International

Israel maintains plans for an operation in Rafah where it says that there are “8,000 terrorists” left

Israel plans to continue with its military operation in Rafah, in the southern end of the Gaza Strip, where, according to its ambassador to the UN, Gilad Erdan, “8,000 terrorists” from Hamas are hidden in the city.

Erdan was addressing the members of the Security Council this Friday, precisely after most of them had expressly asked him not to carry out that operation due to the great accumulation of Palestinian civilians in that city who have nowhere to go.

According to Erdan, Israel has “dismantled” 18 battalions from Hamas, but four remain active in the streets of Rafah, with “8,000 terrorists,” and therefore “there is no alternative route to the ceasefire that does not go through (the attack on) Rafah,” he said.

“You can’t extinguish a fire by extinguishing only most of it, because the fire will be lit again. That’s what will happen without an operation in Rafah. Israel sees no other alternative,” he continued.

On the other hand, Erdan denied that there is famine in Gaza, and said that the UN reports that assure that 1.1 million Gazans are already about to fall into it are “defamatory narratives,” a product of “a tool of Hamas propaganda that the UN has chosen to make its own.”

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According to Erdan, if the humanitarian aid that enters Gaza does not reach its population – 18,283 trucks with 300,000 tons of aid, according to his figures – it is because “Hamas plunders most of it for themselves,” he said, without recognizing the multiple obstacles that the Israeli army is putting to the aid entrance.

What’s more, Erdan went so far as to say that “Israel has taken steps that no other army in any other conflict has ever taken in order to avoid civilian casualties.”

The war in Gaza has so far cost the lives of 32,000 people, of which more than half were women and children.

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.