The Times of Israel is liveblogging Sunday’s events as they happen.
Ashkelon hospital: 3 lightly hurt in direct rocket strike on home in southern city
Barzilai Hospital in Ashkelon says three people were admitted to the medical center after being injured in a direct rocket strike in the southern city.
They are listed in good condition, the hospital says.
The rocket, fired from Gaza, struck a home in the city.
???? A short time ago an alarm was sounded in the city of Ashkelon.
A report of a direct hit to the house with no casualties and one interception.
And if I'm already reporting it. So I did get to see the rocket in the sky myself while I was on my way home. Luckily I managed to… pic.twitter.com/hUWPxVkZr5
— Eli Afriat (@EX1LEISR) May 11, 2024
Hundreds of anti-Israel protesters arrested in New York after blocking traffic on Manhattan Bridge
Hundreds of anti-Israel protesters have reportedly been arrested in New York, after blocking traffic on the Manhattan Bridge.
The New York Post reports that the protesters initially “blew off” police officers who tried to set up barricades to block the demonstration.
There is no immediate comment on the arrests from the New York Police Department.
The protest comes ahead of Israel’s Independence Day this week, which Palestinians call the “Nakba,” Arabic for “catastrophe” and amid the ongoing war against the Hamas terror group in Gaza.
Protesters, including anti-Zionist, ultra-Orthodox Jews, march through the the Brooklyn borough of New York waving Palestinian flags and wearing keffiyeh scarves.
Some protesters carry anti-Israel signs such as “Unending Nakba, unyielding intifada,” a reference to periods of deadly Palestinian terror attacks against Israeli civilians in the late 1980s and early 1990s and again in the early 2000s.
NOW: Hundreds of protestors arrested after crossing the Manhattan Bridge.
NYPD met them from the other side and loaded them into corrections busses. pic.twitter.com/urHd0xJHJk
— Peter Hambrecht (@peterhvideo) May 11, 2024
Rocket launched from Gaza struck building in Ashkelon — IDF, municipality
One rocket launched from the Gaza Strip at Ashkelon struck a building in the southern city, according to the IDF and the municipality.
There are no reports of injuries.
Switzerland wins Eurovision, Israel lands in fifth place overall with second-highest televote
Switzerland wins the Eurovision song contest while Israel ends up in fifth place overall.
Israel got an impressive 323 points from the televotes — the second-highest amount — and 52 points from the jury.
Croatia got the most points from the televote, 337, but Switzerland’s Nemo ran away with the win with their song “The Code.”
Israel’s Eden Golan ranked 12th after Eurovision jury vote
Israel’s Eden Golan is ranked in 12th place after all the countries’ juries submit their points. The winner will be decided by a combination of televotes and jury votes, which will be announced soon.
Israel does not get 12 points — the maximum possible — from any country’s jury, but gets 8 each from Norway, Cyprus and Germany, 5 from both Belgium and Estonia, 4 from Lithuania, 3 each from France, Malta, Moldova and Georgia and 2 from Latvia.
Switzerland is ranked first following the jury vote, followed by France and Croatia.
Israel’s jury awards 12 points to Luxembourg, 10 points to Germany and 8 to Ukraine. Israel’s points are presented live by Maya Alkulumbre, who does not wear a yellow hostage pin on air despite being seen with it during preparation for the show. According to Ynet, she was asked to remove it by Kan ahead of the broadcast, who were seeking not to anger the EBU.
Loud boos could be heard in the broadcast when Alkulumbre appeared on screen, as well as when countries awarded points to Israel. Boos during Golan’s performance were muted by anti-boo technology deployed by the EBU.
Rocket alert sirens sounding in southern city of Ashkelon
Rocket alert sirens are sounding in the southern city of Ashkelon, near the Gaza border, warning of incoming missile fire.
Hebrew media reports interceptor rockets are heard overhead.
There are no immediate reports of casualties.
Red Alert [01:10:37] – 2 Alerts:
• Western Lakhish — Ashkelon Southern Industrial Zone, Ashkelon – South#Israel #RocketAlert #RedAlert pic.twitter.com/0HAfEUBwdw
— ILRedAlert (@ILRedAlert) May 11, 2024
Some 4,000 anti-Israel protesters march through Madrid, lauding Palestinian ‘resistance’
Thousands of anti-Israel demonstrators march through Madrid, demanding a ceasefire in the ongoing war in Gaza and the severing of ties between Spain and Israel.
Numbering around 4,000 according to the authorities, protesters hold up banners and signs condemning a “genocide” in Gaza and lauding the “resistance” of the Palestinian people.
Around 30 organizations call for the rally before the 76th anniversary of Israel’s creation, which Palestinians call the “Nakba” (“catastrophe”), when 760,000 people fled their homes during the 1948 War of Independence.
Spanish students have set up sit-ins and protest encampments at universities in Madrid, Barcelona and Valencia in recent days, mirroring similar anti-Israel, pro-Palestinian campus movements across the United States and Europe since war erupted in Gaza with Hamas’s October 7 massacre.