Situation at a glance: Over 30 dead in Israeli shelling of the Gaza Strip
According to Palestinian sources, at least 32 people have been killed in Israeli air and artillery attacks on the Gaza Strip . The Palestinian news agency Wafa reported that women and children were among the victims in Beit Lahia, Gaza City, and Khan Yunis. According to a report by the Arab television station Al Jazeera, five children were killed in a drone strike in Gaza City alone. These figures could not be verified. According to the Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health, the death toll in the Gaza Strip has risen to 52,314 since the start of the war.
The Israeli military had previously announced that it had used the new Bar-type rockets against terrorist targets in the Gaza Strip for the first time. The weapon system features navigation adapted to difficult combat situations and can hit targets in a very short time, according to a military statement.
The Israeli armed forces have recently intensified their offensive in the Gaza Strip. They aim to free the remaining hostages and crush the Islamist Hamas . The Gaza War was triggered by the unprecedented massacre on October 7, 2023, in which Hamas terrorists and other Islamists killed around 1,200 people and abducted more than 250 others from Israel to the Gaza Strip.
The indirect talks between Israel and the Islamist Hamas group regarding a new ceasefire and the release of the hostages held in the Gaza Strip are stalled, according to media reports. A Hamas delegation and a group of Israeli negotiators recently traveled successively to Egypt, whose government, along with Qatar, is mediating between the warring parties. The Jerusalem Post quoted an Israeli official as saying after the talks that there has been no real progress in the talks at the moment.
Iran's government: Inadequate security led to the explosionThe massive explosion at a port complex in southern Iran , which killed at least 65 people and injured more than 1,000, was reportedly caused by inadequate safety precautions. Following the accident, an investigative committee found that basic safety regulations and civil protection measures had not been observed, according to a government statement.
No further details were initially revealed in the initial statement. Experts and users on social media speculated about a possible act of sabotage by arch-enemy Israel. The explosion occurred during the third round of nuclear negotiations between Iran and the United States. In recent weeks, the Iranian government had expressed fears that proponents of military action against the country might attempt to sabotage the diplomatic process.
US fighter jet falls from aircraft carrierA US Navy fighter jet fell from an aircraft carrier into the Red Sea. One service member was injured, the US Navy said. The F/A-18E fighter jet aboard the USS Harry S. Truman was being towed into position by a vehicle when it broke free and fell overboard, the Navy said. An investigation is now underway to determine how this happened. Only one sailor was slightly injured. The aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman is deployed against the Houthi militia in Yemen. According to the Navy, a fighter jet of this type costs almost 70 million dollars (more than 60 million euros).
After weeks of legal wrangling with Israel's right-wing religious government, Israel's domestic intelligence chief, Ronen Bar, announced his resignation effective June 15. He cited his agency's failures during the Hamas massacre in Israel on October 7, 2023, as the reason. The Israeli government had decided to dismiss the Shin Bet chief in March. However, the Supreme Court later ruled that Bar must remain in office for the time being.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu justified the dismissal of the intelligence chief by arguing that he had lost confidence in Bar after the Hamas terrorist attack on October 7, 2023. The decision sparked mass protests, partly because many people in the country accused Netanyahu of not taking personal responsibility for the political and military failures during the massacre in order not to jeopardize his grip on power.
Critics also accuse the Prime Minister of being in a conflict of interest, as the Shin Bet is investigating, among others, Netanyahu's confidants for possible illegal relations with the Arab Gulf state of Qatar.
© dpa-infocom, dpa:250429-930-475733/1
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