War enters Day 5 as Israel bombs hospitals, media offices in Tehran; 3.3 lakh ordered to evacuate

Gaza City, July 5: Israeli strikes have killed around 50 Palestinians across Gaza since the early hours of Saturday, with dozens of the fatalities identified as aid seekers, according to reports from the besieged territory’s hospitals.

These attacks have taken place across the Gaza Strip from Gaza City in the north to the area around Rafah in the south.

Medical sources at Nasser Hospital have told the media that nine Palestinians, including three children, have been killed by Israeli forces near an aid center north of Rafah.

A medical source at al-Ahli Hospital says one Palestinian was killed and others injured in an Israeli attack on Gaza City’s Zeitoun neighborhood.

At least six people were killed and more than 10 injured in an Israeli shelling of displaced tents in the al-Mawasi area west of the city of Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, according to Nasser Medical Complex.

Al-Mawasi was designated as a “humanitarian zone” by Israel.

Israeli forces bombarded the al-Shafi School, killing at least five people and injuring others in Gaza City’s Zeitoun neighborhood.

Two people were killed after Israeli military jets targeted a house in the Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza.

Al-Awda Hospital in Nuseirat, also in central Gaza, says four people were killed after the Israeli army targeted an aid distribution point on Salah al-Din Street, south of Wadi Gaza.

The Gaza Civil Defense says it rescued 11 injured individuals, including children, after an air strike targeted a house belonging to the al-Zinati family near the Gifted School in Sheikh Radwan, northwest Gaza City.

Israel’s war on Gaza has killed at least 57,268 people and wounded 135,625 since the start of the onslaught on October 7, 2023, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.

The United Nations human rights office has said it recorded at least 613 killings of Palestinians, both at controversial aid points run by the Israeli and United States-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) and near humanitarian convoys, as of June 27.

The OHCHR said 509 of the 613 people were killed near GHF distribution points. The Gaza Health Ministry has put the number of deaths at more than 650 and those wounded as exceeding 4,000.

The GHF began distributing limited food packages in Gaza at the end of May, overseeing a new model of deliveries that the UN says is neither impartial nor neutral, as killings continue around the organization’s sites, which rights groups have slammed as “human slaughterhouses.”

Dubai, June 27: HDFC Bank, India’s largest private lender, is under scrutiny in the UAE over allegations it sold high-risk Credit Suisse AT1 bonds to retail investors in violation of regulatory norms.

The bonds — complex instruments meant only for experienced or high-net-worth clients — were wiped out in March 2023 during Credit Suisse’s emergency merger with UBS. Several investors claim HDFC Bank relationship managers misrepresented these as safe, forged financial documents to meet eligibility criteria, and failed to disclose crucial risks.

Dubai resident Varun Mahajan says he lost $300,000 in savings and alleges the bank inflated his net worth to bypass DFSA rules. Another investor, NS from the Philippines, claimed he was sold AT1 bonds using a leverage loan he never applied for. Others, including Indian national Pankaj Sinha and South Africa-based AT, described similar misrepresentation, unauthorized document changes, and manipulation of KYC data.

Legal complaints have been filed in India, the UAE, Bahrain, and DIFC. Investors accuse the bank of misleading them and exposing them to losses running into millions of dollars.

In response, HDFC Bank denied any wrongdoing, stating it follows strict processes and takes action against malpractice. The DFSA has declined to comment due to legal confidentiality.

Internal sources say several HDFC executives have recently resigned, and the Dubai offshore head has been replaced, raising questions about accountability.

Experts say the case exposes regulatory gaps across jurisdictions and may prompt closer scrutiny of how banks operate across borders.

Washington, July 1: In a major policy shift, President Donald Trump on Monday signed an executive order lifting most US economic sanctions on Syria — a move widely seen as legitimizing the country's new interim leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, a former jihadist commander with deep ties to extremist groups.

From Terrorist to President

Ahmed al-Sharaa — better known by his nom de guerre, Abu Mohammad al-Julani — was once a top commander in al-Qaeda’s Syrian affiliate, Jabhat al-Nusra, which later rebranded as Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS). The US had designated HTS a terrorist group, and Julani himself was listed as a "Specially Designated Global Terrorist." His transformation from militant leader to interim president has raised eyebrows globally.

Trump Fulfills Pledge After Saudi Meeting

In May 2025, Trump met al-Sharaa in Saudi Arabia and promised to lift economic restrictions — a pledge fulfilled with Monday’s executive order. The order ends the national emergency declared in 2004 under President George W. Bush and repeals five other Syria-related executive orders.

Key Sanctions Still in Place

Sanctions imposed under the Caesar Act — targeting Bashar al-Assad, his top aides, and others responsible for war crimes, drug trafficking, or chemical weapons — remain in place and can only be lifted by Congress. Sanctions also continue against groups and individuals linked to the production of Captagon, the amphetamine fueling much of the region’s drug trade.

“Reintegration into Global Markets”

The US Treasury's Brad Smith said the move would “reintegrate Syria into the international financial system” and pave the way for investment from neighboring Arab states and the US itself. The White House described the shift as part of a broader effort to promote "stability and peace" in Syria.

Syria Quietly Assists Israeli Airstrikes on Iran

Critics say al-Sharaa's regime has already begun aligning with US and Israeli regional interests. During Israel's airstrikes on Iran in mid-June 2025 — part of a campaign dubbed Operation Rising Lion — Syrian airspace was reportedly used by Israeli jets en route to Iranian targets. According to All Israel News and The Jerusalem Post, Syria “quietly opened its airspace” for the mission. One analyst remarked, “Every blow to Iran is pure benefit to al-Sharaa’s regime.”

State Sponsor of Terrorism Label Under Review
Despite the rollback, Syria remains officially listed as a state sponsor of terrorism, and the group formerly led by al-Sharaa is still designated as a foreign terrorist organization. A State Department official confirmed that both designations are currently under review.

EU Follows Suit on Sanctions

The European Union has also reportedly moved to lift nearly all remaining sanctions on Syria, signaling a broader normalization of ties between Western powers and Damascus’ new leadership — a leader who, until recently, was considered one of the world’s most wanted jihadists.