International
More than 150 dead in Israeli attacks in Gaza in 24 hours
More than 150 Gazati lost their lives in Israeli attacks in the Palestinian enclave since Saturday, about 84 yesterday and at least 70 in the early hours of today, Sunday, in a bombing in Beit Lahia (north) that also caused more than 40 injuries.
With these attacks, the number of fatalities since the beginning of the war on October 7, 2023 today exceeded 42,600 – mostly women and children – and the number of injured 99,800, in an enclave with a health system on the verge of collapse.
In Beit Lahia alone, at least 73 people died around midnight when Israel bombed a residential complex and a roundabout, according to the authorities of the Strip, in what the Army described as a “precision” attack.
This morning, the Gaza Ministry of Health increased that figure to 87 victims between dead and missing people under the rubble, as well as more than 40 injured, some of them in critical condition. These are added to the nearly 500 deaths in the north alone in the last two weeks of military siege.
In addition to this lethal attack, the hospitals in the north of the enclave were also attacked by Israel, which surrounded the Indonesian Hospital with tanks and demolished part of its walls. Al Awda and Al Yaman Al Saeed hospitals were also damaged.
The director of the Indonesian Hospital, located in Beit Lahia, Marwan Sultan, said that the Israeli artillery attacked the second and third floors, which “endangered the lives of patients and medical personnel,” in addition to their water tanks and the power grid.
Israeli artillery also attacked Yabalia and its surroundings, according to the Wafa agency, coinciding with the demolition of residential buildings in explosions controlled by army troops.
The acting director of the Al Awda hospital in Yabalia, Mohammed Salha, denounced in messages to EFE that the Israeli Army attacked two ambulances from the center that were transferring the wounded to Kamal Adwan, so both vehicles have been trapped in this hospital without being able to return.
“There are bombings around the hospital (Al Awda) and this morning they have shot at the wall,” Salha added, although he pointed out that no one was injured.
Israel kills four engineers who were repairing pipes
The Israeli Army killed four engineers who were going to repair infrastructure for water distribution in Khuzaa, east of Jan Yunis, in southern Gaza, despite prior coordination with the Israeli authorities to guarantee their safety, Oxfam denounced late Saturday.
“Despite prior coordination with the Israeli authorities, his clearly identified vehicle was bombed,” denounced Oxfam, which identified the four engineers as workers of a partner organization, the Coastal Townships Water Company (CMWU).
“Their deaths aggravate the catastrophic humanitarian crisis in Gaza, where access to drinking water is already seriously compromised,” added the NGO founded in the United Kingdom, which described the attack on civilian infrastructure and those who maintain it as “clear violations of international humanitarian law” and demanded an independent investigation.
For its part, the Israeli Army said that “observers identified several suspicious people on Saturday who were one kilometer from the southern border of the Gaza Strip” and that a tank fired a projectile to “scare them away.”
In addition, according to the statement cited by Haaretz, the Army acknowledged that the victims were hydraulic engineers and said they were investigating the incident.
Hundreds of engineers, officials, health workers and humanitarian workers have died in Israeli attacks after more than a year of this war, which already has more than 42,500 dead.
One of the most reported cases was the multiple attack, on April 1, against a convoy of the NGO World Central Kitchen, by Spanish chef José Andrés.
On this occasion, Israel fired three consecutive missiles killing seven of its cooperants, which caused the organization to stop its operations to carry and distribute food in the devastated north of the Strip. Israel said it attacked by “mistake,” despite shooting three times in a row.
International
Brazil helicopter crash in Rio de Janeiro kills six, including pilots and international figures
The Rio de Janeiro Civil Police confirmed on Monday the identities of three of the six victims killed in a helicopter collision that occurred the previous morning in the Recreio dos Bandeirantes neighborhood.
All three identified victims are Brazilian nationals: the pilots of the aircraft, Charles Marsillac and Alexandre Souza, and music producer Lucas Brito.
The identities of the three foreign victims have not yet been officially confirmed. They include U.S. singer Oliver Tree, Argentine YouTuber Gaspar Prim—known online as “Gaspi”—and Argentine producer Lucas Vignale, all of whom were listed on the flight manifest.
According to police, forensic experts from the Legal Medical Institute have already collected DNA samples in order to identify the foreign victims, whose bodies were severely burned.
One of the helicopters crashed into a private parking lot, triggering a fire that destroyed around twenty electric vehicles. That aircraft was carrying the pilot and four passengers, including the three foreign nationals.
The second helicopter, which had only the pilot on board, crashed approximately 100 meters away from the first impact site.
Rio de Janeiro’s deputy mayor, Eduardo Cavaliere, stated that both helicopters were operating transport flights toward Angra dos Reis on the Rio coastline and toward the mountainous region of the state.
Oliver Tree, 32, was in Brazil as part of an international tour. The artist, known for songs such as “Life Goes On” and “Miss You,” had performed to a large audience in São Paulo a week earlier and was scheduled to continue his tour in Europe.
Argentine content creator Gaspar Prim, 23, had built a following of more than two million on social media platforms, gaining popularity for humorous and often controversial video productions that had occasionally been removed by hosting platforms.
International
Mexico and U.S. Launch New Bilateral Security Group to Combat Fentanyl and Organized Crime
The governments of Mexico and the United States officially launched the Bilateral Implementation Group (BIG) on Friday, a new initiative aimed at strengthening cooperation on security issues and enhancing joint efforts against transnational crime.
In a statement, U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Ronald Johnson announced that he and Deputy Foreign Minister Roberto Velasco addressed officials from both countries who will lead what he described as a “new phase of bilateral cooperation.” The initiative seeks to curb the flow of fentanyl and other illicit drugs, illegal firearms, and human trafficking across the shared border.
Earlier this week, Mexico’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs had confirmed that senior security officials from both nations would meet in Mexico City on June 12 to review and advance existing cooperation agreements.
Through social media, Ambassador Johnson explained that the new bilateral group is designed to improve coordination between the two governments by placing greater emphasis on implementation, accountability, and measurable results. The effort will also focus on combating transnational criminal organizations operating across North America.
“The participation of 15 U.S. government agencies, working alongside their Mexican counterparts, reflects the seriousness of this effort and our shared commitment to delivering measurable results,” Johnson said.
The ambassador also highlighted several achievements that he attributed to ongoing bilateral cooperation. According to Johnson, maritime drug trafficking into the United States has declined by more than 95 percent, while overdose deaths have fallen by 35 percent.
He further noted that Mexican authorities have seized more than 400 metric tons of illegal drugs and dismantled over 2,300 clandestine laboratories as part of their efforts to combat organized crime and narcotics production.
The launch of the Bilateral Implementation Group marks the latest step in the security partnership between Mexico and the United States, as both countries seek to address shared challenges related to drug trafficking, arms smuggling, human trafficking, and the activities of criminal networks operating across the region.
International
‘El Chapo’ Guzmán again asks Mexican president to seek his return from U.S. prison
Convicted drug trafficker Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán has once again appealed to Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum to intervene on his behalf and seek his transfer from the United States to Mexico, where he hopes to serve the remainder of his prison sentence.
Guzmán, the former leader of the Sinaloa Cartel, is currently serving a sentence of more than 50 years in the United States after being convicted in 2019 on multiple charges, including drug trafficking and money laundering.
According to reports, the latest request was made in a letter dated June 2, one of several messages that Guzmán has reportedly sent to Sheinbaum in recent months in an effort to secure his repatriation. In the letter, he expresses hope that the Mexican government can support the efforts of his legal team.
Written in English and by hand, the letter asks that he be allowed to complete his sentence in Mexico, arguing that such a transfer would enable him to receive visits from family members more easily.
Guzmán is currently being held at the United States Penitentiary Administrative Maximum Facility in Florence, Colorado, commonly known as the “Alcatraz of the Rockies,” one of the most secure prisons in the United States.
As in previous communications, the former cartel leader complained about his prison conditions, stating that he remains in near-total isolation and has little to no contact with other inmates.
He also reiterated his long-standing claim that he did not receive a fair trial in the United States and argued that the Mexican government bears responsibility for much of the violence associated with organized crime in the country.
In the letter, Guzmán maintains that his actions were motivated by a desire to protect himself and his family amid the violence linked to criminal organizations in Mexico.
Mexican authorities have not publicly indicated whether they plan to respond to the request. Guzmán remains one of the most notorious figures in the history of international drug trafficking and is serving his sentence under some of the strictest security measures in the U.S. prison system.
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