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At least 40 dead and 150 injured by Israeli fire in Gaza during the last day

At least 40 Gazans died and another 150 were injured in the Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip in the last 24 hours, according to a statement from the Ministry of Health of the enclave, controlled by Hamas.

241 days from the start of the Israeli Army operation in this Palestinian territory, the total death toll amounts to 36,479, while the injured reach 82,777, with the majority of victims (about 70%) being women and children.

In addition, the ministry recalled that more than 10,000 bodies are still buried under the rubble, without ambulances or rescue teams being able to access them.

After eight months of war and with a new offer of hostage exchange and ceasefire between Israel and Hamas on the table, the Army maintains its military operation in Gaza and concentrates its attacks this Monday in Rafah and Jan Yunis, south of the devastated Palestinian enclave, and in Gaza City, to the north.

Precisely in the Jan Yunis area, the Palestinian agency Wafa reported on a military incursion in the vicinity of the European Hospital, in the Jan Yunis area.

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In addition, the Gaza government office warned this Sunday that more than 3,500 children under the age of five are at risk of “starving” since Israel “for the fourth consecutive week prevents the entry of humanitarian aid including food, milk, nutritional supplements and deprives them of their vaccines.”

“These children suffer from malnutrition to an advanced degree that has affected the structure of their bodies, which in fact exposes them to the risk of contracting infectious diseases that destroy their lives, delay their growth and threaten their survival,” the office denounced in a statement in which it recalls that at least 17,000 minors live without their families.

For its part, the Israeli Army said in a statement on Monday that in the last few hours, its fighter planes “attacked more than 50 targets” in the Strip, including infrastructure, weapons storage facilities and military structures.

He also assures that in the center of the enclave they managed to identify several fighters “in a sniper post” and that their planes killed several of them.

Likewise, “the ground troops eliminated a rocket operation from Hamas in the center of the Strip.”

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In Rafah, the Army reported the discovery of “RPG missiles,” anti-tank weapons of Russian origin, during the attack on a military structure carried out according to “information from its intelligence.”

As estimated yesterday by the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), its 36 shelters in Rafah are empty, after about 1.7 million people have been forcibly displaced to Jan Yunis and central areas of Gaza.

“The humanitarian space continues to be reduced,” denounced the humanitarian organization, which again called for an immediate ceasefire after almost eight months of Israeli attacks and bombings in which more than 36,400 Gaza s were killed – mostly women and children – according to data from the Ministry of Health.

The Israeli Army also announced on Monday that it had found the remains of a compatriot killed in the attack in Hamas on October 7, in the vicinity of the Kibbutz of Nir Oz, near the Palestinian enclave of Gaza.

“After a scientific identification and an exhaustive analysis by the Army, in coordination with experts in anthropology, Dolev Yehud’s body was found in the Nir Oz Kibbutz,” a military statement detailed today.

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New scientific identification tests, along with information on the location of the remains, confirmed that it was the previously unidentified body of this 35-year-old Israeli.

Dolev Yehud, a resident of this agricultural community and father of four children, was a paramedic of United Hatzalah and the Israeli emergency service Magen David Adom. During the attacks of October 7, he left his home in an attempt to save lives, according to the military note.

In recent weeks, the Israeli Army has recovered the lifeless bodies of at least seven hostages in raids in the Gaza Strip, all killed in the October 7 attacks in Hamas.

Of the more than 250 kidnapped that day, about 120 captives remain in the enclave; 40 of them dead according to Israel, more than 70 says Hamas.

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International

‘El Chapo’ Guzmán again asks Mexican president to seek his return from U.S. prison

Convicted drug trafficker Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán has once again appealed to Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum to intervene on his behalf and seek his transfer from the United States to Mexico, where he hopes to serve the remainder of his prison sentence.

Guzmán, the former leader of the Sinaloa Cartel, is currently serving a sentence of more than 50 years in the United States after being convicted in 2019 on multiple charges, including drug trafficking and money laundering.

According to reports, the latest request was made in a letter dated June 2, one of several messages that Guzmán has reportedly sent to Sheinbaum in recent months in an effort to secure his repatriation. In the letter, he expresses hope that the Mexican government can support the efforts of his legal team.

Written in English and by hand, the letter asks that he be allowed to complete his sentence in Mexico, arguing that such a transfer would enable him to receive visits from family members more easily.

Guzmán is currently being held at the United States Penitentiary Administrative Maximum Facility in Florence, Colorado, commonly known as the “Alcatraz of the Rockies,” one of the most secure prisons in the United States.

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As in previous communications, the former cartel leader complained about his prison conditions, stating that he remains in near-total isolation and has little to no contact with other inmates.

He also reiterated his long-standing claim that he did not receive a fair trial in the United States and argued that the Mexican government bears responsibility for much of the violence associated with organized crime in the country.

In the letter, Guzmán maintains that his actions were motivated by a desire to protect himself and his family amid the violence linked to criminal organizations in Mexico.

Mexican authorities have not publicly indicated whether they plan to respond to the request. Guzmán remains one of the most notorious figures in the history of international drug trafficking and is serving his sentence under some of the strictest security measures in the U.S. prison system.

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Central America

U.S. Authorities Accuse Guatemalan Nationals of Using False Information to Sponsor Migrant Minors

Senior officials from the U.S. Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security announced Thursday criminal charges against three Guatemalan citizens accused of using false information to sponsor migrant children who crossed the U.S.-Mexico border without a parent or guardian.

According to an indictment filed in Ohio, Maritza Cahuec Coc allegedly submitted at least 12 sponsorship applications, several of which were filed under aliases or contained materially false statements intended to secure custody of the minors.

Under U.S. procedures, unaccompanied migrant children apprehended at the southern border are placed in the custody of the Department of Health and Human Services, which is responsible for their care until they can be released to a qualified sponsor, such as a parent or relative living in the United States.

Prosecutors allege that Cahuec Coc, who reportedly entered the United States illegally in 2018, received payments between late 2020 and 2023 for helping bring 12 migrant minors into the country. Authorities claim she submitted fraudulent documents and misleading information to obtain approval for the sponsorship requests.

The case was announced during a joint press conference led by Acting Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche and Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin. However, officials provided limited details about the investigation and instead focused much of their remarks on criticizing immigration policies implemented under the previous administration.

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Republican lawmakers and Trump administration officials have frequently pointed to the increase in unaccompanied migrant children arriving at the U.S.-Mexico border during President Joe Biden’s term, arguing that the government failed to adequately oversee their care and placement.

During Thursday’s briefing, A. Tysen Duva, Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, alleged that Cahuec Coc used the identities of other individuals and falsely claimed family relationships in order to obtain custody of the children.

“Maritza submitted sponsorship applications using other people’s identities and falsely represented that the minors were the children of close relatives in order to secure their release,” Duva said.

The case remains under investigation, and federal authorities have not yet disclosed additional information regarding the other two Guatemalan nationals charged in connection with the alleged scheme.

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International

Iván Cepeda Open to Revising Colombia’s Peace Policy Ahead of Runoff Election

Colombian presidential candidate Iván Cepeda said Thursday that he is willing to introduce “necessary changes” to the peace policy implemented by President Gustavo Petro, a strategy he helped design and promote during the current administration.

The future of Petro’s controversial “Total Peace” initiative has become one of the central issues in Colombia’s presidential runoff election, scheduled for June 21, where Cepeda will face right-wing candidate Abelardo de la Espriella.

De la Espriella, who narrowly won the first round of voting on May 31, has campaigned on a platform of tougher security measures and a stronger crackdown on drug trafficking and armed criminal groups.

Speaking to AFP in Bogotá, Cepeda acknowledged that adjustments to the peace strategy may be required after Petro’s efforts to negotiate with armed organizations failed to produce the expected results amid a surge in violence across the country.

“We are going to make the necessary changes, of course. We will conduct an assessment,” the 63-year-old senator said during the interview, held ten days before the decisive runoff vote.

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Cepeda, a philosopher and longtime human rights advocate, explained that any modifications to the policy would emerge from a broad national dialogue involving political leaders, social organizations and other sectors of Colombian society. However, he did not provide specific details about the proposed changes.

President Gustavo Petro’s “Total Peace” initiative sought to negotiate agreements with guerrilla movements, paramilitary groups and major criminal organizations, including the powerful Clan del Golfo cartel and the National Liberation Army (ELN).

The policy aimed to reduce violence through dialogue and negotiated settlements, but critics argue that it failed to significantly weaken armed groups or improve security conditions in several regions of the country.

As the runoff campaign enters its final stage, the future direction of Colombia’s security and peace policies remains one of the most closely watched issues in the election.

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