At least 48 Palestinians, including women and children, were killed this Saturday in Israeli aerial bombardments against the Al Tuffah and Zeitun neighborhoods and the Al Shati refugee camp, in Gaza City, in the north of the strip, local medical sources and rescue teams confirmed to EFE.
In Zeitun, at least seven Gazans died, twenty-two in Al Shati and at least nineteen other bodies were recovered from the rubble in Al Tuffah, although the number of victims is expected to increase in the coming hours.
In videos released on social networks, injured people are seen in Al Shati completely covered in dust caused by the collapse of at least four buildings, in addition to an atmosphere of widespread panic and a multitude of debris.
The Israeli Army reported, shortly before, that it had attacked two bases of “military infrastructure of Hamas” in the capital of Gaza with fighters, in which local media point to an attempt to assassinate a senior official of Hamas.
The Islamist group Hamas lamented in a statement the “savage attack on unarmed civilians” by Israel, which it called “a continuation of the genocide of more than eight months, in flagrant contempt and defiance of all the laws and rules that prohibit attacking civilians.”
The Hebrew Army has confirmed that intense fighting against Hamas militiamen is being recorded in the center of Gaza and “selective operations” in Rafah (south).
Already yesterday, in another attack that the Israeli military command claimed to be investigating, at least 25 Gazans died and fifty were injured when tanks opened fire on tents of displaced people in the north of Rafah, in the safe area of Al Mawasi, in an incident reported by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
In the last few hours, at least 101 Gazans have died, according to the local Ministry of Health, dependent on Hamas.
“The ‘Israeli’ occupation committed three massacres against families in the Gaza Strip, causing 101 martyrs and 169 injured treated in hospitals in the last 24 hours,” the Gazaz Ministry of Health said on Saturday.
Thus, the total number of deaths increased today to 37,551 and the number of wounded to 85,911, after eight and a half months of war in Gaza started after the attacks in Hamas on October 7
The Israeli Army has reported the death of Ayman Ratma, a member of both Hamas and the Lebanese Sunni group Jamaa al Islamiya, in a selective air attack on his vehicle near the city of Khiara, 40 kilometers from the border with Lebanon.
“An air force (unmanned) aircraft carried out a precise attack in the (western) area of Beqaa in Lebanon to eliminate the terrorist Ayman Ratma, a key member responsible for the supply of weapons for the terrorist organizations Hamas and Jamaa al Islamiya in Lebanon,” according to a military statement.
Israel assures that Ratma was preparing to attack in Israel “immediately” and that he had already participated in other previous attacks, without offering evidence or giving details about it.
At the moment, Hamas has not spoken about it or claimed Ratma as one of its affiliates.
The European Union (EU) condemned this Saturday the bombing that caused damage at a headquarters of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Gaza this Friday, during two Israeli attacks in an area near its offices, and which left at least 25 Palestinian civilians dead and 50 injured, according to the Ministry of Health of the Strip, controlled by Hamas.
The EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Josep Borrell, called for an independent investigation and stressed that those responsible for the attacks “will be held accountable,” as he said in a message disseminated through the social network X.
“The protection of civilians is an obligation under the Geneva Conventions. All parties to the conflict are obliged to do so,” Borrell said.
The head of European diplomacy stated that the ICRC must be able to carry out “in safe conditions” all its work, which is covered by the Geneva Conventions, and which, according to Borrell, includes humanitarian protection, assistance to victims and access to prisoners.
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.
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.
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.”
