International

Israel announces the rescue of four hostages in operations in central Gaza

The Israeli Army rescued four hostages on Saturday in two places in the Nuseirat refugee camp, in the center of the Gaza Strip, where they have carried out intense attacks in which at least 50 Palestinians have been killed.

The hostages rescued alive are Noa Argamani, 25, from Almog Meir Jan, 21, Andrey Kozlov, 27, and Shlomi Ziv, 40, who were kidnapped by Hamas at the ‘Nova’ music festival on October 7.

“They are in good medical condition and have been transferred to the ‘Sheba’ Tel-HaShomer Medical Center for more medical examinations,” the Army said in a statement.

Both President Isaac Herzog, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, spoke to the rescued hostage Noa Argamani, whose release was widely demanded by Israel for humanitarian reasons since her mother is terminally ill with cancer.

“I hug you on behalf of the entire nation of Israel,” Herzog told her, while Argamani said she was “very excited” and happy to speak Hebrew again in her conversation with Netanyahu, disseminated by her office.

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“In Hebrew and at home, which is also important. We don’t give up on you for a moment. I don’t know if you believed it, but we believed it and I’m glad it happened,” the prime minister replied. “Improve with your family and also embrace your mother,” he added.

The operation was carried out between Army troops, Shin Bet agents and the elite police force Yamam, at two points in the heart of Nuseirat, where the Government of Gaza reported shortly before dozens of deaths and injuries in intense bombings, at least 50 at the moment.

The Army spokesman, Daniel Hagari, indicated that during the operation the troops “faced threats,” and a Yaman force agent was seriously injured, the police confirmed.

“In a heroic operational activity, our fighters managed to free four hostages from Hamas’ captivity and return them to their home in Israel,” celebrated the Minister of Defense, Yoav Gallant, who followed the operation from the command room that was carried out “under intense fire.”

The head of the opposition, the centrist Yair Lapid, also celebrated the return, which he considered “a great light in the terrible darkness,” and congratulated the security forces for that “bold and courageous operation.”

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“It’s a miraculous triumph. Now, with the joy that floods Israel, the Israeli Government must remember its commitment to recover the hostages that Hamas still holds: those who live for their rehabilitation, those killed for their burial,” demanded the Forum of Families of Hostages and Kidnapped.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Saturday that “once again, they have shown that Israel does not surrender to terrorism and acts with unlimited creativity and courage to bring home our kidnapped,” he said.

Netanyahu also greeted “the brave fighters who risked their lives today to save lives,” says a statement from his office accompanied by a photo in which he is seen supervising the rescue operation in the command room along with the Minister of Defense, Yoav Gallant, and the chiefs of the General Staff and Shin Bet, among others.

“We are committed to doing it in the future as well. We will not stop until we complete the mission and return all our kidnapped home, both the living and the dead,” the minister promised.

The Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, on Saturday asked the minister of the war cabinet Benny Gantz not to leave the government of national unity and emergency, as he planned to do today in a public appearance that he canceled after the successful rescue of four hostages in Gaza.

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“I aske Benny Gantz not to leave the emergency government. Don’t give up unity,” Netanyahu wrote publicly on his X account.

At least 210 Palestinians have been killed and more than 400 have been injured in the Israeli operation to rescue four hostages in the Nuseirat refugee camp, in central Gaza, the Government of Hamas announced.

These figures refer to the victims who arrived at the Martyrs Hospital of Al Aqsa, in the nearby city of Deir al Balah, and at the Al Awda Hospital, in Nuseirat, according to the Islamist group.

“We condemn the aggression of the ‘Israeli’ occupation against civilians, children and women, and against safe homes in the Nuseirat camp and against the central governorate, and we fully hold the occupation and the US administration responsible for this catastrophic crime in which he spilled the blood of dozens of innocent civilians,” said the Hamas Executive.

Abu Obeida, spokesman for the Qasam Brigades – the armed wing of Hamas -, said on Saturday that in the Israeli operation to rescue four hostages in Nuseirat, central of the Gaza Strip, other kidnappees who were in the area were killed.

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“The enemy managed to free some of his captives by committing horrible massacres, but at the same time he killed some of them during the operation,” he said in a statement without providing further evidence.

“What the Zionist enemy carried out in the Nuseirat area is an aggravated war crime, and the first harmed by him are his captives. The operation will pose a great danger to the enemy’s captives and will have a negative impact on their conditions and lives,” said Abu Obeida.

The Qasam Brigades assured months ago that at least 70 hostages had died in captivity by the “Sionist bombings” and last month indicated that they had taken captive several Israeli soldiers in Yabalia, north of the enclave.

With this rescue, of the 251 kidnapped on October 7, 116 captives remain in the enclave, at least 40 of them dead according to Israel; while there have been four other hostages for years, of them two dead.

Since the war began, Israel and Hamas only achieved a one-week truce agreement at the end of November, which allowed 105 hostages to be released in exchange for 240 Palestinian prisoners.

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In addition, four hostages were released by Hamas in October; seven rescued by the Army – counting today’s – and the bodies of 20 hostages have been recovered, three of whom mistakenly killed the Israeli troops.

Last month Israel recovered the bodies of seven hostages in several operations in the Yabalia refugee camp, most of them also kidnapped at the Nova festival; and last week it confirmed the death of four hostages – all elderly men – killed in captivity, although their bodies are still held in the Strip.

The Hamas-controlled government of Gaza reported dozens of deaths in another Israeli attack at the Nuseirat refugee camp, in central Gaza, where on Thursday about 40 people were killed in the bombing of a school of the UN agency to help Palestinian refugees UNRWA.

“The ‘Israeli’ occupation army launches an unprecedented brutal attack against the Nuseirat camp, leaving dozens of martyrs and wounded in the streets, and continues its aggression against the central governorate,” he said in a statement.

The Israeli Army confirmed that it was “attacking terrorist infrastructure in the Nuseirat area,” without providing more details.

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The Gazati Government highlighted that the Martíres Hospital of Al Aqsa in the nearby city of Deir al Balah, the only one that works in the central area, has been in a catastrophic situation for days, and in the last few hours it has “a large number of martyrs and wounded, mostly women and children.”

They warned that dozens of injured people lie on the floor of the hospital, which suffers a serious shortage of medicines and fuel, which has caused the shutdown of the main electric generator and only works with one of lower capacity.

On the other hand, the Israeli Army is imposing “security measures” on the coast of the Gaza Strip, so that the dock built by the United States over the Mediterranean Sea for the distribution of aid returns to operate after being repaired after being damaged by a storm.

“The Israel Defense Forces are carrying out security measures on the coast of Gaza so that the US dock is prepared for the continuous delivery of humanitarian aid to the Gaza people,” a military statement said.

The US Central Command reported yesterday that it had already repaired the dock that was out of service at the end of May since the pontoon that joined it with the beach was damaged by a storm and needed to be repaired.

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International

Luigi Mangione Pleads Guilty to Killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson

Luigi Mangione admitted Friday to fatally shooting Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealthcare, the largest health insurance group in the United States, during an appearance before a federal judge.

The case shocked the U.S. business community and dates back to December 2024, when Mangione opened fire on Thompson, 50, on a Manhattan street. Prosecutors have described the attack as being motivated by Mangione’s opposition to the U.S. health insurance system.

“On the morning of December 4, I shot Mr. Thompson in Manhattan and he died,” Mangione said as he pleaded guilty to a federal stalking charge related to his pursuit of the executive.

Mangione, 28, is scheduled to be sentenced on December 18, and prosecutors have indicated that they will seek a life sentence.

In addition to the federal charges related to stalking Thompson, Mangione also faces a murder case brought by the state of New York.

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Following his guilty plea in federal court, Mangione’s defense asked a state court to dismiss the state charges, arguing that prosecuting him again for the same conduct would violate protections against double jeopardy.

“We have just filed our motion in state court to explain why the charges should be dismissed under New York’s protections against double jeopardy,” Mangione’s attorney, Karen Friedman Agnifilo, said Friday.

Both the federal and state cases could result in a life sentence. Two other federal charges that initially carried the possibility of the death penalty were dismissed by a judge earlier this year.

International

ICE Plan to Equip Agents With Electric Shock Gloves Raises Abuse Concerns

Plans to equip U.S. immigration agents with gloves capable of delivering electric shocks are raising concerns over potential abuses by a law enforcement agency that critics accuse of using excessive force and providing inadequate training to its personnel.

The plan involves the potential purchase of electric-shock gloves for agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the agency primarily responsible for carrying out President Donald Trump’s campaign to deport millions of undocumented immigrants.

Democratic Representative Maxwell Frost criticized the proposal on X, arguing that the agency has already faced accusations of excessive force during immigration enforcement operations.

“As if assaulting and shooting people in the streets wasn’t enough,” Frost wrote. He also criticized the reported $20 million potential expenditure on the devices and called for greater restrictions on ICE.

The agency has faced growing scrutiny following a series of deadly shootings during immigration enforcement operations. Among the incidents were the deaths of two U.S. citizens in Minnesota in January who were participating in protests against the agency.

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Critics have focused on the tactics used by ICE agents when detaining immigrants, as well as allegations that training standards for newly recruited personnel have been lowered.

According to a procurement plan first reported by the Associated Press, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which oversees ICE, could spend between $10 million and $20 million on the devices.

The gloves are described by the agency as tools intended for “distraction and de-escalation,” rather than lethal weapons. The system, known as GLOVE, stands for “Generated Low-Output Voltage Emitter.”

The device is manufactured by Compliant Technologies, a Kentucky-based company that describes its products as advanced non-lethal tools designed to protect and assist law enforcement and other personnel.

The proposal comes amid an intensifying national debate over ICE’s enforcement methods and the use of force during the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.

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International

Three U.S. Executions Set for Same Day as Trump Pushes to Expand Death Penalty

The death penalty has been abolished in 23 of the 50 U.S. states, while three others —California, Oregon and Pennsylvania— currently have moratoriums in place.

The United States is set to carry out three executions on the same day, a rare occurrence that has not happened since 2010, according to the nonprofit Death Penalty Information Center.

President Donald Trump has sought to expand the use of capital punishment for what he describes as “the most heinous crimes.” In April, the Department of Justice proposed expanding execution methods to include firing squads, lethal gas and electrocution.

Tennessee is scheduled to execute Anthony Darrell Dugard Hines, 66, on Thursday. He was sentenced to death for the 1985 murder of a woman, according to local media.

In Oklahoma, Carlos Cuesta-Rodríguez, 70, is scheduled to be executed for a 2003 murder.

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Meanwhile, Alabama plans to execute Jeremy Williams, 42, who was sentenced to death for the rape and murder of a five-year-old girl.

The United States carried out 47 executions in 2025, the highest number since 2009, when 52 executions were recorded.

Florida conducted the largest number of executions last year, with 19, followed by Alabama, South Carolina and Texas, with five each.

Of the executions carried out in 2025, 39 were conducted by lethal injection. Three were carried out by firing squad and five through nitrogen hypoxia, a method that involves forcing nitrogen gas into a face mask, depriving the prisoner of oxygen.

The United Nations has condemned nitrogen gas as a cruel and inhumane method of capital punishment.