Regional
U.N. body accuses Israel of destroying Gaza healthcare
The report said deliberately directing attacks against hospitals and places where the sick and wounded are, provided they are not military objectives, would be war crimes.
Israeli attacks on hospitals in Gaza have devastated the Palestinian enclave’s health system and raised serious concerns about Israel’s compliance with international law, the U.N. Human Rights Office said in a report on Tuesday.
The 23-page report, documenting various attacks between Oct. 12, 2023, and June 30, 2024, concluded that since the Hamas attacks against Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, the conduct of hostilities in Gaza had had severe consequences on Palestinians’ access to medical attention, Reuters reported.
“The destruction of the healthcare system in Gaza, and the extent of killing of patients, staff, and other civilians in these attacks, is a direct consequence of the disregard of international humanitarian and human rights law,” it said.
Daniel Meron, Israel’s permanent representative to the U.N. in Geneva, described the report’s data as fabricated. He said on X that Israel operates in accordance with international law, would never target innocent civilians, and accused Hamas of using Gaza hospitals for what he called “terror activity”.
The Israeli military has accused Hamas of using hospitals as command centres for military operations and said that people Israel has detained at the facilities were suspected militants.
The U.N. report alluded to such arguments but said not enough information had been made public to substantiate them, read the report.
Israel has in the past few days conducted operations against hospitals in Gaza that drew criticism from the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) among others.
The report said deliberately directing attacks against hospitals and places where the sick and wounded are, provided they are not military objectives, would be war crimes.
It also warned that a systemic pattern of rights abuses against civilians could constitute crimes against humanity.
Israel has consistently rejected such suggestions.
The U.N. said that responding to its report, the Israeli government said its military had taken extensive measures to mitigate civilian harm and minimize disruption, including providing aid and evacuation routes, and setting up field hospitals.
In a statement, the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, said: “As if the relentless bombing and the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza were not enough, the one sanctuary where Palestinians should have felt safe in fact became a death trap.”
Hamas killed 1,200 people and abducted 251 to Gaza in its attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, according to Israeli tallies.
More than 45,500 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s subsequent campaign against Hamas in Gaza, Palestinian health officials say.
Regional
Pakistan army chief heads to Tehran amid US-Iran mediation efforts
Pakistan’s Army Chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, departed for Tehran on Friday for talks with senior Iranian officials, according to a diplomatic source cited by Islamic Republic News Agency.
The source in Islamabad said the visit comes amid ongoing Pakistani efforts to help ease tensions between the United States and Iran.
No details were provided regarding the duration or agenda of the trip.
This marks Munir’s second reported visit to Tehran as part of Islamabad’s mediation initiatives.
Regional
British woman detained in Iran resumes hunger strike alongside husband
The pair had previously spoken to media outlets from prison, describing harsh prison conditions and fears over their future.
A British woman imprisoned in Iran has resumed a hunger strike alongside her husband as the couple continue protesting their detention and prison conditions after more than 16 months in custody.
Craig and Lindsay Foreman, a couple from East Sussex, were arrested in January 2025 while travelling through Iran during a round-the-world motorcycle trip. Iranian authorities later sentenced them to 10 years in prison on espionage charges, which they strongly deny.
According to reports, Craig Foreman began refusing food on May 9 after prison authorities at Tehran’s Evin prison cut off the couple’s access to phone calls following media interviews they gave from custody. Lindsay Foreman is believed to have joined the hunger strike on Tuesday.
Family members say the restrictions on communication with the outside world have increased psychological pressure on the couple during their detention.
The pair had previously spoken to media outlets from prison, describing harsh prison conditions and fears over their future.
In one interview, Lindsay Foreman said she had come to terms with the possibility of dying in prison amid growing regional tensions and uncertainty surrounding their case.
She also described life inside Evin prison during periods of heightened military tensions, saying inmates hid under beds as explosions were heard across Tehran.
Craig Foreman appealed directly to the British government for assistance, saying he could not understand why they had remained imprisoned for more than a year.
He also described being held in a small prison cell under difficult conditions, saying the experience had left him emotionally and physically exhausted.
The British government continues to advise against all travel to Iran, warning citizens of a significant risk of arrest, questioning or detention.
Earlier this year, the UK temporarily withdrew some diplomatic staff from Iran amid concerns over possible military escalation involving the United States and Israel.
Regional
Revised Iranian proposal to end war shared with US, Pakistani source says
Tehran also wants compensation for war damage, an end to the U.S. naval blockade, a guarantee of no further attacks, and resumption of Iranian oil sales.
Pakistan has shared with the U.S. a revised proposal from Iran to end the conflict in the Middle East, a Pakistani source told Reuters on Monday, as peace talks appeared to remain stalled, Reuters reported.
“We don’t have much time,” the source said, when asked if it would take time to close gaps, adding that both countries “keep changing their goalposts”.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei confirmed that Tehran’s views had been “conveyed to the American side through mediator Pakistan”.
U.S. President Donald Trump said last week that a ceasefire with Iran, which was reached in early April, was “on life support” after Tehran’s response to a U.S. proposal to end the war made clear the two sides were still far apart on a number of issues.
The issues holding up negotiations between the two sides include Iran’s nuclear ambitions and its control of the Strait of Hormuz, where it has shut down shipping traffic that normally carries one-fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas.
Iran has called for an end to the war on all fronts, including Lebanon, where U.S. ally Israel is fighting Iran-backed Hezbollah militants. Tehran has ruled out discussing its nuclear programme before the “permanent end of hostilities”.
Tehran also wants compensation for war damage, an end to the U.S. naval blockade, a guarantee of no further attacks, and resumption of Iranian oil sales.
Baghaei said Tehran was prepared for all scenarios.
“As for their threats, rest assured that we are fully aware of how to respond appropriately to even the smallest mistake from the opposing side,” Baghaei told a televised weekly press conference.
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