KEY POINTS
- Israeli army steps up Rafah strikes ahead of looming ground incursion
- US State Department's Arabic spokesperson resigns over Washington's Gaza policy
- Antony Blinken urges China to use its influence amid Middle East crisis
The war in Gaza has entered Day 203, and a new report revealed that the U.S. is holding off sanctions against three Israel Defense Forces (IDF) battalions found to have committed human rights violations against Palestinian civilians in the West Bank.
Over in Egypt, mediators have renewed their push to get Israel and Hamas to achieve a ceasefire as the death toll in Gaza from the war nears 35,000. Israeli negotiators reportedly told Egyptian mediators that it was giving Hamas a final chance to agree to a truce deal.
- Israeli civilian dies of wounds sustained from Hezbollah missile attack: IDF
- Israeli defense minister gets called out for 'bragging' about IDF deterrence on Hezbollah
- Israeli army successfully removes debris from Iranian drone, missile attacks
- Egypt sends intel chief to Israel to discuss 'new vision' for longer Gaza ceasefire: Report
- Aid group warns Rafah invasion will only bring 'disaster' and trigger wider conflict
- Israel tells Egyptian mediators Hamas should agree to ceasefire soon or Rafah invasion will happen: Report
- Vehicle in Lebanon engulfed in flames after strike: Reports
Yemeni rebel Houthis, another militant group backed by Iran, fired an anti-ship ballistic missile (ASBM) toward the Gulf of Aden Thursday, the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said Friday. American troops in the area have been destroying Houthi drones and missiles that present an imminent threat.
Back in war-torn Gaza, the humanitarian crisis has not eased up. World Food Program (WFP) deputy executive director Carl Skau said what the Palestinian civilian population needs is "consistency" from Israel in allowing the delivery of diverse goods.
In Israel, protests have become more intense in recent days as the loved ones of some 130 remaining hostages in Gaza demonstrated outside the house of Israeli minister without portfolio Benny Gantz. They burned wood and set off flares to call for the release of the abductees.
Tensions in the Middle East were triggered by Hamas' Oct. 7 massacre in Israel, which was the peak of decades of fighting in the violent history of the Israel-Palestine conflict that left civilians from both sides suffering the brunt of the war.
The live update has ended.
Vehicle attacked in Lebanon: Reports
Multiple outlets in Lebanon reported Friday that a strike hit a vehicle in the western Lebanon Valley. A photo published by local Israeli media shows the supposed car in flames.
דיווחים ראשוניים בלבנון על תקיפת רכב במערב בקעת הלבנון @guy_telaviv @ItayBlumental pic.twitter.com/H37iv5QZtS
— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) April 26, 2024
