Evening Brief, Wednesday 27 May

Israeli forces killed Mohammed Odeh, the newly appointed chief of Hamas's military wing, in an airstrike on Gaza City on Tuesday. The strike targeted several buildings in the Rimal neighbourhood that served as his hideout, following months of intelligence surveillance. Gaza health officials reported that six people were killed and more than 20 wounded in the attack. A relative confirmed Odeh died alongside his wife and son.

Odeh had led the intelligence division of the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades at the time of the October 7, 2023 cross-border attack and was appointed roughly a week ago to replace Izz al-Din al-Haddad, whom Israel killed on May 15. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that Odeh headed Hamas's intelligence division during the planning of the assault.

Odeh is the fourth leader of Hamas's military wing to be killed since October 7, 2023. His predecessors include Yahya Sinwar, Mohamed Sinwar, and Izz al-Din al-Haddad. Of the 16 senior Hamas military commanders identified by Israel as responsible for the October 7 infiltration, only one reportedly remains alive. Defense Minister Israel Katz celebrated the operation and stated that Hamas would no longer exercise civilian or military control over Gaza.

Despite a ceasefire agreement in place since October 2025, violence continues almost daily. The Gaza Health Ministry reported that at least 906 people have been killed and 2,747 wounded in Israeli attacks since the truce took effect. The total death toll from the Israeli offensive now exceeds 72,800 Palestinians, with over 172,800 wounded. The October 7 attack killed 1,221 people on the Israeli side, mostly civilians.

Hours before the strike, Israel announced it had expanded ground operations in Lebanon, where it has been fighting Hezbollah militants. Israeli forces pounded southern and eastern Lebanon with more than 120 airstrikes on Tuesday, killing at least 31 people. An Israeli military official confirmed that troops had begun operating beyond the so-called Yellow Line, a proposed buffer zone extending 5 to 10 kilometres into southern Lebanon.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton won the Republican primary runoff for a U.S. Senate seat on Tuesday, ousting four-term incumbent Senator John Cornyn by a margin of nearly two to one. The race became the most expensive primary in Senate history with $100 million spent. President Donald Trump endorsed Paxton over the scandal-plagued attorney general, a decision that effectively sealed the outcome.

Paxton's win forces a Republican Party establishment that spent months attacking him to grudgingly fall in line. The NRSC, which backed Cornyn, scrubbed its social media and website of anti-Paxton posts. Senator Tim Scott, who leads the committee, attacked Democratic nominee James Talarico but notably omitted any mention of Paxton by name.

Cornyn devoted his losing campaign to portraying himself as the president's faithful servant. He tweeted a photo of himself reading The Art of the Deal and introduced a bill to rename a highway the "Trump Interstate." But he had warned in 2016 that Trump's nomination could hurt the party, voted to certify Joe Biden's 2020 election victory, and privately urged Trump not to run in 2024. Those faint signs of disloyalty proved fatal.

Paxton's liabilities include a lengthy list of ethical and legal violations. He was impeached in 2023 by the Texas House of Representatives after being accused of corruption, though he was later acquitted in a trial in the Texas Senate. He was also indicted on felony securities fraud charges. Yet from Trump's standpoint, Paxton's record constitutes an advantage. The president relies on allies who share his predilection for violating norms.

James Talarico, a Democratic state legislator and Presbyterian seminarian, now faces a Texas-sized challenge in a state Trump won by 14 points just two years ago. Talarico raised $27 million in the first quarter of 2026 and had $10 million cash on hand.

Agents from the Guardia Civil's economic crimes unit arrived at the central headquarters of Spain's ruling Socialist Party on Calle Ferraz in Madrid at dawn on Wednesday. The operation was ordered by the Audiencia Nacional court as part of an investigation covered by judicial secrecy. The probe focuses on an alleged plot to destabilize judicial proceedings against the party or the government.

Both the court and Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez emphasized that the action was a judicial request for specific documents and electronic files, not a full police search. Sánchez stressed the party was fully cooperating.

Investigating judge Santiago Pedraz is leading the inquiry, which centers on former PSOE organization secretary Santos Cerdan, along with other party officials, lawyers, a businessman, and a police officer. The judge's order also included searches at the homes of Cerdán in Navarra, former Andalusian socialist leader Gaspar Zarrías in Madrid, and businessman Javier Pérez Dolset. The magistrate is investigating alleged crimes of criminal organization, bribery, revealing secrets, inducing false testimony, and influence peddling.

The investigation focuses on a suspected scheme involving payments from the PSOE's management, camouflaged in false invoices, to Leire Díez and her entourage in exchange for information on cases affecting Sánchez's circle since 2024. The case also touches on a former UCO agent who previously served in the Money Laundering group.

The PSOE has been dogged by a slew of corruption scandals. Last week, the High Court announced it was investigating former Socialist Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero on suspicion of leading an influence-peddling and money-laundering network. The opposition has seized on the scandals, with conservative leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo saying Sánchez's government "stinks" of corruption and renewing his call for early elections.

Five of the seven gold miners trapped in a flooded cave in Laos have been found alive, sparking scenes of jubilation among exhausted rescue teams. The men were located on Wednesday afternoon in a remote cave system in the Longchaeng district of Xaisomboun province, about 130 kilometers northeast of the capital Vientiane.

Videos shared on social media showed rescuers embracing and weeping with relief upon locating the survivors. The men were found sitting on a rock, surrounded by water, wearing headlamps. Finnish cave diver Mikko Paasi, who participated in the operation, described the moment as an incredible feeling and noted the men appeared healthy and in good spirits.

The group of ten villagers had entered the cave on May 19 to search for gold when torrential rains triggered a sudden flash flood and partial cave-in, blocking their exit. Three members of the group managed to escape before the waters rose and alerted authorities. The remaining seven have been trapped ever since, with no direct contact until Wednesday's breakthrough.

Approximately 100 personnel, including soldiers, divers, medics, and civilian volunteers from Laos and Thailand, have been involved in the round-the-clock effort. Teams have been pumping water continuously to lower flood levels and create safer access conditions. By Tuesday, water levels had dropped significantly, allowing teams to advance to within 20 to 30 meters of the suspected location.

While the five located men are reported to be safe, they remain trapped inside the so-called end chamber of the cave. Rescuers have managed to supply them with food and water, but the actual extraction is expected to be extremely difficult. The search for the two remaining missing villagers continues. The dramatic rescue has drawn comparisons to the 2018 Tham Luang cave rescue in Thailand.

The Verden regional court sentenced Daniela Klette, a former member of the left-wing extremist Red Army Faction, to 13 years in prison on Wednesday for a series of armed robberies. The 67-year-old was convicted of six counts of aggravated robbery, along with kidnapping for ransom and weapons violations. The robberies, carried out between 1999 and 2016, were committed after the RAF's dissolution and were aimed at financing the clandestine lives of Klette and her accomplices.

Klette evaded capture for over 30 years, living under false identities in Berlin's Kreuzberg district. She was arrested in February 2024 after an investigative journalist used facial recognition software to track her down. Police found a cache of weapons, a fake bazooka, forged documents, wigs, gold bars, and tens of thousands of euros in cash in her apartment.

Together with Burkhard Garweg and Ernst-Volker Staub, she targeted cash transport vehicles and supermarkets across Lower Saxony and North Rhine-Westphalia. The trio reportedly netted over €2 million. Garweg and Staub remain at large. Prosecutors had demanded a 15-year sentence, while the defense sought an acquittal or suspended sentence.

The 14-month trial was held under tight security in a converted riding hall in Eitze, costing €3.6 million. When the verdict was read, sympathizers in the public gallery erupted in boos and chants of "freedom for Daniela," raising clenched fists. Klette appeared calm but smiled and raised her own fist in response. Her defense attorney immediately announced an appeal to the Federal Court of Justice.

The Red Army Faction, also known as the Baader-Meinhof group, killed 34 people in bombings, kidnappings, and assassinations between 1970 and 1991 before officially disbanding in 1998. German authorities insist that cold cases from the RAF era must still be pursued, and the verdict against Klette is seen as a step toward full accountability.