INS MAG

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) — AnIsraeli strike on Thursdaykilled at least two Palestinians and wounded five others east of Gaza City, according to Fadel Naeem, director of Al-Ahli Hospital, where the casualties arrived.

Israel Palestinians Gaza

The Israeli military had no immediate comment.

Deadly Israeli strikeshave repeatedly disrupted the truce since it took effect on Oct. 10. Theescalating Palestinian tollhas prompted many in Gaza to say it feels like the war has continued unabated.

Separately, Israel's military said Thursday that soldiers in southern Gaza had killed a Palestinian who had crossedthe line dividingthe Israeli-held area of the strip from the area most Palestinians are crammed into. Such shootings have become a common occurrence in the territory since the ceasefire took hold.

The military said the person they killed was a militant and had posed a threat to troops. It maintains that claim when describing most cases of Palestinians shot down in the vicinity of the line, even thoughsome civilians have been killed, including young children, said a military official who spoke to AP on the condition of anonymity in line with military rules.

On Wednesday, the Committee to Protect Journalists released a report saying that more journalists and media workers were killed in 2025 than in any other year since the organization began collecting data more than three decades ago. At least 129 journalists and media workers were killed, two-thirds of them by Israel.

Mariam Dagga, a 33-year-old who freelanced for The Associated Press, was among the war's victims. She and four other reporters were killed last year when Israeli forcesstruck Nasser Hospitalin the Gaza town of Khan Younis, along with 17 other people.

Advertisement

Gaza's Health Ministry on Wednesday reported 618 Palestinians had been killed since the start of the ceasefire, bringing the cumulative toll to 72,082 killed since the start of Israel's offensive. The ministry, which is part of the Hamas-led government, maintains detailed casualty records that are seen as generally reliable by U.N. agencies and independent experts. But it does not not give a breakdown of civilians and militants.

It comes as last year's ceasefire sees some progress but appears to be largely stalled on key points. After its chaotic opening weeks, officials say more Palestinians are entering and leaving Gaza for Egypt via the reopenedRafah crossing. The Palestinian technocratic committee that is supposed to oversee the territory's daily affairs still has not been allowed to enter Gaza. Plans for an international peacekeeping force meant to provide security in Gaza are also beginning to take shape but no troops have been deployed.

Israel and Hamas remain divided over the timeline and scope of Israel's withdrawal and the demilitarization of the enclave after nearly two decades of Hamas rule.

Thewarbegan when Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel and killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, on Oct. 7, 2023. The 251 hostages taken in the attack were returned to Israel in various ceasefire agreements, with the remains of Israeli police officer Ran Gvili — the final body in Gaza — were found and returned in January, paving the way for the advance of the ceasefire agreement. The war has sparked worldwide protests and brought allegations of genocide that Israel denies.

Ezzidin reported from Cairo. Julia Frankel contributed from Jerusalem.

Find more of AP's coverage athttps://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war

A grand jury on Wednesday rejected indictments over the fatal shooting last yearof a U.S. citizenby a federal immigration agent during a traffic encounter in Texas, prosecutors said.

The shooting of Ruben Ray Martinez on March 15, 2025, by a Homeland Security Investigations agent wasn't publicly disclosed by the Department of Homeland Security until The Associated Press and other media outlets reported it last week. HSI is an investigative unit which falls under U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

The Cameron County District Attorney's Office said in a statement that a grand jury declined to hand up indictments after being presented the case. The office did not provide additional details.

In a previous statement DHS alleged that the 23-year-old "intentionally ran over" an HSI special agent, causing another agent to fire "defensive shots to protect himself, his fellow agents, and the general public."

The shooting would mark the earliest of at least six deadly shootings by federal officers since anationwide immigration crackdownwas launched in President Donald Trump's second term.

Attorneys for Martinez's family, who are skeptical of DHS' account of the shooting, said in a statement Wednesday that because grand jury proceedings are private they don't know what witness statements or video evidence were presented to the jurors.

They are calling on the Texas Department of Public Safety to disclose the findings of its investigation so Martinez's family can "determine for themselves whether ICE's story is accurate and why Ruben was killed that night."

The attorneys cited adraft affidavit from the passenger, Joshua Orta, in the car with Martinez when he was shot. In the draft testimony, Orta reportedly said that Martinez did not hit an officer with his vehicle, that their car was "just crawling" and that a federal agent fired into the driver's side window without "giving any warning, commands, or opportunity to comply."

Orta, a key witness to the encounter, died in a car crash last weekend.

Martinez's family are "proud Americans, strong supporters of law enforcement, and Trump voters. They believe there are honest and decent officers out there," the statement read.

Advertisement

"They just want to be treated honestly and decently."

Martinez, who lived in San Antonio, Texas, and Orta were on a Spring Break trip to South Padre Island when he was shot. His death was reported by local media outlets at the time, but authorities did not disclose that the shooting involved a team from HSI.

An incident report from ICE described the officers' account of what happened while they were assisting local police redirect traffic around a car accident.

A four-door Ford with a driver and passenger approached officers, who ordered the driver to stop, the report said.

Initially, the driver didn't respond to commands but eventually came to a stop, and agents surrounded the vehicle, telling those inside to get out, according to the report.

The driver then "accelerated forward" and struck an HSI special agent "who wound up on the hood of the vehicle," prompting a HSI supervisory special agent nearby to fire his weapon multiple times through the open driver's side window, the report said.

The draft affidavit disputes those details.

In it, Orta reportedly said that he and Martinez were first approached by a police officer who told them to leave. As they tried turning, another officer approached, slapped the hood and "seemed to be trying to get in front of the car," it added.

Officers surrounded the vehicle yelling at them to stop and drawing their guns, the draft affidavit said, adding that Martinez was "only crawling," and never hit an officer or the gas.

An officer near the driver side window then pulled his weapon and fired without warning, the draft affidavit said, and Orta recounted hearing Martinez say "I'm sorry" as he slumped backward unconscious.

Reyes, Martinez's mother, told AP last week her son was shot three times.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Attorneys forKilmar Abrego Garciawill try to persuade a federal judge in Tennessee on Thursday to throw outhuman smuggling chargesagainst him.

Abrego Garcia, whosemistaken deportationhas galvanized both sides of the immigration debate, claims that the criminal prosecution is vindictive, pushed by officials from President Donald Trump's administration to punish him after they were forced to bring him back to the United States.

While Abrego Garcia is a Salvadoran citizen, a court order from 2019 prevents him from being deported to that country. That's because an immigration judge determined he faced danger in El Salvador from a gang that had threatened his family. Abrego Garcia, 30, immigrated to the U.S. illegally as a teenager but has an American wife and child. He has lived and worked in Maryland for years under the supervision of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

After he wasdeported to El Salvadorlast year, theU.S. Supreme Court ruledthe Trump administration had to work to bring him back. He was eventually returned to the U.S. only to face criminal charges of human smuggling based on a 2022 traffic stop in Tennessee. He has pleaded not guilty.

Advertisement

Body camera footagefrom a Tennessee Highway Patrol officer shows a calm exchange with Abrego Garcia after he was pulled over for speeding. There were nine passengers in the car, and the officers discussed among themselves their suspicions of smuggling. However, Abrego Garcia was eventually allowed to continue driving with only a warning.

U.S. District Judge Waverly Crenshaw previously found some evidence that the prosecution against Abrego Garcia "may be vindictive." The judge said many statements by Trump administration officials "raise cause for concern." He cited a statement by Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche that seemed to suggest the Department of Justice charged Abrego Garcia because he won his wrongful-deportation case.

Abrego Garcia's attorneys have been sparring with prosecutors for months over whether officials like Blanche would be required to testify at Thursday's hearing and what emails Department of Justice officials would have to turn over to them. First Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Tennessee Rob McGuire has argued that he alone made the decision to prosecute, so the motives of other officials were irrelevant.

Crenshaw reviewed many of the disputed documents. In an order that was unsealed in late December, he wrote, "Some of the documents suggest not only that McGuire was not a solitary decision-maker, but he in fact reported to others in DOJ and the decision to prosecute Abrego may have been a joint decision."

Olympian Hilary Knight responded toPresident Donald Trump's viral callwith the U.S. men's hockey team on ESPN on Wednesday.

"I thought it was sort of a distasteful joke, and unfortunately, that is overshadowing a lot of the success, the success of just women at the Olympics carrying for Team USA and having amazing gold medal feats,"Knight said on "SportsCenter."

"We're just focusing on celebrating the women in our room, the extraordinary efforts, and continue to celebrate three gold medals in program history as well as the double gold for both men's and women's at the same time. And really not detract from that with a distasteful joke."

Duringa locker room callwith the men's team,President Donald J. Trumpinvited the players to theState of the Union address.He briefly mentioned the women's hockey team, which alsowon gold during the Olympics, saying he had to invite them too, or he would be "impeached." The men's hockey team laughed at the president's remark, which Knight addressed in her conversation with ESPN.

"I think there's a genuine level of support there and respect (between the men's and women's teams), and I think that's being overshadowed by sort of a quick lapse," Knight said.

"The guys were in a tough spot, so it's a shame that sort of this storyline and narrative has kind of blown up and overshadowing kind of that connection and genuine interest in one another and cheering one another on."

Advertisement

Relive USA's thrilling gold‑medal OT win and celebration over Canada

President Trump's now viral callgenerated varying reactions and backlash, including rapperFlavor Flav extending an invitationto the women's team for an alternative celebration. Team USA's women declined the President's invitation, citing timing and previous commitments. On Tuesday, President Trump said they would"soon" visit the White House.

Several members of the men's team eventually addressed the chatter surrounding the call, includingOlympian Jack Hughesandhis brother, Quinn Hughes. "People are so negative about things. I think everyone in that locker room knows how much we support them, how proud we are of them, and we know the same way we feel about them, they feel about us," Jack Hughes said.

"You know, we're really happy for them," Quinn Hughes said. "Obviously, a lot going on social media right now surrounding our team and their team, but in the last couple of summers, we've done a lot of training with them and got to know a lot of those girls really well."

Knight shared that the men's and women's teams have supported one another in the Olympic village and on the global and professional stages. She says she looks forward to the relationships continuing. Knight also revealed what she thinks the moment taught people.

"I think this is just a really good learning point to really focus on how we talk about women, not only in sport but in industry," Knight said.

"Women aren't less than, and our achievements shouldn't be overshadowed by anything else other than how great they are."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Hilary Knight disappointed by Trump's 'distasteful joke' taking center stage

NBA Hall of Famer Chris Bosh revealed on social media Wednesday that he dealt with a recent health scare, which has left him with a different outlook on life.

The 41-year-old Bosh didn't provide many details on the scare, only that it was "instant," that he woke up covered in blood while preparing for a date with his wife and that he has no memory of the incident. The area around his eyes was also noticeably darker.

Bosh's recollection:

Advertisement

"So I woke up covered in my own blood. It was crazy. It was fast. It was instant. There was no warning. I didn't have any time to prepare for it. I was getting ready to go on a date with my wife and the next thing you know, I was, I was on the ground.

"I won't get into specifics, but you can kind of see I'm still recovering [points to face]. I'm not gonna try to hide that one in case I look different, but it was a scary thing and it came fast ... I'm lucky I came back. It was just darkness, it wasn't anything else. I went to the darkness, I came back. I have no recollection. I have no memory other than coming back here. So, don't wait."

While Bosh didn't specify what he dealt with, his history of blood clot issues is notable. His 2014-15 season ended due to a blood clot in his lungs and he never played a full season again,with the NBA ruling in 2017 he was unsafe to continue playing due to the condition. He kept trying to return to the league until his retirement in 2019.

Bosh did not say whether that clotting issue was a factor in this recent scare.

What he did say was he is no longer taking life for granted after coming so close to death:

"It made me really have a different outlook on life and how things go, what we do for ourselves, what we do for our family, how we live our lives. And no matter what it is, make sure you don't wait. That's the thing that I get from this. Don't wait to take action, because it could come fast, it could come quick. I'm lucky to be alive and I feel great about that. And now I'm thinking about how I live my day to day life. That's really it, but don't wait.

"Don't wait to take action. You might be wanting to get a promotion, you might want to try out for the team, you might want to go on that vacation. It might be so many different things that people want to do, that we want to do that we never do. So that's what I get from all this. Don't wait for it. You might want to start a business, don't wait. Just do it. You might hit the deck, I don't know."

Bosh was an 11-time NBA All-Star in his career with the Toronto Raptors and Miami Heat and won two titles with the Heat alongside LeBron James and Dwyane Wade. He remains the Raptors' all-time leader in rebounds and blocks and was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2021.

Tony Dungy's time at NBC is reportedly on the verge of ending.

The Hall of Fame coach is likely out as a regular on the network's "Football Night in America" Sunday pregame show, according toThe Athletic's Andrew Marchand. While NBC could reverse course, the move would be part of a revamp for the show.

There's also reportedly a possibility NBC gives him an emeritus role like it did with Bob Costas and Al Michaels, where he officially remains with the network but in a reduced role.

Advertisement

The 70-year-old Dungy has been an analyst for NBC since 2009, the year after his retirement as head coach of the Indianapolis Colts. He is reportedly one of several NBC studio analysts whose contracts ended after the Super Bowl.

There are few details on how the reworked "Football Night in America" could operate, but Marchand reports the show could slim down its cast and take the whole operation on the road alongside "Sunday Night Football." Dungy had previously been part of a traveling component for the show, alongside Rodney Harrison and Jac Collinsworth.

Dungy was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2016 and held a 139-69 record in 13 seasons as head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Colts, winning Super Bowl XLI in 2007 with the Colts and Peyton Manning.

His time with NBC hasn't been without incident, with examples includinghis comments painting Michael Sam as a locker room distraction after he came out as gayanddrawing a rebuke from NBC for sharing the "litter boxes in schools" myth on social media. There was alsohis involvement in the snub of Bill Belichick from the Hall of Fame, as he has refused to say whether he wasone of at least 11 voters who voted against his former coaching rival.

AKOBO, South Sudan (AP) — Kool Gatyen Pajock was in a South Sudan hospital while a physiotherapist wrapped bandages around the 18-month-old's legs under the watchful eye of his grandmother, Nyayual Chuol.

APTOPIX South Sudan Conflict

Government forces put a bullet in the baby's leg and killed his parents, according to Chuol, who carried him to the hospital in Akobo, South Sudan's northeastern region near Ethiopia, from their village 130 kilometers (80 miles) to the west.

They were among the 280,000 people who have been displaced in the past two months by a renewedconflictin Jonglei state between the government army, known as the South Sudan People's Defense Forces, and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement In Opposition.

"I have nothing in my hand now to take care of this baby," Chuol said. "I'm worried about my four children who ran in different directions when the attack took place. I don't know where they are now."

The fighting further threatens a fragile peace reached in 2018 after a five-year civil war.

Opposition leader Riek Machar was named first vice president alongside President Salva Kiir under a 2020 power-sharing agreement. But Kiir placed Machar under house arrest following new outbreaks of violence in March.Machar was chargedin September with treason along with seven opposition members linked to an attack on government forces.

The conflict escalated in December when opposition forces seized government outposts in Jonglei. The government has conducted a counteroffensive since January with aerial bombardments and ground assaults, despite an official commitment to the peace agreement.

In addition to being forced from their homes, civilians have suffered significant casualties.

"People are still fearing that the government army may come and attack here," Chuol said. "This is what is worrying me right now."

Civilians suffer the consequences

Nyankhiay Gatluak Jock, 28, escaped from her village of Walgak after a government attack in early February.

"They bombed us from the gunship helicopter, and after that the soldiers came with their cars and started shooting," said Jock, who was among 42,000 displaced people sheltering in Akobo under the protection of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan.

"We want to ask the president to tell his army to differentiate between the combatants and the civilians," Jock said while breastfeeding two children in a church alongside other displaced women and youth.

After government forcesbombed a hospitaloperated by humanitarian groupDoctors Without Borderson Feb. 3, Nyaphan Nyang Lual headed for Akobo with her husband, daughter and 1-month-old granddaughter. On the road, her husband was shot and her daughter was abducted by armed youths.

Advertisement

Lual reached Akobo with her granddaughter, Bhan Tut Mut, but could not find food assistance and worried for the infant who has developed diarrhea.

"We took her to the clinic but there is no medicine there, and I cannot afford to buy from the pharmacy," Lual said.

Fighting disrupts humanitarian services

Humanitarian services have not been spared. The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said 13 health facilities in Jonglei were "looted or partially destroyed." Reports of widespread sexual violence also have emerged.

Funding cuts andgovernment-imposed restrictionson humanitarian organizations have resulted in a lack of resources and supplies, according to humanitarian workers who said they were frustrated by an inability to offer the necessary level of assistance.

"We have nothing … no feeding, no medication," said Susan Tab, a reproductive health officer in Akobo with Nile Hope, a South Sudanese organization. "The only thing we can provide to help these displaced people is psychosocial support."

U.N. humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher visited Akobo on Feb. 21 during a tour of South Sudan's areas impacted by the fighting.

During nearly three years of civil war in Sudan to the north and conflicts in nearby countries in the Horn of Africa, Fletcher said South Sudan has become "one of the most neglected crises in the world right now."

"I want to make this crisis more visible to the public. And I want them to demand change. To demand funding. To demand political engagement to end this war," Fletcher said.

He was greeted in Akobo by thousands of displaced women and children who remained unsure of their safety and future. Some held posters with handwritten messages, including one with the blunt report, "They killed everyone."

"Help is coming," Fletcher told the survivors.

For more on Africa and development:https://apnews.com/hub/africa-pulse

The Associated Press receives financial support for global health and development coverage in Africa from the Gates Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content. Find the AP'sstandardsfor working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas atAP.org.