World

‘We are all the same’: Lebanese come together to feed those forced to flee

Published

1 year ago

October 2, 2024

‘We are all the same’: Lebanese come together to feed those forced to flee

Beirut, Lebanon – At Nation Station, a communal kitchen in the Geitawi neighbourhood, volunteers move to and fro, stacking food on a table.

Behind them, others stir meat, cook rice or chop lettuce while trading small talk.

“Fifty meals!”, one of the volunteers shouts out to his comrades, noting a benchmark.

They return the enthusiasm with a communal cheer, without breaking from their tasks.

The volunteers in the petrol station-turned-communal kitchen are working to prepare meals to be delivered to shelters for people who have been forced to flee their homes.

Volunteers at the non-profit organisation Nation Station prepare meals for people displaced by Israeli bombardment, in Beirut, Lebanon, September 26, 2024 [Mohamed Azakir/Reuters]

One million displaced

Before Israel began relentlessly bombarding Lebanon’s south, Bekaa Valley in the east and Beirut’s southern suburbs on September 23, more than 110,000 people had already been displaced from their homes in southern Lebanon during the 11 months of cross-border attacks.

Last Monday’s escalation forced many more to flee and the situation became even more dire on Friday when Israel levelled an entire block in a southern suburb of Beirut while assassinating Hezbollah’s Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah and other officials from the group.

The Israeli army then demanded that large parts of Beirut’s suburbs, already reeling from the previous week’s attacks, evacuate.

Makeshift encampment for displaced families at beach in Beirut — Displaced children play at a makeshift encampment where scores of displaced people live at a beach in Beirut, Lebanon, October 1, 2024 [Louisa Gouliamaki/Reuters]

In the days that followed, Prime Minister Najib Mikati said as many as one million people, or about one-fifth of the country’s residents, were displaced.

Lebanon’s Ministry of Education designated a number of schools as temporary shelters for the displaced, while the occupancy of hotels and rented apartments spiked.

But beyond that, the Lebanese state’s capacity is limited.

The country is in its fifth year of a devastating economic and banking crisis, which experts largely blame on the ruling political class.

Picking up the slack

In the space where the government, the United Nations or international NGOs fall short, initiatives like Nation Station fill the gaps.

“Nation Station started the day after the August 4th explosion in 2020,” Josephine Abou Abdo, the cofounder of Nation Station, told Al Jazeera.

“We responded to emergency needs back then and since the Israeli aggression on Monday, we’ve cooked meals for those in need.”

The volunteers cook breakfast, lunch and dinner for the displaced people, to be delivered to the shelters.

In total, they make 700 portions of food daily. To make so many meals is taxing and Abou Abdo says the group is actively seeking volunteers to help feed the displaced.

Others who aren’t part of initiatives like Nation Station have also stepped up, taking families into their homes, donating blood, or distributing water to people stranded on the highways.

‘Influencers’ in action

In Beirut’s Ramlet al-Bayda neighbourhood, some students move busily back and forth. The constant drone of the air circulation system drowns out the sound of chatter. Students are split into groups, some build boxes, while others fill them with staples like dry food, water, or cleaning supplies. Once the boxes are finished, the groups form an assembly line to pass them into a parked white van as a young man gives instructions.

Once full, the vans depart for parts of the country where the need is most desperate.

In Beirut’s Ramlet al-Bayda neighbourhood, a group of students prepare boxes of aid for the displaced, Sept 27, 2024 [Lina Malers/Al Jazeera] — In Beirut’s Ramlet al-Bayda neighbourhood, a group of students prepares boxes of aid for the displaced on September 27, 2024 [Lina Malers/Al Jazeera]

This initiative was started by three social media influencers, Ghena Sandid, Farah Dika, and Sara Fawaz. The trio, who have no organisation or association and have not even named their initiative, mobilised their followings to secure a free space – an underground parking garage – to organise and send out the aid.

People from abroad have also been donating money for the relief efforts. But with Lebanon’s banking system collapsing in 2019, many fundraising efforts have run into trouble getting that money to Lebanon. To circumvent that, Dika told Al Jazeera that Western Union had lifted her transfer limit.

“At first, we thought the initiative would be small with only ten to 15 people helping,” Sandid said. “That number quickly turned into around 450 students. They’ve provided aid to over 50 schools across 30 regions in Lebanon.”

‘We’re all the same’

Outside the garage, teenager Zoey Zein stood with a group of her friends. “I came to help because I want people to know there are people that are helping as long as they need.”

This mobilisation has provided aid to thousands of people, but the groups are struggling to keep up with the ever-increasing number of displaced.

Aid ready to be delivered — Aid packages, containing food staples and other essential items, ready to be loaded in vans and delivered to those in need across Beirut [Lina Malers/Al Jazeera]

“One problem we face is that at first, we needed to serve 1,000 people,” Dika said. “Now that number is at 5,000.” Dika was speaking to Al Jazeera on Friday afternoon, just a few hours before the strikes that killed Nasrallah.

Since then, the number of people forced from their homes has soared. Many have taken to sleeping in parks or by the seaside.

Down in the garage, a van’s loading area is filled with goods. The volunteers close the doors and a few climb inside. Jad Jaafar, 21, sat in the passenger seat. He volunteers about six or more hours a day. “I’m trying to help,” he said. “There are people who can’t stay in their homes, so we need to go out and help them.”

“I’m from Baalbek,” he added, referring to Lebanon’s eastern region. “Next to me is a Beiruti and a northerner, and someone from the mountain. We’re all the same.”

Click to comment

World

Sporticast 510: The Sordid Saga of a Legends’s Former Mansion

Published

8 hours ago

December 16, 2025

Press Room

On the latest Sporticast episode, hosts Scott Soshnick and Eben Novy-Williams discuss some of the biggest sports business stories of the week, including the latest in a strange sports real estate story.

In 2012, Michael Jordan listed his Bulls-era mansion outside Chicago for about $29 million, or $41 million in today’s dollars. It took more than a decade and multiple price drops for the home to sell, which it did late last year for $9.5 million. The buyer, a partner in a local real estate firm, has since tried multiple ways to monetize the property. Initially he tried to sell timeshares for $1 million each, but that plan was thwarted by the local town council. He’s back in front of that same council this week, seeking approvals related to his next plan: to build a “multi-sensory experience focused entirely on personal transformation.” The tourist attraction would require the use of a parking lot on an adjacent nature preserve.

Next the hosts discuss major upset in college sports. Nebraska’s women’s volleyball team, the top seed in this year’s NCAA tournament, was upset by Texas A&M in the quarterfinals. Riding a wave of volleyball commercial growth, the Huskers spent more on the sport than any other public school in the country, according to numbers from Sportico‘s college finance database. The team reported $2.57 million in ticket sales during the 2023-24 school year, the third highest total for any women’s team at any public school in the country, trailing only Iowa and UConn women’s basketball.

They close by taking about the Big 12‘s proposed private equity plan. A few days after Big 12 member Utah laid out its own on-campus capital ambitions, Sportico reported that the Big 12 is in talks to set up what essentially amounts to a credit facility for its members via a potential partnership with RedBird Capital-backed Collegiate Athletic Solutions.

(You can subscribe to Sporticast through Apple, Spotify, or wherever else you get your podcasts.)

World

Bystanders seen confronting Australian gunman during ISIS-inspired deadly rampage

Published

9 hours ago

December 16, 2025

Press Room

Bystanders seen confronting Australian gunman during ISIS-inspired deadly rampage

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

Bystanders were seen on video confronting a gunman before his ISIS-inspired deadly mass shooting at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia, could begin.

Despite their efforts to disarm him, the gunman eventually overpowered the two bystanders and killed them, according to authorities.

The bystanders were later identified as Boris and Sofia Gurman, according to the Sydney Morning Herald. The outlet reported that the Gurmans were walking by as they saw the assailant exiting a vehicle. Though Boris had the upper hand for a moment after picking up the shooter’s rifle, the attacker allegedly picked up another rifle during the confrontation and fatally shot the couple, making them the first victims of the massacre.

“We are heartbroken by the sudden and senseless loss of our beloved Boris and Sofia Gurman,” the family said in a statement on Tuesday afternoon, according to the Sydney Morning Herald. “While nothing can lessen the pain of losing Boris and Sofia, we feel an overwhelming sense of pride in their bravery and selflessness.”

RABBI KILLED IN SYDNEY HANUKKAH ATTACK HAD WARNED AUSTRALIAN PM ABOUT RISING ANTISEMITISM

Bystanders were seen confronting one of the gunmen behind the deadly attack on a Hanukkah celebration at Australia’s Bondi Beach. (Jenny/Reuters)

In the video, obtained and verified by Reuters, an eyewitness replaying the dashcam footage recalls how the incident unfolded.

“You see the shooter here — he fired shots from here, shooting from here. And then look, this guy went and tackled him (shooter), knocking him to the ground. At that point, he had already grabbed the gun,” the witness, who was speaking in Mandarin, said in the video, according to a Reuters translation.

Authorities have identified the shooters as a father, 50, and a son, 24. The father was killed at the scene, while the son was shot by police and taken to the hospital in critical condition. Australian authorities also said that the shooters had improvised explosives and homemade ISIS flags in their vehicle.

On Sunday, the pair opened fire on families celebrating Hanukkah at Bondi Beach, killing 15 people and leaving more than two dozen injured. The Australian government is investigating the incident as a terror attack targeting the Jewish community.

GAL GADOT, ASHTON KUTCHER CONDEMN ANTISEMITIC TERROR ATTACK AT BONDI BEACH HANUKKAH EVENT

Police teams take security measures at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia, on Sunday after a terrorist attack targeting the Jewish community during the first night of Hanukkah. ( Claudio Galdames A/Anadolu via Getty Images)

During the deadly rampage, another bystander, Ahmed al Ahmed, an Australian immigrant, wrestled a gun away from one of the shooters. His attorney said that Ahmed does not regret intervening, despite being “riddled with bullets” and in intense pain.

“He doesn’t regret what he did. He said he’d do it again. But the pain has started to take a toll on him,” Ahmed’s attorney, Sam Issa, told The Sydney Morning Herald. “He’s not well at all. He’s riddled with bullets. Our hero is struggling at the moment.”

The outlet reported that Ahmed has undergone his first round of surgery and that Issa fears the hero bystander may lose his left arm.

“He’s a lot worse than expected. When you think of a bullet in the arm, you don’t think of serious injuries, but he has lost a lot of blood,” Issa said.

President Donald Trump praised Ahmed for his actions, calling him “a very, very brave person” and saying that he has “great respect” for him.

People attend a floral memorial in honor of the victims of a mass shooting that targeted a Hanukkah celebration on Sunday, at Bondi Beach, in Sydney, Australia, Dec. 16, 2025. (Flavio Brancaleone/Reuters)

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

The Bondi Beach attack is the worst mass shooting Australia has seen since the country implemented sweeping reforms after a shooter killed 35 people in Port Arthur, Tasmania, in 1996. Following the Bondi Beach attack, Australian leaders have vowed to strengthen the country’s already restrictive gun laws.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced several proposed actions, including limiting the number of guns one can possess.

“The government is prepared to take whatever action is necessary. Included in that is the need for tougher gun laws,” he said after meeting with his National Cabinet.

Fox News Digital’s Louis Casiano, Bradford Betz and Alex Nitzberg contributed to this report.

Rachel Wolf is a breaking news writer for Fox News Digital and FOX Business.

World

Venezuelan opposition leader Machado injured on covert Nobel Prize trip

Published

11 hours ago

December 16, 2025

Press Room

Venezuelan opposition leader Machado injured on covert Nobel Prize trip

President Maduro’s rival was hurt as she sped on a boat through choppy waters in secret escape from hiding to reach Oslo ceremony.

Published On 16 Dec 2025

Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado was injured as she made a clandestine dash to collect her Nobel Peace Prize last week, her spokesperson has said.

Claudia Macero said late on Monday that the right-wing opposition figure fractured a vertebra during a choppy boat ride that had formed part of a risky cloak-and-dagger journey to reach the Norwegian capital, Oslo, for the Nobel award ceremony.

Dangerous dash

Media reports in the United States said Machado’s escape last week involved wearing a disguise, including a wig, and travelling from a small Venezuelan fishing village on a wooden boat to the island of Curacao, before boarding a private plane to Norway.

Machado has said she feared for her life during the voyage, which saw US forces situated in the Caribbean alerted to avoid a strike on the vessel.

Several similar boats have been attacked in recent months in a campaign that the Trump administration asserts is a bid to avert drug smuggling into the US.

Maduro has accused Washington of seeking to engineer regime change in the hope of seizing Venezuela’s large oil reserves.

The leader of the opposition Vente Venezuela party was attempting to reach the ceremony at which she was due to be presented with the Nobel Peace Prize.

She was announced the winner of the prestigious award in October, with the selection committee praising her role in the country’s opposition movement and her “steadfast” support for democracy.

‘Broken soul’

Despite her speedy trip, Machado failed to reach Oslo in time for the ceremony. Her daughter received the award on her behalf and delivered a speech that slammed Maduro and warned of the need to fight for democracy.

Hours after the ceremony, early on Thursday morning, Machado greeted supporters from an Oslo hotel balcony in what was her first public appearance in a year.

Despite the fracture, she climbed over a barrier to greet supporters outside the hotel, AFP reported.

Machado said authorities in Venezuela would have attempted everything possible to prevent her journey to Norway.

Appearing set to challenge Maduro in the vote, the opposition leader was barred from running in the country’s presidential election in July last year.

She then announced that she would be going into hiding within Venezuela due to fear for her life while Maduro is in power.

The Venezuelan president commented dismissively on the reports of Machado’s injury on television on Monday.

Machado “says she has a broken vertebra”, he said. “What’s broken is her brain and her soul because she’s a demon – she hates Venezuela.”