to strike when its least expected rather than in the eye of this storm.”There’s an anticipation that Iran will respond, but doing nothing could be an option,” says Dr Vakil of Chatham House. “There is a choice on the table where Iran doesn’t play into what could be an Israeli provocation.”Image source, AFPImage caption, Children sit in a swing as they celebrate on the first day of the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr in the central Gaza StripPrime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, under immense political pressure at home, has long argued for military action against Israel’s arch-enemy, and is known to have been pulled back from the brink on at least one occasion.Behind the scenes, there’s been an intense flurry of urgent messaging between the US and Iran, conveyed through third-parties including multiple Arab states, to avoid the all-out war nobody wants. Iran sees that, in itself, as burnishing its image as a regional heavyweight which matters.In this wait and watch moment, airlines have stopped flights, embassies have shut, or warned their citizens to leave Israel. The US has deployed its warships to strategic positions to reinforce its protection of American and Israeli troops, and it’s strengthened its air defences to shield its forces deployed in Iraq and Syria.Israel, and countries across this region, are on high alert for something to happen somewhere.Bowen: Obstacles to peace seem larger than ever Is now the time Palestinian politics can start afresh?Was this the week Israel and Hezbollah drew closer to war?Netanyahu is a survivor, but his problems are stacking upBiden treads carefully through Middle East minefieldGaza desperately needs more aid but agencies can’t copeRelated TopicsIsrael-Gaza warIsraelPalestinian territoriesGazaMore on this storyPalestinian man killed after Israeli boy vanishes in West BankPublished7 hours agoIranian troops accused of seizing Israel-linked shipPublished1 hour ago’Don’t’ – Biden warns Iran against attacking IsraelPublished16 hours agoTop StoriesKnifeman rampaged through Sydney mall as shoppers ran for their livesPublished1 hour ago’She is a hero’: Australia PM hails cop who shot attackerPublished1 hour agoWorld watches nervously to see what Iran does nextPublished46 minutes agoFeaturesThe trafficked war babies looking for their long-lost familiesWorld watches nervously to see what Iran does nextUkraine could face defeat in 2024. 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[ad_1] For many years, Israel has waged what it calls the “war between wars” – strikes on arms shipments, installations, and routes in Syria said to be used by Iranian…
![BBC HomepageSkip to contentAccessibility HelpYour accountNotificationsHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeMore menuMore menuSearch BBCHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeCBBCCBeebiesFoodClose menuBBC NewsMenuHomeIsrael-Gaza warCost of LivingWar in UkraineClimateUKWorldBusinessPoliticsCultureMoreTechScienceHealthFamily & EducationIn PicturesNewsbeatBBC VerifyDisabilityWorldAfricaAsiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastUS & CanadaIsrael ‘can handle’ any threat from Iran, says military chiefPublished1 hour agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingRelated TopicsIsrael-Gaza warImage source, EPA-EFE/REX/ShutterstockImage caption, Israel’s military has bolstered its troop numbers in preparation for a possible attackIsrael’s military has said it is prepared for any Iranian threat, as tension builds after Monday’s attack on an Iranian consulate in Damascus. Israel is widely believed to be behind the attack, which Iran said killed seven Revolutionary Guard officers. An Iranian official said on Sunday that Israel’s embassies were “no longer safe”, as it prepares a response.US and Israeli forces in the region have been put on high alert in anticipation of a possible attack.Reports in the US media suggest Iran’s retaliation could take place in the coming days. “The IDF [Israel Defence Forces] can handle Iran,” Chief of General Staff Herzi Halevi said in a televised statement. “We can act forcefully against Iran in places near and far.” Yahya Rahim Safavi, a senior adviser to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said Iran had a “legal and legitimate right” to respond to Monday’s strike.”The embassies of the Zionist regime are no longer safe,” he told Iran’s Isna news agency. He did not provide further detail as to what shape Iran’s response would take.Image source, ReutersImage caption, The Iranian embassy (left) does not appear to have been damaged in the strike on the next door consulate buildingIn a statement, Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said the defence establishment had completed preparations to respond to any possible scenario. The IDF has halted all leave for soldiers serving with combat units and called up reservists to bolster air defence.Israel has also blocked GPS signals across swathes of the country in order to disrupt missiles and drones. Media outlets in Israel have reported that some of the country’s embassies were evacuated over potential Iranian attacks. The BBC has not independently verified those reports and Israel has not confirmed them.In an apparent effort to prevent panic, a spokesman for the Israeli army said there was no need for people to buy generators, gather food or withdraw money.How might Iran seek to hurt Israel after general’s killing?Syria’s defence ministry said Israeli aircraft targeted the Iranian consulate building at about 17:00 local time (14:00 GMT) on Monday.Syrian air defences shot down some of the missiles, but others made it through and “destroyed the entire building, killing and injuring everyone inside”, the ministry added.Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said that seven of its officers were killed in the strike, including Brig-Gen Mohammad Reza Zahedi and Brig-Gen Mohammad Hadi Haji-Rahimi.Photos and videos from the scene showed smoke rising from the remains of the collapsed building. Hours after the strike, people in Tehran burned Israeli and US flags in protest. On the day after the attack, Ayatollah Khamenei said Israel would “regret this crime”, while President Ebrahim Raisi insisted it would “not go unanswered”.Israel and its closest ally, the US, have been anticipating an Iranian attack ever since. In the wake of the attack, the Israeli military said it did not comment on foreign media reports.But an unnamed senior Israeli official told Reuters news agency that those killed had “been behind many attacks on Israeli and American assets and had plans for additional attacks”. They also insisted that the embassy “was not a target”.This video can not be playedTo play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.Media caption, Iranian consulate in Syria destroyed following deadly air strike.Israel has acknowledged carrying out hundreds of strikes in recent years on targets in Syria that it says are linked to Iran and allied groups which are armed, funded and trained by the Revolutionary Guards.Iran has said the guards were sent to Syria to “advise” President Bashar al-Assad’s forces in the country’s civil war, but it has denied they have been involved in combat or established bases.Israel’s strikes have reportedly been stepped up since the start of the war in Gaza in October last year, in response to cross-border attacks on northern Israel by Hezbollah and other Iran-backed groups in Lebanon and Syria.Iran has avoided direct confrontation with Israel during the conflict so far, but Monday’s attack is seen as a serious escalation.Related TopicsMiddle EastIsrael-Gaza warIsraelIranSyriaMore on this storyHow might Iran seek to hurt Israel after general’s killing?Published3 days agoGPS disabled as Israel raises alert over Iran threatPublished2 days agoIran vows to avenge Syria strike blamed on IsraelPublished5 days agoIran accuses Israel of killing generals in SyriaPublished5 days agoTop StoriesIsrael reduces troop numbers in southern GazaPublished1 hour agoJeremy Bowen: Obstacles to peace seem larger than everPublished15 hours agoManhunt after mum pushing baby in pram stabbed to deathPublished4 hours agoFeaturesThe eclipse’s 4-minute window into the Sun’s secretsWhere in the UK can you see Monday’s solar eclipse?7 lessons from my first series of University ChallengeThe comics legend lurking in a British basementIndigenous deaths in custody haunt AustraliaSix months on, how close is Israel to eliminating Hamas?Why these singer-songwriters are pop’s new breakout starsPath of darkness – scroll every mile of total eclipse’A game of Jenga’: Inside the perilous Baltimore bridge clean-upElsewhere on the BBCGet a job, pay the bills. Sounds simple, right?Fresh, surreal comedy from the mind of Lucia KeskinAttributioniPlayerThis family bonds over Race Across the WorldThese are the the things we love on the BBCAttributioniPlayerOne of the most talented bands to never make it…Why did trailblazers Microdisney fail to achieve the commercial success they deserved?AttributioniPlayerDid you know these scenes were filmed in… Glasgow?!Ali Plumb travels through the city’s silver screen sightsAttributioniPlayerMost Read1Where in the UK can you see Monday’s solar eclipse?2Manhunt after mum pushing baby in pram stabbed3’Radiographer started crying during my cancer scan’4’He was one of us’: Memorial ride for Hairy Biker5Speaker left ‘devastated’ by father’s death6Hardest Geezer: Runner completes Africa challenge7Former Wimbledon manager Kinnear dies aged 77AttributionSport8Israel reduces troop numbers in southern Gaza9Man stabbed to death near Tottenham Hotspur Stadium10Post Office bosses earned millions despite scandal](https://newsinsightplus.com/wp-content/uploads/https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1024/branded_news/1DA5/production/_133098570_b27535c77a1912e7c8437a08e4a2b012dac589310_175_5472_30781000x563.jpg)
![BBC HomepageSkip to contentAccessibility HelpYour accountNotificationsHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeMore menuMore menuSearch BBCHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeCBBCCBeebiesFoodClose menuBBC NewsMenuHomeIsrael-Gaza warCost of LivingWar in UkraineClimateUKWorldBusinessPoliticsCultureMoreTechScienceHealthFamily & EducationIn PicturesNewsbeatBBC VerifyDisabilityWorldAfricaAsiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastUS & CanadaIndigenous deaths in custody haunt AustraliaPublished15 hours agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingImage source, SuppliedImage caption, Raylene Nixon’s son Steven died after being put in a chokehold by a Queensland police officerBy Hannah RitchieBBC News, Sydney”It’s a pain you can’t describe,” Raylene Nixon says quietly.”It’s something that you feel deeper than a broken heart – it’s pain in your soul.”In 2021, she sat in a sterile room and watched Australian police footage of her son’s death in real time, as he gasped for air and pleaded for help.”Choke him out,” one officer can be heard yelling in the body camera video, before another places Steven Nixon-McKellar in a chokehold. Moments later, the 27-year-old Aboriginal man lost consciousness. Paramedics failed to resuscitate him, as his throat was obstructed by vomit.Mr Nixon-McKellar is one of 562 Indigenous Australians to die in police custody since 1991 – the year a landmark inquiry, intended to turn the tide on the issue, released hundreds of recommendations. But few of those proposals have been implemented, studies suggest, and Indigenous people continue to die at alarming rates in prison cells, police vans, or during arrest. Last year was the most lethal on record, according to government data. Police advocates insist officers are using necessary force when confronted with life-threatening situations, and that each death is thoroughly examined.But critics say there is a “culture of impunity” in which “police are investigating police” in cases alleging excessive force. They point out there has never been a conviction of a police or corrections officer over an Indigenous death in their care. “We’re sending a message to society about what is and isn’t acceptable behaviour,” criminologist Amanda Porter says.”And in Australia at the moment – it’s open season.”‘They only knew the colour of his skin’Mr Nixon-McKellar died during his attempted arrest following an anonymous call to Queensland police suggesting he had been driving a stolen vehicle. The officers involved have defended their use of the neck hold – which is now banned – on the basis that he was “fighting” them at the scene, making it difficult to deploy a taser or pepper spray. Image source, Dhadjowa FoundationImage caption, A coroner’s findings into Steven Nixon-McKellar’s death will soon be releasedBut Ms Nixon questions whether they might have acted differently had her son been white. “The only thing they knew about him was the colour of his skin,” she tells the BBC.The findings from a coroner’s inquiry into his death will soon be made public. His case bears similarities to the death of David Dungay Jr inside a Sydney prison in 2015, a nationally famous incident which has been compared to George Floyd’s death in the US.Like Mr Floyd, Mr Dungay also repeatedly yelled “I can’t breathe” in his final moments. A diabetic, the 26-year-old had been trying to eat a packet of biscuits when six guards entered his cell with a riot shield to restrain him. Five of them pinned him face down on a bed and sedated him. “You’re the one who brought this on yourself Dungay,” one officer can be heard saying in footage of the incident. “If you’re talking you can breathe,” another adds.Corrective Services New South Wales has maintained that the death was not suspicious, and an internal investigation found no criminal negligence. A coroner did find that “agitation as a result of the use of force” was a contributing factor, along with Mr Dungay’s pre-existing health conditions – but declined to send the case to prosecutors.Mr Dungay’s family has run a years-long campaign calling for charges to be laid against the officers involved. It led to a petition with over 110,000 signatures being sent to the NSW Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions. The office did not respond to the BBC’s request for comment. Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Leetona Dungay has been prominent in Australia’s Black Lives Matter movement since her son’s deathThe over-representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Australia’s criminal justice system is a key driver of Indigenous deaths in custody.That was one of the central findings of the 1991 inquiry – and it has worsened with time. Today Indigenous people comprise 33% of Australia’s prisoners, though they are just 3.8% of the national population. Socio-economic disadvantage and “over-policing” are central to the disparity, numerous investigations have heard.”There’s a legacy of colonisation in Australia where First Nations people have always been disproportionately segregated and controlled,” says Thalia Anthony, a law professor at the University of Technology Sydney. She and others argue this has injected racist stereotypes into policing, leading to Indigenous Australians being treated as “deviant, drug addicted, or alcoholics” and paid undue attention. Reviews are currently under way in Queensland and the Northern Territory to address allegations of widespread racism within both forces. Western Australia Police has introduced strategies to address institutional racism, and Victoria Police’s chief commissioner recently offered an unreserved apology to Aboriginal families for “undetected, unchecked and unpunished” systemic discrimination. Federal and state governments have introduced some services aimed at lowering Indigenous incarceration rates. Most recently, Canberra committed to funding community-led programmes designed to tackle the root causes of offending and disadvantage.”Too many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are being robbed of their futures by a system that has let them down,” Indigenous Affairs Minister Linda Burney told the BBC.Experts have welcomed such initiatives, but many also call for broad reforms to bail conditions and the decriminalisation of minor offences which they say stem from issues such as homelessness.Ms Burney said that state governments, which oversee local laws and policing, hold “most of the levers”.Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Protests have decried the deaths of Indigenous Australians in custodyAnd voter sentiment is one reason why states are often creating “new offences, increasing sentences and building more jails” despite falling crime rates, explains Prof Luke McNamara from the University of New South Wales.He describes the conflict between the two approaches as “an unresolved paradox” playing out in real-time. ‘No-one gets justice’ David Dungay Jr’s mother, Leetona, has now taken his case to the United Nations, filing a motion against state and federal governments for violating her son’s right to life. It will be decided in the coming weeks.She hopes it will force Australia to confront its record on Indigenous deaths in custody and fix “systemic failures”.”I want to get justice for David,” Ms Dungay tells the BBC. “It was murder. No-one attempted to help my son.”But if you ask Corina Rich, “no-one gets justice”. Her son Brandon died after a prolonged struggle with police at his grandmother’s property in rural New South Wales in 2021.Two officers had been called to respond to a domestic dispute. Their attempts to arrest Mr Rich ultimately resulted in him being stripped of his clothes, pepper sprayed, and pinned down.When he lost consciousness, police say they immediately tried to resuscitate him and failed. But they didn’t wear body cameras – despite it being policy – meaning the details of the 29-year-old’s final moments rely almost solely on the officers’ testimony.NSW Police said that “remedial action” was taken against both for the camera violation. Last month, a coroner found Mr Rich had died of physical exertion and stress, but that it was not possible to determine whether the use of force applied by police was a contributing factor.Image source, Supplied: Corina RichImage caption, Brandon Rich, pictured with his nephew, died after a prolonged struggle with two police officersFor Ms Rich, questions remain, and she relives that day on repeat – often in violent nightmares.”I’m in my son’s position, when he’s dying on the ground. I don’t have a life any more. Your whole world is gone, broken.”When asked about the possibility of legal action, she almost laughs: “Nothing’s going to happen to the police. It never does.”I don’t think we’ll ever see change, as much as we want it. The whole system sucks.”It’s a view shared by many Indigenous families and advocates, who feel hope is hard to come by. But several experts told the BBC that in the short team, a warranted conviction of a police or prison officer over an Indigenous death in custody could be “groundbreaking”. “It would send a message that police are not immune from the criminal justice system,” Prof Anthony says.She adds that few cases make it to trial and when they do it’s rare for “police not to be believed” by what are usually “non-Indigenous juries”.Australia’s national police union declined to answer questions from the BBC.Ms Nixon says a reckoning won’t come until there’s sustained public outrage over every Indigenous death.”When you’re only 3% of the population, you rely on the other 97% to do the right thing,” she says.”It comes down to human compassion [but] there’s still a blame the victim mentality – as though what happens to us is what we deserve. Maybe future generations will change that narrative.”Related TopicsIndigenous AustraliansNew South WalesQueenslandAustraliaMore on this storyAustralia mother takes custodial death fight to UNPublished10 June 2021Australia’s ‘system is continuing to kill us’Published15 April 2021Top StoriesJeremy Bowen: Obstacles to peace seem larger than everPublished2 hours agoLive. Israelis demand hostage deal six months on from Hamas attacksPM marks six months of Israel-Gaza war as UK sends Navy ship for aidPublished4 hours agoFeaturesThe eclipse’s 4-minute window into the Sun’s secretsThe Papers: ‘Gaza famine’ warning and Corrie ‘budgeting row’Where in the UK can you see Monday’s solar eclipse?7 lessons from my first series of University ChallengeThe singer-songwriters who are pop’s new breakout starsIndigenous deaths in custody haunt AustraliaSix months on, how close is Israel to eliminating Hamas?Path of darkness – scroll every mile of total eclipse’A game of Jenga’: Inside the perilous Baltimore bridge clean-upElsewhere on the BBCGet a job, pay the bills. 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![BBC HomepageSkip to contentAccessibility HelpYour accountNotificationsHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeMore menuMore menuSearch BBCHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeCBBCCBeebiesFoodClose menuBBC NewsMenuHomeIsrael-Gaza warCost of LivingWar in UkraineClimateUKWorldBusinessPoliticsCultureMoreTechScienceHealthFamily & EducationIn PicturesNewsbeatBBC VerifyDisabilityWorldAfricaAsiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastUS & CanadaCapitol rioters’ families draw hope from Trump’s promise of pardonsPublished34 minutes agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingRelated TopicsUS Capitol riotsBy Bernd Debusmann Jr & Mike WendlingBBC News in WashingtonEvery night since August 2022, a small crowd has gathered outside the Washington DC Central Jail, through frigid winter nights and under spring rain, to protest against the US justice system. The protesters outside the red-brick buildings of the facility pray, discuss the news, and broadcast telephone calls with prisoners inside the jail, where hundreds of accused or convicted rioters have been held in the three years since the 6 January 2021 storming of the Capitol. In recent months, as Donald Trump has gripped the Republican Party’s presidential nomination, the protesters have taken heart from the ex-president’s vocal public support for those who attacked Congress.At rallies, Mr Trump plays a version of the national anthem recorded by the J6 Prison Choir – an anonymous group of prisoners thought to include several violent offenders. On Wednesday, he posted a video of the song on his Truth Social account, describing them as “January 6th hostages” – a term he has increasingly used in reference to the rioters.On a recent chilly evening, Micki Witthoeft was one of a handful of protesters and live-streamers outside the jail. The mother of Ashli Babbitt, a 35-year-old military veteran who was shot and killed by law enforcement after breaching the Capitol building, Ms Witthoeft said she had received a call from Mr Trump just that day in which he promised to “do his best” for the prisoners should he return to office.”President Trump is a man of his word,” she said. “We don’t really think everybody on January 6 was innocent of all things, but we just want them to be adequately and accurately charged and sentenced.”Image caption, Protesters including Micki Witthoeft (left) outside the Washington DC Central JailWhen a mob of Mr Trump’s supporters breached the US Capitol to try to stop the certification of Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 presidential election, the images of police and security officers under attack and armed rioters surging into the centre of American democracy shocked the country.Around 140 police officers were assaulted, according to justice department figures. In total, more than 1,350 people have been arrested since then. Nearly 30 January 6 inmates are reported to be currently held in the DC jail, most of them charged with assaulting officers.As part of his re-election bid, Mr Trump has promised to pardon many of the January 6 rioters but has never detailed the specific criteria he might use.At times he has distinguished between non-violent rioters and those who “got out of control”, but his focus at campaign events largely centres on unsubstantiated claims that both he and they are victims of political persecution.While political strategists say the focus could hurt Mr Trump electorally – particularly among independent and moderate voters he must win over to defeat Joe Biden – they see the messaging as a bid to keep his loyal base of supporters motivated.This video can not be playedTo play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.Media caption, Watch: Rendition of Star-Spangled Banner performed by January 6 rioters plays at Trump rally.”They’ve been treated terribly and very unfairly,” Mr Trump said last month at a rally in Dayton, Ohio, going on to describe the prisoners as “unbelievable patriots”. In his own words: How Trump’s January 6th language evolved7 January 2021: “I am outraged by the violence, lawlessness and mayhem… to those who broke the law, you will pay.” (Televised speech)July 2021: “There was such love at that rally… the crowd was unbelievable and I mentioned the word love, the love in the air, I’ve never seen anything like it.” (Fox News interview)January 2022: “If I run and if I win, we will treat those people from Jan 6 fairly… And if it requires pardons we will give them pardons.” (Texas rally)May 2023: “I am inclined to pardon many of them. I can’t say for every single one because a couple of them, probably, they got out of control… And it’ll be very early on.” (CNN town hall discussion)November 2023: “I call them the J6 hostages, not prisoners.” (Texas rally)12 March 2024: “My first acts as your next President will be to Close the Border, DRILL, BABY, DRILL, and Free the January 6 Hostages being wrongfully imprisoned!” (Truth Social post)16 March 2024: “You see the spirit from the hostages, and that’s what they are, is hostages. They’ve been treated terribly and very unfairly.” (Ohio rally)3 April 2024: “January 6th hostages with President Donald J. Trump”, with a video featuring the J6 Prison Choir song (Truth Social post)Mr Trump’s attacks on the legal system for alleged political bias against the Capitol rioters echo his public outbursts about his own legal travails. He faces four criminal indictments, including one that accuses him of conspiring to overturn the 2020 election. And embracing the 6 January defendants, observers say, bolsters his claim to supporters that the legal system is “rigged”.”The political prisoners narrative seems to be an effort to frame the Jan 6 attack as a lawful political protest,” said Barbara McQuade, a University of Michigan law professor and author of the book Attack from Within: How Disinformation is Sabotaging America. And Mr Trump’s base want to believe in him and his narrative about the legal system, she said, even though it’s “a con”.The day that still divides America, three years onWhat next for the far-right Proud Boys?Several Trump supporters told the BBC that they felt sentencing of the rioters was too harsh. Scott Nolan, a self-described conservative voter in Reston, Virginia, called Mr Trump’s statements “overblown, but not entirely incorrect”. He said he believed the president was right to say that Antifa and Black Lives Matter protesters had been treated differently.Polling, however, suggests the idea that the Capitol rioters are being treated unfairly is broadly rejected by most Americans.A Washington Post-University of Maryland survey in December 2023 found that nearly three-quarters of respondents believed punishments had either been “fair” or “not harsh enough”. And a recent survey by Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found two-thirds of Americans thought the riot was “very” or “extremely” violent. Both polls showed sharp differences between Republicans and Democrats.This video can not be playedTo play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.Media caption, Watch: Officer Harry Dunn is still traumatised by the attack on the CapitolGunner Ramer, political director of Republican Accountability, a political action committee opposed to Mr Trump, said the campaign rhetoric about January 6 “hostages” could be particularly damaging among voters that might ultimately determine the outcome of the election. “Trump talking about ‘political prisoners’ activates victimhood grievance politics and connects with Republican primary voters,” he said. “But when you’re talking about swing voters – those who supported Trump in 2016 but not in 2020 – they are absolutely repulsed by January 6.”Mr Trump has not been specific about why he believes the rioters were treated unfairly. Nor has he been specifically critical of conditions in the DC jail, which has long been the subject of complaints and lawsuits. Some of the people given the longest 6 January sentences, for felonies such as seditious conspiracy – plotting against the government – did not directly participate in vandalism or physical violence. Instead they were prosecuted for co-ordinating attempts to stop the vote and bringing dozens of their members to the Capitol that day. Mr Trump’s campaign did not respond to requests for comment, but a spokeswoman recently told the Washington Post: “President Trump will restore justice for all Americans who have been unfairly treated by Joe Biden’s two-tier system of justice.”Analysis by the Washington Post that compared sentences in Capitol riot cases to national sentencing guidelines suggests they received lighter punishments than those usually applied. In two-thirds of Capitol riot cases, judges handed out sentences below federal guidelines. Nationally they go below the guidelines in about half of all cases, the paper reported.The protesters outside the DC jail agreed that a blanket pardon for all of the rioters wasn’t necessarily warranted. But they hoped that most would be freed or have their criminal records expunged.”Our hope is that [Trump] wins and gets back in office,” said Tamara Jackson, a Texas woman whose husband Brian pleaded guilty in February to felony assault charges, and whose brother-in-law Andrew was recently sentenced to a year of weekends in jail. “Them [the detainees] coming home is obviously the goal.”Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Trump supporters at the US Capitol during the 6 January riotMany of Mr Trump’s political allies have echoed his support for the jailed rioters. But there has been pushback from some leading Republicans that have broken publicly with their party’s nominee. Mike Pence, who served as Mr Trump’s vice-president, told CBS News last month that he thought it was “very unfortunate” that the former president had begun to use the term “hostages” to refer to Capitol rioters. Mr Pence oversaw proceedings in Congress to certify Joe Biden’s 2020 election win as crowds stormed the building. Some chanted “Hang Mike Pence” and he was rushed to safety as protesters broke windows before rampaging through the Senate.”It’s just unacceptable,” he said.Related TopicsUS Capitol riotsUS election 2024Donald TrumpUS politicsUnited StatesMore on this storyThe day that still divides America, three years onPublished5 JanuaryWhat next for the far-right Proud Boys?Published6 September 2023Panel to probe Trump’s actions during Capitol riotPublished21 July 2022Top StoriesLive. Israel military sacks senior officers after aid workers killed in GazaLive. 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![BBC HomepageSkip to contentAccessibility HelpYour accountNotificationsHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeMore menuMore menuSearch BBCHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeCBBCCBeebiesFoodClose menuBBC NewsMenuHomeIsrael-Gaza warCost of LivingWar in UkraineClimateUKWorldBusinessPoliticsCultureMoreTechScienceHealthFamily & EducationIn PicturesNewsbeatBBC VerifyDisabilityWorldAfricaAsiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastUS & CanadaGaza evacuation warnings from IDF contain many errors, BBC findsPublished53 minutes agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingRelated TopicsIsrael-Gaza warImage source, Getty Images/AnadoluImage caption, Two men and two boys on a street in Gaza look at a leaflet containing an IDF evacuation warningBy Stephanie Hegarty & Ahmed NourBBC World Service & BBC ArabicEvacuation warnings issued by Israel to people in Gaza ahead of attacks have contained a host of significant errors, BBC analysis has revealed.Warnings contained contradictory information and sometimes misnamed districts. This made them confusing. Experts say such mistakes could violate Israel’s obligations under international law.The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has rejected any assertion the warnings were confusing or contradictory.In a statement, it said the alerts analysed by the BBC were only one element of its “extensive efforts to encourage the evacuation [of] civilians out of harm’s way”. International humanitarian law requires attacking forces to give effective advance warning of attacks which may affect the civilian population, unless circumstances do not permit.Israel says its warning system is designed to help civilians flee danger as it continues its war against Hamas. The system divides a map of Gaza into hundreds of numbered blocks.Israel has produced an interactive online map of the blocks that geo-locates users, showing their live location and which block number they are in.This IDF post from late January shows a social media post on X with a link through via QR code to the master block map.But people we spoke to have described struggling to get online to access the system, as well as finding the block system difficult to understand, notwithstanding the errors.The BBC analysed the IDF’s Arabic language social media channels on Facebook, X and Telegram, where we found hundreds of posts containing warnings. The same warnings were often posted repeatedly. We also searched for leafleted warnings which had been photographed and shared online. The IDF says it has dropped 16 million such leaflets over Gaza.We have focused our analysis on warnings issued since 1 December, which is when the IDF launched its block system as a way of providing more precise instructions than previously, after coming under international pressure. We grouped all of the IDF’s posts and leaflets that we found after this date into 26 separate warnings. The vast majority made reference to the master block system.The IDF told the BBC it also warned of impending attacks through pre-recorded phone messages and live phone calls. Due to damage to Gaza’s phone network we have not been able to compile data on these phone calls. And our analysis of leaflets was limited to those we could find photographed and shared online.The 26 separate warnings we found contained specific information from the IDF that people could use to escape areas of danger. But 17 of them also contained errors and inconsistencies.These included:Twelve warnings in which blocks or neighbourhoods were listed in the text of the post but not highlighted on the accompanying map Nine in which areas were highlighted on the map but not listed in the accompanying textTen warnings in which the evacuation zone shaded on the map cut blocks in two, potentially causing confusionSeven in which arrows on the map that were supposed to point to areas of “safety” actually pointed to areas also under evacuationIn addition, one warning listed neighbourhoods as being in one district when they were actually in another. Another mixed up the block numbers of two neighbourhoods. And in a third, some blocks listed in the text were on the opposite side of Gaza to those highlighted on the accompanying map.When we put these errors to the IDF, it did not respond to the issues we raised with the maps specifically but said the text of posts had been sufficiently clear. It also said that when arrows were used to direct people to safety, “it is obvious that the arrows point to a general direction” and reiterated that the key information had been provided in the text.These inaccuracies and errors may violate Israel’s obligation under international law to provide “effective advanced warnings”, says Janina Dill, co-director of the Oxford Institute of Ethics, Law and Armed Conflict.If the majority of warnings contain errors or are unclear to the point that civilians can’t understand them then, she says, “these warnings do not fulfil the proper function they have under international humanitarian law”. This, adds Kubo Macak professor of international law at the University of Exeter, undermines their function to give “civilians the chance to protect themselves”.’Big argument’In December, Saleh, a tech entrepreneur from Gaza City, was sheltering with his children and his in-laws in Nuseirat in central Gaza – where, he says, there was no electricity or phone signal and long periods of internet outage.He saw people killed and others fleeing from a nearby school as it was being shelled, but says he had not received any IDF evacuation details.Eventually, he found someone with a Sim card that allowed him to access data networks in Egypt and Israel and came across an evacuation warning on an Israeli government Facebook page.”There was an evacuation order for several residential blocks – [but] we didn’t know which block we lived in. This led to a big argument,” Salah says.Salah could only access the internet intermittently, but he messaged his wife Amani, who has been in the UK since just before the war. She was able to go online and access the IDF’s master block map and pinpoint where her husband was. But then, looking back at the specific evacuation warning on Facebook, the couple realised the numbered block where Salah was staying was shown cut in two – adding to the family’s confusion.Eventually, Salah decided to leave with the children. But some of his family stayed put – until fighting escalated further.When the BBC analysed the Facebook evacuation warning Salah had been trying to decipher, we found further points of confusion. In text, the post urged people to leave blocks 2220, 2221, 2222, 2223, 2224 and 2225 – all blocks that appear in the IDF’s online master map.But in the accompanying map, the six numbered blocks had been lumped into one, and mislabelled as block 2220.Despite these inconsistencies, Israel presented its block warning system at the International Court of Justice in January as part of its defence against allegations by South Africa that it is committing genocide. Israel’s lawyers argued that it was doing its utmost to protect civilians and had “developed a detailed map so that specific areas can be temporarily evacuated, instead of evacuating entire areas”. They presented one social media warning in court as evidence – but the BBC has found two errors in it.Block 55 and 99 were listed in the text of the post from 13 December but they were not shaded on the map. The IDF told the BBC that when a block number is explicitly mentioned in text, the warning is sufficiently clear.Israel’s lawyers also claimed that the IDF, via its Arabic Twitter account, was providing information on the location of shelters close to areas being evacuated. But in all of the posts and leaflets we analysed we did not see any warning providing names or exact locations of shelters.BBC analysis has also found the IDF’s block system overall was used inconsistently. Nine of the 26 warnings listed a mix of block numbers and neighbourhood names. Another nine didn’t mention block numbers at all. Despite linking through to the online master map, they instead listed neighbourhoods by name – which often sprawled over many numbered blocks.The BBC could not find a way to determine the exact blocks of these neighbourhoods.The Abdu family, which includes 32 people, also fled Gaza City to central Gaza early in the war. Then, in December, they received a warning leaflet dropped from a plane.Messages on the family Whatsapp group, which the BBC has seen, chart their confusion as they argued for two days over what the leaflet meant. It contained a list of neighbourhoods to evacuate, but the family couldn’t locate most of these places.The warning asked people to leave “Al-Bureij Camp and the neighbourhoods of Badr, the North Coast, al-Nuzha, al-Zahra, al-Buraq, al-Rawda, and al-Safa in the areas south of Wadi Gaza.”We located an al-Zahra and a Badr close by, but they are north of the Wadi Gaza riverbed. We could not find the neighbourhoods of al-Rawda or al-Nuzha in the “areas south of Wadi Gaza”.The Abdu family struggled to decide what to do. Should they stay and risk getting caught up in a fierce ground battle – or leave, and abandon the only shelter they might find?Some followed the warning to go to “shelters in Deir al-Balah”. But when they arrived they felt unsafe and decided to return. If they were going to die they would die together, they told us.Satellite data on destruction in Gaza – analysed by Jamon Van Den Hoek at Oregon State University and Corey Scher of City University New York Graduate Center – shows that the area of Deir al-Balah that the family fled to came under more intense attack during this period than the area that they had left. 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