The World Today
Remembering October 7
ABC listen, podcasts, radio, news, music and more. Hello and welcome to The World Today. It is Monday, the 7th of October. I'm Sally Sarah, coming to you from Nunnawal Country in Canberra and acknowledging other custodians. Today, easy pray. Australians considered wealthy and weak targets by online scammers. Experts call for a tougher response. And abandon ship and investigation has been launched into a New Zealand Navy vessel which hit a reef in the Pacific and sank. So now the New Zealand Navy has lost a significant capability in terms of supporting those two effects, surveying and diving operations. It'll also impact its ability to do things like humanitarian disaster relief. Today marks one year since Hamas terrorists broke through the Israeli border, conducting a brutal attack on civilians and sparking a violent upheaval in the Middle East. Ceremonies are taking place across Australia's Jewish community to commemorate those lost and those still being held hostage. Pro-Palestinian groups are also marking the anniversary of the start of the Israel-Gaza War and the thousands of Palestinian lives lost. Alexandra Humphrey's reports. (SINGING) In North Bondi, members of Australia's Jewish community gathered early, sharing stories of grief and trauma one year after Hamas terrorists unleashed their brutal attack. For those in attendance, it was a chance to reflect on the massacre, which resulted in the deaths of about 1,200 Israelis and the capture of 250 others as hostages. How do we find the strength to go on when our sisters and brothers remain in captivity? The massacre and brutal murder of our friends, our family, our Jewish community in Israel. The trauma we felt then one year ago is still raw. Many took the opportunity to call for the return of the hostages remaining in Gaza. The names of those still in captivity were read to the crowd. (SINGING) (SINGING) Israeli woman Mihal Ahana survived the attack. She was at the Nova Music Festival, one of several of the terrorist targets. Some of her friends were killed and others remain hostage in Gaza. They shot me and I was under a tank for seven hours, leading, waiting for someone to take me. But today, one year after, I can tell that this day it's also the happy day in my life because I'm still alive. She spoke of the difficulties of the weeks following the attack. I feel like they took my soul, they took my heart. In a video message, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called for prejudice and hatred to be condemned. Every innocent life matters. Sorrow knows no boundaries and recognises no differences. The number of civilians who have lost their lives is a devastating tragedy. Alex Rivchin is co-CEO of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry. According to Jewish tradition, a year after an event of trauma and loss, we are compelled to cease our mourning. But it is impossible not to mourn when 101 Israelis remain in that hell and when our community here locally reels from unprecedented scales of antisemitism. As ceremonies and rallies unfold across the country today, some are being organised by probe Palestinian groups to recognise the 42,000 garzens killed since last October. Alex Rivchin has asked for those events not to proceed. For many Australians, the trauma remains fresh one year on from the tragedy. That's Alexandra Humphrey's reporting. Well, 12 months after the October 7th Hamas attacks on Israel, the families of the remaining Israeli hostages being held in Gaza are still waiting for answers. The Israeli government has faced large-scale protest and ongoing political pressure to rescue the hostages. Alon O'Hail was kidnapped by Hamas terrorists at the Nova Music Festival on October 7th last year. His mother, Adit, remains convinced that Alon is still alive. Yeah, 'cause I'm his mother. I would know, you know, I would feel it. You know, he was kidnapped alive. And he, for me, I feel, and he is. Of course he is. You know, have you ever lost hope at all during the past year, Adit? No, and I will never will. If I don't have hope, if I don't know that he will, that he is coming back, then what kind of hope am I giving him? You know, he's like in somehow he's connected to me. He came out of me, he's part of me. So if I'm in hope and I'm holding that, it's also for him. So, no, never, never, never. Do you try to imagine where he might be and what the situation might be like for him? Yes, sometimes. But I might say that I didn't use my time thinking about things that I have no control over. So I do not have control over where my son is. You know, it probably is, you know, somewhere in Gaza, maybe in the tunnels, I don't know. I don't know how they're treating him. I have no idea about this. But I do everything in my power to make sure that he comes to a good, healthy, and united home. And that's most important for me. How much has your life changed since October 7? Well, my life, dramatically, I used to, for the 7th of October, I taught art in middle school and I was also a home-run teacher. But now, you know, I don't teach. I do everything and every day has to do with alone, with bringing him home. And I also, you know, I also change as a person how I see life. Every moment counts. Every day counts and you as a person have to do and think about what's important. What do you think about the way the Israeli government has dealt with the issue of trying to get the hostages home and safe? That's a difficult question, I must say. You know, we don't really know exactly what's going on. Of course, as a mother, the only thing I want is for my son to come home. And I don't care about anything else. And I think sometimes the government doesn't see that this is it, you're doing your job when Hanlon comes home, as long as long as not home. I don't think you're doing your job. I can see that, you know. What do you think has been the most difficult part of this whole experience for you and also for your family? And has it surprised you what has been the most difficult? That's a question I have to think about. I think it's difficult to understand that I have to work very hard to bring my son home. It's not like I can sit back in my house and just wait that he will come home. I know that I have to do something. And that is something that is not right for me because my son was, as an innocent civilian, was taken from industrial land from his home. For me, it's a little bit difficult to be in that position. What are your thoughts about the mothers in Gaza who may have lost their sons or don't know where their sons are in this conflict? How do you feel about their situation? I say in general that I don't believe in war. I believe in peace and I always want peace. He wasn't asked to be kidnapped. This war started because Hamas took over Gaza and did whatever they did. So the woman that you're talking about, about their kids or whatever, that's not on my hands. Politics is not even relevant. It's a humanitarian issue. And that's what I think about that. I am sad about everything that has happened to both sides. But it's not something that I have any control over. What do you imagine of a day when Alon comes home to you? Oh, wow. And very exciting and happy. And wow, it's so much emotions running in my hands right now and hoping that he will be able to continue with his life. It's like rebirth in somehow, some way. It's a bit of hell there. Mother of 23 year old musician Alon O'Hail, who was kidnapped by Hamas on October 7th last year. Tomorrow we'll have an interview from Gaza on the past year of the war. The conflict in the Middle East continues to rage on multiple fronts. Over the weekend, there've been attacks in Lebanon, Gaza, and Israel. And the world is bracing for a possible Israeli attack on Iran. It comes as hundreds of Australians prepare to land in Sydney tonight after being evacuated from a besieged Lebanon. Alison Shower reports. Welcome to Cyprus. Thank you. On the south coast of Cyprus, hundreds of Australians breathe a sigh of relief. We feel very grateful that we're the lucky ones that are able to leave the country and enter a safe place such as Australia. Peter is one of 900 Australians and immediate family members who've been flown out of Lebanon on charter flights organised by the federal government. Some are due to land back in Australia tonight. But emotions are mixed. Many filled with worry about the country they've just been evacuated from. We in Cyprus now are we in safe. I have Lebanon will be good, and I have Lebanon will be safe, and God help Lebanon. The situation is horrible. People are dying on the street. People are homeless. It bumps everywhere. We are in desperate need for this war to stop. Back in Beirut, large fireballs again light up the night sky, a day after Israel's heaviest bombardment of the Lebanese capital so far. At least 1,400 Lebanese people have been killed, and more than a million have been driven from their homes since the bombings began on September 23rd. There have been fresh airstrikes too inside Gaza, where the Hamas-run health ministry says dozens have been killed in one attack on a school and mosque that had been converted into shelters. In the north of the strip, thousands are fleeing from Jibalia, as Israeli soldiers re-entered the Palestinian city and refugee camp. They threw shells at us and the Jews took us out and said there was an evacuation. We left and now we don't know where to go. Since October 7th, today, this is the twelfth time that me and my children, eight of us, have been homeless and thrown into the streets and do not know where to go. (speaking foreign language) We were displaced once, twice, three times, four times, for how long? There is no infrastructure, there is famine, there is killing. We are for peace, we are saying to the world, look at us with mercy. In Israel, work is a clearing the rubble from a Hezbollah rocket attack in the city of Haifa, which injured 10 people. As many in Israel gather to mourn the 1,200 people killed in the Hamas attacks last year, the country is still deciding on how to respond to Iran for its missile attacks last week. David Mensa is a spokesman for the Israeli government. He wouldn't be drawn on whether an Israeli strike on Iran was inevitable, but gave this warning to Israel's enemies. We know how to defend ourselves and we know precisely, precisely how to deal with the Iranian threat and the Iranian government would do well to understand that fact. That's Israeli government spokesman, Daniel Mercer, ending that report from Alice and Shell. (dramatic music) On ABC Radio, right across Australia, streaming online and also on the ABC Listen app, this is The World Today. In the murky world of scammers, Australians have an international reputation for being easy targets. Considered wealthy and trusting with weak law enforcement and ABC investigation into investment scamming has heard firsthand how criminals view Australia. It comes as the latest data reveals, Australians lost around $300 million to these scams in 2023. Experts say perceptions of Australia as easy prey are one of the major hurdles to tackling the growing threat. For more, I spoke a short time ago with our business reporter Nadia Daly. Nadia, what did your investigation uncover? - So my investigation was looking at these cryptocurrency trading scams and the scammers behind them. So I spoke to a scammer who was based in a scam call center, a former scammer, I should say, based in a scam call center in Ukraine. He was a new migrant there. And he said that Australians are often targeted because of the perception that Australians are trusting, open, comparatively wealthy and that Australian authorities, law enforcement are unable to target these scammers because they're based offshore. So one of the victims I spoke to as part of this story said he fell for two separate cryptocurrency scams, one of which was through a fake news article with a journalist purporting to be talking up this crypto trading platform. And the other was what's known as a pig butchering scam where someone reached out to him out of the blue on WhatsApp and they struck up a relationship. And then she recommended he invest in cryptocurrency. Let's have a listen to how he said it all played out. - There was a girl who I got to know online. And then I said, look, I lost a lot of money and kept out. And she said, oh, I'm playing in Kipto too. And I think it's an account which is 100% safe. Then everything stopped. I lost all my money, completely gone. - That's one of the victims of one of these scams. And Nadia Daly, what needs to be done to crack down on the investment scammers? - Well, I spoke to a private investigator called Ken Gamble. He runs a company that helps people get back their money when they've lost them through these scams. So he's sort of scam hunting. He believes that Australian authorities, including police and other regulatory bodies, are not doing enough to go after these offshore scammers who are targeting Australians. He believes there should be more offshore operations in cooperation with overseas law enforcement. I spoke to AFP, the Australian Federal Police, for this story as well. And they said they are targeting offshore scammers, but there are, of course, hurdles when your police are operation in one country. You don't have the jurisdiction to arrest people overseas without working with the police in that country. So there's significant hurdles. And it's very hard to trace back the people who have done this and indeed to arrest them. So I did speak to Ken Gamble, the investigator, as I mentioned. And here's how he put the extent of the damage and what he believes has allowed scams to proliferate. These scams have been able to grow, you know, to epidemic proportions because of the inaction of the government and the inaction of law enforcement. This is a war against scammers. We need to go over to these countries and arrest these people, dismantle their operations. No different to what we do with drug traffickers and people that are involved in child exploitation. That cyber crime investigator, Ken Gamble there, and before him, our reporter, Nadia Daly. A New Zealand naval vessel has run aground the first loss of its kind during peacetime. The 75 crew on board, the HM NZS, Manamu Nui, all survived. But with authorities currently probing the cause of the sinking, experts are questioning just how such an incident could happen. David Escort compiled this report. (indistinct chatter) Spectators watch as a streak of gray smoke wafts over the horizon off the coast of Samoa. It's coming from HM NZS, Manamu Nui. The New Zealand Navy's specialist dive and hydrographic vessel lists heavily in the water. The vessel later capsized and was below the surface by 9 a.m. local time on Sunday, the New Zealand Defence Force said, New Zealand Chief of Navy Rear Admiral, Garren Golding. At this stage, the exact cause of the grounding is unknown, and this will need further investigation. I can confirm there were 75 people on board at the time the ship ran aground, including seven civilians from scientific agencies and four foreign military personnel. New Zealand Defence Minister Judith Collins didn't give much more information on what caused the $93 million vessel to sink, but she did say the fact that nobody died was a positive. It will obviously be an inquiry, a court of inquiry, to establish exactly what caused this incident. I look forward to pinpointing the cause so that we can learn from it and avoid a repeat. The immediate focus right now is on mitigating the environmental impacts and salvaging what is left of the Manamu Nui, if that is possible. I think the main thing is nobody lost their lives, and that is actually something of a triumph, frankly, given the very, very difficult circumstances. Two people were hospitalized with minor injuries. Around a dozen others suffered minor cuts and bruises. Jennifer Parker is an academic and maritime security specialist with ANU and UNSW. She says the sinking will have serious impacts on New Zealand's capabilities. So now the New Zealand Navy has lost a significant capability in terms of supporting those two effects, surveying and diving operations. And not broadly, I think because of the lack of commissionships in the New Zealand Navy, which is now eight, it was nine, it'll also impact its ability to do things like humanitarian disaster relief in the Pacific. So it's a huge loss to capability. She says the incidents will put a spotlight on recent cuts to the country's defense budget. But more broadly, the New Zealand Navy has suffered from underinvestment from the New Zealand Defense Force for many, many years. So we talk a lot in Australia about a percentage of GDP spending on defense and we're at about 2.1%. New Zealand last financial year spent 1% of GDP on defense. And in fact, in May this year, they actually announced cuts to the defense force budget. As investigators try to work out what went wrong, Frank Owen is a former commander in the Australian Navy and directed its submarine escape and rescue project. Well, the Manoua Nui had replaced two ships, the functions of the resolution and the previous Manoua Nui, which was a formerly diving tender called Antares Star. That was paid off in 2018 and replaced by the Manoua Nui, which was converted for hydrographic survey, as well as diving support. So she was doing the role of two ships at once. Rescue operations are being coordinated by the Samoan Emergency Services and Australian Defense Personnel with the assistance of the New Zealand Rescue Centre. It's David Escort reporting there. The Penrith Panthers have cemented themselves in rugby league history as one of the greatest teams of all time. The Panthers clinched their fourth consecutive premiership, defeating the Melbourne Storm 14 to 6 last night. But after an incredible winning streak, the team is losing some of its key players, Kathleen Ferguson reports. The Penrith Panthers carve out their own slice of NRL history. Penrith claimed their fourth straight premiership in an intense face-off with Melbourne Storm, who claimed the first try of the game and dominated much of the first half. But Penrith scored just before the first half and kept the pressure on to win 14-6. Panthers player Paul Alomori. Oh, honestly, I can't even put it into words, man. This is a dream come true and to get hit. It's like, I don't know what to feel, man. It's nice and hit me by. I just know, man. So much hard work has been put into this. The Man of the Match Clive Churchill medalist, Liam Martin, says winning a fourth premiership is surreal. He says his medal isn't just a reflection of his performance for Penrith. Oh, yeah, honestly, like, this just belongs to all the boys. Like, I just try to do my role for the team and just, just, like, I think there was 13 on the field. It was 17, but deserved it. We just kept turning up. Everyone did their job. Melbourne's captain, Harry Grant, says it was a hard fight. Yeah, it's a tough one to take, but I just wanted to congratulate Penrith. I'm an incredible organisation, what they've done over the past five years. ABC Sport Rugby League commentator John Gibbs was there. He says what Penrith has done over the last few years is unlikely to be seen again. And they've lost players. That's the incredible thing about it. There were eight players from last night that played in a 2020 Grand Final against the Melbourne Storm. And that was the last time they lost it. They've won, you know, 12 finals matches in a row. To put it in context in history, it's almost impossible. And the team is set to lose more players. Seven are moving on to different clubs and one is retiring. Among those moving on a long-time player's Jerome Luai and James Fisher-Harris, John Gibbs again. Speaking to Ivan last night, he said, actually, that actually made what we wanted to do a lot clearer. And they use that. He didn't want to say as an absolute motivating factor, but he said that became a bit of a driving force. The fact that these blokes, who met so much, and he made an inspiring emotional speech that Jerome Luai just before the games. In another great Grand Final game, the NRLW ended up being a very close contest. The roost has led 24-0 at half-time until the shark started to get momentum. A hand away can rip her tire since she does the tenetani, who's through! And the comeback stocks now fall for now for the captain. But the roosters held them out, finishing 32-28. They are premiers in the NRLW for the second time. And roosters play a mille Elliott-made history, becoming the second player in more than 100 years to win three premierships with three different clubs. That's Kathleen Ferguson reporting, and that is all from the world today, team. Thanks for your company, I'm Sally Sara. Hi, I'm Sam Hawley, host of the ABC News Daily Podcast. When journalist Deborah Stone learned about the Hamas terrorist attack in Israel a year ago today, she had to get to work as a Jewish woman and editor-in-chief of the Jewish Independent, finding a balance in the reporting was what she strove for then and now. Today, I speak with Deborah about the past year. Look for the ABC News Daily Podcast on the ABC listener. (upbeat music) (upbeat music) (dramatic music)