17:37 GMT — US Secretary of State Antony Blinken heads back to the Middle East on his fourth trip since the Israel-Hamas war, expecting tough talks for Israel's war on Gaza and de-escalation in the region.
The top US diplomat will visit both Israel and the occupied West Bank, home of the Palestinian Authority, and five Arab countries - Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, the State Department said.
Blinken will leave late Thursday and first go to Türkiye followed by Greece.
Blinken will discuss "immediate measures to increase substantially humanitarian assistance to Gaza," where the World Health Organization has warned of the risk of famine and disease.
"We don't expect every conversation on this trip to be easy. There are obviously tough issues facing the region and difficult choices ahead," State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller told reporters.
18:49 GMT — Israel to transit to new combat approach in northern Gaza: minister
Israeli Defence Minister has said that in the northern region of Gaza, they will transition to a new combat approach, including raids, destruction of tunnels, air and ground activities and special operations.
Minister Yoav Gallant outlined Israel's plans for the next stage of its war in Gaza, with a new, more targeted approach in the northern section of the enclave and a continuing pursuit of Hamas leaders in the south.
In a statement, he said that after the war, Hamas would no longer control Gaza, which would be run by Palestinian bodies so long as there was no threat to Israel. Israel would reserve operational freedom of action, but there would be no Israeli civilian presence.
18:02 GMT — Israel must be pressured to reveal whereabouts of Palestinian detainees amid execution reports: Rights monitor
The international community "must pressure" Israel to end its "genocide of Palestinians in Gaza" and reveal the whereabouts of detainees, a human rights monitor said.
In a statement, the Geneva-based Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor said that it has received numerous reports of Palestinians being subjected to "torture, abuse and extrajudicial executions."
The group said that an investigation reportedly opened by Israeli military police last Sunday into the alleged killing of a Palestinian prisoner by an Israeli soldier who was supposed to be guarding him "is not an isolated case."
The monitor said that it has received multiple testimonies regarding the Israeli army's "killing of dozens of Palestinian detainees" and “extrajudicial executions, mainly in Gaza." Several Palestinians have been "tortured to death" in Israeli army detention camps, it added.
17:07 GMT — Israeli forces search house to house in occupied West Bank city
Israeli forces searched houses in the Nour al Shams refugee camp in the occupied West Bank city of Tulkarm, detaining hundreds of suspected people, the military said.
As the extended raid ended in the afternoon of its second day, the Palestinian Red Crescent said it had treated 21 casualties, of whom 17 suffered injuries from beatings during detention and interrogation and one from live fire.
Tulkarm, the location of one of the main crossing points between the occupied West Bank and Israel, has seen repeated raids by security forces since the Oct.7 attack.
According to residents, Israeli forces detained at least 120 people and demolished three houses, including one belonging to a member of the Tulkarm Brigades, an armed group linked to the Palestinian faction Fatah.
The Tulkarm Brigades said fighters had exchanged fire with the Israeli forces.
17:00 GMT — Pro-Palestine activists protest in front of Blinken's house in Virginia
Demonstrators gathered in front of Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s house in Virginia, protesting against the US policy on Gaza.
The pro-Palestine activist group chanted "shame on you" as they spilt fake blood on the streets and over Blinken's car as he left his house in McLean for work.
The protesters also chanted, "Stop the deaths in Gaza," and "war criminal."
The US, one of the few countries opposing a ceasefire in Gaza, has been facing increased international pressure, with millions of people taking to the streets in world capitals, calling for the cessation of hostilities.
15:12 GMT — Another 19 Israeli soldiers were injured in Gaza, the army says
The Israeli army said that 19 more soldiers had been injured in Gaza in the last 24 hours.
Figures released by the army showed that 1,006 soldiers had been injured since Israel expanded its ground offensive in Gaza on Oct. 27.
According to the figures, 509 soldiers have been killed and 2,309 others injured since the outbreak of Israel's war on Gaza on Oct.7.
15:09 GMT — Israeli strike kills five Palestinians in Gaza's refugee camp
Five Palestinians have been killed in an Israeli air strike on a car in Al Nusseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, health officials told Reuters.
14:35 GMT — Hundreds mourn Hamas deputy leader at Beirut funeral
Hundreds of people attended the funeral in Beirut of Hamas number two Saleh al Arouri, who was killed in an Israeli strike in Lebanon.
Calling on Hamas to avenge his death and the killing of five other members of Hamas, the mourners gathered at a mosque to recite the prayer of the dead before marching to the Shatila refugee camp, where three of them were to be buried.
The coffins of the three, Aruri, Azzam al Aqraa of the Hamas military wing Qassam Brigades, and Mohammad al Rais, were draped in Palestinian and Hamas flags.
Arouri and the six other Hamas members were killed in a strike in a south Beirut stronghold of the Iran-backed armed group Hezbollah.
Hamas and Lebanese security officials accuse d Israel of launching the attack, with one high-level Lebanese security official saying they were targeted by guided missiles.
14:31 GMT — Riyadh, Doha decry Israeli calls for mass displacement from Gaza
Saudi Arabia and Qatar strongly condemned comments by two Israeli ministers calling for Palestinians to emigrate from Gaza.
Saudi Arabia "categorically condemns and rejects the comments of the two ministers," the foreign ministry said in a statement. The kingdom called on the international community to act in the face of the Israeli government's "persistence" in violating international law "through its statements and actions".
Qatar also "condemned in the strongest terms" the comments made by two ministers.
"The policy of collective punishment and forced displacement practised by the occupation authorities against the inhabitants of Gaza will not change the fact that Gaza is Palestinian land and will remain Palestinian," reads a statement published by Qatar's Foreign Ministry.
Kuwait followed suit with its Gulf neighbours and warned against "Israeli plans to displace Gaza residents in particular, and the Palestinian people in general".
15:12 GMT — Another 19 Israeli soldiers were injured in Gaza, the army says
The Israeli army said that 19 more soldiers had been injured in Gaza in the last 24 hours.
Figures released by the army showed that 1,006 soldiers had been injured since Israel expanded its ground offensive in Gaza on Oct. 27. According to the figures, 509 soldiers have been killed and 2,309 others injured since the outbreak of Israel's war on Gaza on Oct.7.
14:35 — Hundreds mourn Hamas deputy leader at Beirut funeral
Hundreds of people attended the funeral in Beirut of Hamas number two Saleh al Arouri, who was killed in an Israeli strike in Lebanon.
Calling on Hamas to avenge his death and the killing of five other members of Hamas, the mourners gathered at a mosque to recite the prayer of the dead before marching to the Shatila refugee camp, where three of them were to be buried.
The coffins of the three, Aruri, Azzam al Aqraa of the Hamas military wing Qassam Brigades, and Mohammad al Rais, were draped in Palestinian and Hamas flags.
Arouri and the six other Hamas members were killed in a strike in a south Beirut stronghold of the Iran-backed armed group Hezbollah. Hamas and Lebanese security officials accuse d Israel of launching the attack, with one high-level Lebanese security official saying they were targeted by guided missiles.
13:24 GMT — Palestinian death toll in Gaza tops 22,400 — ministry
The Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza said at least 22,438 people have been killed in the besieged territory by Israeli strikes.
A ministry statement recorded 125 fatalities over the past 24 hours, while a total of 57,614 people have been wounded in the fighting.
12:53 GMT — Israeli warplanes strike Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon
The Israeli army said that its fighter jets had struck Hezbollah positions in southern Lebanon.
The strikes targeted a reconnaissance site, rocket launchers and a Hezbollah structure in the Maroun el Ras area, a military statement said.
The army said that it had fired several artillery shells overnight "to eliminate threats" in the border area of Rab El Thalathine without giving further details. There were no reports yet of casualties.
12:45 GMT — Israel considers opening Beit Hanoon crossing for Gaza aid
Israel weighs opening the Beit Hanoon (Erez) crossing to allow humanitarian aid into the Palestinian enclave amid US pressure, according to Israeli media.
The move comes ahead of a planned visit by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to Israel next week, Haaretz newspaper reported.
"Israel also considers allowing aid trucks through a gap in the border fence near Be’eri settlement, which the army uses to transport troops into Gaza," Haaretz reported.
Aid trucks currently cross into Gaza through Egypt's Rafah border crossing, although quantities are not sufficient to meet the needs of the territory’s 2.4 million population.
12:08 GMT — 51 Palestinian women from Gaza held in tragic conditions by Israel: NGO
At least 51 Palestinian women from Gaza are held in a prison in northern Israel, according to prisoners’ affairs groups.
"The women detainees are held at Damon Prison in northern Israel," the Commission of Detainees' Affairs and the Palestinian Prisoner Society said in a joint statement.
The statement, however, said Israel is holding a higher number of Palestinian women than the figure announced. "Those detainees face abuse and humiliation and are held in tragic conditions," the statement said.
11:52 GMT — Hamas leader killed in Lebanon by Israeli fighter jet, not drone: Israeli media
Lebanese media earlier reported that Arouri was killed in an Israeli drone strike on a Hamas office in Beirut's southern neighbourhood Tuesday evening.
Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper, citing an Israeli security source, said Arouri was killed by six guided missiles fired from an Israeli fighter jet. The daily also quoted an unnamed Lebanese security official as saying that six guided missiles were fired, two of which hit the building where Arouri was residing.
"Each missile weighed 100 kilogrammes," the newspaper said.
11:52 GMT — UN rights chief 'very disturbed' by Israeli proposals to resettle Palestinians outside Gaza
The UN human rights chief said he is "very disturbed" by the Israeli government’s suggestion of mass displacement of Palestinians from Gaza.
"Very disturbed by high-level Israeli officials' statements on plans to transfer civilians from #Gaza to third countries," Volker Turk said in a post shared by the human rights office on X.
Stressing that 85 percent of the Gaza population is already internally displaced, Turk said: "They have the right to return to their homes." "Int'l law prohibits forcible transfer of protected persons within or deportation from occupied territory," he warned.
The mass displacement remarks of Gvir and Smotrich have been condemned internationally, including by the US, UK, Germany and France.
11:21 GMT — Israeli army shifts to 3rd phase of Gaza war: report
The Israeli army has shifted to the third phase of its war on the besieged Gaza, according to local media.
The Israeli army has not made any official declaration, but military operations in the Palestinian territory, including the withdrawal of five brigades, suggested that it has already started the third phase of the war, Israeli public broadcaster KAN reported.
The army now focuses on localised operations against Hamas in several areas in Gaza, KAN said. The broadcaster said the army is expected to end its military operations in al Daraj and Al Tuffah neighbourhoods east of Gaza City by next week.
According to Israeli media, the army will focus more on targeted air strikes, withdraw most of its forces from Gaza and establish a buffer zone on the fence with Gaza as part of the third phase of the war.
10:34 GMT — Hezbollah: Four members killed in clashes with Israeli forces near Lebanon’s border
Lebanese group Hezbollah has said that four of its members had been killed in clashes with Israeli forces near the border with southern Lebanon.
The group, however, did not provide any details about the circumstances of their death. Hezbollah said its fighters struck a gathering of Israeli soldiers in Shtoula in northern Israel "with appropriate weapons," resulting in "direct hits."
At least 147 Hezbollah members have been killed since the outbreak of the clashes on Oct. 8, according to figures released by the Lebanese group.
10:11 GMT — Israel bombs Palestinian Red Crescent, kills and wounds many
In a tragic incident in southern Gaza, one person was killed and six others sustained injuries when an Israeli attack targeted the Palestinian Red Crescent Society building.
The society published a video of the Israeli strike that targeted its building in Khan Younis city.
The PRCS, a vital institution providing medical assistance and humanitarian aid, has been directly affected by the recent attack.
As tensions escalate, the toll on civilian lives continues to rise.
Separately, 14 Palestinians, including nine children, were killed in a series of strikes to the west of Gaza's Khan Younis, according to a health ministry official.
10:08 GMT — Israeli embassies reportedly put on alert following Hamas leader’s assassination
Israeli embassies around the world were reportedly put on alert following the assassination of Hamas deputy chief Saleh al-Arouri in Lebanon.
Arouri was killed in an Israeli strike on a Hamas office in Beirut’s southern neighbourhood Tuesday evening.
He was the highest Hamas leader to have been killed by Israel since the outbreak of the conflict in Gaza on Oct. 7.
“All embassies and Israeli and Jewish institutions were asked to increase vigilance,” the Israeli public broadcaster KAN said.
“Air Force and forces stationed on the border with Lebanon were also asked to increase vigilance amid retaliation threats by Hamas and Hezbollah,” it added.
06:21 GMT — Tensions in Red Sea spillover effects of Gaza conflict: China tells UN
Expressing concern over attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea, China has linked the ongoing tensions in the busy sea route with the war in Gaza, the besieged Palestinian enclave which has been pounded by Israeli attacks since October 7.
“The current tensions in the Red Sea are one of the manifestations of the spillover effects of the conflict in Gaza,” Ambassador Geng Shuang told the UN Security Council briefing on the Red Sea on Wednesday.
“Only by achieving an early cease-fire in Gaza and easing the humanitarian crisis on the ground, can we avert any further escalation in the Red Sea and prevent other parts of the Middle East from being embroiled in conflicts and wars,” said Geng, China’s deputy permanent representative at the UN.
He added Beijing was “committed to working with all parties to make unremitting efforts to promote de-escalation in the Red Sea, a political settlement of the Yemen issue, the cess ation of hostilities in Gaza, and long-lasting peace and stability in the Middle East.”
05:50 GMT - Israel dropped more than 65,000 tonnes of bombs on Gaza
Israeli army has bombarded besieged Gaza with more than 45,000 missiles and bombs that weighed more than 65,000 tonnes, the Gaza Media Office has said.
"Occupation aircraft dropped over 45,000 missiles and giant bombs, some of them weighing two thousand pounds of explosives, during the comprehensive genocidal war on the Gaza Strip, deliberately targeting entire residential areas," it said.
"The weight of the explosives dropped by the army on the Gaza Strip exceeded 65,000 tonnes, which is more than the weight and power of three nuclear bombs like those dropped on the Japanese city of Hiroshima."
05:20 GMT - Second Biden admin official resigns over US support for Israel
A senior official in the US Education Department has stepped down, citing President Joe Biden's handling of Israel's brutal war in besieged Gaza, the latest sign of dissent in the administration.
Tariq Habash, special assistant in the Education Department's Office of Planning, Evaluation and Policy Development, in a letter to Education Secretary Miguel Cardona, said: "I cannot stay silent as this administration turns a blind eye to the atrocities committed against innocent Palestinian lives, in what leading human rights experts have called a genocidal campaign by the Israeli government."
"I cannot be quietly complicit as this administration fails to leverage its influence as Israel’s strongest ally to halt the abusive and ongoing collective punishment tactics that have cut off Palestinians in Gaza from food, water, electricity, fuel, and medical supplies, leading to widespread disease and starvation," said Habash.
04:40 GMT - Biden re-election campaign staffers warn Biden could lose votes
About Seventeen Biden re-election campaign staffers have issued a warning in an anonymous letter that Biden could lose voters over his handling of Israel's war on besieged Gaza, urging him to call for a ceasefire.
"Biden for President staff have seen volunteers quit in droves, and people who have voted blue for decades feel uncertain about doing so for the first time ever, because of this conflict," the staffers wrote in the letter.
04:14 GMT - Netherlands slams Israeli ministers' call for Palestinian ethnic cleansing
The Netherlands has said that Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich's calls for the expulsion of Palestinians from besieged Gaza are "irresponsible."
The Foreign Ministry said in a statement that Amsterdam supports a two-state solution.
"The Netherlands rejects any calls for Palestinian displacement from Gaza or reduction of Palestinian territory," it said.
03:40 GMT — Slovenia rejects expulsion of Palestinians outside Gaza
Slovenia has rejected the idea of the Israeli government's suggestion of mass displacement of Palestinians from besieged Gaza, according to the Foreign Ministry.
"Slovenia rejects the recent statements of members of the Israeli government who proposed mass emigration of Palestinians from Gaze," it said in a statement on social media.
"We once again call for respect for international law and international humanitarian law and the protection of the civilian population in Gaza," said the statement.
03:00 GMT - Intense shelling targets vicinity of Al Amal Hospital
The Palestinian Red Crescent Society has said that Israeli artillery vehicles are shelling the vicinity of the Al Amal Hospital, which is affiliated with the humanitarian organisation, in Khan Younis in the southern besieged Gaza.
"The intense artillery targeting is escalating around Al Amal Hospital in Khan Younis," it said in a statement.
It clarified that shelling is at a distance of less than "a hundred meters" from the hospital.
02:23 GMT - Iran blames Israel, US for Kerman carnage as Gaza endures siege
Iran has blamed Israel and the US for twin bomb blasts that killed at least 103 Iranians in the country's south, ripping through a crowd commemorating Revolutionary Guard general Qasem Soleimani four years after his killing in a US strike.
"Washington says USA and Israel had no role in the terrorist attack in Kerman, Iran. Really? A fox smells its own lair first," the Iranian president's political deputy, Mohammad Jamshidi, wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
"Make no mistake. The responsibility for this crime lies with the US and Zionist regimes [Israel], and terrorism is just a tool," he added.
02:12 GMT - About 1 million displaced Palestinians enter Rafah since October 7
A Palestinian official in besieged Gaza has told Anadolu Agency that the number of displaced people who arrived in Rafah in the southernmost part of the enclave is about one million since the beginning of Israeli war's on Gaza.
"The total number of people present in the city of Rafah at the moment is not less than 1.3 million, with the city's population being around 300,000," said Ahmed al Soufi, the head of Rafah municipality.
He said the number in shelters belonging to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, or UNRWA, is about 713,000, including those displaced outside the premises of the centres but registered with the UN agency.
02:05 GMT - Saleh Arouri's family says his 'assassination will not deter our people from their struggle'
Dalal Arouri, the sister of assassinated Hamas deputy chief Saleh al Arouri, has said that the Israeli assassination of his brother in Lebanon "will not deter our people from their struggle, and it will not break the resistance."
"In 2002, Israel committed crimes in the Jenin refugee camp, and a stronger generation emerged. What about the current generation who witnesses this war? New leaders will emerge," she said during an interview with Anadolu Agency at Arouri's house in northwest Ramallah in the occupied West Bank.
"We thank God; his martyrdom is a pride for Palestine, and his blood, like that of the other martyrs, is not more precious than the blood of the people of Gaza," she added.
02:00 GMT - Palestinian man speaks of torture by Israeli troops
Abu Muhammed has revealed to Anadolu Agency the torture he endured during his nine days in captivity in the besieged Gaza under invasion by Israeli forces.
Muhammed, detained in a raid in Beit Lahia in northern Gaza, said that Israeli soldiers instructed residents to come out. Residents were forced to undress and walk naked, he said.
Their homes were burned in a line-up, causing "immense sorrow."
Muhammed, along with others, recounted being taken to a market and being forced to kneel in the cold for about "five hours" before being transferred to the Zikim area near Israel.
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