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Taiwan to pick new president as China ramps up threats: 'choice between war and peace'

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Taiwan to pick new president as China ramps up threats: 'choice between war and peace'

KAOHSIUNG, Taiwan – Beijing and Washington, D.C., will be watching closely as Taiwan goes to the polls on Jan. 13 to elect a new president amid rising fears of armed conflict.

“The potential winner could further cement moves toward what could be called ‘de jure Taiwan independence.’ This will significantly increase the possibility of a war between the two sides; a war in which the U.S. will almost certainly be involved in, either proactively or reluctantly,” Taipei’s National Cheng Chi University Professor of Diplomacy Huang Kwei-bo told Fox News Digital. 

The frontrunner is the current Vice President William Lai of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), which is loathed by Beijing. Once unabashedly pro-Taiwan independence, the DPP has softened its position. Under current President Tsai Ing-wen, a new DPP policy crystalized, with Tsai telling the BBC after her landslide re-election in 2020 that Taiwan had no need to declare independence as “We are an independent country already, and we call ourselves the Republic of China (Taiwan).”

CHINA TELLS TAIWAN TO VOTE ON ‘RIGHT SIDE OF HISTORY’ IN ELECTION THAT COULD DETERMINE CROSS-STRAIT RELATIONS

Taiwan holds presidential and legislative elections on Jan. 13 that will help shape U.S.-China relations for years to come. (Photographer: An Rong Xu/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

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The 64-year-old Lai has pledged to follow Tsai’s lead if elected and maintain the status quo. That is not good enough for Chinese President Xi Jinping, the all-powerful leader of the People’s Republic of China (PRC), nor the Chinese Communist Party (CPP). They vow to settle for no less than complete capitulation, although they have “generously” offered Taiwan the same deal as Hong Kong, the so-called “one country, two systems” policy. 

Hong Kong was promised 50 years of uninterrupted freedoms they enjoyed as a British colony after the handover in 1997, but in 2020, China backtracked, imposed a Draconian National Security Law, and then quickly charged people in the pro-democracy camp with newly-created crimes that carry heavy sentences, including up to life in prison.

Lai’s main opponent for the presidency of Taiwan is New Taipei Mayor Hou Yu-ih of the Kuomintang or Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT). Hou, 66, was once the island’s top police officer and is now the mayor of Taiwan’s most populous city. 

Taiwanese presidential candidate William Lai, from the ruling Democratic Progressive Party, is greeted by supporters while visiting the Luzhou Lee Family Historic Estate as part of an election campaign in New Taipei City on Jan. 3, 2024. (Photo by SAM YEH/AFP via Getty Images)

Ho Yu-ih and the KMT accept a controversial concept known as “the 1992 Consensus,” which boils down to the idea that, yes, there is only one China, but each side is free to interpret what this means. The DPP rejects the “1992 Consensus,” and it has never been put to a public vote or codified into law. 

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In recent years, President Tsai and her party have minimized the use of the formal name, Republic of China. The DPP accepts the ROC as the island’s official title but promotes the name “Taiwan” instead whenever possible. China refuses to even talk to DPP representatives, claiming they are “separatists;” one of the milder pejoratives the Chinese communists is bombastically fond of using. Hou and the KMT deny they are “pro-China,” just as the DPP denies it is “anti-China.” However, Beijing has a preference, with a KMT win being the “lesser of two evils” in its eyes. 

Kuomintang presidential candidate Hou Yu-ih salutes supporters during an election campaign on Jan. 4, 2024 in New Taipei City, Taiwan. ((Photo by Annabelle Chih/Getty Images))

All major parties in Taiwan agree that Taiwan has never been a part of the People’s Republic of China and reject PRC claims of sovereignty over the island. What they disagree on is the way forward. The DPP is pushing for closer official links with the U.S. and her democratic allies, and promoting the use of Taiwan in the name of overseas representative offices that are de facto embassies. 

The KMT would return the ROC title to prominence, work to get Chinese tourists returning to Taiwan, enact pacts allowing Chinese companies entry to sectors of Taiwan’s economy from which they are currently banned, and in general, adopt a more conciliatory relationship with Beijing. 

CHINESE WAR PLANES, WARSHIPS SPOTTED NEAR TAIWAN AHEAD OF CRUCIAL PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION

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Campaign posters in Taiwan range from large electronic billboards to posters on the pillars of buildings. Dec. 29, 2023. Kaohsiung, Taiwan. (Eryk Michael Smith/Fox News)

“We can’t let the KMT take power again. The last time they were in office, they attempted to implement pro-China policies that most people in Taiwan do not support. They often prioritize short-term gains at the expense of the long-term survivability of Taiwan as a free and democratic country,” Cherry Tang, a DPP city councilperson representing several districts in southern Taiwan’s largest city, Kaohsiung, which is home to around 2.7 million people, told Fox News Digital.

She continued, “While I have many KMT friends and occasionally collaborate with KMT colleagues, I sincerely disagree with many of their policies. I urge the people of Taiwan to continue supporting the DPP, as we are still on the road to advocating for a pro-Taiwan agenda in the years ahead.”

Chinese President Xi Jinping waves at an event to introduce new members of the Politburo Standing Committee at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Oct. 23, 2022. (AP Photo/Andy Wong, File)

The KMT says voting for them will bring better communication and trade links with China. The value of Taiwan-China trade in 2022 was worth some $205 billion, despite the DPP being the ruling party. However, China has recently warned in clear language that trade will be affected by a 2024 DPP win. Reuters reported Chen Binhua, spokesperson for China’s Taiwan Affairs Office, using near-religious terms at a news briefing in Beijing on Dec. 27, saying “If the DPP authorities … stubbornly adhere to their Taiwan independence position, and refuse to repent, we support the relevant departments taking further measures….”

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While TV and internet ads flood Taiwan during elections, small trucks with campaign posters and a loudspeaker play recordings urging people to vote for various candidates have been a staple of Taiwanese politics for decades.

Beijing’s attempts to sway Taiwanese elections go back to Taiwan’s first democratic presidential vote held in 1996, when China conducted pre-election “missile tests,” prompting then-President Clinton to send the U.S. Seventh Fleet into the area. 

However, since then, those threats have become more ominous now that Beijing has the realistic ability to make good on them. On Dec. 26, 2023, a near-holy day for the CCP as it marked the 130th birthday of their original demi-god Mao Zedong, Xi said, “The complete reunification of our motherland is an overall trend, a righteous cause, and the common aspiration of the people. Our motherland must be reunified, and it will surely be reunified. [We] firmly oppose anyone using any means to separate Taiwan from China.”

Campaign posters for various legislative member candidates in Taipei, Taiwan, on Wednesday, Dec. 27, 2023. Taiwan is set to hold its presidential and legislative elections on Jan. 13 that will help shape U.S.-China relations for years to come. (An Rong Xu/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

China’s supreme leader spoke that day from the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, but his remarks were not just meant for a domestic audience. Dean Karalekas, editor-at-large of Strategic Vision, an English-language security journal published in Taiwan, told Fox News Digital that while the PRC likes to saber-rattle, their bark is not without a potential bite. “Certain camps in this campaign have framed the election as being a choice between war and peace, and while that might sound like the usual election-year fear-mongering, Beijing has been tacitly undertaking to make good on that claim,” Karalekas said.

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‘TRUMP-LIKE’ BILLIONAIRE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE IN TAIWAN PROMISES ’50 YEARS OF PEACE’ WITH CHINA

Supporters attend a Kuomintang campaign rally ahead of Taiwan’s presidential election in Taipei on Dec. 23, 2023. (Photo by I-HWA CHENG/AFP via Getty Images)

Another resident of Kaohsiung, Chiang, says she would prefer to see a change in the ruling party. Her business, selling jade jewelry, took a severe hit since massive numbers of Chinese tourists stopped coming to Taiwan around the time DPP’s President Tsai took office. Chiang told Fox New Digital, “All I want is peace. Yes, it would be nice for my business if more Chinese tourists came, but more important is peace. My only son is 15. I don’t want him, or any other young people, to have to go to war or experience the hardships that my father and my grandfather endured because of military conflicts.”

The DPP’s William Lai is ahead in the polls but not by an insurmountable margin. On a recent campaign stump, Lai asked what has become of the 104-year-old KMT’s anti-Communist credentials and claimed the KMT’s embrace of “one China” is not only divisive but also potentially “deadly” to Taiwan’s sovereignty. Opposition leader Hou says the other side deliberately misrepresents his positions on China and that Lai and the DPP are the real threat to peace. 

Chinese President Xi Jinping shakes hands with delegates attending the first People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Rocket Force Party congress during his inspection of the PLA Rocket Force, in Beijing on Sept. 26, 2016. (Xinhua/Li Gang via Getty Images)

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The Chinese leader, who wields more power than any emperor ever did, addressed the communist party on New Year’s Eve and – as usual – brought up the “Taiwan question.” Xi’s comments were similar to previous statements, saying, “The unification of China is a historical inevitability … Compatriots on both sides of the Taiwan Strait should be bound by a common sense of purpose and share in the glory of the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.” 

Not long after, Taiwan’s outgoing President Tsai Ing-wen refuted Xi’s “common sense” comments in a lengthy speech, in which she again said that only the Taiwanese people, using democratic procedures, can determine the future of Taiwan. Tsai also said she has confidence in the wisdom of the people of Taiwan and does not believe they will be swayed by cognitive warfare or manipulation from Beijing.  

Taiwan’s military staged a live-fire drill on Aug. 9 simulating the defense of the island following days of Chinese live-fire drills in waters near the island. (Annabelle Chih/Getty Images)

Whichever candidate ends up victorious will continue to face a hostile China. Beijing might prefer the KMT, but the KMT is not open to entertaining “one country, two systems” or any other formula that puts Beijing in charge of Taiwan. 

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So, democratic Taiwan will continue to be an irritant to Beijing and a potential global conflict flashpoint in 2024 and beyond. Not due to the actions of the citizens of Taiwan, but wholly because of manufactured Chinese “tensions” intended to bully Taiwan and convince the U.S. and other democracies of the world to sit back and allow the island to be swallowed by the Chinese Communist Party.

A third candidate in the race for president is former Taipei City mayor Ko Wen-je from the Taiwan People’s Party, who has been trailing with some 20%. How many of Ko’s supporters stick with him and how many switch to one of the leading candidates could be a deciding factor. Results of the presidential race should be known on the evening of January 13th.

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Could water become a flashpoint between Islamabad and New Delhi?

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Could water become a flashpoint between Islamabad and New Delhi?

Pakistan has warned India over the Indus Water Treaty.

The Indus Water Treaty lays out how the river’s resources are to be shared between India and Pakistan.

Brokered in 1960, it has survived decades of conflict between the neighbours.

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But recently, the agreement was put to the test after New Delhi suspended its participation.

That came after an attack India said was carried out by armed groups linked to Pakistan, which it denied.

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This week, Islamabad has said India cannot suspend the agreement on its own.

It says its share of the Indus River is a red line and has threatened consequences.

So, how could they avoid a further escalation?

Presenter: Mohammed Jamjoom

Guests:

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Siddharth Varadarajan – Founding editor of The Wire, an independent investigative news organisation

Michael Kugelman – Senior fellow for South Asia at the Atlantic Council

Zeeshan Salahuddin – Advisory director at Tabadlab, a think tank and consultancy on geopolitics

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Variety Toasts French Cinema With Post-Cannes Summer Dinner at Paris’ Laperouse With Thierry Fremaux, Guillaume Canet, Pierre-Antoine Capton, Rebecca Zlotowski and Anamaria Vartolomei

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Variety Toasts French Cinema With Post-Cannes Summer Dinner at Paris’ Laperouse With Thierry Fremaux, Guillaume Canet, Pierre-Antoine Capton, Rebecca Zlotowski and Anamaria Vartolomei

Variety gathered leading figures from the French film industry for its fourth dinner at Lapérouse in Paris, a post-Cannes and summer celebration bringing together Cannes Film Festival director Thierry Frémaux, Mediawan boss Pierre-Antoine Capton, MK2 Films co-CEO Nathanaël Karmitz and Pathé Films president Ardavan Safaee, as well as actors and filmmakers Anamaria Vartolomei, Rebecca Zlotowski, Guillaume Canet, Marina Foïs, Géraldine Nakache and Elsa Zylberstein, among others.

Hosted at the iconic Paris restaurant with the support of co-owners Émilie and Benjamin Patou, the evening toasted the global reach of French cinema after a Cannes edition that showcased a wide range of local and international talent. It also underscored Variety’s longstanding ties with the French movie business and its unique position as a U.S. publication with a strong international and Francophile footprint.

The event was organized by Variety’s international editor Elsa Keslassy, with support from entertainment lawyer Elsa Huisman of Cabinet 111 and awards strategist Sébastien Cauchon of Cinema Collectors. Variety’s deputy international editor Ellise Shafer traveled from London to attend.

Pierre-Antoine Capton, Elsa Keslassy, Ellise Shafer (copyright: Marcel Hartmann)

The celebration unfolded in one of Lapérouse’s intimate salons, L’Astrolabe, where the table was dressed in a romantic, candlelit style that matched the post-Cannes mood. A pink patterned tablecloth, white candelabras, low votive candles and small bouquets of summer flowers ran down the center, while gilded mirrors, textured wallpaper, draped windows and a chandelier gave the room an old-world Parisian glow.

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Guests dined on a classic Lapérouse menu featuring smoked Norwegian salmon with blinis and dill cream, duck pâté en croûte with foie gras and thyme and the restaurant’s signature truffled croque-royal with comté cheese. Main courses ranged from chicken suprême with morel cream and mashed potatoes to pearly cod with beurre blanc, followed by Lapérouse vanilla cake and a minute-cut seasonal fruit turban.

Frémaux, who just marked his 25th year at the helm of Cannes, was joined by Zlotowski, who originated the idea for “La Vénus électrique,” which played on opening night of this year’s festival; Canet, whose thriller “Karma,” starring Marion Cotillard, played out of competition; and actor-turned-director Nakache, who presented “Think Good” at Cannes Première. Also on hand were Marina Foïs, who was at the festival with Rodrigo Sorogoyen’s “The Beloved,” and Vartolomei, who stars in Pathé’s ambitious two-part historical epic “De Gaulle.” The first installment premiered in Cannes and has since enjoyed a strong rebound at the French box office. She was joined by Safaee, president of Pathé Films, which produced the “De Gaulle” diptych.

Elisha Karmitz, Elisabeth d’Arvieu, Elsa Huisman, Elsa Keslassy, Pierre-Antoine Capton, Thierry Fremaux, Nathanael Karmitz, Ardavan Safaee (copyright: Marcel Hartmann)

The gathering also spotlighted several major French production and distribution players. Nathanaël Karmitz, Elisha Karmitz and Fionnuala Jamison represented the MK2 group, which had 11 films at Cannes this year and won four prizes, including the Grand Prix for Andrey Zvyagintsev’s “Minotaur,” the Caméra d’Or and FIPRESCI prize for Marie-Clémentine Dusabejambo’s “Ben’Imana” in Un Certain Regard, and the Grand Prix Ami Paris at Critics’ Week for Marine Atlan’s “La Gradiva.”

Capton, who celebrated Mediawan’s 10th anniversary last month, has just finalized the company’s acquisition of North Road, whose current hit “Backrooms” has grossed more than $331 million worldwide. He was accompanied by Élisabeth d’Arvieu, CEO of Mediawan Pictures. The company was behind nine films at Cannes.

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Elisabeth d’Arvieu, Elsa Huisman, Elsa Zylberstein (copyright: Marcel Hartmann)

Jérôme Levy, co-founder of Vuelta, was also present after the group’s labels brought more than a dozen films to Cannes, including “La Vénus électrique,” Nakache’s “Think Good” and “A Woman’s Life.”
Top producer Juliette Schrameck, whose credits include Joachim Trier’s “Sentimental Value,” attended following a strong Cannes that included Lucas Dhont’s “Coward,” which won the acting prize for its two leads, Emmanuel Macchia and Valentin Campagne, as well as Leïla Marrakchi’s “Les Fraises” in Un Certain Regard.

Dimitri Rassam, Wassim Beji (copyright: Marcel Hartmann)

Rassam, producer of “The Count of Monte Cristo,” also attended after producing Paweł Pawlikowski’s Cannes prizewinner “Fatherland” through his banner Chapter 2. He is currently wrapping production on Ladj Ly’s upcoming “Dumas,” which he is making with Srab Films and Pathé Films. Kim Chapiron joined the dinner as he prepares his next film, a thriller set in the clandestine world of beauty. He came with producers Gary Farkas, Olivier Muller and Clément Lepoutre, whose banner Phantasm Group has joined luxury and lifestyle powerhouse The Independents and was at Cannes with James Gray’s “Paper Tiger” and Quentin Dupieux’s “Full Phil.”

Rosa Attab, Olivier Muller, Thierry Fremaux, Rebecca Zlotowski, Frederic Jouve (copyright: Marcel Hartmann)

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Other guests included CNC president Gaëtan Bruel; Grégoire Chertok, a high-profile investment banker and cinephile who was awarded the Légion d’honneur; Cécile Felsenberg, co-founder of UBBA, who attended with several of the agency’s talents, including Canet and Foïs; and Melita Toscan du Plantier, president of the Marrakech Film Festival and producer of “Homebound,” which was shortlisted for the Oscars this year.

Guillaume Canet, Thierry Fremaux (copyright: Marcel Hartmann)

Also present were producers Rosa Attab, whose company January Films has upcoming projects including Chris Andrews’ “Cavendish,” with Sophie Thatcher and Joe Alwyn attached to star; Sophie Mas, who runs the banner MountainA with Natalie Portman and is in post-production on Lena Dunham’s “Good Sex”; Wassim Beji, who recently delivered Yann Gozlan’s box office hit “Guru”; actor Elsa Zylberstein, who is developing several international projects as a producer, including a Simone de Beauvoir film written by Christopher Hampton and set to be directed by Anne Fontaine; and photographer Marcel Hartmann.

Anamaria Vartolomei, Gregoire Chertok, Marina Fois, Jerome Levy, Wassim Beji (copyright: Marcel Hartmann)

The evening also welcomed international guests, notably Dylan Leiner, executive VP of acquisitions, production and business affairs at Sony Pictures Classics; and Ama Ampadu, senior production and development executive at the BFI Filmmaking Fund.

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Owned by Patou and Antoine Arnault, Lapérouse first opened its doors in 1766 and became a favorite refuge for the Parisian intelligentsia, drawing philosophers, novelists, artists and, later, filmmakers to its salons, lushly decorated with red velvet, paintings, ornate moldings and crystal chandeliers. Tastefully revamped a few years ago by Dior Maison head Cordelia de Castellane, Lapérouse was mentioned by Marcel Proust in “In Search of Lost Time” and served as a backdrop in Woody Allen’s “Midnight in Paris.”

Anamaria Vartolomei (copyright: Marcel Hartmann)

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After 1,000 days of war: Many Israeli children carry trauma into summer break

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After 1,000 days of war: Many Israeli children carry trauma into summer break

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TEL AVIV: As Israel marks 1,000 days since the Hamas-led Oct. 7 massacre, children — many still coping with the psychological effects of the war — are beginning their summer vacation, with some navigating the uncertainties of traveling abroad amid rising antisemitism and others grappling at home with the anxieties of living in a society shaped by nearly three years of war on multiple fronts.

Lilach, 47, of Kibbutz Eilon, jut over a mile and a half from Israel’s border with Lebanon in the Western Galilee, told Fox News Digital she hopes her children — Yuval, Amit, and Yoni — will finally be able to enjoy a normal summer.

During the war, there was always concern about leaving home. The kids were barely in school and spent most of their time indoors in front of screens,” she said.

“I hope they can now spend time with their friends and enjoy activities together. Tomorrow, Yoni is going to an amusement park. I just want them to have fun, be with their friends and enjoy being kids again,” she added.

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ISRAEL ANNOUNCES IT KILLED ONE OF THE ARCHITECTS OF THE OCT. 7 ATTACKS

A woman reacts as the community of Kibbutz Kfar Aza commemorates their members who were killed, taken hostage and who died in captivity, following the deadly Oct. 7, 2023 attack by Hamas terrorists, in Kibbutz Kfar Aza, southern Israel, Oct. 16, 2025. (Hannah McKay/Reuters)

Since the COVID-19 pandemic began in early 2020, Lilach said, her children have had only one uninterrupted year of school.

“It was hard. They would start school, attend for a month or two, then classes would stop because of the war with Iran or fighting with Lebanon, and then resume. It was difficult to get back into a routine each time. It felt like starting a new school year over and over again,” she said.

People take shelter as Iran launched missiles and drones towards Israel following the US-Israeli attacks. ( Mostafa Alkharouf/Anadolu via Getty Images)

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Despite the repeated disruptions, Lilach said her daughter Amit graduated from high school thanks to her determination and private tutoring. Yoni, however, who has attention deficit disorder, struggled with spending weeks at home during the fighting and will move to a smaller classroom next year to receive additional support.

Evacuated with her family a day after the Oct. 7 attacks, Anat, 50, of Kibbutz Yiftah in the Upper Galilee, less than two miles from Israel’s border with Lebanon, told Fox News Digital that her children changed schools three times before the family returned home in February 2025. During Israel’s recent war with Iran, they were again out of school for about six weeks.

An Israeli school security officer watches on as students enter school  (Eitan Elhadz/TPS)

“Every day, having my 10-year-old log on to Zoom for online classes was a challenge. It was very difficult to maintain a routine and continuity in her learning,” Anat said.

With the family hoping to travel abroad this summer, Anat said she has tried to shelter her children from the tidal wave of antisemitism that has emerged globally over the past three years of war.

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“We don’t talk at home about people around the world who hate us. We love everyone, and we don’t talk about hate, period. For them, traveling is something wonderful that they can’t wait for,” she said. “Despite how difficult it has been, our children are strong. They have grown up quickly because of everything they’ve been through and know how to cope. We don’t feel sorry for ourselves—we’re fighters.”

EXPERTS URGE EXTREME CAUTION ON IRAN’S ‘CROWN JEWEL’ HEZBOLLAH — TERROR GROUP WITH US BLOOD ON ITS HANDS

Israeli school kids on an outing on June 30, 2026. (Gideon Markowicz/TPS-IL)

Nufar Bar Lipshatz, a developmental psychologist in the Northern District of Clalit Health Services, Israel’s largest healthcare provider, said many children continue to show signs of trauma.

According to data she cited from Israel’s National Insurance Institute, 25,274 children had been officially recognized as victims of hostile acts between Oct. 7, 2023 and the end of 2025. She also referenced a joint study by the Goshen organization and the Israeli Pediatric Association showing that 84% of Israeli children exhibited signs of emotional distress by late 2023 following the cross-border terror assault from Gaza and Hezbollah’s entry into the war from Lebanon the following day.

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“We see many symptoms that are connected but manifest differently in each child, whether it’s a child who can’t speak, wets their pants, or develops [nervous] tics,” Bar Lipshatz said. “Trauma is real, and children can’t always express it with words, so they act it out. They reenact running to shelters, their father being deployed, war, aggression and kidnappings during play.”

Protesters attend an anti-Israel demonstration in Leipzig, Germany Jan. 17, 2026.  (Christian Mang/Reuters)

She recalled treating a girl who became unable to ride her bicycle because she constantly looked over her shoulder, checking whether someone was behind her.

While summer vacation may offer temporary relief, Bar Lipshatz warned that long breaks from routine can reinforce anxiety.

“We know from research that children need stability and routine because it helps them feel safe. During school breaks, children may feel safer because they are avoiding situations that trigger stress, but over time they are also avoiding facing their fears,” she said. “We need to give parents and children the tools to cope with stress because it will not disappear simply by staying at home.”

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Bar Lipshatz, who also works with autistic children, said travel itself can be challenging because unfamiliar sounds and crowded environments may trigger traumatic memories.

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“When you go on vacation, you go to places with lots of people and noise. What we think could be fun can actually become a trigger,” she said, recalling a trip to Romania where bear-warning sirens in a national park sounded identical to Israel’s missile alerts.

She noted that one of her young patients told her she feared traveling abroad because, despite the war, Israel felt more predictable than an unfamiliar country.

In a bid to maintain a sense of routine and help students catch up on lost time, the Israeli Ministry of Education told Fox News Digital that it will continue operating throughout the summer through programs serving approximately 1.12 million students, supported by an investment of about $270 million.

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Soldiers carry Oster’s coffin during his funeral on Wednesday in Tel Aviv.  (AP/Maya Alleruzzo)

For the first time, middle school students will participate in summer programs focused on artificial intelligence, STEM subjects, mathematics, science, and English. The ministry said the highest participation rates are in northern and southern communities affected by the war.

It also said it will continue providing emotional support through its Psychological Counseling Service, expand psychological services for students in need, and keep its “Voice for All” support hotline operating throughout the summer.

“The education system will continue to support Israeli students during the summer vacation to ensure educational, emotional and social continuity for every student who needs it,” the ministry said.

FROM HOMEROOM TO HATE: HOW JEWISH STUDENTS ARE FACING A NEW KIND OF PRESSURE IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS

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Children affected by the war are also attending summer camps such as those led by OneFamily, an organization that supports victims of terrorism and war and their families.

More than 400 children — each of whom has lost an immediate family member to terrorism or war, most since the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, attacks — will take part in OneFamily’s annual summer camp from July 8 to July 13 in the Golan Heights, where they will spend time with other children who share similar experiences of grief and loss.

A central focus of the camp is helping children build resilience while learning to cope with their grief. This year, the organization’s founding director, Chantal Belzberg, received the Israel Prize for Lifetime Achievement.

Israeli children at the OneFamily summer camp, July 2025. (Meir Pavlovski)

Activities include swimming, competitions, sports, but also therapeutic group dialogue circles. On the last night, some campers share stories about their lost loved ones and their own journey to healing, followed by a big concert.

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“Children who have lost a parent, both parents or siblings to terrorism or acts of war don’t always want to go to therapy. But when you bring them together with other children who have experienced the same loss, it gives them strength and creates a therapeutic environment,” Belzberg told Fox News Digital.

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“They come to have fun, and through the activities they meet other children who have gone through the same thing. That’s when they begin to talk. Traditional support services are not always places where children want to go,” she continued.

“We bring them together so they meet children who truly understand them. They realize they are not alone and can build a community where they don’t feel isolated. One of the greatest challenges after trauma is isolation,” she added.

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