International

Death toll in Gaza Strip rises to 922 in Israel attacks

Photo: AP

October 11 |

The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates reported Tuesday that the number of Palestinians killed in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, by Israeli Army attacks since the beginning of the escalation, has risen to 922.

Likewise, the Palestinian Ministry of Health, quoted by the media Al Mayadeen, specified that, of the dead, 260 are children and 230 women and, so far, some 4,650 wounded have been counted.

For their part, the national health authorities said that Israel’s aggression, now in its fourth consecutive day, targeted Palestinian residential neighborhoods, where water and electricity supplies continue to be cut off, which means the launching of a genocide of more than two million Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

The communiqué details that some 22 families have been exterminated, six health workers and eight journalists have been killed. Meanwhile, 15 other members of medical teams and 20 other reporters have received various injuries.

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The authorities of the Arab nation announced that they have recovered some 15 bodies of women and children lying under a large amount of rubble of houses that were destroyed by the airstrikes.

Two bodies were also recovered from the rubble in the neighborhood of Al-Zaytoon, while Israeli warplanes bombed a mosque and houses in Jabalia, Deir Al-Balah and Al Karama.

On the other hand, the director of Dura hospital in Heborn, Mohammed Rabe’, confirmed that a number of Israeli military personnel stormed the site and fired live bullets and tear gas canisters causing suffocation of patients and attendants.

The Palestinian Foreign Ministry also accused Israel of using white phosphorus in its munitions in the Al Karama area in northern Gaza, a substance prohibited by international conventions.

In addition, pressure from the international community for the protection of the Palestinian people continues, as some 111 civil society organizations issued a statement today demanding an end to the siege of Gaza and the release of prisoners.

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“The ongoing Israeli occupation of disproportionate attacks against protected civilians in the Gaza Strip constitutes a war crime. The Israeli occupation, as the occupying power, has a legal responsibility to ensure the protection of the lives and well-being of protected Palestinian civilians in times of war,” the text details.

The civil society organizations urgently call on the international community and the United Nations to take immediate and effective measures to pressure Israel to end its offensive actions in Gaza in order to prevent the loss of life and the worsening of the crisis in that region.

So far, more than 1,000 Israelis have been killed since last Saturday, October 7, when the escalation of the conflict began.

International

Kristi Noem credits Trump for mass migrant deportations by mexican president

U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem claimed that Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has deported “more than half a million” migrants due to pressure from former President Donald Trump.

During a cabinet meeting highlighting the “achievements” of Trump’s administration in its first 100 days, Noem asserted that under the Republican leader’s influence, “Mexico has finally come to the table” to negotiate on migration and fentanyl trafficking.

“The president of Mexico told me she has returned just over half a million people before they reached our border,” Noem stated, criticizing media reports that suggest the Biden administration deported more migrants than Trump’s.

“I wish those deportations were counted,” Noem added, “because those people never made it to our border—she sent them back because you made her.” She went on to thank Trump: “They never made it here because they got the message—because you were so aggressive.”

Noem has made controversial claims about Sheinbaum in the past, prompting the Mexican leader to refute them.

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On April 1, Sheinbaum responded to one such statement by declaring, “The president answers to only one authority, and that is the people of Mexico,” after Noem said on Fox News that she gave Sheinbaum “a list of things Trump would like to see” and that Mexico’s actions would determine whether Trump granted tariff relief.

International

Vatican releases special “Sede Vacante” stamps ahead of papal transition

he Vatican’s post offices and select collector shops began selling special edition stamps this week to mark the period between the death of Pope Francis and the election of his successor.

Known as “Sede Vacante” stamps, they feature an image used on official Vatican documents during the interregnum between popes — two crossed keys without the papal tiara. These stamps went on sale Monday and will remain valid for postal use only until the new pontiff appears at the window overlooking St. Peter’s Square.

Until then, they can be used to send letters, postcards, and parcels. “Once the new pope is elected, the stamps lose their postal validity, but their collectible value rises,” said Francesco Santarossa, who runs a collectors’ shop across from St. Peter’s Square.

The Vatican has issued the stamps in four denominations: €1.25, €1.30, €2.45, and €3.20. Each is inscribed with “Città del Vaticano” and “Sede Vacante MMXXV” — Latin for “Vacant See 2025.”

International

Conclave to choose pope Francis’ successor could begin in early may

The conclave, which in the coming weeks must choose the successor to Pope Francis, will strictly follow a precise protocol refined over centuries.

The 135 cardinal electors, all under the age of 80, will cast their votes four times a day — except on the first day — until one candidate secures a two-thirds majority. The result will be announced to the world through the burning of the ballots with a chemical that produces the eagerly awaited white smoke, accompanied by the traditional cry of “Habemus Papam.”

The start date for the conclave could be announced today, as the cardinals are set to hold their fifth meeting since the pope’s passing. Luxembourg Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich suggested it could begin on May 5 or 6, following the traditional nine days of mourning. According to German Cardinal Reinhard Marx, the conclave could last only “a few days.”

Although the late Argentine pontiff appointed the majority of the cardinal electors, this does not necessarily ensure the selection of a like-minded successor. Francis’ leadership style differed significantly from that of his predecessor, Benedict XVI, a German theologian who was less fond of large public gatherings. It also marked a contrast with the popular Polish pope, John Paul II.

The Argentine Jesuit’s reformist papacy drew strong criticism from more conservative sectors of the Church, who are hoping for a doctrinally focused shift. His tenure was marked by efforts to combat clerical sexual abuse, elevate the role of women and laypeople, and advocate for the poor and migrants, among other causes.