International
Israel withdraws from more neighborhoods of Gaza City, leaving dozens of corpses in its path
The Israeli Army withdrew from more neighborhoods of Gaza City, leaving dozens of corpses in its wake, according to the Civil Defense of the enclave, which in the Tal al Hawa area alone recovered about 60 bodies.
According to the group, Israeli troops withdrew today from the neighborhoods of Tal al Hawa and Rimal, and also from the headquarters of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) in the Gaza capital, where Israel is holding a new offensive to try to prevent Hamas militiamen from regrouping.
Only yesterday, the rescue teams of the Civil Defense recovered another 60 corpses from the Shujaiya neighborhood, a bastion of the Islamist group in the Gaza capital that has become totally uninhabitable after the passage of Israeli soldiers, who left it on the night of Wednesday to Thursday.
This Friday, the Army announced that during its operations in Shujaiya it managed to eliminate the deputy commander of the Hamas battalion in the neighborhood, whom it identified as Ayman Showadeh.
According to Israel, Showadeh participated in the planning of the October 7 attacks and led numerous attacks against Israeli troops throughout the war in Gaza.
The Army also assured that during its attacks in Shujaiya it eliminated more than 150 alleged militiamen, including a commander identified as Ubadah Abu Heen, to whom it attributed an “important role” in the fighting in Gaza.
More than 38,300 people have already died throughout the Strip, according to the latest figures from the Ministry of Health of the enclave, controlled by Hamas, and it is estimated that thousands of bodies are still buried under the rubble.
Meanwhile, the Israeli Army maintains a tough offensive in Rafah, the southernmost town in the Gaza Strip, where on the last day the troops “have eliminated numerous terrorists in short-range combat and air strikes, and dismantled terrorist infrastructure in the area,” according to a military statement.
Israel also assured that its forces have located an arms production workshop and a large amount of funds “used in terrorist activities” in the center of the devastated Palestinian enclave, in addition to several militiamen who were eliminated.
In the midst of negotiations to reach a ceasefire agreement in the devastated Strip, which are at its most promising point in recent months, the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, denied that the Army will leave the so-called Philadelphia corridor, located in Rafah and which runs the border of Gaza with Egypt.
“The Prime Minister insists that Israel will remain in the Philadelphia corridor. These were his instructions to the negotiating teams, and this is what he communicated to the representatives of the United States this week and to the Government last night,” the Office of the Prime Minister of Israel said in a statement.
Netanyahu thus responded to information published today by the Reuters news agency indicating that Israeli and Egyptian negotiators would be negotiating an electronic surveillance system that allows Israeli troops to leave the border in case of reaching a ceasefire agreement with Hamas.
The Islamist group, for its part, accused the Israeli president of introducing new demands in the negotiations for a ceasefire, which shows that he is “procrastinating, looking for what will make the agreement fall,” according to a message from the member of the political bureau of Hamas Izzat al Risheq.
The group also insisted that managing the Gaza Strip after the war is an exclusively Palestinian matter, and confirmed that it has proposed that a single government, national and non-partisan, take control of the enclave next to the occupied West Bank.
Israel took control of the Philadelphia corridor in early May and since then controls the area, which includes the Rafah border crossing to Egypt, through which much of the humanitarian aid previously entered Gaza and which remains closed since the entry of Israeli troops into the town.
For Israel, controlling that border – in which they claim to have found at least 20 tunnels – is very important because it is the main source of arms smuggling that for years has served for the entry of Hamas weapons.
International
Looting Spreads in Venezuela’s Hardest-Hit Areas After Deadly Earthquakes
Not even the wires were left behind at a small grocery store. Before the ground had even stopped shaking, looting and theft began in the areas hardest hit by the double earthquake that struck Venezuela.
Reports of robberies have multiplied in the coastal state of La Guaira, located near Caracas and now transformed into a landscape of collapsed buildings and debris.
Videos circulating on social media show groups of people removing boxes of household appliances from a damaged store. Other images show similar boxes being carried on top of vehicles and motorcycles.
Social media platforms have also been filled with accusations against police officers and military personnel who allegedly stole from homes and even from victims who died during the disaster.
A branch of a major pharmacy chain was looted, along with supermarkets and other businesses. Some residents have described the situation as “disaster tourism,” while others say the looting reflects hunger and desperation among people who lost everything in a country already facing a prolonged economic crisis.
“Is it fair that our own people turn against our own people?” said María Esther Bernal, 71, who rented commercial spaces to Chinese merchants, all of which were looted. “They left nothing behind, not even the wallpaper. They even took the cables,” she said.
“Next door, a man died. He was Chinese. People walked over his body while they looted the place. It was a supermarket,” she added.
An AFP journalist witnessed looting in La Guaira since Thursday, following the earthquakes.
Jenifer Mayora, 34, defended some of the actions, saying that “the things people took were because the owners of the stores allowed us to take them.”
However, she criticized the limited response from authorities. “I have been waiting for a mattress so my children can sleep,” she said.
Residents have expressed anger over what they describe as a slow and insufficient response from authorities after the double earthquake, which has left around 1,450 people dead and tens of thousands missing.
Communities are demanding not only faster rescue operations in La Guaira, but also stronger security measures and urgent assistance with food, water, and medicine.
International
UN warns Venezuela earthquakes could affect up to 6.76 million people
Up to 6.76 million people could be affected by the devastating earthquakes that struck Venezuela on June 24, according to an assessment released by the International Organization for Migration (IOM), a United Nations agency.
The organization said the projections are based on available population data and damage assessments, and include up to two million people living in Caracas, the country’s capital.
The estimates highlight the potentially massive humanitarian impact of the disaster, the IOM warned.
Entire buildings collapsed in La Guaira, a coastal area north of Caracas, following the powerful twin earthquakes that reached magnitudes of 7.2 and 7.5 on Wednesday.
The national death toll has risen to 920, while rescue teams continue searching for people trapped beneath the rubble in coastal regions and other affected areas.
UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher told AFP on Friday that more than 50,000 people were reported missing.
The IOM also revealed that it worked with Microsoft’s artificial intelligence laboratory on an initial satellite mapping analysis, which showed that 31.5% of buildings in the town of Catia La Mar had suffered damage.
Authorities and international rescue teams continue operations as Venezuela faces one of its largest humanitarian emergencies in recent years.
International
United Nations Coordinates Relief Efforts as Venezuela Death Toll Rises After Twin Quakes
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres on Thursday expressed his condolences to the people of Venezuela following the two devastating earthquakes that struck the country and highlighted the ongoing coordination between UN humanitarian teams and interim President Delcy Rodríguez.
Speaking during the UN’s daily press briefing, spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said Guterres was deeply saddened by the loss of life and widespread destruction caused by the disaster.
“The Secretary-General is deeply distressed by the loss of life and the widespread devastation caused by the earthquakes that struck Venezuela yesterday. He extends his heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims and wishes a speedy recovery to those injured,” Dujarric stated.
Venezuela was struck on Wednesday by two powerful earthquakes measuring 7.2 and 7.5 in magnitude. According to official figures, the disaster has left at least 164 people dead and 971 others injured.
Dujarric noted that preliminary reports indicate significant damage across several states, including the capital, Caracas. Numerous casualties have been reported, while other individuals remain trapped beneath collapsed structures or are still missing.
“Critical infrastructure has been damaged and essential services have been disrupted,” the spokesperson said.
The United Nations confirmed that its humanitarian team remains in close contact with interim President Delcy Rodríguez and other relevant authorities as emergency operations continue.
To support relief efforts, the UN has established a coordination center in Caracas and is assisting local authorities to ensure that humanitarian aid reaches affected communities as quickly and efficiently as possible.
Guterres also welcomed the expressions of solidarity and offers of assistance from countries around the world that responded following news of the disaster, underscoring the importance of international cooperation in addressing the humanitarian emergency.
Looting Spreads in Venezuela’s Hardest-Hit Areas After Deadly Earthquakes
UN warns Venezuela earthquakes could affect up to 6.76 million people
United Nations Coordinates Relief Efforts as Venezuela Death Toll Rises After Twin Quakes
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