07/05/2025 11:07
The Guardian
UN calls for maximum restraint from two nuclear powers. Plus, Israeli minister accused of ethnic cleansing for vowing ‘Gaza will be entirely destroyed’Don’t already get First Thing in your inbox? Sign up hereGood morning.At least 26 people, including several children, have been killed and 46 injured after India launched attacks on what it claimed were nine sites of “terrorist infrastructure” inside Pakistan, in a sharp escalation of hostilities between the two nuclear-armed neighbours.How did India explain the attack? It said it struck nine Pakistani “terrorist infrastructure” sites, some linked to the attack by Islamist militants in Indian Kashmir last month. Delhi said its actions had been “focused, measured and non-escalatory in nature.”What has the UN said? “The secretary general … calls for maximum military restraint from both countries,” a spokesperson said. “The world cannot afford a military confrontation between India and Pakistan.”What’s the background to the Kashmir crisis? Control of Kashmir, in the foothills of the Himalayas, has been disputed since India and Pakistan gained independence from Britain in 1947. Read the background here and follow live coverage here.How did Hamas respond to Israel’s plan for “conquest” of Gaza? After the intensified offensive was announced, Hamas said it was no longer interested in truce talks and urged the international community to halt Israel’s “hunger war” against Gaza, a reference to the total blockade on aid deliveries to Gaza since 2 March.What about other nations in the region? Israel’s neighbours Egypt and Jordan have said they will refuse to allow an exodus of refugees into their territory, arguing that would make them party to the ethnic cleansing of Gaza. Humanitarian officials say the territory is on the brink of catastrophe as food and fuel runs out owing to the total Israeli blockade.What’s the latest on legal proceedings amid allegations of Israeli genocide? The international court of justice is assessing allegations of genocide against Israel for its military campaign in Gaza, and last year issued a series of provisional measures that included orders for Israel to “take all measures” to prevent genocide being committed or incited, and to allow the “unhindered provision” of humanitarian assistance across the territory’s southern border with Egypt. Continue reading...
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