KEY POINTS
- Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez reiterated that a Palestinian state was in Europe's interests
- Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said a two-state solution can end the cycle of violence
- Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Israel "must be punished" for consulate strike
It's Day 187 of the raging Israel-Hamas war – three sons of Ismail Haniyeh, the leader of Hamas, were killed in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza Wednesday afternoon, the Palestinian terror group's chief confirmed.
Israel's foreign minister Israel Katz on Wednesday said Israel will definitely respond if Tehran launches an attack from within its territory amid escalating tensions between the two sides following the killings of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) generals in a strike at the Iranian consulate in Damascus.
Ireland is poised to recognize the State of Palestine, Irish foreign minister Micheál Martin said, marking a significant shift in the global community's view of the longstanding Israel-Palestine conflict that has left Palestinians in Gaza suffering majority of the casualties from decades of violence.
- Israel accuses UN of undercounting humanitarian aid entering Gaza
- Israel, Hamas still 'far apart' in ceasefire demands: Report
- Drone sirens sound in northern Israel amid Israeli-Syrian tensions
- Haniyeh says his sons' killing will not have an effect on Hamas' truce demands
- Hamas chief talks paying the price of war after sons' killing
- Hezbollah claims attack on IDF base in the Shebaa Farms area
In the devastated Gaza Strip, Palestinians on Wednesday marked the Eid al-Fitr holidays with little to eat. Humanitarian aid groups have repeatedly warned in recent weeks that the enclave, particularly its northern region, was close to famine.
U.S. President Joe Biden, a longtime supporter of Israel, said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's handling of the war was a "mistake." His latest comments highlight the deepening dispute between Biden and Netanyahu over the Israel Defense Forces' (IDF) offensive in Gaza, especially the planned ground raid of Rafah.
Israel-Syria tensions continue to flare up as the IDF said it struck a military infrastructure that it said was used by Iranian-backed Lebanon-based Hezbollah "on the Syrian front."
U.S. forces of the Central Command (CENTCOM) destroyed a missile over the Gulf of Aden that was "likely" targeting an American merchant vessel that was being escorted by U.S. battleships in the area.
Hostilities in Gaza have been ongoing for decades, but the conflict blew up on Oct. 7, when Hamas militants invaded Israel, murdering over a thousand people and abducting over 250 hostages, of which around 130 are still being held in the Gaza Strip.
The live update has ended.
Hezbollah claims attack on IDF base in Shebaa Farms
Hezbollah on Wednesday afternoon published footage of what it said was an attack it initiated on an Israeli army base in the disputed Shebaa Farms last week.
The IDF has yet to deny or confirm the claim.
