News

Opinion | Iran’s Islamic Republic 2.0 is coming — and it won’t be pretty  The Washington Post

Democrats introduce ‘Justice for Hind Rajab Act’ as film about her death gains Oscar buzz MEE staff on Thu, 03/12/2026 - 15:51 If passed, it would compel the Trump administration to reveal everything it knows about Israel's killing of the child in Gaza A person holds a portrait of Hind Rajab during the red carpet arrivals for the film 'The Voice of Hind Rajab' presented in competition at the 82nd International Venice Film Festival, at Venice Lido, Italy, on 3 September 2025 (Tiziana Fabi/AFP) Off US Democratic lawmakers have introduced a bill demanding that the State Department explain exactly what it did to investigate the circumstances of the killing of Palestinian child Hind Rajab, and whether any Americans were involved, The Hollywood Reporter revealed on Thursday. The "Justice for Hind Rajab Act" will have to go through committees and floor debates in both chambers of Congress before it comes to a vote. It undoubtedly faces an uphill battle in a Republican-dominated legislature.  Rajab was a six-year-old Palestinian girl from Gaza whose agonising death at the hands of Israeli soldiers on 29 January 2024 has become symbolic of the widespread violations of international humanitarian law committed during Israel's genocide in the enclave, where over 72,000 Palestinians have been killed.  The text of the bill, which is being introduced by Peter Welch in the Senate, and Pramila Jayapal and Sara Jacobs in the House, says that if it is enacted into law, the secretary of state and the secretary of war will be compelled to produce a report within 45 days that explains whether the killing ran afoul of the US Foreign Assistance Act and the Leahy Law.  The Leahy Law prohibits the US from providing arms or military assistance to foreign militaries that violate human rights. The US State Department has an "Israel Leahy Vetting Forum" as part of the law. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Lawmakers also want to know the identities of the Israeli soldiers who took part in Rajab's killing, and whether any of them are also US citizens.  The bill effectively demands that the US government hand over everything it knows about the incident, including whether the Department of Justice ever investigated human rights violations. "Since October 7, 2023, the United States has provided more than $21,700,000,000 in military assistance to Israel, which has funded a majority of the expenses needed by the Israel Defense Forces to conduct the war in Gaza," the bill says. "According to information from the Government of Israel, an estimated 10,000 people from the United States were activated for the war in Gaza," it adds. "According to reports from the Gaza Ministry of Health, more than 20,000 children have been killed in Gaza." The Biden administration had repeatedly referred reporters to the government of Israel when asked about investigations into Rajab and other alleged war crimes in Gaza, but critics have pointed to that approach as a stalling and diversion tactic. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); "The same day the Justice for Hind Rajab Act is being introduced in Congress, Israel has announced it is dropping its prosecution into the on-camera rape and torture of a Palestinian detainee at the notorious Sde Teiman facility," the US-based advocacy organisation, A New Policy, wrote on X on Thursday. A New Policy was founded by two US officials who resigned because of the Biden administration's unconditional support for Israel's assault on Gaza following the Hamas-led attacks on southern Israel on 7 October 2023.  "It's obvious - Israel can't be trusted to investigate itself," A New Policy said. "That's why we need international bodies like the International Criminal Court (currently under US sanctions) to pursue their case, why we need to apply the Leahy Law to Israel, & why we need Bills like the Justice for Hind Rajab Act." Spotlight Jayapal and Welch hosted a screening of the Oscar-nominated film, The Voice of Hind Rajab, on Capitol Hill last month. It is expected to win the international film category at Sunday's awards ceremony.  (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); The bill's timing is likely to capitalise on that spotlight. Unfolding over the course of 24 hours and set entirely at a Palestine Red Crescent Society call centre, 52 miles from Gaza, The Voice of Hind Rajab is a docu-fiction hybrid that dramatises the efforts of Palestinian aid workers to save the pleading child on the phone.  An investigation in June 2024 revealed that Rajab and five of her family members were targeted with 335 Israeli army bullets as they attempted to flee northern Gaza in their car. For three hours, Hind was the sole survivor, trapped alongside her slain relatives. Desperate for help, she called the Palestinian Red Crescent, but paramedics Yusuf al-Zeino and Ahmed al-Madhoun were both killed by Israeli forces before they could rescue her. A harrowing recording of Hind’s final phone call, released after the incident, captured her chilling pleas: "I'm scared of the dark, come get me."  It formed the basis for the highly acclaimed film, which has already received awards on the festival circuit.  Middle East Eye has reached out to Jayapal's office for comment, but did not receive a response in time for publication.  Israel's genocide in Gaza News Post Date Override 0 Update Date Mon, 05/04/2020 - 21:19 Update Date Override 0

Iran's new supreme leader vows to block Strait of Hormuz in first statement  BBC

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Israel's military bombed a busy residential and commercial district in central Beirut after issuing a warning for residents to evacuate, saying it was targeting Hezbollah sites. The strikes hit a building in the Bashoura district twice, in the closest attack to downtown since the start of the war on Iran by Israel and the U.S.

US officials say Iran war could last four to five weeks: Report Two US officials have told Al Jazeera that Washington expects the war against Iran to continue for four to five weeks, though it could end sooner. According to the officials, the conflict may conclude within two weeks if political conditions change, but the final decision will depend on US President Donald Trump.

Farmers Warn Senate Ag Committee of Iran War Price Shocks  Civil Eats

Iran's new supreme leader vows revenge on U.S., Israel  Axios

CENTCOM update says 6,000 targets struck in Iran  Stars and Stripes

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Iran Shocks Could Spur a Shift to Clean Energy — But Also to Coal  The New York Times

As oil prices rise, the US, Israel and Iran seem ready to keep fighting no matter the costs.

This military rebel group could join the Iran war next against the U.S.  Axios

‘Houston, We Have a Problem’: Fox’s Varney Declares Iran War ‘Not Going That Well’ as Oil Prices Rise  Yahoo

Live Updates: Iran's supreme leader gives first statement as oil prices go up, markets down  CBS News

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How Iran’s use of cluster munitions is challenging Israel’s air defenses  CNN

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What are sea mines? Why do they matter in the Strait of Hormuz?  USA Today

How the Iran war will change global business  Financial Times