International
Israel kills Nael Sakhl, a member of the Hamas headquarters in the West Bank, in Gaza
Israeli forces confirmed on Thursday that they had killed in an attack in Gaza two weeks ago Nael Sakhl, a “major terrorist” who was operating at Hamas headquarters in the occupied West Bank, directing the planning of attacks.
“On July 24, during a joint activity of the Israel Defense Forces and Shin Bet in the Gaza Strip, the important Hamas terrorist Nael Sakhl was attacked,” said a military statement.
Sakhl was involved in the direction of “terrorist attacks in Judea and Samaria”, a biblical and historical term with which Israel refers to the occupied West Bank, which in parallel to the war in Gaza is experiencing its greatest peak of violence with more than 620 Palestinians killed since October 7, 20 of them since last Saturday in Israeli raids and attacks in Tulkarem, Tubas and Yenin.
Israel pointed out that several days after the attack, “intelligence information was received indicating that it had been eliminated.”
“For more than a decade, Nael operated in the ‘West Bank headquarters’ of Hamas, responsible for directing terrorist activities in Judea and Samaria; in addition to being involved in the direction of terrorist activities, financing and supplying weapons to cells that promoted terrorist attacks against Israeli civilians and soldiers in that area,” explained the statement of the Army and Shin Bet.
At least 22 people were killed and 77 were injured in the Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip in the last 24 hours, according to figures from the Gaza Ministry of Health, controlled by Hamas.
Since the beginning of the war between Israel and Hamas in the Palestinian enclave, ten months ago, 39,699 people have died and more than 91,700 have been injured in Gaza. In addition, it is estimated that the bodies of about 10,000 disappeared are still buried under the rubble.
In the last few hours, at least 15 people died and another 15 were injured in an attack on the Bureij refugee camp, in the center of the Strip, according to Palestinian sources.
On the other hand, the Israeli Army said on Thursday “not to be aware” of any incident that has injured a humanitarian worker after the NGO World Central Kitchen (WCK) reported last night the death of his partner Nadi Sallout near Deir al Balah, in central Gaza.
“So far, the armed forces are not aware of any incident in which an employee of the organization has been injured during his work in recent days,” said a brief military statement that alludes to a preliminary investigation by the Army.
World Central Kitchen, the NGO of Spanish chef José Andrés, said it was unaware of the details of the incident, although it believes that Sallout was not working at the time of his death.
“The Army examines each exceptional incident individually,” says the statement about the event of the armed forces, so it is expected that in the coming hours it will give more details about it.
The Israeli Army again ordered the evacuation of multiple eastern neighborhoods of the city of Jan Yunis, in southern Gaza, assuring that Palestinian militiamen “continue to fire rockets” from these areas, in which the armed forces already carried out an offensive at the end of July that left about 300 dead.
The Arabic spokesman of the Army, Avichay Adraee, disseminated on social network X the call “to residents who have not evacuated” the areas of Al Salqa, Al Qarara, Bani Suhaila, Abasan, Khirbet Khuza’a, all in the east and northeast of Jan Yunis, to flee to the “humanitarian zone” of Mawasi, where thousands of Palestinians are already cramming into a swarm of tents with poor humanitarian conditions.
“The armed forces will act vigorously against these elements,” warned the military spokesman, in which he foresees a new offensive where the Army had already ended its activities.
Shortly after the armed forces issued their evacuation order, the Gaza Civil Defense services announced that they had recovered five dead from the rubble of a house in Al Qarara, the result of a bombing of the Israeli aviation.
In addition, they rescued two wounded and continue to search for a missing person.
The Israeli Army bombed two schools in Gaza City on Thursday, that of Abdul Fattah Hamud and Al Zahraa, killing at least 12 people, according to the Civil Defense of the enclave.
“Air force fighter planes recently attacked, selectively and under the direction of the intelligence of Shin Bet and the South Command, control and command complexes” of Hamas which, according to the military statement that corroborated the bombing, were camouflaged among the schools.
Civil Defense reported the death of seven Palestinians in Al Zahraa and five others in Abdul Fattah Hamud, while local media pointed to at least thirty injured and several missing.
In videos broadcast on Palestinian channels after the event, several people are observed carrying the remains of the deceased in a van, while another man shows journalists in the area the viscera collected at the site of the attack.
The Israeli Army assures that it has taken measures to reduce the chances of harming civilians, “including the use of precision weapons, surveillance and additional intelligence,” as it often warns in statements about attacks that kill what they usually call “uninvolved civilians.”
International
Looting Spreads in Venezuela’s Hardest-Hit Areas After Deadly Earthquakes
Not even the wires were left behind at a small grocery store. Before the ground had even stopped shaking, looting and theft began in the areas hardest hit by the double earthquake that struck Venezuela.
Reports of robberies have multiplied in the coastal state of La Guaira, located near Caracas and now transformed into a landscape of collapsed buildings and debris.
Videos circulating on social media show groups of people removing boxes of household appliances from a damaged store. Other images show similar boxes being carried on top of vehicles and motorcycles.
Social media platforms have also been filled with accusations against police officers and military personnel who allegedly stole from homes and even from victims who died during the disaster.
A branch of a major pharmacy chain was looted, along with supermarkets and other businesses. Some residents have described the situation as “disaster tourism,” while others say the looting reflects hunger and desperation among people who lost everything in a country already facing a prolonged economic crisis.
“Is it fair that our own people turn against our own people?” said María Esther Bernal, 71, who rented commercial spaces to Chinese merchants, all of which were looted. “They left nothing behind, not even the wallpaper. They even took the cables,” she said.
“Next door, a man died. He was Chinese. People walked over his body while they looted the place. It was a supermarket,” she added.
An AFP journalist witnessed looting in La Guaira since Thursday, following the earthquakes.
Jenifer Mayora, 34, defended some of the actions, saying that “the things people took were because the owners of the stores allowed us to take them.”
However, she criticized the limited response from authorities. “I have been waiting for a mattress so my children can sleep,” she said.
Residents have expressed anger over what they describe as a slow and insufficient response from authorities after the double earthquake, which has left around 1,450 people dead and tens of thousands missing.
Communities are demanding not only faster rescue operations in La Guaira, but also stronger security measures and urgent assistance with food, water, and medicine.
International
UN warns Venezuela earthquakes could affect up to 6.76 million people
Up to 6.76 million people could be affected by the devastating earthquakes that struck Venezuela on June 24, according to an assessment released by the International Organization for Migration (IOM), a United Nations agency.
The organization said the projections are based on available population data and damage assessments, and include up to two million people living in Caracas, the country’s capital.
The estimates highlight the potentially massive humanitarian impact of the disaster, the IOM warned.
Entire buildings collapsed in La Guaira, a coastal area north of Caracas, following the powerful twin earthquakes that reached magnitudes of 7.2 and 7.5 on Wednesday.
The national death toll has risen to 920, while rescue teams continue searching for people trapped beneath the rubble in coastal regions and other affected areas.
UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher told AFP on Friday that more than 50,000 people were reported missing.
The IOM also revealed that it worked with Microsoft’s artificial intelligence laboratory on an initial satellite mapping analysis, which showed that 31.5% of buildings in the town of Catia La Mar had suffered damage.
Authorities and international rescue teams continue operations as Venezuela faces one of its largest humanitarian emergencies in recent years.
International
United Nations Coordinates Relief Efforts as Venezuela Death Toll Rises After Twin Quakes
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres on Thursday expressed his condolences to the people of Venezuela following the two devastating earthquakes that struck the country and highlighted the ongoing coordination between UN humanitarian teams and interim President Delcy Rodríguez.
Speaking during the UN’s daily press briefing, spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said Guterres was deeply saddened by the loss of life and widespread destruction caused by the disaster.
“The Secretary-General is deeply distressed by the loss of life and the widespread devastation caused by the earthquakes that struck Venezuela yesterday. He extends his heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims and wishes a speedy recovery to those injured,” Dujarric stated.
Venezuela was struck on Wednesday by two powerful earthquakes measuring 7.2 and 7.5 in magnitude. According to official figures, the disaster has left at least 164 people dead and 971 others injured.
Dujarric noted that preliminary reports indicate significant damage across several states, including the capital, Caracas. Numerous casualties have been reported, while other individuals remain trapped beneath collapsed structures or are still missing.
“Critical infrastructure has been damaged and essential services have been disrupted,” the spokesperson said.
The United Nations confirmed that its humanitarian team remains in close contact with interim President Delcy Rodríguez and other relevant authorities as emergency operations continue.
To support relief efforts, the UN has established a coordination center in Caracas and is assisting local authorities to ensure that humanitarian aid reaches affected communities as quickly and efficiently as possible.
Guterres also welcomed the expressions of solidarity and offers of assistance from countries around the world that responded following news of the disaster, underscoring the importance of international cooperation in addressing the humanitarian emergency.
Looting Spreads in Venezuela’s Hardest-Hit Areas After Deadly Earthquakes
UN warns Venezuela earthquakes could affect up to 6.76 million people
United Nations Coordinates Relief Efforts as Venezuela Death Toll Rises After Twin Quakes
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