International
Israel intensifies its offensive in Gaza and announces the death of three key figures in Hamas
Israeli troops intensified in the last hours the attacks and bombings against Gaza city, in addition to in the center and south of the Palestinian strip, and announced that they killed three key figures of Hamas in the al-Shifa Hospital, whose military siege lasts for the thirteenth consecutive day.
An operation coordinated by the Shayetet 13 flotilla, the Duvdevan unit and the Nahal brigade “carried out a selective raid on a hospital building (al Shifa) where they met the terrorists,” a military statement detailed today.
Always according to the text, the soldiers killed in the emergency room Mahmoud Halil Zakzouk, deputy commander of the rocket operations of Hamas, and in the maternity room Fadi Duyk, who helped carry out an attack in the West Bank in 2002, as well as Zakaria Najib, who had been convicted of participating in the kidnapping and murder of Israeli soldier Nachshon Wachsman in 1994.
These names are in addition to the death announced last Thursday of Raed Thabet, head of personnel and supplies of Hamas, also at the al Shifa Hospital. In total, according to Israeli military figures, more than 200 alleged militiamen have already been succumbed in this military operation, which began on March 18
In addition, about a thousand people have been arrested, and of them, about 500 would be associated with “Hamas or Palestinian Islamic Jihad,” according to Israel, which attacks this medical center for the fourth time.
Today, the Palestinian news agency Wafa denounced “executions, arrests, torture and forced displacements” in the center, as the European-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor already did on Wednesday, after documenting the “execution” of thirteen children – between 4 and 16 years old – by direct Israeli fire against the medical complex.
Since the beginning of the war in Gaza, almost six months ago, more than 32,700 Gazans have died and about 75,200 have been injured, more than 72% women and children, according to today’s figures from the Ministry of Health of the Government of Hamas. Another 8,000 bodies are estimated to remain under tons of debris.
Despite the destruction, the United States authorized in recent days the transfer of billions of dollars in bombs and fighter jets to Israel, according to military and diplomatic sources. A movement criticized today by the Palestinian Foreign Ministry, which says it questions the alleged US concern about the high number of civilian deaths in the enclave.
“Requesting (Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu to stop killing civilians and supplying him (at the same time) with weapons is an unprecedented moral and principled contradiction,” the ministry said in a statement on social network X.
The ministry also regretted the “continuous failure” by the UN Security Council and the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to force Israel to respect its decisions, including the implementation of a ceasefire in Gaza and allowing more aid to enter the enclave.
This week, the UN Security Council approved a resolution for a ceasefire, thanks to the abstention of the United States. The ICJ issued new provisional measures as part of the case initiated by South Africa for incitement to genocide, and demanded the Netanyahu government for the immediate, large-scale and unrestricted entry of aid in Gaza.
More than one million Gazans suffer from a lack of food of catastrophic proportions, according to a recent UN-backed food insecurity report, and famine is already imminent for more than 200,000 people in the northern Strip.
However, nothing has changed despite those international mandates, and only 159 trucks on average per day have managed to enter Gaza this March with humanitarian aid, according to UNRWA data, compared to the half a thousand that did it before the war
In Israel, thousands of people demonstrated tonight in the already known as the hostage square, in Tel Aviv, demanding an agreement from the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, for the release of the 134 hostages that remain in the hands of Hamas since the attack on October 7.
A parallel protest, also in the area of Kaplan and Begin streets, where the Ministry of Defense is located, demanded today the end of Netanyahu’s Government and early elections.
“It’s been) 176 days, 4,224 hours,” Shira Elbag, mother of the hostage Liri Elbag, said at the demonstration. “I hear Liri screaming! Mom, save me. Mom, it’s hurting me! 176 days (and) 4,224 hours in which I haven’t kept an eye due to the thoughts and fear of what Liri and the other hostages are living,” he added.
Negotiations for a truce in Gaza and the release of hostages are expected to resume tomorrow in Cairo, as reported today by the Egyptian channel Al Qahera News TV, citing a security source. Yesterday, Netanyahu’s Office announced that it had approved the sending of an Israeli delegation in the coming days.
International
Iranian leader warns foreign powers have “no place” in Strait of Hormuz
Iran’s Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, said Thursday that the Persian Gulf is entering a new era marked by a “bright” future without the presence of the United States in the region.
His remarks came during the commemoration of Persian Gulf Day, amid ongoing regional tensions following recent military confrontations involving Iran, the United States, and Israel.
“Today, two months after the largest military buildup and aggression by the bullies of the world in the region and the humiliating defeat of the United States, a new chapter is being written for the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz,” Khamenei stated.
The Iranian leader insisted that the future of the region would be free from American influence and focused instead on the internal development and prosperity of Gulf nations.
“By the power and strength of God, the bright future of the Persian Gulf region will be a future without the United States and dedicated to the progress, welfare, and prosperity of its nations,” he said.
Khamenei also questioned the effectiveness of U.S. military bases in the region, arguing that they do not provide security even for Washington’s allies.
“Foreigners who come from thousands of miles away and commit evil and malicious acts have no place there except at the bottom of its waters,” he declared.
In addition, the Iranian leader defended new measures being prepared by Tehran to regulate maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, including fees for vessels passing through the strategic waterway. According to Khamenei, the policies would generate economic benefits and greater stability for the region.
Regional tensions remain high following the conflict that erupted on February 28 between the United States and Israel against Iran, leading to strategic blockades in the Strait of Hormuz, a route through which nearly 20% of the world’s oil supply previously passed. The situation has disrupted maritime trade and contributed to rising global oil prices.
Central America
U.S. and Regional Allies Back Panama Amid Dispute With China
The United States, Bolivia, Costa Rica, Guyana, Paraguay and Trinidad and Tobago issued a joint statement in support of Panama’s sovereignty, arguing that China’s recent actions represent an attempt to politicize maritime trade and undermine the sovereignty of nations in the hemisphere.
“We are closely monitoring China’s selective economic pressure and recent actions affecting vessels flying the Panamanian flag,” the statement released Tuesday said. “Panama is a pillar of our maritime trading system and, as such, must remain free from undue external pressure.”
The statement comes amid growing tensions surrounding the Panama Canal and the operation of key ports linked to global trade.
At the end of January, Panama’s Supreme Court invalidated the legal framework supporting the 1997 concession that granted Panama Ports Company, a subsidiary of CK Hutchison, the right to operate the Balboa and Cristóbal terminals located on the Pacific and Atlantic entrances of the Panama Canal.
The ruling followed mounting pressure from the United States to curb Chinese influence around the strategic waterway, through which roughly 5% of global maritime trade passes.
CK Hutchison, which managed the ports for nearly three decades, rejected the court’s decision and accused Panamanian authorities of illegally confiscating its assets. The company has launched international arbitration proceedings against Panama, seeking more than $2 billion in damages.
Following the court ruling, reports emerged of increased detentions and inspections of Panamanian-flagged vessels in China, actions widely viewed as retaliatory measures.
On Wednesday, China’s Foreign Ministry dismissed the joint statement as “completely unfounded and misleading,” accusing the United States of politicizing port operations and warning that Beijing would take steps to protect its interests in Panama.
International
King Charles III Says U.S.-UK Alliance Is “Irreplaceable and Unbreakable”
King Charles III of the United Kingdom reaffirmed the strength of the British-American relationship on Tuesday during a speech before the United States Congress, describing the alliance between the two nations as “irreplaceable and unbreakable.”
The address, delivered at the Capitol, marked the first speech by a British monarch before Congress since Queen Elizabeth II in 1991 and comes at a time of political tensions between Donald Trump’s administration and the Labour government of Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
“As President Trump himself observed during his state visit to Britain last autumn, the bond of kinship and identity between the United States and the United Kingdom is invaluable and eternal. It is irreplaceable and unbreakable,” the king said.
While reflecting on the upcoming 250th anniversary of U.S. independence, which will be commemorated this year, Charles III stated that the partnership between the two countries “was born out of disagreement, but is no less strong because of it.”
The monarch emphasized the democratic values shared by both nations and noted that major global changes have occurred whenever the two allies found common ground.
“When we have found that way to agree, great changes have taken place not only for the benefit of our peoples, but for all peoples,” he said.
King Charles also quoted British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who recently described the relationship as “an indispensable alliance.”
Concluding his speech, the monarch described the shared history of the United States and the United Kingdom as “a story of reconciliation, renewal, and an extraordinary partnership.”
He added that Washington and London have forged “one of the most consequential alliances in human history.”
“I pray with all my heart that our alliance continues to defend our shared values, together with our partners in Europe, the Commonwealth, and around the world, and that we ignore calls urging us to become increasingly isolationist,” Charles III stated.
The king ended by urging both nations to “recommit to one another in selfless service to our peoples and to all peoples of the world.”
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