Paul Biasco

This is a hard article to read, but I hope you'll do so. I've spent some time reporting on widespread rape and other sexual violence of Palestinian male and female prisoners by Israeli authorities, and the article is now published. The assault victims were warned not to give speak of what they endured -- they were sometimes told they would be killed or raped if they gave interviews -- but they found the courage to do so. One man described being raped three times in a single day in Israeli prison, the third time after he tried to protest. A young woman said the guards would come in at the beginning of each shift and strip her naked and abuse her. Another reported that she was shown photos of herself being raped and warned they would be released unless she cooperated with Israeli intelligence. Even three children who had been detained told me they had been sexually abused. Look, whatever our position on the Middle East, we should be able to agree on being anti-rape. Sexual assaults were horrific when Israeli women were targeted on Oct. 7, and they're equally horrific when Israeli authorities use them against Palestinians day after day after day. We should be able to find common ground in opposing rape. Here's a gift link to the article: nytimes.com/2026/05/11/opi…

What does terrorism mean to you? If it’s no double-tap killings of paramedics, journalists, and today a 12 year old girl, then what is it? Westerners, where is your humanity? Cameraman: @aliezzedine7

🚨BREAKING🚨Israeli forces are now issuing direct death threats to Lebanese journalists on WhatsApp as well as besieging them. Al-Akhbar correspondent @AmalKhalil83, who has been documenting the devastation across southern Lebanon, received these messages from an Israeli number (+972 54-869-5113): “We know where you are… we will reach you… leave if you want to keep your head on your shoulders.” First message: “Alright, my lady, you are moving from one village to another, but you still haven’t gone to enough funerals or hospitals. There is a lot of grief & sorrow behind that smile you try to show on Twitter. Let’s see what your answer will be… Is your house still standing, Anisa (Miss)? I hope so?” Second message: “We know where you are & we will reach you when the time comes. Even though you are not important to us, in the end we will take everything into account. I suggest you flee to Qatar or somewhere else if you want to keep your head connected to your shoulders :)” This is not intimidation. This is the IDF issuing an explicit death threat to a journalist for covering their crimes. At the same time, Israeli forces besieged Amal al-Khalil & journalist Zeinab Faraj in al-Tayri, blocking the Red Cross & Lebanese Army from reaching them. They were in a delegate vehicle when a drone strike hit a vehicle behind them, killing two people. Both journalists were trapped at the scene. Amal contacted the Red Cross before her phone died. Her last message confirmed she was still safe. Rescue teams still cannot reach the two besieged journalists, Amal al-Khalil & Zeinab Faraj. They are just 500 meters away, but the road has been cut off by an Israeli strike, according to Red Cross paramedics. This is targeting journalists in real time. This is a crime. Pure state terrorism against the press.