Trump hints at possible Gaza truce, Hamas calls negotiations 'tough' | LIVE

Hamas agrees to release 10 hostages amid 'tough' cease-fire talks

Hamas says it has agreed to release 10 hostages as part of ongoing cease-fire negotiations, describing the talks as "tough" due to Israel's "intransigence," Reuters reports.

Hamas official Taher al-Nunu said the group accepted the latest truce proposal to allow aid into Gaza and stop Israeli attacks, while pushing for a permanent cease-fire and Israeli troop withdrawal.

Key sticking points include the unrestricted flow of aid, opposition to forced displacement, and the terms of troop withdrawal in the first phase of a deal.

Thank you for following our live blog, join us tomorrow for more updates.

Washington sanctions UN Special Rapporteur on Palestinian territories

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has announced that the United States will impose sanctions on Francesca Albanese, the U.N. Special Rapporteur on the Palestinian Territories based in Geneva.

Rubio accused Albanese of “illegitimate and disgraceful efforts to pressure the International Criminal Court to take action against U.S. and Israeli officials, businesses, and leaders,” he wrote on X.

Yemen: US embassy accuses Houthis of kidnapping crew members from attacked ship

The U.S. Embassy in Yemen, currently based in Riyadh, has accused the Houthi rebels of abducting crew members from the Eternity C, a vessel they attacked in the Red Sea.

“After killing their crewmates and sinking their ship, the Houthi terrorists kidnapped several surviving members of the Eternity C crew,” the embassy said in a post on X, calling for their “immediate and unconditional release.”

Palestinian ministry urges EU to follow Macron’s call for state recognition

The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has called on European countries to support French President Emmanuel Macron’s renewed push for Palestinian statehood, Al Jazeera reports.

In a rare address to both houses of the British Parliament on Tuesday, Macron urged the UK to support recognition of the State of Palestine as part of efforts to revive the stalled political process toward a two-state solution.

The Palestinian ministry welcomed Macron’s remarks, noting that he also emphasized the need for an immediate cease-fire and increased humanitarian aid to alleviate suffering in Gaza.

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs calls on European countries that have not yet recognized the State of Palestine to adopt the French position and fulfill their political and legal responsibilities by supporting a just resolution to the Palestinian cause,” the statement read.

Trump hints at possible Gaza truce 'this week or next'

Former President Donald Trump said there is a “very good chance” a cease-fire could be reached in Gaza this week or the next, following his second meeting in two days with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss the situation.

“We have a chance this week or next week,” he told reporters.

Gaza: Israeli army says it sas 'created conditions to advance a deal'

Israeli military operations in the Gaza Strip have "created the conditions to advance a hostage release deal," the chief of staff of the Israeli army said Wednesday evening.

“We have achieved many important and significant results. We have severely weakened Hamas’s military and governmental capabilities,” said Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir in a televised statement. “Thanks to the operational power we have generated, the conditions have been created to move forward with a hostage release agreement” as part of a potential truce in Gaza, he added.

The governor of the Baalbeck-Hermel region, Bachir Khodr, has denied the existence of any Israeli threats targeting a building housing an Ogero telecommunications center, according to the state-run National News Agency (NNA).

Anonymous threat call from Israeli number prompts evacuation of Telecom Center in Bekaa

An employee at a public telecom center operated by Ogero in Baalbeck received an anonymous phone call Wednesday from an Israeli number warning of the need to evacuate the building.

As a precaution, all staff immediately left the premises, while security forces launched an investigation to determine the credibility of the threat, according to reporting by our correspondent in the region.

The Ogero center is located directly next to a husseiniya named after Iran’s former Supreme Leader, Imam Khomeini, in the heart of Baalbeck’s main souk.

So far, security forces have not confirmed whether the threat is credible. Investigations are ongoing.

Israeli strike on residential building kills three Palestinians in Gaza

At least three people, including an infant, were killed Wednesday afternoon when an Israeli airstrike targeted an apartment near the Shuhada al-Shati school in western Gaza City, medical sources told the Wafa news agency.

Meanwhile, Gaza’s Civil Defense reported that more than 20 Israeli airstrikes also struck the al-Touffah neighborhood in eastern Gaza, according to Al Jazeera.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar says he believes a cease-fire and returning the captives is “achievable” as Israeli delegation remains in Doha to continue to negotiate indirectly with Hamas.

“If a temporary cease-fire is achieved, we will negotiate on a permanent cease-fire,” Saar told a news conference in Bratislava with his Slovakian counterpart.

On Tuesday, Steve Witkoff, the U.S.’s special envoy to the Middle East, said the number of issues preventing Israel and Hamas from reaching an agreement had decreased from four to one, and expressed optimism for a temporary cease-fire deal by the end of the week.

The highly anticipated agreement is expected to involve a 60-day cease-fire and the release of 10 living and the bodies of nine captives.

US bulldozers arrive in Israel after Biden administration delay

Dozens of U.S.-made bulldozers have arrived in Israel after months of delays linked to Washington’s concerns over their use in Gaza, Al Jazeera reports, citing the Times of Israel and Israeli Defense Ministry sources.

The shipment, which includes Caterpillar D9 bulldozers and other heavy equipment for the Israeli army’s ground forces, was unloaded at Haifa Port this week. These vehicles are known for their military-grade armor and are frequently used in combat zones.

Back in November, reports emerged that the Biden administration had temporarily halted the sale, reportedly due to the Israeli military's use of the D9s to demolish Palestinian homes and infrastructure in Gaza — a practice that has drawn criticism from human rights organizations.

The arrival of the equipment comes amid ongoing Israeli operations in Gaza, where questions continue to mount over U.S. military support and accountability.

Israel announces ground offensive in Beit Hanoun after death of five soldiers

The Israeli army has announced that one of its units has joined the forces already operating in Beit Hanoun, in the northern Gaza Strip, stating that Israeli troops are now "encircling the area."

According to a statement published on Telegram, the forces are conducting operations aimed at "dismantling Hamas’s military infrastructure and capabilities in the area."

The announcement comes a day after five Israeli soldiers were killed in Beit Hanoun during an ambush by Palestinian fighters, who detonated explosive devices before opening fire with automatic weapons.

In the past hour, the Israeli military has also launched a large-scale airstrike on northern Gaza City, where numerous bombings have been reported.

Save the Children warns Israel’s blockade of fuel into Gaza threatens to cut off supplies of drinking water to about 44,000 children within days

That would increase the risk of outbreaks of waterborne illnesses such as cholera, diarrhea and dysentery, the group said.

Save the Children relies on fuel to transport safe supplies of clean water to 50 communities across Gaza each day. But shipments have been entirely stopped from entering Gaza since Israeli authorities imposed a total siege in early March.

“Access to safe water is a fundamental human right,” said Ahmad Alhendawi, the charity’s regional director, according to Al-Jazeera.

“Not only is food and aid being withheld to an entire population on the brink – fuel that powers the systems that are critical for survival has not been allowed in for four months.”

A survey of Doctors Without Borders (known by its French initials MSF) staff and their families has revealed an 'appalling' death rate in Israel’s war on Gaza, the charity says.

The retrospective mortality survey of 2,523 MSF staff and their family members in Gaza found that the mortality rate among Palestinian children under five had increased 10-fold, compared with Ministry of Health estimates before the outbreak of the war.

For babies less than one month old, the mortality rate was six times higher, while among all those surveyed, it was five times higher.

Amande Bazerolle, deputy manager of MSF’s emergency department, condemned Israel’s “disregard for children’s lives”. “The children of Gaza are being decimated,” she said.

UK minister slams Israeli ‘humanitarian city’ plan in Rafah

The UK’s Minister for the Middle East and North Africa, Hamish Falconer, has strongly criticized a controversial Israeli proposal to establish a so-called “humanitarian city” in Rafah, where much of the city has been reduced to rubble by months of war.

In a post on X, Falconer said he was “appalled” by Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz’s plan, which involves relocating large numbers of displaced Palestinians to the southern Gaza Strip.

“Palestinian territory must not be reduced. Civilians must be able to return to their communities,” Falconer wrote. Human rights groups and analysts have condemned the proposal, warning it could serve as a “blueprint for ethnic cleansing.”

An Israeli air attack on a car has killed four Palestinians and injured several others in the al-Mawasi area near southern Gaza’s Khan Younis city, according to a source in the enclave’s ambulance and emergency department speaking to al-Jazeera.

Lebanon's Prime Minister Nawaf Salam received the U.N. Special Coordinator for Lebanon, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert.

"They discussed the current political situation and recent developments related to the implementation of U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701," according to NNA.

Netanyahu says "good chance" of achieving cease-fire

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, speaking to Fox News, said, "We are talking about a 60-day cease-fire, during which half of the hostages alive and half of the deceased will be returned to Israel by the monsters of Hamas. I think there is a good chance that we will achieve this cease-fire, as well as achieve the goals that I set from the beginning."

The Israeli foreign minister said Wednesday he was optimistic about reaching an agreement on a cease-fire and the release of hostages in Gaza, saying that if a temporary truce were achieved, Israel would negotiate a permanent cease-fire.

“Israel is determined to reach an agreement on the hostages and a cease-fire. I think it is possible. If a temporary cease-fire is reached, we will negotiate a permanent cease-fire,” Gideon Saar said at a press conference in Bratislava with his Slovak counterpart.

A Palestinian family of six who are stuck in Gaza despite having permission to join a relative in Britain asked London's High Court on Wednesday to make officials reconsider their refusal to ask Israel for help to leave the enclave, Reuters reported.

Israeli forces have helped transport mobile housing units onto an empty plot of land in the Tel Rumeida area of Hebron, in the southern occupied West Bank.

The trucks transporting the housing units were accompanied by Israeli military vehicles.

Issa Amro, coordinator of the Youth Against Settlements group, has told Al Jazeera that the mobile housing units were placed in territory designated H1, referring to the section of Hebron that is under the civil and security control of the Palestinian Authority.

He said this was the first time this had happened in Hebron, adding that it was a dangerous development.

Israeli army claims Palestinian "terrorists" arrested in occupied West Bank

The Israeli military claims several Palestinians from the occupied West Bank city of Surif, whom it referred to as “terrorists,” hurled rocks and set vehicles on fire overnight near the illegal Israeli settlement of Bat Ayin.

“Subsequently, the forces began a counterterrorism operation in the area of Surif, during which they apprehended two individuals suspected of involvement in the attack and conducted searches at dozens of sites in the area,” the military statement published on Telegram in English said.

“Following the incident, an inquiry was opened by the Israel Police. Efforts to locate additional terrorists and secure the area are ongoing,” it added.

Israeli army confirms destruction of "Hezbollah infrastructure" in south Lebanon

Avichay Adraee, the Israeli army Arabic spokesperson, said his army destroyed Hezbollah infrastructure in southern Lebanon in a post on X.

“Based on intelligence information and surveillance of Hezbollah's combat means and (…) infrastructure in several areas in southern Lebanon, the fighters proceeded to carry out special and focused operations aimed at destroying them and preventing Hezbollah from repositioning in the area,” Adraee said.

“In one of the operations carried out in Jabal Blatt, the forces of the 300th Brigade managed to find a complex of weapons warehouses and rocket launch pads belonging to Hezbollah. The forces proceeded to destroy this terrorist infrastructure,” Adraee claimed.

In another operation, the forces “found combat means hidden in a rugged area near Labounneh [Sour], including a multiple rocket launcher, a heavy machine gun, and dozens of improvised explosive devices. The forces seized and destroyed the military equipment and combat means found in that area.”

“An underground building used for storing combat means was also found in the area, and this infrastructure was destroyed using engineering capabilities,” Adraee claimed.

Israeli army claims to have targeted Hezbollah infrastructure

The Israeli army said Israeli soldiers targeted Hezbollah infrastructure in southern Lebanon, including in Labbouneh and Jabal Blatt (Sour).

"Following intelligence information and the identification of Hezbollah weapons and terrorist infrastructure in several areas of southern Lebanon, the soldiers launched special, targeted operations to dismantle them and prevent Hezbollah from reestablishing itself in the area," the statement read.

"In one of the operations in the Jabal Blat ridge, troops from the 300th Brigade located a compound containing weapons depots and firing positions," the Israeli army said. In Labbouneh, soldiers destroyed an underground tunnel and weapons depot that contained a multi-barrel launcher, a heavy machine gun, and dozens of explosive devices.

Russian consulate in Tehran resumes operations

The Russian embassy in Tehran announced that its consular services have resumed, more than three weeks after they were suspended amid the war between Iran, a close ally of Moscow, and Israel.

“The embassy's consular service continues to welcome citizens for the full range of consular services,” the Russian embassy said in a statement released Tuesday evening. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova confirmed Wednesday during her weekly briefing that the consulate is “operating normally.”

“However, given the ongoing tensions in the region, we recommend that Russian nationals think carefully before traveling to Iran and exercise caution and vigilance,” she added.

U.N. special rapporteur warns of Palestinian prisoners' rights violations

Francesca Albanese, the U.N. special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories, says the torture of Palestinian prisoners has become commonplace since Oct. 7, 2023.

On the social media platform X, Albanese responded to a post about the 2024 gang-rape of a Palestinian prisoner by guards at the Sde Teiman detention facility by saying the assault was “not an isolated case – it’s part of a pattern.”

“Since Oct. 7, torture against Palestinian prisoners has become widespread and systematic. Both male and female detainees have been subjected to sexual violence, including rape,” she said.

Albanese said this was not only a matter of cruelty, "inflicting severe physical or mental harm on members of a group, as such, is a constitutive element of genocide.”

“How much more evidence do people need to understand what is happening?” she concluded.

At least 105 Palestinians have been killed and 530 injured in Israeli attacks across Gaza in the past 24 hours, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.

The toll included seven aid seekers killed and more than 57 injured, the statement published by the ministry on Telegram said.

Israel’s war on Gaza has killed a total of 57,680 people and injured 137,409 others since Oct. 7, 2023, the ministry said.

The total number of aid seekers killed since the U.S.- and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation was introduced on May 27 has reached 773, with more than 5,101 Palestinians waiting for aid also being injured.

Israel kills and injures Palestinians lining up for aid

Israeli forces have killed six Palestinians by gunfire and injured several others who were waiting for aid north of Gaza’s southern city of Rafah, Al-Jazeera's correspondent in Gaza reported, citing a medical source.

At least 26 Palestinians were killed in Israeli attacks across Gaza since dawn, the medical sources told Al Jazeera.

Israeli army raids West Bank, arrests 30 people, including two 9-year-olds

More than 30 people, including two children aged nine, have been arrested in Israeli army dawn raids across the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian Prisoners’ Media Office (ASRA) says.

The raids took place in Bethlehem, Salfit, Jerusalem, Qalqilya, Hebron, Nablus and the Balata refugee camp on the latter city’s outskirts, according to the group.

Former prisoners were among those arrested.

Israeli forces advanced into southern Lebanon and blew up a house in Kfar Kila, located about 1.6 km from the border with Israel, according to L'Orient Today's correspondent in the South.

Netanyahu and Trump prioritize Gaza hostages and cease-fire during talks in Washington

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said U.S. President Donald Trump focused their discussions on the release of hostages held in Gaza, and stressed his determination to “eliminate” Hamas' military and governmental capabilities.

Netanyahu said on X that he had discussed with Trump the effects of “the great victory we achieved over Iran,” nearly a month after the 12-day war, during which the U.S. joined Israeli attacks on Iranian nuclear sites.

Gaza: Civil Defense reports 20 killed in Israeli air strikes

The Gaza Civil Defense reported that 20 people, including six children, were killed in two Israeli air strikes carried out shortly after midnight on Palestinian territory.

The new Israeli bombings hit the south and north of the Gaza Strip, Mahmoud Bassal, a spokesman for the relief agency, told AFP. When contacted by AFP, the Israeli army said it was looking into the facts reported by Bassal.

Barrack warns: Trump has the courage to confront Hezbollah, but no patience

U.S. presidential envoy Tom Barrack, who visited Beirut to discuss Washington’s “road map” demanding Hezbollah’s disarmament, warned in an interview aired Monday night on LBCI that President Donald Trump “has no patience.”

“If Lebanon wants to keep stalling on this issue, the United States will no longer be around to talk about it,” Barrack said.

Israeli army claims it killed Hezbollah’s Bader unit official in Bablieh strike

Shortly after U.S. envoy Tom Barrack departed Beirut, the Israeli army escalated by striking northern Lebanon on Monday — its first such action since the cease-fire took effect in November. Israel claimed it targeted “a key figure” from Hamas in the Tripoli area.

Separately, the Israeli military said it eliminated Hussein Ali Mezher in a drone strike on Bablieh, in the Saida district. Mezher was in charge of fire coordination in the Zahrani area for Hezbollah’s Bader unit.

“The terrorist was responsible for planning numerous rocket attacks on the State of Israel and the Israeli army,” IDF Arabic spokesperson Avichay Adraee posted on X. “Most recently, he tried to rebuild Hezbollah’s artillery units in southern Lebanon,” Adraee added.

Three killed aboard cargo ship attacked Monday in Red Sea

A cargo ship attacked in the Red Sea off the coast of Yemen on Monday evening remains “surrounded” by its assailants, a British maritime security agency said Tuesday. The European naval mission Aspides, deployed in the area, reported that three crew members were killed.

The attack on the MV Eternity C came a day after another assault, claimed by Yemen’s Houthi rebels, targeting the Magic Seas, which also sails under the Liberian flag. “Two sailors” were killed in the Eternity C attack, a representative of Liberia said during a meeting of the International Maritime Organization in London.

Iran-Israel war: Riyadh and Tehran discuss cease-fire

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Arabia’s foreign ministry announced late Monday, two weeks after the cease-fire between Iran and Israel.

The crown prince “reaffirmed the kingdom’s position in favor of dialogue and diplomatic means as the only path to resolving disputes,” Riyadh wrote on X, posting a photo of the meeting.

The Iranian minister “welcomed the efforts” by the crown prince “to strengthen security and stability in the region” and expressed “gratitude to the kingdom for its stance in condemning Israeli aggression,” the Saudi statement added.

Good morning. Thank you for joining us for today's live coverage of the events in the region, namely Gaza, Lebanon and Syria. Make sure to read today's Morning Brief to get caught up with yesterday's key events.

Hamas agrees to release 10 hostages amid 'tough' cease-fire talks

Hamas says it has agreed to release 10 hostages as part of ongoing cease-fire negotiations, describing the talks as "tough" due to Israel's "intransigence," Reuters reports.

Hamas official Taher al-Nunu said the group accepted the latest truce proposal to allow aid into Gaza and stop Israeli attacks, while pushing for a permanent cease-fire and Israeli troop withdrawal.

Key sticking points include the unrestricted flow of aid, opposition to forced displacement, and the terms of troop withdrawal in the first phase of a deal.

Thank you for following our live blog, join us tomorrow for more updates.

Washington sanctions UN Special Rapporteur on Palestinian territories

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has announced that the United States will impose sanctions on Francesca Albanese, the U.N. Special Rapporteur on the Palestinian Territories based in Geneva.

Rubio accused Albanese of “illegitimate and disgraceful efforts to pressure the International Criminal Court to take action against U.S. and Israeli officials, businesses, and leaders,” he wrote on X.

Yemen: US embassy accuses Houthis of kidnapping crew members from attacked ship

The U.S. Embassy in Yemen, currently based in Riyadh, has accused the Houthi rebels of abducting crew members from the Eternity C, a vessel they attacked in the Red Sea.

“After killing their crewmates and sinking their ship, the Houthi terrorists kidnapped several surviving members of the Eternity C crew,” the embassy said in a post on X, calling for their “immediate and unconditional release.”

Palestinian ministry urges EU to follow Macron’s call for state recognition

The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has called on European countries to support French President Emmanuel Macron’s renewed push for Palestinian statehood, Al Jazeera reports.

In a rare address to both houses of the British Parliament on Tuesday, Macron urged the UK to support recognition of the State of Palestine as part of efforts to revive the stalled political process toward a two-state solution.

The Palestinian ministry welcomed Macron’s remarks, noting that he also emphasized the need for an immediate cease-fire and increased humanitarian aid to alleviate suffering in Gaza.

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs calls on European countries that have not yet recognized the State of Palestine to adopt the French position and fulfill their political and legal responsibilities by supporting a just resolution to the Palestinian cause,” the statement read.

Trump hints at possible Gaza truce 'this week or next'

Former President Donald Trump said there is a “very good chance” a cease-fire could be reached in Gaza this week or the next, following his second meeting in two days with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss the situation.

“We have a chance this week or next week,” he told reporters.

Gaza: Israeli army says it sas 'created conditions to advance a deal'

Israeli military operations in the Gaza Strip have "created the conditions to advance a hostage release deal," the chief of staff of the Israeli army said Wednesday evening.

“We have achieved many important and significant results. We have severely weakened Hamas’s military and governmental capabilities,” said Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir in a televised statement. “Thanks to the operational power we have generated, the conditions have been created to move forward with a hostage release agreement” as part of a potential truce in Gaza, he added.

The governor of the Baalbeck-Hermel region, Bachir Khodr, has denied the existence of any Israeli threats targeting a building housing an Ogero telecommunications center, according to the state-run National News Agency (NNA).

Anonymous threat call from Israeli number prompts evacuation of Telecom Center in Bekaa

An employee at a public telecom center operated by Ogero in Baalbeck received an anonymous phone call Wednesday from an Israeli number warning of the need to evacuate the building.

As a precaution, all staff immediately left the premises, while security forces launched an investigation to determine the credibility of the threat, according to reporting by our correspondent in the region.

The Ogero center is located directly next to a husseiniya named after Iran’s former Supreme Leader, Imam Khomeini, in the heart of Baalbeck’s main souk.

So far, security forces have not confirmed whether the threat is credible. Investigations are ongoing.

Israeli strike on residential building kills three Palestinians in Gaza

At least three people, including an infant, were killed Wednesday afternoon when an Israeli airstrike targeted an apartment near the Shuhada al-Shati school in western Gaza City, medical sources told the Wafa news agency.

Meanwhile, Gaza’s Civil Defense reported that more than 20 Israeli airstrikes also struck the al-Touffah neighborhood in eastern Gaza, according to Al Jazeera.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar says he believes a cease-fire and returning the captives is “achievable” as Israeli delegation remains in Doha to continue to negotiate indirectly with Hamas.

“If a temporary cease-fire is achieved, we will negotiate on a permanent cease-fire,” Saar told a news conference in Bratislava with his Slovakian counterpart.

On Tuesday, Steve Witkoff, the U.S.’s special envoy to the Middle East, said the number of issues preventing Israel and Hamas from reaching an agreement had decreased from four to one, and expressed optimism for a temporary cease-fire deal by the end of the week.

The highly anticipated agreement is expected to involve a 60-day cease-fire and the release of 10 living and the bodies of nine captives.

US bulldozers arrive in Israel after Biden administration delay

Dozens of U.S.-made bulldozers have arrived in Israel after months of delays linked to Washington’s concerns over their use in Gaza, Al Jazeera reports, citing the Times of Israel and Israeli Defense Ministry sources.

The shipment, which includes Caterpillar D9 bulldozers and other heavy equipment for the Israeli army’s ground forces, was unloaded at Haifa Port this week. These vehicles are known for their military-grade armor and are frequently used in combat zones.

Back in November, reports emerged that the Biden administration had temporarily halted the sale, reportedly due to the Israeli military's use of the D9s to demolish Palestinian homes and infrastructure in Gaza — a practice that has drawn criticism from human rights organizations.

The arrival of the equipment comes amid ongoing Israeli operations in Gaza, where questions continue to mount over U.S. military support and accountability.

Israel announces ground offensive in Beit Hanoun after death of five soldiers

The Israeli army has announced that one of its units has joined the forces already operating in Beit Hanoun, in the northern Gaza Strip, stating that Israeli troops are now "encircling the area."

According to a statement published on Telegram, the forces are conducting operations aimed at "dismantling Hamas’s military infrastructure and capabilities in the area."

The announcement comes a day after five Israeli soldiers were killed in Beit Hanoun during an ambush by Palestinian fighters, who detonated explosive devices before opening fire with automatic weapons.

In the past hour, the Israeli military has also launched a large-scale airstrike on northern Gaza City, where numerous bombings have been reported.

Save the Children warns Israel’s blockade of fuel into Gaza threatens to cut off supplies of drinking water to about 44,000 children within days

That would increase the risk of outbreaks of waterborne illnesses such as cholera, diarrhea and dysentery, the group said.

Save the Children relies on fuel to transport safe supplies of clean water to 50 communities across Gaza each day. But shipments have been entirely stopped from entering Gaza since Israeli authorities imposed a total siege in early March.

“Access to safe water is a fundamental human right,” said Ahmad Alhendawi, the charity’s regional director, according to Al-Jazeera.

“Not only is food and aid being withheld to an entire population on the brink – fuel that powers the systems that are critical for survival has not been allowed in for four months.”

A survey of Doctors Without Borders (known by its French initials MSF) staff and their families has revealed an 'appalling' death rate in Israel’s war on Gaza, the charity says.

The retrospective mortality survey of 2,523 MSF staff and their family members in Gaza found that the mortality rate among Palestinian children under five had increased 10-fold, compared with Ministry of Health estimates before the outbreak of the war.

For babies less than one month old, the mortality rate was six times higher, while among all those surveyed, it was five times higher.

Amande Bazerolle, deputy manager of MSF’s emergency department, condemned Israel’s “disregard for children’s lives”. “The children of Gaza are being decimated,” she said.

UK minister slams Israeli ‘humanitarian city’ plan in Rafah

The UK’s Minister for the Middle East and North Africa, Hamish Falconer, has strongly criticized a controversial Israeli proposal to establish a so-called “humanitarian city” in Rafah, where much of the city has been reduced to rubble by months of war.

In a post on X, Falconer said he was “appalled” by Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz’s plan, which involves relocating large numbers of displaced Palestinians to the southern Gaza Strip.

“Palestinian territory must not be reduced. Civilians must be able to return to their communities,” Falconer wrote. Human rights groups and analysts have condemned the proposal, warning it could serve as a “blueprint for ethnic cleansing.”

An Israeli air attack on a car has killed four Palestinians and injured several others in the al-Mawasi area near southern Gaza’s Khan Younis city, according to a source in the enclave’s ambulance and emergency department speaking to al-Jazeera.

Lebanon's Prime Minister Nawaf Salam received the U.N. Special Coordinator for Lebanon, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert.

"They discussed the current political situation and recent developments related to the implementation of U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701," according to NNA.

Netanyahu says "good chance" of achieving cease-fire

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, speaking to Fox News, said, "We are talking about a 60-day cease-fire, during which half of the hostages alive and half of the deceased will be returned to Israel by the monsters of Hamas. I think there is a good chance that we will achieve this cease-fire, as well as achieve the goals that I set from the beginning."

The Israeli foreign minister said Wednesday he was optimistic about reaching an agreement on a cease-fire and the release of hostages in Gaza, saying that if a temporary truce were achieved, Israel would negotiate a permanent cease-fire.

“Israel is determined to reach an agreement on the hostages and a cease-fire. I think it is possible. If a temporary cease-fire is reached, we will negotiate a permanent cease-fire,” Gideon Saar said at a press conference in Bratislava with his Slovak counterpart.

A Palestinian family of six who are stuck in Gaza despite having permission to join a relative in Britain asked London's High Court on Wednesday to make officials reconsider their refusal to ask Israel for help to leave the enclave, Reuters reported.

Israeli forces have helped transport mobile housing units onto an empty plot of land in the Tel Rumeida area of Hebron, in the southern occupied West Bank.

The trucks transporting the housing units were accompanied by Israeli military vehicles.

Issa Amro, coordinator of the Youth Against Settlements group, has told Al Jazeera that the mobile housing units were placed in territory designated H1, referring to the section of Hebron that is under the civil and security control of the Palestinian Authority.

He said this was the first time this had happened in Hebron, adding that it was a dangerous development.

Israeli army claims Palestinian "terrorists" arrested in occupied West Bank

The Israeli military claims several Palestinians from the occupied West Bank city of Surif, whom it referred to as “terrorists,” hurled rocks and set vehicles on fire overnight near the illegal Israeli settlement of Bat Ayin.

“Subsequently, the forces began a counterterrorism operation in the area of Surif, during which they apprehended two individuals suspected of involvement in the attack and conducted searches at dozens of sites in the area,” the military statement published on Telegram in English said.

“Following the incident, an inquiry was opened by the Israel Police. Efforts to locate additional terrorists and secure the area are ongoing,” it added.

Israeli army confirms destruction of "Hezbollah infrastructure" in south Lebanon

Avichay Adraee, the Israeli army Arabic spokesperson, said his army destroyed Hezbollah infrastructure in southern Lebanon in a post on X.

“Based on intelligence information and surveillance of Hezbollah's combat means and (…) infrastructure in several areas in southern Lebanon, the fighters proceeded to carry out special and focused operations aimed at destroying them and preventing Hezbollah from repositioning in the area,” Adraee said.

“In one of the operations carried out in Jabal Blatt, the forces of the 300th Brigade managed to find a complex of weapons warehouses and rocket launch pads belonging to Hezbollah. The forces proceeded to destroy this terrorist infrastructure,” Adraee claimed.

In another operation, the forces “found combat means hidden in a rugged area near Labounneh [Sour], including a multiple rocket launcher, a heavy machine gun, and dozens of improvised explosive devices. The forces seized and destroyed the military equipment and combat means found in that area.”

“An underground building used for storing combat means was also found in the area, and this infrastructure was destroyed using engineering capabilities,” Adraee claimed.

Israeli army claims to have targeted Hezbollah infrastructure

The Israeli army said Israeli soldiers targeted Hezbollah infrastructure in southern Lebanon, including in Labbouneh and Jabal Blatt (Sour).

"Following intelligence information and the identification of Hezbollah weapons and terrorist infrastructure in several areas of southern Lebanon, the soldiers launched special, targeted operations to dismantle them and prevent Hezbollah from reestablishing itself in the area," the statement read.

"In one of the operations in the Jabal Blat ridge, troops from the 300th Brigade located a compound containing weapons depots and firing positions," the Israeli army said. In Labbouneh, soldiers destroyed an underground tunnel and weapons depot that contained a multi-barrel launcher, a heavy machine gun, and dozens of explosive devices.

Russian consulate in Tehran resumes operations

The Russian embassy in Tehran announced that its consular services have resumed, more than three weeks after they were suspended amid the war between Iran, a close ally of Moscow, and Israel.

“The embassy's consular service continues to welcome citizens for the full range of consular services,” the Russian embassy said in a statement released Tuesday evening. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova confirmed Wednesday during her weekly briefing that the consulate is “operating normally.”

“However, given the ongoing tensions in the region, we recommend that Russian nationals think carefully before traveling to Iran and exercise caution and vigilance,” she added.

U.N. special rapporteur warns of Palestinian prisoners' rights violations

Francesca Albanese, the U.N. special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories, says the torture of Palestinian prisoners has become commonplace since Oct. 7, 2023.

On the social media platform X, Albanese responded to a post about the 2024 gang-rape of a Palestinian prisoner by guards at the Sde Teiman detention facility by saying the assault was “not an isolated case – it’s part of a pattern.”

“Since Oct. 7, torture against Palestinian prisoners has become widespread and systematic. Both male and female detainees have been subjected to sexual violence, including rape,” she said.

Albanese said this was not only a matter of cruelty, "inflicting severe physical or mental harm on members of a group, as such, is a constitutive element of genocide.”

“How much more evidence do people need to understand what is happening?” she concluded.

At least 105 Palestinians have been killed and 530 injured in Israeli attacks across Gaza in the past 24 hours, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.

The toll included seven aid seekers killed and more than 57 injured, the statement published by the ministry on Telegram said.

Israel’s war on Gaza has killed a total of 57,680 people and injured 137,409 others since Oct. 7, 2023, the ministry said.

The total number of aid seekers killed since the U.S.- and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation was introduced on May 27 has reached 773, with more than 5,101 Palestinians waiting for aid also being injured.

Israel kills and injures Palestinians lining up for aid

Israeli forces have killed six Palestinians by gunfire and injured several others who were waiting for aid north of Gaza’s southern city of Rafah, Al-Jazeera's correspondent in Gaza reported, citing a medical source.

At least 26 Palestinians were killed in Israeli attacks across Gaza since dawn, the medical sources told Al Jazeera.

Israeli army raids West Bank, arrests 30 people, including two 9-year-olds

More than 30 people, including two children aged nine, have been arrested in Israeli army dawn raids across the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian Prisoners’ Media Office (ASRA) says.

The raids took place in Bethlehem, Salfit, Jerusalem, Qalqilya, Hebron, Nablus and the Balata refugee camp on the latter city’s outskirts, according to the group.

Former prisoners were among those arrested.

Israeli forces advanced into southern Lebanon and blew up a house in Kfar Kila, located about 1.6 km from the border with Israel, according to L'Orient Today's correspondent in the South.

Netanyahu and Trump prioritize Gaza hostages and cease-fire during talks in Washington

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said U.S. President Donald Trump focused their discussions on the release of hostages held in Gaza, and stressed his determination to “eliminate” Hamas' military and governmental capabilities.

Netanyahu said on X that he had discussed with Trump the effects of “the great victory we achieved over Iran,” nearly a month after the 12-day war, during which the U.S. joined Israeli attacks on Iranian nuclear sites.

Gaza: Civil Defense reports 20 killed in Israeli air strikes

The Gaza Civil Defense reported that 20 people, including six children, were killed in two Israeli air strikes carried out shortly after midnight on Palestinian territory.

The new Israeli bombings hit the south and north of the Gaza Strip, Mahmoud Bassal, a spokesman for the relief agency, told AFP. When contacted by AFP, the Israeli army said it was looking into the facts reported by Bassal.

Barrack warns: Trump has the courage to confront Hezbollah, but no patience

U.S. presidential envoy Tom Barrack, who visited Beirut to discuss Washington’s “road map” demanding Hezbollah’s disarmament, warned in an interview aired Monday night on LBCI that President Donald Trump “has no patience.”

“If Lebanon wants to keep stalling on this issue, the United States will no longer be around to talk about it,” Barrack said.

Israeli army claims it killed Hezbollah’s Bader unit official in Bablieh strike

Shortly after U.S. envoy Tom Barrack departed Beirut, the Israeli army escalated by striking northern Lebanon on Monday — its first such action since the cease-fire took effect in November. Israel claimed it targeted “a key figure” from Hamas in the Tripoli area.

Separately, the Israeli military said it eliminated Hussein Ali Mezher in a drone strike on Bablieh, in the Saida district. Mezher was in charge of fire coordination in the Zahrani area for Hezbollah’s Bader unit.

“The terrorist was responsible for planning numerous rocket attacks on the State of Israel and the Israeli army,” IDF Arabic spokesperson Avichay Adraee posted on X. “Most recently, he tried to rebuild Hezbollah’s artillery units in southern Lebanon,” Adraee added.

Three killed aboard cargo ship attacked Monday in Red Sea

A cargo ship attacked in the Red Sea off the coast of Yemen on Monday evening remains “surrounded” by its assailants, a British maritime security agency said Tuesday. The European naval mission Aspides, deployed in the area, reported that three crew members were killed.

The attack on the MV Eternity C came a day after another assault, claimed by Yemen’s Houthi rebels, targeting the Magic Seas, which also sails under the Liberian flag. “Two sailors” were killed in the Eternity C attack, a representative of Liberia said during a meeting of the International Maritime Organization in London.

Iran-Israel war: Riyadh and Tehran discuss cease-fire

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Arabia’s foreign ministry announced late Monday, two weeks after the cease-fire between Iran and Israel.

The crown prince “reaffirmed the kingdom’s position in favor of dialogue and diplomatic means as the only path to resolving disputes,” Riyadh wrote on X, posting a photo of the meeting.

The Iranian minister “welcomed the efforts” by the crown prince “to strengthen security and stability in the region” and expressed “gratitude to the kingdom for its stance in condemning Israeli aggression,” the Saudi statement added.

Good morning. Thank you for joining us for today's live coverage of the events in the region, namely Gaza, Lebanon and Syria. Make sure to read today's Morning Brief to get caught up with yesterday's key events.