humanities

Aid workers in Gaza are beginning the enormous task of clearing 61 million tonnes of rubble from the territory's ruined neighbourhoods. Recovery teams warn that the debris may conceal the bodies of up to 10,000 people killed in the war, making the clearance operation slow and delicate, as families continue searching for missing relatives beneath the ruins.

UN human rights experts have warned that the Trump administration's policy of deporting migrants to third countries violates international human rights law. According to the Guardian's report, the experts criticised the practice of sending people to countries they have no connection to, raising concerns about legal safeguards and the treatment of those removed from the United States.

Researchers warn that a super El Niño event combined with climate change could lead to around 450,000 deaths worldwide. New analysis links human-driven warming to a 44% increase in extreme heat events, intensifying concerns that the next super El Niño would push heatwave mortality far beyond previous records, with vulnerable populations in tropical regions facing the greatest risk.

The Palestinian death toll in the Gaza war has risen above 74,000 since the conflict began, according to figures reported by the Associated Press and carried by numerous US news outlets. The milestone comes as part of a roundup of other Middle East developments, and the scale of the reported losses continues to draw international attention and concern over the humanitarian situation in Gaza.

Palestinian health authorities report that the death toll in Gaza has risen above 74,000 since the war began, marking another grim milestone in the conflict. The figure covers those killed since fighting started in October 2023 and comes as international attention remains fixed on ceasefire efforts, humanitarian conditions, and ongoing casualties across the territory.

Doctors in Gaza are struggling to provide timely diagnoses to patients, with long waits forcing medics to make difficult decisions about who receives care first. The healthcare system, already strained by conflict and shortages, is leaving many patients without answers for extended periods. Al Jazeera reports on the human toll of these delays as medical staff attempt to cope with overwhelming demand and limited resources.

Russian strikes across Ukraine have killed at least eight people, coming after Moscow said it intends to keep fighting despite international pressure for a ceasefire. The attacks underline the gap between diplomatic efforts to end the war and the reality on the ground, with Russian officials publicly rejecting any imminent pause. Observers say the escalating casualties highlight the human cost as peace negotiations stall.

Russian strikes killed eight people in Ukraine, while one person died in a strike inside Russia, according to wire reports. The escalation followed Moscow's rejection of German calls to de-escalate the war. The exchange of fire underlines how diplomatic efforts by Berlin have so far failed to slow attacks on civilian areas, and the casualty tolls are drawing fresh attention to the human cost of the conflict.

A report claims Russia is losing around 2,000 troops a day in its war against Ukraine, with roughly 60% of those casualties proving fatal. The figures point to mounting pressure on Moscow's forces as the invasion grinds on, and renew debate over the true human cost of the fighting and how sustainable Russia's current rate of attrition really is.

Amnesty International has documented cases of murder and torture committed by the Malian army and the Wagner paramilitary group in Mali, according to a report by RFI. The findings add to growing scrutiny of Wagner's operations in Africa's Sahel region, where the Russian-linked force has been deployed alongside government troops against armed insurgents.

Reporting from Gaza is compiling testimonies from residents describing severe violence and hardship amid the ongoing war. Witnesses recount attacks, destruction and loss in their neighbourhoods, adding to a growing body of first-hand accounts from the territory. The testimonies are drawing renewed international attention to the human toll of the conflict.

Human contractors are reviewing Microsoft Copilot users' prompts and uploaded images, according to internal documents obtained by 404 Media. The workers, who moderate content for the AI assistant, report being horrified by what they see and say they are frequently exposed to users' requests for sexual AI-generated images. The reporting raises fresh privacy concerns, as many users likely did not realise their prompts and files would be read by people.

Claims are circulating that Russian soldiers forced Ukrainian civilians through a gas pipeline to use them as human shields, in what would amount to another war crime. A video reportedly showing the incident is being shared alongside condemnation of Russian tactics against civilians in occupied areas of Ukraine.

Amnesty International has published a new report presenting damning evidence of war crimes committed in Mali by state armed forces and personnel from the Russian Wagner Group. The findings add to longstanding concerns about human rights abuses during Mali's conflict, and the involvement of the Wagner Group is again drawing international scrutiny.

United Nations human rights experts warn that US deportation practices are setting off a 'cascade' of rights abuses, affecting not only those removed from the country but also people in the countries they are sent to. The experts' assessment, reported by Courthouse News, adds international scrutiny to US immigration enforcement and is drawing attention among rights advocates and policymakers.

United Nations human rights experts have called on the Trump administration to stop deporting migrants to third countries, a policy that sends people expelled from the United States to nations other than their own. According to Reuters, the experts argue the practice puts migrants at risk and breaches international obligations. The appeal adds to growing international scrutiny of Washington's hardline immigration measures.

The United States has moved to revoke federal limits on climate pollution from power plants, removing emissions restrictions on one of the country's largest sources of greenhouse gases. Human Rights Watch reports the decision, which critics say will worsen climate change and its health effects, while supporters frame it as relief from costly regulations on the energy sector.

Reuters reports the case of a vulnerable woman in Spain who was evicted from her home and left with nowhere to go but her car, using her story to illustrate the severity of the country's housing crisis. The report highlights how rising rents and limited social housing are pushing even the most vulnerable into homelessness, drawing widespread attention and debate.

Aid workers in Gaza have begun one of the largest rubble-clearance operations in modern history, removing 61 million tonnes of debris from the war-torn territory. The work is delicate: an estimated 10,000 bodies remain buried beneath the ruins, alongside unexploded bombs. Workers say the debris holds lives and memories as well as wreckage, and each site must be handled carefully. Reporting from Gaza City highlights the scale and human cost of the task ahead.

Health authorities in Gaza report that more than 74,000 people have been killed by Israeli strikes over the past three years, according to figures carried by news outlets. The toll covers the full span of the war that began with Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack on Israel. The figure is being circulated as the conflict's human cost continues to draw international attention, with disputes over casualty counts and calls for ceasefire persisting.

Russian strikes on Ukraine have killed eight people, according to an AFP report. The attacks are the latest in Russia's ongoing aerial campaign against Ukrainian cities and infrastructure. The strikes are drawing renewed attention to the human cost of the war and the continued difficulty of securing a ceasefire.

Sudan's prisons are being described as the world's largest torture centers, amid the ongoing war between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces. Reports point to widespread abuse, inhumane conditions and mistreatment of detainees held in facilities across the country, drawing renewed attention to the human cost of the conflict.

United Nations experts have warned that the Trump administration's practice of deporting migrants to third countries violates international human rights law. The warning, reported by the Guardian, adds to mounting international criticism of US immigration policy, with rights groups arguing that removals to countries with which deportees have no connection expose people to serious harm.

Displaced Palestinians in northern Gaza City are continuing their daily routines and preparing for the winter season amid shortages of basic necessities and very limited shelter options. Large areas of the city remain visibly destroyed, and residents face difficult living conditions as cold weather approaches. The situation is being shared widely as a human rights concern, drawing attention to the ongoing humanitarian crisis in the territory.

United Nations experts say the United States' deportation practices are triggering a 'cascade' of human rights abuses. In a warning issued through UN human rights channels, the experts raised concerns that people being removed from the US face rights violations either during the deportation process or after arrival in their destination countries. The warning was reported internationally, including by France 24.

Channel 4 News reports on people deported from the United States to Liberia under the Trump administration's immigration crackdown. One deportee says he 'didn't know Liberia existed' before being sent to the West African country, highlighting confusion and distress among those removed to countries with no connection to them. The report is drawing widespread attention to the scale and conditions of these removals.

The human rights group Monitor has accused Israel of deliberately targeting civilians in its military campaign in Gaza, according to a report carried by Shafaq News. The allegation adds to ongoing international scrutiny of civilian casualties in the territory and is likely to fuel debate over compliance with international humanitarian law.