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Amnesty urges probe into Israeli strike on Tehran prison

Amnesty urges probe into Israeli strike on Tehran prison

Yahoo3 days ago
Amnesty International on Tuesday called for a war crimes investigation into Israel's deadly air attack on Tehran's Evin prison during last month's 12-day war.
The strike, confirmed by Israel, killed 79 people, according to a provisional tally by Iranian authorities.
It also destroyed part of the administrative building in Evin, a large, heavily fortified complex in the north of Tehran, which rights groups say holds political prisoners and foreign nationals.
Amnesty International, an international non-governmental organisation that campaigns to protect human rights, called the Israeli attack "deliberate" and "a serious violation of international humanitarian law".
The air strikes should therefore be "criminally investigated as war crimes", it said.
"The Israeli military carried out multiple air strikes on Evin prison, killing and injuring scores of civilians and causing extensive damage and destruction in at least six locations across the prison complex," Amnesty said, basing its assessment on what it said were verified video footage, satellite images and witness statements.
There was nothing to suggest that Evin prison could justifiably be seen as a "legal military objective", it said.
The strike on Evin was part of a bombardment campaign Israel launched on Iranian targets on June 13 with the stated aim of stopping the Islamic republic from acquiring nuclear weapon capabilities.
The victims of the June 23 attack included administrative staff, guards, prisoners and visiting relatives, as well as people living nearby.
Between 1,500 and 2,000 prisoners were being held at the time in the prison.
Among them were Cecile Kohler and Jacques Paris, two French nationals arrested three years ago accused of espionage.
They were not injured in the attack, their families said, and have since been transferred to a different location.
France, and other western governments, consider them and others to be "hostages" taken by the Iranian authorities for leverage in negotiations.
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Trump's envoy blames Hamas as Gaza ceasefire talks stall again, with Palestinian children "starving to death"
Trump's envoy blames Hamas as Gaza ceasefire talks stall again, with Palestinian children "starving to death"

CBS News

time21 minutes ago

  • CBS News

Trump's envoy blames Hamas as Gaza ceasefire talks stall again, with Palestinian children "starving to death"

President Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff said Thursday the U.S. was cutting short the latest round of Gaza ceasefire talks and bringing home its negotiating team from Qatar for consultations, after he said Hamas had issued a response that "shows a lack of desire to reach a ceasefire." The talks have been bogged down over conflicting demands on terms to end the 21-month war. Hamas says it will only release all of the hostages still held in Gaza in exchange for a full Israeli withdrawal and an end to the war. Israel says it will not agree to end the war until Hamas frees the hostages, gives up power and disarms — a condition the U.S.- and Israeli-designated terrorist group rejects. "While the mediators have made a great effort, Hamas does not appear to be coordinated or acting in good faith," Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff said in a statement. "We will now consider alternative options to bring the hostages home and try to create a more stable environment for the people of Gaza." It was unclear what "alternative options" the U.S. was considering. The White House had no immediate comment, and the State Department did not immediately respond to messages. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recalled the Israeli negotiating team to Israel in light of Hamas' response on Thursday morning. In a brief statement, the prime minister's office expressed its appreciation for the efforts of Witkoff and mediators Qatar and Egypt, but gave no further details. In a statement sent to CBS News on Thursday evening, a Hamas official said the group had "always behaved with high responsibility to conclude a comprehensive, viable and practical deal that can grant a permanent ceasefire and put an end to the suffering of our people, and I wonder how can someone consider this as selfishness." The official said he was "really surprised" by the "out of context statement by the U.S. envoy and the overarching attitude that reflects a preprepared, irresponsible and negative response" by the U.S. The official stressed that Hamas was "still involved in the ceasefire talks" and expected the mediators and the international community to "carry their responsibility" to alleviate the dire circumstances in Gaza. Earlier Thursday, an Israeli official had told The Associated Press that Hamas' latest response was "workable." Another official, with knowledge of the ceasefire talks, told the AP Hamas had submitted a "positive response" through Qatari mediators. Israel launched its war in Gaza in response to Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attack, which killed some 1,200 Israelis and saw 251 others taken hostage. Most of the captives have been released or rescued, but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says 50 remain in Gaza, including 20 still believed to be alive. 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Severe malnutrition is spreading among children faster than aid can reach them, and the world is watching it happen," UNICEF Regional Director for the Mideast Edouard Beigbeder said in the group's statement. Israel says it is allowing enough aid into Gaza and it blames U.N. agencies for failing to distribute it. But those agencies say it's nearly impossible to safely deliver aid because of Israeli restrictions and a breakdown of law and order in Gaza, with crowds of thousands swarming around food trucks as soon as they move into the territory. UNICEF said that From May 19 to July 2, an average of 30 U.N. aid trucks entered Gaza per day, compared to the average of 500 trucks per day that were entering before the wary. The charity said current food supplies in Gaza amounted to about 6% of the normal, pre-war levels. In greater numbers than ever, children hollowed up by hunger are overwhelming the Patient's Friends Hospital, the main emergency center for malnourished kids in northern Gaza. Staff at the facility said five young children who died last weekend of malnutrition marked a change: they were the first deaths seen at the center in children who had no preexisting conditions. Symptoms are getting worse, with children too weak to cry or move, said Dr. Rana Soboh, a nutritionist. In past months, most children brought in malnourished improved with treatment, despite supply shortages, but now patients stay longer and don't get better, she said. The lack of basic health care and sanitation is also enabling deadly diseases to spread in Gaza, the charity OXFAM warned on Friday. "Water-borne diseases that are both preventable and readily treatable have increased by almost 150% inside Gaza over the past three months as Israel continues to deliberately block aid," the group said. "Available multi-agency health data shows that the numbers of Palestinians presenting to health facilities with acute watery diarrhea have increased by 150 percent, bloody diarrhea by 302 percent, and acute jaundice cases by 101 percent." OXFAM said the figures were likely "grossly under-reported because most of the two million people trapped by Israel's continuing siege have little access to the few healthcare facilities that have managed to keep operating."

5 things to know for July 25: Thailand-Cambodia, France, AI, Sanctuary city lawsuit, Skydance-Paramount merger
5 things to know for July 25: Thailand-Cambodia, France, AI, Sanctuary city lawsuit, Skydance-Paramount merger

CNN

time24 minutes ago

  • CNN

5 things to know for July 25: Thailand-Cambodia, France, AI, Sanctuary city lawsuit, Skydance-Paramount merger

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French President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday that France will recognize a Palestinian state in an announcement at the UN General Assembly in September. France will be the first member of the UN Security Council and the G7 nations to do so. 'We must build the state of Palestine, ensure its viability, and ensure that by accepting its demilitarization and fully recognizing Israel, it contributes to the security of all in the Middle East. There is no alternative,' he wrote on X. Macron also called for an immediate ceasefire, access to humanitarian aid for the population of Gaza, the release of all hostages and the demilitarization of Hamas. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the US 'strongly rejects' Macron's plan. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has started using artificial intelligence, and behind the scenes, the practice has caused some alarm. 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