KEY POINTS
- Canada will halt future arms sales to Israel after House of Commons vote
- Israel's Yoav Gallant to meet Pentagon's Lloyd Austin next week
- South Africa says Israel 'entirely ignored' International Court of Justice's provisional measures
The war in Gaza has entered its 166th day as tensions across the Middle East reach a fever pitch – U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) reportedly carried out airstrikes in eastern Syria Wednesday, killing a Hezbollah commander and several other key figures in pro-Iranian militias.
In the Middle East's surrounding waters, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said it received a report of a "suspicious approach" incident southeast of Oman.
- Hamas leaders should be kicked out of Gaza: UK's Cameron
- US, Jordan carry out combined airdrop operation for northern Gaza residents
- Hezbollah stores dangerous chemical substances within civilian areas: IDF
- 'Implausible' Israeli hostages were killed by Israeli strikes: Researchers
- 5 senior Hamas officials were killed in Israeli strikes in Rafah Monday: IDF
Back in war-torn Gaza, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said its troops eliminated "dozens" of terrorists and questioned around 300 suspects from its raid of the Al-Shifa Hospital, the Strip's largest health and medical complex.
Britain's foreign secretary David Cameron on Wednesday urged Israel and Hamas to reach an "immediate pause" in their fighting, adding that aid for Gaza civilians was "being held up."
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is due for another Middle Eastern visit as he seeks to push for a truce agreement. He is also expected to emphasize the importance of allowing more aid to enter the Gaza Strip, amid warnings from relief and food insecurity groups about impending famine in Gaza.
Meanwhile, Washington and Israel continue to push back against the other over Rafah, an overcrowded city in Gaza that has become the temporary home of some 1.5 million civilians from different parts of the territory.
Driven by the violent history of the Israel-Palestine conflict, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the IDF will push through with a ground incursion of Rafah, drawing the ire of global leaders, including U.S. President Joe Biden.
