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A curated weekday guide to major news and developments over the past 24 hours. Here’s today’s news:
IRAN HELICOPTER CRASH
The helicopter crash that killed Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi and several others was caused by an unspecified “technical failure,” Iranian state media reported. Meanwhile, U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller dismissed a suggestion by a former Iranian foreign minister that U.S. sanctions on Iran’s aviation industry were responsible for the crash. Donica Phifer reports for Axios; Michael Crowley reports for the New York Times.
Thousands of people have taken to the streets in Iran for the funeral of Iran’s Raisi. BBC News reports.
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu criticized International Criminal Court prosecutor Karim Khan after the ICC announced it was seeking arrest warrants for him and other Israeli and Hamas officials. “Khan creates a twisted and false moral equivalence between the leaders of Israel and the henchmen of Hamas,” Netanyahu said, accusing Khan of “callously pouring gasoline on the fires of antisemitism that are raging across the world.” Readers may be interested in this analysis of the ICC warrants for Just Security. Lior Soroka and Sammy Westfall report for the Washington Post.
More than 900,000 people, approximately 40% of Gaza’s population, have been displaced in the past two weeks, U.N. spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said yesterday. He said that of those displaced, 812,000 are from Rafah and over 100,000 are from northern Gaza. Richard Roth and Hamdi Alkhshali report for CNN; Chao Deng and Fatima Abdulkarim report for the Wall Street Journal.
Israeli forces raided a militant stronghold in the occupied West Bank today, killing at least seven Palestinians, according to local authorities. Majdi Mohammed reports for AP News.
Medical workers in Israel have reported concerns to the BBC over the treatment of sick and injured Palestinian detainees from Gaza. The whistleblowers said that Gazan detainees are routinely kept shackled to hospital beds, blindfolded, and forced to wear diapers. They also detailed how procedures in one military hospital were “routinely” carried out without painkillers, and said critically ill patients being held in makeshift military facilities were being denied proper treatment. The Israeli military denies the allegations. Lucy Williamson reports for BBC News.
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR — U.S. RESPONSE
President Biden has criticized the ICC’s decision to seek arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Israeli defense minister Yoav Gallant for alleged atrocity crimes in Gaza. In a statement, Biden called the move “outrageous,” adding, “Let me be clear: whatever this prosecutor might imply, there is no equivalence – none – between Israel and Hamas. We will always stand with Israel against threats to its security.” Speaking yesterday at a Jewish American Heritage Month event at the White House, Biden also said, “What’s happening in Gaza is not genocide. We reject that.” Barak Ravid reports for Axios; Elena Schneider, Jennifer Haberkorn, and Eli Stokols report for POLITICO.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken also denounced the ICC arrest warrants, saying, “This decision does nothing to help, and could jeopardize, ongoing efforts to reach a ceasefire agreement.”
National security adviser Jake Sullivan met with Israeli leaders yesterday. Yoav Gallant said he briefed Sullivan “on developments in the war” against Hamas and hostage release efforts, adding in a statement that humanitarian plans for Gaza were also presented to Sullivan “that complement operational activities on the ground.” Rachel Pannett and Adela Suliman report for the Washington Post.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) said yesterday that the House may vote on sanctions against the ICC for seeking an arrest warrant against Netanyahu. Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) has introduced a bill that would sanction ICC officials who investigate U.S. citizens or allies. It is supported by nearly two dozen other Republicans, including Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY), chair of the House Republican Conference. Andrew Solender reports for Axios.
Nearly 570 metric tons of aid have been delivered across the U.S.-built temporary pier off Gaza’s coast, U.S. Central Command said in a statement. The aid will be distributed by humanitarian partners, CENTCOM said, adding, “The United States, United Kingdom, UAE, European Union, and many other partners have donated this humanitarian assistance.” CNN reports.
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR — INTERNATIONAL RESPONSE
European leaders are divided on the ICC’s decision to seek arrest warrants for top Israeli officials. France, Belgium, and Slovenia said they support the decision, while Germany said the ICC has “created the incorrect impression of an equation” between Israel and Hamas. Austria expressed similar reservations, and the United Kingdom distanced itself from the move. Nathalie Weatherald and Ben Munster report for POLITICO; AP News reports.
RUSSIA-UKRAINE DEVELOPMENTS
Ukraine for the first time yesterday ordered nationwide rolling blackouts to conserve energy. The blackouts ran from 6pm to midnight. The move comes as Ukrainian officials say they are once again struggling to keep electricity flowing as Russian forces increasingly strike power plants. Maria Varenikova, Constant Méheut, and Nataliia Novosolova report for the New York Times.
GLOBAL DEVELOPMENTS
Nine members of the far-right “United Patriots” group in Germany who allegedly planned to bring a prince into power by violently overthrowing the government went on trial today. The accused are part of a group within the Reichsbürger movement, which believes the modern German state is illegitimate. Their trial is expected to be one of the most complex court cases since West Germany tried Auschwitz concentration camp commanders in the 1960s. Christopher F. Schuetze reports for the New York Times; Jessica Parker reports for BBC News.
China has sanctioned a former U.S. lawmaker and supporter of Taiwan. China has banned Mike Gallagher (R-WI) from entering the country and adopted sanctions against him including asset freezes in response to his words and actions that “interfered in China’s internal affairs,” the foreign ministry said today, without specifying what Gallagher had said or done. Gallagher has been a fierce critic of China and a strong supporter of Taiwan. Reuters reports.
An Australian military plane has landed in New Caledonia to collect travelers stranded after civil unrest shut down the island’s international airport. It is the first of two Australian aircrafts arriving to rescue 300 citizens who have registered for assistance. A New Zealand air force flight has also arrived. Simon Atkinson reports for BBC News; Keiran Smith reports for AP News.
South Africa’s top court has ruled that former president Jacob Zuma is not eligible to run for parliament in next week’s general election. The unanimous ruling capped months-long speculation on whether the former leader of the ruling African National Congress would be able to stand again. Zuma was forced to resign as president in 2018 after a series of corruption scandals. David McKenzie reports for CNN; Gerald Imray reports for AP News.
Haiti’s main international airport reopened yesterday for the first time in nearly three months after gang violence forced authorities to close it in early March. Dánica Coto reports for AP News.
Finland’s government today proposed emergency legislation to block asylum seekers entering across its border with Russia. Finland believes Russia is prompting the border crossings over political antagonism since the Ukraine war, an accusation the Kremlin denies. Anne Kauranen and Essi Lehto report for Reuters.
TRUMP-LEGAL MATTERS
A defense witness in former President Trump’s criminal case whom the judge threatened to remove from the trial over his behavior will return to the stand today. Trump’s lawyers are hoping Robert Costello’s testimony will help undermine the credibility of star witness Michael Cohen. Costello angered Judge Juan Merchan yesterday by making comments under his breath, rolling his eyes, and calling the exercise “ridiculous.” Merchan told Costello he was being “contemptuous,” adding, “If you try to stare me down one more time, I will remove you from the stand.” Michael R. Sisak, Jake Offenhartz, Jennifer Peltz, and Colleen Long report for AP News.