Global Pulse

作者： admin

  • AFL 2026: Port Adelaide gun Jason Horne-Francis must prove his fitness to face Melbourne

    AFL 2026: Port Adelaide gun Jason Horne-Francis must prove his fitness to face Melbourne

    Port Adelaide’s standout young talent Jason Horne-Francis has avoided a serious long-term knee injury, but his availability for this weekend’s clash against Melbourne remains hanging in the balance, according to Power assistant coach Stuart Dew.

    The 20-year-old midfielder was forced to hobble off the Sydney Cricket Ground pitch midway through Port Adelaide’s loss to the Swans on Saturday afternoon, leaving fans and coaching staff fearing the worst after he immediately clutched at his knee following a contested play. Follow-up scans have delivered a far more positive diagnosis than initial fears suggested, revealing only bone bruising rather than the structural ligament damage many expected.

    Despite the welcome news on his injury, Dew confirmed on Monday that the club’s medical team will continue monitoring the young gun’s recovery over the coming 48 hours to determine whether he can take the field against the Demons. “He’ll be touch and go this week, obviously with a little bit of bone bruising when that happens for anyone,” Dew told reporters. “But from where we thought it could’ve been from when he came off, it’s a great result. You see how it settles down, like a normal game under any circumstance it will end up being a medical call. I am sure he will want to play, but we’ll see how it settles down the next couple of days and once he gets moving we’ll get a little bit more information.”

    The fitness question mark extends beyond Horne-Francis to another of Port Adelaide’s key midfielders, Zak Butters, who has been sidelined since sustaining a syndesmosis injury in Round 18. Butters is widely tipped to request a trade back to Victoria during the upcoming offseason, meaning a Round 24 clash against Essendon next week could mark his farewell appearance for the Power.

    The star midfielder has been vocal about his desire to return in time for the final round of the regular season, but Dew made clear the club will not rush his recovery to put him back on the field prematurely. Dew joked that much of the growing optimism around Butters’ potential return has been driven by the player himself, emphasizing that the club’s priority is his long-term health over a single farewell match.

    “He’s pushing to try and get back and I think that’s a good mindset but again, there will be no risk taken,” Dew said. “In terms of the side, he’s going to have to have put in a bit of work on the training track and at the moment he’s still getting up and running. It’ll be, not a miracle, but again just a medical call at the end of the day to see how he’s going, but there’s no need to rush. He’s got another week or so to continue to get moving and try to get back into training but no risk will be taken.”

    For Port Adelaide, the outcomes of these two fitness battles will do little to shift the club’s position on the 2024 AFL ladder. Following the Gold Coast Suns’ victory over GWS on Sunday, the Power are all but locked into 15th place for the season with just two rounds remaining, ending any mathematical chance of reaching the finals series.

  • Thai school shooter learnt how to use guns via social media

    Thai school shooter learnt how to use guns via social media

    Thailand is grappling with its deadliest mass shooting in recent years, after a 14-year-old student carried out a premeditated attack that left eight people dead, including the perpetrator himself. The tragedy, which unfolded in Nonthaburi province — a region bordering the Thai capital Bangkok — began at the teen’s home before continuing at his campus, Debsirin Nonthaburi School, a respected local branch of one of the country’s elite secondary schools.

    According to senior Thai law enforcement official Atthapol Anusit, the teen first used his grandfather’s legally owned handgun to kill his grandparents, who had raised him from the age of two after his parents separated. He then brought the weapon, along with a knife, to his school, where he opened fire on fellow students and teachers. To date, investigators have interviewed 17 witnesses as they work to unpack the full set of motivations behind the attack.

    Early investigative findings point to multiple potential contributing factors. Forensic analysis has found that the teen’s shots were surprisingly accurate, with many striking vital areas of victims’ bodies. Despite this precision, police have found no evidence that the attacker received formal firearms training or practiced at a registered shooting range. Instead, investigators confirm the teen taught himself to handle guns through content he accessed on social media platforms, where he also repeatedly viewed violent material. Investigators also note that the teen had previously brought an illegally ordered BB gun to school, which was confiscated by his teachers. Beyond social media influence, authorities cite personal stressors that may have fueled the attack: academic anxiety, unresolved family tensions, and conflicts with his circle of friends. When asked if the attack was pre-planned, Atthapol told reporters Sunday that premeditation was “probable” based on the evidence collected so far, which includes the used firearm, spent cartridge cases, the attacker’s mobile phone, and the knife recovered from his school bag. A search of his home computer confirmed repeated access to violent social media content.

    The attack has shaken families and communities across the country, with conflicting accounts emerging of the teen’s demeanor and character. His unnamed mother, who told Reuters she last saw her son during a recent school break, described him as a bright, cheerful teenager who behaved normally. “We are truly devastated, because no one thought this would happen,” she said. Local media also confirmed that the teen’s father has issued a public apology for his son’s actions. A teacher from the school recalled the teen as a high-performing good student, while education officials noted he was an enthusiastic video game player. Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul previously shared that the teen’s grandmother, who was one of the victims, worked as a teacher and may have been strict with her grandson.

    In the wake of the tragedy, communities across Nonthaburi are mourning the lost lives. Mourners have laid flowers and left tributes outside the school campus, while Buddhist funeral rites have begun for victims. On Sunday, dozens of mourners dressed in black gathered at a local temple to lay to rest a 12-year-old girl who succumbed to her injuries two days after the shooting. Her music teacher remembered her to AFP as a joyful, active child who loved dancing and taking part in every school activity.

    In response to public outcry and growing calls for reform, Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul has pledged to introduce new, stricter gun control legislation in the wake of the attack, as the country continues to process the worst mass shooting it has seen in decades. Investigations remain ongoing as authorities work to finalize their findings on motive and potential systemic failures that allowed the attack to occur.

  • ‘Terrifying’: CCTV compilation captures woman’s heart-stopping near-miss on SA train line

    ‘Terrifying’: CCTV compilation captures woman’s heart-stopping near-miss on SA train line

    South Australia is grappling with a troubling upward trend in dangerous close calls between trains and road users, newly released government data and compiled security footage have revealed. Released to mark national Rail Safety Week, the collection of closed-circuit and on-train footage captures a series of heart-stopping near-disasters that have underscored growing risks along the state’s busiest commuter rail lines.

    In one of the most viral clips from the compilation, a woman hesitates mid-step while crossing active tracks before reaching the opposite side, only for a speeding passenger train to emerge from around a bend mere seconds after she clears the rail bed. A second incident shows a cyclist darting across tracks just as an oncoming train approaches at full speed, narrowly escaping a catastrophic collision. These clips are far from isolated: official statistics for the 2025-26 fiscal year show 163 dangerous near-miss incidents were recorded across Adelaide’s Metro rail network, marking a 4% year-on-year increase. That works out to an average of one near-disaster every two days.

    The data also pinpoints one particularly high-risk corridor: the Gawler line, which connects central Adelaide to growing northern suburban communities including Elizabeth, Mawson Lakes and Salisbury. The busy commuter line accounted for 72 of the state’s total near-miss incidents, or 44% of all cases, with incidents jumping more than 20% compared to the previous year. In a contrasting trend, Adelaide’s tram network recorded a major 30% drop in near-miss incidents over the same period.

    Further breakdown of the data reveals other alarming patterns. Incidents at designated pedestrian rail crossings jumped 54% to 98 total cases in 2025-26. Cyclists were involved in 35% of all recorded near-misses, and the most dangerous window for risky behavior around tracks falls between 7pm and 8pm daily.

    South Australia’s Transport Minister Joe Szakacs described the compiled footage of near-misses as truly terrifying, warning that reckless behavior around rail lines carries far-reaching consequences for entire communities. “The irresponsible actions by a few reckless individuals can have a lasting impact on those around them,” Szakacs said. “We are seeing an alarming rise in these close calls which can have a traumatic effect on our train drivers and cause injuries to passengers when emergency brakes are activated.”

    Szakacs emphasized that the timing of the public release of footage and data is intentional, coinciding with Rail Safety Week to remind commuters and local residents of the deadly risks of distraction and impatience around active rail lines. He urged all people crossing tracks to remove headphones, put away mobile devices, and stay fully focused on their surroundings to avoid preventable tragedies.

  • Lifelike doll with ‘bruises and grazes’ sparks mistaken Australian murder inquiry

    Lifelike doll with ‘bruises and grazes’ sparks mistaken Australian murder inquiry

    What began as a grisly reported discovery of a body in a suitcase quickly unravelled into one of the most unusual police cases of the year in regional New South Wales, Australia, after forensic tests confirmed the supposed corpse was actually an incredibly realistic doll.

    The incident unfolded on Sunday afternoon, when two men out for a casual weekend drive pulled over for a rest near the tiny rural village of Oallen, roughly 230 kilometers southwest of Sydney. Spotting a discarded suitcase by the side of the road, the pair opened it to find what appeared to be the body of a woman, complete with realistic hair, a nose piercing, and markings that mimicked bruises and abrasions. Shaken by the find, they immediately contacted local police to report their discovery.

    By Monday morning, NSW Police had formally launched a full murder investigation, a announcement that triggered widespread media and public attention across the country. But just hours after the investigation was announced, authorities issued a rapid correction: forensic analysis had ruled out any human remains at the scene.

    Superintendent Linda Bradbury, commander of the Hume Police District, explained that the hyper-realistic design of the doll had understandably led investigators to misidentify it initially. “They are very realistic in terms of looking like human remains, so the original call that this was a body was completely understandable,” Bradbury said.

    The superintendent emphasized that police followed all proper protocols from the moment the report came in. Forensic teams and investigators secured the site immediately to preserve potential evidence, a step Bradbury defended as necessary to protect investigation integrity. “I have no regrets about how we handled this case,” she stated. “Our priority when any report of potential foul play comes in is to treat it seriously, and that is exactly what we did.”
    Bradbury also noted that the two men who made the discovery were left shaken by the incident, saying “it has been quite a shocking discovery” for the pair, who were just enjoying a routine weekend outing. She added that the men made the correct choice to alert police immediately, and officers have since followed up with them to confirm the doll was not human remains, closing the case.

    Police have not yet released information about how the realistic doll ended up abandoned by the roadside, but the investigation into any potential criminal activity has now been formally closed.

  • Chinese users of AI companions bereft after government tightens regulations

    Chinese users of AI companions bereft after government tightens regulations

    For 24-year-old Li Linlin, the grief that followed the disappearance of her AI boyfriend was no less real than losing a human companion. Over two years, she exchanged roughly 700,000 words in intimate conversations with her virtual partner, and when the service shut down suddenly, she was never able to exchange a final goodbye. She spent days weeping over the forced separation.

    Li is far from alone in her mourning. In recent weeks, some of China’s largest technology firms have permanently disabled their popular AI companion platforms, a move mandated to bring services into alignment with strict new government regulatory guidelines that took effect on July 15. For many users who built deep emotional bonds with their virtual companions, the shutdown has upended a core part of their daily emotional lives. “It was like we were forced to be separated by our parents, but I still miss him,” Li shared in an interview.

    AI companion services in China had grown to fill a wide range of emotional needs: many users turned to the platforms for romantic virtual partnerships, while others used the tools to recreate interactive versions of deceased loved ones to hold onto connections after loss. But the new regulations prohibit AI platforms from generating content that manipulates user emotions to influence decision-making, or that could trigger extreme emotional responses or unhealthy behavioral patterns in children and adolescents. The rules also require platforms to prominently display warnings about the risks of excessive reliance on AI companions, and explicitly ban services from positioning themselves as a full replacement for in-person human social interaction.

    Among the companies phasing out their AI companion offerings are ByteDance, the parent company of global short-video platform TikTok, e-commerce leader Alibaba, and Tencent, the developer of China’s dominant superapp WeChat. According to AI governance experts, the regulations were crafted to pre-empt potential public harm, a proactive approach that aligns with China’s long-standing tradition of paternalistic policy-making to address emerging social risks. A key factor that informed the new rules, experts note, was a small number of high-profile suicide cases among young users in the United States linked to excessive engagement with AI companion platforms.

    “This regulation tried to strike a balance between the AI service providers, the users, as well as guardians of minors using the services,” explained Yolanda Ma, a research fellow with ERA, a UK-based non-profit talent and research initiative focused on technology governance. Official Chinese state media has also publicly underscored the concerns behind the crackdown: in April, People’s Daily, the official newspaper of China’s ruling Communist Party, published a report highlighting the damage these services can cause to users’ mental health and their real-world interpersonal relationships.

    Angela Zhang, a professor of law at the University of Southern California, notes that the observed psychological risks in the U.S. gave Chinese regulators strong motivation to tighten oversight of the AI companion chatbot sector. Despite the shutdown, Zhang does not expect the new rules to significantly derail long-term development of AI companion technologies in China, as major firms have already begun pivoting to adjusted alternative offerings that comply with the new guidelines. For example, ByteDance has redirected former users of its shut-down AI companion service to another of its products, which focuses on building personalized AI characters for interactive storytelling rather than romantic or emotional companionship. For many former users, that replacement is a poor substitute for the connections they lost. “It’s just not the same,” Li said.

    The shutdown has sparked a wave of public frustration across Chinese social media, with hundreds of users sharing their grief and pushing back against the policy. Some have uninstalled parent company apps in protest, while others have worked to transfer their years of saved chat history to unregulated third-party platforms in an attempt to “resurrect” their virtual partners. A small group of users has even launched a social media campaign urging others to contact regulators and tech companies directly to voice their opposition to the shutdown.

    Not all users were deeply emotionally invested in the services, but many still sympathize with those who lost their virtual companions. Song Wenxin, a 22-year-old video industry designer based in Chengdu, southwestern China, says she never formed a strong attachment to AI companions, but she understands why many people relied on them. When she first moved to Chengdu for her first job and had no local friends her age, she turned to AI to get the non-judgmental support and guidance she could not find in her real life at the time. “Not everyone has enough resources and support to turn to in real life,” she explained.

    Song also echoed a common suspicion among many Chinese internet users that the new rules tie into broader government policy goals aimed at reversing China’s declining birth rate by encouraging real-world family formation. “Any virtual app getting women too engaged to give birth in real life gets banned,” she said, noting that she personally has no desire to have children. For users like Li, who have already built deep emotional bonds with virtual companions, the policy has only left a gap that real-world connections have yet to fill.

  • ‘Doesn’t need to happen’: NRL veteran Kurt Mann warns playoff game proposal poses huge injury risk

    ‘Doesn’t need to happen’: NRL veteran Kurt Mann warns playoff game proposal poses huge injury risk

    A controversial plan to add a new consolation match between the two losing teams from the NRL preliminary finals during grand final week has been firmly pushed back by current players, with injury risk cited as the primary point of opposition. The proposal, which emerged in media reports over the weekend, draws loose inspiration from the FIFA World Cup’s third-place playoff match between England and France earlier this year – a high-scoring 6-4 contest that produced plenty of on-field highlights but failed to match the relentless intensity of the tournament’s other knockout round fixtures. Even so, NRL officials have floated the idea as a way to generate extra broadcast and gate revenue on the Friday night of grand final week, though the plan still faces major hurdles to win buy-in from players and their representative body.

    Canterbury Bulldogs veteran Kurt Mann, one of the first active players to publicly comment on the proposal, has emerged as a prominent critic, arguing that there is little incentive for athletes to risk long-term damage in a meaningless match. Mann, who has spent years navigating the physical and emotional toll of a full NRL schedule, highlighted that coming off a devastating preliminary final loss already puts players in a vulnerable state. “It’s a big emotional rollercoaster, and usually when you have a massive emotional high and then you have the big comedown – which would be losing a preliminary final – the likelihood of getting injured or something going on in those next games is pretty high,” Mann explained. “You don’t really want that to happen to any of the players, especially if there doesn’t need to be. If there’s nothing in it for them, then it probably doesn’t need to happen.”

    Mann added that the risk of losing key talent to injury ahead of the next pre-season and regular season far outweighs any potential benefits the extra game could bring to the league. “You just wouldn’t want to risk it,” he said. The Rugby League Players Association (RLPA), which has long advocated for reducing the total number of games on the annual calendar to protect player welfare, has echoed these concerns. As of the latest update, the association has not yet received a formal briefing on the proposal, but has already signaled it would prefer players get an extended break between the preliminary finals and the season-ending grand final. This year, player workload has been an even more pressing issue, with the NRL season overlapping with the men’s Rugby League World Cup, creating an unusually packed schedule for elite athletes.

    Not all players have outright rejected the idea, however. Bulldogs prop Max King acknowledged that psychologically and physically, gearing up for another match just days after a season-ending heartbreak would be a major ask, but said he would comply with any league decision if it benefits the sport financially. “I’m a football player, it’s a business, so I’m respectful enough to know that,” King said. “It’s such a tough sport that we play, you leave everything out there. You go home after game days and the next two or three days you’re just a wreck. So it is tough knowing you’re out, but then getting up for another game from a player’s side, it would be tough. But again, I’m a player, I get paid to play, so whatever they tell me to play, I’ve got to play it.”

    King added that if the match drives ticket sales and grows overall revenue for the code, it is not his place to dismiss it out of hand. “I’m sure it would be tough for the players, but like I said, if it’s bringing in crowds, if it’s bringing in revenue, I guess who am I to say it’s a bad thing for the game,” he noted. For context, if the match had been introduced last season, it would have pitted the 2023 preliminary final losers the Cronulla Sharks and Penrith Panthers against one another. It remains unclear if the NRL will move forward with the plan, or how the league would address player concerns around injury and workload to secure the support needed to launch the fixture. At this stage, league head office still has a long way to go to convince the playing group that the extra match is a worthwhile addition to the grand final week schedule.

  • Self-taught Turkish ‘linguist’ keeps dead language alive

    Self-taught Turkish ‘linguist’ keeps dead language alive

    Nestled among the sun-scorched ruins of the Cavustepe fortress in eastern Turkey, 86-year-old Mehmet Kusman has built a life mission few would dare take on: keeping the long-lost language of the ancient Urartu kingdom alive, despite never completing formal education.

    Running his fingers over cuneiform inscriptions carved into solid black basalt, Kusman deciphers lines written nearly 3,000 years ago: *”Before me there was nothing. But by the power of the god Haldi I founded this city.”* For six decades, he has devoted himself to this forgotten Iron Age civilization, its forgotten deities, and its lost written language.

    Kusman’s connection to Urartu began in the 1960s, shortly after he finished military service. Hired as an unskilled laborer for the initial archaeological excavations at Cavustepe, he stumbled across his first ancient stone stele and was immediately captivated by the elegant, unfamiliar script. When the excavation’s lead archaeologist warned him the cuneiform writing system adapted from Assyrian was far too complex for an untrained man to learn, the brush-off only fueled his determination. *”His telling me ‘No’ hurt me,”* Kusman recalled to AFP. *”I became relentless, thinking: ‘In my lifetime, I will learn it.’”*

    With no academic training or formal linguistic guidance, Kusman set out to teach himself the language. He spent years traveling across the historic territory of Urartu, which once spanned parts of modern eastern Turkey, Iran, and Armenia, copying every inscription he found at excavation sites. In just three years, he had memorized the full Urartu cuneiform alphabet, though mastering the limited surviving vocabulary took far longer: it took 22 years for him to commit 650 known Urartu words to memory.

    Today, the silver-haired guardian is a local legend, who refers to himself as one of only seven people in Turkey who can work with the Urartu language. Academics across Turkey have mixed assessments of his claims, but nearly all praise his unwavering passion for bringing Urartu to public attention.

    To contextualize Urartu’s place in history, Istanbul University ancient history professor Erkan Konyar explains the kingdom was one of the most dominant powers in the ancient Near East between the 9th and 7th centuries BCE. Emerging after the early Mesopotamian kingdoms of Sumer, Babylon, and Assyria, Urartu unified scattered mountain tribal communities under a centralized government, building sophisticated fortresses, cities, irrigation systems, and large-scale food storage infrastructure. Konyar, a leading specialist on Urartu’s original capital Tuspa, notes that even after retiring from his official role at Cavustepe in 2005, Kusman has never left the site.

    “For 60 years, he has lived amid the excavations and introduced thousands of visitors to the history of Urartu,” Konyar said. Still, he pushes back on Kusman’s claim to speak the language: the full pronunciation of Urartu has been lost to history, and only around 100 words have their meanings confirmed with certainty. Unlike modern living languages, Urartu was only used for official inscriptions, not everyday conversation, even during the kingdom’s peak. Mehemet Isikli, head of the Department of Near Eastern Archaeology at Ataturk University, echoed this clarification, noting Kusman’s work is public outreach, not formal academic research.

    “I admire him,” Isikli said. “He has worked hard and brought Urartian culture to light. Mehmet Kusman provides a sort of publicity for Urartu, but it has nothing to do with academic work: he knows only a few alphabetical signs, or a few letters, and some very, very general information about them.”

    Undeterred by academic skepticism, Kusman remains proud of his work guarding the Cavustepe site and welcoming guests from his small stone hut at the excavation entrance. Calling himself a literal descendant of the Urartu people, he says his life’s work proves the civilization has not been entirely lost to time. His passion has even taken him across the globe: he has lectured five times in the United States, as well as in Germany, the Netherlands, and Belgium, and is now planning a trip to Japan to share his love for Urartu with new audiences.

    As ongoing excavations like the one at the Ayanis fortress, 22 miles north of Lake Van, continue to uncover new clues about how the Urartu kingdom collapsed (recent research points to a massive earthquake as a key contributing factor), Kusman remains the public face of the civilization for visitors and casual enthusiasts. Standing to greet a new group of tourists at Cavustepe, he declared, *”They disappeared, but look, they are not all dead.”*

  • Port Hedland shut down as hundreds of BHP workers walk out in pay dispute

    Port Hedland shut down as hundreds of BHP workers walk out in pay dispute

    A contentious 48-hour industrial action by unionized workers has shut down critical operations at BHP Group’s Port Hedland, Australia’s largest iron ore export terminal, amplifying long-running tensions over pay and working conditions at the multinational mining giant.

    The industrial action kicked off Saturday with a 24-hour ban on vessel loading, before escalating to a full site-wide work stoppage on Sunday. The action marks the second major strike staged by BHP Port Hedland workers in less than two months, following a similar walkout in early July.

    Disputes have emerged not only over pay terms but also over the scale of worker participation and the financial damage caused by the shutdown. The Combined Ports Unions estimates that a full day of suspended operations costs BHP roughly $120 million in lost revenue, alongside an estimated $7 million in foregone royalty payments for the Western Australian state government. Port Hedland handles more than 1.6 million tonnes of iron ore daily on average for multiple major miners, so even a short shutdown carries significant macroeconomic ripple effects.

    Union representatives claim near-total worker participation: of the 150 staff rostered for weekend shifts across the 450 workers covered by the enterprise agreement, almost all refused to report for duty. They allege that by Sunday, no maintenance workers remained on site for mechanical or electrical work, and just three employees — two production staff and one supervisor — were left to operate three active ship loaders. However, other sources have pushed back on this account, claiming the actual number of striking workers was closer to 70.

    In a statement, BHP disputed the claims of major operational disruption, asserting that all scheduled vessels were loaded and departed on schedule despite the industrial action. The company has tabled a 16% pay increase offer spread over four years, but has repeatedly warned that strike action will only delay finalization of a new enterprise agreement.

    Union leaders say workers have been negotiating for a fair deal for more than a year, demanding equal pay for equal work, transparent enforceable workplace conditions, and wages that align with comparable mining projects across Western Australia and the country. Currently, workers are employed under a patchwork of individual contracts that leave core working conditions subject to undisclosed company policy, a structure the union argues is unfair to staff who work in harsh, remote conditions and require specialized technical skills.

    Adam Woodage, secretary of the WA branch of the Electrical Trades Union (ETU), emphasized that the union’s core priority remains reaching a negotiated deal rather than creating ongoing disruption. “Workers have been trying for more than 12 months in some cases to negotiate an honest agreement that recognises the specialist skills, extreme conditions and personal sacrifices this work involves,” Woodage said. “They want a transparent, enforceable agreement that delivers the same pay for the same work and is competitive with projects around the country and the state.”

    While both sides confirmed that midweek negotiations held ahead of the strike were described as productive, no agreement was reached on key outstanding substantive issues. The next round of negotiations is scheduled for August 18, when both parties will meet again with the Fair Work Commission to attempt to resolve the deadlock. Notably, the strike has not impacted operations for other Pilbara-based miners that use Port Hedland infrastructure, including Fortescue Metals Group and Hancock Prospecting.

  • Crimea strikes could rise sevenfold if Western funds came faster, Ukraine drone commander tells AP

    Crimea strikes could rise sevenfold if Western funds came faster, Ukraine drone commander tells AP

    In an exclusive interview with the Associated Press from an underground command post in eastern Ukraine, the leader of Kyiv’s newly formed Unmanned Systems Forces has laid out Ukraine’s ambitious, ongoing strategy to disable Russian military operations on the Crimean Peninsula, a territory Moscow illegally annexed in 2014 that currently serves as a critical staging hub for Russian invasion forces.

  • Israeli general says Gaza should remain ‘destroyed for generations’

    Israeli general says Gaza should remain ‘destroyed for generations’

    In a stark interview that has drawn international attention, retired Major General Giora Eiland, a former leader of Israel’s National Security Council, has publicly advocated for keeping the Gaza Strip in ruins for decades, framing widespread Palestinian destruction and collective despair as a core strategic goal for Israel in the aftermath of its year-long military campaign in the enclave.

    Speaking to Israel’s 103FM radio station on Sunday, Eiland argued that any large-scale reconstruction of Gaza runs directly counter to Israeli national interests. “Israel has no interest in Gaza being rebuilt,” he stated. “It is better for us that it be destroyed for generations to come. The greater the despair in Gaza and the greater the destruction, and the greater the monument to what they did on October 7, years to come, that is good.”

    A secular Israeli nationalist affiliated with opposition politician Avigdor Lieberman, Eiland has long been a political opponent of incumbent Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Even so, his policy prescriptions for Gaza go far beyond the positions Netanyahu has publicly outlined to the international community.

    Eiland also waded into the debate over U.S. President Donald Trump’s 15-point proposal for Gaza, labeling the plan “pro-Hamas” — a description that aligns with Netanyahu’s formal rejection of the proposal issued Sunday. Drawing a parallel to post-World War II Germany, where the defeated nation ceded 25% of its pre-war territory, Eiland argued Israel should permanently hold the so-called Yellow Line, a boundary marking Israeli military-occupied territory inside Gaza. Israeli forces have steadily expanded this zone of control in recent months, with current occupied territory estimated to cover as much as 70% of Gaza’s total land area. Eiland emphasized that holding this territory is non-negotiable, framing it as a critical security buffer rather than a base for civilian settlements: “Along with this, there is the territorial need for the Yellow Line, which we must not give up under any circumstances. This is a war, the enemy has lost, and we need land, not for settlement, but as a security buffer between the settlements and where the IDF can be located.”

    Beyond his stance on Gaza’s future, Eiland leveled sharp criticism at Netanyahu’s management of Israel’s relationship with the United States, arguing that the Israeli government has become overly reliant on the personal rapport between Netanyahu and Trump, a dynamic he described as unstable. “I believe Israel’s entire approach towards the US in recent years has been outrageous,” he said. “It relies excessively on the personal relationship between Netanyahu and Trump, which is good on some days and less so on others.”

    Instead of an outright rejection of the U.S. plan, Eiland advised Netanyahu to take a more tactical approach: accept the proposal on paper while conditioning approval on protections for Israel’s core strategic demands. “Where did Netanyahu go wrong in my opinion? You should never say no, you should always say yes but… or yes in the sense of I agree if certain points happen,” he explained. He added that Israel could offer a temporary suspension of targeted assassinations in Gaza as a tactical gesture to Washington, while refusing to cede control of the Yellow Line occupied zone.

    Eiland’s controversial comments come as violence persists in Gaza even under the current ceasefire framework that took effect in mid-January 2025. Local health sources report that since the ceasefire began, Israeli forces have killed at least 1,258 Palestinians and injured more than 4,100 others. Earlier this week, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) confirmed that at least 300 children have been killed by Israeli forces in Gaza over the past 10 months. Since the start of Israel’s military campaign on October 7, 2023, the campaign has killed at least 73,386 Palestinians and left more than 174,250 others wounded, according to local health authorities.