International
About 21,000 children are missing in the Gaza Strip, according to Save the Children
About 21,000 children are missing in the Gaza Strip, many of them trapped under the rubble, presumably dead, or in unidentified mass graves, according to a report published on Monday by the Save the Children organization.
“It is almost impossible to collect and verify information in the current conditions of Gaza,” says the child aid organization, which estimates that about 17,000 children are currently alone, orphaned or separated from their parents, in the face of the constant forced displacement.
According to the Ministry of Health of Gaza, controlled by Hamas, more than 15,800 children have died since the war began in October, about thirty minors have died of hunger and 3,500 are at risk of death from malnutrition.
In total, more than 37,600 people have died in the enclave, 70% of them women and children, according to the Gaza Health.
Save the Children assures that more than 14,000 children have died in the Gaza Strip since October; about 4,000 are missing under the rubble, and a number to be determined, in mass graves.
“Thousands of missing Palestinian children are trapped under the rubble, buried in unmarked graves, damaged to the point of not being able to be recognized by explosives, detained by Israeli forces or lost in the chaos of the conflict,” the organization says.
“Every day we find more unaccompanied children and every day it is more difficult to help them. We identify separated and unaccompanied children and try to locate their families, but there are no safe facilities for them; there is no safe place in Gaza,” they add.
Save the Children also recalls that at least 33 children died in the Hamas attack in Israel on October 7, in which about 1,200 people died and 250 were kidnapped.
The organization indicated that in the occupied territory of the West Bank, about 250 Palestinian children are also missing, many of them in illegal detention.
“Families are tortured by uncertainty about the whereabouts of their loved ones. No parent should have to dig between debris or mass graves to try to find their child’s body. No child should be alone, unprotected in a war zone. No child should be arrested or taken hostage,” said Jeremy Stoner, director of Save the Children in the Middle East.
Stoner has requested an independent investigation into the situation of the missing children in Gaza and for those responsible to be held accountable.
According to UN data, Israel has dropped 75,000 tons of explosives – the equivalent of six nuclear bombs – which, in addition to having destroyed 65% of the structures of the Strip, leaves minors in a very vulnerable situation because they are seven times more likely to die in an explosion.
International
Man arrested after deliberately driving into seven children in Osaka
Japanese police arrested a man on Thursday after he rammed his car into a group of seven schoolchildren in an apparent deliberate attack in the city of Osaka.
The children, who were on their way home from school, sustained injuries and were taken to the hospital. All seven remained conscious, according to local authorities.
An Osaka police officer, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the suspect is a 28-year-old man from Tokyo. The officer shared statements the man made after his arrest: “I was fed up with everything, so I decided to kill people by driving into several elementary school children,” the suspect reportedly said.
The man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder.
The injured children, aged between seven and eight, included a seven-year-old girl who suffered a fractured jaw. The six other children—all boys—suffered minor injuries such as bruises and scratches and were undergoing medical evaluation.
Witnesses described the car as “zigzagging” before hitting the children. One witness told Nippon TV that a girl was “covered in blood” and the others appeared to have scratches.
Another witness said the driver, who was wearing a face mask, looked to be in shock when school staff pulled him from the vehicle.
Violent crimes are rare in Japan, though serious incidents do occur from time to time. In 2008, Tomohiro Kato drove a two-ton truck into pedestrians in Tokyo’s Akihabara district, then fatally stabbed several victims. Seven people were killed in that attack.
Internacionales
Clashes erupt during may day protests across France amid calls for better wages
May Day protests in France were marked by a heavy police presence and clashes between demonstrators and law enforcement in several cities.
In Paris, Lyon, and Nantes, thousands took to the streets to demand better wages, fairer working conditions, and to voice their dissatisfaction with President Emmanuel Macron’s government.
While the majority of the demonstrations remained peaceful, isolated confrontations broke out in some areas. Protesters threw objects at the police, prompting the use of tear gas and resulting in several arrests.
Videos showing police crackdowns circulated widely on social media, drawing criticism from labor unions and human rights advocates, who denounced the authorities’ response to the protests.
International
Kristi Noem credits Trump for mass migrant deportations by mexican president
U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem claimed that Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has deported “more than half a million” migrants due to pressure from former President Donald Trump.
During a cabinet meeting highlighting the “achievements” of Trump’s administration in its first 100 days, Noem asserted that under the Republican leader’s influence, “Mexico has finally come to the table” to negotiate on migration and fentanyl trafficking.
“The president of Mexico told me she has returned just over half a million people before they reached our border,” Noem stated, criticizing media reports that suggest the Biden administration deported more migrants than Trump’s.
“I wish those deportations were counted,” Noem added, “because those people never made it to our border—she sent them back because you made her.” She went on to thank Trump: “They never made it here because they got the message—because you were so aggressive.”
Noem has made controversial claims about Sheinbaum in the past, prompting the Mexican leader to refute them.
On April 1, Sheinbaum responded to one such statement by declaring, “The president answers to only one authority, and that is the people of Mexico,” after Noem said on Fox News that she gave Sheinbaum “a list of things Trump would like to see” and that Mexico’s actions would determine whether Trump granted tariff relief.
Man arrested after deliberately driving into seven children in Osaka
Clashes erupt during may day protests across France amid calls for better wages
Kristi Noem credits Trump for mass migrant deportations by mexican president
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