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.
“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.”
“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.
“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.
“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.
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.
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.
International
Mexico City Mayor Invites U2 to Perform at Iconic Zócalo Plaza
Irish rock band U2, which spent Tuesday and Wednesday filming a new music video for its song Street of Dreams in the Historic Center of Mexico City, received an invitation to perform at the capital’s iconic Zócalo square from Mayor Clara Brugada.
Brugada shared the invitation through social media posts accompanied by photos and a video showing her meeting with the band members.
“This is an invitation for you to perform in our wonderful public square, the Zócalo. You are welcome here, and we would love to have you,” Brugada said in the video while handing a document to Bono, the band’s lead singer.
Bono responded by saying that the group would like “to begin its new tour in Mexico City.”
Referencing one of the band’s most famous songs, In the Name of Love, Brugada said she was greeting Bono along with The Edge, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Jr..
“Welcoming U2 to our capital means celebrating music, connection and the emotion that can be felt in every corner of this city,” Brugada wrote in one of her messages. “We are a city open to the world, vibrant and full of stories shared from the stage to the streets.”
She also described the Zócalo as “the country’s most important public square” and a cultural landmark for Latin America.
Over the years, the Zócalo has hosted massive concerts by internationally renowned artists and bands including Roger Waters, Paul McCartney, Manu Chao, Café Tacvba, Los Fabulosos Cadillacs, Los Tigres del Norte, La Maldita Vecindad, Silvio Rodríguez, Joan Manuel Serrat, Rosalía and Shakira, drawing hundreds of thousands of fans.
International
Marco Rubio Urges China to Help Restrain Iran Amid Gulf Tensions
Marco Rubio said Wednesday that Washington hopes to persuade China to take a more active role in stopping Iran from escalating tensions in the Persian Gulf, arguing that the crisis directly threatens Asian commercial interests.
“It is in China’s interest to resolve this situation. We hope to convince them to play a more active role in getting Iran to stop what it is doing now and trying to do in the Persian Gulf,” Rubio said during an interview with journalist Sean Hannity on Fox News while traveling aboard Air Force One.
The top U.S. diplomat said the conflict and concerns over the possible disruption of the Strait of Hormuz have already affected China’s interests.
Rubio noted that “a Chinese cargo ship was struck over the weekend,” referring to the exchange of attacks reported last Friday between Iran and the United States.
The remarks come amid growing international concern over rising tensions in the region and the potential impact on global trade routes and energy supplies.
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.
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