Latest news with #WarCrimes
Arab News
2 days ago
- Politics
- Arab News
Human Rights Watch says Houthi cargo ship attacks amount to war crimes
BEIRUT: Human Rights Watch on Wednesday condemned Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels for deadly attacks that sank two commercial vessels this month, calling them violations of the laws of war. The Houthis struck the Magic Seas and Eternity C cargo ships in the Red Sea, part of a campaign against maritime traffic they accuse of having links to Israel, launched over the Gaza war. Fifteen people — including four confirmed dead — remain missing after the July 7 attack on the Eternity C. The Yemeni rebels claimed to have 'rescued' an unspecified number of crew, whose whereabouts are still unknown. The attacks were 'violations of the laws of war amounting to war crimes,' Human Rights Watch said in a statement, adding it found 'no evidence that the ships were military targets.' 'They deliberately attacked commercial vessels that could clearly be identified as civilian,' the New York-based group said, adding that 'detaining rescued crew members is also prohibited.' Rebel leader Abdel Malek Al-Houthi justified the attacks, saying both ships belonged to companies serving Israeli ports. But HRW said the ships had no connection to Israel and were not heading there. The Magic Seas was en route to Turkiye from China carrying fertilizer and steel billets when it was attacked on July 6. The Eternity C was heading to Saudi Arabia from Somalia after delivering humanitarian aid for the United Nations World Food Programme. 'The Houthis have sought to justify unlawful attacks by pointing to Israeli violations against Palestinians,' said Niku Jafarnia, HRW's Yemen and Bahrain researcher. 'The Houthis should end all attacks on ships not taking part in the conflict and immediately release the crew members in their custody,' she added. Since November 2023, the rebels have carried out more than 100 attacks on vessels in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, according to the Joint Maritime Information Center, run by a Western naval coalition. HRW said it had previously found those actions to be war crimes. It also warned of environmental risks, citing findings by Wim Zwijnenburg of Dutch peace organization PAX. Zwijnenburg said satellite imagery showed large oil slicks trailing from the sites where both vessels sank, threatening wildlife in a protected nature reserve off Eritrea's coast. Oil was also reportedly washing ashore near a fishing community, he was quoted as saying.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Russian strikes kill three across Ukraine
Russian strikes killed three people across Ukraine on Saturday, authorities said, while Moscow had to briefly suspend trains in its southern Rostov region after an overnight drone attack by Kyiv. Russia has escalated long-range aerial attacks on Ukrainian cities as well as frontline assaults and shelling over recent months, defying US President Donald Trump's warning that Moscow could face massive new sanctions if no peace deal is struck. Two people died after a Russian missile hit Ukraine's central Dnipropetrovsk region, an important industrial hub, which Russia's forces have recently advanced into. According to the regional governor Sergiy Lysak, the strike destroyed "an outpatient clinic, a school and a cultural institution" in the Vasylkivska township, with some private houses and cars damaged as well. Russia, meanwhile, had to suspend trains for about four hours overnight in the southern Rostov region when it came under a Ukrainian drone attack which injured one railway worker. Many passengers remained stranded, and the suspension caused mass delays of trains in the region, which borders Ukraine and over which air traffic has been halted since the beginning of the war three years ago. Separately, the Russian military said it had intercepted six aerial bombs and 349 drones on Saturday. An earlier Russian salvo of 20 drones on the Ukrainian port city of Odesa killed at least one person overnight, its mayor said. "Civilian infrastructure was damaged as a result of the attack. A residential high-rise building is on fire" and rescuers were pulling people out, mayor Gennadiy Trukhanov wrote on Telegram. The Black Sea port, a UNESCO World Heritage listed city known for picturesque streets and 19th-century buildings, has been regularly targeted by Russian strikes. The European Union on Friday agreed an 18th package of sanctions on Moscow that targets Russian banks and lowers a price cap on oil exports, in a bid to curb its ability to fund the war. bur-sco-asy/rmb Solve the daily Crossword
The Independent
17-07-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Two dead and several injured after Israeli strike on Gaza's only Catholic church
Two people have been killed in an Israeli strike on Gaza's only Catholic church, according to church officials. A man and a woman died, and several people were wounded in "an apparent strike by the Israeli army" on Gaza's Holy Family Church, the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem said in a statement. The Holy Family Church is the only Catholic church inside the besieged Palestinian enclave. "We pray that their souls rest (in peace) and for an end to this barbaric war. Nothing can justify the targeting of innocent civilians," said the Patriarchate, which oversees the church. In a telegram for the victims signed by Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican's Secretary of State, Pope Leo said he was "deeply saddened to learn of the loss of life and injury caused by the military attack." He "assures the parish priest, father Gabriele Romanelli, and the whole parish community of his spiritual closeness," the telegram said. The Pope renewed his "call for an immediate ceasefire, and he expresses his profound hope for dialogue, reconciliation and enduring peace in the region." Among those injured was Father Gabriele Romanelli, an Argentine, who used to regularly update Francis about the war ravaging Gaza. He suffered light leg injuries, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa said. The church was sheltering both Christians and Muslims, including several children with disabilities, according to Fadel Naem, acting director of Al-Ahli Hospital, which received the wounded. At least two people were in critical condition, and others injured included one child with disabilities, two women, and an elderly person, Mr Naem said. The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem added that the church had sustained damage. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni blamed Israel for the attack. She wrote on X, formerly Twitter: 'Israeli raids on Gaza also hit the Holy Family Church. 'The attacks against the civilian population that Israel has been carrying out for months are unacceptable. No military action can justify such behaviour.' A spokesperson for the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) said it was 'aware of reports regarding damage caused to the Holy Family Church in Gaza City and casualties at the scene. The circumstances of the incident are under review.' 'The IDF makes every feasible effort to mitigate harm to civilians and civilian structures, including religious sites, and regrets any damage caused to them,' its statement added. The church is just a stone's throw from Al-Ahli Hospital, Mr Naem said, noting that the area around both the church and the hospital has been repeatedly struck for over a week. Only 1,000 Christians live in Gaza, an overwhelmingly Muslim territory, according to the US State Department's international religious freedom report for 2024. The report says the majority of Palestinian Christians are Greek Orthodox, but they also include other Christians, including Roman Catholics. In the last 18 months of his life, Francis would often call the lone Catholic church in the Gaza Strip to see how people huddled inside were coping with a devastating war. Francis called the only Catholic church in the strip hours after the war in Gaza began in October 2023. It marked the start of what the Vatican News Service would describe as a nightly routine throughout the war.
Al Jazeera
11-07-2025
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
'Deep dehumanisation' of civilians similar in Srebrenica and Gaza
"Deep dehumanisation" of civilians similar in Srebrenica and Gaza Quotable Video Duration 01 minutes 00 seconds 01:00 Video Duration 01 minutes 14 seconds 01:14 Video Duration 00 minutes 50 seconds 00:50 Video Duration 01 minutes 21 seconds 01:21 Video Duration 01 minutes 02 seconds 01:02 Video Duration 00 minutes 48 seconds 00:48 Video Duration 01 minutes 05 seconds 01:05
Yahoo
03-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Top Russia Navy commander killed in region bordering Ukraine
A top Russian Navy commander was killed "during combat operations" in a region bordering Ukraine, Russia's military announced Thursday. Major Gen. Mikhail Gudkov, the deputy commander of Russia's Navy, had just been appointed to his position by Russian President Vladimir Putin in March, according to the state-run TASS news agency. "On July 2, during combat operations in one of the border areas of the Kursk region, Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Navy for coastal and ground forces, Hero of Russia, Major General Mikhail Evgenievich Gudkov, died," it quoted Russia's military as saying. It's unclear how Gudkov was killed. Unofficial Russian and Ukrainian military Telegram channels said he was hit by a Ukrainian missile attack, Reuters reported. Rep. Eugene Vindman Is 'Furious' About Us Pause On Weapons To Ukraine The 42-year-old Gudkov was previously the head of the Russian Pacific Fleet's 155th Guards Naval Infantry Brigade, according to The Moscow Times. Read On The Fox News App He has participated in military operations in Russia's North Caucasus and Syria, TASS also reported. In his current role, Gudkov oversaw the Russian navy's coastal and land forces – including marine units – and is one of the most senior military officials to have died during the war against Ukraine, according to Reuters. Pentagon's Weapons Pause To Ukraine Could 'Encourage' And 'Escalate' Putin's War Ambitions: Security Experts Gudkov was previously accused by Ukrainian officials of committing war crimes, including executing and beheading prisoners of war, Politico reported. There was no immediate comment Thursday from Ukraine about the fate of Gudkov. News of Gudkov's death comes as the U.S. has paused some weapons shipments to Ukraine. Fox News confirmed Wednesday that the U.S. has stopped sending weapons such as Patriot missile interceptors and 155 mm artillery shells. The halt was driven by Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Elbridge Colby after a review of U.S. munitions stockpiles that showed dangerously low reserves, Politico first reported. Fox News' Jasmine Baehr and Jennifer Griffin contributed to this report. Original article source: Top Russia Navy commander killed in region bordering Ukraine
