International
Israel operates throughout the city of Rafah and leaves more than 25 dead in attack on displaced people
The Israeli Army intensified its attacks and incursion in the heart of the city of Rafah, southern Gaza, as well as on its western side; causing, according to medical sources, at least 25 deaths in an attack on displaced people’s tents – which is not attributed – and great destruction in residential neighborhoods.
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 southern and east areas are already under their control weeks after the Israeli tanks began their incursion into the city, on May 6.
“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 the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas on Telegram. “The city is experiencing a humanitarian catastrophe and people are dying inside its tents due to the Israeli bombings.”
Sofi added that there is no medical center left in operation in the city and that residents and displaced people – according to UNRWA about 65,000 people, although before the military incursion there were 1.4 million Gaza refugees in Rafah – cannot meet their daily needs for food and water.
The third point of intense military activity, according to local sources to EFE, is still the so-called Philadelphia corridor, the 14-kilometer border line with Egypt that Israel aspires to control, according to military sources, in order to cut the network of tunnels that supplies Hamas and helps it both to rearm itself and to attack.
In this area, the destruction of infrastructure is being absolute, and a kind of buffer strip has been created, as in the Saudi Quarter of Rafah (west), where units of Army engineers are flying residential buildings.
Since this morning, at least 25 Gaza people died and 50 were injured after an Israeli bombing of displaced people’s stores in Al Mawasi, northwest of Rafah, according to the Ministry of Health, an event that the Israeli Army, after a preliminary investigation, claims to be unaware of but claims to be investigating.
In the northern city of Gaza, at least 17 Gazans died: ten after Israeli fighters bombed a home in Beach Camp, five municipal officials in an attack in the center of the city and two others in attacks in the Zeitun neighborhood, the Palestinian agency Wafa reported.
In addition, two more Gazazians lost their lives today north of the city of Rafah, in the neighborhood of Khirbet al Adas, according to Palestinian sources, which would increase the total number of deaths to 37,470 in eight and a half months of Israeli offensive.
In the north, the lack of food and food is still a critical issue. According to UN data from July 1 to 18, of the 61 coordinated humanitarian assistance missions in northern Gaza, only 28 – 46% – were facilitated by the Israeli authorities, details the UN Agency for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
“The absence of healthy food and drinking water accelerates the spread of diseases,” Hosam Abu Sfiya, the director of the Kamal Adwan Hospital, in the northern Strip, warned today in a statement. “We have not received any essential supplies in the northern Gaza Strip, especially food for children.”
The reality in the enclave is that only a tiny minority can eat regularly, in the absence of food or unaffordable prices. Many do it once a day and there is a lack of milk and porridge, denounce organizations on the ground. In addition, the shortage of fuel forces you to burn plastic or firewood to cook.
Some diseases are re-emerging, such as hepatitis and gastroenteritis.
“All we can offer are some medical solutions for malnourished children,” Hosam Abu Sfiya continued. “We demand the entry of fuel, food and medical supplies.”
For its part, the NGO Doctors Without Borders (MSF) warned today of the psychological trauma that the war is causing to the children of Gaza, with some not wanting 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
Iranian leader warns foreign powers have “no place” in Strait of Hormuz
Iran’s Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, said Thursday that the Persian Gulf is entering a new era marked by a “bright” future without the presence of the United States in the region.
His remarks came during the commemoration of Persian Gulf Day, amid ongoing regional tensions following recent military confrontations involving Iran, the United States, and Israel.
“Today, two months after the largest military buildup and aggression by the bullies of the world in the region and the humiliating defeat of the United States, a new chapter is being written for the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz,” Khamenei stated.
The Iranian leader insisted that the future of the region would be free from American influence and focused instead on the internal development and prosperity of Gulf nations.
“By the power and strength of God, the bright future of the Persian Gulf region will be a future without the United States and dedicated to the progress, welfare, and prosperity of its nations,” he said.
Khamenei also questioned the effectiveness of U.S. military bases in the region, arguing that they do not provide security even for Washington’s allies.
“Foreigners who come from thousands of miles away and commit evil and malicious acts have no place there except at the bottom of its waters,” he declared.
In addition, the Iranian leader defended new measures being prepared by Tehran to regulate maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, including fees for vessels passing through the strategic waterway. According to Khamenei, the policies would generate economic benefits and greater stability for the region.
Regional tensions remain high following the conflict that erupted on February 28 between the United States and Israel against Iran, leading to strategic blockades in the Strait of Hormuz, a route through which nearly 20% of the world’s oil supply previously passed. The situation has disrupted maritime trade and contributed to rising global oil prices.
Central America
U.S. and Regional Allies Back Panama Amid Dispute With China
The United States, Bolivia, Costa Rica, Guyana, Paraguay and Trinidad and Tobago issued a joint statement in support of Panama’s sovereignty, arguing that China’s recent actions represent an attempt to politicize maritime trade and undermine the sovereignty of nations in the hemisphere.
“We are closely monitoring China’s selective economic pressure and recent actions affecting vessels flying the Panamanian flag,” the statement released Tuesday said. “Panama is a pillar of our maritime trading system and, as such, must remain free from undue external pressure.”
The statement comes amid growing tensions surrounding the Panama Canal and the operation of key ports linked to global trade.
At the end of January, Panama’s Supreme Court invalidated the legal framework supporting the 1997 concession that granted Panama Ports Company, a subsidiary of CK Hutchison, the right to operate the Balboa and Cristóbal terminals located on the Pacific and Atlantic entrances of the Panama Canal.
The ruling followed mounting pressure from the United States to curb Chinese influence around the strategic waterway, through which roughly 5% of global maritime trade passes.
CK Hutchison, which managed the ports for nearly three decades, rejected the court’s decision and accused Panamanian authorities of illegally confiscating its assets. The company has launched international arbitration proceedings against Panama, seeking more than $2 billion in damages.
Following the court ruling, reports emerged of increased detentions and inspections of Panamanian-flagged vessels in China, actions widely viewed as retaliatory measures.
On Wednesday, China’s Foreign Ministry dismissed the joint statement as “completely unfounded and misleading,” accusing the United States of politicizing port operations and warning that Beijing would take steps to protect its interests in Panama.
International
King Charles III Says U.S.-UK Alliance Is “Irreplaceable and Unbreakable”
King Charles III of the United Kingdom reaffirmed the strength of the British-American relationship on Tuesday during a speech before the United States Congress, describing the alliance between the two nations as “irreplaceable and unbreakable.”
The address, delivered at the Capitol, marked the first speech by a British monarch before Congress since Queen Elizabeth II in 1991 and comes at a time of political tensions between Donald Trump’s administration and the Labour government of Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
“As President Trump himself observed during his state visit to Britain last autumn, the bond of kinship and identity between the United States and the United Kingdom is invaluable and eternal. It is irreplaceable and unbreakable,” the king said.
While reflecting on the upcoming 250th anniversary of U.S. independence, which will be commemorated this year, Charles III stated that the partnership between the two countries “was born out of disagreement, but is no less strong because of it.”
The monarch emphasized the democratic values shared by both nations and noted that major global changes have occurred whenever the two allies found common ground.
“When we have found that way to agree, great changes have taken place not only for the benefit of our peoples, but for all peoples,” he said.
King Charles also quoted British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who recently described the relationship as “an indispensable alliance.”
Concluding his speech, the monarch described the shared history of the United States and the United Kingdom as “a story of reconciliation, renewal, and an extraordinary partnership.”
He added that Washington and London have forged “one of the most consequential alliances in human history.”
“I pray with all my heart that our alliance continues to defend our shared values, together with our partners in Europe, the Commonwealth, and around the world, and that we ignore calls urging us to become increasingly isolationist,” Charles III stated.
The king ended by urging both nations to “recommit to one another in selfless service to our peoples and to all peoples of the world.”
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