International
Hamas claims that one of the militiamen killed an Israeli hostage
The Qasam Brigades, armed wing of the Islamist group Hamas, announced on Monday that one of its militiamen opened fire and “instantaneously killed” an Israeli hostage, while two others kidnapped were seriously injured in another incident; while the Israeli Army assured that it has not been able to confirm the information by its own means.
“Two of our soldiers assigned as captive guards of the enemy opened fire on a Zionist hostage, killing him instantly,” the spokesman of the Qasa Brigades, Abu Obeida, said in a statement.
In a second “separate incident,” two kidnapped were seriously injured and “attempts are being made to save their lives,” Abu Obeida said.
The Israeli Army pointed out, for its part, that it does not have “intelligence information that allows the claims of Hamas to be refuted or confirmed.” “We will continue to examine and verify the credibility of the message and update with the information we obtain,” he added in a statement.
“The Zionist government is fully responsible for massacres and resulting reactions that affect the lives of Zionist prisoners,” said the spokesman for the military wing of Hamas, who pointed out that a committee has been formed to investigate what happened and “the conclusions will be announced later.”
Of the 251 kidnapped on October 7, 111 captives remain in the enclave, at least 39 of them dead as Israel has been able to confirm – more than 70 according to Hamas -; while there have been four other hostages for years, of them two dead.
Since the war began, Israel and Hamas only achieved a one-week truce agreement at the end of November, which allowed the release of 105 hostages in exchange for 240 Palestinian prisoners; while the international community is now trying to relaunch negotiations for a ceasefire.
Israel announced that it would send a delegation this Thursday, August 15, to meet with the meters -Egypt, Qatar and the United States – but Hamas announced last night that it would not attend the appointment, amid reports pointing to an attack by Iran and Hizbulah against Israel this week in retaliation for the murder in Tehran of the leader of the Palestinian Islamists, Ismail Haniyeh.
Of the total number of captives, four hostages were released by Hamas in October; seven rescued by the Army – one soldier in October, two in Rafah in February and four in Nuseirat in June -; while the bodies of 24 hostages have been recovered, three of whom accidentally killed Israeli troops in December in Shujaiya.
International
Meta Says Russia Seeks to Ban WhatsApp for Defending Secure Communication
U.S. tech giant Meta, the parent company of WhatsApp, said that Russia is seeking to ban the messaging app because it “challenges government attempts to violate people’s right to secure communication.”
Russian authorities have encouraged citizens to switch to state-backed applications, and in August they already blocked WhatsApp’s calling feature.
On Friday, the communications regulator Roskomnadzor claimed that the platform was being used to “organize and carry out terrorist acts in the country, recruit perpetrators, and facilitate fraud and other crimes.”
“If the messaging service does not comply with Russian law, it will be completely blocked,” the regulator warned.
WhatsApp remains one of Russia’s most widely used messaging services, alongside Telegram.
Moscow is pressuring both platforms to grant authorities access to user data upon request for investigations into fraud and activities the government labels as “terrorist.”
Human rights advocates fear the demand could be used to target critics of the Kremlin, President Vladimir Putin, or the war in Ukraine.
International
Archbishop Wenski criticizes Trump’s deportation policies, calls for stronger push for reform
The Archbishop of Miami, Thomas Wenski, has called for increased pressure on the U.S. Congress to advance comprehensive immigration reform and criticized President Donald Trump’s mass deportation policies, arguing that they “do nothing to help.”
“We need to apply more pressure on Congress so lawmakers can make the necessary changes. It is also important for the Administration to listen to our voice. We do not want to be anyone’s enemy—we are Americans,” Wenski said in an interview with EFE.
The religious leader, who heads one of the dioceses with the largest Latino and Haitian populations in the United States, issued a call to defend the rights of migrants. He also emphasized that the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has maintained a strong and public stance in favor of migrants for decades.
International
Trump relaunches diplomatic push to finalize U.S.-Backed peace plan for Ukraine War
U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday that his diplomatic team will resume meetings with delegations from Russia and Ukraine in an effort to pressure both sides to accept the peace plan proposed by Washington to end the war in Ukraine.
As part of this new round of talks, U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff will travel to Moscow to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Meanwhile, Army Secretary Dan Driscoll will hold discussions with Ukrainian representatives to narrow differences on the remaining points of the agreement.
Trump also confirmed his intention to meet personally with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and with Putin, though he emphasized that such meetings will only take place “when the agreement is fully finalized or in its final stage.”
The president claimed that his administration has made “tremendous progress” toward resolving the conflict and reiterated that the war “never would have started” if he had been in the White House at the onset of the crisis.
The U.S.-backed peace plan consists of 28 points and has been revised following feedback from both sides. According to Trump, only “a few points of disagreement” remain under active discussion.
One of the most controversial aspects of the proposal is the suggestion that Ukraine cede parts of the Donbas region to Russia and limit the size of its armed forces. Kyiv is working closely with Washington to soften these clauses in search of an arrangement that does not compromise its sovereignty or security.
With this diplomatic push, Trump aims to solidify his role as the main mediator in the conflict and steer the war toward a political resolution after years of devastation, humanitarian crisis, and rising global geopolitical tensions.
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