International

Far-right Israeli minister will leave the Netanyahu government if his country does not resume the war after the truce

Israel’s Finance Minister, Bezalel Smotrich, announced on Thursday that his party will leave the coalition government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he does not commit to resume the war in Gaza “immediately after” the end of the first phase of the ceasefire agreement announced this Wednesday.

“The faction supports the demands of the party’s chairman, Minister Bezalel Smotrich, to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, to guarantee Israel’s return to war to destroy Hamas (…) immediately after the conclusion of the first phase of the agreement, as a condition for the party to remain in the governing coalition,” the far-right party Religious Zionism said today in a statement.

According to the draft agreement to which Efe had access and details provided by Israeli officers, in the first phase of the 42-day agreement, Hamas will gradually release, and in exchange for more than a thousand Palestinian prisoners, 33 hostages (alive and dead) giving priority to women still captives – also the military ones -, people over 50 years of age, those under nineteen and the sick.

It is the second phase that must initiate “a sustainable calm” in the Strip and the total abandonment of Israeli troops from the Palestinian enclave as a requirement for Hamas to release the rest of the civilians and the male military so that finally, in a third phase, it exchanges the lifeless bodies of hostages already dead.

This morning, Netanyahu’s Office accused Hamas of not wanting to comply with what was already agreed on May 27, in the draft announced then by US President Joe Biden, and of wanting to exchange “mass murderers” for hostages, despite an explicit clause that vetoes it.

20250701_dengue_728x90

20250901_vacunacion_vsr-728x90

20250901_minsal_tetra_-728x90

20250701_vacunacion-influenza-728x90

20250701_vacunacion_vph-728x90

20250715_donacion_sangre_central_728x90

20250501_mh_noexigencia_dui_728x90

20231124_etesal_728x90_1

20230601_agenda_primera_infancia_728X90

domfuturo_netview-728x90

20240604_dom_728x90

CEL

Hamas, for its part, assured that it is “committed to the ceasefire agreement, announced by the mediators” and that it is Israel that is trying to “create tension at a critical moment,” in addition to asking the US government to force it to comply with the agreement.

An Israeli official confirmed today to EFE that the negotiating delegation, headed by the head of the Mossad, David Barnea, is still in Doha finalizing the details of the ceasefire agreement, announced yesterday by Qatar and which should come into force this Sunday.

International

Armed forces target illegal mines in Northern Ecuador with bombing raids

Ecuador’s Armed Forces carried out an operation on Monday — including airstrikes — against illegal mining in the town of Buenos Aires, in the country’s north, Defense Minister Gian Carlo Loffredo reported.

The mountainous, gold-rich area has been a hotspot for illegal mining since 2017, located in the Andean province of Imbabura.

In 2019, former president Lenín Moreno deployed around 2,400 soldiers to the region in an attempt to curb the illegal activity. “The operation began with mortar fire, followed by gunfire and bombing runs by Supertucano aircraft,” Loffredo said in a video released by the Defense Ministry.

He added that the operation would continue on Tuesday with patrols across the area to locate possible members of “irregular armed groups that may have crossed from the Colombian border.”

The Armed Forces stated on X that the intervention focused on the “complete elimination of multiple illegal mining tunnels” in the areas known as Mina Nueva and Mina Vieja.

20250701_dengue_728x90

20250901_vacunacion_vsr-728x90

20250901_minsal_tetra_-728x90

20250701_vacunacion-influenza-728x90

20250701_vacunacion_vph-728x90

20250715_donacion_sangre_central_728x90

20250501_mh_noexigencia_dui_728x90

20231124_etesal_728x90_1

20230601_agenda_primera_infancia_728X90

domfuturo_netview-728x90

20240604_dom_728x90

CEL

The operation coincided with the deployment of a military and police convoy into Imbabura, which has been the epicenter of protests against President Daniel Noboa since September 22, following his decision to scrap the diesel subsidy.

International

Caracas shuts embassy in Oslo without explanation following Machado’s Nobel win

Venezuela has announced the closure of its embassy in Norway, just days after opposition leader María Corina Machado was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. The Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the Venezuelan diplomatic mission provided no explanation for its decision on Monday.

“It is regrettable,” a ministry spokesperson said. “Despite our differences on several issues, Norway wishes to keep the dialogue with Venezuela open and will continue to work in that direction.” The ministry also emphasized that the Nobel Committee operates entirely independently from the Norwegian government.

In its announcement, the Nobel Committee stated that Machado met the criteria established by Alfred Nobel, “embodying the hope for a different future, where the fundamental rights of Venezuelans are heard.”

International

Sheinbaum: Urgent to restore access to towns cut off by heavy rains

Thousands of military personnel and civilians in Mexico worked tirelessly on Tuesday to clear roads blocked by the torrential rains of recent days, which have left more than 300 communities cut off across central and eastern regions of the country. Authorities also launched mass fumigation efforts in several affected areas to prevent the spread of dengue fever.

The official death toll remains at 64, though dozens of people are still missing. President Claudia Sheinbaumacknowledged that the government does not yet know the full situation in many of the isolated villages, which range in population from 500 to 1,000 inhabitants.

“The reopening of roads is one of the greatest urgencies,” Sheinbaum said. “It’s essential to guarantee air bridges, food supplies, clean water, and a proper census of the isolated communities so we can determine the condition of every person living there.”

Private construction companies are also assisting the effort with heavy machinery and technical support to help reopen highways and reconnect rural areas.