After World Court ruling, Palestinians want action not words

Forced from her home by Israel's seven-month-long Gaza offensive, Salwa al-Masri has little hope her plight will be alleviated by a ruling from the U.N.'s top court ordering Israel to halt its offensive in Rafah.

"The massacres are only increasing," she said, as she cooked a meal on an open fire outside a tent in Deir al-Balah.

"They shouldn’t say one thing, while the action is something different," said Masri, who fled her home in northern Gaza earlier in the war. "We want these decisions to be implemented on the ground."

Judges at the World Court, also known the International Court of Justice (ICJ), ordered Israel on Friday to halt its offensive in Rafah governorate. It marked a landmark emergency ruling on a case brought by South Africa accusing Israel of genocide in its assault on the Gaza Strip.

But the World Court has no means to enforce its orders, and Israeli war cabinet minister Benny Gantz said Israel would continue its "just and necessary" war against the Hamas militant group to return its hostages and ensure its security.

Hamas fighters killed some 1,200 people in Israel in the Oct. 7 attack and abducted around 250 more, according to Israeli tallies. Gaza health authorities say more than 35,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Israeli retaliatory offensive which has laid waste to much of the enclave.

Israel has rejected South Africa's accusation that it is committing genocide against Palestinians in the Gaza war, arguing that it is acting to defend itself and fighting Hamas.

"Israel doesn’t care about the world, it acts as if it was above the law because the U.S. administration is shielding it against punishment,” said Shaban Abdel-Raouf, a Palestinian displaced four times by the Israeli offensive.

"The world isn’t yet prepared to stop our slaughter at Israeli hands,” said Abdel-Raouf, who was reached by phone.

Israel began pushing into Rafah earlier this month, saying it aims to wipe out remaining Hamas fighters holed up there.

Simultaneous Israeli assaults on the northern and southern edges of Gaza this month have caused a new exodus of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians fleeing their homes, and have cut off the main access routes for aid, raising the risk of famine.

South Africa's lawyers asked the ICJ last week to impose emergency measures, saying Israel's attacks on Rafah must be stopped to ensure the survival of the Palestinian people.

Hamas said it welcomed the World Court ruling but said it was not enough "since the occupation aggression across the Gaza Strip and especially in northern Gaza is just as brutal and dangerous".

Palestinians needed an immediate halt to the war and they wanted to see action to achieve that, displaced Palestinian man Nabil Diab said. "We don’t need a declaration," he said.

Reuters

RUSSIAN PERSPECTIVE

Zelensky’s legitimacy has expired – Putin

Russia must be absolutely sure it’s dealing with the legitimate Ukrainian authorities before it can engage in meaningful and legally binding talks to conclude the conflict between the two nations, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday. He noted that Vladimir Zelensky’s term in office has expired.

The president made the remarks in Minsk on Friday during a joint press conference with his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko. Putin was asked for comment on Zelensky’s presidential term running out earlier this month and the impact of this development on potential talks.

Putin reiterated Russia’s readiness to engage in talks with Ukraine to end the hostilities, stating that negotiations must be based on “common sense” and acknowledge “realties on the ground,” while using the preliminary agreement reached in the early days of the conflict as the foundation.

“But with whom to negotiate? That’s a peculiar question, I agree. We realize that the legitimacy of the incumbent head of the [Ukrainian] state has expired,” the Russian leader stated.

The upcoming “peace summit,” scheduled to take place in Switzerland next month and actively promoted by Kiev is designed, among other things, to prop up Zelensky in his role, Putin said.

“I think one of the goals of this conference for the Western community, the sponsors of today’s Kiev regime is to confirm the legitimacy of the current – albeit no longer valid – head of state,” he suggested, adding that “such PR moves are meaningless for legal documents.”

It’s up to Ukraine’s legal system, its “parliament, constitutional court and some other governing bodies” to determine whether Zelensky is now a legitimate leader or not, according to Putin. As for Russia, in order to engage in any meaningful talks with Kiev, it must be absolutely sure it’s dealing with the country’s legitimate authorities, the president stressed.

Zelensky’s term expired on Monday, while no elections were held under the pretext of the martial law introduced by Kiev early in the conflict with Russia. The Ukrainian Constitution explicitly prohibits holding parliamentary elections under such circumstances, yet does not mention presidential elections. However, while setting the length of the presidential term, it also specifies that power is transferred the moment a new president is sworn in.

WESTERN PERSPECTIVE

Western fighters in Ukraine are getting killed because they assumed the war would be easy, says a US veteran who fought there

• A US veteran who fought in Ukraine said many Western fighters assumed it would be an easy fight.
• He said some "treat it almost like it's a vacation, and they're not really expecting to die."
• Many foreign veterans are not willing to accept that their training has not readied them for this war, he said. 

The veteran, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said a lot of foreign veterans who came to Ukraine to fight against Russia's invasion had been used to fighting at an advantage and struggled to adapt to the conditions there, where they were often outmanned and outgunned.

"A lot of Westerners that come to Ukraine, they want to be heroes," he said. "I just kept seeing dudes that would go out to Ukraine, and they treat it almost like it's a vacation, and they're not really expecting to die."

He said he had the same mentality when he first started fighting there. But that changed, and he better understood how risky it was, as the war progressed. "I was expecting to die because that's just the type of mentality that I fucking had, and I was okay with it."

The veteran started fighting when Russia's full-scale invasion began in February 2022 and left Ukraine last December. He fought in some of the deadliest areas, like Kharkiv and Bakhmut, and also served as a combat medic for his unit, helping injured comrades.

He said he previouslyfought in Iraq as a contractor after he left the US military. He said "the tempo is a lot higher in Ukraine."

A different type of war

He explained that it was harder to find places to stay safe in Ukraine, where more drones are being used than in any conflict in history, and artillery and long-range weapons are in constant use.

He said that "even if you're fucking miles and miles behind the fucking front lines, you can still get hit by a fucking rocket out there." He said it's not like conflicts in Middle East, where if you're on a base you're "relatively safe."

That same comparison has been made by other US veterans in Ukraine, who described the fight in Ukraine as more intense.

One, who uses the call sign Jackie and who fought in Afghanistan and Iraq, previously told BI that the fighting in the eastern city of Bakhmut offered no place to stop and rest, unlike the other conflicts.

Both men also compared the war in Ukraine to World War I, with trenches and unrelenting artillery standing out as defining elements of the conflict.

The veteran said that Western fighters in Ukraine need to try and adapt to those conditions if they hope to survive.

"You have to be willing to relearn everything that you've been taught, which is, I think, one of the reasons why some of the Ukrainian soldiers are doing so well out there, because they don't have any base where they've been taught."

"Meanwhile, a lot of the Westerners, they already have a set idea about how things should be and everything, and it's just not that way out in Ukraine."

He said foreign fighters need "a willingness to learn and a willingness to give up everything. You have to be willing to fucking give up everything in order to fight this fucking war."

Western tactics have been questioned in this war, with Ukrainian soldiers and some experts saying that the NATO-style training given to Ukrainian soldiers has not been right for this war. And Western militaries training Ukrainians say they are now also adapting training as they learn from them, the soldiers who have real-world experience against Russia's military.

The veteran said of foreign fighters in Ukraine: "A lot of these people, they're just not willing to give up and to do what actually needs to be done for that country."

Foreign fighters coming to Ukraine

He was one of many foreign fighters who fought for Ukraine. Many of those who have signed up have had previous combat experience, such as with the US military, though some had none. Others have said they had experience but were lying.

There are no proven figures for how many foreign fighters have come to Ukraine or have been killed there. Ukraine founded its International Legion in 2022, allowing foreign fighters to come to Ukraine and help it fight back against Russia. While many foreigners fight through the legion, others are separate from it.

There are some units fighting in Ukraine that are made up entirely of foreign veterans. Many who have come havecited what they said was a need to fight back against global injustice and defend democracy in Ukraine.

But some of those fighters say that some of their comrades came just to seek adventure or escape from problems at home.

Reasons aside, many foreign fighters have been killed, as Business Insider's Cameron Manley previously reported, with some international survivors saying they were used as a "sacrificial unit."

RT/Business Insider

A Chinese man wanted for murder managed to avoid police detection for over 20 years by pretending to be a deaf and dumb scavenger in the mountains of Hubei Province.

On the evening of May 22, 2004, a young and quick-tempered man named Xiao got into a heated argument with a neighbor in his home village of Oumio Daying, in Xianyang’s Xiangcheng District.

At one point, Xiao allegedly picked up a shovel and hit his neighbor over the head with it, killing him on the spot. That night, knowing that he risked spending the rest of his life behind bars or worse, getting the death penalty, Xiao decided to abandon his wife and 11-year-old child to go on the run. He ran into the mountains of Anxi County, in Fujian Province, where he became a scavenger selling scraps to survive. To make sure he never gave anything away about his past life, Xiao pretended to be deaf and mute for the next 20 years, only smiling at people and communicating through gestures.

Time passed, but police never gave up on finding Xiao and bringing him to justice for his crime, and even though the runaway man was very composed, never once contacting his family over the last couple of decades, they still managed to track him down. Last month, police in Anxi took a seemingly deaf and mute scavenger into custody for getting into a fight with some locals, and even though he was released shortly after, he was still processed and his photos ended up in a nationwide database.

Earlier this month, while running Xiao’s old photos against those in the national database, police got a surprising match. A deaf and mute man in Fujian Province showed an uncanny resemblance to the wanted man, so a police force was sent to investigate. Upon finding the suspect, they asked him point blank, “Are you from Xiangcheng District in Xianyang, to which he instantly replied “Yes”.

“I have been holding back my words for 20 years, and I felt that I was going crazy,” a relieved Xiao told the police. “When I left, my son was 11, and now 20 years have passed, I wonder how my family is doing?

Xiao has since been taken back to his home village, and despite being gone for so long, he showed them exactly where he had the altercation with his neighbors on that fateful evening. He will now have to serve the prison time he had been running from for so long.

The people who knew him as a deaf and mute scavengers told police that they had never suspected him of being a criminal on the run. He kept to himself and never talked to anyone, so no one really knew anything about him.

This story reminded us of another runaway criminal we wrote about last year, a man who spent the last 14 years of his life hiding in a mountain cave after robbing a gas station for $23.

Oddity Central

Earlier this month, we wrote up things that used be awesome back in the day. You know, back in our youth.

And there were so many more listed in the comments that we just had to share those, too! So here are 15 more things that used to be good but suck now:

1. "Politics. Seriously. Not that long ago, you could disagree with someone politically, have a civil discussion about it, and remain friends. Now, it seems like we are all entrenched in an us vs. them mentality."

–emailjar

2. "Kids cartoons used to be way better when I was a kid than they are now: Jem and the Holograms, Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers, TaleSpin, DuckTales, My Little Pony... "

–Rande K

3. "Concerts. I remember being able to go to shows for $15–$30 to see 3–5 bands in a scummy, poorly lit bar. Everyone had so much fun, just enjoying the music. Now, you’ll never find a show under $50 unless it’s a local unknown band, and everyone’s so aggressive about trying to get to the front and get a photo op for social media that they ruin it for the people who want go and enjoy the music."

–m40f1522fc

4. "Magazines. As a '90s teenager, I was a prolific buyer of each magazine for my interests: Sugar/Just Seventeen, Kerrang!, Q, F1 Racing, and so on. I kept them all for a long time and reread them over and over. Nothing was more exciting than a new feature on one of my favorite bands. Now, there are only a few left and not many for teenage girls, who were once the biggest consumers. Those that are still going are basically all advertisements."

–annak4f45e0f65

5. "Movies in general. I feel like they used to have substance, but now everything feels like a cash-grab."

–binadanae

6. "Makeup. In the '90s/early 2000s, you needed concealer, eyeliner, eyeshadow, mascara, and some lip stuff to get the standard 'attractive' look. Now, social media makes it seem like you need 100 different primers, fixers, gels, mattifiers, creams, eyebrow tools, and contouring equipment, which makes it feel like these fashions (basically the huge eyebrow/eyelash/contoured/glowing looks) are directly a result of companies trying to create new products that nobody actually needed or wanted before."

–ophelialavey2

7. "Country music. Once it was good — Johnny Cash, Hank Williams, Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings — but now, it's guys with hardcore Southern accents talking about losing their wife, tractor, truck, or some other shit."

–monster

8. "Driving. I just don't understand how it can be so hard for people to handle the simplest maneuvers such as braking, driving straight forward, and looking through a few windows. Today's drivers suck ass."

–introvert

9. "American fast food. I grew up in the '70s, and while fast food was never considered healthy, back then it was more real and whole food than the frankenfood it has become."

–kingdietrich

10. "Streaming. Back when Netflix moved away from sending DVDs in the mail, they turned to streaming. You had everything you wanted in one place, for one small price! Now, there are about 15 different streaming platforms. Might as well pay for cable at this point."

–sweetpeaprincess

11. "The news. It is so overly sensationalized, and a lot of reporters speak with these odd, frantic voices, like they want you to believe that everything is an end-of-the-world crisis. (A blizzard is not Armageddon, guys! I promise!)."

–christig2

12. "Theme parks. Rising crowds, rising ticket prices, rising costs for everything. Last time I went to Disney World, there were like, seven vloggers all in everyone's way and acting crazed to get on attractions. I wish they would all go away."

–lilpeas35

13. "Common courtesy. 'Please' and 'thank you' have gone out the window. Sad times."

–ravenwest

14. "Disney Channel really sucks now. I miss old Disney, when they actually had good quality shows/movies and talented actors."

–bhnguyen20

15. And finally, "Social media. When it started or even as far back as 2012–2017, it was fun. Just a platform to post silly, goofy pictures and stay in touch with people...until the rise of the influencers, content creators, and whatnot! Now, it's just a filtered, carefully curated, negative, toxic wasteland."

–dishanath1

BuzzFeed

Amid increasing poverty and hunger, Nigerians are grappling with skyrocketing prices of essential food items such as beef, rice, beans, white garri, and yam. The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) revealed these alarming trends in its latest report titled ‘Selected Food Prices Watch (April 2024).’

The report highlights significant month-on-month and year-on-year price increases. In April, the average price of 1 kilogram (kg) of local rice reached N1,399.34, reflecting a 3.47 percent increase from March and a staggering 155.93 percent rise from April 2023, when the price was N546.76.

Similarly, the average price of 1kg of white garri soared by 134.98 percent year-on-year, from N362.50 in April 2023 to N851.81 in April 2024. On a month-on-month basis, its price increased by 13.59 percent from N749.89 in March 2024.

Tomato prices also surged, with 1kg costing N1,123.41 in April 2024, a 131.58 percent increase from N485.10 in April 2023. From March to April 2024, the price jumped by 17.06 percent from N959.68.

The price of 1kg of brown beans saw a year-on-year increase of 125.43 percent, climbing from N615.67 in April 2023 to N1,387.90 in April 2024. Month-on-month, the price rose by 12.44 percent.

Yam prices did not escape the trend, with the average price of 1kg rising by 5.76 percent in April to N1,130.37, compared to N1,068.78 in March. Year-on-year, yam prices surged by 154.19 percent from N444.69 in April 2023 to N1,130.37 in April 2024.

The NBS report also detailed the variation in food prices across different states and geopolitical zones. Niger recorded the highest average price for 1kg of local rice at N1,785.47, while Benue had the lowest at N993.72. Bayelsa had the highest price for 1kg of white garri at N1,095.26, while Benue again had the lowest at N494.47. Delta state reported the highest price for 1kg of tomatoes at N1,851.19, with Zamfara recording the lowest at N547.22. The highest price for 1kg of brown beans was in Abuja at N2,288.36, and the lowest was in Yobe at N818.03.

Geopolitically, the south-west and south-south regions bore the brunt of high food prices. The south-west had the highest average price for 1kg of local rice at N1,615.21, followed by the south-south at N1,564.85. The north-west recorded the lowest prices for rice, garri, and tomatoes. For beans, the north-central and south-south regions had the highest prices.

The NBS’s Consumer Price Index (CPI) for April indicated that food inflation soared to 40.53 percent, a significant increase from the 24.61 percent reported in April 2023.

These rising food costs are exacerbating the struggle for many Nigerians already facing severe economic hardships, leading to increasing poverty and hunger across the nation.

Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar, has expressed deep concern over the growing frustration among Nigerians due to escalating poverty and hunger, urging political leaders to fulfill their duties in improving the populace's living standards. Addressing the Federal Government, the Sultan emphasized that the current socio-economic conditions are extremely challenging, and political office holders must acknowledge and address this reality.

Speaking at the first quarterly meeting of the Nigeria Inter-Religious Council (NIREC) in Abuja, the Sultan highlighted the severe impact of poverty and hunger, noting that desperation has driven some individuals to commit serious crimes for meager sums. “Nigeria has got to a point where some people could commit any kind of crime, including murder for as little as N500”.

He called on all levels of government to take immediate action to uplift the citizens' living conditions.

The Sultan, who co-chairs NIREC, remarked, “Corruption in Nigeria is a persistent issue discussed in every public and private forum, yet it remains entrenched. It’s crucial to research why eradicating corruption is so challenging.”

He criticized the pervasive corruption among politicians, who often exploit public resources without accountability, becoming wealthier than the states they serve. “Politicians come into office targeting public wealth, growing richer overnight without being questioned. This sad reality will persist as long as political office holders operate unchecked, continuing the cycle of corruption after their terms,” he lamented.

Highlighting the dire state of the nation, the Sultan declared, “We are living in very difficult and challenging times, and nobody should deny this. Even our leaders recognize this fact. Acknowledging a problem is the first step towards solving it.”

Daniel Okoh, President of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and co-chair of NIREC, noted that the meeting's theme, “The role of religious leaders in combating corruption and cybercrime,” would provide a platform to evaluate the situation with insights from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC). He urged religious leaders to speak out against cybercrime, emphasizing the collective effort needed to build a just and ethical society for future generations.

EFCC Chairman Ola Olukoyede, represented by the Commission’s Director of Media and Publicity, Wilson Uwajaren, highlighted the severe impact of cybercrime among Nigerian youth, noting numerous convictions. He identified corruption as the primary obstacle to Nigeria’s development, stating, “Corruption is a cankerworm that has deeply infiltrated our society, impeding our progress despite our vast human and mineral resources.”

Olukoyede stressed that public office is often seen as a means to accumulate personal wealth, neglecting the society's well-being. He warned that this has led to widespread insecurity and social unrest. “Children who have never experienced good governance are now taking up arms. No one is safe, and even those with amassed wealth realize their fortunes are fragile against uncontrolled rage.”

He also addressed the global reputation damage caused by cybercrime, urging a unified approach to combat corruption. “When it comes to looting, the corrupt are united by greed, transcending ethnic and religious differences. Therefore, our fight against corruption must be comprehensive and collective,” he concluded.

Usman Bugaje, a respected elder statesman and political activist, has labeled the first year of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration a “tragedy” for Nigeria. Bugaje made these remarks during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today, where he assessed Tinubu's inaugural year in office.

As a former member of the House of Representatives, Bugaje criticized the APC-led government for failing to address the multitude of challenges confronting the nation. He stated, “The past year has been a tragedy for Nigerians. There isn’t a single problem they have resolved. The government appears overwhelmed and is struggling to manage the mounting frustrations of the populace.”

Bugaje further argued that the policies introduced by Tinubu's administration have worsened existing issues instead of improving them. He emphasized the need for the government to seek advice from experts, regardless of their political affiliations, to navigate the country through its current difficulties. “In this year, they have left people in darkness. It’s time to seek help from knowledgeable Nigerians, even those outside the party and politics. Many nations have overcome similar challenges by leveraging their intellectual and administrative resources. Nigeria is rich in such resources, but the government remains insular and ineffective.”

He also stressed the importance of developing clear metrics to evaluate governance. “As a nation, we should have established metrics for assessing governance by now. There are academic and statistical methods to do this.”

To highlight the worsening security situation, Bugaje recounted a recent incident: “This morning, I read reports of 20 individuals being abducted in a residential estate in Gwarimpa, Abuja. If the seat of government isn’t safe, it sends shockwaves throughout the citizenry.”

Governor Abba Yusuf of Kano State announced the reinstatement of the deposed Emir of Kano, Lamido Sanusi, as part of fulfilling a key campaign promise. This decision comes four years after Sanusi's controversial dethronement.

On Thursday, Governor Yusuf signed a bill repealing the State Emirate Council Law of 2019, which had created five emirate councils under the administration of former Governor Abdullahi Ganduje. This repeal dissolves the four additional emirates and removes all five emirs.

Sanusi, who was dethroned in March 2020 by former Governor Ganduje, had faced accusations of insubordination and was forcefully removed from the throne. His dethronement sparked widespread controversy and was viewed by many as politically motivated. Sanusi, known for his outspoken nature and controversial views, had frequently clashed with the state government on various issues, including corruption and governance.

At the signing event, Yusuf emphasized that the new law reinstates Sanusi as the 14th Emir of Kano and removes the 15th Emir of Kano, Aminu Ado Bayero, as well as the emirs of Bichi, Rano, Karaye, and Gaya. He stated that this move was part of his commitment to the residents of Kano State.

“The law provided an opportunity for the reinstatement of Muhammad Sanusi II and the removal of Aminu Ado Bayero, Nasir Ado Bayero, Kabiru Muhammad Inuwa, Ibrahim Abubakar II, and Aliyu Ibrahim Abdulkadir,” Yusuf explained. He added that Sanusi’s return to the throne is expected to bring peace and prosperity to the state, and the repeal of the emirate council law is a step towards restoring Kano’s historical and cultural heritage.

Yusuf also issued a 48-hour ultimatum to the former emirs to vacate their palaces and hand over all emirate properties to the Deputy Governor. He expressed confidence that the new law would unify the people of Kano and promote sustainable socio-economic development.

“This bill signifies the restoration of the revered legacy of the Kano emirate, which has stood for over a thousand years,” Yusuf stated. He urged Kano residents to support his administration in its efforts to deliver infrastructural advancements and propel the state to greater heights.

The governor reassured the populace that his actions were in the best interest of the state. “We have done what we believe is in the best interest of Kano and its people. I want to inform everyone that today, we reappointed Sanusi Lamido Aminu Sanusi, known as Muhammadu Sanusi II, as the 16th Emir of Kano. The former emirs are expected to vacate their palaces within 48 hours and hand over all properties to the Commissioner for Local Government, who also serves as the Deputy Governor.”

Under the new Kano Emirate Repeal Law of 2024, Kano State is now consolidated under a single emirate, reinstating a historic governance structure and honoring the governor’s campaign promise to restore the state’s cultural and traditional legacy.

Israeli forces kill dozens of Palestinians in Gaza strikes, battle Hamas in Rafah

Israeli forces killed at least 60 Palestinians in aerial and ground bombardments across the Gaza Strip on Thursday and battled in close combat with Hamas-led militants in areas of the southern city of Rafah, health officials and Hamas media said.

Israeli tanks advanced in Rafah's southeast, edged towards the city's western district of Yibna and continued to operate in three eastern suburbs, residents said.

"The occupation (Israeli forces) is trying to move further to the west, they are on the edge of Yibna, which is densely populated. They didn't invade it yet," one resident said, asking not to be named.

"We hear explosions and we see black smoke coming up from the areas where the army has invaded. It was another very difficult night," he told Reuters via a chat app.

Simultaneous Israeli assaults on the northern and southern edges of Gaza this month have caused a new exodus of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians fleeing their homes, and have cut off the main access routes for aid, raising the risk of famine.

Israel launched its assault on Gaza following a Hamas-led attack on southern Israeli communities on Oct. 7 that killed 1,200 people and led to more than 250 hostages, by Israeli tallies. Since then, Israel's assault in Gaza has killed more than 35,000 people, with thousands more feared buried under the rubble, according to Gaza health authorities.

HOSTAGES IN RAFAH

Israel says it has no choice but to attack Rafah to root out the last battalions of Hamas fighters it believes are sheltering there.

"Hamas is in Rafah, Hamas has been holding our hostages in Rafah, which is why our forces are maneuvering in Rafah. We're doing this in a targeted and precise way," Israeli chief military spokesperson Daniel Hagari said in a statement on Thursday.

"We're protecting Gazan civilians in Rafah from being a layer of protection for Hamas, by encouraging them to temporarily evacuate to humanitarian areas... So far we have eliminated dozens of Hamas terrorists, exposed dozens of terror tunnels and destroyed vast amounts of infrastructure."

Israeli forces have killed around 180 militants in Rafah so far, Hagari said in a televised news conference.

UNRWA, the main United Nations agency in Gaza, estimated as of Monday that more than 800,000 people had fled Rafah since Israel began targeting the city in early May, despite international pleas for restraint.

Suze van Meegan, the Norwegian Refugee Council's Emergency Response Leader in Gaza, said many civilians were still stuck.

"The city of Rafah is now comprised of three entirely different worlds: the east is an archetypal war zone, the middle is a ghost town, and the west is a congested mass of people living in deplorable conditions," she said in a statement.

In parallel, Israeli forces stepped up a ground offensive in Jabalia, where the military has razed several residential areas, and struck nearby Beit Hanoun town, areas where Israel declared major operations over months ago. Israel says it has had to return to prevent Hamas from regrouping there.

Hamas media said 12 Palestinians were killed in an air strike on a store belonging to the welfare ministry east of Deir Al-Balah city in the central Gaza Strip, and that 10 more were killed in an air strike on a residential building in Gaza City.

Except for the intensive care unit and the neonatal unit, power was stopped at the Al-Aqsa Hospital in Deir Al-Balah in central Gaza Strip amid huge fuel shortages, medics said.

The Israeli military said in a statement forces began conducting targeted raids in Beit Hanoun "to eliminate terrorists, locate and strike terror infrastructure, below and above the ground."

It said its operations had killed Hussein Fiad, the Commander of Hamas’ Beit Hanoun Battalion in an underground area in Jabalia in northern Gaza.

"Fiad was responsible for launching a significant number of the anti-tank missiles that were fired at Israeli territory throughout the war, along with extensive mortar fire toward Israeli communities near the northern Gaza Strip," it said in a statement.

A senior Hamas security official, Diaa Aldeen Al-Shurafa, was also killed in an Israeli strike as he toured residential districts of Gaza City, the interior ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said.

The Israeli military said three soldiers had been killed in the fighting on Wednesday, raising the number killed since Gaza incursions began on Oct. 20 to 286 soldiers.

Reuters

RUSSIAN PERSPECTIVE

Putin to discuss ‘second phase’ of nuclear drills with ally

Russian President Vladimir Putin has arrived in Belarus for a two-day state visit that will include talks on the former Soviet republic’s involvement in nuclear weapons drills.

“We’ll talk about the second phase of the exercise,” Putin said after being greeted by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko on Thursday at the Minsk National Airport. “This is related to direct participation of our Belarusian friends and colleagues in these events.”

Russian troops began the first phase of the tactical nuclear exercise on Tuesday in the Southern Military District, which includes Crimea and four formerly Ukrainian territories in the Donbass region. Moscow said the drills are meant to demonstrate its ability to respond to external threats, thereby deterring further escalation of the Russia-Ukraine conflict by Kiev’s Western backers.

The exercise involves delivery of nuclear weapons to troops from storage sites, the arming of missiles with tactical nuclear warheads, and covert deployment of such weaponry.

After the Kremlin announced the drills earlier this month, citing an ”unprecedented” escalation of tensions with the US and its allies over Ukraine, Lukashenko immediately ordered similar exercises to test Belarus’ nuclear-capable weapon systems, including Iskander missile launchers.

Last year, Putin agreed to store a small number of tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, after Lukashenko made a “friendly request” for such a deterrent. Back then, Lukashenko also stated that he would not hesitate to use them if his country is attacked.

French President Emmanual Macron and other Western leaders have recently hinted at potential deployment of NATO forces in Ukraine and the use of their weapons by Ukrainian troops to strike targets deep inside Russian territory.

Putin said he previewed his visit to Belarus by discussing issues of bilateral cooperation with members of the Russian cabinet. That meeting covered such topics as security, energy and agriculture issues. Some other Russian leaders are scheduled to arrive in Minsk on Friday to participate in the talks.

Lukashenko invited Putin for the visit, which marks the Russian leader’s second foreign trip since being sworn in for his fifth term as president on May 7. Putin traveled to China last week for talks with President Xi Jinping, and he’s scheduled for a state visit to Uzbekistan on May 26-27.

The state-run press service in Belarus said Lukashenko’s talks with Putin will cover the full range of relations between the countries, including trade, humanitarian issues, and joint projects.

WESTERN PERSPECTIVE

Ukraine's long-range glide bomb blunted by Russian jamming

Russian jamming has kept many of Ukraine's relatively new long-range GLSDB bombs from hitting their intended targets, three people familiar with the challenges told Reuters.

Ukraine over the last year sought weapons with longer ranges than the 43 miles (69 km) of U.S.-provided GMLRS rockets so Kyiv could attack and disrupt Russian supply lines and muster points.

To answer that call, Boeing Co (BA.N) offered a new weapon to the Pentagon with a 100-mile (161-km) range, the Ground-Launched Small Diameter Bomb (GLSDB). The glide-bomb has small wings that extend its reach, and it is comprised of the GBU-39 Small Diameter Bomb (SDB) and the M26 rocket motor, both of which are common in U.S. inventories and relatively inexpensive.

But the GLSDB's navigation system, which enables it to be steered around obstacles like mountains and known anti-air defenses, has been targeted by Russian jamming, the three people briefed on he matter said.

While Boeing has said the weapon can defeat some jamming, one of the sources said it would take Boeing months to fix.

Boeing and Ukrainian authorities did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The bomb is made jointly by SAAB AB (SAABb.ST) and Boeing, and it was in development well before Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Jamming happens when huge amounts of energy are broadcast into an area, overwhelming a device's signal. Russia has used the tactic on Ukrainian radios, drones and even GPS-guidable Excalibur 155 millimeter artillery munitions.

Ukraine has been using GLSDBs since earlier this year and experts have noted that it has not performed well on the battlefield because of jamming.

Ukraine has also been using both short and long range Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) which have a range up to 180 miles (300 km).

Jamming on the battlefield in Ukraine is "simply a reality, and numerous weapon systems have had to contend with these and other countermeasures," said Tom Karako, a weapons expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

"Whether such challenges are in turn countered with technical upgrades or simply alternative methods of employment, the utility of long range fires is going to persist."

RT/Reuters