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.

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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.

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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.

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“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

U.S. Senate Rejects Budget, Bringing Government Closer to Shutdown Amid DHS Dispute

The U.S. Senate voted on Thursday against a budget proposal in a move aimed at pressuring changes at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), following the killing of two civilians during a deployment of immigration agents in Minneapolis.

All Senate Democrats and seven Republican lawmakers voted against the bill, which requires 60 votes to advance, pushing the country closer to a partial government shutdown that would cut funding for several agencies, including the Pentagon and the Department of Health.

The rejection came as Senate leaders and the White House continue negotiations on a separate funding package for DHS that would allow reforms to the agency. Proposed measures include banning Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents from wearing face coverings and requiring them to use body-worn cameras during operations.

The vote took place just hours after President Donald Trump said he was “close” to reaching an agreement with Democrats and did not believe the federal government would face another shutdown, following last year’s record stoppage.

“I don’t think the Democrats want a shutdown either, so we’ll work in a bipartisan way to avoid it. Hopefully, there will be no government shutdown. We’re working on that right now,” Trump said during a Cabinet meeting at the White House.

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International

Trump Says Putin Agreed to One-Week Halt in Attacks on Ukraine Amid Extreme Cold

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday that he secured a commitment from Russian President Vladimir Putinto halt attacks against Ukraine for one week, citing extreme weather conditions affecting the region.

“Because of the extreme cold (…) I personally asked Putin not to attack Kyiv or other cities and towns for a week. And he agreed. He was very pleasant,” Trump said during a Cabinet meeting broadcast by the White House.

Trump acknowledged that several advisers had questioned the decision to make the call.
“A lot of people told me not to waste the call because they wouldn’t agree. And he accepted. And we’re very happy they did, because they don’t need missiles hitting their towns and cities,” the president said.

According to Trump, Ukrainian authorities reacted with surprise to the announcement but welcomed the possibility of a temporary ceasefire.
“It’s extraordinarily cold, record cold (…) They say they’ve never experienced cold like this,” he added.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky later commented on the announcement, expressing hope that the agreement would be honored.

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International

Storm Kristin Kills Five in Portugal, Leaves Nearly 500,000 Without Power

Storm Kristin, which battered Portugal with heavy rain and strong winds early Wednesday, has left at least five people dead, while nearly half a million residents remained without electricity as of Thursday, according to updated figures from authorities.

The revised death toll was confirmed to AFP by a spokesperson for the National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority (ANPEC). On Wednesday, the agency had reported four fatalities.

Meanwhile, E-Redes, the country’s electricity distribution network operator, said that around 450,000 customers were still without power, particularly in central Portugal.

Emergency services responded to approximately 1,500 incidents between midnight and 8:00 a.m. local time on Wednesday, as the storm caused widespread disruptions.

The Portuguese government described Kristin as an “extreme weather event” that inflicted significant damage across several regions of the country. At the height of the storm, as many as 850,000 households and institutions lost electricity during the early hours of Wednesday.

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Several municipalities ordered the closure of schools, many of which remained shut on Thursday due to ongoing adverse conditions.

Ricardo Costa, regional deputy commander of the Leiria Fire Brigade, said residents continue to seek assistance as rainfall persists.
“Even though the rain is not extremely intense, it is causing extensive damage to homes,” he noted.

In Figueira da Foz, a coastal city in central Portugal, strong winds toppled a giant Ferris wheel, underscoring the severity of the storm.