United News of Bangladesh

More than 1,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Gaza Strip since a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas took effect last October, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. The ministry said on Wednesday that 1,005 people have been killed in Israeli military operations since the truce began, amid continued airstrikes, shelling and gunfire in various parts of the enclave. The latest casualties followed a series of Israeli drone strikes over recent days targeting towns, refugee camps in central Gaza and areas of Gaza City. In the latest incident, an Israeli strike in Khan Younis in southern Gaza killed two Palestinians and injured six others, according to health officials at Nasser Hospital. The Israeli military confirmed carrying out the strike, saying it targeted a “terrorist,” but provided no further details. Relatives of the victims told hospital authorities that the attack hit a group of people near the beach in the Mawasi tent camp, where hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians are sheltering. Israel has maintained that it continues to conduct operations against Hamas and other armed groups in Gaza and has expanded the territory under its control inside the enclave. In a separate statement, the Israeli military said it had killed two militants belonging to Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement in strikes carried out over the weekend. Meanwhile, Gaza’s Health Ministry said on Sunday that the overall death toll from the Israel-Hamas war, which began in October 2023, has surpassed 73,000. The ministry does not distinguish between civilian and combatant casualties, though its records are generally regarded by international organizations as credible and are maintained by medical professionals.

Five Indian Air Force (IAF) personnel were killed after an AN-32 transport aircraft crashed during a routine training mission in the northeastern Indian state of Assam on Saturday, officials said. The aircraft went down near Jorhat in Assam, the Indian Air Force said in a statement posted on social media platform X. Visuals from the crash site showed debris scattered across a field following the accident. The IAF expressed condolences to the bereaved families and said it stood in solidarity with them during this difficult time. Authorities have not yet disclosed the cause of the crash, and further details are awaited. The incident comes months after two Indian Air Force pilots were killed in March when a Sukhoi Su-30MKI fighter jet crashed during a routine training sortie in Assam.

Four people were killed and another was injured when a chicken-laden pickup van rammed into the rear of a stationary truck at Ghonar Chala area in Sakhipur upazila of Tangail early Tuesday. The deceased were identified as Nur Nabi, 64, son of Abul Hakim of Bakshiganj upazila in Jamalpur district; Rafiqul, 18, son of Md Palash of Patnitala upazila in Naogaon district; Sagar, 22, son of Md Ershad of Kendua upazila in Netrakona district; and Sumon, 26, son of Md Selim of Bhola district. Sumon used to live in Mirpur-1 area of Dhaka. According to local sources, bamboo was being loaded onto  the truck parked on the roadside when the speeding pickup van, coming from the Barachawna direction, crashed into the rear of the truck. Four people who were in the pickup van died on the spot, while a man on the bamboo-laden truck sustained serious injuries. The injured, Md Zahirul Islam, 40, son of Afsar Ali Mondal of Lakkhindar village in Ghatail upazila of Tangail, was rescued and admitted to a hospital. Sakhipur Police Station Officer-in-Charge Helal Uddin said the bodies were recovered and an investigation is underway to determine the exact cause of the accident. Necessary legal procedures are being carried out, he added.

A man was killed in a lynch-mob attack over theft allegation in Bandail (Jianagar) village in Singair upazila of Manikganj early Monday. The victim was identified as Rajib, 40, a resident of Dattakhand village in Nawabganj upazila of Dhaka district. Locals said a theft allegedly took place at the house of Mohammad Hakim Ali at around 2 am. Locals alleged that Rajib entered the house by cutting through a window grill, while several of his associates remained outside. Cash and gold ornaments were looted from the house and passed to the accomplices, who fled the scene, they claimed. When the homeowner became aware of the incident, he confronted the suspected thief, leading to a scuffle. Hakim Ali sustained head injuries during the scuffle and was later admitted to Singair Upazila Health Complex. Following the incident, locals caught Rajib and beat him, leaving him dead on the spot, said witnesses. Md Mazharul Islam, officer-in-charge (OC) of Singair Police Station, said police recovered the body after receiving information about the incident. "The process of sending the body to the morgue for an autopsy is underway. The incident is being investigated and legal action will be taken accordingly," he said. Police are preparing to file a case in connection with the incident, the OC added.

Three people, including a woman, were killed and four others injured in separate lightning strike incidents in different parts of Habiganj district on Sunday. The deceased were identified as Rahela Begum, 45, wife of Altaf Ali of Kazirgaon village under Shaistaganj municipality; Rinku Debnath, 30, son of Suresh Debnath of Mirpur Chakfazil village in Bahubal upazila; and Sujon Mia, 16, son of Joydor Ali of Srimangalkandi village in Baniachang upazila. According to police and local sources, Rahela Begum was struck by lightning while working beside her house in Kazirgaon village of Shaistaganj in the afternoon and died on the spot. In another incident, Rinku Debnath had come to Chunarughat to visit his sister’s house. In the afternoon, he and his nephew Piyush Debnath were cleaning a water tank on the rooftop of a house when a thunderstorm began. A lightning strike hit the area, throwing both of them off the roof and leaving them seriously injured. Family members rescued them and took them to Chunarughat Upazila Health Complex, where the on-duty doctor declared Rinku dead. Piyush is currently undergoing treatment. Meanwhile, four youths were struck by lightning while watching a football match in a field at Srimangalkandi village in Baniachang upazila at around the same time. They were taken to Habiganj Sadar Modern Hospital, where doctors declared Sujon Mia dead. The injured Siam Mia, 17, Hafiz Uddin, 22, and Parvez Mia, 25, are receiving treatment at the hospital. The deaths were confirmed by Habiganj Sadar Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Zahidul Haque, Shaistaganj Police Station OC Md Abul Kalam, and Baniachang Police Station OC Sheikh Nazmul Haque.

At least four people were killed when a small aircraft crashed in Croatia on Thursday, according to police. The crash occurred near the town of Medulin on the Istria Peninsula, police said in a statement. Croatia's state-run HINA news agency reported that the aircraft was a German-registered plane that had departed from Austria before the accident. Images from the scene showed the wreckage scattered across a field, while police officers and firefighters were deployed to the crash site. Local pilot Nijaz Delic told the Index news portal that the aircraft appeared to spiral in the air before plunging to the ground. Authorities have not yet confirmed how many people were on board the plane. The cause of the crash remains under investigation, and no further details were immediately available.

Five people including three women were killed in lightning strikes in three upazilas of Chapainawabganj district on Thursday afternoon. They died during rainfall when lightning struck different areas of Sadar, Shibganj and Nachol upazilas. The deceased were identified as Abdullah, son of Md Rabbil of Atahar area in Jhelim union of Sadar upazila; Mahmuda Akhter, wife of Abdur Rab of Chakanrendra village in Chakkirti union of Shibganj upazila; Sadia Khatun, daughter of Abul Kashem of Ranibari-Bazarpara; Md Mesbaul, son of Fitu Ali of Shikarpur Dakshinpara in Mobarakpur union; and Sumiyara Begum of Lahabari village in Nachol upazila. Of them, three died in Shibganj upazila. Matiur Rahman, Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Shibganj Police Station, said the three victims from Shibganj were struck by lightning while picking mangoes in orchards near their homes during rain. Shibganj Upazila Project Implementation Officer Mizanur Rahman said the families of the victims were given Tk 25,000 each as immediate financial assistance. Chapainawabganj Sadar Model Police Station Officer-in-Charge Ekramul Hossain said lightning hit Abdullah while he was  going to the field in the rain to bring cattle. He was taken to Chapainawabganj District Hospital where doctors declared him dead. In Nachol upazila, Sumiyara Begum died by lightning strike while returning home after collecting grass from a field, said Nachol Police Station Officer-in-Charge Sukomal Chandra Debnath. Authorities said financial assistance of Tk 25,000 each will also be provided to the families of the victims in Sadar and Nachol upazilas.

A man was arrested after stabbing and injuring three people at a train station in the Swiss city of Winterthur on Thursday, police said. The incident occurred shortly after 8:30 am, according to Zurich regional police. The suspect, identified as a 31-year-old Swiss national, is currently in custody, and authorities are investigating the motive behind the attack. The victims all Swiss citizens aged 28, 43 and 52 were taken to nearby hospitals. Officials have not yet disclosed the extent of their injuries. Winterthur, a city of around 123,000 people, is located in northeastern Switzerland, close to Zurich, the country’s largest city.

A retired additional district and sessions judge was killed in a road accident on Sundarganj-Rangpur regional highway in Sundarganj upazila of Gaibandha on Sunday night. The deceased was identified as Awal Sarker, son of late Syed Ali Sarker of Moniram village under Bamandanga union in the upazila. Witnesses said Awal Sarker was returning home from Gaibandha town on a motorcycle around `0:30 pm when a truck hit him from behind near a filling station area, leaving him dead on the spot. Shahin Mohammad Amanullah, Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Sundarganj Police Station, said the body was recovered and handed over to the family after completing legal procedures. The truck involved in the accident could not be seized, he said adding that the family was preparing to file a case. During his career, Awal Sarker served as a judge in different districts including Rangpur, Lalmonirhat, Bagerhat, Gazipur, Dhaka and Satkhira.

Two teenage gunmen opened fire at a mosque in San Diego on Monday, killing three men before later taking their own lives, in what police are investigating as a possible hate crime. According to police, the attackers — aged 17 and 18 — targeted the Islamic Center of San Diego. Authorities said there had been no specific prior threat against the mosque, but evidence suggests the suspects were influenced by “generalized hate rhetoric.” San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl said more details about the motive would emerge as the investigation progresses. Police had already been searching for one of the teens after his mother reported him missing and expressed concerns that he was suicidal. Authorities said weapons were missing from the home and the teen had taken his mother’s vehicle. The search intensified when police learned the teen was armed, dressed in camouflage and accompanied by another individual. Officers were tracking the suspects using available technology when reports of gunfire at the mosque came in. Police arrived within minutes, Wahl said. Among the victims was a security guard at the mosque, whom police credited with preventing the attack from becoming more deadly. “It’s fair to say his actions were heroic. Undoubtedly he saved lives,” Wahl told reporters. Shortly after the mosque shooting, additional gunshots were reported a few blocks away. Police later found the two suspects dead inside a vehicle on a nearby road, in what appeared to be a suicide. The mosque, the largest in the county, also houses the Al Rashid School, which provides Islamic and Arabic education for children. Witness footage showed children being safely escorted out of the premises as police secured the area. Imam Taha Hassane condemned the attack, calling it “extremely outrageous to target a place of worship.” “All the places of worship in our beautiful city should always be protected,” he said. The Council on American-Islamic Relations, one of the largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy groups in the U.S., condemned the shooting. “No one should ever fear for their safety while attending prayers or studying at an elementary school,” said CAIR-San Diego Executive Director Tazheen Nizam in a statement. “We are working to learn more about this incident and we encourage everyone to keep this community in your prayers.” Authorities said the investigation is ongoing, including efforts to determine the full motive behind the attack.