International
Amnesty International denounces torture and arbitrary arrests by Israel to the Gazats
Amnesty International (AI) released on Thursday a report in which it denounced torture and detentions of Palestinians incommunicadome by Israel, and called on the authorities to release “immediately” the detainees arbitrarily.
“The Israeli authorities must put an end to the indefinite detention incommunicado of Palestinians from the occupied Gaza Strip, without charges or trial, under the Law on Illegitimate Combatants, in flagrant violation of international law,” the organization demands in a press release.
The Army invoked this law, enacted in 2002, for the first time in five years to arrest alleged participants in the October 7 attacks, but shortly thereafter expanded its use “to detain Palestinians in Gaza en masse without charges or trial,” the organization denounces.
AI interviewed 27 people arrested and released later – five women, 21 men and a 14-year-old teenager – and all of them reported having been subjected to torture and other ill-treatment.
Through the Law on the Detention of Illegitimate Combatants, the Army has no obligation to issue an arrest warrant against the individual, to whom the rule denies access to legal assistance for up to 90 days, also encoding detention in isolation, which facilitates torture.
The detainees do not receive the evidence that justifies their arrest, nor does the lawyer who assists them, which leads many to remain imprisoned for months “without the slightest idea” of why they are detained – which is a violation of international law -, “completely isolated from their family and loved ones, and without means to challenge the reasons for their arrest,” according to Amnesty International.
Nor can they communicate with their family, as a health worker told the organization, according to which not knowing if their family was alive or dead in Gaza was “even worse than torture and hunger.”
In December, Israel amended the law to extend the time of captivity without a detention warrant of Palestinians from the original 96 hours (extendable up to seven days) to a maximum of 45 days. The maximum deprivation of liberty until appearing before a judicial authority went from 14 to 75 days, and the imprisonment without legal assistance went from 21 days to 6 months, then reduced to 3.
Of those interviewed, eight showed marks and bruises compatible with torture, and the medical reports of two people corroborated the reports of torture.
In addition, Amnesty International has verified five videos of mass arrests, having filmed in some of them people in underwear after being arrested in northern Gaza and Jan Yunis (south).
According to the organization, “public nakedness forced for prolonged periods violates the prohibition of torture and other ill-treatment and constitutes sexual violence.”
Some of the most explicit cases were recorded in the prison of Sde Teiman, in southern Israel. The prisoners locked up there reported having been forced to stay for hours in tense positions, and were forbidden to talk to other prisoners or raise their heads.
A 14-year-old boy from Yabalia (northern Gaza) remained in this prison for 24 days locked in a barracks with at least 100 adult detainees.
The minor reported having received kicks and punches in the neck, and that the captors had “repeatedly burned him with cigarette butts,” something that the organization verified when observing burns and bruises when interviewing him.
Among the interviewees were five women who were detained in isolation for more than 50 days.
One of them told how, after three weeks in Damon prison (northern Israel), she was told that she was going to be released. “They handcuffed her, blindfolded her, put shackles on her feet and took her to another place.”
There, the military tore her clothes with a knife and subjected her to “a violent naked body search,” and then she was taken for 18 more days to the Anatot prison (near Jerusalem).
International
U.S. Senate Rejects Budget, Bringing Government Closer to Shutdown Amid DHS Dispute
The U.S. Senate voted on Thursday against a budget proposal in a move aimed at pressuring changes at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), following the killing of two civilians during a deployment of immigration agents in Minneapolis.
All Senate Democrats and seven Republican lawmakers voted against the bill, which requires 60 votes to advance, pushing the country closer to a partial government shutdown that would cut funding for several agencies, including the Pentagon and the Department of Health.
The rejection came as Senate leaders and the White House continue negotiations on a separate funding package for DHS that would allow reforms to the agency. Proposed measures include banning Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents from wearing face coverings and requiring them to use body-worn cameras during operations.
The vote took place just hours after President Donald Trump said he was “close” to reaching an agreement with Democrats and did not believe the federal government would face another shutdown, following last year’s record stoppage.
“I don’t think the Democrats want a shutdown either, so we’ll work in a bipartisan way to avoid it. Hopefully, there will be no government shutdown. We’re working on that right now,” Trump said during a Cabinet meeting at the White House.
International
Trump Says Putin Agreed to One-Week Halt in Attacks on Ukraine Amid Extreme Cold
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday that he secured a commitment from Russian President Vladimir Putinto halt attacks against Ukraine for one week, citing extreme weather conditions affecting the region.
“Because of the extreme cold (…) I personally asked Putin not to attack Kyiv or other cities and towns for a week. And he agreed. He was very pleasant,” Trump said during a Cabinet meeting broadcast by the White House.
Trump acknowledged that several advisers had questioned the decision to make the call.
“A lot of people told me not to waste the call because they wouldn’t agree. And he accepted. And we’re very happy they did, because they don’t need missiles hitting their towns and cities,” the president said.
According to Trump, Ukrainian authorities reacted with surprise to the announcement but welcomed the possibility of a temporary ceasefire.
“It’s extraordinarily cold, record cold (…) They say they’ve never experienced cold like this,” he added.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky later commented on the announcement, expressing hope that the agreement would be honored.
International
Storm Kristin Kills Five in Portugal, Leaves Nearly 500,000 Without Power
Storm Kristin, which battered Portugal with heavy rain and strong winds early Wednesday, has left at least five people dead, while nearly half a million residents remained without electricity as of Thursday, according to updated figures from authorities.
The revised death toll was confirmed to AFP by a spokesperson for the National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority (ANPEC). On Wednesday, the agency had reported four fatalities.
Meanwhile, E-Redes, the country’s electricity distribution network operator, said that around 450,000 customers were still without power, particularly in central Portugal.
Emergency services responded to approximately 1,500 incidents between midnight and 8:00 a.m. local time on Wednesday, as the storm caused widespread disruptions.
The Portuguese government described Kristin as an “extreme weather event” that inflicted significant damage across several regions of the country. At the height of the storm, as many as 850,000 households and institutions lost electricity during the early hours of Wednesday.
Several municipalities ordered the closure of schools, many of which remained shut on Thursday due to ongoing adverse conditions.
Ricardo Costa, regional deputy commander of the Leiria Fire Brigade, said residents continue to seek assistance as rainfall persists.
“Even though the rain is not extremely intense, it is causing extensive damage to homes,” he noted.
In Figueira da Foz, a coastal city in central Portugal, strong winds toppled a giant Ferris wheel, underscoring the severity of the storm.
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