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Turkey is in mourning after a deadly school shooting in the southern province of Kahramanmaras left nine people dead, including eight students and a teacher. The attacker, identified as 14-year-old Isa Aras Mersinli, opened fire on two classrooms at the Ayser Calik School on Wednesday before being found dead.Funerals were held on Thursday for the victims, including maths teacher Ayla Kara, 55. A 10th victim died while being treated in hospital on Thursday, and six of those wounded in the attack were in critical condition.The interior minister, Mustafa Ciftci, said the attacker is believed to have used guns that belonged to his father, a former police officer. The attack was the country's second school shooting in two days, following an attack on Tuesday at a high school in Sanliurfa province that wounded 16 people.At a funeral for four of the victims held near Kahramanmaras city's main mosque on Thursday, one father sat motionless beside the coffin of his daughter, 10-year-old Zeynep. "Our grief is endless. These children were like our own. They were all innocent," said Vezir Yucel, father of a student named Yusuf, who lost his close friend, 10-year-old Bayram, in the shooting.The interior and education ministries held a joint school security meeting in the capital, Ankara, on Thursday, which was attended by both ministers and all 81 of Turkey's provincial governors, as well as police chiefs and provincial education directors. Dozens of students were arrested on Thursday over alleged social media posts implying they might stage similar attacks.Justice Minister Akin Gurlek announced that 67 social media users were detained over posts targeting 54 different schools. The incident has raised concerns about school safety and the rise of gun violence in Turkey.

President Donald Trump used his Truth Social platform on Wednesday to declare that the leaders of Israel and Lebanon will hold a conversation on Thursday, a breakthrough that would end a 34‑year hiatus in direct leader‑level dialogue. The announcement arrived a day after Israeli and Lebanese ambassadors conducted their first direct diplomatic talks in Washington, D.C. — a move aimed at easing the ongoing hostilities that have devastated Lebanon. Trump did not specify which officials would be involved, and both governments have yet to comment on the forthcoming discussion. Lebanon was drawn into the U.S.–Israel war on Iran on March 2 after Hezbollah, aligned with Tehran, fired rockets at Israel. Hezbollah claims the attacks were retaliation for Israel’s killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on February 28 and for repeated violations of a November 2024 cease‑fire. Since the escalation, Israeli forces have killed more than 2,000 Lebanese civilians and displaced roughly 1.2 million people. The Israeli military has also launched a ground invasion in southern Lebanon, seeking to create a so‑called “buffer zone.” Earlier on Wednesday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced an expansion of the invasion eastward, stating that Israel is pursuing negotiations with the Lebanese government while simultaneously conducting a military campaign to disarm Hezbollah and achieve a “sustainable peace.” The Lebanese government, which is not a party to the conflict, has called for an immediate ceasefire and the withdrawal of Israeli troops. Al Jazeera reporter Zeina Khodr, reporting from Beirut, noted that the Lebanese authorities have not yet responded to Trump’s claim and described the president’s remarks as “controversial.” She suggested the United States is attempting to separate the Lebanon front from the broader Iran‑Israel confrontation, using the Washington talks as a “photo‑opportunity” to weaken Hezbollah’s influence. Despite diplomatic overtures, Israeli attacks on Lebanese civilians continue. On Wednesday, three consecutive strikes in the village of Mayfadoun killed four Lebanese paramedics and wounded six others. According to Lebanon’s Ministry of Public Health, Israeli forces have killed at least 91 Lebanese medical workers since March 2 and have targeted several medical facilities. Additional strikes have hit the vicinity of one of the last operational hospitals in southern Lebanon, in the town of Tebnine, prompting concerns that Israel aims to render the area uninhabitable. Fighting also persists around the strategic hilltop town of Bint Jbeil, where Israeli troops claim to have encircled the town while Hezbollah fighters continue to resist. Analysts warn that a full Israeli occupation of Lebanon would be required to completely disarm Hezbollah—a scenario that would be both costly and politically fraught. As Khodr concluded, “Israel can continue to kill and destroy, but that will not change the fact that Hezbollah is not going to give up its arms without a Lebanese government partnership.” The upcoming leader‑level talks will be closely watched for any indication of a ceasefire or a shift in the regional power balance.

Israeli military forces have launched a series of strikes across the Gaza Strip, resulting in the deaths of at least 11 Palestinians, including two children, a three-year-old and a 14-year-old. These attacks occurred despite a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas that came into effect on October 10 last year.The violence escalated in the northern part of the Gaza enclave on Tuesday, with Gaza's Civil Defence authorities and the Reuters news agency confirming the deaths. Mahmoud Basal, spokesman for Gaza's Civil Defence, reported that four people were killed, including the three-year-old, in a strike targeting a police vehicle in Gaza City. The Ministry of Interior stated that Israeli warplanes had targeted the police vehicle, causing several deaths and injuries, with a police officer among those killed and at least nine bystanders wounded, some critically.Further violence was reported in the northern Beit Lahiya area, where another person was killed by Israeli fire earlier in the day. Later on Tuesday evening, Civil Defence reported that another Israeli strike killed several people near an intersection in the Shati refugee camp in Gaza City. Medics at Al-Shifa Hospital confirmed receiving five bodies from an Israeli drone bombing involving two missiles that hit a group of people in the Shati refugee camp.Despite the ceasefire, Israeli forces continue to carry out daily strikes on Gaza, resulting in almost 760 Palestinians killed since the truce was agreed upon. The Gaza Ministry of Health reported that an additional 2,111 Palestinians have been injured in Israeli attacks since the ceasefire was announced, while a total of 72,336 people have been killed by Israeli forces since the start of Israel's war on the territory on October 7, 2023.

Senator Bernie Sanders, a proud Jewish American, has spoken out against the inhumane actions of Israel and its leader, Benjamin Netanyahu. He emphasizes that criticizing Israel's actions is not antisemitic, but rather a necessary stance against violations of international law.Sanders highlights the devastating impact of Israel's actions in Gaza, where over 72,000 Palestinians have been killed and over 170,000 wounded, mostly women, children, and the elderly. He also notes the destruction of almost all of Gaza's infrastructure, including water and sewer systems, and the demolition of every university and hundreds of schools.In the West Bank, Israeli soldiers and settlers have killed 1,071 Palestinians, including 233 children, and demolished over 6,000 Palestinian homes. Sanders argues that these actions are not just extremist settler behavior, but government policy, with Netanyahu's security cabinet approving sweeping changes to the West Bank's legal status.Sanders announces that he will force a Senate vote on two Joint Resolutions of Disapproval to block arms sales to Israel, including $151.8m in 1,000-pound bombs and $295m in bulldozers used for demolishing homes. He hopes his colleagues will join him in supporting these resolutions, citing plummeting support for Israel among Americans, especially young people.

The humanitarian situation in Sudan has taken a devastating turn as the country prepares to mark the third anniversary of the brutal conflict between the army and paramilitaries. Nearly 700 civilians have been killed in drone strikes in Sudan since the beginning of 2026, according to the United Nations.The increasing use of drones in the conflict has been noted by the UN's humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher, who warned that the world has "failed to meet the test of Sudan". The conflict has disrupted life across Sudan, particularly in the southern Kordofan region and areas of the west controlled by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).Doctors Without Borders reported two more deaths following drone strikes launched by the Sudanese army in the Darfur region, and treated 56 people wounded in the attack. The UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) said that drones were "responsible for nearly 80 percent" of the at least 245 children reported killed or injured during the first three months of the year.The UN's World Food Programme (WFP) warned that the situation is being "dangerously compounded" by the war in the Middle East, which has disrupted supply chains for aid groups. The US-Israeli war on Iran has forced aid groups to use costlier, more time-consuming routes, driving up the cost of food, fuel, and fertilizer.Nearly 34 million people, almost two-thirds of the population, need humanitarian support, making Sudan "the world's largest humanitarian crisis". The situation is dire, with hundreds of thousands of children acutely malnourished, and millions being deprived of an education. Women and girls are facing systemic and brutal sexual violence.

Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem has strongly opposed an upcoming meeting between the Lebanese government and Israel in the United States, labeling such efforts as 'futile' amid intensified Israeli attacks on Lebanon. In a televised speech on Monday, Qassem called on the Lebanese government to take 'a historic and heroic stance' by not attending the planned talks. The Lebanese and Israeli ambassadors are set to meet in Washington, DC, on Tuesday to discuss direct negotiations between the two countries. However, Qassem argued that the talks are a ploy to pressure Hezbollah into laying down its weapons, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu repeatedly stating that the goal is to disarm Hezbollah. Qassem emphasized that Hezbollah will not back down, stating, 'We will not rest, stop or surrender. Instead, we will let the battlefield speak for itself.' He also accused Israel of continuing its aggressive actions, including near-daily deadly attacks, despite a supposed ceasefire in effect since November 2024. Since Israel intensified its war on Lebanon in early March, at least 2,055 people have been killed, including 165 children and 87 medical workers, with over 6,500 wounded and around 1.2 million displaced. Qassem described the planned talks as a 'free concession' to Israel and the US, and called for a united Lebanese stance against negotiations. The speech followed protests in Beirut against the planned talks, with demonstrators accusing Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam of betraying the Lebanese people. The situation remains tense, with the Israeli military claiming to have surrounded the key southern town of Bint Jbeil, while Hezbollah continues to claim attacks against Israeli forces there.

An Israeli air attack targeted a group of men gathered outside a school in Deir el-Balah, central Gaza, killing at least three people. The incident occurred as Israeli forces arrested at least 30 Palestinians in raids across several cities and towns in the occupied West Bank.Medics at Al-Aqsa Hospital reported the killings, with the bodies of the victims laid out in white shrouds outside the hospital's morgue. Relatives and friends gathered to bid farewell, with some kissing the victims' foreheads before holding special prayers.The Israeli military did not immediately comment on the airstrike. The killings took place as mediators met with leaders from the Palestinian group Hamas to bolster a fragile ceasefire brokered by the United States, which began last October.The ceasefire has been marred by violence, with over 750 Palestinians killed since it took effect. Hamas fighters have killed four Israeli soldiers, and both sides have traded blame for violations.Israeli forces have also been accused of moving yellow concrete markers westwards in Gaza, which Palestinians say is an attempt to expand a depopulated zone. Israel denies this.In the West Bank, the Palestinian Prisoners Media Office reported that two children and some freed detainees were among those arrested in the raids. The military operations included searches of homes and property damage.The conflict has resulted in significant casualties, with over 72,000 Palestinians killed in Israel's war on Gaza, which began in October 2023. In the occupied West Bank, at least 1,133 Palestinians have been killed, 11,700 others wounded, and nearly 22,000 arrested.The International Court of Justice has declared Israel's occupation of Palestinian territory illegal and called for the evacuation of all settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

A devastating air strike by the Nigerian military on a village market in northeastern Nigeria has killed dozens and injured hundreds, sparking widespread outrage and condemnation. The strike, which occurred on Sunday, was aimed at members of the rebel group Boko Haram.According to Amnesty International, over 100 people were killed and 35 others wounded in the attack on the Jilli village market in Yobe state. A local chief, Lawan Zanna Nur Geidam, reported that the total casualties, including dead and injured, were around 200.The Nigerian Air Force claimed to have killed Boko Haram fighters in an air strike on the Jilli axis in Borno state, but did not mention hitting a market. The government of Yobe state later confirmed that an air strike near a market had been conducted, affecting people attending the weekly market.Amnesty International condemned the strike, stating that launching air raids is not a legitimate law enforcement method and that the Nigerian military's actions demonstrate a shocking disregard for human life. The organization called on Nigerian authorities to immediately investigate the incident and hold suspected perpetrators accountable.The Yobe State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) activated the emergency response, and many of the injured were taken to hospitals in nearby Geidam and Maiduguri. A worker at the Geidam General Hospital reported that at least 23 people injured in the incident were receiving treatment.

Israeli airstrikes across southern Lebanon have killed at least 18 people, including eight civilians in a village near Sidon and ten victims – among them three emergency workers – in the Nabatieh district, according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry. The ministry’s latest figures show the conflict, which erupted on March 2 after Hezbollah fired rockets in support of Iran, has now claimed 2,020 lives and wounded 6,436 since Lebanon was drawn into the U.S.–Israel war on Iran. In a separate incident, two Israeli paratroopers were wounded by shrapnel during clashes with Hezbollah forces in the south, as reported by Israel’s Channel 13. Amid the escalating violence, President Joseph Aoun announced that Lebanese, Israeli and U.S. officials will convene in Washington next week to discuss a ceasefire and the framework for future negotiations under U.S. auspices. Hezbollah, however, has reiterated its refusal to engage in direct talks with Israel, labeling the proposed negotiations a “blatant violation of the national pact, the constitution and Lebanese law,” according to lawmaker Hassan Fadlallah. Pro‑Hezbollah demonstrators gathered near the government headquarters in central Beirut, waving the group’s yellow flag and the Iranian standard, to protest the planned talks. Hezbollah and its ally, the Amal Movement, later urged supporters to refrain from further demonstrations, citing the need for stability and civil peace. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu emphasized that any peace settlement must be lasting and called for the disarmament of Hezbollah, underscoring the deep strategic divide. While the United States and Iran announced a tentative ceasefire this week, the agreement’s applicability to Israel’s campaign in Lebanon remains uncertain. Iranian officials claim they secured a U.S. assurance that Israel will reduce attacks on Lebanon, but no confirmation has been received from Israeli authorities regarding a ceasefire or a reduction in hostilities. These diplomatic efforts coincide with historic in‑person ceasefire talks between the U.S. and Iran in Islamabad, Pakistan, highlighting the broader regional stakes of the Lebanon‑Israel conflict.