The Israeli military killed four Palestinians in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, one day after parliamentary elections—elections that failed to halt Israeli attacks on the Palestinian enclave.
A medical source at Nasser Hospital confirmed to EFE that 33-year-old Mohamed Alyan al-Bayouk was killed in an Israeli airstrike on the Bayouk neighborhood in the southern city of Khan Yunis. The bombardment also left six people wounded.
In a separate Israeli attack on Al-Mawasi, in the southern part of Rafah, three Palestinians lost their lives and seven were wounded—three of whom are in critical condition—the same medical source stated.
At that location, Israeli drones struck a police checkpoint belonging to the Gazan Ministry of Economy, which is responsible for managing the movement of trucks entering the Gaza Strip from the Israeli side.
🇵🇸💢 Israeli forces killed four Palestinians in Gaza on Tuesday, including a 6-year-old girl, according to Palestinian news site Felesteen.
Those killed include:
➤ Tahani Mohammed Saeed Shalalfa, a girl, 6, who died of a gunshot wound from Israeli fire in al-Mawasi, the…
Despite a ceasefire—ostensibly in effect since October 10, 2025—more than 1,500 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli attacks and fire within the enclave. Furthermore, at least 1.8 million people remain displaced from their homes, most living in tents near the Mediterranean Sea, where they now face their fourth winter.
Since October 2023, Israel has killed more than 74,500 Gazans, according to data from the local Ministry of Health. The majority were civilians, and the victims include more than 20,000 minors.
Most of Gaza remains devastated. Hospitals continue to operate only partially, relying on their own power-generation equipment, while children attend classes in tents. The continued Israeli bombardment makes it clear that the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip remains critical, with a civilian population that is displaced, wounded, and exposed to further attacks.
A student movement that emerged after a deadly railway disaster has turned nearly two years of protests into an electoral victory.
Serbia’s student-led opposition has secured a decisive parliamentary victory over Aleksandar Vučić’s ruling party, according to preliminary results, ending 14 years of political dominance by the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) and opening a new chapter in the country’s politics.
Vučić acknowledged the defeat on Sunday, saying initial projections indicated that the Student List would win between 135 and 140 seats, compared with about 105 for his party. The result follows nearly two years of student-led demonstrations against corruption and what protesters describe as growing authoritarianism.
The Centre for Free Elections and Democracy (CeSID), a non-governmental organization, projected that the Student List would win 139 seats after 56% of ballots had been counted, against 104 for the SNS. Unofficial estimates from polling institute Ipsos put the student movement at 140 seats and Vučić’s party at 103, down 26 seats from the 2023 parliamentary election, when it secured an absolute majority.
The setback was compounded by the failure of the Socialist Party, a longtime ally of Vučić, to clear the 3% threshold for parliamentary representation. The party previously held 18 seats. Preliminary estimates also gave three seats to Serbia’s Hungarian minority party and two to the Albanian minority list.
Turnout approached 70%, the highest since the breakup of Yugoslavia in 1992 and close to the record set in the 2000 parliamentary election.
The student movement grew out of protests that began in 2024, after 16 people died when a canopy collapsed at a railway station in Novi Sad. The disaster prompted mass demonstrations across Serbia, with protesters demanding accountability over the collapse and the construction work carried out by a Chinese company following a tendering process criticized for its lack of transparency.
Hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets, turning the demonstrations into a broader challenge to corruption and the concentration of political power. The student movement emerged as a nationwide opposition force and sustained pressure on Vučić’s government for nearly two years.
Vučić, who had led the country for 14 years, resigned as head of state in September to run for prime minister.
Celebrations and tensions in Belgrade
The preliminary results sparked celebrations across Belgrade, where thousands gathered to dance, chant slogans and set off flares and fireworks. Crowds shouted “Victory” and “Vučić is leaving” as people embraced and wept with joy.
Slavija Square, a focal point of the mass protests against the government, filled with supporters of the student movement. At Pioneers Park, between parliament and the presidential palace, hundreds of people tore down the fence surrounding the grounds and entered the public space.
The park had been closed to the public for months and periodically occupied by groups of masked Vučić supporters, who were accused of being used as a force to confront government opponents.
The celebrations underscored the scale of the political shift after more than a decade of SNS rule. Vučić had weathered previous opposition challenges, but the student movement turned sustained street protests into an electoral campaign that defeated his party.
A decentralized political movement
The Student List has presented itself as an alternative to Vučić’s centralized model of leadership. It operates through a horizontal structure and has avoided putting forward a single public face, arguing that political decisions should be made from the bottom up rather than imposed from above.
Its slate of 250 candidates includes university professors, actors and farmers, many of them little known to the wider public.
Radomir Sajcic, a University of Belgrade professor representing the movement, celebrated the result at its headquarters. “Dear Serbia, tonight the voice of the people can be heard,” he declared. “Tonight we celebrate victory; tomorrow we will build the future.”
Sajcic also described the outcome as “a victory of courage over fear, a victory of hope over indifference, a victory of faith that Serbia can and must be different.”
The movement’s platform calls for restoring the separation of powers and the autonomy of the prosecutor general’s office, as well as increasing investment in health care and education. It also pledges to tackle corruption and individual privileges to boost public revenue, while promoting technological modernization across the economy, including agriculture.
Serbia’s score in Transparency International’s corruption index has deteriorated during Vučić’s tenure. The European Union has also raised concerns about the country’s declining adherence to the rule of law.
European support and foreign policy questions
European institutions have welcomed the student movement’s victory, describing it as an opportunity to advance democratic reforms, strengthen the rule of law and combat corruption.
European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen congratulated the students and offered support for reforms and greater press freedom. Council of Europe Secretary-General Alain Berset highlighted Vučić’s acceptance of the results and his commitment to a peaceful democratic transition.
Today, the people of Serbia turned out in record numbers to shape their country’s future.
Congratulations to the Student List on its victory in the parliamentary elections.
We stand ready to support reforms on the rule of law, media freedom, the fight against corruption and…
Montenegrin Prime Minister Milojko Spajić and Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar also congratulated the winners and expressed their willingness to cooperate with them.
The election could also affect Serbia’s relations with the European Union and Russia. Under Vučić, the country has pursued EU membership while maintaining close ties with the Kremlin. Serbia has been an official candidate for EU accession since 2012.
Before the vote, EU foreign policy spokesperson Christian Wigand said the bloc would monitor the election closely and stressed the need for a free, fair and transparent process.
The Student List has offered fewer details about its international priorities than about its domestic reform agenda. Available indications suggest it may maintain Serbia’s EU candidacy while continuing to oppose sanctions against Russia, although the movement has yet to clearly outline its foreign policy plans.
The student movement’s victory marks a major political turning point for Serbia after 14 years of Vučić’s dominance. Its ability to convert demands for accountability and institutional reform into a parliamentary majority has reshaped the country’s political landscape, but the incoming government’s approach to domestic reform and foreign relations remains uncertain.
Former Serbian President Vucic said that his party would respect voters’ will in the country’s snap parliamentary elections.
On Sunday, Polling stations opened across Serbia at 7 a.m. local time in snap parliamentary elections to elect the country’s 250-seat National Assembly.
About 6.45 million registered voters are eligible to cast ballots at nearly 8,400 polling stations, including over 90 abroad. Polls in Serbia are scheduled to close at 8 p.m. local time. More than 16,000 domestic and foreign observers are monitoring the vote.
Eighteen electoral lists comprising 2,418 candidates are competing for parliamentary seats. The competing lists include “Aleksandar Vucic – United Serbia” led by the Serbian Progressive Party, “Student List – Students Win” backed by student groups, and “Ivica Dacic – Stability Factor!” formed by the Socialist Party of Serbia and its allies.
Serbia elects its parliament through proportional representation in a single nationwide constituency, with voters choosing electoral lists rather than individual candidates.
Electoral lists generally need votes equivalent to at least 3 percent of the number of voters who cast ballots to qualify for seat allocation. At least 126 seats are needed for a parliamentary majority.
Under Serbia’s election law, election results must be published within 96 hours. The newly elected National Assembly must hold its first sitting within 30 days. If it fails to elect a government within 90 days, the assembly must be dissolved and new parliamentary elections called.
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Voting is taking place in Serbia today. People have been lining up since 6 a.m. Among them is Aleksandar Vučić, whose rule students have been protesting against for the past two years.
Everyone is standing in line, yet no one approaches him to say hello, no one offers a… pic.twitter.com/YnGOLF2qeh
Vucic Pledges Responsible Approach to Election Results
On Sunday, Former Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said that his camp would act responsibly and respect voters’ will in the country’s snap parliamentary elections.
Speaking to reporters after casting his ballot in Belgrade, Vucic said, “If we lose, we will recognize the electoral will; if we win, no one will take it away.” He added that he expected a high turnout and the Serbian people to express their will democratically.
“Whatever the outcome, we will remain courteous and polite,” Vucic said. Unlike some who had never congratulated their opponents, his camp would give no one cause for concern, he added.
“As for the result, let’s wait and see tonight,” he said. He expected preliminary results to emerge between 10 p.m. (2100 GMT) and midnight local time.
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