Middle East

US House lawmakers in both parties have joined forces to send a massive package of foreign aid to the Senate, ending a long and bitter stalemate over the fate of the legislation and all but ensuring the delivery of billions of dollars in new help to embattled allies across the globe.

A spokesman for the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) has stated more than 14,000 Palestinian children have so far been killed in Israel’s ongoing war on the besieged Gaza Strip.

At least one person was killed and 20 were injured after an explosion at a military base in Iraq used by the Tehran-aligned Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF), according to security sources.

The humanitarian crisis in Gaza has taken a perilous turn as a mounting solid waste threatens to compound the already dire situation there, the United Nations has warned.

The European Union and the United States have imposed tough new sanctions against key figures said to be behind extremist violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinians in the West Bank.

The Wall Street Journal daily has reported that the administration of US President Joe Biden is considering more than $1bn in a new weapons deal with Israel which would include "tank ammunition, military vehicles and mortar rounds".

The United States vetoed a widely supported resolution at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) that would have paved the way for the state of Palestine to gain full membership at the UN.

The head of the UN's main relief agency in Gaza (UNRWA) has warned that an “insidious campaign” is underway to end the operations of the UN body, warning of "serious implications for international peace and security".

A survey by Hebrew University in Jerusalem has shown that 74% of those polled would oppose a retaliatory attack against Iran “if it undermines Israel’s security alliance with its allies".

Israel has accelerated its settlement expansion across East al-Quds since Tel Aviv launched its military campaign in the besieged Gaza Strip in early October 2023, according to a report by the Guardian.

More than 13,800 children have been killed in the Gaza Strip since the start of the war in early October 2023, United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) Executive Director Catherine Russell has stated.

Israel planned to retaliate against Iran immediately after Tehran’s drone and missile strike on Saturday, but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu decided to hold off after speaking with US President Joe Biden, according to reports.

Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani has expressed concerns over the current state of international mediation efforts led by Doha to help reach an agreement on the release of hostages and a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

The Lebanese armed group Hezbollah has claimed responsibility for an attack on a military facility in northern Israel that wounded at least 14 soldiers. The group has stated the raid was carried out in retaliation for Israeli strikes that killed Hezbollah members.

The death toll from severe flooding that hit the United Arab Emirates, Oman and other Persian Gulf countries rose to almost 20, with homes and businesses across the Persian Gulf damaged by the heavy rains, and flights delayed or cancelled.

A report from the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) on the treatment of Palestinian detainees found that in “most” reported incidents, the Israeli army forced males, both men and boys, to “strip down” to their underwear.

More than 10,000 women have been killed in the Gaza Strip since Israel's war on the besieged enclave began in October, according to estimates by UN Women in a report published Tuesday.

The United Nations human rights office has urged Israel to halt its support of attacks by settlers in the occupied West Bank.

Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon have killed three people including a Hezbollah field commander, Lebanese security sources said, an uptick in violence after at least a week of relative calm in more than half a year of hostilities.

A human rights group says Israeli soldiers have kidnapped 3,000 Palestinians from Gaza since the start of the aggression on the besieged strip last October, including women and children

In a recent telephone exchange between Iranian President Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi and Russian President Vladimir Putin, both leaders condemned the aggressive actions of the Zionist regime against the Iranian consulate in Syria.

Israel has launched an anti-Iran “diplomatic offensive”, calling for sanctions against Tehran. The move follows Iran's retaliatory attacks against Israel involving drones and missiles.

The Palestinian group Hamas has insisted that it will not agree to the release of any hostages without the Israeli army's complete withdrawal from the Gaza Strip and the return of displaced Palestinians to their homes across the besieged enclave.

Italy has warned that any retaliation by Israel for Iran’s missile and drone attacks over the weekend could lead to a spiral of violence, local media has reported.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has urged the collective West to become involved in the conflict with Russia and protect Kiev similar to how it aided Israel during the Iranian missile and drone attacks over the weekend.