Deir al-Balah, June 8: Israeli fire has killed at least five people and wounded others as Palestinians head towards two aid distribution points in Gaza run by an Israeli and US-backed group. Israel’s military has fired warning shots at people who approached its forces, leading to frequent shootings near the new hubs where thousands of Palestinians are being directed to collect food. Over the past two weeks, more than 80 people have been killed, according to Gaza hospital officials. At least 108 bodies were brought to hospitals in Gaza over the past 48 hours, the territory’s Health Ministry said.
Israel’s military said it struck dozens of militant targets throughout Gaza over the past day. Four of the latest bodies were brought to Nasser Hospital in the southern city of Khan Younis. Palestinian witnesses said Israeli forces fired on them at a roundabout around a kilometer from a site run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation in nearby Rafah. The UN denies there is systematic diversion and says the new system is unable to meet mounting needs, allows Israel to use aid as a weapon, and forces people to relocate to where aid sites are positioned.
The new aid hubs are set up inside Israeli military zones where independent media have no access. Witnesses fear for their safety, as the shooting in southern Gaza occurred at around 6 am, when they were told the site would open. The military announced on Friday that the sites would be open during those hours, and that the area would be a closed military zone the rest of the time.
Gaza’s roughly 2 million Palestinians are almost completely reliant on international aid because nearly all food production capabilities have been destroyed. The new aid hubs are run by GHF, a new group of mainly American contractors. Israel wants it to replace a system coordinated by the United Nations and international aid groups. Hamas militant group accuses Israel and the United States of stealing aid. The UN denies there is systematic diversion and says the new system is unable to meet mounting needs, allows Israel to use aid as a weapon, and forces people to relocate to where aid sites are positioned.
Experts warned earlier this year that Gaza was at critical risk of famine if Israel did not lift its blockade and halt its military campaign. Israeli officials have said the offensive will continue until all hostages are returned and Hamas is defeated or disarmed and sent into exile. Hamas has said it will only release the remaining hostages in return for Palestinian prisoners, a lasting ceasefire, and an Israeli withdrawal wfrom Gaza. Talks mediated by the US, Egypt, and Qatar have been deadlocked for months. (AP)

MOSCOW, June 8: Russia and Ukraine remain at odds over the planned exchange of 6,000 fallen soldiers’ bodies, agreed upon during direct talks in Istanbul. On Sunday, Russian officials claimed that Moscow is still awaiting confirmation from Kyiv to proceed, accusing Ukraine of delaying the process. Russian Lt. Gen. Alexander Zorin stated that over 1,200 Ukrainian bodies had already been delivered to the exchange site, but “signals” suggested a postponement until next week. Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova questioned whether the delay was due to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s decision or NATO influence.
Ukraine rejected the claims, with intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov asserting that preparations were ongoing in line with agreements made in Istanbul. He emphasized that the exchange must be mutually coordinated and condemned what he called Russia’s manipulative tactics. Ukrainian authorities said no official date had been finalized, and accused Moscow of submitting inaccurate lists of prisoners of war.
Despite these tensions, Ukraine insists the repatriation process is moving forward as planned. The swap would be one of the largest of its kind since the full-scale war began in 2022.
Meanwhile, Russia claimed military gains on the battlefield. The Russian Defense Ministry announced that its forces had reached the western edge of Donetsk and had pushed into Ukraine’s Dnipropetrovsk region—a development that, if verified, would mark the first Russian incursion into the region during the war. Ukraine did not immediately respond to the claims, and they could not be independently confirmed.
If true, this would represent a significant blow to Ukraine’s overstretched military as peace talks remain stalled and Russian forces make slow but steady gains in other contested regions. Russia annexed Donetsk, along with three other Ukrainian regions, in 2022, though the annexations are not internationally recognized.
In addition to ground combat, both sides engaged in aerial attacks over the weekend. Russian strikes on Ukraine’s Kharkiv region killed at least one person and wounded another on Sunday. This followed earlier attacks on the city of Kharkiv that killed six and wounded more than two dozen. Ukraine’s air force reported that it intercepted 40 of 49 drones launched by Russia overnight.
Russia also claimed to have shot down 61 Ukrainian drones, including some near Moscow. Ukrainian drone attacks wounded five people in Russia’s Belgorod region and two more at a chemical plant in Tula, where a fire broke out. Drone threats also disrupted operations at three major airports serving Moscow—Vnukovo, Domodedovo, and Zhukovsky—causing temporary flight suspensions.
The continuing violence underscores the deepening intensity of the conflict, with diplomatic progress stalled and both sides engaging in direct and retaliatory military actions.
As the situation unfolds, the fate of the fallen soldiers and the integrity of agreements made in Istanbul remain uncertain. Despite plans for a large-scale repatriation of the dead, distrust and conflicting claims continue to complicate efforts on both humanitarian and military fronts. (AP)

WASHINGTON, June 8: US President Donald Trump has warned Tesla CEO Elon Musk of “serious consequences” if he gives funding to Democratic candidates to run against Republicans who vote in support of the GOP’s sweeping budget bill. Trump refused to mention the consequences and said he does not wish to repair his ties with Musk after the two had a public fallout.
Musk and Trump have criticised each other on social media platforms X and Truth Social earlier this week. Trump stated that he has no plans to speak with Musk anytime soon and accused Musk of being disrespectful to the office of the President. Musk targeted Trump in a series of posts shared on X, including a now-deleted post promoting a call for Trump to be impeached and another where he said the US President’s tariff agenda would lead to a recession later this year.
In response to Musk’s criticism, Trump expressed disappointment because Elon knew the inner workings of the bill and had helped him a lot. Musk launched several attacks on Trump on X, including a now-deleted post promoting a call for Trump to be impeached and another where he said the US President’s tariff agenda would lead to a recession later this year. Trump shared several posts on Truth Social, suggesting that Musk knew what was in the bill before it was passed and threatened to terminate Elon Musk’s company’s contracts with the government. On Saturday, Trump said he had not given his suggestion about cancelling federal contracts with Musk any more thought.
Musk gave major financial support to Trump during the elections last year, spending over a quarter of a billion dollars to boost him in swing states. In the first months of the Trump administration, Musk served as the head of the Department of Government Efficiency, where he oversaw mass layoffs of federal workers and the closure or partial closure of several agencies. Trump said the feud has made lawmakers see the benefits of the bill, but Elon’s criticism comes at a pivotal moment for Trump’s self-described “big, beautiful bill,” which encompasses sweeping tax reductions and expanded military expenditure. (ANI)