Ukraine targets Moscow as Russia reports shooting down more than 100 drones
Handout/Ukrainian State Emergency Service
(LONDON) — Russia’s Defense Ministry said its forces shot down at least 126 Ukrainian drones overnight into Thursday morning, with at least three craft intercepted over the capital Moscow region.
The attack was Ukraine’s largest drone barrage into Russia since it launched 167 craft into the country on July 11, according to data published by Russia’s Defense Ministry and analyzed by ABC News.
The latest attack saw drones downed over 11 Russian regions plus annexed Crimea, the ministry said on Thursday.
Temporary flight restrictions were introduced at Moscow’s Vnukovo Airport, Kaluga Grabtsevo Airport to the southwest of the capital and Pulkovo Airport in St. Petersburg, according to Telegram posts by Artem Korenyako, a spokesperson for Russia’s federal aviation agency Rosaviatsiya.
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said on Telegram that at least three drones were shot down on approach to the city. “Emergency services specialists are working at the site of the wreckage,” he wrote.
In the southwestern Voronezh region, a drone crashed into a residential building and injured three people, according to a statement published by local Gov. Alexander Gusev on Telegram.
In the western Belgorod region, Gov. Vyacheslav Gladkov said three people were killed and 17 injured by drone attacks from Wednesday afternoon through into Thursday morning.
Another person was injured by a drone in the Smolensk region, which sits to the west of Moscow and borders Belarus, Gov. Vasily Anokhin said.
In the Kaluga region to Moscow’s southwest, a drone hit a two-story house and a 14-year-old girl was injured by glass fragments, local Gov. Vladislav Shapsha said on Telegram.
Ukraine’s air force, meanwhile, said Russia launched 64 drones into the country overnight, of which 41 were shot down or neutralized in flight. The air force said 23 drones impacted in five locations.
As of Thursday, the death toll from a Russian airstrike on the Donetsk city of Dobropillia rose to four, according to local Gov. Vadym Filashkin. Another 27 people were injured in the strike, Filashkin said, which targeted a shopping center in the eastern city.
July has marked an uptick in drone attacks launched by both Russia and Ukraine amid stalled U.S.-led efforts to secure a ceasefire deal to end Russia’s 3-year-old full-scale invasion of its neighbor. On Monday, President Donald Trump set Moscow a 50-day ultimatum to agree to a ceasefire, threatening sanctions if it failed to do so.
In June, Russia’s Defense Ministry reported downing a total of 2,368 Ukrainian drones, with an average of almost 79 drones per day across the month.
Thus far in July, the Defense Ministry said it has downed 1,516 Ukrainian drones, with a daily average of 89 drones.
The scale of Russian drone and missile strikes on Ukraine have been increasing since May, according to figures published by the Ukrainian air force and analyzed by ABC News.
In May, Russia launched a total of 3,835 drones and 117 missiles, for an average of around 124 drones and nearly four missiles each day.
June saw 5,438 drones and 239 missiles fired into Ukraine, with a daily average of 181 drones and nearly eight missiles.
Already in the first half of July, Ukraine has reported facing 4,067 drones and 89 missiles, for a daily average of 239 drones and more than five missiles.
Diana, Princess Of Wales.(Photo by Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Images)
(LONDON) — A time capsule that was laid by Princess Diana in 1991 at Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) in London has been opened, with officials revealing a collection of 1990s artifacts just days before the 28th anniversary of her death on August 31st, 1997.
Jason Dawson, the hospital’s executive director who opened the capsule earlier this year as GOSH started its new project to develop a new children’s cancer center, called the moment “really quite moving, almost like connecting with memories planted by a generation gone by.”
Inside lay a snapshot of 1991 — a Kylie Minogue CD, Casio pocket television, solar calculator and other artifacts that were cutting-edge three decades ago.
As winners of a BBC competition 34 years ago, the items were chosen by David Watson, a then-11-year-old boy from Devon, and Sylvia Foulkes, a then-9-year-old girl from Norwich, to represent life in the 1990s.
Watson contributed the Kylie Minogue “Rhythm of Love” album and a European passport, along with a pocket TV and recycled paper.
Foulkes added British coins, tree seeds from Kew Gardens in London, a hologram snowflake and a solar calculator. Princess Diana included her own photograph and a copy of The Times newspaper that featured Gulf War headlines at the time.
As Great Ormond Street Hospital’s president from 1989 until her death, Diana played a central role in GOSH’s Wishing Well Appeal, raising £54 million — equivalent to £200 million today – considered the largest U.K. charity appeal at the time, according to GOSH.
Princess Diana famously made regular ward visits, sitting on children’s beds, holding hands and providing physical comfort at a time when many feared contact with seriously ill patients.
After her divorce in 1996, Diana reduced her charitable commitments from over 100 organizations to just six focused causes, with Great Ormond Street Hospital being one of the remaining ones.
Stephen Lee, director of the U.K. Institute of Charity Fundraising Managers, called her impact “probably more significant than any other person’s in the 20th century.”
Modern royal philanthropy directly traces to Diana’s deeply personal approach, living on through Prince William’s homelessness work and Harry’s veteran advocacy, according to Emma Hart, director of the McNeil Center for Early American Studies at the University of Pennsylvania, who notes that notes Diana “forced the British monarchy to move into the 21st century” and that she “showed how the royal family could be a force for good.”
Meanwhile, following the opening of the capsule and the continuation of construction of the new cancer center, officials say that the new facility aims to increase patient capacity by 20% when it opens in 2028.
“Replacing outdated facilities on Great Ormond Street itself, the centre will be a national resource for the treatment of childhood cancers, with a focus on research and innovation,” GOSH said in a statement following the announcement of the time capsule being opened. “Developed with families and clinicians, the centre’s design will make it easier for clinical teams to develop kinder, more effective treatments, all delivered in a child-focused environment where children can play, learn and be with their family while at hospital.”
(NEW YORK) — U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Tuesday that his nation will recognize the state of Palestine at a United Nations meeting in September if Israel does not agree to a ceasefire in Gaza.
“Today, as part of this process towards peace, I can confirm the U.K. will recognize the state of Palestine by the United Nations General Assembly in September, unless the Israeli government takes substantive steps to end the appalling situation in Gaza, agree to a ceasefire and commit to a long-term sustainable peace, reviving the prospect of a two-state solution,” Starmer said at a news conference.
“This includes allowing the U.N. to restart the supply of aid and making clear that there will be no annexations in the West Bank,” he continued.
Starmer also delivered a message to “the terrorists of Hamas,” saying that “they must immediately release all of the hostages, sign up to a ceasefire, disarm, and accept that they will play no part in the government of Gaza.”
The prime minister’s office also released a written statement echoing Starmer’s comments.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Tuesday that it “rejects” Starmer’s statement.
“The shift in the British government’s position at this time, following the French move and internal political pressures, constitutes a reward for Hamas and harms efforts to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza and a framework for the release of hostages,” the ministry said.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also reacted to Starmer’s statement, saying, “Starmer rewards Hamas’s monstrous terrorism & punishes its victims. A jihadist state on Israel’s border TODAY will threaten Britain TOMORROW. Appeasement towards jihadist terrorists always fails. It will fail you too. It will not happen.”
French President Emmanuel Macron announced last week that France would officially recognize Palestine as a state when the U.N. meets in September, and also called for “an immediate ceasefire, the release of all hostages, and massive humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza.”
French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Noël Barrot on Tuesday applauded Starmer’s announcement.
“The United Kingdom joins today in the momentum created by France for the recognition of the State of Palestine. Together, through this pivotal decision and our combined efforts, we break the endless cycle of violence and reopen the prospect of peace in the region,” Barrot said.
At the time, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the U.S. “rejected” France’s plan to recognize a Palestinian state.
“This reckless decision only serves Hamas propaganda and sets back peace. It is a slap in the face to the victims of October 7th,” Rubio wrote in a statement on X.
Starmer’s statement comes on the same day that two sources familiar with the matter told ABC News that Netanyahu is considering a plan to annex territories in Gaza.
“Prime Minister Netanyahu is considering a plan to annex territories in Gaza if Hamas doesn’t agree to a ceasefire plan. This is one of several options,” a source said.
The news comes less than a week after Steve Witkoff, President Donald Trump’s special envoy to the Middle East, said the U.S. was cutting ceasefire talks short and bringing its negotiation team home from Doha, Qatar.
In a post on X on July 24, Witkoff said Hamas “does not appear to be coordinated or acting in good faith.”
“While the mediators have made a great effort, Hamas does not appear to be coordinated or acting in good faith,” Witkoff wrote, in part. “We will now consider alternative options to bring the hostages home and try to create a more stable environment for the people of Gaza.”
Netanyahu echoed Witkoff’s statement, saying Israel was now “considering alternative options to bring our hostages home,” and blamed Hamas for the breakdown in negotiations.
“Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff got it right. Hamas is the obstacle to a hostage release deal,” Netanyahu said in a statement the day after Witkoff’s comments. “Together with our U.S. allies, we are now considering alternative options to bring our hostages home, end Hamas’s terror rule, and secure lasting peace for Israel and our region.
Officials have not yet elaborated on what are the “alternative options” to return the remaining hostages and end the war in Gaza.
In its own statement on Sunday, Hamas accused Witkoff and the Israelis of negotiating in bad faith and claimed there is no point in continuing negotiations in the current format.
“In the last round of negotiations, we achieved clear progress and largely agreed with what the mediators presented to us, especially regarding the issue of withdrawal, prisoners, and the entry of aid,” Hamas said, in part. ‘They conveyed to us positive responses from the Zionist occupation, but we were surprised to find that the occupation was withdrawing from the negotiations, and that the US President’s envoy to the Middle East, Witkoff, was in cahoots with it.”
“We clearly state: There is no point in continuing negotiations under the siege, extermination, and starvation of our children, women, and people in the Gaza Strip,” the statement continued.
The news also comes as the Israel-Hamas war reached a a grim milestone, with more than 60,000 Palestinians killed since Oct. 7, 2023, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Ministry of Health.
As of Tuesday, 60,034 people in Gaza have been killed and 145,870 people have been injured, the ministry said.
With an estimated population of 2.3 million people in Gaza at the beginning of the war, the figure, if accurate, means that about 9% of Palestinians in Gaza have been killed or injured since then, according to an ABC News tally.
The ministry clarified that the Palestinians whom they say have died due to hunger have not been classified as “killed” in the war, but “died” due to malnourishment.
At least 147 Palestinians, including 88 children, have died due to malnutrition as of Monday, according to the ministry.
Netanyahu has repeatedly denied that there is starvation occurring in Gaza and has denied that there is an official Israeli policy of starvation.
“There is no policy of starvation in Gaza, and there is no starvation in Gaza,” Netanyahu said in comments in Jerusalem Sunday, in part.
“We enabled humanitarian aid throughout the duration of the war to enter Gaza. Otherwise, there would be no Gazans,” Netanyahu further said. “And what is interdicting the supply of humanitarian aid is one force – Hamas. Again, the reverse of the truth. Hamas robs, steals this humanitarian aid and then accuses Israel of not supplying it.”
Israeli officials have long accused Hamas of stealing aid, which Hamas denies.
A USAID analysis appeared to undercut some of the assertions about the extent to which Hamas had allegedly stolen humanitarian aid. A presentation reviewed by ABC News, examining more than 150 reported incidents involving the theft or loss of U.S.-funded humanitarian aid in Gaza, showed that he group failed to find any evidence that Hamas engaged in widespread diversion of aid to cause this amount of hunger being seen in the strip.
Additionally, a new report on Tuesday from the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, a global initiative monitoring hunger, said that “the worst-case scenario of famine is playing out in the Gaza Strip,” and that “access to food and other essential items and services has plummeted to unprecedented levels.”
ABC News’ Will Gretsky contributed to this report.
Palestinians, including children, who are struggling to access food due to Israel’s blockade and ongoing attacks on the Gaza Strip, wait in line to receive hot meals distributed by the charity organization at Al-Mawasi area in Khan Yunis, Gaza on August 21, 2025. . (Photo by Abed Rahim Khatib/Anadolu via Getty Images)
(LONDON) — Famine has been determined in Gaza Governorate, where Gaza City is located, according to a warning issued Friday by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC).
The report from IPC — a global initiative monitoring hunger with the backing of governments, the United Nations and non-governmental organizations — projected famine would expand to Deir al-Balah Governorate, in central Gaza, and Khan Younis Governorate, in southern Gaza, by the end of September.
The IPC itself doesn’t issue official declarations of famine, but its findings can inform governments and bodies such as the U.N. to make a famine declaration.
The report also found that more than half a million people in the Gaza Strip are facing Phase 5 conditions, which are characterized as catastrophic levels of food insecurity. About 1.07 million people, 54% of the population, are facing Phase 4 conditions, characterized as emergency levels of food insecurity.
Between mid-August and the end of September 2025, almost a third of the population — nearly 641,000 people — are expected to face Phase 5 catastrophic conditions and the number of people facing emergency levels will likely increase to 1.14 million, according to the report.
The IPC report stated that, given the inability to classify North Gaza due to barriers reaching the area, the figures in the report are an underestimate. Estimates also exclude any remaining population in Rafah, in southern Gaza, because it is mostly uninhabited, according to the IPC.
The food crisis in Gaza has worsened since the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas ended in March and Israel instituted a blockade on aid into Gaza. An increasing number of deaths due to malnutrition have also been reported and gut-wrenching images have emerged of suffering children and long food lines.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
