Assassination attempt on a “butcher” and an unrecognized diploma from the “TashMI” branch – Midweek

July 24 marks the birthday of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Shavkat Mirziyoyev. The leader of Uzbekistan turns 68 this year. Congratulations are pouring in from around the world. From Vladimir Putin to Xi Jinping, from Alexander Lukashenko to Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, from Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to Ilham Aliyev, as well as former presidents Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov and Nursultan Nazarbayev, and all current Central Asian leaders—Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Sadyr Japarov, Serdar Berdimuhamedov, and Emomali Rahmon—everyone has extended their greetings to Shavkat Mirziyoyev. The stream of congratulations has continued throughout the day.

As we reach the midpoint of the week, QALAMPIR.UZ presents its regular Midweek program, offering a summary of the most important global developments from the first half of the week.

Netanyahu poisoned

It is widely known that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has built his political career on the bloodshed in Gaza, often suffers from various illnesses. Most recently, on July 20, he reportedly experienced intestinal inflammation after consuming “unfit or spoiled” food. That night, Netanyahu began to feel unwell. It was later announced that he would receive intravenous treatment due to dehydration and continue working from home for several days.

As mentioned, the so-called "Butcher of Gaza" has a history of health issues. In 2023, he underwent surgery to implant a pacemaker. At the end of 2024, Netanyahu also had an operation to remove his prostate gland. Before that, he temporarily stepped down from office for surgery on a herniated disc discovered during a routine medical examination.

This latest illness prevented him from appearing in court. On July 20, Netanyahu’s lawyer, Amit Hadad, requested a postponement of the hearing due to his client's condition. The Jerusalem District Court once again delayed the Prime Minister’s testimony. The Attorney General’s Office did not object to the request. However, as Israeli courts are set to go on summer recess at the end of July, Netanyahu’s trial will now be postponed until at least September.

For context, on November 21, 2019, the Israeli Attorney General announced his decision to indict Netanyahu on three charges: bribery, fraud, and breach of trust. The Prime Minister has consistently denied all allegations. The indictment was filed with the Jerusalem District Court on January 28, 2020.

This week, reports emerged of an assassination attempt against Netanyahu. According to "The Jerusalem Post", an elderly Israeli woman has been arrested by the Shin Bet security service on suspicion of plotting to kill the Prime Minister. The woman, reportedly in her 70s, is described as an anti-government protester. She was detained after expressing her intent to kill Netanyahu in a conversation with family members and allegedly planning to attack him with a grenade. Other media reports suggest she contacted fellow protest activists in an attempt to acquire weapons and gather information about Netanyahu’s security arrangements. The Shin Bet intervened after receiving intelligence on her intentions. She was taken to the National Directorate for the Investigation of Serious and International Crimes for questioning, where she partially confessed. Due to her age, health condition, and other circumstances, the woman was released later the same day under restricted conditions. As a precautionary measure, she has been banned from approaching the Prime Minister or government institutions.

The most heinous form of genocide

The genocide in Gaza has reached its most horrific stage. After previously destroying hundreds of thousands of lives by targeting residential buildings, hospitals, refugee camps, schools, and other civilian infrastructure, Israel is now opening fire on starving people gathered in front of humanitarian aid trucks. In a short period, the number of Gazan victims climbing onto trucks in search of a piece of bread has exceeded one thousand. Since early March, Israel has blocked all routes for delivering aid to Gaza. Although some corridors were reopened in May, they remain heavily restricted. Despite Israeli claims that sufficient aid is entering the region, video evidence circulating online, images of emaciated children, and official statistics contradict this narrative. According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, 10 Palestinians died of starvation overnight on July 23, bringing the total number of starvation-related deaths in recent days to 111.

The World Health Organization reported that as of July 23, 21 children under the age of five had died of starvation since the beginning of the year. During the 80-day period from March to May, virtually no food aid reached the population. Even now, the limited aid that does make it into Gaza is insufficient to meet basic survival needs. People are surviving on mere sips of water and scraps of bread. On July 23, 111 humanitarian organizations—including Mercy Corps, the Norwegian Refugee Council, and Refugees International—issued a joint statement declaring that mass starvation is rampant in Gaza. They emphasized that while tons of food, clean water, and medicine remain just outside the border, aid groups are unable to deliver them.

Israel, however, blames the United Nations for the delays, accusing the organization of inefficiency. On July 23, Israeli government spokesperson David Mercer claimed that 700 aid trucks were inside Gaza and needed to be distributed, asserting that Israel should not be held responsible. Meanwhile, the UN and humanitarian groups accuse Israel of deliberately obstructing aid deliveries. Since May, Israeli forces have killed hundreds of Palestinians at aid distribution sites—a fact that has been witnessed by the international community.

Al-Sharaa turns to Erdoğan

While the massacre in Gaza continues, another crisis is unfolding in Syria—another country facing increasing aggression from Netanyahu's regime. Over the past week, Israel has intensified its airstrikes on southern Syria, including the capital Damascus, under the pretext of “protecting” the Druze population in Suwayda. These were the second wave of Israeli attacks on Syria this year, aimed at destabilizing the rule of Syrian leader Ahmed Al-Sharaa.

Nevertheless, Al-Sharaa has managed to retain power and maintain relative stability in Syria for the third time. There have been widespread rumors that Turkey’s intelligence services are providing practical support to help shield Al-Sharaa from attacks and potential assassination attempts, though Damascus has yet to formally confirm any such collaboration.

Following the latest wave of violence and growing internal instability, it appears that the Al-Sharaa government has formally requested military assistance from Turkey. According to TRT Haber, citing a source in the Syrian Ministry of Defense, Syrian officials asked Turkey for support in strengthening defense capabilities and combating terrorism—especially against ISIS-led groups. In response, Turkey’s Ministry of Defense announced that it would assist Syria and reaffirmed its ongoing support. While the media has yet to release specific details regarding the nature of this assistance or the possibility of Turkish troop deployment, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has repeatedly expressed his commitment to helping Syria rebuild and stabilize. Earlier reports suggested that Turkey might aid Syria in forming a new army with more than 300,000 personnel to bolster national defense.

India is not interested in medical education in Uzbekistan

You’ve likely seen Indian boys and girls on public transport in Tashkent or walking the streets. Most of them came to study at the leading higher medical education institution in Uzbekistan—formerly known as the Tashkent Medical Academy, now renamed Tashkent Medical University. But why do young Indians, who come from one of the strongest countries in the field of medicine, choose Uzbekistan for their studies? According to local students at the university, the main reason Indian students come is the low tuition fees. There is little discussion of the quality of education or campus life. Many people became aware of what kind of classes were being offered to foreign students after a post appeared on Reddit a few months ago.

In that post, a user identifying as an Indian student at the Tashkent Medical Academy shared a detailed account of the education there. He claimed that most teachers spoke very little English, and their explanations were often incomprehensible, resembling Google Translate output. The student questioned how professors could teach medicine under such conditions. He also criticized the curriculum, saying that much of the instruction was English language lessons—not medical science. "I didn’t come here to learn the alphabet and grammar; I came for anatomy. English is four hours, while anatomy is only one hour and twenty minutes. They don’t teach anything," he wrote. The post gained traction, first in Indian media and then in Uzbek outlets, sparking a strong public reaction. Following the uproar, the Minister of Higher Education, Science, and Innovations, Kungratboy Sharipov, visited the academy to inspect the conditions and meet with Indian students. The visit was positively received, and many Indian students expressed satisfaction with the improvements.

However, three months later, India's medical authorities made their stance clear: they are not satisfied with the quality of medical education in Uzbekistan. The National Medical Commission (NMC) of India has issued a warning to prospective students, advising them not to enroll in several foreign institutions—including three in Belize and one in Uzbekistan. That institution is the Chirchik branch of Tashkent State Medical University. The NMC stated that students who ignore this warning will not be allowed to practice medicine in India. In other words, Indian students currently studying at the Chirchik branch will not have their degrees recognized at home. The advisory came after serious concerns raised by the Indian Embassy in Mexico and India’s Eurasian Department of the Ministry of External Affairs. According to these reports, the listed universities lack proper infrastructure, offer low-quality education, and fail to provide adequate clinical training. Some students have even reported instances of harassment. The NMC strongly urged Indian students to avoid these institutions, warning that graduation from them will not grant the right to practice medicine in India.

Is a "big three" meeting on the horizon?

The British newspaper "The Times" has reported that U.S. President Donald Trump may be invited to Beijing in early September for a potential meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Since the report, speculation about a possible “big three” summit has gained traction—and notably, no official source has denied the possibility. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that if Trump travels to China with American business leaders this fall, he may meet with President Putin during the visit. Trump himself confirmed that he had been invited by Xi Jinping and hinted that the meeting could take place soon. During a meeting with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. at the White House on July 22, Trump stated that discussions were underway and a decision would be made shortly.

He also left the door open to meeting with Putin during the China trip. For context, Beijing will host a large military parade on September 3 to mark the 80th anniversary of the victory in World War II and the Chinese resistance to Japanese aggression. China is expected to showcase domestically produced military equipment at the event. Observers believe the meeting of the Big Three could happen on the sidelines of this celebration.