International
Israel claims to have killed a Hamas leader in an attack on Tulkarem that caused 18 deaths
The Israeli Army claimed to have killed a leader of the Palestinian Hamas group in the attack it launched this Thursday against the Tulkerem refugee camp, in the occupied West Bank, in which at least 18 people died, according to figures from the Palestinian Ministry of Health.
The Palestinian news agency Wafa reported that Israeli planes bombed a cafeteria and that 18 people perished in the attack.
According to the Army, in the attack, launched in coordination with the Israeli national intelligence service (Shin Bet), the leader of Hamas in Tulkarem, identified as Zahi Yaser bdel Razaq Awfi, died.
Attack on Tulkarem refugee camp
The Israeli army simply reported in a statement that it had launched an attack in coordination with the National Intelligence Center (Shin Bet) and that it would subsequently offer more details.
The Palestinian agency said that a missile hit a popular cafe located in Al Hamam alley, in the Tulkarem refugee camp.
Attack in Tulkarem increases deaths in West Bank
In the last year, Israel has killed 720 Palestinians in the West Bank, including 160 minors, according to the Ministry of Health.
In Tulkarem alone, at least 94 Palestinians have died since January, including eight children aged 15 and 17, according to a follow-up by EFE.
Most have died from soldiers’ shots but more than thirty in air strikes, a tactic that Israel did not use in cities and refugee camps in the West Bank since the Second Intifada, two decades ago.
The offensive to Lebanon continues
The Israeli army launched 15 bombings this Thursday against targets of the Shiite Hezbollah militia in Beirut, including its historic center for the second time in a year of clashes, in attacks that have caused at least nine deaths, although the Lebanese authorities do not rule out more victims, while the clashes continue on the border between the two countries.
The Israeli army reported an airstrike against the intelligence headquarters of the Shiite group Hezbula in Beirut and also the office of its communication organ in the same city.
Deaths increase
According to the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health, at least nine people were killed and fourteen were injured in the bombing, although it reported that they are analyzing the DNA remains found at the scene to determine the final death count.
The Lebanese National News Agency (ANN) reported that there were bombings in the Beirut area of Dahye, which targeted the neighborhoods of Haret Hreik, Burj al Barajna, Al Amirikan and Al Ghobeiry, while a building “completely collapsed” in the Muawad area.
He added that the attack destroyed a center of the Islamic Health Authority, an organization linked to Hezbullah that is responsible for offering health care and services, and in which “internationally prohibited phosphorus bombs” were used, he said.
International
French Parliament Moves to Approve Social Media Age Limit for Minors
France’s Parliament is expected to approve legislation on Tuesday banning children under the age of 15 from accessing social media platforms, following an agreement reached Monday between lawmakers on the mechanism to enforce the measure.
The initiative is part of President Emmanuel Macron’s broader effort to strengthen online protections for minors and regulate children’s screen time before the end of his second presidential term in May 2027.
“Tomorrow, France will become the first country in Europe to establish a digital age of majority to better protect our children online,” Digital Affairs Minister Anne Le Hénanff said Monday in a post on X.
If approved, the government plans to implement the restriction in September, when students return to school after the summer holidays.
The United Kingdom has already passed similar legislation restricting social media access for users under the age of 16, although that measure is scheduled to take effect in early 2027.
Both the National Assembly, France’s lower house of Parliament, and the Senate are expected to hold final votes on the legislation Tuesday after a joint committee of seven senators and seven lawmakers reached an agreement on the bill’s final wording.
Under the proposed law, children under 15 years old would be prohibited from accessing online social media services, with limited exceptions for certain platforms, including online encyclopedias.
The legislation would make France the first member of the European Union to introduce a nationwide minimum digital age for access to social media platforms, reflecting a growing international movement to strengthen online safeguards for children and teenagers.
International
WHO to Hold New Round of Talks After Slow Progress on Pandemic Accord
Member states of the World Health Organization (WHO) made limited progress during the seventh session of the Intergovernmental Working Group (IGWG) tasked with finalizing a key annex to the global pandemic agreement, prompting negotiators to schedule another round of talks in September.
The session, which opened on July 6 and concluded last week at WHO headquarters in Geneva, focused on drafting and negotiating the annex covering the Pathogen Access and Benefit-Sharing (PABS) System, a central component of the pandemic accord.
Without the completion of the PABS annex, the global pandemic agreement cannot enter into force.
The annex had originally been expected to be finalized before May 2026, but negotiations have progressed more slowly than anticipated.
In a statement, the WHO said member states “advanced negotiations” on the PABS system while acknowledging that additional discussions are required to complete a framework capable of supporting a faster, more effective and more equitable response to future pandemics.
The organization announced that an eighth round of negotiations will take place on September 14.
Despite the limited progress, delegates succeeded in streamlining the draft text and concentrating discussions on several technical issues.
According to the WHO, negotiators focused on the contractual arrangements underpinning the PABS mechanism, the laboratory networks responsible for handling and sharing pathogens and their genetic sequence data, as well as the framework for distributing the benefits generated through the sharing of those pathogens.
The PABS system is considered one of the most important elements of the future pandemic agreement, as it aims to ensure timely access to pathogens for scientific research while establishing fair mechanisms for sharing the benefits derived from vaccines, diagnostics and other medical countermeasures developed during future global health emergencies.
International
Iran Says It Is in “Full-Scale War” as U.S. Launches Ninth Consecutive Night of Airstrikes
Iran declared on Monday that it is facing a “full-scale war” against the United States after Washington carried out another wave of overnight airstrikes, including attacks near a city that hosts one of the country’s nuclear facilities.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said the country must prepare for the consequences of the ongoing conflict, describing the situation as a broad military confrontation.
“The reality is that today the Islamic Republic of Iran is engaged in a full-scale war,” Pezeshkian said in a statement released by the presidency. “We must be realistic and accept the natural consequences of this resistance.”
The latest U.S. strikes marked the ninth consecutive night of military operations, according to the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), which announced the attacks on X.
Since hostilities resumed on July 7, U.S. air operations have expanded well beyond southern Iran, reaching central and northwestern regions of the country, according to local sources.
Local authorities reported that one person was killed and several others injured in Tabriz, in northwestern Iran, more than 1,000 kilometers from the Persian Gulf.
Additional casualties were reported in the nearby city of Urmia, where several people were wounded during separate strikes.
Washington said the attacks targeted military installations. However, Iranian officials accused the United States of striking populated areas, including Bushehr, home to Iran’s only operational nuclear power plant.
Iran also reported that the Darkhovin nuclear facility, which is still under construction, was among the sites hit during the latest attacks.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Sunday that the renewed military campaign was carried out in honor of American service members killed in recent days.
Two U.S. soldiers died on Friday during attacks on a military base in Jordan, while another service member was killed on Sunday during the controlled disposal of unexploded munitions from an Iranian drone in northern Iraq.
According to U.S. figures, 17 American troops have been killed since the conflict began on February 28.
On the Iranian side, the latest official figures released on Friday reported 50 deaths and more than 500 injuries since fighting resumed earlier this month.
A memorandum of understanding signed by Iran and the United States on June 17, which had been intended to pave the way for peace negotiations, collapsed after hostilities resumed over the strategic control of the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most important energy shipping routes.
French Parliament Moves to Approve Social Media Age Limit for Minors
WHO to Hold New Round of Talks After Slow Progress on Pandemic Accord
Iran Says It Is in “Full-Scale War” as U.S. Launches Ninth Consecutive Night of Airstrikes
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