International
Hamas asks to investigate Israel’s abuses and torture of Palestinians imprisoned in Gaza
The Islamist group Hamas has called on the international community, and especially the International Committee of the Red Cross, to investigate cases of abuse and torture in Israeli detention centers against detained Gazans, as denounced by pro-human rights groups.
“The horrible testimonies about the conditions of the Palestinian detainees in the Zionist prisons continue, the last of which was that of several Palestinians kidnapped in Gaza and released today from the Zionist military prison ‘Sde Teman’,” Hamas said in a statement last night.
“Human rights institutions, in particular the International Committee of the Red Cross, must work to follow up on the conditions of the Palestinian arrested in these fascist detentions and put an end to the serious violations to which they are exposed,” he added.
His words come hours after a young Palestinian, allegedly released from Sde Teman, where he was detained for a month by Israel, was recorded yesterday in a hospital in a state of shock, barely unable to speak coherently and with signs of torture on his wrists and ankles.
On March 7, the Israeli media Haaretz denounced that at least 27 people detained in the Gaza Strip and placed in Israeli military custody had died since the beginning of the war on October 7, either at the Sde Teiman military base, the Anatot detention camp or during interrogations.
Already in December, Haaretz revealed that those arrested in Sde Teiman could remain handcuffed and blindfolded for whole days, and an internal source assured that soldiers tended to mistreat prisoners, which coincides with the testimonies of other freed Palestinians
Meanwhile, the Israeli Army intensified its attacks and incursions in the heart of the city of Rafah, south of Gaza, on Friday, with the destruction of residential neighborhoods and hand-to-hand fighting with Hamas militiamen.
As Palestinian sources confirmed to EFE, the attacks are now concentrated in Al Auda, in the center of the city of Rafah, and in Tal al Sultan, a neighborhood in the northwest.
“The whole city of Rafah is an area of Israeli military operations,” Ahmed al Sofi, mayor of Rafah, said today in a statement released by Hamas on Telegram. “The city is experiencing a humanitarian catastrophe and people are dying inside its tents due to the Israeli bombings.”
According to the mayor, there is no medical center left in operation in the city and the residents and displaced people – according to UNRWA about 65,000 people, of the 1.4 million Gazans that the city was homed before the offensive – cannot cover their daily needs for food and water.
The third point of intense military activity, as local sources reported to EFE, is still the so-called Philadelphia corridor, the border line with Egypt that Israel aspires to control, according to military sources, in order to cut the network of tunnels that supplies Hamas helps it both to rearm and attack.
Since this morning, at least 22 people have died in the Strip, according to medical sources, including five municipal workers, including the head of the emergency service, denounced the city council of Rafah.
Fatal attacks were also recorded in Zeitun, in the northern city of Gaza, which caused at least eight deaths, and in the central areas of Nuseirat and Deir el Balah, according to the Palestinian agency Wafa.
In the north, the lack of food and food is still a critical issue. According to UN data, of the 61 coordinated humanitarian assistance missions north of Gaza, only 28 – 46% – were facilitated by the Israeli authorities.
The reality in the enclave is that only a tiny minority can eat on a regular basis, in the absence of food or affordable prices. Many do it once a day and there is a lack of milk and porridge, denounce organizations on the ground.
The NGO Doctors Without Borders warned today of the psychological trauma that the war is causing to the children of Gaza, who are losing the desire to continue living surrounded by so much death.
“What we are seeing in young children, especially, are symptoms of depression because they have lost everything. They have lost their parents, their siblings, their home, their toys, everything that made their daily life normal,” the organization said in a statement.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Prosecutors Accuse Ex-Defense Minister of Undermining Press Freedom in Honduras
Five Bodies Found in Ecuador as Police Probe Suspected Gang Turf War
Georgia Teen Sentenced to Life Without Parole for Deadly School Shooting
Tec de Monterrey honors one of its students for his contribution to nanotechnology in medicine
Defense Minister commends salvadoran soldier for Central American Cross Country victory
Extension of the state of emergency approved in southern Chile
-
International2 days agoU.S. and Iran Maintain Ceasefire as Trump Expresses Optimism Over New Talks
-
International2 days agoPolice Investigate After Remains of Five Newborns Found in French Apartment
-
International2 days agoPortuguese Authorities Seize 2.6 Tons of Cocaine Worth More Than $550 Million in Drug Bust
-
International22 hours agoFive Bodies Found in Ecuador as Police Probe Suspected Gang Turf War
-
Central America4 days agoEU Urges Nicaragua to Hold Free and Transparent Elections Amid Proposed Electoral Reforms
-
International3 days agoCosta Rica Seeks to Expand Extradition Law to Target Organized Crime
-
International3 days agoChina Accuses U.S. AI Firms of Using Chinese Models to Train Artificial Intelligence
-
Central America22 hours agoProsecutors Accuse Ex-Defense Minister of Undermining Press Freedom in Honduras
-
International22 hours agoGeorgia Teen Sentenced to Life Without Parole for Deadly School Shooting
-
International3 days agoThree Killed, Four Injured in Shooting Near Seattle’s Space Needle