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Five Israeli soldiers were killed in an attack in the northern Gaza Strip, Israel's military said Tuesday, while health officials in the Palestinian territory said 51 people were killed in Israeli strikes. The bloodshed came as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was visiting the White House for talks with US President Donald Trump about a ceasefire plan to pause the Gaza fighting. While there was no announcement of a breakthrough, there were signs of progress toward a deal. According to AP, the soldiers' deaths could add to pressure on Netanyahu to strike a deal, as polls in Israel have shown widespread support for ending the 21-month war. A senior Israeli official said 80-90% of the details had been ironed out and a final agreement could be days away. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorised to discuss the sensitive negotiations with the media. Soldiers attacked with explosive devices The soldiers were killed roughly two weeks after Israel reported one of its deadliest days in months in Gaza, when seven soldiers were killed after a Palestinian attached a bomb to their armoured vehicle. An Israeli security official said explosive devices were detonated against the five soldiers during an operation in the Beit Hanoun area in northern Gaza, an area where Israel has repeatedly fought regrouping militants. Houthi rebels attack Red Sea ship after claiming to sink another The military said 14 soldiers were wounded in the attack, two of them seriously. It brings the toll of soldiers killed to 888 since Hamas's October 7, 2023, attack. Abu Obeida, the spokesperson for Hamas’ armed wing, said on social media that the attack was an “additional blow” against what he described as a “weak” army. In a statement, Netanyahu sent condolences, saying the soldiers fell “in a campaign to defeat Hamas and to free all of our hostages.” On the other hand, health officials at Nasser Hospital, where victims of the Israeli strikes were taken, said one strike targeted tents sheltering displaced people in Khan Younis in southern Gaza, killing four people. A separate strike in Khan Younis killed four people, including a mother, father and their two children, officials said. Nasser Hospital records showed a total of 41 people killed on Tuesday. In central Gaza, Israeli strikes killed another 10 people and wounded 72, according to Awda Hospital in Nuseirat. Israel's military had no immediate comment on the strikes, but it blames Hamas for any harm to civilians because the militants operate in populated areas.

The director of Gaza’s Indonesian Hospital was killed along with several family members in an Israeli air strike on his home in the city of Gaza, the Hamas-run health ministry said. The ministry represented, Dr Marwan Sultan, as a symbol of medical commitment and condemned his killing as a “heinous crime.” Lubna al-Sultan, the daughter of Dr Marwan Sultan, said that an Israeli missile directly aimed his room. All the rooms remained intake except his. She further added that her father has no connections with any political party and his main focus was only on treating patients. Meanwhile, at least five people were killed and others injured, including children, in a strike on the al-Mawasi "safe zone",one of several other attacks reported by news agencies. Besides, at least 139 people were killed by Israeli military operations across Gaza in the 24 hours before midday on Wednesday, the health ministry said. Trump says deal for ceasefire in Gaza is closer after Israel agrees on terms The Israeli military, however, claimed that it had struck a “key terrorist” in Gaza city but was evaluating the claims of civilian fatality. It put blame on Hamas for using residential areas as shields while the IDF stated it regrets any harm to uninvolved civilians. The Indonesian Hospital, which was once a major facility in northern Gaza providing crucial support to the victims and injured people, has been out of service following frequent Israeli air strikes. Additionally, the UN also said that there are no running hospitals left in northern Gaza. According to the health ministry, Israel's military offensive in Gaza has killed more than 57,000 people, including more than 15,000 children.

While reports of a ceasefire between Iran and Israel have begun to circulate widely, the situation in Gaza remains dire, with no sign of relief from ongoing violence. “But here in Gaza, not only are we seeing very overcrowded hospitals, but this morning felt heavier,” a report from inside Gaza reads. “The silence is much heavier than before. Not because it is peaceful, but because nothing has changed, and the bombs have not stopped falling, and the killing continues”, as reported by Aljazeera. At the emergency ward of al-Shifa Hospital, the toll of continued Israeli air strikes is becoming increasingly apparent. The facility, which was already overwhelmed, is now reaching the point of collapse. “This place was already overwhelmed and now, it is on the verge of collapse,” the report continues. “Israeli air strikes hit multiple areas across Gaza City, and the result is dozens of injured – most of them are children.” Iran Strikes U.S. Air Base in Qatar: What we know so far Health workers and reporters on the ground describe dire conditions inside the hospital. “As we walked between the corridors of the emergency wards, we couldn’t help but notice that this place does not have enough space. And what is going on right now is that there is no medical equipment or medical supplies and everything seems to be collapsing.” Despite the news of a broader regional ceasefire, the humanitarian crisis in Gaza shows no signs of abating, with hospitals pushed to the brink and civilians, particularly children, continuing to bear the brunt of the conflict.

Britain, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Norway on Tuesday said that they have imposed sanctions on two far-right Israeli government ministers for allegedly “inciting extremist violence” against Palestinians in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich face asset freezes and travel bans. They are champions of expanding Israeli settlements in the West Bank, according to AP. Settler violence there has spiked since the start of the war in Gaza, where the ministers have been the most vocal in support of hardline policies. Iran executes 9 Islamic State militants linked to 2018 attack The five countries’ foreign ministers said that Ben-Gvir and Smotrich “have incited extremist violence and serious abuses of Palestinian human rights." Meanwhile, Israel said it has been informed that the United Kingdom will sanction two of its Cabinet ministers. Foreign Minister Gideon Saar did not provide their names in public remarks. It appears the sanctions will target Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, two far-right champions of Israeli settlements in Palestinian areas. Ben-Gvir and Smotrich both acknowledged the sanctions on social media, and Smotrich confirmed he was a target.

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

In his first reaction to Trump’s regional visit, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Trump wasn't truthful when he made claims about creating peace through power. “Trump said that he wanted to use power for peace, he lied. He and the US administration used power for massacre in Gaza, for waging wars in any place they could,” Khamenei said Saturday during a meeting with teachers broadcast on state television, reports AP. The US has provided Israel with 10-ton bombs to “drop on Gaza children, hospitals, houses of people in Lebanon and anywhere else when they can," Khamenei said. Khamenei, who has the final say on all Iranian state matters, reiterated his traditional stance against Israel. Israeli strikes kill 93 people in Gaza as Trump wraps up Middle East visit “Definitely, the Zionist regime is the spot of corruption, war, rifts. The Zionist regime that is lethal, dangerous, cancerous tumor should be certainly eradicated, and it will be," he said, adding that the US has imposed a pattern on Arab nations under which they cannot endeavour without US support. “Surely this model has failed. With efforts of the regional nations, the US should leave the region, and it will leave," Khamenei said. Meanwhile, regional leaders were to meet in Baghdad on Saturday at the annual summit of the Arab League, with the war in Gaza expected to once again loom large.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says there is “no way” Israel will halt its war in Gaza, even if a deal is reached to release more hostages. His comments are likely to complicate talks on a new ceasefire that had seemed to gain momentum after Hamas released the last living American hostage on Monday in a gesture to US President Donald Trump, who is visiting the region but skipping Israel, reports AP. They pointed to a potentially widening rift between Netanyahu and Trump, who had expressed hope that Monday’s release of Israeli-American soldier Edan Alexander would be a step toward ending the 19-month war. In comments released by his office Tuesday from a visit to wounded soldiers the previous day, Netanyahu said Israeli forces were just days away from a promised escalation of force and would enter Gaza “with great strength to complete the mission. ... It means destroying Hamas.” Any ceasefire deal reached would be temporary, the prime minister said. If Hamas were to say they would release more hostages, “we’ll take them, and then we’ll go in. But there will be no way we will stop the war,” Netanyahu said. “We can make a ceasefire for a certain period of time, but we’re going to the end.” UN chief urges nations to pay peacekeeping dues Hamas has said it will only release the remaining hostages in return for more Palestinian prisoners, a lasting ceasefire and an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. The dispute over whether to end the conflict has been the main obstacle in negotiations going back more than a year. Israel says 58 hostages remain in captivity, with as many as 23 of them said to be alive, although authorities have expressed concern about the condition of three of them. Many of the 250 hostages taken by Hamas-led militants in the October 7, 2023 attack that started the war were freed in ceasefire deals.

An Israeli investigation into the deaths of 15 Palestinian medical workers in Gaza last month has revealed “professional failures,” leading to the dismissal of a deputy battalion commander. Initially, the Israeli military claimed that the medics’ vehicles lacked emergency indicators when they were fired upon. However, this was later contradicted by cellphone footage recovered from one of the medics, which showed flashing emergency lights on the ambulances. The probe concluded that the deputy commander, citing limited night visibility, mistakenly believed the ambulances were being used by Hamas militants. The footage confirmed that emergency lights were clearly visible at the time of the incident. The deadly shooting occurred before dawn on March 23 in the Tel al-Sultan area of Rafah, southern Gaza. Those killed included eight Red Crescent workers, six Civil Defense staff, and one United Nations employee. After the shootings, Israeli troops used bulldozers to bury the bodies and destroyed vehicles in a mass grave. It took a week before UN and emergency teams could reach the site to recover the remains. Netanyahu says Israel has 'no choice' but to continue fighting in Gaza According to the Palestinian Red Crescent Society, the victims appeared to have been "deliberately targeted at close range." The Israeli military described the incident as the result of an “operational misunderstanding” and acknowledged a separate violation of orders when soldiers fired at a U.N. vehicle shortly afterward. The investigation concluded that crushing the ambulances was a mistaken decision but denied any intention to cover up the event. It also stated there was no evidence of executions or that the victims were restrained at any point. Israel has long accused Hamas of using ambulances, hospitals, and other civilian infrastructure to shield its fighters—a claim rejected by most medical personnel on the ground.

Israeli airstrikes across Gaza killed at least 17 people early Friday including children, hospital workers said, as the new US ambassador to Israel made his first public appearance in Jerusalem. Among the dead were 10 people in Jabaliya, including eight from the same house, according to the Indonesian Hospital, which received the bodies, according to AP. In the southern city of Khan Younis, seven people were killed, one of them a pregnant woman, according to Nasser Hospital, where the bodies were brought. The strikes came a day after more than two dozen people died in Gaza as Israel ramps up attacks, pressuring Hamas to return the hostages and disarm. US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee on Friday appeared at the Western Wall, the holiest Jewish prayer site in Jerusalem’s Old City. Huckabee inserted a prayer into the wall, which he said was handwritten by US President Donald Trump. "Those are his initials, D.T.,“ said Huckabee while showing the note to the media. Israeli airstrike hits hospital entrance in Gaza, killing medic and wounding 9 other people In his first act as ambassador, Huckabee said Trump told him to take his prayer and pray for the peace of Jerusalem, he said. Huckabee also said every effort was being made to bring the remaining hostages held by Hamas home. A one-time presidential hopeful, Huckabee has acknowledged his past support for Israel’s right to annex the West Bank and incorporate its Palestinian population into Israel but said it would not be his “prerogative” to carry out that policy. During his first term, Trump recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital over Palestinian objections and moved the embassy from Tel Aviv. Palestinian seek the eastern part of the city that Israel captured in the 1967 Mideast war as their future capital. Huckabee's arrival comes at a pivotal time in the 18-month war, as international mediators including the US are trying to get a broken ceasefire back on track. Israel is demanding that Hamas release more hostages at the start of any new ceasefire and ultimately agree to disarm and leave the territory. Israel has said it plans occupy large “security zones” inside Gaza. Khalil al-Hayya, head of Hamas’ negotiating delegation, said Thursday the group had rejected Israel’s latest proposal along those lines. He reiterated Hamas’ stance that it will return hostages only in exchange for the release of more Palestinian prisoners, a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and a lasting truce, as called for in the now-defunct ceasefire agreement reached in January.

Gaza’s Ministry of Health says at least 60,000 children are now “at risk of serious health complications due to malnutrition” as Israel maintains a blockade on humanitarian aid, cutting off essential food and medical supplies since March 2. The warning came on Wednesday, a day after UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres rejected a new Israeli proposal for overseeing aid deliveries, stating it would risk “further controlling and callously limiting aid down to the last calorie and grain of flour.” According to the Health Ministry, the lack of proper food and clean water is worsening health conditions, and the continuing ban on child vaccinations — including for polio — is deepening the crisis. With border crossings sealed, aid agencies have been unable to bring in life-saving supplies for over a month. The UN reports that 21 nutrition centres in Gaza have been forced to shut down, disrupting care for roughly 350 children already suffering from severe malnutrition. The World Food Programme (WFP) previously warned that intensified Israeli military operations have severely disrupted food aid efforts, putting hundreds of thousands at risk of hunger and malnutrition. “WFP and partners from the food security sector have been unable to bring new food supplies into Gaza for more than three weeks,” the agency said, adding that current stockpiles would only last up to two weeks. For over 18 months, Israel has repeatedly used food and humanitarian aid as a form of pressure on the Palestinian population during its military campaign, which the Health Ministry says has killed more than 50,000 people. ‘Throwing a stone is not terrorism’: Rights group slams killing of Palestinian-American teen Last week, COGAT — the Israeli military body overseeing civilian matters in occupied Palestinian territories — met with UN and international aid officials, proposing “a structured monitoring and aid entry mechanism” for Gaza. It claimed Hamas was diverting aid, though Jonathan Whittall, a senior UN official for Gaza and the occupied West Bank, said there was no evidence to support that claim. Meanwhile, Israel has also halted the flow of water from the Mekorot company to Gaza, cutting off about 70% of the enclave’s water supply. Hosni Mehanna, spokesperson for Gaza municipality, said the main pipeline in eastern Gaza City’s Shujayea neighbourhood has been affected amid ongoing Israeli assaults. “The reasons behind the interruption remain unclear, but we are coordinating with international organisations to inspect whether the pipeline was damaged due to the heavy Israeli bombardment in the area,” Mehanna said. “Regardless of the cause, the consequences are dire. If the flow of water from Mekorot is not restored soon, Gaza will face a full-blown water crisis,” he added. Source: Al Jazeera