Valeria Marquez, a 23-year-old beauty influencer from Mexico, was fatally shot during a TikTok livestream on Tuesday in Zapopan, Jalisco. Authorities have confirmed they are investigating the incident as a suspected femicide.
The attack occurred inside the beauty salon where Marquez worked. According to the Jalisco state prosecutor’s office, a man entered the premises and shot her. Marquez had been livestreaming shortly before the incident, seated at a table holding a stuffed toy. She was heard saying, “they’re coming,” before briefly muting the audio. Gunshots were then heard, and someone appeared to pick up her phone, briefly revealing their face before the stream ended.
The footage, while not graphic, has raised serious concerns about the circumstances leading to her deathInstagram/ elcucutenonoticias
Earlier in the livestream, Marquez mentioned that someone had left an “expensive gift” for her at the salon while she was away. Appearing concerned, she stated that she had no intention of waiting for the person to return.
Marquez had a significant online following, with nearly 200,000 followers on TikTok and Instagram combined. Her death has reignited concerns over gender-based violence in Mexico, where femicide remains a persistent issue.
Mexican authorities define femicide as the killing of a woman under circumstances involving sexual violence, degrading treatment, a relationship with the perpetrator, or public exposure of the body. The country recorded a femicide rate of 1.3 per 100,000 women in 2023, placing it alongside Paraguay, Uruguay, and Bolivia with the fourth-highest rate in Latin America and the Caribbean, according to United Nations data.
Jalisco, the state where the incident occurred, ranks sixth nationally in terms of homicides. Since President Claudia Sheinbaum took office in October 2024, 906 homicides have been recorded in the state, according to figures from data consultancy TResearch.
Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gives a news conference in Jerusalem on June 15, 2026.
Netanyahu faces backlash for calling Britain ‘Islamic Republic’
Highlights
ISRAELI prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has described the UK as the “Islamic Republic of Britain”, drawing criticism amid growing tensions between the two countries.
Netanyahu made the comments during an interview for Israel's army radio while discussing British media coverage of Israel.
Praising journalist Randolph Churchill, son of former British prime minister Winston Churchill, for his coverage of Israel more than 50 years ago, Netanyahu said: “Go find that in today's Britain, in what is called the Islamic republic of Britain.”
When the interviewer asked whether Netanyahu was singling out Britain unfairly because other European countries had also become critical of Israel, he went further.
“Yes, but you know someone said the first Islamic republic with nuclear weapons will be the Islamic republic of Britain,” he said.
Pakistan, officially known as the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, has possessed nuclear weapons since the 1990s.
Netanyahu's remarks have been criticised by political figures and Jewish organisations in Britain.
Avi Dabush, a member of Israel's opposition Democrats party, accused Netanyahu of attacking a key ally while Israel faces growing international isolation.
“That’s what happens when there’s a horrific diplomatic failure, and an inability to rally countries in the world in favour of our interests,” he said in a social media post.
'Dangerous and divisive'
The Movement for Progressive Judaism also criticised the comments, saying they were dangerous and divisive.
“At a time when antisemitism, anti-Muslim hatred and social division are causing real fear across our country, language of this kind is dangerous and irresponsible,” said its co-leads Rabbi Charley Baginsky and Rabbi Josh Lev.
“Prime minister Netanyahu does not speak for British Jews. His words do not represent us,” they added.
Gavin Barwell, a former Downing Street chief of staff, described Netanyahu's comments as “blatant Islamophobia”.
Relations between Britain and Israel have become increasingly strained in recent years, with London taking a tougher position over Israel's military actions in Gaza and settlement policy.
British prime minister Andy Burnham has said the UK should do more to put pressure on the Israeli government, including considering further sanctions and measures to restrict trade in goods from illegal settlements.
Netanyahu's comments also echoed remarks made by US vice president JD Vance during the 2024 presidential campaign, when he suggested the UK could become the first “truly Islamist country” with nuclear weapons.
The Israeli prime minister's office did not immediately respond to questions about whether his comments represented the official position of the Israeli government. The UK's Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office also did not immediately comment.