The Israeli military has launched a deadly crackdown on Gaza City, destroying over 300 homes and killing more than 100 Palestinians in the past day alone. The assault comes as Israel prepares to forcibly remove the entire population of Gaza, sparking widespread condemnation from around the world.
Health officials in Gaza have reported 12 additional deaths due to starvation, bringing the total number of fatalities to 239, including 106 children. U.N. experts have accused Israel of carrying out “medicide” by destroying Gaza’s healthcare system while targeting health workers.
Protests erupted globally on Wednesday in response to Israel’s targeting of Palestinian journalists in Gaza, with six journalists killed in a targeted strike outside Al-Shifa Hospital. The international community has joined forces in condemning the killings and demanding an end to violence against civilians.
Meanwhile, Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announced plans to approve over 3,000 new settlement homes, effectively cutting off the West Bank from occupied East Jerusalem. Palestinian officials have condemned the plan as a move to “bury the idea of a Palestinian state.”
As tensions escalate, the U.N. Security Council has rejected a Sudanese paramilitary group’s declaration of independence in parts of Sudan. The council also warned Israel about potential listing in an upcoming report on sexual abuse committed by armed forces.
In other news, President Trump has warned Russia that failure to agree to a ceasefire deal could lead to “very severe consequences.” The U.S. president has also announced plans for a federal takeover of the D.C. police force, sparking criticism from Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser.
The Trump family’s alleged profits from cryptocurrency ventures have been estimated at over $3.4 billion, with Russia warned that failure to agree to a ceasefire deal could lead to severe consequences. Peru’s right-wing President Dina Boluarte has signed an amnesty law for military and police officers accused of human rights crimes, sparking criticism from human rights groups.
The global migrant crisis continues to worsen, with at least 27 people reported drowned in a shipwreck off the Italian island of Lampedusa. Spain’s government has formally asked its European neighbors for help fighting raging wildfires that have burned homes and farms across southern Europe.
As global temperatures continue to rise due to greenhouse gas emissions, mountain glaciers worldwide are shrinking at an alarming rate. In Illinois, Cook County prosecutors have refused to bring charges against five Chicago police officers involved in the fatal shooting of 26-year-old African American Dexter Reed last year.
Efforts to curb plastic pollution are under threat as nearly 100 countries rejected a new draft agreement due to its lack of production limits and mention of chemicals used in plastic products. The plastics industry has been lobbying heavily against the proposed text, sparking widespread criticism from environmental groups.
Source: https://www.democracynow.org/2025/8/14/headlines