Israeli strikes on crowded market and school housing families kill at least 48
'There's a window of opportunity' for ceasefire before end of Trump visit
©Reuters
At least 48 people were killed yesterday in Israeli airstrikes on a school that housed families displaced by the conflict and which was located close to a crowded market and restaurant in Gaza City, local health authorities said.
Medics said two strikes targeted the Karama School in Tuffah, a suburb of Gaza City, killing 15.
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Irish Independent
an hour ago
- Irish Independent
The art of political dressing: As Michelle Obama's new book will highlight, fashion choices can make political statements
It's an experience that's not unique to the former US first lady: politics and fashion go hand in hand. While some may think fashion is frivolous, getting dressed is a conscious act and one that can have even more weight when you're on the public stage. That's the reason world leaders often wear something from the country they are visiting when on official trips: think of Queen Elizabeth's shamrock-adorned dress for her historic state dinner in Dublin in 2011. But more often, it's a subtle form of communication that the best political movers know how to use to their advantage. Take the focus on Michelle Obama herself, for example. While she was criticised for having her arms on show or being too sexy in some of her looks, she championed designers from diverse backgrounds such as Jason Wu and Naeem Khan. Khan is the epitome of the American dream. Having grown up in Mumbai, he moved to America to pursue a career in fashion at 20. Barack Obama's campaign poster had 'hope' written in bold lettering, and what is more hopeful than the tale of a young immigrant who went on to dress the first lady? While fashion can display an important message, it's not always a positive one. Current US First Lady Melania Trump has had a plethora of well-deserved critiques on her fashion choices. The most notable was in 2018 when she visited a shelter in Texas where children of suspected illegal immigrants were housed. She chose to wear a Zara jacket that had 'I really don't care, do u?' written on the back. Though initially her representatives dismissed any significance to the message, saying it was 'just a jacket', she later claimed that she had been sending a message to the 'left-wing media' who criticised her. There seems to have been no lasting damage done – in the eyes of the fashion world at least. Where during their first term in office many designers refused to dress the Trumps and their wider circle, this time they have been embraced by big names such as Oscar de la Renta. It's not only women who are critiqued on their fashion choices: when Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky showed up to meet President Donald Trump at the White House wearing his signature sweatshirt in February, he was met with hostility. Trump remarked 'You're all dressed up today', to which Zelensky replied he would wear a suit when the war is over — his wardrobe is a deliberate nod to his countrymen who are fighting on the front lines. Interestingly, Trump doesn't seem to expect the same standard of dress from ex-bestie-turned-enemy Elon Musk, who has been pictured in the Oval Office wearing slogan T-shirts and baseball caps. Proof that dressing down can also be a power play. As Michelle Obama put it when writing about her forthcoming book: 'The Look is about more than fashion. It's about confidence. It's about identity. It's about the power of authenticity.' What your Trump victory sneakers say about you… You don't exist. No really, does anyone actually own these gold, American flag-adorned 'Never Surrender' high-tops? For a mere $399 you too can be on the wrong side of history! Putting politics aside for one minute, who on earth is trusting Donald Trump with fashion choices? Presumably the same people who bought the $199 Fight Fight Fight desert boots, the $249 America's Superhero low-top trainers, and the $499 Trump golf shoes – limited to 1,000 pairs and available for both men and women from These sneakers are gaudy and cheap looking. In fact, if you bought these sneakers, I'm glad you're down $399, you don't deserve the cash.
Irish Independent
2 hours ago
- Irish Independent
The Irish Independent's View: Troops on the streets is a chilling moment for US democracy
He passionately believed change must be pursued without recourse to mob rule, even though he was often a victim of it. 'The limitation of riots, moral questions aside, is that they cannot win and their participants know it,' he said. 'Hence, rioting is not revolutionary but reactionary, because it invites defeat. It involves an emotional catharsis, but it must be followed by a sense of futility.' As protests over immigration raids spread to cities across the US, including Los Angeles, Chicago and Milwaukee, the danger of explosive clashes intensifies. Immigration Control and Enforcement (Ice) officers are said to have been given a quota of 3,000 arrests a day. Having National Guard troops and Marines deployed on city streets seems peculiarly un-American. And after five nights of demonstrations, California's Democratic governor Gavin Newsom has accused US president Donald Trump of misusing his power by mobilising troops. He has warned other states to prepare for similar unrest. Rioting has to be condemned, but many Americans believe the deployment was unnecessary, and calling in a Marine battalion as back-up could be inflammatory and provocative. Instead of de-escalating tensions, Mr Trump seems intent on confrontation. The president has vowed to 'liberate' Los Angeles, but has been accused by Mr Newsom of an attack on democracy. 'Democracy is under assault right before our eyes. This moment we have feared has arrived,' he said. We may have all come on different ships, but we're in the same boat now This Saturday, Washington will stage a military parade to coincide with the US army's 250th anniversary. It also happens to be Mr Trump's 79th birthday. Coming as it does a week after Mr Trump put the National Guard on the streets of LA – the first time in six decades a president has done so – in defiance of the state governor makes the situation extremely fraught. Mr Trump has exulted in his role as enforcer-in-chief in his less than 200 days in the White House. Steamrolling over institutions and legal norms, he has obliterated opponents. Many would prefer to see a less aggressive response to protests. Mr Newsom has appealed to the courts to become more involved. The fear is that the sovereignty of citizens is being undermined. There is also a worry Mr Trump could invoke the Insurrection Act, which would free National Guard units to suppress civil disorder. Using troops against US citizens could provoke a backlash. Deportations should follow due process and the rule of law, but putting soldiers on the streets to confront civilians is not something we are accustomed to seeing in the world's showcase for democracy. Dr King believed a riot was the 'language of the unheard', but his faith lay in unity. As he said: 'We may have all come on different ships, but we're in the same boat now.' It falls to Mr Trump to take care it does not capsize.
RTÉ News
3 hours ago
- RTÉ News
Israeli fire kills 60 in Gaza and many were near aid site, medics say
Israeli gunfire and airstrikes killed at least 60 Palestinians in Gaza, most of them near an aid site operated by the US- and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) in the centre of the enclave, local health officials said. Medical officials at Shifa and Al-Quds hospitals said at least 25 people were killed and dozens wounded as the approached a food distribution centre near the former Jewish settlement of Netzarim before dawn. Israel's military, which has been at war with Hamas militants since October 2023, said its forces fired warning shots overnight towards a group of suspects as they posed a threat to troops in the area of the Netzarim Corridor. "This is despite warnings that the area is an active combat zone. The IDF is aware of reports regarding individuals injured; the details are under review," it said. Later yesterday, health officials at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza said at least 14 people had been killed by Israeli gunfire as they approached another GHF site in Rafah. Gaza Humanitarian Foundation says five members killed in Hamas attack The US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation accused militant group Hamas of attacking a bus carrying its staffers to an aid distribution center, saying at least five people were killed and multiple others injured. The group said in a statement that around 10pm local time "a bus carrying more than two dozen members of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation team... were brutally attacked by Hamas." "We are still gathering facts, but what we know is devastating: there are at least five fatalities, multiple injuries, and fear that some of our team members may have been taken hostage," the statement read. In an email to AFP the group said all the passengers on the bus were Palestinian and all were aid workers. They were en route to GHF's distribution centre in the area west of Khan Younis. "We condemn this heinous and deliberate attack in the strongest possible terms," the group said in its statement. "These were aid workers. Humanitarians. Fathers, brothers, sons and friends, who were risking their lives every day to help others." An officially private effort with opaque funding and backed by Israel, GHF began operations on 26 May after Israel completely cut off supplies into Gaza for more than two months, sparking warnings of mass famine. The Israeli military faces allegations of shooting into crowds of civilians rushing to pick up aid packages near GHF sites. Israeli authorities and the GHF - which uses contracted US security - denied any such incident took place. The United Nations and major aid groups have refused to cooperate with the foundation over concerns it was designed to cater to Israeli military objectives. The GHF earlier said it was unaware of incidents involving civilians but added that it was working closely with Israeli authorities to ensure safe passage routes are maintained, and that it was essential for Palestinians to closely follow instructions. "Ultimately, the solution is more aid, which will create more certainty and less urgency among the population," it said by email in response to Reuters questions. "There is not yet enough food to feed everyone in need in Gaza. Our current focus is to feed as many people as is safely possible within the constraints of a highly volatile environment." GHF said it distributed 2.5 million meals, the largest single-day delivery since it began operations, bringing to more than 16 million the number of meals provided since its operations started in late May. Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry says that since then, 163 Palestinians had been killed and over 1,000 wounded trying to obtain the food boxes. The United Nations has condemned the killings and has refused to supply aid via the foundation, which uses private contractors with Israeli military backup in what they say is a breach of humanitarian standards. Elsewhere in Gaza, its health ministry said at least 11 other people were killed by separate Israeli gunfire and strikes across the coastal enclave. The war erupted 20 months ago after Hamas-led militants took 251 hostages and killed 1,200 people, most of them civilians, on 7 October 2023, Israel's single deadliest day. Israel's military campaign has since killed nearly 55,000 Palestinians, most of them civilians, according to health authorities in Gaza, and flattened much of the densely populated strip, which is home to more than two million people. Most of the population is displaced and malnutrition is widespread. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday there had been "significant progress" in efforts to secure the release of the remaining hostages in Gaza, but that it was "too soon" to raise hopes that a deal would be reached.
