WORLD BRIEFING: March 1, 2024

At least 104 people have been killed and hundreds injured in Gaza after Israeli forces opened fire as they were waiting for food, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza. The Israel Defense Forces said "the incident is under review." This comes as more than 30,000 people have been killed in Gaza since Israel’s war with Hamas began in October, the health ministry in the besieged enclave said Thursday. The US is considering airdropping aid into Gaza, two US officials told CNN. More than half a million people in the enclave are on the brink of famine, the UN said, and hospitals face dire conditions that have killed at least six children in recent days, according to Gaza's health ministry - CNN

Meanwhile, reactions have poured in from all over the world after Israeli troops opened fire on Palestinians at a food aid distribution site in northern Gaza. French President Emmanuel Macron expressed his “deep indignation at the images coming from Gaza”. Turkey has accused Israel of committing another crime against humanity- France 24

US Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., announced on Wednesday that this would be his last Congress as the head of the Senate Republican caucus. While he plans to serve out the rest of his term, which ends in 2027, it won’t be in the role he’s served in for 17 years once he steps aside in November. “It’s time for the next generation of leadership,” McConnell said in an emotional (for him) speech on the Senate floor. The surprise announcement quickens the race to succeed McConnell, which has been gearing up quietly for years now. Senate Republicans will have to decide whether their new standard-bearer fits more in McConnell’s mold or in that of the MAGA wing that has become more prominent in the upper chamber in recent years. Either way, though, the Senate GOP caucus is about to become much more unpredictable after McConnell’s unprecedented run at the helm - MSNBC

President Vladimir Putin told Western countries on Thursday they risked provoking a nuclear war if they sent troops to fight in Ukraine, warning that Moscow had the weapons to strike targets in the West. Addressing lawmakers and other members of the country's elite, Putin, 71, repeated his accusation that the West was bent on weakening Russia, and he suggested Western leaders did not understand how dangerous their meddling could be in what he cast as Russia's own internal affairs. He prefaced his nuclear warning with a specific reference to an idea, floated by French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday, of European NATO members sending ground troops to Ukraine - a suggestion that was quickly rejected by the United States, Germany, Britain and others. "(Western nations) must realise that we also have weapons that can hit targets on their territory. All this really threatens a conflict with the use of nuclear weapons and the destruction of civilisation. Don't they get that?!" said Putin. Speaking ahead of a March 15-17 presidential election when he is certain to be re-elected for another six-year term, he lauded what he said was Russia's vastly modernised nuclear arsenal, the largest in the world - Reuters

With hours to go until Alexei Navalny's funeral, his team has said they continue to face difficulties in organising the farewell ceremony. His spokeswoman Kira Yarmysh said they had been unable to find a hearse to drive the body to church. "Unknown people are calling mortuaries and threatening them if they accept to take Alexei's body," Ms Yarmysh said. Speaking to BBC Newshour, Navalny's former chief of staff Leonid Volkov said he was concerned about what might happen during the service in Moscow. "I'm afraid that surprises are to be expected tomorrow... frankly, as I speak now, I don't know if they will actually allow people to say goodbye to Alexei," he said.

Russia is using private militias to control and “weaponise” immigration into Europe. The Kremlin's alleged influence over major routes into the continent has prompted border police to issue warnings of intensified efforts as the spring season approaches, sparking fears that the move is part of a broader strategy to destabilise Europe.The Telegraph reports that these intelligence documents outline plans for Russian agents to establish a "15,000-man strong border police force," comprised of former militias from Libya, with the primary objective of controlling the flow of migrants. They said: "If you can control the migrant routes into Europe, then you can effectively control elections, because you can restrict or flood a certain area with migrants in order to influence public opinion at a crucial time."

The newest Russian drones feature knock-off versions of Canadian technology, Ukrainian officials say. First Lieutenant Ivan Posadskyi said Russia – which started launching the drones at Ukrainian targets in the summer of 2022 – has developed a knock-off of Tallysman's ceramic antenna that helps the kamikaze aircraft evade detection by Ukraine's air defences - Globe and Mail

This review is reprinted with the author’s permission from his World Briefing blog.