The UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territories issued a damning report on Israel on Tuesday, stating that its authorities and security forces had deliberately targeted and killed Palestinian children in Gaza. According to the report, these acts constitute genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes, and war crimes were also committed in the occupied West Bank. The report examined violations committed against children since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas on 7 October 2023.
Children accounted for around 30 per cent of those killed in the war in Gaza, a higher proportion than in previous conflicts. Between 7 October 2023 and 7 October 2025, at least 20,179 children were killed, whereas they accounted for around 24 per cent of the victims during the hostilities of 2008–2009 and 2014. The commission emphasises that Israeli forces continued to use high-explosive munitions and long-range weapons in densely populated residential areas, despite the rising number of children killed, which, in its view, indicates that these attacks were intentional.
The commission maintains that children were collectively targeted because Israeli forces regarded the entire civilian population as linked to Hamas and other armed groups. Its chair, Srinivasan Muralidhar, believes that by targeting children, Israel sought to undermine the Palestinian people’s ability to exist and determine their own future. The report also highlights the blocking of aid, repeated displacement and starvation, which have seriously harmed children’s health, as well as attacks on healthcare facilities, which have affected the survival of newborns.
In the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, the commission noted a sharp rise in violence by settlers against Palestinian children and documented cases of torture, including sexual violence, during arrests and detention. Reuters
Europe
🇷🇺 Russia - 🇺🇦 Ukraine • The annexed Crimea was placed under a regional state of emergency today, following weeks of Ukrainian strikes that have caused severe fuel and electricity shortages. The Moscow-appointed governor, Sergei Aksyonov, acknowledged a “difficult period”, with the sale of fuel to private individuals suspended and summer holiday camps cancelled. Overnight, the Russian defence ministry claimed to have shot down 660 drones, one of the highest totals of the conflict. A drone attack also damaged an industrial site in Novomoskovsk, in the Tula region, and injured a woman, according to the local governor. Kyiv and Moscow have also exchanged 160 prisoners on each side.
🇵🇱 Poland - 🇺🇦 Ukraine • Polish and Ukrainian officials signalled their desire for détente yesterday in Gdańsk, during the fifth conference on the reconstruction of Ukraine, despite the absence of Volodymyr Zelenskyy against a backdrop of historical tensions between the two countries. Prime Minister Donald Tusk called for the future to be built “on the truth”, whilst noting that Kyiv must demonstrate a willingness to reconcile if it is to join the EU. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced an initial tranche of €3.2 billion as part of the €90 billion European loan to Ukraine.
🇺🇦 Ukraine - 🇪🇺 European Union • Brussels today proposed extending the protection granted to Ukrainian refugees – which currently covers more than 4.4 million people – until March 2028, but now wishes to exclude men of military age who are making their first application. Commissioner Magnus Brunner insists that the Ukrainians themselves have requested this. The Council of Europe’s Commissioner for Human Rights, Michael O’Flaherty, has warned against any premature withdrawal, arguing that the conditions for a safe and dignified return have not been met.
Middle East
🇮🇱 Israel - 🇱🇧 Lebanon • On Friday, the Israeli army dropped leaflets over the town of Mansouri ordering its evacuation, the first such action since the ceasefire with Hezbollah came into force. Despite the lull, Israeli strikes have killed seven people since Tuesday, according to Beirut, including three in a drone strike which Hezbollah has denounced as a “flagrant violation” of the truce. Israel claims to have targeted fighters from the Shia movement and rules out any withdrawal whilst the threat persists, with Defence Minister Israel Katz insisting that his troops will remain in southern Lebanon “for as long as necessary”. Tehran, which insisted on Lebanon’s inclusion in its agreement with Washington, has declared an Israeli withdrawal a “red line”. A fifth round of talks between Beirut and Israel is currently underway in Washington.
🇺🇸 United States - 🇮🇷 Iran • The International Maritime Organisation yesterday suspended the evacuation of some 11,000 seafarers stranded in the Gulf, following an attack on a cargo ship that had passed through the Strait of Hormuz outside the parameters set by Tehran – an incident which US media have attributed to Iranian forces. The Revolutionary Guards have warned that any crossing without their authorisation will be met with “appropriate measures”, whilst Iran seeks to impose transit fees – a move Washington categorically rejects. On a tour of the Gulf, Secretary of State Marco Rubio sought to reassure concerned allies, insisting he did not want a deal “at any price”. The protocol signed on 17 June opens a 60-day period of negotiations, with a technical meeting scheduled for 29 or 30 June in Switzerland. On the nuclear issue, the IAEA is calling for a “very thorough” verification system, and its director, Rafael Grossi, has given assurances that inspectors will be granted access to Iranian territory.
Asia-Pacific
🇰🇵 North Korea - 🇰🇷 South Korea • Kim Jong Un oversaw artillery and missile tests, including a 240 mm multiple rocket launcher with a reported range of 90 km, in what a South Korean analyst described as a “show of force” targeting the Seoul area. The North Korean leader called for the rapid deployment of long-range strike systems. In response to the threat, South Korea announced on Friday that it intends to produce tens of thousands of drones, including 11,000 to be deployed as early as 2026, and to make this technology a “second personal weapon” for its frontline troops.
🇨🇳 China - 🇳🇿 New Zealand • Ballistic missile tests and the presence of the Chinese navy will become a “persistent” feature of the Pacific as Beijing bolsters its military power, New Zealand officials warn in an internal document from December 2025 obtained by AFP. The report cites the passage of a Chinese naval group through the Tasman Sea and an intercontinental missile launch in 2024. Beijing, for its part, insists it remains “firmly committed to the path of peaceful development”.
🇰🇷 South Korea • A court today sentenced former First Lady Kim Keon Hee to a further seven years in prison for corruption. The wife of the impeached former president Yoon Suk Yeol, who is already serving a four-year sentence for stock market manipulation, was found guilty of accepting luxury jewellery, including a Van Cleef & Arpels necklace and a Vacheron Constantin watch, in exchange for favours regarding appointments. The court found that she had accepted “without hesitation” items that an ordinary citizen would struggle to acquire even once in a lifetime.
Americas
🇻🇪 Venezuela • The death toll from the two earthquakes, measuring 7.2 and 7.5 on the Richter scale, which struck the country on Wednesday near Caracas, has more than doubled to at least 589 today, marking the strongest earthquake in over a century. Dozens of buildings have collapsed, particularly in the state of La Guaira, and rescue workers are searching the rubble for survivors. Acting President Delcy Rodriguez has declared a state of emergency. International aid is pouring in: the UN is coordinating the deployment of teams from at least 17 countries; the United States has released $150 million and sent a military detachment; and France, Spain, Mexico and Turkey have dispatched rescue workers. The final death toll is likely to rise sharply: at least 50,000 people are reported missing.
Africa
🇰🇪 Kenya • A large police presence was deployed yesterday in Nairobi to deter demonstrations marking the second anniversary of the bloody crackdown on the “Generation Z” movement. In June 2024, tens of thousands of young people had protested against tax rises and corruption, before the police opened fire with live ammunition: at least 62 people were killed that year, and a further 65 during the protests in 2025.
