CBC News: The National | Woman dies trying to flee B.C. wildfire

Breaking tonight, RCMP confirmed one person has died from the Bald Range wildfire as thousands remain on edge waiting to hear if their homes have been destroyed.

There's explosions left right and center and the noise from that fire it's just louder than hell.

An entire municipality forced to flee.Some witnessing the flames move in just before they got out.

I just saw a lady in there that lost everything.

The exhausting efforts to limit the damage.As trade talks with the U .S.pick up there's criticism Canada is giving up too much too soon.

If we continue to give in concessions We continue to lose our sovereignty.

Why some are concerned about the state of the negotiations.Could Canada's next ISS astronaut get the nod to go on a spacewalk?

When you open a door and you look and you see the planet Earth as a fall below you, your mind just can't compute.

One -on -one with Joshua Kutryk on how he's trying to prepare for his upcoming historic mission.

From CBC News, this is The National with Paul Hunter.

Thank you for joining us.Ian is away.The RCMP and British Columbia have confirmed one person has died while trying to flee from a massive and fast -moving wildfire in the province's Okanagan.RCMP say an 80 -year -old woman died while trying to leave her home on Friday.She was one of thousands told to evacuate after a fire burning northeast of Penticton exploded in size in just a matter of hours.The flames moved so quickly, some residents had to be rescued by helicopter.

Jessica Chung is about 30 minutes away from Summerlin, B .C.tonight, where the fire is being felt in other ways.

Jessica?Yeah, the smoke here is relentless.You can see it behind me.The mountains are covered in this thick haze.You can smell it.You can also feel it in the back of your throat and in your eyes.

And this smoke is the direct result of a fire that is wreaking havoc in Summerland tonight.Stunning video shows people fleeing in the dark of night from the glow of a raging wildfire in BC's Okanagan.The Baldrange fire has grown by 30 % since Saturday, reaching 136 square kilometers.That, after it nearly doubled in size overnight Friday, shortly after igniting.It prompted the whole community of Summerland to flee.12 ,000 people ordered to leave their homes plus thousands more from the surrounding area including Peachland most of which headed south.

The entire population of Summerland is here.It's kind of strange seeing your entire community transplanted into another community.

And the mayor says the number one question from evacuees is when they can go home.

It's too soon to say.We have to make sure the town is safe.We know power lines are down.We know the water is contaminated, so all that has to be looked at, sorted out.

What he does know is that homes and structures have been lost in the flames, but it's not clear yet how many.The RCMP says an 80 year old woman died while trying to flee her home.Police believe her death was a result of the wildfire.Heavy smoke is helping keep temperatures down, but also comes with a trade -off.

The smoke is without a doubt causing some very big challenges for us with our ability to be able to fully utilize our aerial fleets and resources.

Across the province, about a hundred wildfires are active and nearly two million people have died.,000 people have been ordered to evacuate.BC's premier has declared a province -wide state of emergency.Ottawa has since approved funding to help provide shelter for evacuees.BC wildfire crew says this is some of the most challenging conditions that they have ever seen and it may not let up anytime soon.

We'll be looking at winds out of the West that are a little bit stronger than what we've been seeing in the last little while.It really just depends at this point where that wind shows up and how it interacts with the fire.

Now, the winds are causing the wildfire smoke to spread to places like Kelowna, and that's disrupted some air travels.So more than a dozen flights were canceled.Some were delayed due to the heavy smoke.

And Jessica, I take it we're getting a sense now of what the weather will be like in the coming days.

Yeah, so this prolonged air quality along with the heat, the severe drought conditions and the possibility of dry lightning really has crews preparing for some difficult days ahead, Paul.

Okay, thank you, Jessica.That's Jessica Chung near Summerlin, B .C.tonight.Now, as we mentioned, about 12 ,000 people were ordered to leave Summerlin as the Bald Range wildfire rapidly closed in on their community.Evacuees were instructed to head to emergency reception centers.

Most went south to Penticton.Others headed north to West Kelowna.That journey, for many, further complicated by a closure on Highway 97, a key route in the region.John Hernandez is in Penticton tonight.He's been speaking with evacuees all day about their frantic rush to safety and fears they may have nothing to return to.

There goes the middle.Filming from his roof in Summerland, John Kingston watched as the Bald Range fire exploded in size while heading straight for him.

There's explosions left right and center and the noise from that the fire it's just louder and louder.

He tried to hose down the houses in his neighborhood, but the smoke and heat became too much to bear.

I don't know if what's going to be there when we get back.You know, you've heard good things, you hear bad things, but it's all hearsay.

Thousands of Summerland residents evacuated to Penticton.Now they're staying wherever they can as they wait for official word on their homes.

This is where they told me to go to when I got evacuated.This was the address they gave me, so.I don't know if they knew that I was going to show up with seven cars.Mechanic Gary Nielsen brought his cherished possessions to this parking lot.I'm building this one right behind us for my dad.So this is a super important vehicle to me, right?

This is supposed to be what we are building memories in.

Many others resting at this evacuation center as they navigate loss and hardship.

So I just saw a lady in there that lost everything and a volunteer is helping her.She found her husband and herself in the car just sitting there and they didn't know what to do and it's just overwhelming the amount of support.

Neighbours also helping where they can.Some heading into the fire zone to save animals.These two horses were rescued from a stable of seven as the fires raged on Saturday.The volunteers are waiting on emergency permits so they can get the rest.

You look into some of these horses eyes and you see what they've gone through and It hits you deep down into your soul.You feel it.

A lot of people are eager to get back into Summerland and see what's left.Search for missing pets and farm animals.But the province is advising everyone to respect roadblocks and stay away.

And John, this situation is made more difficult I guess because not everyone has a place to stay.

Yeah, there are only so many hotel rooms here in Penticton.A lot of people have taken to staying in the parking lot outside the evacuation centre here.Whether it's in their vehicles, in campers or even tents.Also, a lot of people have taken to parking lots outside of stores like Walmart and Canadian Tire.These evacuees certainly eager to get back home.Paul.

Oh man.Thanks, John.CBC's John Hernandez in Penticton tonight.And there's some good news in the firefight.Crews are making progress on a wildfire near Vernon, B .C.

The Bradley Creek wildfire that burned at least 230 properties is no longer considered out of control.Officials say it's not projected to grow under current conditions, but it's still about 26 square kilometers, and evacuation orders and alerts are still in place.The fight against these devastating wildfires is getting a boost from technology, and some say that's worth holding on to.

This technology will save a life one day.

From AI -powered cameras to the fire -starting drones, we'll show you the tech employed in the fight against the flames a little later in the hour.Pierre Polyev says the time for giving in to US trade demands is over.The Conservative leader arguing so far the Prime Minister has nothing to show for it.Alexander Silberman now on that criticism and where talks stand.

Concession after concession after concession.

Conservative leader Pierre Pauliev criticizing Prime Minister Mark Carney's attempts to strike a trade deal with the U .S.In an open letter, Pauliev says Canada has caved to too many demands, including removing counter tariffs, scrapping the digital services tax, and cutting a deal to share toll revenue from the Gordie Howe International Bridge.

But no more.unilateral concessions before getting to the bargaining table.

The criticism comes as trade talks between the U .S.and Canada intensify.

We should not be afraid to walk away from a bad deal.

This former special advisor in international trade at the Ministry of Finance says Canada's concessions so far have been strategic and beneficial but argues there is little left to concede.

Our economic model is under assault.If we continue to give in concessions we continue to lose our sovereignty as a nation.

The government is now willing to offer movement on more U .S.demands in exchange for tariff relief, including lifting retaliatory tariffs on U .S.autos, making some changes on dairy, and ending provincial bans on American alcohol sales, according to industry sources who spoke to CBC News.Though Canada can't force the provinces to restock and the idea is deeply unpopular in Quebec.

In wood, in cars in Ontario, like we were losing a lot in this commercial war.At least we had some gain with the alcohol.Quebec's premier is one of several pledging to continue a ban.That after several American alcohol companies have moved some manufacturing to Quebec.

producing here in Quebec and creating jobs and is a plus value to the economy.

The pressure on the trade talks now up against the August 19th deadline when a new round of 50 % tariffs on some Canadian goods could take effect.Though the Canada -U .S.Trade Minister is set to return to Washington this week.

Alexander Silberman, CBC News, Montreal.with just over a week to go before that tariff deadline.Some Canadian businesses are rushing to get their goods south of the border.

Karen Pauls shows us what that looks like.Staff at this Winnipeg golf accessory company are busy packing up orders for American customers.

We got a few like stocking orders from our sort of U .S.customers and like oh it needs to ship by August 17th just in case those tariffs come to effect.

Up to 40 % of their sales are in the U .

S.How many of these go to the U .

S.?

One customer buys 2 ,000.They're trying to beat the threat of 50 % tariffs on August 19th.

It'd be very tough to eat that charge.Usually we drop ship to a lot of the golf courses in the States so usually we pay all the duties up front.

Sports equipment is part of the latest tariff threat by U .S.President Donald Trump on everything from wine and cement to agricultural products.Things that are tariff -free under the existing Canada -U .S.-Mexico trade deal.

Negotiations have intensified.Both sides say they'll be in touch every day until the deadline.It's a very, I would say very critical time in this in this whole process.The stakes are high.About 70 % of what's produced in Canada is exported to the U .

S.Nearly 2 million Canadians work in manufacturing.What you're seeing is real threats to their business because the U .S.

is our biggest customer.It's often our biggest supplier as well.

Small businesses also anxiously watching the negotiations.This is high stakes right now.There are a lot of communities, a lot of businesses whose futures, whose economic futures are on the line right now.

that Canadian negotiators get a deal, a durable one, across the finish line.The U .S.president likes to, as they say, drive for show and putt for dough.

Andrew Hunt would like to plant more of his flags on American golf courses.

So what do you think the chances are of doing more Trump flags?

For him, that would be a trade deal hole -in -one.

Karen Pauls, CBC News, Winnipeg.The RCMP is appealing to the public for dash cam footage.in an investigation into the homicide of a 12 -year -old Edmonton boy.His remains were found in a rural part of Alberta on Thursday.Police have not specified the boy's cause of death, but they say an autopsy confirmed it's a homicide.They say the boy had not been reported missing prior to Thursday.

A three -year -old girl is in hospital tonight after being attacked by a bear outside of her home in Maple Ridge, B .C.Officials say the child was playing on her backyard deck when the animal attacked.A parent intervened and managed to chase it away.The girl was airlifted to B .C.

Children's Hospital with non -life -threatening injuries.Police later shot the bear, but it fled into the woods.Conservation officers are still trying to track it down.Israel has confirmed it is rejecting the U .S.president's Gaza peace plan and the Israeli prime minister is doing so bluntly.

Caroline Barghout on why Benjamin Netanyahu is going against Trump and the reaction inside Gaza.

For the first time since Donald Trump announced what he called a monumental step forward in his Gaza peace deal, a massive blow from Israel's prime minister.Benjamin Netanyahu telling his cabinet Israel rejects the 15 -point plan.This comes just 10 days after Trump said mediators had struck a historic agreement with Hamas.The group would disarm when Israel halts its strikes in Gaza and withdraws from the strip.Now Netanyahu who's seeking re -election says that's not going to happen.saying Hamas must disarm first.

Trump understands that Israel is going to have elections at the end of October and that what Prime Minister Netanyahu is doing is probably about Israel's elections.

The Israeli PM also rejected calls for a two -state solution.Saying, as long as I am prime minister, a Palestinian state will not be established.Not in Gaza and not in Judea and Samaria, the biblical term for the West Bank.Multiple reports citing a senior Hamas official say the group remains committed to the deal and expects the U .S.and mediators to press Netanyahu and his government to adhere to it.

This former senior advisor to the U .S.special envoy for Middle East peace says Israel's response casts doubt on the future of any agreement.

It used to be a big deal to go against Donald Trump.What we don't know is whether now it's a big deal to go against Donald Trump.But I think what Netanyahu is seeing is some weakness on the Trump side, on the Trump administration, their ability to affect power, to make change.

On top of rejecting the deal, Netanyahu says the IDF will continue strikes in Gaza, saying they're necessary to thwart threats.Caroline Bargute, CBC News, Washington.

In the Spanish city of Ceuta, hundreds gathered to demand action on the growing migration crisis there.This follows a mass crossing from neighboring Morocco late last month when more than 70 ,000 migrants entered the city.Dozens died in the rush.Most have since returned home, but hundreds of unaccompanied minors remain.Protesters say the crisis is draining resources as frustration mounts over the government's response.Well, if you've looked at housing listings lately, you might have noticed that AI photo generators are getting a workout by some of those who are selling their places.

In some cases, they're labeled as being virtually staged.But in this case, there was no label overphotos.

So what are the rules Realtors need to follow?Plus, the next Canadian heading to space talks risk and reward as plans are made for science on board the ISS and spacewalks outside of it.It is hands down the riskiest thing that we do in outer space.Why so many astronauts want to be the one to suit up.And this hamster runs literally like he's training for a marathon.

I knew he was running a lot, so I wanted to measure that.

You won't believe how many kilometers he clocks per night.We're back in two.Well, as about 100 wildfires continue to burn in BC, officials are turning to new tools to help fight the flames and detect threats sooner.As Tanya Fletcher shows us, much of that work is now powered by artificial intelligence.

Over time, it'll move, does a 360, but it's essentially the eyes of our system.

Perched atop a student dorm building on Burnaby Mountain, this AI camera is one of six newly installed around the region, constantly scanning the horizon for signs of smoke.

Zooming in, zooming out of certain areas, and if it does sense something, it's going to zoom in and analyze it.

The cameras spotted this recent wildfire in Metro Vancouver, alerting crews even before a 911 call is made, allowing them to respond more quickly.

Firefighters have also installed 45 chemical sniffing ground sensors attached to trees deep in forested areas like this one on the side of Burnaby Mountain.

The new cameras and sensors are now being used in Kelowna and Vernon too, BC leading the country in wildfire detection.

Because of this impact, I can honestly say that this technology will save a life one day.

This destructive fire season marks another Canadian first.Using this drone to carry out a controlled burn on an active wildfire.Hovering over the flames, tearing through the Fraser Canyon, it drops many fire starters as part of a planned ignition.Crews who've been testing the technology for years say they shed a happy tear to see it in action in real life.

Those happy little moments are fleeting in these types of wildfire seasons.It's not every day that you get to see something that that can help you in the future.

Meanwhile, inside this lab at UBC, researchers are training AI chatbots to help crews triage fires and prioritize locations using real -time data.Based on current scenarios, predictive modeling presents decision -makers with various outcomes, weighing factors like evacuation impacts, structure loss and environmental damage.

With what we're doing, they can see cost, consequences.

But he says they will never train artificial intelligence to decide which option is best because like many in the field point out, technology can never replace human intuition.Tanya Fletcher, CBC News, Vancouver.

Meanwhile, AI is also creeping into real estate listings.Whether you're looking to buy or rent, there's a good chance you're seeing more and more altered photos, sometimes without your knowledge.Avneet Dhillon from CBC's Fact Check team shows us how the technology is being used and the rules around it.

These photos are from a Montreal apartment listing on rentals .ca, but the images aren't real.They're AI generated.We dropped the photos into OpenAI's image detector, which found they were generated using its AI tools.Real estate listings are increasingly using AI for their photos.In some cases, they're labeled as being virtually staged, but in this case, there was no label over the photos and no indication in the data.

that the listing contained AI -generated images.There were some photos in the listing that appear to be real, like this one.It shows an empty room while the AI -generated image shows it furnished.There's also this empty room photo and these hallway photos.When we dropped these into OpenAI's image detector, its tools were not detected.But some rooms, like the kitchen, are only shown using AI -generated photos.

Other listings, like this one for a townhouse in Paris, Ontario, on Realtor .ca, do put labels over the altered images.This exterior shot is labeled as AI -generated, as are several of the interior photos.Realtors across the country use the database MLS to list properties.According to MLS advertising rules, AI or other digital alteration isn't banned, but it can't be used to create or alter images in a way that does not accurately depict the listed real estate.So a realtor can use AI to stage a room, but they're not supposed to mislead people.

For example, they can add a couch to a room using AI, but they can't add a window to a wall that doesn't already have a window.It's also best practice to show both photos, the one before it was altered after.But as you can probably tell, not all agents are following these advertising rules and it's not clear how the rules are actually enforced.If you are seeing other photos or videos you'd like us to fact -check, send us an email at ask at cbc .

ca.Well here's some good news for Quebec shoppers.The price of fresh sweet corn on the cob is way down and store shelves are packed.Natalia Weichsel on what's behind the sudden surge in supply.

Sweet corn season has arrived in Quebec and this year farmers fields are overflowing.

So it was a little bit late getting started but we're in the full swing of it now.

This farmer says a chilly spring delayed crop development but a recent burst of hot summer weather triggered a huge growth spurt.

We got six different varieties here.and they all have different maturity dates, but this year they all came in at the same time.

That sudden surge has overwhelmed store shelves and sent prices plunging.According to data from the Quebec Vegetable Growers Association, local corn prices plummeted by 23 % in the last week on average.And though these deals are sweet as corn for consumers, demand from U .S.buyers has also decreased, likely because crops have also been strong south of the border, says the Growers Association.

while we keep our vegetable at home.

Despite slimmer margins on corn, this season has also been profitable for other types of vegetables, ensuring Quebec farmers still yield a profit.

Our vegetable growers are really good to manage financial risk.Even if they sell at a loss for one item, sometimes they can still be okay in the end of the season.

Here at Quinn Farm just outside Montreal, visitors can pick their own corn and people just can't get enough.

We tasted it, it's really good.And then he asked me to try the other one and it's even better.Basically, I'm going to take half out.

Best corn around.The owner says the corn is so good you can eat it raw.Try that.In Quebec, another wave of produce is on the way with fresh broccoli, cantaloupe and local lettuce heading straight to store shelves.

It's the right time to save on the groceries and buy local.

For shoppers, the timing couldn't be better.Natalia Weichsel, CBC News, Montreal.

All right, so from the cornfields of Quebec to, well, pretty much the exact opposite.

It is a high -risk undertaking to spend six months on the ISS.There's no doubt about it.

Before he blasts off to the International Space Station, Canadian astronaut Joshua Kudrick.on the mission ahead, including the hazards.

This is a huge machine that's flying at 30 ,000 kilometres an hour in the vacuum of space.His story, when we come back.

When the Artemis II mission launched in April, Jeremy Hansen made history as the first Canadian to rocket around the moon.We've since learned that the next Artemis crew won't include a Canadian.But Alberta -born Joshua Kutryk is about to make his own mark in space.He'll be the first Canadian to ride the SpaceX Dragon rocket out to the International Space Station, where he will have plenty to do.Among other duties, Kutryk, who's 44, and a very nice guy, will study the effects of space travel on humans as plans for living on the moon and on Mars get closer to reality.He may also get to walk in space.

That's known as an EVA, or extravehicular activity.And it seems to be the one thrill that every astronaut longs for.Kutryk sat down with Eli Glassner at the Johnson Space Center in Houston to talk about the upcoming mission.

So you're going to be heading off to the ISS for six months, moving into space.Now, talking about risk, this is a 25 -year -old vehicle.

Yeah.

What kind of confidence do you have in the ISS?There was a leak not too long ago where the crew were actually sheltering, preparing for the worst.Yeah.

It would be naive to suggest that we operate in any kind of carefree bliss or assurance of safety.It is a hierarchy.undertaking to spend six months on the ISS.There's no doubt about it.This is a huge machine that's flying at 30 ,000 kilometers an hour in the vacuum of space.Everything about it is high risk.

But at the same time, there's thousands and thousands of people here at NASA and elsewhere around the world who are charged with keeping it safe and managing that risk.And I'm sort of the very and at the tip of that spear, the guy actually cranking the wrenches, turning the screwdrivers in space.So you know, there are certainly things we worry about.The things you alluded to, yes, intimately familiar with, down to the smallest detail.This is my job, is to worry about that stuff.But in the grand calculus, we still think it's safe.

And the risk that is left is worth taking in the name of the bigger objectives like science.

It doesn't get much more outer space than a spacewalk.Talk to me about EVAs and what's the risk there in preparing for just being tethered and being out there.

EVAs are a bit of a catch -22.They are, for every astronaut, the ultimate dream.We all want to do that more than probably almost anything else we want to do in orbit.At the same time, we only do them if we really have to do it.It is, hands down, the riskiest thing that we do in outer space right now, is put someone in into one of these 300 -pound suits and push them outside the front door of a space station.On our mission, we know already that we are really going to have to do it in a couple of cases.

One is to do with the power system on ISS.The other is to do with this physics machine called AMS, which is Advanced Magnetic Spectrometer.These things have to be fixed.And so our expedition will be responsible for some of this.Again, when you get into the question of which crew members actually does what task or what EVA, it's complicated.There's hundreds, thousands of factors.

And weAnd we don't know yet who will do them.

But it could be you.It could be.

And of course, we would all have your your colleagues that have been up there.Have they tried to prepare you for.Like, what is that view?How do you take that in when you step outside?

We all talk amongst all of us about everything to do with these missions, and EVA is certainly one of them.It's neat.Most people will tell you the first time that they open that hatch, that front door, they're almost sometimes frozen with bewilderment, with amazement.They feel like falling.You know, you don't feel like falling when you're in ISS, but when you open a door and you look and you see the planet Earth as a ball below you, your mind just can't compute.And for most people, there's a solid couple of minutes of just sort of hanging on, trying to catch your breath, reframe your mind, get calm, and then be able to go on with the task.

I remember talking to Roberta Bondar, and like, do you have that a couple of moments just to take it in?

Yeah, we account for that.So yes, yeah, we call it adaptation.Adaptation.

It's a very, very technical term for like an amazing Beautiful thing to experience.

Yeah.Well, there's lots of aspects that I mean it is amazing is beautiful, but there's also there's also negative sides I mean people get get confused they get twisted upside down their vestibular system really struggles Often early in these missions people get really sick, right?

Other kinds of medical problems are quite common So it's a real thing that we plan for and try to deal with manage prepare for the earliest Joshua Kutryk and three other astronauts could launch into orbit is September 12th, closer to that time, we'll bring you the rest of this interview with Eli.They covered a lot more than what we've shown you tonight.Alright, so, hamster running in a wheel, not normal.Hamster owner tracking the hamster's distance using a popular workout app?Well, this you gotta see.

My hamster has a Strava Premium subscription.

You won't believe how far this little guy can go.Seriously, we're back right after this.An extremist Israeli settler has been charged with manslaughter for his alleged fatal shooting of a Palestinian activist just over a year ago.This is the first such indictment from Israeli prosecutors in years.The victim, Oda Hathleen, was an English teacher involved in the making of an Oscar -winning documentary.The accused is Enon Levy, a settler sanctioned by Canada and a figure we've reported on before.

In 2024, CBC News senior foreign correspondent Margaret Evans showed us firsthand the growing settler violence against Palestinians.Here's another look.

I'd really like to see your ID saying you're a soldier.

This is not the law in Israel.

Give me passport.These are the foot soldiers of Israel's settlement enterprise in the occupied West Bank at work.

You know everything here.

Give me please.Do not touch me.

They're now actually putting handcuffs on him.

Their tactics are increasingly hard -line, say the Palestinians enduring them.

My eye on him.

The Palestinian villagersTewani lies south of Hebron, a small farming community that, like most of the West Bank, is under complete Israeli control.Shaped by the land and circumstance, 20 -year -old Mohamed Houraini has taken to fighting the occupation through social media.

Every week there is a home demolition in Masaf Riyadah, meanwhile in my back there the settlements have the right to exist while according to the national law are illegal Irani was born and raised in these hills in the shadow of an Israeli settlement called Ma 'on and its outpost Havot Ma 'on.As you see they have just established this military tower for watching our land after October 7th.And if they saw us here they will come.

And they did come just after the interview.Armed men in military fatigues unable or unwilling to formally identify themselves.Ma 'on and its outpost are notorious for the extremist settlers who live there.Palestinian children walking by on their way to school have had to have an Israeli army escort to protect them from attack for nearly two decades.Rouhani says Tuwani's residents are used to harassment but since the deadly Hamas attack on October 7th last year violence by extremist settlers against Palestinians has spiked.This video shows an encounter between an armed settler and Palestinian residents of Tuwani in the same month.

Irini's cousin Zachariah Adra was shot in the stomach.An armed person in military fatigues looking on.Adra survived but his attacker was never charged.

Everything happens in a moment and maybe it will cost you your life.

The land in the South Hebron hills can shift in and out of focus when the sand slips loose from the hard desert floor.A little like the dream of a Palestinian state.Since Israel captured East Jerusalem and the West Bank from Jordan in 1967, successive governments have allowed settlements to expand and flourish on Palestinian land.Today there are half a million Jewish settlers in the West Bank alone.Many in large settlement blocks.Others in smaller remote ones.

Some for economic reasons.Some because they believe the land is theirs by divine right.Irani is taking us to a village called Zanuta.It's Palestinian residents having just returned for the first time in almost a year since fleeing in the weeks after October 7th threatened they say by settlers at a nearby outpost.

Yes, yes, go, go, go.

This is after the people were forcibly displaced.The settlers came here.They start to draw they put lots of Israeli flags and destroyed most of the houses.

The school, built with European Union funding, is in ruins.A few childhood memories clinging to the walls that still stand.

You can see there's a settlement outpost that's close to the village.

The outpost in question is called the Mehta Reem Farm.Established by a man named Enon Levy.One of 11 extremist settlers sanctioned by Canada.Accused of perpetrating violence against Palestinians.We find the men of the village trying to clear up.They say it's still not fit for women or small children.

Shafiq Suleiman, born here 52 years ago, he tells us, shows us his house, now without a roof.The farmers and herders who live here only returned after an Israeli Supreme Court decision said they could.But they've come with solidarity activists from Israel and abroad for added security.And they're not allowed to rebuild their homes destroyed in their absence because the area has been dubbed an archaeological zone.The residents show us video they say is of Levi and others harassing them as soon as they returned driving quads through their herds.You're always afraid, says Suleiman.

If you'd come an hour ago you would have seen settlers here.Calling the Israeli police or army they say is pointless.Shepherd Hassan Barhat tells us he was arrested a day earlier after one of Levy's men accused him of stealing a sheep.When the police came, he says, they took a sheep out of his flock and issued him with a fine of nearly $400.

Israeli settlements are considered illegal under international law.Obviously Israel disputes that.But even Israel considers settlement outposts like the one behind me illegal, at least technically.Most Palestinians will tell you the Israeli government is actually encouraging them and will one day support them.with electricity, water, even their own access roads.

Rights groups say it's an old pattern but one that's accelerated dramatically since Israel's far -right government came to power two years ago with pro -settler cabinet ministers describing settlements as facts on the ground that will thwart any possibility of a Palestinian state.Nearly 70 outposts have been greenlit for government funding over the past year according to settlement watch groups and 43 new outposts have been established.

Part of the settler's strategy with the outposts is to start on one hilltop and then take another hilltop nearby and then another and that way they're linking the territory in between and expanding the territory they control.

We return to Zenuta a week later only to find it deserted save for the mayor of the village council.Fayez Tella says October 7th and the war in Gaza that followed has given cover to those in Israel determined to annex the whole of the West Bank.we decided to try and speak to Enon Levy.

He says he's not there.

When we call him later at the appointed time he tells us to call back.in an hour and when we do he stops answering his phone.An occupation now in its 57th year has never been a stagnant thing.But the lines between the Israeli army and militant Jewish settlers are increasingly blurred.The encounter between our crew and the armed men who arrived from behind settlement walls to demand our passports is a mild example.

You're not answering my question.How do we know that you're a soldier?

In the end, they arrested our Palestinian -Israeli colleague falsely accusing him of assault.

They then put him in the car and have driven him towards this settlement or the outpost that you can see just in the distance.

He was eventually released but ordered to appear at a police station the next day.Later the Israel Defense Forces told us the man demanding passports was an army reservist.Asked about the IDF relationship with settlements and outposts they said the IDF trains and equips what it called local community defense forces.Critics say they're militia -like.Often made up of hardline settlers volunteering as reservists to replace Israeli troops normally stationed in the West Bank now fighting in Gaza or Lebanon.Mohamed Houraini's chosen path, he says, is one of activism.

Non -violent resistance to the theft of Palestinian land.The teachings, he says, of his father.

What do you think about the sanctions that some countries, including my own, put on individual settlers?Is that helpful?

Do you see any change after all of this?Do you see settlers stop their crimes against the Palestinians?

No.If anything, he says, they're emboldened.What happened to his cousin has shaken him.That's the point, he says.

To scare you, to intimidate you and put an end for what you are doing.For fighting for our liberation, for our rights, for our land.

The part of Houraini's routine now is to make sure his father is rarely alone when grazing their animals.The settlers and their guards watching in the distance.One more constraint on an already restricted horizon.

It is extremely rare for Israel to charge settlers with violence against Palestinians.An Israeli rights group says that since the attacks of October 7, 2023, Israeli settlers and soldiers have killed at least 1 ,100 Palestinians in the West Bank.All right, so this is Mollie the Hamster.Mollie lives in the Netherlands, and we think that he, that's right, Mollie is a he, is going for a gold medal in nocturnal, four -legged track and field.That's because Molly runs, get this, 10 kilometers a night in that tiny little wheel of his.Around and around and around and around and around.

And how do we know that it's fully 10k?Because of his clever owner and a popular sports tracking app.Tonight, his nightly rodent runs make our moment.

My hamster has a Strava Premium subscription.I knew he was running a lot, so I wanted to measure that.I ended up building alittle system which detects every time the wheel spins and uploads it to Strava, the sports app, where, for example, for running, you can track what you've been doing, where you've been going, how far, how fast.He goes much further than I would have expected.I think he's averaging almost 10 kilometers per night.

I try to run quite a bit myself, and then I generally go to like 40, 50 kilometers a week.But Molly is hitting almost 70 kilometers a week at the moment, which I'm quite jealous of.And it's quite a nice goal as well to try and beat him in the future.He's got a very consistent internal clock to him.Almost every night, he starts at the very same time window of 15 minutes.There's shockingly little data available online about people tracking their hamster wheels.

My mom also has a hamster, and that one doesn't run as much.At least by that comparison, he's doing a good job.

You know, I used to always think when I was a kid, look at hamsters doing that.I used to think they're always thinking, When will I get there?When will I get there?When will I get there?And they just step up.That's how my brain worked.

From all of us here at The National, thanks for being with us.I'm Paul Hunter.Take care.