International
Deaths in Gaza rise to 34,622, after the deaths of 26 people in the last few hours
The number of deaths in the Gaza Strip due to the Israeli offensive has increased to 34,622, after hospitals in the area reported the death of 26 people in recent hours, the Ministry of Health, controlled by the Government of Hamas, reported on Friday.
“The Israeli occupation committed 3 massacres against families in the Gaza Strip, including 25 deaths and 51 people injured, during the last 24 hours,” the Ministry said in a brief statement, in which it recalled that there are numerous corpses under the rubble and in areas inaccessible to emergency services, due to attacks by the Israeli Army.
In addition, the Ministry detailed that in the 210 days of the Israeli military offensive, 77,867 people have been injured.
The Palestinian agency Wafa had reported the death of at least six Palestinians during the night of Thursday to Friday, including four children, in an Israeli airstrike against a residential building in the city of Rafah, in the south of the Gaza Strip, turned into the last refuge for the displaced from the north.
Local sources told Wafa that Israeli fighter planes bombed a residential building in Rafah, resulting in the death of six civilians, four children and two adults. In addition, an indeterminate number of people were injured.
Another residential building east of this border city with Egypt, which awaits a land offensive and where more than 1.4 million Palestinians live overcrowded, was also bombed causing civilians to be injured, the Palestinian agency details.
Another nine civilians were injured in the center of the enclave, after an Israeli attack on the Bureij refugee camp, according to Palestinian sources, who did not determine their number.
No conflict has caused a level of destruction similar to that of Gaza since World War II, the United Nations reported, which estimated that post-war reconstruction could cost up to $50 billion.
“We have not seen anything like this since 1945,” Abdallah al Dardari, director of the Regional Office for the Arab States of the UN Development Programme (UNDP), said on Thursday. “That intensity, in such a short time and the massive scale of destruction,” he added.
More than 70% of all the homes in the enclave have been destroyed, lamented this UN official, and assured that it will be necessary to remove about 37 million tons of debris.
In comparison, during Israel’s war in Gaza in 2014, which lasted 51 days of summer, about 2.4 million tons of ruins were removed.
The World Health Organization (WHO) declared itself “extremely concerned” about Israeli plans to intervene on a large scale military in Rafah, at the southern end of the Gaza Strip, where 1.2 million Palestinians are overcrowded, many after fleeing months of hostilities further north.
Such an operation “would make the humanitarian catastrophe even more worse,” said the representative of the WHO in the Palestinian Territories, Rik Peeperkorn, at a press conference.
He also stressed that the WHO and its partners are making contingency plans to ensure that the health system is prepared for a military operation, although he recalled that in many cases, as has happened in areas further north of Gaza, many hospitals are no longer accessible or are even direct targets of armed attacks.
As part of its preparations for a possible large-scale operation, WHO has established a new field hospital in Rafah, and a storage area for medical supplies.
“Despite the measures we take, the health system, already weakened, will not be able to withstand the enormous devastation that the incursion would possibly cause,” he said.
Peeperkorn expressed his fear that the three hospitals in Rafah will lose the ability to care for patients in the event of a large-scale operation.
He concluded by noting that Gaza’s health system “barely survives,” with only 12 of the 36 hospitals in the strip and 22 of the 88 health facilities partially functioning.
The Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, reiterated on Thursday that the invasion of Rafah, a city bordering Egypt and turned into the last refuge of the Palestinians, is still standing, despite the parallel negotiations with Hamas on a possible ceasefire.
International
Trump floats Vance-Rubio potential Republican ticket for 2028 election
U.S. President Donald Trump suggested on Monday that Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubiocould potentially form a Republican presidential ticket for the 2028 elections.
Speaking during a dinner with law enforcement officials as part of National Police Week, Trump publicly praised both officials and said they could make “an ideal team” for the next presidential race.
“Who likes JD Vance? Who likes Marco Rubio?” Trump asked attendees before adding that the pair “sound like a good combination.”
The president highlighted his vice president’s performance in office, stating that their current partnership has been highly effective. “JD is perfect, that has been a perfect formula,” Trump told reporters later.
He further suggested that a Vance-Rubio pairing could represent a strong presidential and vice-presidential ticket, although he stopped short of offering any formal endorsement.
“I think it sounds like a presidential candidate and a vice-presidential candidate,” he said, while clarifying that his remarks should not be interpreted as an official backing of any future campaign.
So far, neither Vance nor Rubio has publicly confirmed any intention to run in the 2028 presidential election.
Rubio previously sought the Republican nomination in 2016 but withdrew after losing the primary race to Trump. Later, in a December 2025 interview with Vanity Fair, he said he would be among the first to support Vance if he decided to run for the White House.
Vance, meanwhile, has recently dismissed speculation of any political rivalry with Rubio amid growing discussion about potential future GOP leadership.
International
Russia Accuses Ukraine of Violating Victory Day Truce
Russia accused Ukraine on Saturday of violating a Victory Day truce that was reportedly agreed with mediation from the United States, claiming that Ukrainian forces carried out attacks on Russian territory as well as on the annexed Crimean peninsula.
Despite the declared ceasefire, the Russian Ministry of Defense said in a statement that Ukrainian forces attacked Russian military positions using attack drones and artillery.
According to the ministry, Ukrainian forces made twelve attempts to advance toward Russian-held positions across several sectors of the front line.
It also alleged that Ukrainian strikes targeted civilian infrastructure in Crimea, several border regions, the Caucasus, and other areas including Moscow and Perm in the Ural region.
The Defense Ministry estimated around 8,900 violations of the ceasefire in total, including more than 7,000 drone attacks and over 1,000 strikes involving tanks, artillery, multiple rocket launch systems, and mortars since the truce came into effect at midnight.
Russia said its forces responded “symmetrically” to what it described as violations by Ukrainian troops.
Earlier, the Kremlin denied claims that Ukraine attempted to sabotage a military parade in Red Square marking the 81st anniversary of the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany in World War II.
“No attempts were made. Everything went well,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told local media.
International
Trump Says U.S.-Iran Talks Progressing, Signals Possible Deal on Strait of Hormuz
U.S. President Donald Trump said Wednesday that Washington is holding “very good” talks with Iran and stated that there is a strong possibility of reaching an agreement to end the conflict and reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
“We’ve had very good conversations over the last 44 hours, and it’s very possible that we’ll reach an agreement,” Trump said during an event held in the Oval Office at the White House.
The president’s remarks came just hours after he announced a temporary suspension of the military operation aimed at escorting vessels stranded in the Persian Gulf due to Iran’s blockade of the strategic Strait of Hormuz.
Trump explained that the pause in operations is intended to facilitate diplomatic negotiations between both sides and prevent further military escalation in the region.
“We’re in good shape, and right now things are going well. Now we have to achieve what we need to achieve. If we don’t, we’ll have to go much further,” the Republican president warned.
In a post published on his social media platform Truth Social, Trump reiterated that if Iran accepts Washington’s proposed conditions, military operations and the naval blockade affecting the Islamic republic would come to an end.
However, he also issued a new warning to the Iranian government, stating that the United States would respond with attacks “of greater intensity” if Tehran rejects the agreement promoted by the White House.
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