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Israeli airstrikes have killed at least 20 people in the Gaza Strip, Palestinian health officials said Tuesday, as Israeli forces intensified their ground operations in areas previously spared from major combat during the ongoing 21-month conflict. The renewed military push comes amid ongoing but stalled negotiations between Israel and Hamas over a potential ceasefire that could pause hostilities and lead to the release of some hostages. Talks have dragged on for weeks with little progress, largely due to disagreements over a potential Israeli troop withdrawal from parts of Gaza. The Biden administration has been pressing Israel to bring the war to a close and has grown increasingly critical. On Monday, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said President Donald Trump was “caught off guard” by a recent Israeli strike that hit Gaza’s only Catholic church. That attack, which killed three people and wounded ten—including a priest known for his connection to the late Pope Francis—prompted condemnation from both Pope Leo XIV and Trump. Israel later said the strike was accidental and expressed regret. Tents Hit, Dozens Wounded in Gaza CityAmong the latest casualties, 12 people—including three women and three children—were killed when an Israeli airstrike struck tents housing displaced civilians in the densely populated Shati refugee camp in Gaza City, according to Shifa Hospital officials. Another 38 people were injured. Footage released by Gaza’s Health Ministry showed bodies lying on the ground and tents torn apart by the blast. In a separate overnight strike, at least eight people were killed and over 100 wounded while waiting for humanitarian aid on a coastal road in Gaza City. Witnesses said the crowd was hit twice by Israeli aircraft. Ahmed Mhana, who was among those waiting for aid, said, “We were standing in line, and suddenly the sky lit up—then the second strike came as people tried to flee.” The Israeli military has yet to comment on the incidents but maintains that Hamas bears responsibility for civilian deaths due to operating within populated areas. Israel has accused the group of extending the war by refusing ceasefire terms, including disarmament and surrendering control of Gaza. Heavy Fighting Reaches Deir al-BalahResidents of Deir al-Balah in central Gaza—an area previously spared from widespread destruction—reported intense shelling and airstrikes overnight. “It was nonstop,” said Ayman Abu Hassan, a local resident. “The ground was shaking like an earthquake.” Abu Hassan said he fled the southwestern part of the city, now under Israeli incursion, to seek refuge in the coastal Muwasi area. The Israeli military had ordered partial evacuations in Deir al-Balah earlier this week. Death Toll and Humanitarian Crisis DeepenAccording to Gaza’s Health Ministry, over 59,000 Palestinians have been killed since the war began following Hamas-led attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023, which left about 1,200 people dead and 251 hostages taken. Fewer than half of the remaining 50 hostages are believed to be alive. The health ministry, which operates under Hamas but is regarded by the UN and other agencies as the primary source for casualty data, states that more than half the fatalities in Gaza are women and children. Church Leaders Condemn War After Rare Gaza VisitIn Jerusalem, top Christian leaders who recently visited Gaza described the territory as “almost totally destroyed” and called on the international community to intervene. Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch, and Greek Orthodox Patriarch Theophilos III said they saw widespread hunger and suffering during their visit. “Every hour without food, water, medicine, and shelter causes deep harm,” said Pizzaballa. “It is morally unacceptable and unjustifiable.” Israel continues to restrict the flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza, and aid convoys that do enter often face chaos and violence at distribution sites.  

Iranian authorities reported Tuesday that 27 inmates remain unaccounted for following an Israeli airstrike last month that struck Evin Prison in northern Tehran, during a 12-day conflict between the two countries. The Israeli bombardment, which lasted nearly two weeks, resulted in the deaths of approximately 1,100 people in Iran. In response, Iranian retaliatory strikes killed 28 people in Israel. According to Iran’s judiciary news outlet Mizanonline, spokesman Asghar Jahangir stated that 75 prisoners had initially escaped after the airstrike, though 48 have since been recaptured or returned voluntarily. He noted that the escapees had been serving time for minor offenses, and warned that the remaining fugitives would face arrest if they do not surrender. Iranian officials said 71 people were killed in the strike on the prison, while earlier local reports from July put the death toll at 80, including prison staff, soldiers, inmates, and visiting relatives. Five of the fatalities were inmates. The reason behind Israel’s decision to target the prison remains unclear. However, Israel's Defense Ministry said that 50 aircraft had carried out precision strikes on military objectives, based on what it called "high-quality, accurate intelligence" from its Intelligence Branch. The New York-based Center for Human Rights criticized the strike, condemning it as a breach of international humanitarian law for failing to distinguish between civilian and military targets. Evin Prison has long been regarded as a symbol of Iran’s crackdown on dissent. 

Nineteen years after coordinated bomb blasts tore through Mumbai’s suburban trains, killing 189 people and injuring over 800, the Bombay High Court has acquitted all 12 individuals previously convicted in the case. On July 11, 2006, seven powerful blasts struck Mumbai’s local trains within an 11-minute span during evening rush hour, with pressure cooker bombs placed in first-class compartments. The explosions occurred near stations including Matunga Road, Mahim Junction, Bandra, Khar Road, Jogeshwari, Bhayandar, and Borivali. In 2015, a special court under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) had found 12 men guilty. Five were sentenced to death — Faisal Sheikh, Asif Khan, Kamal Ansari, Ehtesham Siddiqui, and Naveed Khan. The remaining seven were given life imprisonment for their roles in the alleged conspiracy. However, a division bench of Justice Anil Kilor and Justice Shyam Chandak overturned the convictions on Monday, citing insufficient evidence and serious lapses in the prosecution's case. “The prosecution has completely failed to establish the charges. It is difficult to believe the accused committed the crime,” the bench stated in its ruling. The court said the convicts should be released from custody unless implicated in other pending cases. The judgment highlighted multiple weaknesses in the prosecution’s arguments, including unreliable witness testimonies and questionable physical evidence. The bench noted that it was implausible for witnesses to identify suspects nearly 100 days after the attacks, and pointed out that explosives and materials recovered during the investigation did not conclusively link the accused to the blasts. Furthermore, the court observed that the prosecution could not even establish the exact nature of the bombs used. With this verdict, all 12 men who were convicted nearly a decade ago are now cleared of charges and set to walk free. Source NDTV  

Russia carried out one of its most intense air assaults on Ukraine in recent months just hours before a high-level meeting between Western defense leaders to discuss further military support for Kyiv, particularly under U.S. President Donald Trump’s proposed arms initiative. The barrage, which began shortly after midnight and lasted several hours into Monday, killed two people and injured at least 15, including a child, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. In the capital’s Shevchenkivskyi district, a drone hit the entrance of a subway station used as a shelter. Videos on social media showed thick smoke filling the platform as civilians crowded inside. Mayor Vitalii Klitschko reported that the station required enhanced ventilation. The Darnytskyi district was hit hardest, with fires breaking out at a kindergarten, supermarket, and warehouses. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot, who was in Kyiv on Monday, visited some of the damaged areas. The attack came just ahead of a virtual meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, chaired by UK Defense Secretary John Healey and German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius. U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, and Supreme Allied Commander Europe Gen. Alexus Grynkewich also took part. Ukraine’s new Defense Minister Denys Shmyhal urged partners to accelerate the delivery of U.S.-made air defense systems, including Patriot missiles, as part of a NATO-coordinated plan unveiled by Trump last week. “We call on the U.S. to make these systems available and for European allies to provide financing,” Shmyhal said. Trump’s plan calls for European nations to transfer American-made weapons to Ukraine either from existing stockpiles or through new purchases, with the goal of ramping up defense support over the next 50 days. Trump also issued an ultimatum to Moscow to agree to a ceasefire within that timeframe or face harsher sanctions. Healey, according to the UK government, was expected to push for a 50-day campaign to equip Ukraine with the weapons it needs to resist Russia’s larger military and bring President Vladimir Putin to the negotiating table. Patriot Systems in FocusGermany has offered to finance two new Patriot systems for Ukraine and is considering transferring its own, with U.S. replacements. However, Chancellor Friedrich Merz cautioned that delivery would take time, possibly weeks. Switzerland may also contribute, with its defense ministry confirming that the U.S. will reprioritize five Patriot systems originally ordered by Switzerland for Ukrainian use. While Ukraine waits for these systems, NATO continues to coordinate the delivery of other military aid, including ammunition and artillery, some of which had been temporarily delayed. A NATO official confirmed these efforts but spoke anonymously due to the sensitivity of the matter. Renewed Peace Talk Proposals Amid EscalationPresident Zelenskyy said new peace talks had been proposed for this week. Russian media reported that no date has been set, but Istanbul is expected to host any future negotiations. The Kremlin has said it is open to talks, though its military objectives remain unchanged. Ukraine Responds With Drone Attacks on RussiaRussia’s Ministry of Defense said its strikes involved drones and Kinzhal hypersonic missiles and claimed they targeted Ukrainian military-industrial infrastructure and airfields. Ukraine’s Air Force reported that 426 Shahed and decoy drones, along with 24 missiles, were launched in the overnight attack. Of these, 200 drones were shot down and over 200 more were jammed or lost from radar. Meanwhile, Ukraine continued to strike back with domestically produced long-range drones. Russian officials said 74 Ukrainian drones were shot down overnight, including 23 in the Moscow region and 15 directly over the capital. The air raid on Kyiv was the first major assault since Trump’s special envoy, Keith Kellogg, visited the city last week. No attacks were reported during his stay.

The World Food Programme (WFP) has accused Israeli forces of opening fire with tanks, snipers, and other weapons on Palestinians attempting to receive food aid in northern Gaza, calling it one of the deadliest incidents for aid-seekers in the ongoing conflict. In a statement issued Sunday, the WFP condemned the violence, which occurred as residents gathered around a convoy of 25 trucks carrying food. The Gaza Health Ministry reported that at least 80 people were killed, though Israel claims it only fired warning shots to remove what it described as an immediate threat, and questioned the reported casualty figures. The WFP said the crowd near its convoy came under live fire, resulting in the loss of “countless lives.” Witnesses and a UN official on the ground supported the account, further intensifying concerns over the growing risks faced by Palestinians seeking basic necessities amid the nearly two-year war. A photographer working with the Associated Press counted 31 bodies at Shifa Hospital and another 20 at Sheikh Radwan Clinic, following the incident. “These individuals were simply trying to obtain food for themselves and their families, many of whom are on the brink of starvation,” the WFP stated, expressing concern that the attack occurred despite Israeli assurances that humanitarian corridors would be safe and clear of military presence. “Shootings near aid operations and food convoys must end immediately,” the agency added. The Israeli military declined to comment directly on WFP’s accusations. However, a military spokesperson shared a video online showing soldiers near an aid truck, with one repeatedly shouting “Do not shoot!” The footage could not be independently verified by the AP, and its location remained unclear. Foreign media remain barred from entering Gaza, making independent verification of such incidents difficult. Ongoing Aid Challenges and Rising Death TollThe attack comes amid severe obstacles to humanitarian access in Gaza, where aid delivery has become increasingly dangerous. A separate, U.S.- and Israeli-supported aid initiative has also faced criticism due to recurring violence near distribution points. Meanwhile, Gaza’s Health Ministry reported that more than 59,000 Palestinians have been killed since the war began in October 2023, with over half of the fatalities being women and children. The Ministry does not differentiate between civilians and combatants, but the UN and other international bodies continue to rely on its figures. Israeli Strikes ContinueOn Monday, at least 13 Palestinians, including women and children, were killed in Israeli strikes across the enclave, health officials said. Two more were reportedly shot while waiting near aid trucks at the Netzarim corridor in central Gaza, according to Shifa Hospital Director Dr. Mohamed Abu Selmiyah, who said Israeli forces had opened fire. Another overnight strike hit a tent shelter in Khan Younis, killing five members of a single family, while other airstrikes targeted tents and a residential building in Gaza City, officials added. Separately, Gaza’s Health Ministry said Israeli troops had detained Dr. Marwan al-Hams, acting director of the territory’s field hospitals and the ministry’s spokesperson. The Israeli military has yet to comment. The conflict began after Hamas militants launched an attack into southern Israel on Oct. 7, killing about 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages. Israel believes fewer than half of the remaining 50 hostages are still alive. Israel Launches New Strikes in YemenThe Gaza war has also triggered wider regional clashes. On Monday, Israel confirmed it struck Hodeidah port in Yemen, targeting infrastructure allegedly used by Iran-backed Houthi rebels to receive weapons and launch missile attacks on Israel. Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said Israel would continue to target Houthis using civilian sites for military purposes. Israel last struck Hodeidah two weeks ago. “The Houthis will pay a heavy price for attacking Israel,” Gallant warned.

At least 85 Palestinians were killed while trying to reach food at locations across Gaza on Sunday, the territory's Health Ministry said, on the deadliest day yet for aid-seekers in over 21 months of war. There was new alarm as Israel's military issued evacuation orders for parts of central Gaza, one of the few areas where it has rarely operated with ground troops and where many international organizations trying to distribute aid are located. One group said several offices were told to evacuate immediately. There was no immediate Israeli comment. The largest death toll was in devastated northern Gaza, where living conditions are especially dire. At least 79 Palestinians were killed while trying to reach aid entering through the Zikim crossing with Israel, Zaher al-Waheidi, head of the Health Ministry’s records department, told The Associated Press. The U.N. World Food Program said 25 trucks with aid had entered for “starving communities” when it encountered massive crowds. A U.N. official, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not allowed to comment on the incident to the media, said Israeli forces opened fire toward crowds who tried to take food from the convoy. Footage taken by the U.N. and shared with the AP showed Palestinian men running as automatic gunfire was heard. “Suddenly, tanks surrounded us and trapped us as gunshots and strikes rained down. We were trapped for around two hours,” said Ehab Al-Zei, who had been waiting for flour and said he hadn't eaten bread in 15 days. He spoke over the din of people carrying the dead and wounded. ”I will never go back again. Let us die of hunger, it’s better." Nafiz Al-Najjar, who was injured, said tanks and drones targeted people “randomly” and he saw his cousin and others shot dead. Israel's military accuses Hamas of creating chaos Israel's military said soldiers shot at a gathering of thousands of Palestinians in northern Gaza who posed a threat, and it was aware of some casualties. But it said the numbers reported by officials in Gaza were far higher than its initial investigation found. It accused Hamas militants of creating chaos. More than 150 people were wounded, some in critical condition, hospitals said. Al-Waheidi said Israeli gunfire killed another six Palestinians in the Shakoush area, hundreds of meters (yards) north of a hub of the recently created Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a U.S.- and Israel-backed group, in the southern city of Rafah. The GHF did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Witnesses and health workers say several hundred people have been killed by Israeli fire while trying to access the group's aid distribution sites. Separately, seven Palestinians were killed while sheltering in tents in Khan Younis in the south, including a 5-year-old boy, according to the Kuwait Specialized Field Hospital, which received the casualties. Evacuation orders cut road across Gaza The new evacuation orders cut access between the central city of Deir al-Balah and Rafah and Khan Younis in the narrow territory. The military also reiterated evacuation orders for northern Gaza. Palestinians were startled to see the orders for parts of Deir al-Balah, a relative haven. "All of Rafah is under evacuation, and now you have decided that half of Deir al-Balah is under evacuation. Where will we move to?” asked resident Hassan Abu Azab, as others piled everything from bedding to live ducks onto carts and other vehicles. Smoke rose in the distance, with blasts and the sound of a siren. The United Nations was in contact with Israeli authorities to clarify whether U.N. facilities in the southwestern part of Deir al-Balah are included in the order, according to a different U.N. official who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to speak to the media. The official said that in previous instances, U.N. facilities were spared from such orders. The Medical Aid for Palestinians group said several humanitarian organizations’ offices and guesthouses had been “ordered to evacuate immediately” and nine clinics, including the MAP one, had been forced to shut down. It was not immediately clear what other groups were affected. Military spokesman Avichay Adraee called for people to head to Muwasi, a desolate tent camp with little infrastructure on Gaza’s southern coast that Israel's military has designated a humanitarian zone. The announcement came as Israel and Hamas have been holding ceasefire talks in Qatar. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly asserted that expanding Israel's military operations in Gaza will pressure Hamas in negotiations. Earlier this month, Israel's military said it controlled more than 65% of Gaza. Palestinian death toll nears 59,000 Gaza’s population of more than 2 million Palestinians are in a catastrophic humanitarian crisis, now relying largely on the limited aid allowed into the territory. Many people have been displaced multiple times. Ambulances in front of three major hospitals in Gaza sounded their alarms simultaneously Sunday in an urgent appeal as hunger grows. The Health Ministry posted pictures on social media of doctors holding signs about malnourished children and the lack of medication. Hamas triggered the war when militants stormed into southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing around 1,200 people and taking 251 others hostage. Fifty remain in Gaza, but fewer than half are thought to be alive. Israel’s military offensive has killed more than 58,800 Palestinians, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, which doesn’t say how many militants have been killed but says over half of the dead have been women and children. The ministry is part of the Hamas government, but the U.N. and other international organizations see it as the most reliable source of data on casualties. The Hostages Family Forum, a grassroots organization that represents many families of hostages, condemned the new evacuation order and demanded that Netanyahu and Israel's military explain what they hope to accomplish in central Gaza. “Enough! The Israeli people overwhelmingly want an end to the fighting and a comprehensive agreement that will return all of the hostages,” the forum said. On Saturday night, during a weekly protest, tens of thousands marched in Tel Aviv to the branch of the U.S. Embassy, demanding an end to the war.

A tsunami warning has been triggered after a series of powerful earthquakes occurred off the coast of Russia. The strongest tremor registered a magnitude of 7.5, following two earlier quakes measured at 5.0 and 6.7, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS). Some reports noted the final quake at 7.4 on the Richter scale. As a result, a tsunami watch has been placed for Hawaii, situated in the northeastern Pacific. Initial alerts for Guam and American Samoa have since been withdrawn. Tsunami warning lifted for Papua New Guinea after earthquake The USGS stated that dangerous tsunami waves could be generated within a 300-kilometre radius of the epicentre, located in the Pacific Ocean near the Russian city of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, home to around 160,000 people. Source: Agency 

A French court on Thursday ordered the conditional release of a Lebanese pro-Palestinian communist militant after more than 40 years in detention in France. Georges Ibrahim Abdallah was serving a life sentence for complicity in the murders of two diplomats, one American and one Israeli, in Paris in 1982. The Paris Court of Appeal ruled Abdallah, who has been imprisoned in France since his arrest in 1984, can be released next Friday on the condition that he leave the country and never return, judicial authorities said. His lawyer, Jean-Louis Chalanset, told reporters that Abdallah wants to return to Lebanon upon his release and remains “a communist militant who supports the Palestinian struggle and fights against the invasion of his country by Israel.” He described Abdallah as the longest-held political prisoner in Europe. “He has never renounced his convictions,” Chalanset said, adding that U.S. authorities had lobbied the Paris court to reject the 74-year-old's release request. “So it's also a political victory, even after nearly 41 years in detention, against the United States." Abdallah was sentenced to life imprisonment in 1987 for complicity in the assassinations of U.S. Army Lt. Col. Charles Ray, who was stationed in Paris as an assistant military attaché, and Israeli diplomat Yacov Barsimantov. New York City-born Ray was married with two children and was a decorated Vietnam veteran. He was killed by a single gunshot to the head outside the family home in western Paris on Jan. 18, 1982. His widow, Sharon Ray, testified at Abdallah's trial, telling French judges that “no one on Earth deserves to die like that, to be executed like that."

A boat carrying tourists capsized during a sudden thunderstorm in Vietnam on Saturday afternoon during a sightseeing excursion, killing 34 people, state media reported. Eight others remain missing. The Wonder Sea boat was carrying 48 passengers and five crew members — all of them Vietnamese — during the tour of Ha Long Bay, a popular destination for visitors, according to the reports. Rescue workers saved 11 people, and recovered the dead near the site of the capsizing, VNExpress newspaper said. Twenty-three people remain missing. Authorities had earlier reported that 12 people had been rescued, but later revised the figure to 11. The boat turned upside down because of strong winds, the newspaper said. A 14-year-old boy was among the survivors, and he was rescued four hours after being trapped in the overturned hull. The newspaper said that most of the passengers were tourists, including about 20 children, from Hanoi, the country’s capital. A tropical storm is also moving toward the area. A national weather forecast said that Storm Wipha is expected to hit Vietnam’s northern region, including Ha Long Bay’s coast next week.

Chinese President Xi Jinping and Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Cheikh Ghazouani exchanged congratulations on Saturday to mark the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries. Over the past 60 years, regardless of changes in the international landscape, the two sides have always respected each other and treated each other as equals, setting a model of mutual support and win-win cooperation between developing countries, Xi said. He noted that in recent years, China-Mauritania relations have been developing in a sound and stable manner, with growing political mutual trust and fruitful exchanges and cooperation across various fields. Xi recalled that he met with President Ghazouani last year during the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) Beijing Summit, where they reached important consensuses and jointly announced the elevation of China-Mauritania relations to a strategic partnership, marking a new chapter in bilateral ties. Xi said he attached great importance to developing China-Mauritania relations and is willing to work with Ghazouani to take the 60th anniversary of diplomatic ties as a new starting point to carry forward the traditional friendship, deepen mutual trust and cooperation, and jointly open up a new future for the development of the China-Mauritania strategic partnership, so as to bring more benefits to the two peoples. For his part, Ghazouani said that over the past 60 years, his country and China developed a solid friendship featuring close cooperation at all levels and mutual support on international occasions. During the FOCAC Beijing Summit last September, he and Xi jointly lifted the exemplary bilateral relations to a strategic partnership, he said, calling the move a reflection of the deepening of bilateral ties, which will benefit the friendly people of the two countries, and help promote the security, prosperity and well-being of people around the world. On the same day, Chinese Premier Li Qiang exchanged congratulatory messages with his Mauritanian counterpart, Mokhtar Ould Diay. In his message, Li said China is willing to make joint efforts with the Mauritanian side to take the 60th anniversary of bilateral ties as an opportunity to fully implement the important consensuses reached between Xi and Ghazouani, consistently enriching the content of the bilateral strategic partnership. For his part, Ould Diay said Mauritania firmly adheres to the one-China principle and is willing to work with China, under the wise guidance of the two presidents, to strengthen the bilateral strategic partnership, serving the development of both countries.