World

(LONDON) — As Israel’s military prepared last month to launch its ground offensive into Gaza City, the Israel Defense Forces published a warning about al-Kawthar Tower, a residential high-rise in the city.

Avichay Adraee, the IDF’s Arab-language spokesperson, shared on social media a satellite photo with the building highlighted in red. Leave now, he said at about 10 a.m. local time, adding, “The defense army will attack the building soon due to the presence of Hamas terrorist infrastructure inside it or adjacent to it.”

By the time the afternoon began, an Israeli airstrike had reduced that building and another one-time residential high-rise like it to piles of rebar and concrete.

Those systematic warnings and strikes — which came weeks ahead of the second anniversary of the brutal conflict between Israel and Hamas, the terrorist group that launched a surprise attack on Oct. 7, 2023, that killed more than 1,200 — were just two of many as Israel continued its campaign to “crush” Hamas, in the words of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Israel, in the second year of the war, continued hunting militants throughout the Gaza Strip, proceeding at times in block-by-block sweeps of neighborhoods and buildings. Like the al-Kawthar Tower, many buildings and much infrastructure have been destroyed in the process. Hospitals, schools-turned-shelters and sprawling “tent cities” of displaced people have all been routinely attacked. The United Nations in March described the damage as “unprecedented,” saying at that time that some 51 million tons of rubble covered the enclave.

Many have died, including thousands of noncombatants, according to officials at government agencies run by Hamas. By Sunday, two days prior to the war’s second anniversary, the death toll in the strip had risen to 67,139, the Hamas-run Gaza Ministry of Health said.

An average of 27 children have been killed each day over the past two years, the strip’s media office said on Monday.

A broadening conflict and Trump’s helping hand

A ceasefire deal came into effect a day before President Donald Trump took office in January. As the president’s second term began, he said he would seek to be a “peacemaker and unifier.” He said he wanted to measure success by the wars the U.S. ended and “perhaps most importantly, the wars we never get into.”

Trump has in months since pushed for a resolution to the war between Israel and Hamas. He hosted Netanyahu at the White House and dispatched Secretary of State Marco Rubio to Tel Aviv and Qatar to assist in negotiations.

But still, the sinews of the conflict have stretched wider in the last year. Although the military said its focus has remained on destroying Hamas in Gaza, the IDF also launched significant air, ground and sea campaigns into Yemen, Lebanon, Syria and Iran. As of the war’s second anniversary, Israeli troops are still occupying recently seized territory in Lebanon and Syria — plus conducting air and artillery strikes in both.

“Together, we pushed back our enemies’ plans of destruction,” Netanyahu said on social media on Saturday. “From Gaza to Rafah, from Beirut to Damascus, from Yemen to Tehran, together we have achieved great things.”

He added, “From victory to victory — we are changing the face of the Middle East together. Together we will continue to act to ensure the eternity of Israel.”

Israeli forces have used U.S.-provided weapons and intelligence throughout its recent regional conflicts. Trump in June ordered U.S. fighter and bomber aircraft to launch an attack on several key nuclear facilities in Iran — assisting Israel in an intense and broad airstrike and covert operations campaign it had already launched against Tehran. Trump in a speech after the strikes said, “Iran, the bully of the Middle East, must now make peace. If they do not, future attacks will be far greater and a lot easier.”

Trump also told ABC News he thought the attacks had been “excellent” and suggested there was “more to come.”

Accusations of ‘genocide’ against Israel, UN commission says
Israel has, since the first months of the conflict, been accused of systematically killing noncombatants, including claims that its actions in Gaza amount to a genocide, according to an independent U.N. commission and the Palestinian Authority president.

Those claims continued to dog Israel in the second year of its conflict, as civilian casualties in Gaza climbed, mass hunger spread and the IDF repeatedly forced large numbers of Palestinians to relocate. As Israel opened aid routes in July, the IDF said in a statement that that there is “no starvation in Gaza.”

The International Association of Genocide Scholars, for example, passed a resolution in September saying Israel’s “policies and actions” in Gaza “meet the legal definition of genocide,” established by the U.N. in 1948, the organization said in a release.

Human Rights Watch said in a statement late last month, “Israel’s actions in Gaza should have long ago triggered the ‘duty to prevent’ under the Genocide Convention, but states have failed to act decisively.”

Israel has vociferously rejected all allegations of genocide, framing its critics as anti-Semitic or — in Netanyahu’s words — “useful idiots” in the service of both Hamas and Iran.

Those accusations continued into the summer and fall of this year, as another group, the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, a global initiative monitoring hunger with the backing of governments, the United Nations and nongovernmental organizations, warned that the “worst-case scenario of famine” was unfolding in Gaza.

“Mounting evidence shows that widespread starvation, malnutrition, and disease are driving a rise in hunger-related deaths,” the IPC warning said. “Latest data thresholds have been reached for food consumption in the Gaza Strip, and for acute malnutrition in Gaza City.”

Netanyahu’s office called that determination “an outright lie” and “a modern blood libel.”

International outrage built as the killing of civilians at or close to aid sites — including those organized by the U.S. and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation — by Israeli forces happened on multiple occasions. The U.N. and other aid groups refused to collaborate with the GHF. U.N. experts said the group was an “utterly disturbing example of how humanitarian relief can be exploited for covert military and geopolitical agendas in serious breach of international law.”

The experts alleged an “entanglement of Israeli intelligence, U.S. contractors and ambiguous non-governmental entities” with the GHF.

The organization’s executive chairman told ABC News in June that he “fundamentally” disagrees “with the premise that our operation is somehow disproportionately imperiling people.”

The IDF repeatedly rejected claims that it had intentionally fired on hungry civilians. Israeli military and political officials, plus the GHF, blamed Hamas or other Palestinian actors for the violent and desperate scenes near the aid sites.

A peace deal takes shape under Trump
Since returning to office in January, Trump has twinned his push for a peace deal with apocalyptic threats against Hamas. The president has framed a possible ceasefire agreement as one part of a wider Middle East accord, and “something special” for the whole region.

The president has secured buy-in from key Arab and Muslim states, his efforts energized by his criticism of Israel’s audacious and unsuccessful effort to assassinate top Hamas official Khalil Al-Hayya in an airstrike in the Qatari capital of Doha.

The 20-point peace plan presented by Trump and Netanyahu at the White House on Sept. 29 appears a far cry from his February “Gaza Riviera” redevelopment scheme, which he said would see the U.S. “take over” and “own” the Gaza Strip, overseeing its reconstruction with Palestinians relocated outside of the strip.

The new proposal foresees a transfer of power to a technocratic Palestinian government backed by a temporary “International Stabilization Force,” manned by Arab and other international partners to oversee the security of Gaza. The new government would also be overseen by the “Board of Peace” transitional body, chaired by Trump with other members including former British Prime Minister Tony Blair.

The IDF, though, would remain along the Gaza perimeter and in the southern Philadelphi frontier crossing, while retaining freedom of military action throughout the strip. Hamas leaders would be allowed to leave the strip, but the organization would have to fully disarm.

Hamas on Friday gave a positive initial response, signifying its readiness to free all hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners if “the field conditions for the exchange are met.”

But the group said more negotiations will be needed before it can agree to a full peace deal. This week, Hamas, Israeli and U.S. representatives will gather in Egypt’s Red Sea city of Sharm el-Sheikh for further ceasefire talks.

In any settlement, those responsible for post-war Gaza face a daunting reconstruction task.

Entire towns have disappeared from Gaza over the past two years. The U.N. reported in September that 78% of Gaza Strip buildings had been partially or fully destroyed. An ABC News visual analysis of satellite imagery and more than 200 verified social media videos showed that 88% of Gaza’s schools are destroyed or damaged.

In Gaza City, where the al-Kawthar Tower and others were brought down last month, more than 50 such “terror towers” were destroyed before the ground invasion began, Israel said. Netanyahu in a statement, said those towers coming down was “just a start.”

“We brought down 50 terror towers in two days, and this is just the opening for the independent operation of the ground maneuver in Gaza City,” Netanyahu said as the Gaza City invasion began.

The U.N. warned in a statement that the operation to seize Gaza City would be “catastrophic” for civilians.

When Netanyahu spoke of the potential deal on Saturday, he again lauded the strong military action in the city, saying, “As a result of the intense military pressure we applied and the diplomatic pressure, Hamas was pressured into agreeing to the plan we presented.”

And U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has several times discussed the difficulties that lie ahead, even if a deal is made to pause or end the fighting.

He said last month that “when all is said and done, there is still a group called Hamas, which is an evil group that still has weapons and is terrorizing.” He added, “there is still the hard work ahead of, once this ends, of rebuilding Gaza in a way that provides people a quality of life that they all want.”

“Who’s going to do that?” Rubio added. “Who’s going to pay for it? And who’s going to be in charge of it?”

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(SEOUL, South Korea) — Scaling the world’s highest peak is a risky adventure. But even hanging around the base camp can be dangerous, as hundreds of holiday makers being trapped when the area was hit in an unexpected blizzard over the weekend.

Taking advantage of an eight-day National Day holiday in China, many visitors and tour groups flocked to Tibet, trekking through the remote Karama Valley, which leads to the eastern side of Mount Everest, known in Tibetan as Qomolangma.

Tour groups heading to Mount Everest during the holiday were fully booked months in advance. Usually, the weather on Mt. Everest is great at this time of year. But an unexpected blizzard trapped hundreds of trekkers in the mountain.

A local government release said that, as of Sunday, 350 trekkers had reached the small township of Qudang, while authorities had made contact with the remaining 200-plus trekkers.

Qu Zhengpu, a 27-year-old experienced hiker, told ABC news he believes that there are more trekkers on the mountain with no cellphone signal, so it’s almost impossible for the rescue teams to get contact with them. Some of his experienced hiking friends even chose to stay on the mountain and wait for the snow to stop.

“This scale of snow storm is very rare this time of the year for Mount Everest, even my local friends haven’t seen that for years,” he said.

There are two trails on the China side of Mount Everest. The northern part is mostly for mountain hikers, while the eastern side for trekkers.

After hiking up the northern side of Mount Everest, astronomy photographer and mountaineering enthusiast Geshuang Chen wanted to explore and film more on the mountain, so she joined a trekking tour group this holiday, and became one of the members trapped by the blizzard.

Chen got off the mountain safely.

She told ABC News that the heavy snow storm started on the night of Oct. 4.

“The snow was so heavy, the thunder and lighting made it terrifying,” Chen said. “On the morning of the 5th, the snow was more than 3 feet deep, already up to my thigh. I barely slept for the whole night, I was so worried.”

The local government has organized a rescue team of police and villagers with yaks to go into the mountain to help the trapped trekkers. Chen said she was extremely grateful to arrive in the nearby town safely, where she was greeted by the local villagers with warm milk tea and food.

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(LONDON) — Two of the Manchester synagogue attack victims appeared to been shot by police officers who were trying to stop the assailant, the Greater Manchester Police said Friday.

One of the victims with apparent gunshot wounds died during the attack and the other remains hospitalized, police said.

“The Home Office Pathologist has advised that he has provisionally determined, that one of the deceased victims would appear to have suffered a wound consistent with a gunshot injury,” Police Chief Constable Stephen Watson said in a statement.

Police said they determined the victims who were shot were likely hit by police because the suspect — who was fatally shot by police — was not in possession of any firearms, according to their initial investigation.

Police alleged that Jihad Al-Shamie, 35, a British citizen of Syrian descent, drove a vehicle into a crowd outside the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue early on Thursday. He then allegedly exited the vehicle and began attacking people with a blade — actions that police said were a terrorist incident.

As the attack unfolded, congregants blockaded themselves inside the synagogue, keeping Al-Shamie outside. He was then struck and killed by police gunfire, officials said.

Both of those who appeared to have been struck by law enforcement were believed to have been sheltering inside the synagogue, where they were “close together” behind a door as “worshippers acted bravely to prevent the attacker from gaining entry,” police said.

Police earlier on Friday said in a statement that they had identified the two victims killed during the attack as Adrian Daulby, 53, and Melvin Cravitz, 66, both of whom were from Crumpsall.

Law enforcement did not immediately say which of the victims appeared to have been hit by gunfire. The victim who was shot and injured was one of three who were receiving treatment for injuries in local hospitals, police said on Friday.

Three additional suspects — two men and a woman — were also taken into custody and arrested on suspicion of commission, preparation and instigation of acts of terrorism, police said on Thursday.

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(LONDON) — Two men were killed and three were wounded in a terrorist incident outside a synagogue in Manchester, England, on the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur, officials said.

One suspect drove a car into a group of worshippers and then attacked people with a knife outside the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue on Thursday morning, Manchester police said.

Responding police shot and killed that suspect, preliminarily identified as 35-year-old Jihad Al-Shamie, a British citizen of Syrian descent, police said. He was wearing a vest with “the appearance of an explosive device,” police said, adding that the vest was later “deemed not to be viable.”

Three other suspects — two men in their 30s and a woman in her 60s — have been arrested on suspicion of commission, preparation and instigation of acts of terrorism, police said.

The two victims killed have only been identified by police as men.

The three wounded, also men, are in the hospital with serious injuries, police said.

The attack came as worshippers were gathered to mark Yom Kippur, which is considered the holiest day of the year in Judaism.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said, “A vile individual committed a terrorist attack that attacked Jews because they are Jews.”

He noted that in Britain “Jewish buildings, synagogues, even schools, require round the clock protection … because of the daily threat of anti-Semitic hatred.”

“To every Jewish person in this country … I know how much fear you will be holding inside of you. I really do,” Starmer said. “And so on behalf of our country, I express my solidarity, but also my sadness that you still have to live with these fears. … So I promise you that I will do everything in my power to guarantee you the security that you deserve, starting with a more visible police presence protecting your community. I promise you that over the coming days, you will see the other Britain, the Britain of compassion, of decency, of love. And I promise you that this Britain will come together to wrap our arms around your community and show you that Britain is a place where you and your family are safe, secure and belong.”

Starmer, who was in Denmark for a summit with European leaders when the attack occurred, said he was returning to the U.K. and would be chairing an emergency “COBRA” meeting — a gathering of senior officials to discuss and respond to national emergencies.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan said in a post to X he was “horrified by the violent attack.”

Khan said he had spoken with his counterpart in Manchester and Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, “and would like to reassure Londoners that the Met Police are stepping up patrols in Jewish communities and synagogues across London.”

King Charles III and his wife, Queen Camilla, said in a statement they were “deeply shocked and saddened to learn of the horrific attack in Manchester, especially on such a significant day for the Jewish community.”

“Our thoughts and prayers are with all those affected by this appalling incident and we greatly appreciate the swift actions of the emergency services,” the statement said.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also spoke out, saying, “Israel grieves with the Jewish community in the U.K. after the barbaric terror attack in Manchester. Our hearts are with the families of the murdered, and we pray for the swift recovery of the wounded. As I warned at the [United Nations]: weakness in the face of terrorism only brings more terrorism. Only strength and unity can defeat it.”

The Israeli Embassy in the U.K. also condemned the attack, saying in a statement, “That such an act of violence should be perpetrated on the holiest day of the Jewish calendar, in a place of prayer and community, is abhorrent and deeply distressing. … The thoughts and prayers of the people of Israel are with the victims, their families, and the entire Jewish community at this difficult time.”

ABC News’ Victoria Beaule and Zoe Magee contributed to this report.

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(LONDON) — Two people were killed and four were wounded when a suspect drove a car into a group of worshippers and launched a stabbing attack outside a synagogue in Manchester, England, officials said.

Responding police shot and killed the suspect, Manchester police said, adding that two other suspects have been arrested.

Police have declared it a terrorist incident.

The attack occurred Thursday morning outside the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue, which is in a northern suburb of Manchester, officials said.

The suspect — who was wearing a vest with “the appearance of an explosive device” — drove a car directly at worshippers outside the synagogue and then attacked people with a knife, police said.

The four wounded victims have been hospitalized with serious injuries, police said.

The attack came as worshippers were gathered to mark Yom Kippur, which is considered the holiest day of the year in Judaism.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said, “A vile individual committed a terrorist attack that attacked Jews because they are Jews.”

He noted that in Britain “Jewish buildings, synagogues, even schools, require round the clock protection … because of the daily threat of anti-Semitic hatred.”

“To every Jewish person in this country … I know how much fear you will be holding inside of you. I really do,” Starmer said. “And so on behalf of our country, I express my solidarity, but also my sadness that you still have to live with these fears. … So I promise you that I will do everything in my power to guarantee you the security that you deserve, starting with a more visible police presence protecting your community. I promise you that over the coming days, you will see the other Britain, the Britain of compassion, of decency, of love. And I promise you that this Britain will come together to wrap our arms around your community and show you that Britain is a place where you and your family are safe, secure and belong.”

Starmer, who was in Denmark for a summit with European leaders when the attack occurred, said he was returning to the U.K. and would be chairing an emergency “COBRA” meeting — a gathering of senior officials to discuss and respond to national emergencies.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan said in a post to X he was “horrified by the violent attack.”

Khan said he had spoken with his counterpart in Manchester and Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, “and would like to reassure Londoners that the Met Police are stepping up patrols in Jewish communities and synagogues across London.”

King Charles III and his wife, Queen Camilla, said in a statement they were “deeply shocked and saddened to learn of the horrific attack in Manchester, especially on such a significant day for the Jewish community.”

“Our thoughts and prayers are with all those affected by this appalling incident and we greatly appreciate the swift actions of the emergency services,” the statement said.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also spoke out, saying, “Israel grieves with the Jewish community in the U.K. after the barbaric terror attack in Manchester. Our hearts are with the families of the murdered, and we pray for the swift recovery of the wounded. As I warned at the [United Nations]: weakness in the face of terrorism only brings more terrorism. Only strength and unity can defeat it.”

The Israeli Embassy in the U.K. also condemned the attack, saying in a statement, “That such an act of violence should be perpetrated on the holiest day of the Jewish calendar, in a place of prayer and community, is abhorrent and deeply distressing. … The thoughts and prayers of the people of Israel are with the victims, their families, and the entire Jewish community at this difficult time.”

ABC News’ Victoria Beaule and Zoe Magee contributed to this report.

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(LONDON) — Two people were killed and four were wounded when a suspect drove a car into a group of worshippers and launched a stabbing attack outside a synagogue in Manchester, England, officials said.

Responding police shot and killed the suspect, Manchester police said, adding that two other suspects have been arrested.

Police have declared it a terrorist incident.

The attack occurred Thursday morning outside the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue, which is in a northern suburb of Manchester, officials said.

The suspect — who was wearing a vest with “the appearance of an explosive device” — drove a car directly at worshippers outside the synagogue and then attacked people with a knife, police said.

The four wounded victims have been hospitalized with serious injuries, police said.

The attack came as worshippers were gathered to mark Yom Kippur, which is considered the holiest day of the year in Judaism.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said in a post to X that he was “appalled by the attack.”

“The fact that this has taken place on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, makes it all the more horrific,” the prime minister added.

“My thoughts are with the loved ones of all those affected, and my thanks go to the emergency services and all the first responders,” Starmer wrote.

Starmer was in Copenhagen, Denmark, for a summit with European leaders when the incident occurred. The prime minister said he was returning to the U.K. and would be chairing an emergency “COBRA” meeting — a gathering of senior officials to discuss and respond to national emergencies.

Starmer also said additional police are being deployed to synagogues across the country.

“We will do everything to keep our Jewish community safe,” he added.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan said in a post to X he was “horrified by the violent attack.”

Khan said he had spoken with his counterpart in Manchester and Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, “and would like to reassure Londoners that the Met Police are stepping up patrols in Jewish communities and synagogues across London.”

King Charles III and his wife, Queen Camilla, said in a statement they were “deeply shocked and saddened to learn of the horrific attack in Manchester, especially on such a significant day for the Jewish community.”

“Our thoughts and prayers are with all those affected by this appalling incident and we greatly appreciate the swift actions of the emergency services,” the statement said.

The Israeli Embassy in the U.K. also condemned the attack, saying in a statement, “That such an act of violence should be perpetrated on the holiest day of the Jewish calendar, in a place of prayer and community, is abhorrent and deeply distressing. … The thoughts and prayers of the people of Israel are with the victims, their families, and the entire Jewish community at this difficult time.”

ABC News’ Victoria Beaule and Zoe Magee contributed to this report.

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(LONDON) — Two people were killed and three were wounded when a man drove a vehicle toward a crowd of people and launched a stabbing attack near a synagogue in Manchester, a northern British city, on Thursday, according to police.

The suspect is also dead after being shot by police officers, Manchester police said.

The three injured are “in a serious condition,” police said.

The attack occurred outside the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue in a northern suburb of the city on Thursday morning, law enforcement said.

Police reported “injuries caused by both the vehicle and stab wounds.” A witness reported seeing a “car being driven towards members of the public,” along with a man being stabbed, police said.

Thursday is Yom Kippur, which is considered the holiest day of the year in Judaism.

Police said they had declared a major incident, along with a “PLATO” designation, a law enforcement shorthand that means the incident was being treated as a potential marauding terrorist attack.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said in a post to X that he was “appalled by the attack at a synagogue in Crumpsall.”

“The fact that this has taken place on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, makes it all the more horrific,” the prime minister added.

“My thoughts are with the loved ones of all those affected, and my thanks go to the emergency services and all the first responders,” Starmer wrote.

Starmer was in Copenhagen, Denmark, for a summit with European leaders when the incident occurred.

Speaking to reporters, the prime minister said he was returning to the U.K. and would be chairing an emergency “COBRA” meeting — a gathering of senior officials to discuss and respond to national emergencies. 

Starmer also said that additional police are being deployed to synagogues across the country. “We will do everything to keep our Jewish community safe,” he added.

The website of the synagogue where the incident occurred listed Yom Kippur-related events for both Wednesday and Thursday evenings.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan said in a post to X he was “horrified by the violent attack at a synagogue in Manchester.”

Khan said he had spoken with his counterpart in Manchester and Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, “and would like to reassure Londoners that the Met Police are stepping up patrols in Jewish communities and synagogues across London.”

King Charles III and his wife, Queen Camilla, said in a statement they were “deeply shocked and saddened to learn of the horrific attack in Manchester, especially on such a significant day for the Jewish community.”

“Our thoughts and prayers are with all those affected by this appalling incident and we greatly appreciate the swift actions of the emergency services,” the statement said.

The Israeli Embassy in the U.K. also condemned the attack, saying in a statement, “That such an act of violence should be perpetrated on the holiest day of the Jewish calendar, in a place of prayer and community, is abhorrent and deeply distressing. … The thoughts and prayers of the people of Israel are with the victims, their families, and the entire Jewish community at this difficult time.”

ABC News’ Victoria Beaule and Zoe Magee contributed to this report.

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(LONDON) — A vehicle was driven toward a crowd of people and a man was stabbed near a synagogue in Manchester, a northern British city, police said.

“One man has been shot, believed to be the offender,” the Greater Manchester Police said on social media.

The incident occurred outside the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue in a northern suburb of the city on Thursday morning, law enforcement said.

Police said at least four people had been injured, “with injuries caused by both the vehicle and stab wounds.” A member of the public told responding officers “he had witnessed a car being driven towards members of the public,” along with a man being stabbed, police said.

Firearms officers responded to the call, police said.

Police said they had declared the major incident, along with a “PLATO” designation, a law enforcement shorthand that means the incident was being treated as a potential marauding terrorist attack.

Thursday is Yom Kippur, which is considered the holiest day of the year in Judaism.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said in a post to X that he was “appalled by the attack at a synagogue in Crumpsall.”

“The fact that this has taken place on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, makes it all the more horrific,” the prime minister added.

“My thoughts are with the loved ones of all those affected, and my thanks go to the emergency services and all the first responders,” Starmer wrote.

The website of the synagogue where the incident occurred listed Yom Kippur-related events for both Wednesday and Thursday evenings.

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(LONDON) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will meet with European leaders in Copenhagen on Thursday, according to a press release from the Danish prime minister’s office, with the allied response to Russia’s ongoing full-scale invasion set to top the agenda.

“Russia’s war in Ukraine sets the tone for the meeting, and the road to a strong and secure Europe is top of the agenda,” the press release from Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen’s office said.

Zelenskyy will be “one of the keynote speakers” addressing the European Political Community summit, a gathering of more than 50 European heads of state or government as well as representatives from the European Union and international organizations.

The Ukrainian president will also hold a press conference with Frederiksen following the closing session, according to the press release.

“We have one task ahead of us. We have to make Europe as strong as possible,” Mette said in a statement included in the press release. 

“That calls for unity. Rearmament. Political determination to find solutions across our continent. And a joint understanding of support to Ukraine as an investment in the defense of Europe,” she added.

“Russia’s war in Ukraine was never only about Ukraine,” Frederiksen said. “That has become increasingly evident over the last few weeks.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin, the prime minister said, “will not stop his brutal attacks unless he is forced to.”

Zelenskyy said in a post to Telegram that “Russia is escalating,” citing “recent violations of the airspace of Denmark, Poland, Romania, Norway and Estonia.”

Zelenskyy said Ukraine is ready to work with European partners on a “joint, integrated air defense system,” with “Ukrainian specialists and Ukrainian technologies” ready to contribute to the European Union’s proposed “drone wall” defensive system along the bloc’s eastern flank intended to repel Russian unmanned aircraft.

Ukrainian military personnel are already in Denmark to assist Copenhagen, Zelenskyy said. The president also thanked Denmark for its latest military aid package for Ukraine, which Zelenskyy said was worth more than $423 million.

Speaking to reporters Thursday morning ahead of the Copenhagen summit, Zelenskyy said he had discussed with U.S. President Donald Trump the possibility of Ukraine using “long-range weapons systems” to strike Russia.

“We talked with the U.S. We thank Trump very much for this dialogue,” Zelenskyy told reporters. “Last time we had a really productive, very fruitful dialogue. We talked about long-range weapons systems. We’ll see. Everything will depend on his decision. This is important.”

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(CALIFORNIA) — Jane Goodall, the famed primatologist, anthropologist and conservationist, has died, according to the institute she founded. She was 91 years old.

Goodall died of natural causes while in California on a speaking tour of the United States, the institute said in a statement on social media on Wednesday.

The British primatologist’s “discoveries as an ethologist revolutionized science, and she was a tireless advocate for the protection and restoration of our natural world,” according to the institute.

Goodall was only 26 years old when she first traveled to Tanzania and began her important research on chimpanzees in the wild. Throughout her study of the species, Goodall proved that primates display an array of similar behaviors to humans, such as the ability to develop individual personalities and make and use their own tools.

Among the most surprising discoveries Goodall made was “how like us” the chimpanzees are, she told ABC News in 2020.

“Their behavior, with their gestures, kissing, embracing, holding hands and patting on the back,” she said. “… The fact that they can actually be violent and brutal and have a kind of war, but also loving an altruistic.”

That discovery is considered one of the great achievements of 20th-century scholarship, according to the Jane Goodall Institute.

Goodall’s love of animals began practically at birth, she told ABC News. As a child growing up in London and Bournemouth, she dreamed of traveling to Africa and living among the wildlife. When she was 10, she read the books “Doctor Dolittle” and “Tarzan,” and the inspiration changed the trajectory of her life.

The initial arrival into Tanzania’s Gombe National Park proved to be challenging. The terrain was steep and mountainous, the forests were thick, and threats from buffalo and leopards lurked in the wilderness. But her lifelong ambition had finally been realized, and Goodall knew she was where she was meant to be.

“It was what I always dreamed of,” she told ABC News.

Goodall later earned a PhD in ethology, the study of animal behavior, from the University of Cambridge. Her thesis detailed the first five years of study at the Gombe reserve.

In 1977, Goodall founded the Jane Goodall Institute with Genevieve di San Faustino. Headquartered in Washington, D.C. with offices in 25 cities around the world, the organization aims to improve the treatment and understanding of primates through public education and legal representation.

Goodall’s research garnered both scientific honors and mainstream fame, and she was credited with paving the way for a rise in women pursuing careers in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) over the years. The number of women in STEM has increased from 7% to 26% in the six last decades, according to The Jane Goodall Institute, which cited census information from 1970 to 2011.

In 1991, she also founded Roots & Shoots, a global humanitarian and environmental program for young people.

She was named a United Nations Messenger of Peace in April 2002. The anthropologist continued to lend her voice to environmental causes well into her 80s and 90s.

In 2019, Goodall acknowledged the climate crisis and the importance of mitigating further warming, telling ABC News that the planet is “imperiled.”

“We are definitely at a point where we need to make something happen,” she said. “We are imperiled. We have a window of time. I’m fairly sure we do. But, we’ve got to take action.”

Goodall even partnered with Apple in 2022 to encourage customers to recycle their devices to reduce individual carbon footprint and cut down on unnecessary mineral mining around the world.

“Yes, people need to make money, but it is possible to make money without destroying the planet,” Goodall told ABC News at the time. “We’ve gone so far in destroying the planet that it’s shocking.”

Goodall emphasized in 2020 that there is still much to learn from “our closest-living relatives.”

“They’re still teaching us,” she said during the diamond jubilee anniversary of studying the species.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Goodall hypothesized that humans brought outbreak upon themselves, given that bats were the suspected driver of cross-species contraction of the virus.

“We have disrespected the natural world. We’ve disrespected animals, and we’ve been cutting down forests. Animals have been driven into closer contact with people. Animals have been hunted, killed and eaten. They’ve been trafficked,” she told ABC News in 2020. “So, animals of different species have been crowded together in the wild animal meat markets in Asia, bush meat markets in Africa, and this creates a fantastic environment for a virus or bacteria, virus in this case, to jump from an animal to a person.”

Goodall’s place in pop culture history was further cemented in 2022 when toymaker Mattel announced a special edition Barbie doll modeled after Goodall in honor of the 62nd anniversary of her first visit to Tanzania’s Gombe National Park.

“My entire career, I’ve wanted to help inspire kids to be curious and explore the world around them,” Goodall said in a statement at the time.

The doll is dressed in a khaki shirt and shorts, and holds a pair of binoculars and a notebook. The doll itself is also sustainable, made from ocean-bound plastic.

Goodall was the recipient of several honors throughout her life. In 1995, she was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire for “services to zoology” and promoted to Dame Commander in 2003. Goodall’s other honors included the French Legion of Honor, Japan’s Kyoto Prize and the U.S. Presidential Medal of Freedom.

She is survived by a son, Hugo Eric Louis van Lawick, from her first marriage to Dutch nobleman and wild photographer Baron Hugo van Lawick, as well as three grandchildren. Her second husband, former Tanzanian parliament member Derek Bryceson, died of cancer in 1980.

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