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Palestinian retaliation

Palestinian resistance movements have praised Thursday’s operation in Israeli city of Elad that killed three people and wounded four others. The groups say the operation is the consequence of Israel's raids and brutality across the occupied territories. Hamas said the operation represents Palestinians’ anger over Israeli attacks on Muslim holy sites, and proved that al-Aqsa mosque is a red line. Islamic Jihad said the Palestinian people will respond to Israeli crimes. And, the Palestinian Mujahideen Movement said, the operation is a natural reaction to Israeli attacks on Al-Aqsa. Israeli police say they’ve identified two suspects from the occupied west bank city of Jenin. A manhunt is now underway. Israel has also closed crossings to the West Bank and Gaza Strip. It says the closure will remain in place until Sunday.

EU division on Russia oil ban

Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban says a proposal by the European Union for imposing sanctions on Russian oil is unacceptable to his country. Still, Orban said, Hungary is open to negotiations if its interests are considered in a new EU proposal. The Hungarian Prime Minister also referred to similar sanctions previously imposed by the EU over the war in Ukraine. He said the punitive measures will lead to problems bigger for Europe than Russia. The European Commission proposed a complete ban on Russian oil imports this week. Apart from Hungary, the Czech Republic and Slovakia are also opposed to the embargo. Meanwhile, Brussels has reportedly offered some changes to the embargo to give countries more time to prepare for the move.

UK local elections

Results from Thursday’s local elections in the UK are coming in with Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s conservative party losing three traditional strongholds in London. Labour has taken the three councils in Westminster, Barnet and Wandsworth. Its leader, Keir Starmer, says his party has reached a turning point and is back on track to succeed at the next general elections. Outside London, the Conservatives also lost control of councils in Southampton, Worcester and West Oxfordshire. Meanwhile, the Liberal Democrats have enjoyed good results, gaining 59 councilors. Following the conservatives’ losses, some local council leaders have called on the prime minister to resign. They blame the rising cost of living and a number of scandals engulfing the premier, including lockdown-breaking parties at Downing Street. Johnson has acknowledged it has been a tough night for conservatives in some parts of the country, while enjoying success in other regions.

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