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Syria welcomed Saturday the move by the Trump administration to ease sanctions imposed on the war-torn country, calling it a “positive step” to ease humanitarian and economic suffering. A statement by the foreign ministry said Syria “extends its hand” to anyone that wants to cooperate with Damascus, on the condition that there is no intervention in the country’s internal affairs, reports AP. Saturday’s statement came a day after the Trump administration granted Syria sweeping exemptions from sanctions in a major first step toward fulfilling the president’s pledge to lift a half-century of penalties on a country shattered by 14 years of civil war. A measure by the State Department waived for six months a tough set of sanctions imposed by Congress in 2019. A Treasury Department action suspended enforcement of sanctions against anyone doing business with a range of Syrian individuals and entities, including Syria’s central bank. Over 60 killed in Israeli strikes on Gaza as aid remains scarce The congressional sanctions, known as the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act, had aimed to isolate Syria’s previous rulers by effectively expelling those doing business with them from the global financial system. They specifically block postwar reconstruction, so while they can be waived for 180 days by executive order, investors are likely to be wary of reconstruction projects when sanctions could be reinstated after six months. The Trump administration said Friday’s actions were “just one part of a broader US government effort to remove the full architecture of sanctions.” Those penalties had been imposed on the Assad family for their support of Iranian-backed militias, their chemical weapons program and abuses of civilians. Trump said during a visit to the region earlier this month that the US would roll back the heavy financial penalties in a bid to give the interim government a better chance of survival. Syria’s foreign ministry said dialogue and diplomacy are the best way to build “balanced relations that achieve the interest of the people and strengthen security and stability in the region.” It added that the coming period in Syria will be reconstruction and restoring “Syria’s natural status” in the region and around the world.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has sharply criticised UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, accusing them of siding with Hamas and being "on the wrong side of humanity." In a strongly worded video message released after Thursday’s fatal shooting of two Israeli embassy staff members in Washington, Netanyahu claimed the leaders had "effectively said they want Hamas to remain in power." He further accused them of aligning with “mass murderers, rapists, baby killers and kidnappers.” In his video, Netanyahu said Hamas wanted to destroy Israel and annihilate the Jewish people. He said the Palestinian armed group had welcomed the joint UK, French and Canadian criticism of Israel's war conduct. Some of Israel's closest allies wanted Israel to "stand down and accept that Hamas's army of mass murderers will survive", he said. "I say to President Macron, Prime Minister Carney and Prime Minister Starmer, when mass murderers, rapists, baby killers and kidnappers thank you, you're on the wrong side of justice," he added. Gaza's main hospital overwhelmed with children in pain from malnutrition "You're on the wrong side of humanity, and you're on the wrong side of history." Netanyahu also condemned remarks by UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher on infant deaths in Gaza, calling them false and blaming such claims for inciting violence like the Washington shooting. "A few days ago, a top UN official said that 14,000 Palestinian babies would die in 48 hours. You see many international institutions are complicit in spreading this lie," he said. "The press repeats it. The mob believed it. And a young couple is then brutally gunned down in Washington." In the days before the Thursday’s shooting, the UK, France, and Canada criticised Israel’s intensified military campaign in Gaza as “disproportionate,” calling the humanitarian situation “intolerable.” While Sir Keir condemned the Washington killings and denounced antisemitism, he also said Israel’s limited aid access to Gaza was “utterly inadequate,” prompting the UK to pause trade talks with Israel. The attack in Washington left Yaron Lischinsky, 30, and Sarah Lynn Milgrim, 26, dead at a Capital Jewish Museum event. Police arrested suspect Elias Rodriguez of Chicago, who reportedly shouted “free Palestine” during his arrest. Social media accounts linked to him suggest ties to pro-Palestinian movements. Authorities are investigating writings in which he accused Israel of genocide and criticised US policy. With inputs from BBC

Grabbing her daughter's feeble arm, Asmaa al-Arja pulls a shirt over the 2-year-old's protruding ribs and swollen belly. The child lies on a hospital bed, heaving, then wails uncontrollably, throwing her arms around her own shoulders as if to console herself. This isn't the first time Mayar has been in a Gaza hospital battling malnutrition, yet this 17-day stint is the longest. She has celiac disease, an autoimmune disorder that means she can't eat gluten and requires special food. But there's little left for her to eat in the embattled enclave after 19 months of war and Israel's punishing blockade, and she can't digest what's available. “She needs diapers, soy milk and she needs special food. This is not available because of border closures. If it's available, it is expensive, I can’t afford it,” her mother said as she sat next to Mayar at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis. Mayar is among the more than 9,000 children who have been treated for malnutrition this year, according to the U.N. children’s agency, and food security experts say tens of thousands of cases are expected in the coming year. Experts also warn the territory could plunge into famine if Israel doesn’t stop its military campaign and fully lift its blockade — but the World Health Organization said last week that people are already starving. “Everywhere you look, people are hungry. ... They point their fingers to their mouths showing that (they) need something to eat,” said Nestor Owomuhangi, the representative of the United Nations Population Fund for the Palestinian territories. “The worst has already arrived in Gaza.” Israel eases blockade but little aid reaches Palestinians For more than two months, Israel has banned all food, medicine and other goods from entering the territory that is home to some 2 million Palestinians, as it carries out waves of airstrikes and ground operations. Palestinians in Gaza rely almost entirely on outside aid to survive because Israel's offensive has destroyed almost all the territory's food production capabilities. After weeks of insisting Gaza had enough food, Israel relented in the face of international pressure and began allowing dozens of humanitarian trucks into the territory this week — including some carrying baby food. 54 people killed in overnight airstrikes on southern Gaza city amid Trump's Mideast trip “Children are already dying from malnutrition and there are more babies in Gaza now who will be in mortal danger if they don’t get fast access to the nutrition supplies needed to save their lives,” said Tess Ingram of the U.N. children’s agency. But U.N. agencies say the amount is woefully insufficient, compared to around 600 trucks a day that entered during a recent ceasefire and that are necessary to meet basic needs. And they have struggled to retrieve the aid and distribute it, blaming complicated Israeli military procedures and the breakdown of law and order inside the territory. On Wednesday, a U.N. official said more than a dozen trucks arrived at warehouses in central Gaza. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the press. That appeared to be the first aid to actually reach a distribution point since the blockade was lifted. Israel accuses Hamas of siphoning off aid, without providing evidence, and plans to roll out a new aid distribution system within days. U.N. agencies and aid groups say the new system would fall far short of mounting needs, force much of the population to flee again in order to be closer to distribution sites, and violate humanitarian principles by forcing people to move to receive the aid rather than delivering it based on need to where people live. On top of not being able to find or afford the food that Mayar needs, her mother said chronic diarrhea linked to celiac disease has kept the child in and out of hospital all year. The toddler — whose two pigtails are brittle, a sign of malnutrition — weighs 7 kilograms (15 pounds), according to doctors. That's about half what healthy girl her age should. But it’s getting harder to help her as supplies like baby formula are disappearing, say health staff. Hospitals are hanging by a thread, dealing with mass casualties from Israeli strikes. Packed hospital feeding centers are overwhelmed with patients. “We have nothing at Nasser Hospital," said Dr. Ahmed al-Farrah, who said his emergency center for malnourished children is at full capacity. Supplies are running out, people are living off scraps, and the situation is catastrophic for babies and pregnant women, he said. Everything watered down to make it last In the feeding center of the hospital, malnourished mothers console their hungry children — some so frail their spines jut out of their skin, their legs swollen from lack food. Israeli airstrikes in Gaza kill 60, including 22 children The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, a leading international authority on the severity of hunger crises, has warned that there could be some 71,000 cases of malnourished children between now and March. In addition, nearly 17,000 pregnant and breastfeeding women will need treatment for acute malnutrition in the coming months. Mai Namleh and her 18-month-old son, who live in a tent, are both malnourished. She wanted to wean him off of breastmilk because she barely has any, but she has so little else to give him. She gives him heavily watered-down formula to ration it, and sometimes offers him starch to quiet his hunger screams. “I try to pass it for milk to stop him screaming,” she said of the formula. An aid group gave her around 30 packets of nutritional supplements, but they ran out in two days as she shared them with family and friends, she said. In another tent, Nouf al-Arja says she paid a fortune for a hard-to-find kilogram (about 2 pounds) of red lentils. The family cooks it with a lot of water so it lasts, unsure what they will eat next. The mother of four has lost 23 kilograms (50 pounds) and struggles to focus, saying she constantly feels dizzy. Both she and her 3-year-old daughter are malnourished, doctors said. She's worried her baby boy, born four months earlier and massively underweight, will suffer the same fate as she struggles to breastfeed. “I keep looking for (infant food) .... so I can feed him. There is nothing," she said.

ICC prosecutors have urged judges to reject Israel's request to cancel arrest warrants for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant while the court reviews its jurisdiction over Gaza and the West Bank. In a 10-page document posted on the ICC's website on Wednesday, prosecutors assert there is "no basis" to revoke the warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant. The warrants, issued in November, were based on findings that there was "reason to believe" they used "starvation as a method of warfare" by blocking humanitarian aid and deliberately targeting civilians during Israel's military actions against Hamas in Gaza. Israeli officials strongly deny these allegations. The submission, signed on behalf of prosecutor Karim Khan (who is currently on leave while an investigation into sexual misconduct allegations is conducted), argues the investigation should proceed due to the ongoing and escalating nature of the crimes. There is ‘no way’ Israel halts war in Gaza until Hamas defeated: Netanyahu Last month, appeals judges instructed a pretrial panel to revisit Israel’s challenge to the court’s jurisdiction. Israel contends the ICC lacks authority to issue warrants for Israeli officials since it is not a member state, though the court recognizes "The State of Palestine" as one of its 126 member countries. In addition to the warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant, the ICC had also issued a warrant for Mohammed Deif, the head of Hamas' armed wing, for his role in the October 7, 2023, attacks that led to Israel’s offensive in Gaza. That warrant was withdrawn in February after his death was confirmed in an Israeli airstrike.

Hospitals in Gaza say Israeli strikes overnight and into Wednesday killed at least 45 people, including several women and a week-old infant. The fresh strikes come as Israel’s war on Hamas shows no signs of relenting, despite a surge in international anger at Israel’s widening offensive. Israel began allowing dozens of humanitarian trucks into Gaza on Tuesday, but the aid has not yet reached Palestinians in desperate need, according to aid groups. U.N. spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said Tuesday evening that although the aid has entered Gaza, aid workers were not able to bring it to distribution points where it is most needed, after the Israeli military forced them to reload the supplies onto separate trucks and workers ran out of time.  Israel eases Gaza blockade slightly; only 5 aid trucks enter since Monday Internal notes circulated among aid groups Wednesday and seen by The Associated Press said that no humanitarian trucks had left Kerem Shalom, the border crossing in southern Gaza that is operated by Israel. The notes said 65 trucks moved from the Israel side of the crossing to the Palestinian side, but hadn’t made it into Gaza. The Israeli defense body that oversees humanitarian aid to Gaza said trucks were entering into Gaza on Wednesday morning, but it was unclear if that aid was able to continue into Gaza for distribution. The U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees said they waited several hours to collect aid from the border crossing in order to begin distribution but were unable to do so on Tuesday. On Tuesday, the U.K. suspended free trade talks with Israel over its intensifying assault, a step that came a day after the U.K., Canada and France promised concrete steps to prompt Israel to halt the war. Separately, European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said the bloc was reviewing an EU pact governing trade ties with Israel over its conduct of the war in Gaza. Israel says it is prepared to stop the war once all the hostages taken by Hamas return home and Hamas is defeated, or is exiled and disarmed. Hamas says it is prepared to release the hostages in exchange for a full Israeli withdrawal from the territory and an end to the war. It rejects demands for exile and disarmament. Israel called back its senior negotiating team from ceasefire talks in the Qatari capital of Doha on Tuesday, saying it would leave lower-level officials in place instead. Meanwhile, Israeli strikes continued to pound Gaza. In the southern city of Khan Younis, where Israel recently ordered new evacuations pending an expected expanded offensive, 24 people were killed, 14 of them from the same family. A week-old infant was killed in central Gaza. The Israeli military did not immediately comment on the strikes but has said it is targeting Hamas infrastructure and accused Hamas militants of operating from civilian areas.  At least 85 Palestinians killed in Israeli strikes, more aid allowed The war in Gaza began when Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting 251 others. The militants are still holding 58 captives, around a third of whom are believed to be alive, after most of the rest were returned in ceasefire agreements or other deals. Israel’s retaliatory offensive, which has destroyed large swaths of Gaza, has killed more than 53,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which doesn’t differentiate between civilians and combatants in its count.

Israel pressed ahead Tuesday with its new military offensive in Gaza despite mounting international criticism, launching airstrikes that health officials said killed at least 85 Palestinians. Israeli officials said they also allowed in dozens more trucks carrying aid. Two days after aid began entering Gaza, the desperately needed new supplies have not yet reached people in Gaza, which has been under an Israeli blockade for nearly three months, according to the United Nations. Experts have warned that many of Gaza's 2 million residents are at high risk of famine. Under pressure, Israel agreed this week to allow a “minimal” amount of aid into the Palestinian territory after preventing the entry of food, medicine and fuel in an attempt to pressure the Hamas militant group. U.N. spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said that although the aid has entered Gaza, aid workers were not able to bring it to distribution points where it is most needed, after the Israeli military forced them to reload the supplies onto separate trucks and workers ran out of time. COGAT, the Israeli defense body that oversees humanitarian aid, said five trucks entered Monday and 93 trucks entered Tuesday. But Dujarric said the U.N. confirmed only a few dozen trucks entered Gaza on Tuesday. The aid included flour for bakeries, food for soup kitchens, baby food and medical supplies. The U.N. humanitarian agency said it is prioritizing baby formula in the first shipments. But none of that aid actually reached Palestinians, according to the U.N. Dujarric described the new security process for getting aid cleared to warehouses as “long, complex, complicated and dangerous." He said Israeli military requirements for aid workers to unload and reload the trucks are hindering efforts to distribute the aid. COGAT did not immediately comment on the new procedures. The United Nations humanitarian agency received approval for about 100 trucks to enter Gaza, spokesman Jens Laerke said, which is far less than the 600 that entered daily during the latest ceasefire that Israel ended in March. Israel's Foreign Ministry said dozens are expected to enter each day. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he decided to let in limited aid after pressure from allies, who told him they couldn't support Israel while devastating images of starvation were coming out of Gaza. Israel eases Gaza blockade slightly; only 5 aid trucks enter since Monday U.K. suspends trade negotiations and sanctions settler movement But some close allies say the limited aid is not enough. The British government on Tuesday said it was suspending free trade negotiations with Israel and was leveling new sanctions targeting settlements in the occupied West Bank. The move came a day after the U.K, France and Canada condemned Israel’s handling of the war in Gaza and its actions in the West Bank and threatened to take action. “I want to put on record today that we’re horrified by the escalation from Israel,” British Prime Minister Keir Starmer told Parliament. Israel's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Oren Marmorstein called the new sanctions “unjustified and regrettable" and claimed Israel and the U.K. had not been talking about free trade. The U.K. leveled sanctions against three settlers and a number of organizations, including settler leader Daniella Weiss and the movement she heads. In response, Weiss said hundreds of families are ready to build Jewish settlements in Gaza. Israel launched its new military operation in Gaza over the weekend, saying it aims to return dozens of hostages held by Hamas and destroy the militant group. More than 300 people have been killed in Gaza during the latest onslaught, according to health officials. Israeli politician criticizes killing ‘babies as a hobby’ Criticism against Israel's conduct in Gaza also came at home. A leader of center-left politics said Tuesday that Israel was becoming an “outcast among nations" because of the government's approach to the war. “A sane country doesn’t engage in fighting against civilians, doesn’t kill babies as a hobby and doesn’t set for itself the goals of expelling a population,” Yair Golan, a retired general and leader of the opposition Democrats party, told Reshet Bet radio. His comments were rare criticism from inside Israel of its wartime conduct in Gaza. Many Israelis have criticized Netanyahu throughout the war, but that has been mostly limited to what opponents argue are his political motives to continue the war. Criticism over the war's toll on Palestinian civilians has been almost unheard. UK, France, and Canada warn Israel of consequences over Gaza offensive Netanyahu swiftly slammed Golan's remarks, calling them “wild incitement” against Israeli soldiers and accusing him of echoing “disgraceful antisemitic blood libels” against the country. Golan, who donned his uniform during Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, attack to join the fight against the militants, previously sparked an uproar when as deputy military chief of staff in 2016, he likened the atmosphere in Israel to that of Nazi-era Germany. At an evening news conference, Golan said he refused to be silent “because the meaning of silence is to join in the abandonment of the IDF and the abandonment of the hostages and the abandonment of the State of Israel.” He called on the opposition to band together to oppose the government’s plans for Gaza. Strikes pound Gaza as Netanyahu recalls negotiating team In the latest assaults, two strikes in northern Gaza hit a family home and a school-turned-shelter, killing at least 22 people, more than half of them women and children, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. The Israeli military said it targeted a Hamas command center and warned civilians ahead of time. A strike in the central city of Deir al-Balah killed 13 people, and another in the nearby built-up Nuseirat refugee camp killed 15, according to al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital. Two strikes in Khan Younis killed 10 people, according to Nasser Hospital. Israel said it was targeting militants and blames Hamas for civilian deaths because the group operates in densely populated areas. On Tuesday, Netanyahu said he was recalling his high-level negotiating team from the Gulf state of Qatar after a week of ceasefire talks failed to bring results. A working team will remain in the Qatari capital of Doha. Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said a “fundamental gap” remained between the two parties and that none of the proposals were able to bridge their differences. Israeli strikes across Gaza kill at least 60 people, health officials say Hamas said no real ceasefire talks have taken place since Saturday in Doha. The group accused Netanyahu of “falsely portraying participation” and attempting to “mislead global public opinion” by keeping Israel’s delegation there without engaging in serious negotiations. The war in Gaza began when Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting 251 others. The militants are still holding 58 captives, around a third of whom are believed to be alive, after most of the rest were returned in ceasefire agreements or other deals. Israel’s retaliatory offensive, which has destroyed large swaths of Gaza, has killed more than 53,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which doesn’t differentiate between civilians and combatants in its count.

Israel has begun allowing limited shipments of food and medicine into the Gaza Strip after more than two and a half months of a total import ban on the enclave’s two million Palestinians. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the decision to ease the blockade came following pressure from unnamed allies, aiming to shore up support for Israel’s latest major offensive against Hamas, reports AP. United Nations agencies and humanitarian groups, which had run out of aid supplies weeks ago, welcomed the move. However, they stressed that the aid delivered so far falls far short of what's needed. According to the UN, only five aid trucks have entered Gaza since Monday, in contrast to the roughly 600 trucks per day that were passing through during a previous ceasefire. The humanitarian situation in Gaza has reached its worst point in 19 months of war. Hundreds of Palestinians have been killed in recent Israeli airstrikes, and the territory has been facing critical shortages of food and medical supplies. Experts have warned that continued restrictions, along with ongoing military operations, could push Gaza into famine. The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, a leading authority on global hunger crises, estimates that nearly half a million Palestinians are at risk of starvation, while another one million are struggling to get enough food. UK, France, and Canada warn Israel of consequences over Gaza offensive Israel imposed the complete ban on March 2, saying it was intended to pressure Hamas into agreeing to a ceasefire deal more favourable to Israel than the agreement signed in January. However, two weeks later, Israel launched a wave of airstrikes, breaking the truce and killing hundreds. Israel claims that Hamas diverts humanitarian aid for military use, though it has not provided evidence to support this accusation. The UN says there are mechanisms in place that prevent any significant diversion of aid. Israel is also trying to pressure Hamas to release more of the hostages taken during the October 7, 2023 attack, in which militants killed around 1,200 people—mostly civilians—and abducted 251. Since then, Israel’s military campaign has killed more than 53,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which says most of the victims are women and children, though it does not specify how many were civilians or fighters.

The United Kingdom, France, and Canada have issued a stern warning to Israel, saying they will take "concrete actions" if Israel continues what they described as a severe escalation of its military campaign in Gaza. UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer joined French President Emmanuel Macron and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney in urging Israel to "stop its military operations" and to "immediately allow humanitarian aid to enter Gaza." Since March 2, no food, fuel, or medicine has been allowed into the enclave, a situation the United Nations previously said was having a "disastrous toll" on Palestinians. In response, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused the three nations of giving a "huge prize" to Hamas in the ongoing conflict. On Sunday, Netanyahu stated that Israel would permit a "basic amount of food" into Gaza after an 11-week blockade, but affirmed intentions to "control all of Gaza." The three Western leaders criticized this response as "wholly inadequate," warning that "the denial of essential humanitarian assistance to the civilian population is unacceptable and risks breaching International Humanitarian Law." They further described the humanitarian suffering in Gaza as "intolerable." The joint statement also condemned "the abhorrent language used recently by members of the Israeli Government, threatening that, in their despair at the destruction of Gaza, civilians will start to relocate." They stressed that "permanent forced displacement is a breach of international humanitarian law." Tom Fletcher, the UN humanitarian relief chief and a former British diplomat, noted that the number of aid trucks approved to enter Gaza amounted to only a "drop in the ocean of what is urgently needed." The leaders acknowledged Israel's right to self-defense but said: "We have always supported Israel's right to defend Israelis against terrorism. But this escalation is wholly disproportionate." Starmer, Macron, and Carney also called for the immediate release of hostages still held by Hamas following the "heinous attack" on southern Israel on October 7, 2023. The conflict was sparked by the Hamas-led assault that left approximately 1,200 people dead and 251 taken hostage. Of the hostages, around 58 remain in Gaza, with up to 23 believed to still be alive. According to Gaza’s health ministry, which is run by Hamas, over 53,000 Palestinians have died in Israel's military operations since the war began. In their joint statement, the UK, France, and Canada reaffirmed their support for a ceasefire and for a "two-state solution," which envisions a sovereign Palestinian state coexisting alongside Israel. Netanyahu pushed back, stating: "By asking Israel to end a defensive war for our survival before Hamas terrorists on our border are destroyed and by demanding a Palestinian state, the leaders in London, Ottawa and Paris are offering a huge prize for the genocidal attack on Israel on October 7 while inviting more such atrocities." He also urged "all European leaders" to adopt former US President Donald Trump's approach to resolving the conflict. Source: BBC

Israeli strikes overnight and into Tuesday have killed at least 60 people across the Gaza Strip, according to Palestinian health officials. Israel has launched another major offensive in the territory in recent days, saying it aims to return dozens of hostages held by Hamas and destroy the militant group.  Israel eases Gaza blockade to allow minimal food supplies amid renewed military offensive On Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu began allowing a small number of aid trucks into Gaza for the first time in 2 1/2 months, saying he had been pressured to lift a blockade on the territory's 2 million Palestinians that had sparked fears of famine. But U.N. agencies said the handful of trucks that entered were nowhere near enough to meet the massive need for food, medicine and other supplies. Some 600 trucks a day had entered during a ceasefire earlier this year. Two strikes in northern Gaza hit a family home and a school-turned-shelter, killing at least 22 people, more than half of them women and children, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. A strike in the central city of Deir al-Balah killed 13 people, and another in the nearby built-up Nuseirat refugee camp killed 15, according to the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital. Two strikes in the southern city of Khan Younis killed 10 people, according to Nasser Hospital. There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military, which says it only targets militants and blames Hamas for civilian deaths because the group operates in densely populated areas.  Israeli strikes across Gaza kill at least 66 people, hospitals and medics say The war in Gaza began when Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting 251 others. The militants are still holding 58 captives, around a third believed to be alive, after most of the rest were returned in ceasefire agreements or other deals. Israel’s retaliatory offensive, which has destroyed large swaths of Gaza, has killed more than 53,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which doesn’t differentiate between civilians and combatants in its count. The war has displaced around 90% of its population, most of them multiple times.

After a 10-week blockade, Israel has announced it will permit a "basic amount of food" into Gaza to prevent a starvation crisis. The move, recommended by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), aims to support its ongoing military operations against Hamas. The announcement came shortly after the IDF confirmed it had launched extensive ground operations across Gaza. Israel has faced mounting international pressure to lift the blockade, which has halted the entry of food, fuel, and medicine. Humanitarian agencies have warned of an impending famine, with reports and images of severely malnourished children emerging from the territory, home to 2.1 million people. France’s foreign minister Jean-Noel Barrot urged Israel to immediately and fully resume humanitarian aid access. However, a statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office emphasized that Israel would act to prevent Hamas from seizing control of aid distribution, adding that the allowance of food was intended to avoid a humanitarian disaster that could undermine its military campaign, dubbed Operation Gideon’s Chariot. Meanwhile, Israeli forces struck several areas in Gaza on Sunday, including Khan Younis in the south and Beit Lahia and Jabalia refugee camp in the north. Gaza’s health ministry, run by Hamas, reported at least 67 deaths and over 360 injuries in the past 24 hours. The civil defense agency said an overnight strike on al-Mawasi—a designated "safe zone"—killed 22 people and injured 100 others. Severe shortages leave Gaza City residents without water, bread, or basic necessities In a sweeping evacuation order, the Israeli army warned it would target any area used for launching rockets and urged civilians to seek shelter in al-Mawasi. Three public hospitals in North Gaza have now ceased operations, including the Indonesian Hospital in Beit Lahia, which reportedly came under tank fire from Israeli forces on Sunday night. Medical staff said no evacuation warning had been given, and the hospital was housing immobile patients and limited personnel at the time of the attack. The IDF claimed its operations targeted terrorist infrastructure near the hospital, while Gaza's health ministry accused Israel of besieging the facility and forcing it out of service. As the conflict escalates, ceasefire talks continue in Qatar, though with little progress. Israeli officials say they are pursuing all options for a deal that would include the release of all hostages, the removal of Hamas fighters from Gaza, and the group’s disarmament. However, a senior Hamas source told the BBC that negotiations remain stalled due to Israeli "intransigence." Hamas reportedly offered to release all Israeli hostages in exchange for a permanent ceasefire, full Israeli withdrawal, and entry of humanitarian aid—terms that Israel has so far rejected, seeking only a temporary truce in exchange for hostages. Source: BBC