Summary of the day …
A large number of Palestinians have been killed by Israeli strikes on Gaza, with estimates of the number killed ranging from 40 to 80. Associated Press, citing local medics, reported that 22 children were among those killed
The intense bombardment came as Donald Trump continued his Middle East visit and follows a brief pause in Israel’s ongoing offensive to allow the release by Hamas of the 21-year-old Israeli-American hostage Edan Alexander
Trump met with Syria’s president Ahmed al-Sharaa, and urged his country to join the Abraham Accords and normalise relations with Israel, which has repeated carried out airstrikes on Syria since al-Sharaa came to power
Israel’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused France’s president Emmanuel Macron of standing with Hamas. The comments came after Macron described Israel’s actions in Gaza as “shameful”
Israeli military issued evacuation orders for three ports in Yemen, claiming they were being used by the Houthi. The IDF also claimed to have intercepted a missile fired at Israel from Houthi territory
The health ministry in Gaza said 90% of residents of the territory were suffering water insecurity
Libya’s government has announced a ceasefire after the country, following years of relative calm, plunged into chaos for three days sparked by Monday’s killing of the head of one of Libya’s most powerful militias
Media in Lebanon reports that an Israeli drone targeted a car in the country’s southern Nabatieh region
The UK prime minister Keir Starmer has said he “fundamentally” believes that the “pathway to a two-state solution is the only way for settled and lasting peace in the Middle East”
Water insecurity issues impacting majority of residents in Gaza
Gaza’s health ministry has reported that 90% of residents of the strip are facing water insecurity, with more than 25% of water samples now being contaminated. The UN agency for Palestinian refugees, Unrwa, earlier reported similar figures, saying that 75% of families in the Gaza Strip have faced difficulty accessing water in the last month.
