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Israel has launched an “extensive” ground operation across the Gaza Strip, as hospitals and medics report at least 140 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli airstrikes since dawn on Sunday. Among the dead are dozens of children. The strikes have forced the closure of northern Gaza’s main hospital amid intensifying violence. At least 69 people were killed in Gaza City and the northern Gaza Strip, according to health officials. One of the deadliest attacks occurred in al-Mawasi, in southern Gaza, where an Israeli strike hit a camp for displaced people, killing dozens—including children—while they were asleep in their tents, hospital sources said. Russia launches biggest drone attack on Ukraine since start of war This marks Israel’s largest offensive since it shattered a ceasefire in March. The operation began on Saturday, reportedly aimed at seizing territory and displacing hundreds of thousands of Palestinians. The Israeli military has also called up tens of thousands of reservists in preparation for broader operations across both the north and south of Gaza. It remains unclear whether any zones have been designated as safe for civilians. Israel is pressuring Hamas to agree to a temporary ceasefire, one that would free hostages from Gaza but wouldn’t necessarily end the war. Hamas, however, says it wants a full withdrawal of Israeli forces and a path to ending the war as part of any deal. With inputs from AP, Al Jazeera

Israeli airstrikes across the Gaza Strip on Friday killed at least 64 people, according to local hospitals, as U.S. President Donald Trump concluded a Middle East tour that excluded Israel and failed to deliver any hope for a ceasefire in the war-ravaged enclave. Health officials reported that 48 bodies were taken to the Indonesian Hospital and another 16 to Nasser Hospital following overnight strikes that hit areas near Deir al-Balah and Khan Younis. The renewed wave of bombardments coincided with Trump’s departure from the Gulf region. Many had hoped his regional visit might lead to a ceasefire or a resumption of humanitarian aid, but those expectations went unmet. Meanwhile, Gaza remains under an Israeli blockade that has now stretched into its third month. The Israeli military did not immediately comment on the strikes, which continued for hours and triggered panic and displacement in the Jabaliya refugee camp and the town of Beit Lahiya. These latest attacks follow days of intense shelling that, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, have killed over 130 people. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had earlier pledged a major escalation in military operations aimed at defeating Hamas, the militant group that controls Gaza. In remarks released Tuesday, Netanyahu stated that Israeli forces were preparing to enter Gaza “with great strength” to “complete the mission of destroying Hamas.” It remains unclear whether Friday’s bombardment marks the start of that operation.  54 killed in overnight Israeli airstrikes on Southern Gaza’s Khan Younis An Israeli official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said cabinet ministers were meeting Friday to evaluate ceasefire talks taking place in Qatar and to determine the next course of action. Meanwhile, families of hostages held by Hamas said they woke Friday with “heavy hearts” amid reports of intensified Israeli strikes. In a statement, they urged Netanyahu to work with President Trump to reach a deal for the hostages’ release. “Missing this historic opportunity to bring the hostages home would be a failure remembered in infamy,” said the statement, issued by a forum supporting hostage families. The war began after Hamas-led militants launched a deadly attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people. In response, Israel began a large-scale offensive in Gaza that has since killed over 53,000 Palestinians, many of them women and children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. The ministry does not differentiate between civilian and militant deaths. Around 3,000 people have been killed since Israel resumed operations on March 18 following a brief ceasefire. Hamas still holds 58 of the approximately 250 hostages taken on October 7. Israeli authorities believe 23 of those are still alive, although they have raised concerns about the fate of at least three. Israel’s blockade on Gaza has cut off access to essential supplies like food, fuel, and medicine, deepening the humanitarian crisis. The Israeli government insists that aid will not be allowed in until a mechanism is in place that ensures its control over distribution, aimed at pressuring Hamas to release the hostages. Earlier this week, a new U.S.-backed humanitarian group, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, announced it would begin aid delivery operations before the end of May, following agreements with Israeli officials. The group includes U.S. military veterans, former aid coordinators, and security personnel. However, several humanitarian organizations, including the United Nations, criticized the initiative, saying it does not meet international humanitarian standards and will not be able to adequately address the needs of Palestinians in Gaza. They have opted not to participate.  Israeli airstrikes in Gaza kill 60, including 22 children

A series of Israeli airstrikes struck the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis overnight, killing at least 54 people, according to hospital officials. This marked the second night in a row of intense aerial bombardment. An Associated Press cameraman in the area reported at least 10 strikes overnight and witnessed numerous bodies being taken to Nasser Hospital’s morgue—some in fragments, with body bags containing the remains of multiple victims. The hospital confirmed the death toll at 54. Among the dead was Al Araby TV journalist Hasan Samour, who was reportedly killed alongside 11 family members in one of the strikes, according to a social media post by the Qatari news outlet. Israeli airstrikes in Gaza kill 60, including 22 children The Israeli military has not issued a statement regarding the attack. This wave of strikes followed a deadly previous night in which air raids in both northern and southern Gaza claimed at least 70 lives, including nearly 20 children. The escalation comes during U.S. President Donald Trump’s visit to the Middle East, where he is meeting with leaders in the Gulf but not traveling to Israel. Hopes had been high that the trip might result in a ceasefire or renewed humanitarian aid. Gaza remains under a strict Israeli blockade now in its third month. Earlier this week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated plans to intensify military operations aimed at eradicating the Hamas militant group. His office stated on Tuesday that Israeli troops were preparing for a major ground push into Gaza “to finish the mission” of eliminating Hamas. On Thursday, Human Rights Watch accused Israel’s ongoing campaign and planned occupation of Gaza of approaching the threshold of extermination. The organization urged the global community to intervene. The current war began after Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel on October 7, 2023, killing around 1,200 people. In response, Israel launched a massive military campaign in Gaza, which has since killed nearly 53,000 Palestinians, including large numbers of women and children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. Around 3,000 of those deaths occurred after Israel ended a ceasefire on March 18. Hamas continues to hold 58 hostages from the October 7 attack, with only 23 believed to still be alive, although Israeli officials have raised concerns about the condition of three of them. The war has devastated Gaza, destroying much of its infrastructure and displacing around 90% of the population—many of them multiple times. Israel cut off all aid, including food and medicine, on March 2. International food security experts have warned that famine is imminent unless the blockade is lifted and hostilities cease. Close to half a million Palestinians are on the brink of starvation, with another million struggling to survive, according to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), a global authority on hunger crises. Human Rights Watch has called for international action under the Genocide Convention, citing Israel’s actions—including destruction of civilian infrastructure and the blockade—as justification. Israel strongly denies any allegations of genocide. The group also urged Hamas to release the remaining hostages, especially the 23 believed to still be alive.

Israel carried out an airstrike early Friday near Syria’s presidential palace, delivering what it called a “clear message” to Damascus after warning authorities not to advance on villages inhabited by members of the Druze minority in the country’s south. The strike followed several days of fierce clashes between pro-government gunmen and Druze fighters in areas close to the capital, leaving dozens dead or injured, according to Associated Press. Syria’s presidency condemned the Israeli action, describing it as a “dangerous escalation against state institutions and the sovereignty of the state.” In a statement, it urged the international community to support Syria, stating the attack “target Syria national security and the unity of the Syrian people.” This marks Israel’s second strike in Syria within a week. The latest strike, near the People’s Palace — a hilltop residence in Damascus — is widely interpreted as a pointed warning to Syria’s new leadership, now reportedly dominated by Islamist groups including Hayat Tahrir al-Sham. The Israeli military confirmed that fighter jets had struck an area near the Palace of President Ahmad al-Sharaa in Damascus, without providing further details. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz said in a joint statement that the strike was intended as “a clear message” to Syrian authorities. “We will not allow the deployment of forces south of Damascus or any threat to the Druze community,” they said. Israel committing ‘Livestreamed Genocide’ in Gaza: Amnesty Tensions had flared in recent days in southern Syria, particularly in the Sweida province and Druze-majority suburbs of Damascus. On Thursday, the community’s top spiritual leader, Sheikh Hikmat Al-Hijri, delivered a harsh rebuke to the Syrian government, accusing it of carrying out an “unjustified genocidal attack” on the minority group. Despite the mounting violence, the Druze leadership affirmed their national loyalty, stating early Friday that they remain part of Syria and reject any separatist aspirations. The statement called on the government to restore its authority in Sweida and secure the vital highway connecting the province with Damascus. The recent fighting was triggered by the circulation of an audio clip on social media late Monday. The clip, allegedly of a Druze cleric, criticised Islam’s Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), sparking outrage among Sunni Muslims. However, the cleric in question, Marwan Kiwan, denied any involvement in a video message. Syria’s Information Ministry reported that 11 members of the security forces were killed in two separate attacks. Meanwhile, the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the death toll from four days of clashes had reached 99, including 51 killed in the Sahnaya area and the Druze-majority suburb of Jaramana. The dead included local gunmen and government forces. The Druze are a small religious sect that emerged in the 10th century as an offshoot of Ismaili Shiite Islam. Of the estimated 1 million Druze globally, more than half reside in Syria, particularly in Sweida and surrounding regions. Other significant communities live in Lebanon and Israel, including the Golan Heights, which Israel seized from Syria in the 1967 war and annexed in 1981.

Israeli strikes across the Gaza Strip have killed at least 39 people, mostly women and children, the territory’s Health Ministry said Thursday. Eleven people were killed when an airstrike struck a home in Gaza City on Thursday afternoon, adding to a toll of 28 announced by health officials earlier Thursday. Israel ended its ceasefire with Hamas and renewed its air and ground war over a month ago. It has sealed off Gaza’s 2 million Palestinians from all food and other imports since the beginning of March to pressure Hamas to release hostages. Hamas has said it will only release the remaining 59 captives, 24 of whom are believed to be alive, in exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners, a lasting ceasefire and a full Israeli withdrawal. Israel has vowed to destroy Hamas. The war began when Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting 251 hostages. Most have since been released in ceasefire agreements or other deals. Israel’s offensive has killed over 51,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which does not say how many of the dead were civilians or combatants. Israel says it has killed around 20,000 militants, without providing evidence. At least 45 Palestinians killed in Israeli airstrikes across Gaza: Civil Defense Israeli military says it was responsible for death of UN staffer last month The military initially denied it was responsible for the March 19 strike on a U.N. guesthouse in Gaza, which also wounded five other U.N. employees. Afterward, the U.N. concluded that an Israeli tank had struck the compound and said it had informed the military a day earlier that the location was a U.N facility. Releasing its initial findings on Wednesday, the military said one of its tanks targeted the building “due to assessed enemy presence” and that the structure “was not identified by the forces as a U.N. facility” at the time. The attack prompted the United Nations to reduce its presence in the Gaza Strip, citing safety concerns. Israel marks Holocaust Remembrance Day A somber siren wailed across the country for two minutes of silence at 10 am Thursday. Cars stopped along the highway and people paused in their daily errands as they stood in silence. Yom Hashoah, the day Israel observes as a memorial for the 6 million Jews killed by Nazi Germany and its allies in the Holocaust, is one of the most solemn dates on the country’s calendar. Official observances began after sundown on Wednesday with a ceremony at the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial in Jerusalem. At the ceremony, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon as “the main lesson of the Holocaust." “On this Holocaust Day, I promise: The military pressure on Hamas will continue. We will destroy all its capabilities. We will return all our hostages. We will defeat Hamas, and we will prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons,” Netanyahu said. Israel’s president Isaac Herzog is in Poland for the annual March of the Living in the Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp. He was joined by some 80 Holocaust survivors and 10 survivors of Hamas captivity in Gaza. Far-right Israeli minister booed at Yale Protesters booed and threw water bottles at Israeli Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who was invited to speak at Yale University The minister, who has been convicted eight times for offenses including racism and supporting a terrorist organization, is in America on a week-long trip to meet with politicians, business leaders, and the Jewish community in the U.S. Israeli airstrikes kill senior Hamas leader, 18 others; Houthis launch missile toward Israel According to the Yale student newspaper, Ben-Gvir was invited to speak with a Jewish group that is not formally affiliated with the university. Ben-Gvir said he spoke to students and professors about the lessons of the Holocaust in honor of Holocaust Remembrance Day, which Israel marks from Wednesday evening to Thursday. “The antisemitic rioters will not intimidate me. I am continuing my important journey in the United States,” he said. Ben-Gvir oversees the country’s police force and has encouraged Netanyahu to press ahead with the war in Gaza and stop all humanitarian aid. At least 28 dead as Israel pounds Gaza Israeli strikes across the Gaza Strip have killed at least 28 people, mostly women and children, according to the territory’s Health Ministry. At least nine people were killed in a strike on a police station in the northern Jabaliya area, the ministry said. The Israeli military said it targeted a command and control center for Hamas and the smaller Islamic Jihad militant group. At least seven people were killed, including a mother and her two children, and another two children, in three strikes on the southern city of Khan Younis. Strikes in central Gaza killed six people, including two women and two children. An airstrike on a home in Gaza City killed four children and their parents, the Health Ministry said.

When the first explosions struck Gaza at around 1:30 am this week, a visiting British doctor stepped onto the balcony of a hospital in Khan Younis and watched as missiles streaked across the sky before slamming into the city. Beside him, a Palestinian surgeon gasped, “Oh no. Oh no.” After two months of ceasefire, the devastation of Israeli bombardment had returned. The experienced surgeon turned to the visiting doctor, Sakib Rokadiya, and urged him to head to the emergency ward. Israel orders troops to go deeper into Gaza Soon, torn bodies poured in—brought by ambulances, donkey carts, or carried by desperate relatives. What shocked the doctors most was the number of children. “Child after child, young patient after young patient,” Rokadiya recalled. “The vast majority were women, children, and the elderly.” Thus began a chaotic 24 hours at Nasser Hospital, the largest medical facility in southern Gaza. The sudden Israeli offensive shattered the ceasefire that had been in place since mid-January, aiming to pressure Hamas into releasing more hostages and accepting revised terms of the truce. It became one of the deadliest days in the 17-month war. The aerial assaults killed 409 people across Gaza, including 173 children and 88 women, while hundreds more were wounded, according to the territory’s Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between militants and civilians in its count. More than 300 casualties inundated Nasser Hospital. Like other hospitals in Gaza, it had suffered damage from Israeli raids and airstrikes throughout the war, leaving it without essential equipment and running low on antibiotics and other necessities. After the first phase of the ceasefire expired on March 2, Israel blocked the entry of medicine, food, and supplies into Gaza. Triage The hospital’s emergency ward overflowed with the wounded, described to The Associated Press by Rokadiya and Tanya Haj-Hassan, an American paediatrician—both volunteers with the charity Medical Aid for Palestinians. The injured came from a tent camp, where missiles had ignited a fire, and from homes struck in Khan Younis and Rafah, further south. A nurse was desperately trying to resuscitate a boy sprawled on the floor, shrapnel embedded in his heart. Nearby, a young man sat trembling, most of his arm missing. A barefoot boy carried in his younger brother, no older than four, whose foot had been blown off. Blood covered the floor, mixed with fragments of bone and tissue. “I was overwhelmed, running from corner to corner, trying to decide who to prioritise, who to send to surgery, who to declare beyond saving,” Haj-Hassan said. “It’s an incredibly difficult decision, and we had to make it repeatedly,” she said in a voice message. Some wounds were easy to overlook. One little girl seemed fine—she only felt pain when she breathed, she told Haj-Hassan. But once undressed, doctors realised she was bleeding into her lungs. Looking through the curly hair of another girl, Haj-Hassan discovered shrapnel embedded in her brain. Two or three injured patients were crammed onto gurneys and rushed to surgery, Rokadiya said. He scribbled notes on slips of paper or directly onto patients’ skin—one for surgery, another for a scan. He wrote names when he could, but many children arrived with no known relatives, their parents either dead, wounded, or lost in the chaos. Often, he simply wrote “UNKNOWN.” In the Operating Room Dr Feroze Sidhwa, an American trauma surgeon from California volunteering with the medical charity MedGlobal, rushed to the hospital’s designated area for the gravely wounded who still had a chance of survival. But the first child he saw—a girl around three or four years old—was beyond help. Her face was torn apart by shrapnel. “She was technically still alive,” Sidhwa said, but with so many other patients needing urgent care, “there was nothing we could do.” He had to tell the girl’s father that she was dying. Then he moved on, performing around 15 surgeries back to back. Palestinian surgeon Khaled Alserr and an Irish volunteer surgeon worked tirelessly alongside him. They operated on a 29-year-old woman with a shattered pelvis, her web of veins bleeding profusely. Despite their efforts, she died 10 hours later in the ICU. Another patient was a six-year-old boy with two holes in his heart, two in his colon, and three more in his stomach, Sidhwa said. They managed to repair the damage and even restarted his heart after he went into cardiac arrest. But he, too, died hours later. “They died because the ICU simply didn’t have the capacity to care for them,” Sidhwa said. Ahmed al-Farra, head of the hospital’s paediatrics and obstetrics department, explained that the ICU lacked critical antibiotics, among other essential supplies. Israel resumes Gaza war with broader goals and fewer limits Sidhwa reflected on his experience at Boston Medical Center when the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing happened, killing three people and injuring around 260 others. “Boston Medical couldn’t have handled the number of cases we saw at Nasser Hospital,” he said. The Hospital Staff Rokadiya was struck by the resilience of the hospital staff as they cared for each other while under immense pressure. Workers moved through the hospital, handing out water to exhausted doctors and nurses. Cleaners worked swiftly to remove the bloodied clothing, blankets, tissues, and medical waste piling up on the floors. At the same time, many staff members were dealing with personal tragedies. Alserr, the Palestinian surgeon, had to go to the morgue to identify the bodies of his wife’s father and brother. “The only thing I saw was a bundle of flesh and bones, melted and shattered,” he said in a voice message, without elaborating on how they were killed. Another staff member lost his wife and children. An anaesthesiologist—who had already lost his mother and 21 relatives earlier in the war—later received word that his father, brother, and cousin had been killed, Haj-Hassan said. The Aftermath Around 85 people died at Nasser Hospital that Tuesday, including about 40 children between the ages of one and 17, al-Farra reported. Airstrikes continued throughout the week, killing several dozen more. Among the dead were at least six senior Hamas figures. Israel has vowed to continue its offensive against Hamas, insisting the group must release more hostages, despite having disregarded ceasefire conditions requiring negotiations for a long-term end to the war. The Israeli government maintains it does not target civilians and blames Hamas for their deaths, arguing that the group operates within civilian areas. Tuesday’s bombardment also helped Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu consolidate his political standing. The offensive secured the return of a right-wing party to his coalition, strengthening his government ahead of a crucial budget vote that could have led to its collapse. Haj-Hassan continues to check on the children in Nasser’s ICU. The girl with shrapnel in her brain remains unable to move her right side. Her mother, limping from her own injuries, came to see her and told Haj-Hassan that the little girl’s sisters had been killed. “I cannot begin to process or comprehend the scale of mass killing and the slaughter of families in their sleep that we are witnessing here,” Haj-Hassan said. “This cannot be the world we live in.”

Israeli airstrikes in Gaza have killed at least five people, including two infants and a woman, according to Palestinian medics, reports AP. In the central city of Deir al-Balah, a strike targeted a home, killing two men and a woman, as reported by Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, which received the victims. The hospital also reported the death of a 4-month-old boy in a strike on his family’s home in the Bureij refugee camp nearby. An Associated Press journalist confirmed seeing four bodies in the hospital morgue. In Gaza City’s Sheikh Radwan neighbourhood, another airstrike hit a home, killing a 3-week-old baby, according to the Health Ministry’s emergency service. The Israeli military asserts it targets only militants, whom it accuses of hiding among civilians. The conflict began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel, killing approximately 1,200 people and abducting around 250. At least 100 hostages remain in Gaza, with a third believed to be deceased. Hostages in Gaza endure another winter as their families plead for a ceasefire Israel’s ongoing air and ground offensive has resulted in over 45,800 Palestinian deaths, as reported by the Gaza Health Ministry. While the ministry does not specify how many were combatants, it states that women and children comprise over half the fatalities. The Israeli military claims to have killed over 17,000 militants but has not provided evidence to support this figure. At least 30 people killed by Israeli strikes in Gaza on Friday

On Thursday, Israel launched an airstrike on southern Lebanon, marking the first such attack since a ceasefire with Hezbollah was declared earlier this week. The Israeli military stated the strike targeted a rocket storage site linked to Hezbollah, accusing the group of violating the truce. Lebanese authorities reported sporadic incidents of Israeli shelling and gunfire, which injured two people attempting to return to southern Lebanon. While Lebanese media identified the injured as civilians, the Israeli military described them as suspects breaching the ceasefire. Despite these skirmishes, the truce largely held as Lebanese forces began deploying in areas long dominated by Hezbollah. Read: Israel and Lebanon's Hezbollah start a ceasefire after nearly 14 months of fighting Efforts are underway to facilitate the return of displaced residents. Over 1.2 million people were forced to flee their homes during Lebanon's deadliest conflict in decades. However, restrictions remain in place, with both Israeli and Lebanese authorities cautioning civilians against entering border zones still under military control. Israeli forces reported opening fire on "several suspects" entering restricted areas in southern Lebanon, though specifics were not disclosed. Lebanese state media reported two civilians wounded in the border village of Markaba amid ongoing Israeli tank fire in nearby villages, which caused no casualties. Adding to the tension, the Lebanese military accused Israel of multiple ceasefire breaches, citing airstrikes and surveillance operations. An Israeli military spokesperson announced a curfew for Lebanese residents south of the Litani River, enforcing strict movement restrictions from Thursday evening to Friday morning. Read: Displaced people return to south Lebanon as ceasefire appears to hold The fragile truce, brokered by the U.S. and France, mandates Hezbollah’s withdrawal north of the Litani River and a gradual Israeli pullback, with Lebanese troops and UN peacekeepers set to patrol a buffer zone. Lebanese military officials are clearing unexploded ordnance and debris to pave the way for displaced families to return. Drone footage revealed extensive destruction in towns like Qana, which has endured repeated devastation in past conflicts with Israel. Residents returning to sift through the rubble expressed a mix of grief and resilience. “They’re determined to destroy us,” said Aref AbouKhalil, a local taxi driver. “But we’ll build it again.” Israel’s military chief, Lt. Gen. Herzl Halevi, emphasized that any violations of the ceasefire would be met with force. He reaffirmed Israel’s commitment to the agreement while urging caution for displaced Israelis considering returning to their northern border communities. Though the day saw reduced violence compared to recent months, the situation remains tense. The ongoing war in Gaza, which triggered this conflict, continues unabated, with no resolution in sight. Source: With inputs from agencies

Thousands of people in Muslim countries and beyond held demonstrations Friday in solidarity with Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. They called for an end to Israel's blockade and airstrikes following a brutal incursion into southern Israel by fighters from the Hamas militant group that rules Gaza. Demonstrators headed to Israeli military checkpoints after Friday prayers in the West Bank and gathered in Iraq at the country's border crossing with Jordan; in Jordan itself; in locations across Egypt; in Turkey's capital Ankara and its most populous city of Istanbul; and in Indonesia, Malaysia, Morocco and South Africa. A Tuesday night explosion at a Gaza City hospital tending to wounded Palestinians and residents seeking shelter was a prominent theme in some of the demonstrations. The cause of the blast at al-Ahli Hospital has not been determined. Resolving Palestine crisis depends on ‘united efforts’ by Muslim Ummah: PM U.S. assessments said the explosion was not caused by an Israeli airstrike, as the Hamas-run Health Ministry in Gaza initially reported. Israel has presented video, audio and other evidence it says proves the blast was caused by a rocket misfired by Palestinian militants, who denied responsibility. The Associated Press has not independently verified any of the claims or evidence released by the parties. The Israeli siege of the Palestinian territory and airstrikes on it were the focus earlier this week of demonstrations at Egyptian universities, inside a congressional office building in Washington, outside the Israeli Embassy in Bogota, Colombia and near the U.S. Embassy in Beirut. Nearly two weeks after the Hamas attack in Israel, such protests continued as Israel prepared for an expected ground invasion of Gaza. Israel has right to statehood, so does Palestine: Chinese Ambassador The Gaza Health Ministry has said more than 4,000 people have been killed and over 13,000 wounded in Gaza since the war began, most of them women, children and older adults. More than 1,000 people were believed buried under rubble, authorities said. More than 1,400 people in Israel have been killed, mostly civilians slain during Hamas’ deadly incursion. Roughly 200 others were abducted. Stop Israel-Palestine war, save women and children: PM Hasina urges world leaders WEST BANKProtests erupted in the main cities of the occupied West Bank on Friday following midday prayers. Palestinians streamed out of mosques and headed to Israeli military checkpoints in Ramallah, Hebron and Bethlehem, where they threw stones at troops and burned tires. Israeli security forces responded firing tear gas and live rounds. The Palestinian Ministry of Health in the West Bank reported that 21 people were wounded by soldiers’ gunfire. Tensions were particularly high in Hebron, where Hamas activists called for big protests. Hebron residents shared copies of leaflets they said were dropped across the city by Israeli military drones warning that anyone “who demonstrates on behalf of Hamas will be pursued.” There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military. In Tulkarem, militants carried rifles and shots rang out Friday during a funeral for 13 people killed in a battle with Israeli troops in the Nur Shams refugee camp. The past 13 days since the eruption of the war have been the deadliest in decades in the West Bank, with more than 80 Palestinians killed by Israeli soldiers and settlers. EGYPTThousands of Egyptians demonstrated in cities and towns across the North African country, in an expression of solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza. In a rare move, the Egyptian government approved and even helped organize 27 locations for protesters to gather on Friday. Since coming to power in 2013, Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi’s government has outlawed large public protests. But pro-Palestinian protests broke out in undesignated areas too. Hundreds gathered in the courtyard of the Al-Azhar Mosque, the Sunni Muslim world's foremost religious institution, in central Cairo. “Oh Al-Aqsa, do not worry, we will redeem you with our soul and blood,” they chanted after Friday’s midday prayer. The Al-Aqsa mosque is the third-holiest site in Islam situated in Jerusalem's contested Old City, a spot also known to Jews as the Temple Mount, which is the holiest site in Judaism. In a demonstration not among those approved by the government, scores of protesters gathered in Tahrir Square, where they were cordoned off by security forces. The downtown Cairo square was the focal point of the 2011 uprising that ousted former President Hosni Mubarak. In official demonstration spots located in every major Egyptian city, state TV showed protesters waving flags and chanting pro-Palestinian slogans. While Egypt has functioning relations with both Israel and Hamas, the overwhelming majority of Egyptians harbor sympathy toward Palestinians and their desire for independence. Over the past week, el-Sissi has publicly criticized Israel, accusing Benjamin Netanyahu’s government of trying to liquidate the Palestinian cause by pushing Gaza’s inhabitants onto Egyptian territory. LEBANONDozens of supporters of the Lebanese militant Hezbollah group and others protested in a southern Beirut suburb calling for the lifting of the blockade of Gaza and to support Palestinians there. “We salute the heroes of Gaza, the people of Gaza, the elderly, men, women and children,” said Hezbollah legislator Ali Ammar. Protesters waved Hezbollah, Lebanese, and Palestinian flags and burned an American flag. Hezbollah and the Israeli military have skirmished in towns along the Lebanon-Israel border. The militant group has threatened to escalate should Israel launch a ground invasion of Gaza, while Israel has vowed to retaliate aggressively in Lebanon should that happen. The Lebanese government and international community fear a ground invasion could expand the war into the cash-strapped country and elsewhere in the region. Israel and Hezbollah fought a month-long war that ended in a stalemate in 2006. TURKEYIn Turkey, where the government has declared three days of mourning in solidarity with the victims of a blast at a Gaza hospital, thousands of people staged protests outside mosques following Friday prayers in Istanbul and in the capital, Ankara. In Istanbul, protesters affiliated with Islamic groups waved Turkish and Palestinian flags, held up placards and chanted slogans denouncing Israel’s actions in Gaza. “Stop the genocide!” and “Murderer Israel get out of Palestine” some of the placards read. About a dozen men wearing red-stained doctors’ coats carried dolls depicting dead babies to protest the hospital blast, while some of the protesters set fire to an effigy of the Israeli prime minister and an Israeli flag. In contrast to protests earlier this week, when some demonstrators tried to enter Israeli diplomatic missions in Ankara and Istanbul and flung fireworks at the Israeli Consulate, no violence was reported during Friday’s demonstrations. Israel withdrew its diplomats from Turkey on Thursday over security concerns, officials said. NEW YORKHundreds of protesters braved rainy weather Friday night in New York City and marched to U.S. Sen. Kristen Gillibrand’s Manhattan office, many shouting “cease fire now,” to call on the Democrat — and the rest of the delegation — to condemn Israel’s continued bombardment of Gaza. The march was organized by the New York City Democratic Socialists of America and a diverse coalition of Muslim, Jewish and other groups. Brooklyn-based Rabbi Miriam Grossman told the crowd she knows many people grieving the loss of family members killed in the Hamas attack or have friends and family taken hostage. Yet Grossman said she also knows many Palestinians “living in terror” as they lose contact with loved ones in Gaza. “Ceasefire is the only way the Israeli hostages, children and elders can come home,” she said. “Ceasefire is the only way thousands and thousands more Palestinians do not die trapped in Gaza, trapped under the rubble of Israeli bombs.” Police later arrested dozens of the protesters who blocked Third Avenue outside Gillibrand's office by sitting in the middle of the street. At a pro-Israel rally on Thursday night, where hundreds packed into New York City's Times Square to demand the release of the hostages, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York led the crowd in the chant “bring them home.” Photos of the hostages and the Israeli flag shined brightly from towering billboards. Schumer said he assured Israelis on a recent visit that the U.S. is committed to Israel. “We will not abandon you," he told the crowd. "We will fight with you side by side until the threat of Hamas is totally eliminated and every hostage is brought home." IRAQHundreds of Iraqi protesters gathered at the western Trebil border crossing near Jordan in a demonstration organized by the Coordination Framework, an alliance of Iran-backed Shia political groups and militias in Iraq. The pro-Iran coalition also called for a protest in Baghdad near the main gate of the highly fortified international zone, where the U.S. Embassy is located, to condemn its endorsement of Israel in the ongoing war with Hamas. Their rival, Iraq’s firebrand Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, the most influential in the country, issued a call Thursday for Arab nations bordering Israel, notably Lebanon, Syria, Egypt, and Jordan, to engage in what he called peaceful demonstrations at their borders. The protesters waved Palestinian flags and chanted “No to Israel” before praying in the presence of religious clerics. In recent days, Iran-backed militias attacked United States military bases in Iraq. Iran has warned that an Israeli ground incursion into Gaza could spark an escalation from allied armed groups and a possible regional war. JORDANPro-Hamas protesters clashed with Jordanian security forces who prevented them from marching toward the border with the occupied West Bank, and police made at least two arrests. All roads to the border were closed, and a few thousand people were allowed to demonstrate in the Naour area, between the capital, Amman, and the border. Protesters chanted pro-Hamas slogans and condemned the Jordanian government for blocking access to the border. They also demanded that all diplomatic relations with Israel be severed and its ambassador to Jordan expelled. YEMENThousands of Yemenis demonstrated across the divided, war-torn country in support of Palestinians. Large protests took place in the capital Sanaa, which is governed by the Iran-backed Houthi rebels, but also in the south where a secessionist group called the Southern Transitional Council has control. In Sanaa, thousands waved Palestinian flags, chanting: “With our souls, with our blood, we sacrifice for you ... oh Palestinians.” The Houthi rebels are staunch foes of Israel and the United States. Last week, the group’s leader warned the U.S. against intervening in the conflict between Israel and Hamas, threatening that his forces would retaliate by firing drones and missiles. The Houthis regularly organize pro-Palestinian marches during times of conflict between Israel and the Palestinians. MOROCCOProtesters holding banners and chanting slogans in support of Palestinians demonstrated outside a mosque after prayers in Salé, Morocco. Participant Lahcen Farhi said he hoped the peaceful gathering would help the people of Gaza. “At least we want the medicines to reach them, or ... to stop the war," he said, adding that expressions of support for Palestinians should be held “without violence and within the framework of the law.” MALAYSIASome 1,000 Muslims marched along a busy thoroughfare in Kuala Lumpur after Friday prayers, calling for an end to the killing in Gaza. Waving Palestinian flags, they gathered outside the U.S. Embassy, which was under heavy security, to protest America’s support for Israel. “Israel is just a big bully, and they are cowards because they are targeting the children, the hospital. (Palestinians) are helpless because they are denied all the basic things in life to survive, and yet (Israel) complained they are being bullied by Hamas,” said retiree Salwa Tamrin. Chanting “Death to Israel, God is great,” many carried placards calling for an end to violence. “For me Palestine is rightfully Palestinian, it’s not the place for Israelis. They went there and took the land” from the Palestinians, said activist Isyraf Imran. Predominantly Muslim Malaysia, a strong supporter of the Palestinian cause, doesn’t have diplomatic ties with Israel. Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, who is in Saudi Arabia for the ASEAN-Gulf Cooperation Council summit, warned Friday that the humanitarian crisis in Gaza could widen into a regional and world conflict if no solution is found. INDONESIAIn Indonesia’s capital, demonstrators marched from several mosques to the heavily guarded U.S. Embassy in Jakarta to denounce American support for Israel. Similar protests also took place in front of the United Nations mission, a few kilometers (miles) from the embassy, and in the compound of the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Authorities said about 1,000 people participated in the rallies across Jakarta following Friday prayers in the world’s most populous Muslim-majority nation. Protesters who marched to the U.S. Embassy halted traffic along the way as they chanted “God is great,” and “Save Palestinians.” Waving Indonesian and Palestinian flags and signs reading “We are proud to support Palestine,” more than 100 noisy demonstrators gathered along a major street in Jakarta that runs outside the embassy. Some burned portraits of President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. About 1,000 police were deployed around the embassy, the nearby presidential palace and the U.N. mission. Indonesia does not have formal diplomatic relations with Israel, and there is no Israeli embassy in the country. It's a strong supporter of the Palestinians. President Joko Widodo strongly condemned the Gaza City hospital blast. “Now is the time for the world to stand together to build global solidarity to resolve the Palestinian issue fairly,” Widodo said from Saudi Arabia, where he was attending the ASEAN-Gulf Cooperation Council summit. ITALYRome’s Jewish community has remembered the estimated 203 people believed held by Hamas by setting a long Shabbat table for them outside the capital’s main synagogue and empty chairs for each of the hostages. On the backs of each chair was a flyer featuring the name, age and photo of each missing person. On the table were candles, wine and loaves of challah, the braided bread typically eaten during the Friday night meal. The same flyers appeared on billboards elsewhere in downtown Rome. The Israeli government has said Hamas is holding an estimated 203 people after militants stormed southern Israel on Oct. 7. At least two Italian-Israelis are believed to be among them. The head of Rome’s Jewish community, Victor Fadlun, said the community hoped for as few victims as possible. He said the Palestinian people as well were suffering and were “hostages” of Hamas. He said: “From them we must wait for a helping hand and hope that there will be a proper solution for everyone." SOUTH AFRICAPro-Palestinian demonstrators led by South Africa’s ruling African National Congress protested at the Israel embassy in the capital Pretoria. More than 1,000 protesters brought traffic to a standstill as they marched through the streets. It was the biggest such demonstration in South Africa, where the Palestinian cause continues to enjoy significant support. ANC leaders, including the head of the party in Gauteng province, Panyaza Lesufi, and first deputy secretary general Nomvula Mokonyane led the protesters through the streets of Pretoria. The ANC’s political allies, including the South African Communist Party and the Congress of South African Trade Union, also joined the march. The ANC has expressed its solidarity with the Palestinian people, emphasizing their long relationship dating back to the days of the racial policy of apartheid implemented by the white minority government. Its youth leader, Collen Malatji, called on the South African government to ban all Israeli imports and businesses in South Africa.  

Israeli airstrikes flattened homes in Gaza on Saturday and Palestinian rocket barrages into southern Israel persisted for a second day, raising fears of another major escalation in the Mideast conflict. Gaza’s health ministry said 24 people had been killed so far in the coastal strip, including six children. The fighting began with Israel’s killing of a senior commander of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad militant group in a wave of strikes Friday that Israel said were meant to prevent an imminent attack. So far, Hamas, the larger militant group that rules Gaza, appeared to stay on the sidelines of the conflict, keeping its intensity somewhat contained. Israel and Hamas fought a war barely a year ago, one of four major conflicts and several smaller battles over the last 15 years that exacted a staggering toll on the impoverished territory’s 2 million Palestinian residents. Whether Hamas continues to stay out of the fight likely depends in part on how much punishment Israel inflicts in Gaza as rocket fire steadily continues. The Israeli military said an errant rocket fired by Palestinian militants killed civilians late Saturday, including children, in the town of Jabaliya, in northern Gaza. The military said it investigated the incident and concluded “without a doubt” that it was caused by a misfire on the part of Islamic Jihad. There was no official Palestinian comment on the incident. A Palestinian medical worker, who was not authorized to brief media and spoke on condition of anonymity, said the blast killed at least six people, including three children. An airstrike in the southern city of Rafah destroyed a home and heavily damaged surrounding buildings. The Health Ministry said at least two people were killed and 32 wounded, including children. A teenage boy was recovered from the rubble, and the other slain individual was identified by his family as Ziad al-Mudalal, the son of an Islamic Jihad official. The military said it targeted Khaled Mansour, Islamic Jihad's commander for southern Gaza. Neither Israel nor the militant group said whether he was hit. The Civil Defense said responders were still sifting through the rubble and that a digger was being sent from Gaza City. Another strike Saturday hit a car, killing a 75-year-old woman and wounding six other people. In one of the strikes, fighter jets dropped two bombs on the house of an Islamic Jihad member after Israel warned people to evacuate the area. The blast flattened the two-story structure, leaving a large rubble-filled crater, and badly damaged surrounding homes. Women and children rushed out of the area. “Warned us? They warned us with rockets and we fled without taking anything,” said Huda Shamalakh, who lived next door. She said 15 people lived in the targeted home. Among the 24 Palestinians killed were six children and two women, as well as the senior Islamic Jihad commander. The Gaza Health Ministry said more than 200 people have been wounded. It does not differentiate between civilians and fighters. The Israeli military said Friday that early estimates were that around 15 fighters were killed. Read: Israel and Gaza militants exchange fire after deadly strikes The lone power plant in Gaza ground to a halt at noon Saturday for lack of fuel as Israel has kept its crossing points into Gaza closed since Tuesday. With the new disruption, Gazans can get only 4 hours of electricity a day, increasing their reliance on private generators and deepening the territory’s chronic power crisis amid peak summer heat. Throughout the day, Gaza militants regularly launched rounds of rockets into Israel. The Israeli military said Saturday evening that nearly 450 rockets had been fired, 350 of which made it into Israel, but almost all were intercepted by Israel’s Iron Dome missile-defense system. Two people suffered minor shrapnel wounds. One rocket barrage was fired toward Tel Aviv, setting off sirens that sent residents to shelters, but the rockets were either intercepted or fell into the sea, the military said. Sunday could be a critical day in the flare-up, as Jews mark Tisha B’av, a somber day of fasting that commemorates the destruction of the biblical temples. Thousands are expected at Jerusalem’s Western Wall, and Israeli media reported that the Israeli leadership was expected to allow lawmakers to visit a key hilltop holy site in the city that is a flashpoint for violence between Israelis and Palestinians. The violence poses an early test for Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid, who assumed the role of caretaker prime minister ahead of elections in November, when he hopes to keep the position. Lapid, a centrist former TV host and author, has experience in diplomacy having served as foreign minister in the outgoing government, but has thin security credentials. A conflict with Gaza could burnish his standing and give him a boost as he faces off against former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a security hawk who led the country during three of its four wars with Hamas. Hamas also faces a dilemma in deciding whether to join a new battle barely a year after the last war caused widespread devastation. There has been almost no reconstruction since then, and the isolated coastal territory is mired in poverty, with unemployment hovering around 50%. Israel and Egypt have maintained a tight blockade over the territory since the Hamas takeover in 2007. Egypt on Saturday intensified efforts to prevent escalation, communicating with Israel, the Palestinians and the United States to keep Hamas from joining the fighting, an Egyptian intelligence official said. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the media. The latest round of Israel-Gaza violence was rooted in the arrest earlier this week of a senior Islamic Jihad leader in the occupied West Bank, part of a monthslong Israeli military operation. Israel then closed roads around Gaza and sent reinforcements to the border, bracing for retaliation. On Friday, it killed Islamic Jihad’s commander for northern Gaza, Taiseer al-Jabari, in a strike on a Gaza City apartment building. An Israeli military spokesman said the strikes were in response to an “imminent threat” from two militant squads armed with anti-tank missiles. Hamas seized power in Gaza from rival Palestinian forces in 2007, two years after Israel withdrew from the coastal strip. Its most recent war with Israel was in May 2021. Tensions soared again earlier this year following a wave of attacks inside Israel, near-daily military operations in the West Bank and tensions at a flashpoint Jerusalem holy site. Iran-backed Islamic Jihad is smaller than Hamas but largely shares its ideology. Both groups oppose Israel’s existence and have carried out scores of deadly attacks over the years.