International

More than forty dead in Gaza after another night of Israeli bombings

– More than forty people died in the Gaza Strip, 16 of them in the city of Rafah, after another night of intense Israeli bombings, some of which reached several tents for displaced people near the centers of the UN Palestinian Refugee Agency (UNRWA).

The Gazati Ministry of Health, controlled by Hamas, reported the death in the last hour of 46 people and more than a hundred injured.

According to sources from Rafah, at least seven people died in the Al Hashash area, while another seven perished in attacks against the displaced person camp in Al Baraksat, in the northwest of the town and near UNRWA shelters.

Two other Gazats, specifically an old man and a ten-year-old boy, died in artillery attacks, also in Rafah.

The boy’s family told the Qatari channel Al Jazeera today that his home was the target of a bombing when they were preparing to leave the Zourob neighborhood, in search of a safe place, in the face of the intensity of the Israeli attacks.

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In that same neighborhood, this morning there were movements of Israeli military vehicles and excavators “under intense fire of smoke bombs and flares,” in addition to the flight of helicopters and drones, according to the information provided to EFE by local sources.

There were also intense bombings in the Tal al Sultan neighborhood, an alleged “safe zone” in the northwest of Rafah that hosts hundreds of displaced people and in which at least 45 Gazans perished yesterday as a result of an Israeli attack that triggered a fire.

The more than 100 people who were injured in that attack have flooded the few medical services in operation.

As denounced today by the oenegé Doctors Without Borders (MSF), some of the attacks recorded in recent days took place near its stabilization center (where the most serious cases are treated), which prevented medical personnel from both entering and leaving the enclosure where they treated patients.

According to UNRWA, about one million Gazans have fled Rafah, since the Israeli ground offensive began in the area.

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Now they are also being forced to leave the western area of Rafah, heading for Jan Yunis, as the bombings grow and the troops approach.

The Israeli Army said today in a statement that it has dismantled tunnels and observation posts of Palestinian militias in the vicinity of the Yabalia refugee camp, in northern Gaza, where the armed forces returned to operation after leaving the area practically devastated at the beginning of the war, under the premise that Hamas was regrouping.

In addition, Israeli soldiers located several tunnels and weapons in Rafah, where they hold “close-range combats” with Palestinian militiamen.

“The activity is carried out while efforts are being made to prevent damage to civilians not involved in the area,” the Army said.

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International

Luigi Mangione Pleads Guilty to Killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson

Luigi Mangione admitted Friday to fatally shooting Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealthcare, the largest health insurance group in the United States, during an appearance before a federal judge.

The case shocked the U.S. business community and dates back to December 2024, when Mangione opened fire on Thompson, 50, on a Manhattan street. Prosecutors have described the attack as being motivated by Mangione’s opposition to the U.S. health insurance system.

“On the morning of December 4, I shot Mr. Thompson in Manhattan and he died,” Mangione said as he pleaded guilty to a federal stalking charge related to his pursuit of the executive.

Mangione, 28, is scheduled to be sentenced on December 18, and prosecutors have indicated that they will seek a life sentence.

In addition to the federal charges related to stalking Thompson, Mangione also faces a murder case brought by the state of New York.

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Following his guilty plea in federal court, Mangione’s defense asked a state court to dismiss the state charges, arguing that prosecuting him again for the same conduct would violate protections against double jeopardy.

“We have just filed our motion in state court to explain why the charges should be dismissed under New York’s protections against double jeopardy,” Mangione’s attorney, Karen Friedman Agnifilo, said Friday.

Both the federal and state cases could result in a life sentence. Two other federal charges that initially carried the possibility of the death penalty were dismissed by a judge earlier this year.

International

ICE Plan to Equip Agents With Electric Shock Gloves Raises Abuse Concerns

Plans to equip U.S. immigration agents with gloves capable of delivering electric shocks are raising concerns over potential abuses by a law enforcement agency that critics accuse of using excessive force and providing inadequate training to its personnel.

The plan involves the potential purchase of electric-shock gloves for agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the agency primarily responsible for carrying out President Donald Trump’s campaign to deport millions of undocumented immigrants.

Democratic Representative Maxwell Frost criticized the proposal on X, arguing that the agency has already faced accusations of excessive force during immigration enforcement operations.

“As if assaulting and shooting people in the streets wasn’t enough,” Frost wrote. He also criticized the reported $20 million potential expenditure on the devices and called for greater restrictions on ICE.

The agency has faced growing scrutiny following a series of deadly shootings during immigration enforcement operations. Among the incidents were the deaths of two U.S. citizens in Minnesota in January who were participating in protests against the agency.

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Critics have focused on the tactics used by ICE agents when detaining immigrants, as well as allegations that training standards for newly recruited personnel have been lowered.

According to a procurement plan first reported by the Associated Press, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which oversees ICE, could spend between $10 million and $20 million on the devices.

The gloves are described by the agency as tools intended for “distraction and de-escalation,” rather than lethal weapons. The system, known as GLOVE, stands for “Generated Low-Output Voltage Emitter.”

The device is manufactured by Compliant Technologies, a Kentucky-based company that describes its products as advanced non-lethal tools designed to protect and assist law enforcement and other personnel.

The proposal comes amid an intensifying national debate over ICE’s enforcement methods and the use of force during the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.

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International

Three U.S. Executions Set for Same Day as Trump Pushes to Expand Death Penalty

The death penalty has been abolished in 23 of the 50 U.S. states, while three others —California, Oregon and Pennsylvania— currently have moratoriums in place.

The United States is set to carry out three executions on the same day, a rare occurrence that has not happened since 2010, according to the nonprofit Death Penalty Information Center.

President Donald Trump has sought to expand the use of capital punishment for what he describes as “the most heinous crimes.” In April, the Department of Justice proposed expanding execution methods to include firing squads, lethal gas and electrocution.

Tennessee is scheduled to execute Anthony Darrell Dugard Hines, 66, on Thursday. He was sentenced to death for the 1985 murder of a woman, according to local media.

In Oklahoma, Carlos Cuesta-Rodríguez, 70, is scheduled to be executed for a 2003 murder.

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Meanwhile, Alabama plans to execute Jeremy Williams, 42, who was sentenced to death for the rape and murder of a five-year-old girl.

The United States carried out 47 executions in 2025, the highest number since 2009, when 52 executions were recorded.

Florida conducted the largest number of executions last year, with 19, followed by Alabama, South Carolina and Texas, with five each.

Of the executions carried out in 2025, 39 were conducted by lethal injection. Three were carried out by firing squad and five through nitrogen hypoxia, a method that involves forcing nitrogen gas into a face mask, depriving the prisoner of oxygen.

The United Nations has condemned nitrogen gas as a cruel and inhumane method of capital punishment.