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Palestinians in the Gaza Strip had little to celebrate Sunday as they marked the normally festive Eid al-Fitr with rapidly dwindling food supplies and renewed fighting in the Israel-Hamas war. Israeli strikes overnight killed at least 19 people, mostly women and children, health officials said. Many prayed outside demolished mosques on the holiday marking the end of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan. It's supposed to be a joyous occasion when families feast and purchase new clothes for children, but most of Gaza's 2 million people are just trying to survive. “It’s the Eid of sadness,” Adel al-Shaer said after attending prayers amid rubble in the central town of Deir al-Balah. “We lost our loved ones, our children, our lives and our futures.” Twenty members of his extended family have been killed by Israeli strikes, including four young nephews a few days ago, he said and began to cry. Israel ended the ceasefire with Hamas and resumed the 17-month war earlier this month with a surprise bombardment that killed hundreds, after the militant group refused to accept changes to the truce reached in January. Israel has not allowed food, fuel or humanitarian aid to enter Gaza for a month. “There is killing, displacement, hunger and a siege,” said Saed al-Kourd, a worshipper. “We go out to perform God’s rituals in order to make the children happy, but as for the joy of Eid? There is no Eid.” Arab mediators are trying to get the truce back on track. Hamas said Saturday it had accepted a new proposal from Egypt and Qatar, the details of which were not immediately known. Israel said it made a counter-proposal in coordination with the United States, which has also been mediating. Netanyahu lays out conditions for ending the war Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would continue military operations while negotiating. He rejected claims that Israel does not want to end the war, while laying out conditions that go far beyond the signed ceasefire agreement and have been rejected by Hamas. “Hamas will disarm. Its leaders will be allowed out. We will look out for the general security in the Gaza Strip and allow for the realization of (President Donald) Trump’s plan,” Netanyahu told a Cabinet meeting. Man with who climbed Big Ben Tower with Palestine flag arrested Trump has proposed that Gaza's population be resettled in other countries so the U.S. can redevelop Gaza for others. Palestinians say they do not want to leave their homeland. Human rights experts say the plan would likely violate international law. Israeli strikes killed at least 16 people, including nine children and three women, according to Nasser Hospital in the southern city of Khan Younis. Two girls appeared to be wearing new clothes purchased for the holiday, according to an Associated Press cameraman, including spotless sneakers. Another strike killed three people in Deir al-Balah late Saturday, according to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital. The Palestine Red Crescent Society said 10 bodies were recovered in the southern city of Rafah, including six of its emergency medical technicians who had been missing for a week. Israel’s military has said it fired on advancing “suspicious vehicles” and later discovered some were ambulances. The war in Gaza began when Hamas-led militants stormed into Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking 251 hostages. Hamas is still holding 59 captives — 24 believed to be alive. Israel's offensive has killed over 50,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants in its tally. Israel says it has killed around 20,000 militants, without providing evidence, and blames civilian deaths on Hamas because it operates in densely populated areas. Israel approves controversial road project in West Bank Netanyahu’s security Cabinet approved the construction of a road for Palestinians in the occupied West Bank. Critics say it will open the door for Israel to annex a key area just outside Jerusalem, further undermining the feasibility of a future Palestinian state. Netanyahu’s office said the project is meant to streamline travel for Palestinians in communities near the large Jewish settlement of Maaleh Adumim. Peace Now, an Israeli anti-settlement watchdog group, said the road will divert Palestinian traffic outside of Maaleh Adumim and the surrounding area known as E1, a tract of open land deemed essential for the territorial contiguity of a future state. JU students hold 'March for Palestine' on International Solidarity Day That will make it easier for Israel to annex E1, according to Hagit Ofran, a settlement expert with the group, because Israel can claim there is no disruption to Palestinian movement. Critics say Israeli settlements and other land grabs make a contiguous future state increasingly impossible. Several roads in the West Bank are meant for use by either Israelis or Palestinians, which international rights groups say is part of an apartheid system, allegations Israel rejects. Israel captured the West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem in the 1967 Mideast war. The Palestinians want all three for their future state. A two-state solution is widely seen as the only way to resolve the decades-old conflict.

Israel’s parliament on Thursday passed a key component of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s judicial overhaul plan, sparking criticism from opponents who view it as a power grab by his far-right government. The controversial reforms had triggered mass protests in 2023 before Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack and the subsequent war in Gaza. The revival of the plans in recent weeks has fueled fresh demonstrations over Netanyahu’s handling of the Gaza hostage crisis and his moves to sideline top officials. The newly passed law grants the government greater influence over judicial appointments. It reallocates two of the nine seats on the Judicial Selection Committee—currently held by the Israeli Bar Association—to lawyers selected by the government and the opposition. These political appointees would gain veto power over Supreme Court and lower court nominations. Supporters and Critics DividedSupporters argue that the measure strengthens democracy by increasing the role of elected officials in judicial decisions. Netanyahu, who is on trial for corruption, has long accused unelected officials, law enforcement, and the media of working against him. Justice Minister Yariv Levin, the architect of the judicial reforms, called the law a “historic and necessary change” that would make the judicial system more inclusive. However, critics warn that the overhaul weakens judicial independence and undermines Israel’s system of checks and balances. Opposition lawmakers boycotted the final vote, which passed 67-1, vowing to repeal the law if they return to power. Israeli legislators pass state budget in a move that shores up Netanyahu's government “The law’s sole purpose is to make judges answer to politicians,” the opposition said in a statement. Legal Challenges and Future ImplicationsPetitions have already been filed against the law in the Supreme Court. The Movement for Quality Government in Israel argued in its petition that the law represents a “dramatic change” in Israel’s parliamentary democracy. “The government is exploiting a time of war as a smokescreen to push a political agenda,” said Eliad Shraga, the group’s chairman. Amichai Cohen, a constitutional law expert at the Israel Democracy Institute, warned that the reform could lead to more politically motivated judicial appointments. He noted that in Israel—where the executive and legislative branches often work in tandem—the judiciary plays a crucial role in maintaining governmental checks and balances. Israel’s government had previously paused its judicial overhaul efforts following the outbreak of war in Gaza. In January 2024, the Supreme Court struck down another key proposal that would have limited judicial review of government decisions. Egypt sends new proposal to Israel, Hamas to resume Gaza ceasefire: security sources Momentum for the reforms resurged this month after Israel resumed its offensive in Gaza, strengthening Netanyahu’s far-right coalition. His government’s passage of a key budget this week also bolstered its chances of remaining in power until the next scheduled election in October 2026. Source: With input from agnecy 

Cyprus said Wednesday it plans to subsidize construction of private desalination plants at hotels to ensure the tourism-reliant island nation has enough fresh water too see it through busy summer seasons when the demands of millions of visitors put a severe strain on dwindling reserves. Water levels across the country's 108 dams are at alarmingly low following the second driest winter in a decade, and the national water supply network is struggling to cope due to demand and leaks. Maria Panayiotou, the country’s agriculture and environment minister, said the government will provide 3 million euros ($3.24 million) of funding over the next two years to help hotels build their own desalination plants. In addition, measures will be introduced to make it easier and faster for key sectors such as agriculture and tourism to build small scale desalination plants. Cyprus will spend a further 8 million euros on fixing pipe infrastructure to reduce water leaks and losses which are estimated as high as 40%, according to Panayiotou. The government measures build on Cyprus’ growing reliance on desalinated water. Four additional mobile desalination plants are scheduled to become operational in October, producing 30,000 cubic meters (1 million cubic feet) of drinkable water daily. China harnesses AI to develop climate-resilient 'Super Crops,' reshaping global agriculture Cyprus already has four permanent desalination plants in operation, each producing 235,000 cubic meters (8.3 million cubic feet) of fresh water daily. A fifth plant is out of action due to a fire. Panayiotou said last December that more desalination plants are needed to increase daily fresh water production fourfold over the next decade. Cyprus continues to rely on an extensive dam network with a total capacity of 330 million cubic meters. Cyprus has more dams relative to its population than any other country in Europe, according to the minister. The dams are currently at 24.6% of capacity, compared with 47.2% in 2024, official figures show. Tourism accounts for 13.5% of Cyprus’ gross domestic product. Tourist arrivals last year exceeded 4 million, setting a new record.

An Israeli strike Tuesday in southwestern Syria killed at least four people as Israeli troops occupying the area clashed with local residents, Syrian state media and a war monitor reported. Israeli military spokesperson Avichay Adraee said troops fired back at gunmen who attacked them, before launching a drone attack. Syrian state-run news agency SANA said that several people were injured, including a woman. The report said Israeli tanks in the southwestern village of Koayiah also fired several rounds. Britain-based war monitor the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights put the death toll at seven. The observatory and a town resident told The Associated Press that clashes had erupted between Israeli troops and residents when the Israeli troops fired. Israel seized a U.N.-patrolled buffer zone inside Syria after Islamist insurgents toppled President Bashar Assad and seized power in December, with Israeli officials saying they will thwart any threats. Israeli officials have also said that they will not allow the new Syrian military south of Damascus, claiming that they aim to protect the Druze, a minority sect present in both Syria and Israel. Syria’s new authorities and U.N. officials have said Israel is violating the 1974 agreement that set up the buffer zone along the border and called for its withdraw. Israeli legislators pass state budget in a move that shores up Netanyahu's government Elsewhere, the spokesperson of an investigative committee tasked with probing days of clashes and revenge attacks in Syria's coastal region that killed hundreds of civilians said they had listened to almost 100 testimonies and received dozens of written and recorded civilian and military statements. “There are areas where the events took place that are dangerous, and some witnesses and residents are afraid to communicate with the committee,” Yasser al-Farhan said at a news conference. He declined to elaborate on the committee's findings so far. The clashes erupted after pro-Assad loyalists attacked a security patrol in the coastal city of Lattakia, leading to revenge killings that broadly targeted Assad's minority Alawite community. The two-day violence was a major setback in Damascus' efforts to improve its image and convince Europe and the United States to lift economic sanctions after over a decade of conflict. SANA also said Tuesday that two internet cables were cut in an act of sabotage, cutting online access across much of the country for 12 hours.

Israel’s parliament on Tuesday passed a state budget, a move that shores up Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s governing coalition and grants the embattled leader the chance at months of political stability even as public pressure mounts over the war in Gaza. The budget vote was seen as a key test for Netanyahu’s coalition, which is made up of ultranationalist and ultra-Orthodox parties who had demanded and largely received hefty sums for their constituents in exchange for support for the funding package. By law, the government would fall and elections triggered if a budget weren't passed by March 31. With its passing, Netanyahu buys himself what’s likely to be more than a year of political quiet that could see his government coast through to the end of its term in late 2026, a rare occurrence in Israel’s fractious politics. It’s a political win for Netanyahu, who faces mass protests over his decision to resume the war in Gaza while hostages still remain in Hamas' hands, and over his government’s recent moves to fire top legal and security chiefs. The budget vote could also have implications on the war in Gaza. Netanyahu could feel free to move toward a lasting ceasefire with Hamas since his political allies, who oppose ending the war, have little incentive to trigger new elections while their polling numbers are down, said Gayil Talshir, a political scientist at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Egypt offers new ceasefire proposal amid Israeli strikes killing scores But the vote doesn't mean Netanyahu will move in the direction to end the war, she said. She expected him to further his ultranationalist partners’ agenda to keep them as loyal allies and galvanize the nationalist right ahead of any future vote. “Netanyahu is always thinking about the next elections,” Talshir said. “His goal is to make sure the extreme right will be in his government now and in the future.”

Israeli settlers assaulted one of the Palestinian co-directors of the Oscar-winning documentary No Other Land on Monday in the occupied West Bank before he was later taken into custody by the Israeli military, according to two of his fellow directors and other witnesses. Filmmaker Hamdan Ballal was among three Palestinians detained in the village of Susiya, according to attorney Lea Tsemel, who represents them. Police informed her that they were being held at a military base for medical treatment, but as of Tuesday morning, she had been unable to reach them and had no further information regarding their whereabouts. Israel’s culture minister calls ‘No Other Land’ Oscar win a ‘sad moment’ Basel Adra, another co-director, witnessed the incident and stated that approximately two dozen settlers—some masked, some armed, and some dressed in Israeli military uniforms—attacked the village. When soldiers arrived, they pointed their weapons at the Palestinians while settlers continued hurling stones. “We returned from the Oscars, and since then, we have faced daily attacks,” Adra told The Associated Press. “This could be their retaliation against us for making the film. It feels like punishment.” The Israeli military claimed to have detained three Palestinians suspected of throwing rocks at its forces, along with one Israeli civilian involved in a “violent confrontation” between Israelis and Palestinians—an assertion that witnesses interviewed by the AP disputed. The military stated that the detainees had been handed over to Israeli police for questioning and that an Israeli citizen had been evacuated from the area for medical treatment. No Other Land, which won this year’s Academy Award for Best Documentary, highlights the struggle of residents in the Masafer Yatta region to resist Israeli military efforts to demolish their villages. Ballal and Adra, both from Masafer Yatta, co-directed the film alongside Israeli filmmakers Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor. The documentary has garnered multiple international awards, beginning with its debut at the 2024 Berlin International Film Festival. However, it has also faced backlash in Israel and abroad, including an instance when Miami Beach officials considered revoking the lease of a cinema that screened the film. According to Adra, settlers entered the village on Monday evening shortly after residents had broken their fast for Ramadan. One settler—whom Adra claims frequently attacks the village—approached Ballal’s home accompanied by soldiers, who fired shots into the air. Ballal’s wife reportedly heard her husband being beaten outside, screaming, “I’m dying,” Adra recounted. Adra then witnessed soldiers leading Ballal, handcuffed and blindfolded, from his home into a military vehicle. Speaking to the AP over the phone, he described how Ballal’s blood remained visible on the ground outside his front door. Another eyewitness, speaking anonymously due to fear of retaliation, corroborated some of Adra’s account. Additionally, a group of 10 to 20 masked settlers, wielding stones and sticks, attacked activists from the Center for Jewish Nonviolence. They smashed car windows and slashed tyres to force the activists to flee, according to Josh Kimelman, one of the activists at the scene. Footage provided by the Center for Jewish Nonviolence captured a masked settler shoving and striking two activists in a dusty field at night. The activists rushed back to their vehicle as the sound of rocks hitting the car was heard. Israel seized the West Bank, along with the Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem, in the 1967 Mideast war. Palestinians seek all three territories for a future state and consider settlement expansion a significant obstacle to a two-state solution. Israel has established over 100 settlements, housing more than 500,000 settlers with Israeli citizenship. Meanwhile, the 3 million Palestinians in the West Bank live under Israeli military rule, with the Western-backed Palestinian Authority overseeing population centres. The Israeli military designated Masafer Yatta in the southern West Bank as a live-fire training zone in the 1980s and ordered the expulsion of its predominantly Arab Bedouin residents. Despite this, roughly 1,000 residents have remained, though soldiers routinely enter to demolish homes, tents, water tanks, and olive orchards. Palestinians fear that a full-scale expulsion could happen at any time. Palestinians hope Oscar-winning ‘No Other Land’ brings global support Since the onset of the Gaza war, Israel has killed hundreds of Palestinians in the West Bank during large-scale military operations, while settler attacks on Palestinians have surged. At the same time, there has also been an increase in Palestinian attacks against Israelis.

Israeli airstrikes across Gaza have killed more than 60 Palestinians, including women and children, the Gaza Health Ministry reported on Monday. The attacks occurred nearly a week after Israel abruptly ended its ceasefire with Hamas with a wave of strikes. Egypt Proposes New Ceasefire DealEgypt has put forward a new proposal aimed at reviving the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, officials said. As part of the plan, Hamas would release five hostages, including an American-Israeli, in exchange for Israel allowing humanitarian aid into Gaza and agreeing to a weeks-long pause in hostilities. Israel would also release hundreds of Palestinian prisoners. A Hamas representative stated that the group had responded “positively” to the offer but did not provide specifics. Both Egyptian and Hamas officials spoke on condition of anonymity, as they were not authorized to discuss the negotiations publicly. Surge in West Bank Settlement ApprovalsAn Israeli anti-settlement group has reported an "unprecedented surge" in approvals for new settler homes in the occupied West Bank since U.S. President Donald Trump returned to office. During his previous term, Trump strongly supported Israel’s territorial claims, often challenging long-standing U.S. policy. While past administrations criticized settlement expansion, they took little concrete action against it. Israel strikes Gaza's largest hospital Peace Now, which monitors settlement growth, stated that Israel has advanced plans for 10,503 housing units in the West Bank since the beginning of the year, surpassing the 9,971 units approved in all of 2024. An additional 1,344 homes are expected to receive approval on Wednesday. Israel captured the West Bank, Gaza, and East Jerusalem during the 1967 war. The Palestinians seek these territories for a future state and view Israeli settlement expansion as a major obstacle to peace. Israel has established over 100 settlements, housing more than 500,000 Israeli citizens, while about 3 million Palestinians live under Israeli military control. The Palestinian Authority governs major population centers. Senior Hamas Official Killed in Hospital StrikeThe Israeli military has confirmed that an airstrike on a hospital in Gaza killed senior Hamas official Ismail Barhoum, who was responsible for the group’s finances. According to Hamas, Barhoum was receiving medical treatment at Nasser Hospital when the strike occurred. The attack also killed a teenage boy who was recovering from surgery. The Israeli military stated that Barhoum managed Hamas’ finances in Gaza and oversaw funding transfers to its military wing. He had recently taken over as head of Hamas’ government in Gaza after the previous leader was killed in an Israeli strike. Israel has targeted and eliminated many top Hamas leaders and mid-level commanders throughout the 17-month war. However, Hamas was able to quickly reassert control over Gaza during a ceasefire earlier this year. Civilian Casualties and Humanitarian CrisisThe Gaza Health Ministry reported that 61 people killed by Israeli strikes in the past 24 hours were brought to hospitals, along with 143 wounded individuals. The total Palestinian death toll in the Israel-Hamas war has now exceeded 50,000, with more than 113,000 wounded, according to the ministry. These figures do not differentiate between civilians and combatants. Meanwhile, the Palestinian Civil Defense reported that six paramedics disappeared while on a rescue mission in Rafah after Israeli forces entered the area on Sunday morning. There has been no communication with them since. In the Nuseirat refugee camp, an Israeli airstrike hit a school sheltering displaced Palestinians, killing at least four people, including a child. Medical facilities treated 18 others wounded in the attack. Three other hospitals reported a combined 25 deaths from overnight Israeli strikes. The Israeli military has not commented but maintains that it targets militants and takes measures to minimize civilian casualties. Attack in Northern IsraelA vehicle attack followed by gunfire at a bus stop in northern Israel left one man in his 70s dead, Israeli authorities said. Police stated that the attacker ran over multiple people before opening fire. Officers shot and killed the assailant, whom they identified as a suspected Palestinian militant. A man in his 20s was hospitalized in serious condition. Wounded children overwhelm Gaza hospital amid relentless Israeli airstrikes Since Hamas’ October 7, 2023, attack, violence in the region has escalated. Israel has carried out military operations in the occupied West Bank, resulting in hundreds of Palestinian casualties. Additionally, there has been an increase in attacks by Jewish settlers. Thousands Trapped in RafahPalestinian officials report that thousands of people remain trapped in Rafah after Israeli forces encircled parts of the city. Israel has ordered the evacuation of Tel al-Sultan, instructing residents to flee to Muwasi, an area with makeshift tent camps along the coast. While thousands have left, many remain stranded by advancing Israeli troops. The Rafah municipality stated that the trapped individuals include first responders from the Civil Defense and the Palestinian Red Crescent. Israel Defends Its Military ActionsIsraeli Defense Minister Israel Katz defended the country’s military operations, stating that Israel is making efforts to avoid civilian casualties while targeting Hamas militants. Katz’s remarks came nearly a week after Israel ended its ceasefire with Hamas, launching a series of strikes that local health officials say killed hundreds of Palestinians, most of them women and children. “Israel is not fighting Gaza’s civilians and is doing everything required under international law to minimize harm,” Katz said. He blamed Hamas for civilian casualties, accusing the group of using noncombatants as human shields. Katz reiterated that Israel would continue its offensive until Hamas releases all hostages and is no longer in control of Gaza. Rising Death TollIsraeli airstrikes have killed at least 25 Palestinians in the past day, according to hospital reports. Al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza City received 11 bodies from overnight strikes, including three women and four children. One attack killed two children, their parents, their grandmother, and their uncle. Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis received seven bodies from overnight strikes and four from previous attacks. The European Hospital near Khan Younis received three bodies. Gaza’s Health Ministry estimates that more than 50,000 Palestinians have died since the war began, with women and children comprising more than half of the casualties. The Israeli military claims to have killed approximately 20,000 Hamas fighters but has not provided evidence. Hamas-led militants killed about 1,200 people and kidnapped 251 during their October 7, 2023, attack on Israel. U.S. Surgeon Describes Hospital AttackA U.S. trauma surgeon working in Gaza reported that many patients injured in an Israeli strike on Nasser Hospital had already been wounded in previous attacks. Dr. Feroze Sidhwa, a California-based surgeon with MedGlobal, stated that he was in the hospital’s intensive care unit when the airstrike hit surgical wards on Sunday. Many of the victims had been recovering from injuries sustained in earlier airstrikes. Israel orders troops to go deeper into Gaza “They were already trauma patients, and now they’ve been traumatized again,” Sidhwa told Australian media. He said a man and a boy he had operated on just days before were among those killed in the attack. Source: With input from agnecy 

Egypt has presented a new proposal to Israel and Hamas aimed at restoring the Gaza ceasefire deal, two informed Egyptian security sources told Xinhua on Monday.  To be updated     

Gaza's Health Ministry reports that Israel targeted the largest hospital in southern Gaza on Sunday night, resulting in one death, several injuries, and a significant fire. The strike hit the surgical building of Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, just days after the hospital was overwhelmed with casualties following Israel’s resumption of attacks last week. Israel's military confirmed the strike, claiming it targeted a Hamas militant operating at the hospital. Israel attributes civilian deaths to Hamas, accusing them of operating in densely populated areas. Israeli airstrikes kill senior Hamas leader, 18 others; Houthis launch missile toward Israel Nasser Hospital, like many other medical facilities in Gaza, has sustained damage from Israeli airstrikes throughout the conflict. The Health Ministry also reported that over 50,000 Palestinians have died in the ongoing conflict, with the military stating that they have killed dozens of militants since the end of a ceasefire earlier this week. On the political front, public unrest in Israel has been growing, with protests outside Prime Minister Netanyahu’s office and calls for changes in direction. Meanwhile, in Gaza, Israel's military ordered thousands of people to leave the severely damaged Tel al-Sultan neighborhood in Rafah, causing more displacement amidst ongoing strikes. Israel also confirmed the death of a Hamas leader, Salah Bardawil, in an airstrike in Muwasi, along with his wife. In southern Gaza, hospitals reported receiving 24 more bodies from overnight strikes, including several women and children. The Health Ministry's figures show a staggering death toll, including over 15,000 children. Meanwhile, Israel claims it has killed around 20,000 militants, although they have not provided evidence. Israel retaliates with strikes on Lebanon after rocket attack The ceasefire that had been in place since January has collapsed, with no progress in the planned negotiations for the next phase. Additionally, Israel's government passed a measure to create 13 new settlements in the West Bank, bringing the total number of settlements to 140, despite international opposition.

  Israeli airstrikes across the southern Gaza Strip killed at least 19 Palestinians overnight into Sunday, including a senior Hamas political leader, according to officials. Meanwhile, Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen, who are aligned with Hamas, launched another missile toward Israel, triggering air raid sirens. The Israeli military reported that the projectile was intercepted, with no casualties or damage reported. Two hospitals in southern Gaza reported receiving 17 bodies from the overnight strikes, including women and children. The European Hospital confirmed that five children and their parents were among those killed in a strike in Khan Younis, while another strike in the same city claimed the lives of two girls and their parents. The Kuwaiti Hospital reported receiving the bodies of a woman and child killed in a separate attack. Hamas announced that Salah Bardawil, a member of its political bureau and the Palestinian parliament, was killed in a strike near Khan Younis along with his wife. Bardawil was a prominent figure in Hamas’ political wing and had given media interviews over the years. The hospitals did not include Bardawil and his wife in their reported death tolls. Israel ended its ceasefire with Hamas last week, launching a surprise wave of airstrikes that killed hundreds of Palestinians. In response, the Houthis resumed attacks on Israel, framing them as acts of solidarity with the Palestinians, despite recent U.S. strikes targeting the Yemeni rebels. The ceasefire, which began in January, had temporarily halted 15 months of intense fighting that started after Hamas’ October 7, 2023, attack on Israel. During the truce, 25 Israeli hostages and the bodies of eight others were exchanged for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners. Israeli forces withdrew to a buffer zone, allowing hundreds of thousands of displaced residents to return to what remained of their homes, while humanitarian aid deliveries increased. Negotiations were supposed to begin in early February for the next phase of the truce, in which Hamas was expected to release 59 remaining hostages—35 of whom are believed dead—in exchange for more Palestinian prisoners, a lasting ceasefire, and an Israeli withdrawal. However, the talks never materialized as Israel withdrew from the agreement after Hamas rejected Israeli and U.S.-backed proposals to release additional hostages before discussing a permanent ceasefire. Hamas-led militants killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took 251 hostages during the October 7 attack. While most captives have been released through ceasefire agreements or other deals, Israeli forces have rescued eight alive and recovered dozens of bodies. According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, Israel’s military offensive has resulted in at least 49,747 Palestinian deaths, with women and children making up more than half of the casualties. However, the ministry does not distinguish between combatants and civilians in its records. Israel claims to have killed around 20,000 militants but has not provided evidence. The offensive has devastated large parts of Gaza, displacing nearly 90% of the population at its peak. Earlier this month, Israel intensified pressure on Hamas by sealing off the territory, restricting access to essential supplies such as food, fuel, and medicine.