Gaza, Libya, Myanmar
Today's three stories you should know
Gaza
Israel deliberately targeted children in Gaza, committing genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes, as well as additional war crimes in the occupied West Bank, an independent U.N. inquiry has concluded. The 88-page report from the U.N. Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel documented the killing of at least 20,179 children and the wounding of 44,143 others in Gaza between 7 October 2023 and 7 October 2025. It estimated that about 30 percent of those killed by Israel in Gaza were children. “Even after the October 2025 ceasefire, children continue to be killed and seriously injured, with continued disregard by Israel for the ceasefire and for the protection owed to Palestinian children under international law,” Srinivasan Muralidhar, chair of the group, said.
More from Middle East Eye here.
Episode 4 of The Proximities Podcast, a conversation with Taiwanese-American writer and professor Michelle Kuo, is now available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube.
Libya
The bodies of 11 more people have washed ashore in eastern Libya after a boat capsized last week, bringing the total number of recovered bodies to 26, with many others lost at sea, medical and security sources told Reuters. Ten rescued survivors said the boat was carrying about 61 people, the Libyan navy said. Libya has become one of the main transit points for people, mostly from sub-Saharan Africa, trying to reach Europe in hopes of escaping conflict and poverty. Attempted crossings tend to rise in the summer months when the seas are calmer.
More from Reuters here.
Myanmar
More than 5,300 people remain trapped in scam call centres in Myanmar near the Thailand border, a human rights group said, despite a major crackdown last year. The Thailand-based Civil Society Network for Human Trafficking Victim Assistance (CSNHTV) said many of those being held are foreign nationals and that they are primarily kept in four locations in areas controlled by the Myanmar Democratic Karen Buddhist Army militia. CSNHTV said about 1,600 of the people were Chinese, about 200 were from Myanmar, and others were from countries including the Philippines, Taiwan, Malaysia, Brazil, Russia, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda and Zimbabwe. Running the centres, to which foreigners are trafficked to work on online scams targeting people around the world, has grown into a multibillion-dollar industry, according to the United Nations.
More from Al Jazeera here.