Netanyahu says there is ‘no way’ Israel halts the war in Gaza until Hamas is defeated

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says there is “no way” Israel will halt its war in Gaza, even if a deal is reached to release more hostages. In comments released Tuesday from a visit with wounded soldiers the previous day, Netanyahu said Israeli forces are just days away from a promised escalation of force and would enter Gaza “with great strength to complete the mission,” which he said meant defeating Hamas. Also on Tuesday, the Israeli military struck what it said was a Hamas “command and control center” located beneath a hospital in southern Gaza. Gaza’s Health Ministry said six people were killed and 40 were wounded in the strike.

Ukraine’s Zelenskyy says he will be waiting for Russian leader Putin for talks

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says that he will be waiting for Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Turkish capital this week to conduct face-to-face talks about the more than 3-year war. Putin hasn’t yet said whether he will be at the talks. U.S. President Donald Trump has urged the two sides to attend the discussions as part of Washington’s efforts to stop the fighting. Zelenskyy told reporters in Kyiv he will be in Ankara on Thursday to conduct the negotiations. He said he plans to meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the two will wait for Putin to arrive. Zelenskyy said both leaders will travel to Istanbul if Putin chooses to hold the meeting there.

Gérard Depardieu convicted of sexual assault and given 18-month suspended sentence

PARIS (AP) — French movie star Gérard Depardieu has been convicted of sexually assaulting two women on a set and received an 18-month suspended prison sentence. The case was widely seen as a post-#MeToo test for the country’s film industry. The 76-year-old Depardieu has been one of the most prominent figures in French cinema for decades. He was also fined a total of 29,040 euros (around $32,350), and the court ordered that his name be listed in the national sex offender database. The actor was convicted of groping a 54-year-old woman responsible for decorating the set and a 34-year-old assistant during the filming of “Les Volets Verts” (“The Green Shutters”) in 2021. Depardieu denied the accusations.

14 people die from drinking toxic liquor in India

NEW DELHI (AP) — At least 14 people died and six were hospitalized in critical condition after consuming toxic liquor overnight in northern India, police said Tuesday. Seven people were arrested on allegations they supplied the toxic liquor in five villages around 12 miles from the city of Amritsar in northern Punjab, senior police officer Maninder Singh said. The police have launched a crackdown to destroy the network of spurious liquor supplies in the area following the incident, Singh said. The local administration deployed medics to the villages to check on people who drank the contaminated liquor, said Sakshi Sawhney, a senior government official in Amritsar.