Al Jazeera is reporting at least 20 Palestinians died earlier today in Gaza City when an Israeli tank fired shells at people lining up for humanitarian supplies. Another 150 people were injured. This comes a day after at least 12 Palestinians were killed when Israeli tanks shelled a United Nations shelter in Khan Younis where hundreds of Palestinians had sought refuge. At least 75 people were injured in the attack, which resulted in a major fire. Israel denied carrying out the attack. The U.N. said the shelter was struck by shells from a tank, and only Israel has tanks in Gaza. Israel’s assault on Khan Younis has left the city facing a growing humanitarian crisis. Authorities at the besieged Nasser Hospital say supplies of food, anesthetics and painkillers have run out.

Israel also continues to attack the southern city of Rafah, where hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians have fled, seeking safety.

Um Khaled Baker: “We are displaced, and they bombed us. My son is a martyr. We were told to go to Rafah because it is safe. I have 50 families staying over. They bombed and destroyed us. Where do we go? Where is a safe place so we can go to? My nationality is Egyptian, but I can’t enter or leave. I don’t even have a tent to stay at. They bombed us, and my son is a young martyr. Where do we go? The old and helpless people, what can they do? Where do we go?”

On Wednesday, British Foreign Secretary David Cameron met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Cameron told Sky News he pushed Netanyahu to accept a pause in the fighting.

David Cameron: “It’s time for an immediate pause in the fighting, because we’ve got to not only get the aid in, but, crucially, we’ve got to get those hostages out. And what I think we can do now is plan for how you turn that pause into a permanent, sustainable ceasefire without a return to fighting.”

This all comes as the death toll in Gaza has topped 25,700, including over 11,000 children.

The International Court of Justice has announced it will deliver an interim ruling on Friday in South Africa’s genocide case against Israel. South Africa has asked the court to impose a number of emergency measures, including ordering a halt to Israel’s assault on Gaza. This comes as a new poll in the United States shows more than a third of Americans now believe Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinians.

In Tel Aviv, thousands of Israelis shut down a major highway Wednesday demanding their government reach an immediate deal to return the over 130 hostages still held in Gaza. The protest was led by a number of women’s groups and the families of Israeli hostages.

Meanwhile, hundreds of Israeli protesters have gathered at the Kerem Shalom crossing for a second day in a row in an attempt to block a convoy of humanitarian aid trucks from entering Gaza. The protesters are demanding no aid for Gaza until all of the hostages are released.

The BBC has revealed new details about how the United Arab Emirates hired U.S. mercenaries to carry out over 100 assassinations in Yemen beginning in 2015. Targets included politicians, imams and members of civil society. Two of the mercenaries who worked for Spear Operations Group spoke to the BBC and admitted taking part in the assassination program.

Isaac Gilmore: “If we felt like, yeah, OK, he’s a legitimate target, we’re good to go.”

Nawal al-Maghafi: “Who gave you the targets?”

Isaac Gilmore: “We received the target intelligence from the UAE government.”

Nawal al-Maghafi: “How did you receive them?”

Isaac Gilmore: “In intelligence packets.”

Nawal al-Maghafi: “Cards?”

Isaac Gilmore: “Cards.”

Nawal al-Maghafi: “How many cards did you receive?”

Isaac Gilmore: “Ten, to start.”

Nawal al-Maghafi: “And one of them was Ansaf Mayo?”

Isaac Gilmore: “Yes.”

U.S. Africa Command said Tuesday U.S. strikes in Somalia killed three members of al-Shabab on Sunday. Somalia is the fourth country the U.S. has bombed since the start of 2024, in addition to Yemen, Iraq and Syria.

In labor news, the United Auto Workers union has endorsed Joe Biden for president. Biden addressed autoworkers during a labor conference in Washington on Wednesday. Biden’s speech was interrupted when members of the UAW stood up and called for him to support a ceasefire in Gaza.

President Joe Biden: “An aircraft carrier, an automobile, a tanker, a staircase — no matter what that was, it should be built” —

Protesting UAW members: [inaudible]

UAW members: ”UAW! UAW! UAW!”

The endorsement comes even though UAW has publicly called for a ceasefire while Biden refuses to, leading some members to oppose the endorsement. UAW President Shawn Fain also spoke Wednesday and thanked the president for joining striking autoworkers on the picket line during the union’s recent standup strike against the Big 3. Fain used part of his speech to blast Biden’s likely challenger, Donald Trump.

Shawn Fain: “Donald trump is a scab! Donald Trump is a billionaire, and that’s who he represents!”

The Ohio Senate voted to override Governor Mike DeWine’s veto of an anti-trans bill banning gender-affirming medical treatment for youth. The House also voted to override the Republican governor’s veto earlier this month. The law, which also bars transgender students from school sports, is set to go into effect in 90 days. The transgender advocacy group TransOhio said it has been in touch with dozens of families who feel under attack and plan to leave the state.

In Minnesota, prosecutors charged a state trooper with second-degree murder for the fatal shooting of Ricky Cobb II, a Black man, during a traffic stop in Minneapolis last year. Thirty-three-year-old Cobb was a father of five. Trooper Ryan Londregan, who is white, shot Cobb after he attempted to flee in his car while being questioned during a traffic stop. Mary Moriarty, Hennepin County’s top prosecutor, vowed to hold police accountable after being elected in 2022, as the city was still reeling from the 2020 police murder of George Floyd.

A federal judge has sentenced a January 6 insurrectionist and Proud Boys member to six years in prison. During his sentencing hearing, Marc Bru of Washington state told the judge, “You could give me 100 years, and I would still do it all over again.” During the insurrection, Bru harassed U.S. Capitol officers, prevented them from moving forward using a barricade, and took selfies inside the government building. Prosecutors say that after January 6, Bru tried to organize another violent insurrection in Portland, Oregon. Over 1,200 people have so far been charged for crimes related to the Capitol insurrection.

In Alabama, prison officials are scheduled to execute Kenneth Smith today using nitrogen gas asphyxiation for the first time ever in the United States. On Wednesday, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected Smith’s plea to halt the execution. His lawyers argued attempting to execute him for a second time, after he survived a botched lethal injection in 2022, constitutes cruel and unusual punishment. Another appeal remains pending before a circuit court over using the untested method of execution via nitrogen gas.

The case has gained international attention. A high-profile Italian nonprofit linked to the Vatican spoke out against Smith’s planned execution this week. This is Mario Marazziti, Italian journalist, politician and death penalty abolition advocate.

Mario Marazziti: “Kenneth Smith’s execution risks to be a milestone execution if it happens, because it sets a new standard. It lowers humanity at the level of a state that has a frenzy and a killing fury against one individual. … So it is the litmus test for the level of civilization today, if we are losing the battle of a culture of life, and a culture of death becomes just normal, as it is normal in times of war.”

In Texas, state authorities continue to bar federal Border Patrol agents from accessing its border with Mexico, defying a Supreme Court order issued this week. Texas troopers are still erecting razor wire along the border, which has cut off most of Shelby Park, near Eagle Pass — a city park on the banks of the Rio Grande. On Wednesday, a Texas official says a 35-year-old man from Nicaragua drowned in the Rio Grande. Two others were rescued. Last week, a mother and her two young children died in the area while attempting to cross the Rio Grande. Meanwhile, on Capitol Hill, Donald Trump is reportedly pressuring Republican senators to reject a bipartisan border bill because he is concerned passage of the legislation could help Joe Biden’s election chances in November.

In Argentina, labor unions led tens of thousands of protesters in a general strike against President Javier Milei’s so-called shock therapy economic policies. Since taking office last month, Milei has ordered massive spending cuts, shut down half of the government’s ministries, devalued the peso by more than 50% against the dollar, ordered the deregulation of business and the privatization of state-run industries, and cracked down on the right to protest. This is Guillermo Pacagnini of the Workers’ Socialist Movement party.

Guillermo Pacagnini: “What are we demanding? For the fall of the decree of necessity and urgency that seeks to give public power to President Milei. What do we want? For the omnibus bill to fall. It doesn’t only take away our social rights, it also transforms the right to protest into a crime.”