Gaza, Israel Approves Resumption of Aid, 400 Palestinians Killed in One Week

Today’s Headlines: In China, five dead and several missing due to record rainfall in southern provinces. In Indonesia, 19 missing and one confirmed dead after a landslide at a mine in the Arfak mountains; highest alert issued for the Lewotobi Laki-laki volcano. In India, a YouTuber has been arrested on suspicion of spying for Pakistan. In Singapore, an actor has been sentenced to 40 months for sexually abusing a minor.

ISRAEL – GAZA

Prime Minister Netanyahu has approved the resumption of humanitarian aid deliveries to the Gaza Strip (which have not entered since 2 March). “Israel will allow a basic quantity of food for the population to ensure that a famine crisis does not develop in the Gaza Strip,” stated Netanyahu’s office. According to Israel, such a crisis would jeopardise the “Gideon’s Chariots” operation, which killed at least 144 Palestinians in a single day—464 in the past week alone. A tent camp in the al-Mawasi area and the Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis were also bombed.

CHINA

Over the weekend, heavy rainfall in the southern provinces of Guangdong and Guangxi led to the deaths of five people and left others missing. Authorities have issued geological disaster alerts in the south of the country, including warnings for intense rain and mountain flooding. The year 2024 has been the hottest on record in China in over six decades. The warmer climate has been accompanied by more intense storms and heavier rainfall.

INDONESIA

Indonesian rescue teams were searching for 19 people missing after a landslide caused by heavy rains struck a gold mine in the Arfak mountains, in the country’s easternmost region, Papua. The landslide hit temporary shelters used by miners, killing at least one person and injuring four; 19 others remain missing. At least 40 rescuers are on site. Indonesia has also raised the alert level for the Lewotobi Laki-laki volcano after it erupted eight times over the weekend.

INDIA – PAKISTAN

Indian intelligence and police agencies, on high alert following tensions with Islamabad, have launched investigations into at least four Indian nationals for suspected ties with Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), one of the country’s intelligence branches. Among them is YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra, who has been arrested on espionage charges. Police stated that Pakistani intelligence agents were training her to become an ISI asset.

SINGAPORE

Former actor Ian Fang has been sentenced to 40 months in prison after pleading guilty to sexually abusing a minor. The identity of the 35-year-old was made public after a gag order was lifted. He pleaded guilty. A separate gag order remains in place to protect the identity of the victim, who was 15 at the time of the offences in 2024. Fang was 34 when he met the girl at an entertainment event.

RUSSIA – UKRAINE

As confirmed by multiple sources, Russia is preparing a new large-scale offensive in Ukraine with the approach of the summer season. This is seen as the real reason behind the stalling of peace negotiations, as US arms supplies to Ukraine are rapidly running low, and Moscow’s winter advances came at a high cost in casualties.

ARMENIA – AZERBAIJAN

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan met with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev during the 6th European Political Community summit in Tirana, as shown in photos posted by Pashinyan on his official website. He stated that “the possibility of signing the peace agreement is increasingly likely,” a sentiment echoed by Ursula von der Leyen and EU foreign affairs representative Kaja Kallas.

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