International

37 people killed in Gaza in Israel’s attacks in the last 24 hours

At least 37 people died and 68 were injured in the Israeli attacks of the last 24 hours in the Gaza Strip, according to the count of the Gaza Ministry of Health, controlled by Hamas.

In its daily report on the data collected by the hospitals of the Strip, the ministry reported “four massacres against families” in the Palestinian enclave.

At least nine people from the same family, six of them children, died in one of the attacks that hit a residential building in the Tel Sultan neighborhood, in the west of the southern city of Rafah.

The dead are Abdel Fatah Sobhi, 42 years old; Majla Ahmed, 37; Rawan Sobhi, 26; Sama Ibrahim, 16 years old; Hamza Ibrahim, 7 years old; Alaa Ahmed Hassan and Lin Abdel Fatah, 5 years old each; Amer Abdel Fatah, two years old and Naya Abdel Fatah, one year old.

Their bodies were taken to the morgue of the Abu Yusef al Nayar hospital, where family and friends gave them the last goodbye between moments of anguish and despair, as EFE could see.

20260101_dengue_cubeta_728x90

Thus, since the war between Israel and Hamas began, on October 7, 34,049 people have died and 76,901 have been injured in the Israeli offensive.

According to the official Palestinian news agency, Wafa, in the last morning alone at least ten people lost their lives in Israeli attacks in the south of the enclave: nine in the bombing in the city of Rafah and one in an attack on a house near the cemetery east of the same town.

For its part, the Israeli Army said today that it had destroyed a rocket launch site in the Beit Hanoun area, in northern Gaza, from where attacks on the Israeli town of Sderot had been detected.

Most of the victims were women and children, according to the media, which cites correspondents on the ground.

They also detailed that their troops slated down an alleged militiaman in a confrontation in the center of the enclave.

20260101_dengue_cubeta_728x90

More than one and a half million people have been forced to leave their homes since the Israeli offensive began, most of whom are in the town of Rafah, on the border with Egypt.

Israel has announced that it plans to invade Rafah to eliminate four Hamas battalions that are allegedly hiding in the area, but a large part of the international community – including the United States, Israel’s main military ally – has warned that a land invasion in the south would cause an even greater humanitarian catastrophe.

Likewise, the Israeli Army said that it has killed “ten terrorists” during a raid that began on Thursday night in the Nur Shams refugee camp, in the town of Tulkarem, in the occupied West Bank.

Israeli forces also arrested eight people, destroyed an explosives laboratory and confiscated numerous weapons and military material, according to a military statement.

20260101_dengue_cubeta_728x90

Eight soldiers and a border police officer were injured during the operation.

The Palestinian president, Mahmud Abbas, on Saturday described the United States’ veto in the UN Security Council to prevent Palestine’s entry into the United Nations as a full member of “flagrant aggression” against the rights of the Palestinian people and “challenge to the will of the international community.”

Abás also stressed that after this blockade he will reconsider bilateral relations with the United States, to ensure the protection of the interests of the Palestinians, their rights and their cause.

“We will reconsider bilateral relations with the United States to ensure the protection of the interests of our people, our cause and our rights,” said the president of the Palestinian National Authority (ANP), in an interview with the Palestinian news agency WAFA.

On Thursday, the US vetoed the resolution, which received the support of 12 members, the abstention of two (United Kingdom and Switzerland) and only Washington’s vote against.

20260101_dengue_cubeta_728x90

The president of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, met this Saturday in Istanbul with the head of the political bureau of Hamas, Ismail Haniye, assuring him of his support to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza and finally a Palestinian state, the Turkish Presidency said in a statement.

The Turkish president received Haniye in the Dolmabahçe palace on the banks of the Bosphorus, the usual place of work meetings with foreign dignitaries, around 2.30 p.m. local time (11.00 gmt) and the meeting lasted about two and a half hours.

The conversation focused on the Israeli attacks on Gaza, the need to send an uninterrupted amount of humanitarian aid to the Strip and the process to achieve a just and lasting peace, the Turkish statement says.

Erdogan assured his guest that Turkey is making all possible diplomatic efforts to emphasize the need for an urgent ceasefire that would lead to the establishment of a Palestinian State, “a condition for a lasting peace in the region,” according to the note.

20260101_dengue_cubeta_728x90

International

Five Bodies Found in Ecuador as Police Probe Suspected Gang Turf War

Ecuadorian authorities are investigating the deaths of five people whose bodies were found inside a rural home, in what police believe may be linked to a territorial dispute between organized criminal groups.

The victims, aged between 21 and 30, were discovered Tuesday in the town of La Troncal, in the Andean province of Cañar. Police reported that two of the bodies were bound with wire, while a burned-out vehicle was found outside the residence.

Investigators said graffiti on the walls of the house included messages such as “Lobos territory” and “Lobos active,” suggesting a possible connection to the criminal organization known as Los Lobos.

Police believe the killings were likely the result of a conflict over territorial control between rival gangs.

The discovery came on the same day authorities arrested a former mayor in the neighboring province of Azuay. Officials identified him as the alleged main financial backer of Los Lobos, one of Ecuador’s most powerful criminal organizations.

20260101_dengue_cubeta_728x90

Ecuador has experienced an unprecedented surge in violence in recent years, driven by criminal groups involved in drug trafficking, illegal mining, kidnapping, and extortion.

According to Insight Crime, the country recorded 51 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants in 2025—equivalent to roughly one killing every hour—making it one of the most violent countries in Latin America.

International

Georgia Teen Sentenced to Life Without Parole for Deadly School Shooting

A Georgia teenager who killed four people in a 2024 school shooting was sentenced Tuesday to life in prison without the possibility of parole after pleading guilty to the attack.

Colt Gray, now 16, admitted to opening fire at Apalachee High School in Winder, about 70 kilometers (45 miles) northeast of Atlanta. He was 14 years old at the time of the shooting.

The attack claimed the lives of two students and two teachers, while nine other people were injured. Despite being a minor when the shooting occurred, Gray was prosecuted as an adult.

During the sentencing hearing, Judge Nicholas Trimm acknowledged the failures of the teenager’s family but said they did not excuse his actions.

“Your parents failed you. Your family failed you. But that does not absolve you,” the judge said.

20260101_dengue_cubeta_728x90

Trimm also rejected any suggestion that the shooting was motivated by bullying or personal grievances.

“You were not bullied at Apalachee. This was not driven by hate. You didn’t know anyone at that school. It was simply the desire to commit a notorious act,” he told Gray.

The case also led to the prosecution of the shooter’s father, Colin Gray, who was convicted in March of voluntary manslaughter and involuntary manslaughter. The case marked one of the first instances in which a parent was held criminally responsible for a mass shooting carried out by their child.

Prosecutors said Colin Gray had given his son an AR-15-style rifle as a Christmas gift in 2023, despite being aware that the teenager had previously threatened to carry out a school shooting.

Authorities said the same rifle was used in the attack less than a year later. Months before the shooting, FBI investigators had alerted local law enforcement after receiving reports of online messages linked to the Gray family’s internet address that referenced plans for a school massacre.

20260101_dengue_cubeta_728x90

The case reflects growing legal scrutiny in the United States over the responsibility of parents whose children commit acts of gun violence.

In a similar case, the parents of a Michigan teenager who killed four people at his high school in 2021 were convicted of involuntary manslaughter in 2024 and sentenced to prison terms ranging from 10 to 15 years.

According to U.S. health authorities, firearms have been the leading cause of death among children and teenagers in the United States for several years.

International

Portuguese Authorities Seize 2.6 Tons of Cocaine Worth More Than $550 Million in Drug Bust

Italian financial police reported Monday that Portuguese authorities intercepted a speedboat carrying more than 2.6 tons of cocaine, with an estimated street value exceeding $550 million.

Four people — two Spanish nationals, one Albanian citizen, and a man from Gibraltar — were arrested in connection with the operation, according to Italian authorities.

The vessel was intercepted off the coast of Lisbon by Portugal’s maritime police following an investigation led by Italian authorities.

Italian financial police estimated that the seized shipment had a street value of approximately 500 million euros ($570 million), making it one of the largest drug seizures reported in the region in recent years.

Portuguese authorities said the interception took place on Thursday, about 90 kilometers (50 nautical miles) southwest of Cape Espichel, during an operation targeting international drug trafficking routes.