The Israeli military admitted on Wednesday its troops had opened fire on a car carrying five-year-old Hind Rajab and six family members in Gaza in 2024, saying it had ordered a criminal investigation into the killing.
asserted
it → admit → killing
The death of Hind and her family was one of the most high profile of a series of incidents involving the killings of civilians during the first months of Israel’s war on Gaza, and it led to international outrage.
asserted
it → involve → outrage
Hind died after a desperate three-hour phone call to the Palestinian Red Crescent on 29 January 2024 in which she pleaded for rescue.
asserted
she → die → rescue
The family’s Kia Picanto car had been hit as the family sought to flee a new Israeli offensive into Gaza City.
asserted
family → hit → City
All the other passengers were also killed.
asserted
passengers → kill → ?
Their bodies were retrieved 12 days later when Israeli troops withdrew.
asserted
troops → retrieve → ?
-
What prompted the investigation?
asserted
What → prompt → investigation
The Israel Defense Forces repeatedly denied its troops had been in the area, but investigations by the media and others found evidence that strongly suggested nearby Israeli tanks were responsible.
uncertain
tanks → deny → evidence
The IDF published reviews on Wednesday into five high-profile incidents in Gaza.
asserted
IDF → publish → Gaza
But criminal misconduct investigations into Israeli troops over the killing of Palestinians rarely lead to convictions.
asserted
investigations → lead → convictions
A UN report published in February described “a pervasive climate of impunity” by Israel in occupied Palestine.
asserted
report → publish → Palestine
In September last year, a UN commission found that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, citing tens of thousands of civilian deaths and massive destruction.
asserted
Israel → find → deaths
Meta whistleblower testifies at landmark trial, alleging Zuckerberg lied about concern for child safety
Meta has taken a “don’t ask, don’t tell” strategy when it comes to the safety of children on its social media platforms, according to a whistleblower who testified during a landmark trial against the company on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Arturo Béjar, a former Meta safety engineer, told the jury that the company was aware of the harm its products caused children, which included its recommendations pushing content from sexual predators and violent and graphic images.
uncertain
which → testify → predators
He said he repeatedly raised the issue to Facebook and Instagram executives but they did little to resolve it.
asserted
they → say → it
-
What did Béjar say in his testimony?
asserted
Béjar → say → testimony
That his job often included him briefing Meta’s chief executive, Mark Zuckerberg, on product issues.
asserted
him → include → issues
He estimated that he spoke to Zuckerberg at least 100 times.
asserted
he → estimate → Zuckerberg
One email Béjar sent to Zuckerberg in 2021 showed the engineer warning of constant reports of harmful content and damage to teenage wellbeing on Facebook and Instagram.
asserted
engineer → send → Facebook
Béjar said he emailed Zuckerberg after the chief executive publicly said the company did not prioritize profit over safety.
asserted
company → say → safety
Meta denies all allegations in the case.
asserted
Meta → deny → case
Another democratic socialist victory sends shockwaves through party establishment
Democratic socialist Angie Nixon emerged a surprise victor in the US Senate primary on Tuesday, after a campaign in which she was outfunded and outspent by Alexander Vindman at a ratio of more than 10 to one.
asserted
she → send → one
Her triumph sent shockwaves through the Democratic party machine.
asserted
triumph → send → machine
Nixon only recently joined the Democratic Socialists of America, and was not endorsed by them.
asserted
Nixon → join → them
In other news …
-
More than 100 people have died after an artisanal goldmine at a small village in western Central African Republic caved in due to a landslide, local officials and aid workers said on Wednesday, with many others trapped under the deluge.
asserted
others → die → deluge
-
The US has faced a critical shortage of firefighters at the US Forest Service this summer as thousands of fires have burned, according to nine USFS firefighters who spoke to the Guardian’s Gabrielle Canon anonymously.
-
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are planning to return to live in Britain, six years after leaving for the US, according to reports in the Daily Telegraph and the Sun.
uncertain
Duke → face → Telegraph
-
The actor Tom Holland, 30, is expected to “make at least $100m” from Spider-Man: Brand New Day, according to the Wrap.
uncertain
actor → expect → Wrap
The movie has already surpassed $2bn in ticket sales.
asserted
movie → surpass → sales
Stat of the day: US gross national debt tops $40tn for first time
The US debt reached $40tn for the first time on Wednesday, the Treasury department said, after years of growing government spending.
asserted
department → top → spending
During his first term, Donald Trump approved $8.4tn of debt, with a huge chunk going to Covid-19 relief spending, while Joe Biden approved $4.3tn of debt, according to the committee for a responsible federal budget.
uncertain
Biden → approve → budget
The Filter recommends: 25 tech essentials for college students
The Guardian’s Filter US team tested every item on this list, and picked the best tech and accessories for navigating campus life – from tablets and laptops to help with studying, to gaming systems and portable projectors for university downtime.
asserted
team → recommend → downtime
FCC chair Brendan Carr’s close coordination with White House and rightwing media
A trove of Federal Communications Commission documents – obtained via a Freedom of Information Act request and lawsuit filed by the advocacy group Democracy Forward, and seen by the Guardian’s Jeremy Barr – sheds light on the close working relationship between Brendan Carr, the FCC chair, his top staffers and members of Donald Trump’s White House team.
asserted
trove → obtain → team
Between 12 March 2025 and 11 February 2026, Carr attended at least eight meetings at the White House, according to the records.
uncertain
Carr → attend → records
Climate check: The threatening thaw – a climate professor on heatwave risks to tipping point of permafrost
Heatwaves and wildfires are not just scorching forests, they are adding to the tipping point risks in the world’s vast permafrost regions, which contain three times more carbon than all the living vegetation on Earth.
asserted
which → threaten → Earth
Last Thing: ‘Should my partner stop hogging my side of the bed?’ – You be the judge
“My partner, Dave, and I are two stubborn boys who both adore a great night’s sleep.
asserted
who → stop → sleep
But we cannot settle a disagreement about which side of the bed belongs to whom,” Pádraig writes.
asserted
Pádraig → settle → whom
“He thinks the sides we sleep on should be interchangeable …
asserted
we → think → ?
Now I’m tossing and turning.”
asserted
I → toss → ?
Sign up
First Thing is delivered to thousands of inboxes every weekday.
asserted
Thing → sign → inboxes
If you’re not already signed up, subscribe now.
asserted
you → sign → ?
Get in touch
If you have any questions or comments about any of our newsletters please email newsletters@theguardian.com
asserted
you → get → newsletters@theguardian.com
