Spain, Norway, Ireland to formally recognize Palestinian state, saying it is ‘justice for Palestinian people’ and only way for peace in the region. ( )

The UN Security Council was set to convene an emergency meeting Tuesday over an Israeli strike targeting Hamas operatives that also reportedly killed dozens in a displaced persons camp in Rafah, with three European countries slated to formally recognize a Palestinian state.( )

AFP journalists on the ground early Tuesday reported fresh Israeli strikes overnight in the southern Gaza border city, where an Israeli attack targeting two senior Hamas members on Sunday night sparked a fire that ripped through a nearby displacement center, killing 45 people, according to Hamas-run Gaza health officials.( )

The attack prompted a wave of international condemnation, with Palestinians and many Arab countries calling it a “massacre.” Israel said it was looking into the “tragic mishap.”

There is no safe place in Gaza. This horror must stop,” UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres posted on social media.( )

UN humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths pointed to the widespread warnings of civilian deaths that circulated ahead of Israel’s incursion into Rafah, saying in a statement: “We’ve seen the consequences in last night’s utterly unacceptable attack.”

To call it ‘a mistake’ is a message that means nothing for those killed, those grieving, and those trying to save lives,” he added.

It has a flag. A national anthem. Diplomats. Even its own international dialing code. In fact, three-quarters of the world's 195 countries − 143 U.N. member states plus the Vatican and Western Sahara − say it is a state.( )

A decision by Ireland, Norway and Spain to recognize an independent Palestinian state, which officially takes effect Tuesday, comes nearly eight months into Israel's war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip, and decades into one of the world's most high-profile and intractable conflicts, between Israelis and Palestinians.( )

But what does this formal statehood label mean? And will these recognitions, which the U.S. and larger European nations have not joined, bring full Palestinian statehood closer, and improve the lives of Palestinians?( )

Rowan Nicholson, a scholar of international law at Australia's Flinders University, said that to qualify as a state four criteria are typically required: a permanent population, a defined territory, a government, and independence.( )

He said the conditions for statehood are both fairly rigid and a matter of debate.

"The criteria have developed over the centuries through the practice of states. There’s no single definitive written version of them; they are fuzzy and open to interpretation," said Nicholson, who has worked on cases before the International Court of Justice, a Hague, Netherlands-based court that last week ordered Israel to halt its military operation in Rafah, in Gaza, as part of a war crimes allegations case brought by South Africa.

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Relations between the European Union and Israel took a nosedive on the eve of the diplomatic recognition of a Palestinian state by EU members Ireland and Spain, with Madrid suggesting sanctions should be considered against Israel for its continued attacks in the southern Gaza city of Rafah.( )

Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz told Spain that its consulate in Jerusalem will not be allowed to help Palestinians.

At the same time, the EU’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, a Spaniard, threw his full weight to support the International Criminal Court, whose prosecutor is seeking an arrest warrant against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and others, including the leaders of Hamas.( )

“The prosecutor of the court has been strongly intimidated and accused of antisemitism - as always when anybody, anyone does something that Netanyahu’s government does not like,” Borrell said. “The word antisemitic, it’s too heavy. It’s too important.”Angry words abounded Monday, with Katz accusing Spain of “rewarding terror” by recognizing a Palestinian state, and saying that “the days of the Inquisition are over.” He referred to the infamous Spanish institution started in the 15th century to maintain Roman Catholic orthodoxy that forced Jews and Muslims to flee, convert to Catholicism or, in some instances, face death.No one will force us to convert our religion or threaten our existence — those who harm us, we will harm in return,” said Katz.( )

Even though the EU and its member nations have been steadfast in condemning the Oct. 7 Hamas-led attack in which militants stormed across the Gaza border into Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking some 250 hostage, the bloc has been equally critical of Israel’s ensuing offensive that has killed more than 35,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.( )

The latest attacks have centered on Rafah, where Palestinian health workers said Israeli airstrikes killed at least 35 people Sunday, hit tents for displaced people and left “numerous” others trapped in flaming debris.

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Jake Bongiovi and Millie Bobby Brown go on shopping spree after getting married privately

Millie Bobby Brown and Jake Bongiovi may have got married in a private ceremony, but the couple is not afraid to show off their new marriage to the world.  ( @)

The model, 22, and the Stranger Things star, 20, were out and about in The Hamptons on Friday flashing their wedding rings.According to photos shared by Page Six and other outlets, the actress, 20, and her new husband, 22, beamed broadly driving through in baby blue convertible after doing some shopping.( @)

Brown opted for a casual look, preferring to wear white T-shirt and cream-coloured pants. She accessorised with a pair of shades and a white Louis Vuitton tote bag on her arm.

Meanwhile, Bongiovi looked simple but classy in a white T-shirt under a cargo jacket and a pair of blue jeans.( @)

The pair didn’t shy away from the paparazzi, as Brown held up two peace signs and the son of musician Jon Bon Jovi giving a thumbs up to the lenses.( @)

After a photographer congratulated the happy couple on their recent nuptials, Brown even replied, “Thanks,” to a photographer after he congratulated the newly married couple.

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