Two More Israeli Soldiers Killed In Gaza Ambush; Toll Six In Two Days Amid IDF's Ongoing Onslaught
Hamas has claimed responsibility for a deadly booby-trap attack in southern Gaza that killed four Israeli soldiers and injured five more, including one critically. The blast occurred on June 6 in Khan Younis after Israeli troops from the elite Yahalom engineering unit entered a building suspected of concealing tunnels and terror infrastructure. Unbeknownst to the troops, the building had been rigged with explosives. The resulting blast caused a structural collapse, killing four soldiers.
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The Hindu
38 minutes ago
- The Hindu
The View From India newsletter: From best friends to foes: the bitter Trump-Musk fallout
Just as we were making sense of President Donald Trump's new ban on travel to the U.S. by citizens from 12 African and West Asian countries, the dramatic collapse of the alliance between billionaire CEO of Tesla and X, Elon Musk, and President Trump took the internet by storm. The partnership that demonstrated the deliberate yet effortless bond between power and capital, also exposed how either reacts to any perceivable threat. The Guardian's columnist Jonathan Freedland wrote that 'Musk and Trump are enemies made for each other – united in their ability to trash their own brands'. What drove this wedge between the two men — one, the most powerful leader and the other, the one of the richest businessmen — prompting them to trade such rage and bitterness in public? Watch this video to understand the controversial bill that sparked sharp disagreement between the two. Also read Smriti S. on the rise and fall of the partnership between Mr. Trump and Mr. Musk. Shutting the door Meanwhile, President Trump's new travel ban came into effect at 12 am ET on Monday, amid protests in the U.S. San Francisco is suing President Donald Trump, claiming an executive order over immigrant-protecting 'sanctuary cities' is unconstitutional and a severe invasion of the city's sovereignty. Demonstrators torched cars and scuffled with security forces in Los Angeles June 8, 2025, as police kept protesters away from the National Guard troops President Donald Trump sent to the streets of the second biggest U.S. city. Unrest broke out for a third day, with protesters angry at action by immigration officials that have resulted in dozens of arrests of what authorities say are illegal migrants and gang members. The Hindu editorial noted: 'Many of the people seeking entry into the U.S., from countries that had seen American military intervention, such as Haiti and Afghanistan, are fleeing war, persecution and systemic violence. They are not national security threats but victims in search of refuge. By shutting America's doors on them, and immigrants in general, Mr. Trump is not making the U.S. safer. Rather, he is turning a country, which historically welcomed immigration and has benefited from it, into an insular, paranoid, self-doubting republic.' Mounting rage over Israel's brutality Amid Israeli forces' relentless attack on Gaza, its members stopped a Gaza-bound aid boat carrying Greta Thunberg and other activists early Monday and diverted it to Israel, enforcing a longstanding blockade of the Palestinian territory that has been tightened during the war with Hamas. 'The selfie yacht of the celebrities is safely making its way to the shores of Israel,' the Foreign Ministry said in a social media post. The British-flagged yacht Madleen, operated by the pro-Palestinian Freedom Flotilla Coalition, sought to deliver some aid to Gaza. The tolerance for Israel's brutality is certainly waning in many parts of the world. Tens of thousands of demonstrators marched through the streets of Rome on Saturday against the war in Gaza in a protest called by Italy's main opposition parties, who accuse the right-wing government of being too silent. Our London correspondent Sriram Lakshman reports on the mounting pressure on the U.K. government of Keir Starmer to take a stronger position against Israel's actions in Gaza. It was on full display recently, with MPs, including those from the governing Labour Party, quizzing the government on its positions and accusing the Israeli government of Benjamin Netanyahu of genocide. Neighbourhood watch Watch: Justifying Operation Sindoor | Was multi-party delegation a success? – our latest episode of Worldview with Suhasini Haidar takes a closer look at the mandate for Multi-party delegations abroad, and whether it was mission accomplished. Bangladesh: Delivering his Id speech on June 6, 2025, the Chief Adviser to the interim government of Bangladesh, Prof. Mohammed Yunus announced that the next national election will be held in April 2026. However, he announced the country would witness the launch of the 'July Proclamation', a document that he said was 'agreed upon by all parties.' Kallol Bhattacherjee reports. Top 5 stories this week: 1. Under pressure on the battlefield, Ukraine turns to drones to hurt Russia – read Stanly Johny's analysis of the most recent escalation in the Russia-Ukraine war and its likely implications 2. A strategy fuelled by vision, powered by energy – Union Minister Hardeep S. Puri writes that India's energy sector can be defined in three words — confidence, self-reliance and strategic foresight 3. Should India amend its nuclear energy laws? Kunal Shankar discusses with experts Ashley Tellis and D. Raghunandan 4. Read Franciszek Snarski's profile of Karol Nawrocki, the 42-year-old conservative historian, who won the run-off of the Polish presidential election on June 1 5. Purtika Dua writes on South Korea's newly elected President, Lee Jae-myung, who brings to office a personal history marked by hardship and an agenda shaped by reform
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Business Standard
an hour ago
- Business Standard
Can Israel claim self-defence to justify Gaza war; here's what law says
On October 7 2023, more than 1,000 Hamas militants stormed into southern Israel and went on a killing spree, murdering 1,200 men, women and children and abducting another 250 people to take back to Gaza. It was the deadliest massacre of Jews since the Holocaust. That day, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the country, 'Israel is at war'. The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) immediately began a military campaign to secure the release of the hostages and defeat Hamas. Since that day, more than 54,000 Palestinians have been killed, mostly women and children. Israel has maintained its response is justified under international law, as every nation has 'an inherent right to defend itself', as Netanyahu stated in early 2024. This is based on the right to self-defence in international law, which is outlined in Article 51 of the 1945 United Nations Charter as follows: Nothing in the present Charter shall impair the inherent right of individual or collective self-defence if an armed attack occurs against a Member of the United Nations[…] At the start of the war, many nations agreed Israel had a right to defend itself, but how it did so mattered. This would ensure its actions were consistent with international humanitarian law. However, 20 months after the October 7 attacks, fundamental legal issues have arisen around whether this self-defence justification still holds. Can Israel exercise self-defence ad infinitum? Or is it now waging a war of aggression against Palestine? Self-defence in the law Self-defence has a long history in international law. The modern principles of self-defence were outlined in diplomatic exchanges over an 1837 incident involving an American ship, The Caroline, after it was destroyed by British forces in Canada. Both sides agreed that an exercise of self-defence would have required the British to demonstrate their conduct was not 'unreasonable or excessive'. The concept of self-defence was also extensively relied on by the Allies in the second world war in response to German and Japanese aggression. Self-defence was originally framed in the law as a right to respond to a state-based attack. However, this scope has broadened in recent decades to encompass attacks from non-state actors, such as al-Qaeda following the September 11 2001 terror attacks. Israel is a legitimate, recognised state in the global community and a member of the United Nations. Its right to self-defence will always remain intact when it faces attacks from its neighbours or non-state actors, such as Hamas, Hezbollah or the Houthi rebels in Yemen. However, the right of self-defence is not unlimited. It is constrained by the principles of necessity and proportionality. The necessity test was met in the current war due to the extreme violence of the Hamas attack on October 7 and the taking of hostages. These were actions that could not be ignored and demanded a response, due to the threat Israel continued to face. The proportionality test was also met, initially. Israel's military operation after the attack was strategic in nature, focused on the return of the hostages and the destruction of Hamas to eliminate the immediate threat the group posed. The legal question now is whether Israel is still legitimately exercising self-defence in response to the October 7 attacks. This is a live issue, especially given comments by Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz on May 30 that Hamas would be 'annihilated' unless a proposed ceasefire deal was accepted. These comments and Israel's ongoing conduct throughout the war raise the question of whether proportionality is still being met. A test of proportionality The importance of proportionality in self-defence has been endorsed in recent years by the International Court of Justice. Under international law, proportionality remains relevant throughout a conflict, not just in the initial response to an attack. While the law allows a war to continue until an aggressor surrenders, it does not legitimise the complete destruction of the territory where an aggressor is fighting. The principle of proportionality also provides protections for civilians. Military actions are to be directed at the foreign forces who launched the attack, not civilians. While Israel has targeted Hamas fighters in its attacks, including those who orchestrated the October 7 attacks, these actions have caused significant collateral deaths of Palestinian civilians. Therefore, taken overall, the ongoing, 20-month military assault against Hamas, with its high numbers of civilian casualties, credible reports of famine and devastation of Gazan towns and cities, suggests Israel's exercise of self-defence has become disproportionate. The principle of proportionality is also part of international humanitarian law. However, Israel's actions on this front are a separate legal issue that has been the subject of investigation by the International Criminal Court. My aim here is to solely assess the legal question of proportionality in self-defence and international law. Is rescuing hostages in self-defence? Israel could separately argue it is exercising legitimate self-defence to rescue the remaining hostages held by Hamas. However, rescuing nationals as an exercise of self-defence is legally controversial. Israel set a precedent in 1976 when the military rescued 103 Jewish hostages from Entebbe, Uganda, after their aircraft had been hijacked. In current international law, there are very few other examples in which this interpretation of self-defence has been adopted – and no international consensus on its use. In Gaza, the size, scale and duration of Israel's war goes far beyond a hostage rescue operation. Its aim is also to eliminate Hamas. Given this, rescuing hostages as an act of self-defence is arguably not a suitable justification for Israel's ongoing military operations. An act of aggression? If Israel can no longer rely on self-defence to justify its Gaza military campaign, how would its actions be characterised under international law? Israel could claim it is undertaking a security operation as an occupying power. While the International Court of Justice said in an advisory opinion last year that Israel was engaged in an illegal occupation of Gaza, the court expressly made clear it was not addressing the circumstances that had evolved since October 7. Israel is indeed continuing to act as an occupying power, even though it has not physically reoccupied all of Gaza. This is irrelevant given the effective control it exercises over the territory. However, the scale of the IDF's operations constitute an armed conflict and well exceed the limited military operations to restore security as an occupying power. Absent any other legitimate basis for Israel's current conduct in Gaza, there is a strong argument that what is occurring is an act of aggression. The UN Charter and the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court prohibit acts of aggression not otherwise justified under international law. These include invasions or attacks by the armed forces of a state, military occupations, bombardments and blockades. All of this has occurred – and continues to occur – in Gaza. The international community has rightly condemned Russia's invasion as an act of aggression in Ukraine. Will it now do the same with Israel's conduct in Gaza?
Hindustan Times
an hour ago
- Hindustan Times
Gaza-Bound Activist Boat With Greta Thunberg On Board Intercepted by Israel
Activist Greta Thunberg aboard the Madleen, which departed from Sicily earlier in June to bring humanitarian aid to forces intercepted a sailboat carrying a group of activists, including climate campaigner Greta Thunberg, who planned to bring humanitarian aid to Gaza in defiance of an Israeli blockade on the enclave. The Israeli foreign ministry said early Monday that the ship was 'safely making its way to the shores of Israel' and that the passengers were expected to return to their home countries. The ministry also posted a video of masked Israeli military personnel handing out sandwiches and bottled water to the activists. 'The maritime zone off the coast of Gaza is closed to unauthorized vessels under a legal naval blockade, consistent with international law,' the Israeli foreign ministry had earlier said in a social-media post. The Freedom Flotilla Coalition, the activist group that organized the boat, said Israeli forces had boarded the vessel just after 3 a.m. local time and detained those onboard. The coalition said the interception took place in international waters, posting a set of coordinates north of Egypt's Port Said near the entrance to the Suez Canal. Earlier, activists on the vessel posted videos they said showed the boat being sprayed with an unidentified white substance. The activists gathered in a group holding their hands in the air after throwing their phones overboard, according to a video posted by the group. Asked about the activists' claims, the Israeli military referred to statements from the foreign ministry. The British-flagged 59-foot sailboat, nicknamed Madleen, departed from Sicily earlier in June carrying a cargo of baby formula, flour, rice, diapers, women's sanitary products, water desalination kits, and medical supplies, according to the coalition. Also on board the boat were activists from Germany, France, Spain, the Netherlands, Turkey, and Brazil. Among them is a French member of the European Parliament, Rima Hassan. A previous attempted voyage to Gaza by a flotilla of aid ships in 2010 ended in an international fracas when Israeli commandos boarded the vessels, killing 10 Turkish activists on board. The killings caused a rupture in Israel's ties with Turkey, a major Middle East power that was the first Muslim-majority country to recognize Israel. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu later apologized over the incident and Israel paid $20 million in compensation to the Turkish civilians who were killed. Organizers of the new sea mission to Gaza said that while the ship is carrying a small amount of aid, the group's mission is a political attempt to challenge Israel's siege of Gaza and potentially open a maritime corridor for other ships to bring aid to the Gaza Strip. The enclave is seeing a humanitarian disaster unfold after a year and a half of war between Israel and the U.S.-designated terrorist group Hamas. 'We are doing this because we have to keep our promise to the Palestinians,' Thunberg said at the launch of the boat earlier in June. The Freedom Flotilla Coalition, which organized the 2010 flotilla and this year's boat, includes a range of pro-Palestinian activist groups from across the world, including the Free Gaza Movement, the European Campaign to End the Siege, and the Turkish nonprofit Humanitarian Relief Foundation (IHH). The charity is seen as having ties to Turkey's ruling party. The activists' attempt to sail to Gaza comes after a year in which the group struggled to get the mission under way. The group attempted to sail last year from Turkey but was stymied when the African nation of Guinea-Bissau withdrew its flag of convenience from a pair of ships involved in the plan. The new aid ship sailed as the humanitarian crisis in Gaza is deepening. Nearly half a million people in Gaza are facing starvation, according to a report in May by a U.N.-backed international famine warning system. Write to Jared Malsin at Get 360° coverage—from daily headlines to 100 year archives.
