International

About thirty deaths in Gaza in the last hours, 40,435 since the war began

At least thirty people lost their lives in the Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip of the last 24 hours, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health, controlled by Hamas, and there are 40,435 deaths since the start of the war on October 7.

In addition, 66 people were injured on the last day, bringing the total number of injuries since the beginning of the war to 93,534.

According to the spokesman for the Gaza Civil Defense, Mahmud Basal, at least seven people died on Monday in an attack on a port on the coast of Gaza City (north), where a group of citizens were fishing.

Another person was killed in an Israeli bombing of an apartment in the Gaza capital, and two other bodies were recovered in Deir al Balah (center) after a bombing of a residential neighborhood in the southeast of the city.

Meanwhile, the Israeli Army claimed on Monday that it had bombed a rocket launcher from Hamas in Jan Yunis (south) that they say had been used in an attack against central Israel, in addition to attacking several alleged militiamen throughout the enclave.

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“After the attack on the shuttle, secondary explosions were identified, indicating the presence of additional rockets,” a military statement said today.

In addition, according to the text, dozens of militiamen were eliminated on the last day in Jan Yunis and Deir el Balah, where Israel has been forcing the civilian population to move since last week, with new evacuation orders, despite the danger they face due to the fighting.

The municipality of Deir el Balah confirmed the displacement of 250,000 Palestinians, while 25 shelters have been de-used, according to a statement.

The Islamist group Hamas, which governs in the Gaza Strip, today referred to the attacks and forced displacements in the town of the center of the enclave and said in a statement that they represent some of “the most unpleasant images of a genocide seen in the modern era.”

This Sunday, the humanitarian group Doctors Without Borders (MSF) announced that hundreds of patients have been forced to flee from the Al Aqsa hospital in Deir al Balah, adjacent to the area considered “humanitarian” by the Israeli Army and where troops have been fighting for two weeks.

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“Israeli forces have issued an evacuation order in the vicinity of the Al Aqsa hospital, to which MSF provides support, in Deir al Balah, urging people to flee. An explosion about 250 meters away has unleashed panic and many have left the hospital,” the Paris-based organization said in a statement.

Of the 650 patients that the hospital had, only a hundred remain in it, of which seven are in intensive care units, the organization said, citing figures from the Gazaz Ministry of Health.

Meanwhile, the Israeli delegation headed by the heads of the Mosad and Shin Bet left Cairo on Sunday after a day of indirect negotiations that has not brought results or progress to reach a truce in the Gaza Strip, sources close to the talks told EFE.

Egypt, for its part, will only accept as a solution to achieve a truce in the Gaza Strip the complete exit of Israel from the border area – the so-called Philadelphia Corridor – although it would accept that it be done in two phases based on the fulfillment of the exchange of hostages and detainees between Israel and Hamas.

On the other hand, the border between Israel and Lebanon, which yesterday experienced a hard escalation of the exchange of fire between the Israeli Army and the Shiite group Hizbulah, woke up this Monday in relative calm.

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Since dawn, anti-aircraft sirens have been activated only once on the Israeli side, due to a drone.

In the early morning of Sunday, Israel carried out intense bombings in southern Lebanon, with more than 100 fighter jets, after the Army identified that Hizbulah was preparing for an imminent large-scale attack that targeted the north and center of the country.

The pro-Iranian militia had promised this attack weeks ago, in revenge for the murder of its top military commander, Fuad Shukr, in an Israeli bombing on July 30 on the outskirts of Beirut.

Hizbulah said he launched more than 300 projectiles, while the Israeli Army detected about 210 rockets and 20 explosive drones that were mostly intercepted.

The day left four dead: three in southern Lebanon, one of which was a militiaman from the Shiite Amal group, and a soldier from the Israeli Navy, while the Shiite militia said yesterday that their retaliation “was completed and achieved.”

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Despite the calm, Israel maintains the state of military emergency, approved yesterday by the Minister of Defense, Yoav Gallant, which allows the Israeli armed forces to instruct the population in case of new attacks.

On the other hand, Israeli troops abused, mistreated and humiliated Palestinian doctors, nurses and health workers who were arrested during the war in Gaza, concluded an investigation by Human Rights Watch (HRW), sometimes causing their death, as the Israeli newspaper Haaretz had already reported.

“The Israeli government’s mistreatment of Palestinian health workers has continued in the shadows and must cease immediately,” Balkees Jarrah, interim director for the Middle East of HRW, said today. “Torture and other mistreatment of doctors, nurses and health workers must be thoroughly investigated and properly punished, including by the International Criminal Court (ICC),” he added.

International

Mexico and Guatemala Agree on Five-Point Binational Plan for 2027

Mexico and Guatemala agreed Tuesday on a 2027 Binational Plan built around five areas of cooperation, along with a schedule of meetings and initiatives aimed at making progress by the end of 2026 on security, border infrastructure, human mobility, development and technical and social cooperation.

The agreement was announced by the foreign ministers of both countries following a meeting in Mexico City.

Mexican Foreign Minister Roberto Velasco said the plan will establish the “direction and priorities” of bilateral relations for next year. His Guatemalan counterpart, Carlos Ramiro Martínez, said the meeting allowed both governments to make decisions, schedule activities and revitalize bilateral cooperation mechanisms.

Security and border infrastructure

In the area of security, the two governments have nearly completed negotiations on a new memorandum of understanding for the Mexico-Guatemala High-Level Security Group (Ganseg), which was reactivated in 2025.

The countries expect to sign the agreement in the coming months to strengthen coordination and their ability to respond to shared security threats.

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Regarding their nearly 1,000-kilometer shared border, Mexico and Guatemala agreed to advance infrastructure improvements at border crossings and continue work on a joint cargo clearance program between Ciudad Hidalgo and Tecún Umán, two border areas separated by the Suchiate River.

The measures are intended to facilitate bilateral trade while making cross-border exchanges safer and more efficient.

The two governments will also continue defining a route toward a railway connection between their countries through Line K of Mexico’s Interoceanic Corridor of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec (CIIT), with the aim of strengthening economic and community ties.

Migration and development

On human mobility, Mexico and Guatemala will maintain coordination to ensure safe, orderly and dignified returns, while strengthening protection for people in transit.

The bilateral agenda also includes a second phase of the Sembrando Vida program in Guatemala, which is expected to benefit 10,000 people across 15 departments.

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Both countries will also advance initiatives under Juntos para el Bienestar, as well as six technical, scientific and energy cooperation projects approved by the Joint Commission.

The agreements seek to strengthen bilateral ties and establish concrete priorities for cooperation between Mexico and Guatemala during 2027.

International

France to Expel Two Iranian Diplomats Over Alleged Attack on French Officials

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot announced Tuesday, August 18, 2026, that France will expel two Iranian diplomats in response to what Paris described as an attack on two French representatives in Iran last month.

“Two French diplomats were scandalously and deliberately assaulted on July 19. I had announced that this intolerable act would have consequences. It has now happened. Two Iranian diplomats in France will be expelled in the coming days,” Barrot said in a message posted on X.

The two Iranian diplomats have been declared persona non grata and will be required to leave France within the coming days, according to the French foreign minister.

About a month ago, Barrot said that two members of the French diplomatic staff had been detained by Iranian security forces for several hours. One of them was also subjected to harassment, he said.

The French government described the incident as an “extremely serious act of intimidation” that violated diplomatic immunity.

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The two French embassy staff members were working on programs supporting Iranian civil society, particularly initiatives involving artists and researchers.

Iran has denied France’s allegations regarding the incident. The diplomatic dispute comes amid already strained relations between Paris and Tehran.

International

Heat wave puts more than 70 million Americans under alerts as temperatures near 46°C

36 deaths reported due to heat wave in Nuevo Leon, Mexico

More than 70 million people remained under heat alerts Monday as an intense heat wave continued across the southern United States, particularly Florida and states along the Mexican border, where temperatures and heat indexes could reach as high as 46 degrees Celsius, according to the National Weather Service (NWS).

Several cities recorded or tied temperature records over the weekend and into Monday, including Miami and Fort Lauderdale in Florida; Laredo, Borger and Austin’s airport in Texas; Atlanta, Georgia; Raleigh and Charlotte, North Carolina; and Memphis, Tennessee.

The NWS warned that the heat wave will continue affecting the southern and southeastern United States, with maximum temperatures expected to remain near 38°C to 40°C for several days. The heat index, which combines temperature and humidity to estimate how hot conditions feel, could reach 46°C.

The extreme heat is also spreading into the Southwest, where temperatures began rising again between Monday and Tuesday. Forecast highs in the region range from about 38°C to 43°C.

Heat alerts remain in effect across Nevada, Arizona and California, including areas in southern Arizona and California near the Mexican border, as authorities warn of the risks posed by prolonged extreme temperatures.

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The NWS urged residents to limit outdoor activity, stay hydrated, ensure access to air conditioning or cooling centers, and check on vulnerable friends, neighbors and family members.

The United States is experiencing a summer marked by above-average temperatures and repeated heat waves. One of the most intense episodes occurred during the July 4 weekend, when extreme heat was blamed for roughly 30 deaths.

July was the hottest month ever recorded in the United States since measurements began, with the average temperature across the contiguous country approaching 25°C, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

The combination of extreme heat and drought conditions has also fueled wildfires. Nearly 3 million hectares have burned across the country so far in 2026, making it the largest area affected by wildfires in a decade.