INTERNACIONAL
Israel targets Hamas training ground on outskirts of Rafah, ramps up attacks in northern Gaza
Israeli forces ramped up operations in both northern Gaza and the eastern outskirts of Rafah, targeting terrorist infrastructure and a Hamas training camp.
The IDF operations involved airstrikes on roughly 80 terrorist targets, «including military compounds, weapons storage facilities, missile launchers, observation posts, and additional terrorist infrastructure,» Israel said.
The operations in eastern Rafah saw Israeli soldiers engage in close-quarters combat with Hamas terrorists at one of the group’s training grounds. IDF soldiers there recovered a trove of Israeli military equipment and vehicles, which Hamas had used to simulate fighting against Israeli forces.
Images from the training ground show that Hamas had even acquired an Israeli Merkava main battle tank.
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Israeli forces discovered one of their own Merkava battle tanks at a Hamas training facility on the outskirts of Rafah. (Getty Images)
The IDF operations in northern Gaza targeted terrorist cells in the Jabaliya refugee camp, including airstrikes on one cell that had fired rockets onto the Israeli city of Sderot on Tuesday.
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The operations come as Israel tests the limits of President Biden’s demand that Israeli forces not conduct an invasion of Rafah. Biden vowed last week that the U.S. would withhold weapons shipments to Israel if it moved forward with a full-scale operation in the city.
Israeli soldiers engaged in close-quarters combat with Hamas terrorists at one of the group’s training facilities in eastern Rafah. (Getty Images)
Rafah plays host to roughly 1.5 million displaced Palestinians, most of whom fled northern Gaza. Israel, however, says the city is also the final major stronghold for Hamas in the region.
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly stated that an invasion of Rafah will take place at some point. He has yet to publicly address Biden’s red line on the issue.
The IDF operations in northern Gaza targeted terrorist cells in the Jabaliya refugee camp, including airstrikes on a cell that had fired rockets onto the Israeli city of Sderot on Tuesday. (Getty Images)
Biden’s administration offered to share intelligence on Hamas leadership with Israel in exchange for restraint in Rafah earlier this week, according to a Washington Post report.
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The intelligence the U.S. offered reportedly would allow Israel to better pinpoint Hamas leaders hidden in tunnels around the city, making it possible for the Israeli military to engage in a more precise campaign that could avoid the devastation seen in other areas of Gaza throughout the conflict.
INTERNACIONAL
Was a beloved whale suspected of being a Russian ‘spy’ killed in Norway?
Havldimir quickly became a celebrity in Norway, swimming his way into their Nordic hearts.
But this beluga whale’s odd story started in 2019 when he was discovered in northern Norway near the island of Ingoya wearing a harness with «Equipment St Petersburg» written in English connected to a mount for a small camera.
Hvaldimir, as Norwegians dubbed him – mixing together the Norwegian word for whale and Russian President Vladimir Putin’s name – was intelligent, friendly and responded to hand signals, leading Norway’s spy agency to believe he had been held in captivity by Russia and used for research purposes.
Once Hvaldimir was freed from his harness, though, his friendly personality made him beloved in the country.
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Hvaldimir was found in 2019 wearing a harness with a camera mount on it. (Jorgen Ree Wiig/Sea Surveillance Service/Handout/NTB Scanpix via Reuters/File Photo)
He was fed and monitored by the Norwegian government and dubbed a «free-swimming whale» by the Norwegian Orca Survey, venturing as far as Sweden but always returning home, according to The Telegraph.
Hvaldimir was found dead off southern Norway last weekend.
«It’s absolutely horrible,» marine biologist Sebastian Strand, who worked with Marine Mind, told Norwegian public broadcaster NRK. «He was apparently in good condition as of (Friday), so we just have to figure out what might have happened here.»
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Hvaldimir, being fed here, became beloved in Norway. (orgen Ree Wiig, Norwegian Directorate of Fisheries via AP)
Hvaldimir may have died of natural causes, but conservation groups NOAH and One Whale have filed police reports claiming he was shot, according to the Telegraph.
The Oceanic Preservation Society said that a necropsy will be done on Hvaldimir to determine his cause of death in the next few weeks.
«We’ve been absolutely devastated over the news, and are deeply saddened that humanity failed this beloved whale,» the organization said on social media.
He was fed and monitored by the Norwegian government and dubbed a «free-swimming whale» by the Norwegian Orca Survey, venturing as far as Sweden but always returning home. (Jorgen Ree Wiig, Norwegian Directorate of Fisheries via AP)
Nonprofit Marine Mind said on Facebook that Hvaldimir «bridged the gap» between humans and wild animals in a way «few can.»
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«Hvaldimir was not just a beluga whale; he was a beacon of hope, a symbol of connection, and a reminder of the deep bond between humans and the natural world,» the organization said. «Over the past five years, he touched the lives of tens of thousands, bringing people together in awe of the wonders of nature. His presence taught us about the importance of ocean conservation, and in doing so, he also taught us more about ourselves.»
Reuters and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
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