Hundreds of writers call for Gaza ceasefire and aid
More than 300 cultural figures across the United Kingdom and Ireland have signed a letter demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and unrestricted aid to people there facing starvation.
Signatories include bestselling writers such as Ian McEwan, Jeanette Winterson, Zadie Smith and Pico Iyer. Musician Brian Eno and Russell T. Davies, the showrunner of the BBC’s revived Doctor Who, also signed the letter.
The letter begins with a poem by Palestinian poet Hiba Abu Nada, who was killed nearly two years ago in an Israeli airstrike. It asks for an end to what it calls “the collective silence and inaction” that has followed tens of thousands of Palestinian deaths since Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas militants killed more than a thousand mostly Israeli civilians in communities close to the Gaza border.
“The government of Israel has renewed its assault on Gaza with unrestrained brutality,” the letter says. “Public statements by Israeli ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir openly express genocidal intentions. The use of the words ‘genocide’ or ‘acts of genocide’ to describe what is happening in Gaza is no longer debated by international legal experts or human rights organizations.”
The letter also calls the atrocities committed by Hamas “crimes of war” and “crimes against humanity.” It calls for the release of hostages and denounces antisemitism, anti-Jewish and anti-Israeli prejudice.
“We reject and abhor attacks, hate and violence — in writing, speech and action — against Palestinian, Israeli, and Jewish people in all and any form,” the letter says, which also demands sanctions against the state of Israel if the government does not agree to a ceasefire.
The math behind the war: Can Israel’s air defense keep up against Iranian attacks?
There's a specific kind of math that could determine just how much longer the war can go — how many long-range missiles Iran has versus how many missile interceptors Israel has to shoot them down.
Questions remain about the Minnesota rampage. Anti-abortion extremism may shed light
The suspect in the killing of a Minnesota lawmaker and her husband texted, "Dad went to war last night,' evoking the language of the far right, Christian anti-abortion movement.
Reporters for Voice of America and other U.S. networks fear what’s next
Journalists who have risked their freedom to report for Voice of America and its sister news outlets wonder what happens to them now that the Trump administration has gutted their parent agency.
Federal judge declines to order Trump officials to recover deleted Signal messages
The watchdog group American Oversight had asked a federal judge to order top national security officials to preserve any messages they may have sent on the private messaging app Signal.
Welcome to summer: U.S. braces for first significant heat wave of the new season
For many Americans, high humidity will make it feel in the triple digits. The National Weather Service is urging people to prepare to protect themselves from the dangers of extreme heat.
Trump says he’s close to ‘a Deal’ with Harvard, as judge grants injunction
Trump's Truth Social comments came as a federal judge granted a preliminary injunction that would continue blocking the president's efforts to bar international students from attending Harvard.
