Team Liquid has claimed the title of world champions at The International 13 (TI13) Dota 2 tournament, defeating Gaimin Gladiators 3-0 in the grand final. Despite entering the match as underdogs due to their history of losing grand finals, especially against Gaimin Gladiators, Liquid delivered a dominant performance to secure their second TI victory.

Dota 2, a multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) game developed by Valve, is one of the most popular esports titles in the world. In this competitive game, two teams of five players each battle to destroy the opposing team’s base, known as the “Ancient,” while defending their own. The International, Dota 2’s premier annual tournament, is widely regarded as one of the largest and most prestigious events in the esports industry.

Liquid, one of the favourites going into the event, dispelled doubts with their commanding win. This marks their second International title, the first being in 2017, and the first with their current roster. Neta “33” Shapira became one of the few players to win the tournament twice, having previously triumphed with Tundra Esports in 2022.

For their triumph, Team Liquid not only raised the coveted Aegis of Champions but also took home over US$1.15 million. Gaimin Gladiators, the runners-up, earned just over US$358,000.

Throughout the tournament, Liquid demonstrated exceptional form. They only suffered one loss during the group stage and the seeding decider phases, going on to deliver one of the most dominant performances in the history of The International. Liquid did not lose a single game in the playoff bracket, making their path to the championship flawless.

In the final, Liquid started strong despite Gaimin’s momentum after defeating Tundra Esports in the lower bracket final earlier that day. Though the 3-0 scoreline did not live up to the epic expectations of many fans, Liquid’s decisive victory brought immense satisfaction to their supporters, who had long awaited their team breaking a string of grand final losses.

Coach William Lee delivered an emotional speech after the win, expressing gratitude for the team’s perseverance through difficult years: “I feel like they took a chance on a guy who’s never coached a winning team before. We had so many losses… I’m just so glad that people like Zai, Nisha, and Boxi took a chance on us,” Lee said.

The final, while not as close as some anticipated, offered fans a deeply rewarding conclusion. After years of near-misses in major tournaments, Team Liquid finally broke their grand final curse on the biggest stage of all.

Their commanding victory, combined with their beloved status in the Dota 2 community, led to an outpouring of emotion, with many fans visibly in tears as they witnessed Liquid lift the Aegis.

Liquid’s unprecedented dominance throughout the playoffs only added to the historic nature of their win, which will go down as one of the most satisfying and celebrated moments in Dota 2 history.

The International 2024, also known as TI 13, was the thirteenth edition of Dota 2’s premier esports tournament, held in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Six teams were directly invited, while ten teams qualified through regional tournaments. Two teams each came from Western Europe, China, Southeast Asia, and South America, while Eastern Europe and North America each sent one team.

The base prize pool of the tournament was set at US$1.6 million, with an additional US$963,967 added from 25% of all Compendium sales, bringing the total prize pool to over US$2.5 million.

Six employees of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) were killed in an Israeli airstrike on a school in central Gaza, the agency has reported.

The al-Jaouni school in the Nuseirat refugee camp, which shelters thousands of displaced Palestinians, was struck on Wednesday (12 Sept).

Gaza’s Hamas-run Civil Defence agency reported a total of 18 deaths in the attack.

Among those killed were the manager of the UNRWA shelter and other team members who were assisting displaced people.

The UNRWA stated that this was the highest single-incident death toll among its staff since the conflict began and revealed that this was the fifth time the school had been hit since the start of the war.

The school is home to approximately 12,000 displaced individuals, mainly women and children.

Since the beginning of the assault on 7 October, at least 220 UNRWA staff members have been killed in Gaza.

In response to the attack, the UNRWA condemned the strike, stating, “No one is safe in Gaza. No one is spared.”

The agency emphasized the need to protect schools and other civilian infrastructure, declaring, “They are not a target,” and reiterated its call for all parties to refrain from using schools or their surroundings for military purposes.

Just Tragic.#Gaza
Six @UNRWA colleagues killed today when two airstrikes hit a school and its surroundings in Nuseirat in the middle areas.
This is the highest death toll among our staff in a single incident.
Among those killed was the manager of the UNRWA shelter and other…

— UNRWA (@UNRWA) September 11, 2024

Israel’s military acknowledged responsibility for the airstrike, claiming it was a “precise strike on terrorists” who were allegedly operating from the school.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) reported that the strike targeted a Hamas command and control center embedded within the school.

The IDF also claimed that steps had been taken to minimize civilian harm, including using precise munitions, aerial surveillance, and intelligence gathering.

The IDF accused Hamas of systematically using civilian infrastructure for military purposes, in violation of international law.

They alleged that nine of those killed were members of Hamas’s armed wing, the al-Qassam Brigades, including three who also worked for the UNRWA.

Israel called on the UNRWA to provide details of the workers killed in the strike, claiming no response had been given.

Yesterday (Wednesday), with the direction of IDF and ISA intelligence, the IAF conducted a precise strike on terrorists who were operating inside a command and control center embedded within a compound that previously served as the Al Jaouni School in the area of Nuseirat in…

— LTC Nadav Shoshani (@LTC_Shoshani) September 12, 2024

In response, UNRWA communications director Juliette Touma stated that the Israeli military had not requested a list of the staff who were killed.

She also noted that the names published by the Israeli military had not previously been flagged to the agency by Israeli authorities.

Touma reiterated that UNRWA regularly shares staff lists with host governments, including Israel as the occupying power in Gaza.

Touma further emphasized that UNRWA had consistently called for independent investigations into claims that civilian infrastructure was being used for military purposes.

She said the agency could not independently verify whether the school was being used by Hamas.

UN Secretary General António Guterres condemned the airstrike, calling it a violation of international humanitarian law.

“What’s happening in Gaza is totally unacceptable,” he wrote on X (formerly Twitter) on Wednesday (12 Sept).

What's happening in Gaza is totally unacceptable.

A school turned shelter for around 12,000 people was hit by Israeli airstrikes again today.

Six of our @UNRWA colleagues are among those killed.

These dramatic violations of international humanitarian law need to stop now.

— António Guterres (@antonioguterres) September 11, 2024

Israel’s ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, rejected Guterres’ remarks, defending Israel’s actions as part of a “just war against terrorism.”

What is "unacceptable,” @antonioguterres, is the fact you refuse to recognize reality and continue to distort it.

Terrorists operating out of civilian buildings previously used by @UNRWA are not "innocent." It is unconscionable that the UN continues to condemn Israel in its… https://t.co/ThWltXRqFY

— Danny Danon 🇮🇱 דני דנון (@dannydanon) September 12, 2024

The escalation of violence follows Hamas’s attack on southern Israel on 7 October, which left approximately 1,200 people dead and led to the abduction of 251 Israelis who were taken to Gaza as hostages.

Since the conflict began, more than 41,000 people have been killed in Gaza, including nearly 16,500 children, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.