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Over 30 people are dead and 100 others have been injured after an Israeli airstrike on a school in Gaza, but Israel has justified their actions.
The school, located in the city of Deir-al-Balah, was housing thousands of displaced refugees from all over Gaza, who have been shifting from place to place in search of food and water. Israel is also constantly moving their operations, striking a new place each time. After the attack, hundreds of people flooded into the nearby Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital with bodies and survivors who were scraping by, and the hospital quickly ran out of space for new patients.
Israel has defended their actions, though, claiming that they had received intel that there was a Hamas operations center inside the school.
This comes as Israel seems to be reaching an agreement with the US, one of the main negotiators, over a possible ceasefire and hostage deal, but Hamas has made it clear that they want a permanent end to the war.
On another note, the wildfires in the western United States and Canada are not letting up-- here's an update. To read our initial story on the fires, click here.
The Park Fire was started by a suspected arsonist on July 24 when he pushed a flaming car into a 60-foot-deep gully, and has now spread to an astounding 353,000 acres across northern California. It has become California's seventh largest wildfire and is very close to the town of Paradise, which was devastated by the Camp Fire in 2018-- the Camp Fire was around 153,000 acres but did serious damage; it is the deadliest wildfire in California history, killing 85 people and destroying 18,804 structures. Strong winds are still continuing to blow the flames despite cooler temperatures and high humidity, and the flames are starting to approach nearby towns. Thousands of firefighters are currently working to battle the blaze, along with dozens of air tankers and helicopters, but the containment rate is still very low-- only 10%.
The Durkee Fire, started by lightning, is the largest wildfire currently burning in Oregon, and is maintaining an area of around 288,000 acres. It is now 50% contained due to some help from rain and cooler temperatures, but lots of damage has already been done.
Jasper National Park, one of Canada's largest parks and widely regarded as one of the most beautiful places in the world, is also suffering from this year's wildfires. Unfortunately, two fires in the area merged and another fire is burning nearby-- and they have become what firefighters are calling the Jasper Wildfire Complex, reaching 80,000 acres. This makes it the largest wildfire to hit the park in over a century, and the fire has scorched almost half of the historic town of Jasper. Numerous homes and businesses that have been there for decades have been burned to the ground, which is a solemn sight for the town's 25,000 residents and the millions of tourists who visit each year. Firefighters from all over Canada and even from overseas are rushing to help battle the blaze, which will only strengthen with warmer temperatures on the way. However, it has been hard for firefighters to gauge where the flames are and how big the fire is due to the intense smoke covering the area, and it is starting to spread to other parts of Alberta as well.
2024's wildfire season is off to a blazing start, and it will only get worse as climate change causes the planet to become drier and hotter. Over 100 large wildfires are burning across the United States- - 37 large wildfires are burning in Oregon while another 14 are scorching California -- and hundreds are burning in Canada, with 134 fires in the province of Alberta alone.
Fact of the Day (Reader's Digest): Ducks shake their tails when they feel happy, and they tend to do it when eating or drinking water.
Quote of the Day (Gracious Quotes): We must use time as a tool, not as a couch. (John F. Kennedy)
Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Jurisprudence (noun)- Jurisprudence is a formal word that typically refers to the science or philosophy of law, or to a system or body of law.
In a Sentence: An undergraduate class on jurisprudence inspired her decision to go to law school.
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