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Local Call

Local Call (or Sikha Mekomit) is a Hebrew-language news site committed to democracy, peace, equality, social justice, transparency, freedom of information and resisting the occupation. The site was co-founded and is co-published by Just Vision and 972 Advancement of Citizen Journalism (which also publishes +972 Magazine).

Several Local Call and +972 Magazine writers publish on both platforms.

Family and friends mourn near the body of Palestinian journalist Saed Sabri Abu Nabhan, who was shot and killed by an Israeli army sniper, at Al Awda Hospital in northern Gaza, January 11, 2025. (Ali Hassan/Flash90)

‘Legitimization Cell’: Israeli unit tasked with linking Gaza journalists to Hamas

Treating the media as a battlefield, a secretive army intelligence squad scoured Gaza for material to bolster Israeli hasbara — including questionable claims that would justify the killing of Palestinian reporters.

By Yuval Abraham August 14, 2025

Mourners at the gravesite of slain Palestinian activist Awdah Hathaleen, including his cousins Alaa Hathaleen (left) and Tariq Hathaleen (right), in the West Bank village of Umm Al-Khair, Aug. 7, 2025. (Oren Ziv)

PHOTOS: Awdah Hathaleen laid to rest after Israel withheld body for 10 days

Israel finally allowed the burial of the Palestinian activist shot by a settler in Umm Al-Khair, only to disrupt his funeral with checkpoints and restrictions.

By Oren Ziv August 7, 2025

Awdah Hathaleen and his eldest son, Watan, in Umm Al-Khair, the West Bank, March 2021. (Emily Glick)

Israel is holding Awdah Hathaleen’s body. His killer roams freely through his village

On hunger strike to demand his return, Umm Al-Khair's women can't even sleep undisturbed as the army detains the village's men in nightly raids.

By Sahar Vardi and Basel Adra August 5, 2025

Israeli settlers attack the village of Turmus Ayya in the West Bank, June 26, 2025. (Oren Ziv)

With West Bank annexation in the air, settlers revel in their impunity

Israeli settlers have rampaged through Palestinian towns and rioted at a military base in recent weeks, knowing government officials have their backs.

By Oren Ziv and Shatha Yaish July 9, 2025

MK Ayman Odeh attends a meeting on violent crime in Israel's Arab society, at the Knesset, in Jerusalem, January 21, 2025. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

The Knesset vs Ayman Odeh

The move to impeach the MK, with the full backing of Jewish opposition lawmakers, sends a message to Palestinian citizens that voting is futile.

By Orly Noy July 2, 2025

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visits the scene where an Iranian ballistic missile hit and caused damage at the Weizmann Institute in Rehovot, June 20, 2025. (Itai Ron/Pool)

Israel’s euphoric ‘victory’ over Iran is quickly giving way to disillusionment

Politically, Netanyahu may appear the winner of the '12-Day War.' But Israel achieved none of its military goals, and Gaza is impossible to ignore.

By Meron Rapoport June 27, 2025

Israeli soldiers raid the village of Khilet Al-Dabe’, Masafer Yatta, in the southern West Bank, June 3, 2025. (Oren Ziv)

New Israeli directive expedites ethnic cleansing of Masafer Yatta

The military order removes the last legal barriers to the wholesale demolition and displacement of 12 Palestinian villages in the southern West Bank.

By Yuval Abraham and Basel Adra June 25, 2025

Palestinians walking near an aid distribution point in the Netzarim Corridor, in the central Gaza Strip, June 9, 2025. (Ali Hassan/Flash90)

The planned expulsion of Gaza’s population is already underway

Israel is conditioning aid delivery to force Gazans south into 'concentration zones.' This plan has begun to stall, but that only portends greater brutality.

By Gadi Algazi June 13, 2025

Palestinians at the site of an Israeli airstrike, in the Jabalia area, Gaza, on June 1, 2025. (Khalil Kahlout/Flash90)

Israel is falsely designating Gaza areas as empty in order to bomb them

The army is using an algorithm it knows to be inaccurate to declare Gaza neighborhoods as “green,” or cleared of residents, and carry out airstrikes — killing hundreds of civilians in recent weeks, a joint investigation reveals.

By Yuval Abraham June 4, 2025

Israeli police officers arrest activist Itamar Greenberg at an anti-war protest in Tel Aviv, May 24, 2025. (Oren Ziv)

‘Next time, we’ll tattoo a Star of David on your face’

After his arrest, Israeli prison officers forced a Jewish anti-war activist to wear a pro-Israel shirt, a degrading practice often used against Palestinian prisoners.

By Oren Ziv June 2, 2025

Activists protest against the war and the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, in central Jerusalem, May 20, 2025. (Jamal Awad/Flash90)

For more Israelis, calling out war crimes is no longer taboo

Recognition of the army’s atrocities in Gaza has moved into mainstream Israeli discourse. This alone cannot end the war — but it's a profound shift.

By Meron Rapoport May 29, 2025

Settlers seen in their newly-established outpost inside the Palestinian village of Maghayer Al-Dir, in the West Bank, May 21, 2025. (Oren Ziv)

In a single week, a new settler outpost erases an entire Palestinian community

After building on their land, Israeli settlers attacked and drove out residents of Maghayer Al-Dir, one of the last villages in the southern Jordan Valley.

By Oren Ziv May 26, 2025