Daily News

Israel has issued new forced displacement orders for residents of northern Gaza. Families were forced to wait until sunrise to begin escaping as Israel intensifies their ground operation in the area.

Dr. Mohamed Salha, director of Al-Awda Hospital in northern Gaza, says Israeli forces forced the evacuation of the last functioning hospital in the region under threat of bombing. Patients were carried on foot, roads were blocked, and medical supplies destroyed. He warns of rising deaths and disease as Gaza’s health system collapses.

In New Orleans, a vibrant tradition lives on, stitched into the hearts and hands of its youth. Wild Magnolias is a short documentary that follows Corey, Alvon and JaCorey—teenage protégés of master barber and mentor Chief Bo Dollis Jr.—as they are initiated into adulthood as Mardi Gras Indians, a centuries-old Black masking tradition rooted in resistance, pride and artistic brilliance. The film offers an intimate look behind the scenes, capturing the long hours of sewing, storytelling and community building that lead up to the unveiling of each handcrafted suit. Through this process, the tradition becomes a powerful space for personal growth and the preservation of a cultural legacy. At its heart, Alexandra Kern’s Wild Magnolias is a story about how culture shapes identity and uplifts the next generation.

The United States will not tolerate "exploitation" of American universities by the Chinese Communist Party or theft of US research and intellectual property, State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said. In a briefing at the State Department, Bruce declined to provide numbers for how many Chinese students would be affected by a new plan to "aggressively" revoke visas announced on Wednesday, but said officials would scrutinize anyone "deemed to be a threat to the country or a problem."

Shaina Low, the Norwegian Refugee Council’s (NRC) communications adviser in Palestine, says the scenes of Palestinians desperately seeking food highlight the risks involved in bypassing coordinated humanitarian distribution systems. “What we’re seeing now – people walking tens of kilometres to access distribution sites, the chaos that is unfolding, the way that Palestinians are being corralled to reach aid – it’s just devastating,” Low told Al Jazeera from Amman, Jordan. “People have been suffering for nearly 20 months of hostilities now and are desperate for any type of food or any type of assistance to help them and their families survive. No one should be subjected to this type of undignified treatment and the danger that it poses for civilians.” Low added that these distribution sites are being used “to advance Israel’s political and military objectives” to displace Palestinians. In contrast, humanitarian groups such as the NRC and the United Nations deliver assistance directly to people in need, where they are. “That ensures that vulnerable people … don’t have to go long distances. We make sure that aid reaches people in need and is fit for what their needs are. The boxes that they have been receiving are nowhere near adequate to meet the desperate needs of a population that’s been starved for the past 80-plus days.”

There have been multiple explosions near a food distribution point opened by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation in the centre of the Strip. That's after Israeli shots were fired near one of their aid points in the south on Wednesday.

As Israel continues to besiege the Gaza Strip, it's also putting pressure on the occupied West Bank, ramping up both raids and illegal settlements. Israel media is reporting the government has approved 22 new illegal settlements on Palestinian land in the occupied West Bank. The UN says Israeli forces demolished more than 1,700 Palestinian buildings and homes and seized 24 square kilometres of land last year. Palestinians need Israeli military permits to build any structure in 61% of the occupied West Bank - which are rarely approved.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio says the US will begin revoking visas of Chinese students. Rubio says those affected will include students with connections to the Chinese Communist Party or those studying in what he called “critical fields”. He says the US will also change visa criteria of applicants from mainland China and Hong Kong. China is the second-largest country of origin for international students in the US.

The United Nations Security Council has held a briefing focused on the humanitarian situation in Gaza. Speakers condemned Israel's actions denying aid to Palestinians and attacking them in displacement camps.

A US Federal Court has blocked President Trump's sweeping tariffs on imports. A three-judge panel on the Court of International Trade said Trump exceeded his authority by invoking an emergency law to impose the levies. The White House said it is appealing. In April, Trump imposed a 10 percent tariff on most countries and suspended higher levies on many trading partners for 90 days. The duties were scheduled to kick in on July 8. Stocks in Asia have jumped following the court ruling.