Michelle Simon Journalist Profile

Articles

Chaos, confusion and killings: How the Israeli-backed aid plan in Gaza is unravelling

3 weeks ago | news.sky.com | Michelle Simon |Kaitlin Tosh |Sam Doak

Dozens of Palestinians have been killed near aid distribution compounds in recent days, prompting renewed criticism of the controversial new Israeli-backed aid system for the Gaza Strip. Only one of the four compounds has opened every day since 27 May, when the new system was launched. It lies in the far south-west of the Gaza Strip, near the ruins of a town known as Swedish Village.
New data reveals impact of war on civilians in Lebanon

Nov 27, 2024 | news.sky.com | Michelle Simon |Daniel Dunford

As residents of southern Lebanon begin returning to neighbourhoods reduced to rubble, new data shared with Sky News illustrates the impact of the conflict. The Centre for Information Resilience has verified more than 400 videos showing 300 separate incidents of harm to civilians and damage to infrastructure in Lebanon. It offers a window into the extent of the destruction since fighting began in October last year.
Middle East latest: Ceasefire mediator to hold news conference as Hamas and Israel 'on brink' of deal

Oct 28, 2024 | news.sky.com | Michelle Simon |Daniel Dunford

Truce mediator to hold news conference Qatar's prime minister willhold a news conference this afternoon. The countryhas been hosting talks in Doha to reach a Gaza ceasefire deal, a seniorQatari official said. An invitation by Qatar's state news agency saidthe news conference would be hosted by Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, who is also foreign minister. The official declined to say what time the newsconference would begin.
A year of war in Gaza: How a society got pushed to breaking point

Oct 6, 2024 | news.sky.com | Michelle Simon

By Ben van der Merwe, Michelle Inez Simon and Sky News' Gaza teamLives lost. Homes bombed. Families torn apart by grief. After 12 months of conflict in Gaza, more than 41,000 people are dead, with many more missing. Survivors live in what they describe as a "nightmare", without proper access to food, shelter or sanitation. The scale of destruction is unprecedented in recent history. With no end in sight to the war with Israel, Palestinians are left with little hope for the future.
How IS-K group linked to Taylor Swift terror plot is increasing in strength and influence

Sep 1, 2024 | news.sky.com | Michelle Simon

The international influence of Islamic State Khorasan (IS-K), a branch of the Islamic State, has been on the rise. Sky News has analysed new data from the Centre for Information Resilience (CIR) that shows a sharp rise in propaganda produced by the group, which is being disseminated in more languages than ever.
Which constituencies are being targeted the most by online political adverts?

Jun 5, 2024 | news.sky.com | Tom Cheshire |Michelle Simon |Megan Baynes

When Nigel Farage announced his candidacy, he boasted: "We haven't spent a bean on Facebook pushes or advertising."But the data shows Reform has, in fact, spent a significant number of beans. More than £3,800 has been spent by the party's candidate in Great Yarmouth, on more than 50 Facebook and Instagram adverts since the election was called on 22 May.
Data reveals more than half of Gaza's hospitals are no longer operational

Dec 8, 2023 | news.sky.com | Michelle Simon |Daniel Dunford

The data is clear: Gaza's healthcare system is being pushed to the brink. In just 60 days of war, the number of functioning hospitals has dropped by more than half - from 36 to 15 - because of Israeli strikes and a lack of resources. None of the hospitals in northern Gaza have the capacity to perform surgeries, and only six out of 24 have basic services.
Israel-Hamas war: How many people have died in Gaza?

Nov 2, 2023 | news.sky.com | Michelle Simon

Mass casualty airstrikes in Gaza have captured headlines around the world, but doubt has been cast on the reliability of fatality figures in the warzone. Confusion is common in the immediate aftermath of attacks in any conflict, but even Gaza's official count of the number killed, based on hospital administrative data, has come under scrutiny. Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry says 9,061 people have been killed since 7 October, two-thirds of them women and children.