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Figures from a classified Israeli military intelligence database indicate five out of six Palestinians killed by Israeli forces in Gaza have been civilians, an extreme rate of slaughter rarely matched in recent decades of warfare.
As of May, 19 months into the war, Israeli intelligence officials listed 8,900 named fighters from Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad as dead or “probably dead”, a joint investigation by the Guardian, the Israeli-Palestinian publication +972 Magazine and the Hebrew-language outlet Local Call has found.
At that time 53,000 Palestinians had been killed by Israeli attacks, according to health authorities in Gaza, a toll that included combatants and civilians. Fighters named in the Israeli military intelligence database accounted for just 17% of the total, which indicates that 83% of the dead were civilians.
How has Israel responded? The Israel Defense Forces said “figures presented in the article are incorrect”, without specifying which data the Israeli military disputed. It also said the numbers “do not reflect the data available in the IDF’s systems”, without detailing which systems.
What are human rights experts and legal scholars saying about Israel’s actions in Gaza? Many genocide scholars, lawyers and human rights activists, including Israeli academics and campaign groups, say Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, citing the mass killing of civilians and imposed starvation.
This is a developing story. Follow our updates here.
Federal judge orders closure of Trump’s ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ immigration jail
A federal judge in Miami ordered late yesterday the closure of the Trump administration’s “Alligator Alcatraz” immigration jail within 60 days and ruled that no more detainees were to be brought to the facility while it was being wound down.
The shock ruling by the district court judge Kathleen Williams builds on a temporary restraining order she issued two weeks ago halting further construction work at the remote tented camp, which has attracted waves of criticism for harsh conditions, abuse of detainees and denial of due process as they await deportation.
Why did the judge decide to close it? In her 82-page order, published in the US district court’s southern district of Florida on Friday, Williams determined the facility was causing severe and irreparable damage to the fragile Florida Everglades.
Fed chair Powell to give high-stakes speech at Jackson Hole amid Trump attacks
For months, the Federal Reserve chair, Jerome Powell, has ignored demands from Donald Trump to cut interest rates and defied the US president’s calls to resign.
Today, as Trump ramps up his extraordinary attack on the central bank’s independence, Powell will set out where he thinks the world’s largest economy is headed in a closely scrutinised speech at the Jackson Hole symposium in Wyoming.
As Trump’s erratic trade strategy continues to enshroud the US economy in a fog of uncertainty, investors, economists and officials hope Powell will provide hints of the Fed’s plans for the months ahead.
What will he be talking about in the speech? At the Jackson Hole symposium in Wyoming today, Powell will address the economic outlook. It will be the last time he speaks as chair at the annual jamboree of central bankers, with his term due to expire next May.
In other news …
The governor of California, Gavin Newsom, yesterday signed a sweeping redistricting proposal aimed at redrawing the state’s congressional boundaries to create five new Democratic US House seats.
The California board of parole hearings yesterday denied the release of Erik Menendez who has spent nearly 30 years in prison since he was convicted with his brother of the fatal shooting of their parents.
A federal judge ruled yesterday that Donald Trump’s former lawyer, Alina Habba, has been unlawfully serving as the top federal prosecutor in New Jersey. Matthew Brann finds the US government used “a novel series of legal and personnel moves” to try to retain Habba.
Kim Jong-un has hailed North Korean troops fighting alongside Russia in the war in Ukraine as “heroes” at a ceremony to honour soldiers who recently returned from the conflict, state media said today.
Stat of the day: OnlyFans owner paid $701m in dividends as platform readies for potential sale
The owner of OnlyFans was paid $701m (£523m) in dividends last year as the streaming platform best known for offering adult content readies for a potential multibillion-dollar sale. The UK-based company, which offers a range of subscription-based content from sex workers and celebrities, reported revenue of $1.4bn in its 2024 financial year.
Don’t miss this: The umpire who picked a side – John Roberts and the death of rule of law in the US
In the past 10 weeks the US has witnessed an extraordinary outpouring of decisions from its highest court, in effect greenlighting the president’s explosive and law-busting agenda. As John Roberts, the chief justice of the US, celebrates the completion of his 20th year at the pinnacle of the US judiciary, he is accused of betraying the very legal edifice he is supposed to protect.
Climate check: Solar panels in space ‘could provide 80% of Europe’s renewable energy by 2050’
Solar panels in space could cut Europe’s terrestrial renewable energy needs by 80% by 2050, a study has found. Using a detailed computer model of the continent’s future power grid, the researchers found that a system of space-based panels designed by Nasa could reduce the cost of the whole of Europe’s power system by as much as 15%. It could also cut battery use by more than two-thirds.
Last Thing: Ethel Caterham, the world’s oldest person, marks 116th birthday
Ethel Caterham, the last surviving Edwardian and the world’s oldest living person, celebrated her 116th birthday yesterday. She was born in England three years before the Titanic disaster, lived through two world wars and survived the coronavirus pandemic. She became the oldest living person in April after the death of Sister Inah Canabarro Lucas, a Brazilian nun, at 116.
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