International
Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar killed by gunshot, autopsy reveals
An autopsy conducted by Israeli authorities revealed that the leader of the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas, Yahya Sinwar, died from a gunshot wound to the head, reported the American newspaper The New York Times on Friday.
Dr. Chen Kugel, director of Israel’s national forensic institute who oversaw the procedure, told the newspaper that Sinwar was initially injured in the arm by shrapnel, possibly from a missile or tank shell.
Following this, the Hamas leader tied an electrical cable around his arm in an apparent makeshift tourniquet, but according to Kugel, “it was not strong enough, and his forearm was shattered.”
Kugel added that a gunshot to the head ultimately killed Sinwar, but The New York Times reported that it remains unclear who fired the shot, when it occurred, and what weapon was used.
According to the Israeli army, Sinwar’s death occurred during a routine surveillance round on Wednesday.
A group of soldiers was patrolling the city of Rafah when they encountered three Palestinian militants.
While the military pursued them, Sinwar separated from the other two, the army clarified.
Israeli forces subsequently fired a tank shell at the building where the two militants were hiding and at another building where Sinwar was taking refuge, it added.
Israeli media and military officials stated that there was no prior information indicating the presence of the Hamas leader in the area.
Images released by the Israeli army reportedly show Sinwar, covered in dust, sitting in an armchair and staring at a drone as it entered a house devastated by attacks.
In the low-quality video, Sinwar is seen alone, with a severely injured hand and his head covered with a traditional scarf, throwing a stick at the drone.
The Israeli army conducted DNA tests, dental examinations, and other forensic investigations that helped confirm the leader’s identity.
He had not been seen in public since the outbreak of the war in Gaza following the deadly attack launched by Hamas in Israel on October 7, 2023, for which he was the mastermind.
Sinwar, 61, had led Hamas in Gaza since 2017 and was appointed the political leader of the movement in August following the death of Ismail Haniyeh, who was killed in Tehran on July 31 in an attack attributed to Israel.
This group, which is supported by Iran, has governed Gaza since 2007.
International
U.S. to Limit Visa Duration for Foreign Students and Journalists
The United States has announced new limits on the legal length of stay for foreign students and journalists, marking the latest tightening of immigration policies under President Donald Trump.
The changes, outlined in an administrative rule published on Thursday, are expected to take effect in September, unless Congress blocks the measure.
Under the new policy, holders of student visas will be allowed to remain in the United States for no more than four years.
Foreign journalists will be limited to 240-day stays—approximately eight months—with the possibility of applying for extensions of the same duration.
The policy imposes even stricter rules on Chinese journalists, whose visas will be capped at 90 days.
More than 100 international news organizations and press freedom groups, including Agence France-Presse (AFP), criticized the measure in an open letter, arguing that it would reduce both the quantity and quality of international coverage of events in the United States.
The Republican Party, led by President Trump, currently holds a majority in Congress and has pledged to curb both illegal immigration and certain forms of legal immigration.
Previously, the United States generally issued student visas for the full duration of an academic program, while foreign journalists could receive visas valid for up to five years.
Central America
Nicaragua Cuts Diplomatic Ties With Italy Over Red Brigades Dispute
The Nicaraguan government announced on Thursday that it is severing diplomatic relations with Italy following criticism from the Italian government over Nicaragua’s long-standing decision to shelter Alessio Casimirri, a former member of the Red Brigades convicted in Italy for the 1978 kidnapping and murder of former Prime Minister Aldo Moro.
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani criticized the administration of co-presidents Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo on Wednesday for continuing to provide refuge to Casimirri, who was sentenced in Italy to six life terms for his role in Moro’s abduction and killing.
In a statement issued Thursday, Nicaragua’s Foreign Ministry said it was ending all diplomatic relations with Italy, describing Tajani’s remarks as “unjustified, aggressive, and irresponsible.”
Tajani made the comments during a gathering of conservative leaders from Europe and Latin America held in Madrid.
“We have absolutely nothing in common with the positions of extremist governments such as Nicaragua, a country that continues to harbor dangerous Red Brigades terrorists like Alessio Casimirri,” Tajani said, according to Italian media.
The diplomatic break marks a new escalation in tensions between the two countries over the decades-old case involving Casimirri, who has lived in Nicaragua for many years despite repeated calls from Italy for his extradition.
International
U.S. Strikes Hit Areas Near Strait of Hormuz as Tensions With Iran Escalate
Several U.S. strikes targeted areas near the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday, according to Iranian state media citing local authorities, as hostilities between the United States and Iran intensified.
Officials in Iran’s Hormozgan Province said the island of Qeshm was struck multiple times by what they described as U.S. missiles during the evening. The reports were carried by the Iranian news agencies Fars and Tasnim.
Iranian state television also reported that the Bandar Abbas region, located on the Iranian coast overlooking the Strait of Hormuz, was the target of what authorities described as an “enemy U.S. air attack.”
According to local officials quoted by state television, no casualties have been reported following the strikes.
The reported attacks come amid renewed military tensions between Washington and Tehran, although U.S. authorities had not immediately commented on the reported operations.
U.S. to Limit Visa Duration for Foreign Students and Journalists
Nicaragua Cuts Diplomatic Ties With Italy Over Red Brigades Dispute
U.S. Strikes Hit Areas Near Strait of Hormuz as Tensions With Iran Escalate
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