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Lawsuit Alleges US Failed to Evacuate Palestinian Americans Trapped in Gaza

FILE PHOTO: Palestinian houses stand badly damaged during the ongoing Israeli military operation, amid Israel-Hamas conflict, in Beit Lahiya, in the northern Gaza Strip, December 18, 2024. REUTERS/Stringer/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Palestinian houses stand badly damaged during the ongoing Israeli military operation, amid Israel-Hamas conflict, in Beit Lahiya, in the northern Gaza Strip, December 18, 2024. REUTERS/Stringer/File Photo
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Lawsuit Alleges US Failed to Evacuate Palestinian Americans Trapped in Gaza

FILE PHOTO: Palestinian houses stand badly damaged during the ongoing Israeli military operation, amid Israel-Hamas conflict, in Beit Lahiya, in the northern Gaza Strip, December 18, 2024. REUTERS/Stringer/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Palestinian houses stand badly damaged during the ongoing Israeli military operation, amid Israel-Hamas conflict, in Beit Lahiya, in the northern Gaza Strip, December 18, 2024. REUTERS/Stringer/File Photo

Nine Palestinian Americans sued the US government on Thursday, alleging that it had failed to rescue them or members of their families who were trapped in Gaza where Israel's war has killed tens of thousands and caused a humanitarian crisis.
The lawsuit accuses the State Department of discriminating against Americans of Palestinian origin by abandoning them in a war zone and not making the same effort that it would to promptly evacuate and protect Americans of different origins in similar situations, Reuters reported.
It was the second case against the US government this week after Palestinian families sued the US State Department on Tuesday over Washington's support for Israel's military.
A US State Department spokesperson said the department does not comment on pending litigation, while adding the safety and security of American citizens around the world is a "top priority."
Thursday's lawsuit was announced by advocacy group Council on American Islamic Relations and attorney Maria Kari, and filed in the US District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.
The suit alleges the plaintiffs' right to equal protection under the US Constitution has been violated by depriving them "of the normal and typical evacuation efforts the federal government extends to Americans who are not Palestinians."
It mentions comparable instances of the US government evacuating its citizens from conflict zones such as in Afghanistan, Lebanon and Sudan and names President Joe Biden, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin as defendants.
The State Department spokesperson said the US has evacuated Americans from unsafe areas around the world, including Gaza.
Israel's war has killed over 45,000 people, according to the Gaza health ministry while also sparking accusations of genocide and war crimes that Israel denies. The military assault has displaced nearly Gaza's entire 2.3 million population and caused a hunger crisis.
The latest bloodshed in the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict was triggered on Oct. 7, 2023, when Palestinian Hamas militants attacked Israel, killing 1,200 and taking about 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.

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Iran's Top Negotiator: No US Deal Without Tangible Results

Iran's Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, right, shakes hands with Pakistan's Army Chief Field Marshal Gen. Asim Munir during their meeting in Tehran, Iran, Sunday, May 23, 2026. (Hamed Malekpour/ICANA via AP)
Iran's Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, right, shakes hands with Pakistan's Army Chief Field Marshal Gen. Asim Munir during their meeting in Tehran, Iran, Sunday, May 23, 2026. (Hamed Malekpour/ICANA via AP)
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Iran's Top Negotiator: No US Deal Without Tangible Results

Iran's Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, right, shakes hands with Pakistan's Army Chief Field Marshal Gen. Asim Munir during their meeting in Tehran, Iran, Sunday, May 23, 2026. (Hamed Malekpour/ICANA via AP)
Iran's Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, right, shakes hands with Pakistan's Army Chief Field Marshal Gen. Asim Munir during their meeting in Tehran, Iran, Sunday, May 23, 2026. (Hamed Malekpour/ICANA via AP)

Iran will not accept any agreement ending its conflict with the US unless there is certainty that the Iranian people's rights ⁠are secured, top negotiator ⁠Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf said on Sunday according to state media.

"There ⁠is no trust in the enemy's words and promises. Our only criterion is to achieve tangible results before we fulfill our commitments in ⁠return," ⁠he added after taking an oath as the re-elected speaker of parliament alongside its presidium.

Hours earlier, US President Donald Trump said he had secured guarantees from Iran that it would not develop nuclear weapons.

Trump has said his priorities for any deal include stopping Iran from any nuclear weapon development and re-opening the blockaded Strait of Hormuz.

World

Ukraine Says it Received New IRIS-T Launcher from Germany

FILED - 26 May 2023, Baden-Wuerttemberg, Ueberlingen: An Iris-T missile defense system stands on the premises of Diehl Defense in Ueberlingen. Photo: Christoph Schmidt/dpa
FILED - 26 May 2023, Baden-Wuerttemberg, Ueberlingen: An Iris-T missile defense system stands on the premises of Diehl Defense in Ueberlingen. Photo: Christoph Schmidt/dpa
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Ukraine Says it Received New IRIS-T Launcher from Germany

FILED - 26 May 2023, Baden-Wuerttemberg, Ueberlingen: An Iris-T missile defense system stands on the premises of Diehl Defense in Ueberlingen. Photo: Christoph Schmidt/dpa
FILED - 26 May 2023, Baden-Wuerttemberg, Ueberlingen: An Iris-T missile defense system stands on the premises of Diehl Defense in Ueberlingen. Photo: Christoph Schmidt/dpa

Ukraine received a new Iris-T air defense launcher from Germany on Saturday, President Volodymyr ⁠Zelenskiy said on ⁠Sunday, asking for more ⁠provision of air defense ammunition.

"We also need missiles for air defense systems to have sufficient capabilities ⁠to ⁠repel Russian attacks," Zelenskiy said on Telegram.

On Sunday, Ukraine's military said it had struck Russia's Saratov oil refinery overnight, causing ⁠a large fire ⁠to break out at ⁠the facility.

The military said in a post on Telegram that it had also hit the ⁠Lazarevo ⁠oil pumping station in Russia's Kirov region.

World

Japan Rejects 'New Militarism,’ Accuses China of Rapidly Arming

Shinjiro Koizumi, Japan's defense minister, speaks at the Shangri-La Dialogue security summit in Singapore, May 31, 2026. REUTERS/Caroline Chia
Shinjiro Koizumi, Japan's defense minister, speaks at the Shangri-La Dialogue security summit in Singapore, May 31, 2026. REUTERS/Caroline Chia
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Japan Rejects 'New Militarism,’ Accuses China of Rapidly Arming

Shinjiro Koizumi, Japan's defense minister, speaks at the Shangri-La Dialogue security summit in Singapore, May 31, 2026. REUTERS/Caroline Chia
Shinjiro Koizumi, Japan's defense minister, speaks at the Shangri-La Dialogue security summit in Singapore, May 31, 2026. REUTERS/Caroline Chia

Japan's Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi on Sunday rejected accusations of "new militarism" by Tokyo and criticized China for rapidly expanding its military with little transparency, underscoring mounting tensions between the two countries.

China continues to increase its defense spending at a high level, Koizumi said at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, adding: "China's external approach and military activities are matters of serious concern for Japan and the international community at the same time."

Rebutting criticism that Japan was embracing new militarism, he said: "Think about it. There's a country that has a huge arsenal of nuclear weapons and strategic bombers. Japan has neither of such ⁠weapons, and yet ⁠Japan is labelled 'new militarism'?"

Koizumi said Japan's record since World War Two "speaks for itself", citing its adherence to international law and commitment to the United Nations Charter, alongside efforts to uphold a "free and open international order."

In May, China's foreign ministry called on Asia-Pacific countries to be vigilant and "jointly resist the reckless actions of Japan's neo-militarism".

At the Singapore forum, Chinese delegate Major General Meng Xiangqing also criticized Japan.

"I deeply doubt whether ⁠a country that has not thoroughly eradicated the toxic legacy of militarism is qualified to talk extensively about defense cooperation on international occasions, and whether it can win the trust of the international community, especially the Asian countries it once invaded," he said.

Ties between Japan and China sank to their worst level in years after Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi warned in November that a hypothetical Chinese attack on Taiwan could draw a Japanese military response.

China claims Taiwan as its own territory, over the objections of Taipei's government.

Koizumi said he was "sad" he could not meet his Chinese counterpart at the dialogue, Asia's premier defense forum, but insisted Japan remains open to ⁠engagement. "We keep ⁠the door open," he said, reaffirming Japan's commitment to dialogue with China and other regional players to foster stability.

For the second year running, Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun has given the free-wheeling Singapore security meeting a miss, skipping opportunities to meet his counterparts.

Koizumi said Japan is "determined" to play a new role in defense equipment cooperation in the Asia-Pacific and aims to tangibly strengthen deterrence in the region.

"We seek a region that can stand against coercion. We seek a region that is not misled by falsehoods. We seek a region that is not influenced by pressure," he said.

In April, Tokyo unveiled its biggest overhaul of defense export rules in decades, scrapping restrictions on overseas arms sales and opening the way for exports of warships, missiles and other weapons.