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Israel ceasefire violations

Although a ceasefire has entered into force in Gaza since last Friday, the Palestinian death toll continues to rise as a result of fresh attacks by Israeli forces. Gaza’s medical sources reported seven new fatalities on Thursday, four of them as a result of direct Israeli fire. The slain Palestinians included two brothers who lost their lives in an airstrike targeting an area east of the city of Khan Yunis, in southern Gaza. According to sources, nearly 30 bodies were brought to hospitals, 22 of whom were retrieved from under the rubble. Gaza’s officials also received 30 unidentified bodies from Israel through the International Committee of the Red Cross. This brings the total number of bodies received from the occupying regime in three batches to 120. All those bodies showed signs of abuse, beatings, handcuffing, and blindfolding. The death toll from the Israeli genocide is nearing 67,970, with about 170,180 others injured.

Plight of Palestinian abductees

An international human rights organization has expressed deep shock over the horrific condition of Palestinian bodies handed over by the Israeli army following the ceasefire in Gaza. Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor says the bodies prove that many of the victims were subjected to deliberate and brutal torture and abuse that caused extreme suffering. Euro-med added that the bodies delivered by Israel also show that several of them have been executed after detention, which is a grave violation of international law. It said the condition of the returned bodies clearly demonstrates that Israel treated Palestinian prisoners and detainees outside any legal or humanitarian framework. The rights organization said the regime is behaving as a power unrestrained by international law. Euro-med stressed that Israeli forces carry out killings and torture without accountability, which reflect a mindset of revenge and extermination rather than adherence to law and order. The monitor called for an urgent and independent international investigation to uncover the circumstances of these crimes and hold perpetrators accountable.

Russia-Ukraine war

Russian President Vladimir Putin has directly warned his American counterpart that sending long-range Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine will severely damage relations between Moscow and Washington. According to Russian presidential aide, Yuri Ushakov, that was the key message sent in a nearly two-and-a-half-hour phone call between the two leaders. Putin told Donald Trump that while the missiles would not change the situation on the battlefield, they would cause significant damage to bilateral ties, and harm prospects for a peaceful settlement in Ukraine. During the conversation, Putin also told Trump that Moscow has “complete strategic initiative” along the frontline in Ukraine. Trump, for his part, emphasized that ending the war would open up enormous prospects for developing economic cooperation between the two sides. The two leaders also agreed to hold another face-to-face meeting, mentioning the Hungarian capital, Budapest, as the potential venue.

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