Israeli strikes kill commander of Quds Brigade in Gaza

The air strikes have killed at least seven people and wounded 40 others. [Forward to a friend]( | [Subscribe]( | [View in your browser]( [Top of The World]( --------------------------------------------------------------- What The World is following Israeli strikes kill commander of Quds Brigade in Gaza [An Israeli soldier secures tanks in an area near the border with Gaza Strip,, Aug. 5, 2022.] Credit: Ariel Schalit/AP Gaza Israeli airstrikes in Gaza have [killed at least seven people](, including Taysir al-Jabari, commander of the Quds Brigade, the armed wing of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad. The Palestinian health ministry said that a five-year-old girl was among the dead, along with 40 others being wounded. The attack follows days of tensions after the arrest of the militant group’s West Bank commander in Jenin, along with nearly two dozen others. The group [threatened to hit back]( by bombing central Israel. Israeli forces [closed roads around Gaza]( earlier this week, sending reinforcements, as it braced for a response to the arrest. Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz warned of “actions that will remove the threat from this region” on Friday ahead of the airstrikes. Russia-Turkey Russian President Vladimir Putin met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the Black Sea resort of Sochi on Friday. It’s their second meeting in just over two weeks. The move has raised concerns that Moscow could be [trying to strengthen economic ties]( with a NATO country. Ankara has been playing a mediating role between Ukraine and Russia, and has not joined in on imposing sanctions against the Kremlin. The meeting also comes as talks are set to begin over a [potential prisoner swap](for American basketball star Brittney Griner, who was sentenced to nine years in jail in Russia on drug charges. Democratic Republic of Congo A UN group says that [Rwandan troops have been fighting]( alongside the M23 rebel group in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, giving it weapons and support, though Rwanda has repeatedly denied any involvement. Washington has expressed concern over the situation, and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is [planning to visit]( both Kinshasa and Kigali next week to “support regional African efforts to advance peace in eastern DRC.” The security situation in eastern DR Congo has deteriorated over the past year. --------------------------------------------------------------- From The World [Amid fuel crisis in Sri Lanka, bicycling is no longer a 'poor person's mode of transport']( [An auto rickshaw driver pushes his vehicle next to a banner that says only those vehicles with QR codes will be given fuel at a fuel station in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Aug. 2, 2022.]( Credit: Eranga Jayawardena/AP Bike shops in Sri Lanka’s largest city Colombo have reported higher sales — with the largest domestic bike manufacturer seeing a [300% increase in demand]( amid the country's fuel shortage. [Cheetahs are being reintroduced to India after their extinction there 70 years ago]( [Double the usual number of fishing boats are seen at the Dikkowita Fisheries Harbor, a main harbor in the Colombo area of Sri Lanka.]( Credit: Mahesh Kumar A./AP/File photo Conservationists are attempting to [reintroduce the cheetah to India]( after it was declared extinct on the subcontinent in 1952. “I think the world needs to restore its lost fauna and flora, especially those which have been caused by human actions,” Yadvendradev Jhala, dean of the Wildlife Institute of India who's playing a key role in the project, told host Marco Werman. --------------------------------------------------------------- Bright spot A team of naturalists with the Haiti National Trust recently rediscovered the elusive magnolia flower, known for its bright white petals and delicate fragrance. After a three-day trek through a mountain range, the team finally found 16 magnolia trees. Sightings of the native plant had not been recorded in the country since 1925. [Listen to the story.]( 🎧 [A team of naturalists trekked to Haiti’s longest mountain range, the Massif du Nord, to try to find the elusive flower.] Credit: Courtesy of Eladio Fernandez In case you missed it on The World --------------------------------------------------------------- Don't forget to subscribe to The World's Latest Edition podcast using your favorite podcast player: [RadioPublic](, [Apple Podcasts](, [Stitcher](, [Soundcloud](, [RSS]( [The World logo]( [The World on Facebook]( [The World's Twitter account]( [Donate]( | [Forward to a friend]( | [Subscribe]( | [Edit your subscription]( | [Unsubscribe]( | [View in your browser]( Top of the World is written weekday mornings by the team at [The World](. [The World]( is produced by [PRX]( and [GBH](.