Israel hits Gaza hospital and France turns away a settler leader, and other Mideast news
An Israeli airstrike hit one of the main hospitals still operating in the Gaza Strip on Thursday, killing six people and injuring at least 28 more.
In Iran, a body of clerics said it is necessary to consider withdrawing the country from a treaty meant to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons.
Here is the latest news from the Middle East on Thursday. Read our full coverage here.
An Israeli airstrike hit one of the main hospitals still operating in the Gaza Strip on Thursday, killing six people and wounding 28 others.
The Israeli military said the strike on Nasser Hospital in southern Gaza targeted an unidentified Hamas commander and other militants, without providing evidence. Gaza’s Health Ministry said the victims included a surgeon and a 13-year-old boy.
The hospital victims were among 10 Palestinians killed Thursday in four strikes that the Israeli military claimed targeted militants. Israel’s strikes on Gaza have continued despite a ceasefire deal with Hamas last year.
U.S. President Donald Trump in a social media post Thursday dismissed the idea of diplomacy with Tehran and said he wants Vice President JD Vance to focus on rooting out fraud in federal government programs instead.
The vice president was the face of an earlier effort to strike a deal with Iran that ultimately collapsed. His office didn't comment Thursday.
Meanwhile Iran's top negotiator claimed the U.S. asked Russian President Vladimir Putin to facilitate negotiations between the two nations. The White House did not directly respond to the claim.
Iran’s Assembly of Experts, which is a clerical body responsible for overseeing Iran’s supreme leader, said Thursday that considering withdrawing from the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty is an “unavoidable necessity,” state TV reported.
Iran has enriched uranium to near weapons-grade levels, but insists its program is only for civilian purposes. The late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei declared nuclear weapons forbidden under Islam.
A Security Council resolution adopted unanimously by the U.N.’s most powerful body late Thursday strongly condemned the Houthis military escalation and emphasized that “there is no military solution to the current conflict, and that the only viable path forward is dialogue and reconciliation among the multiple and varied parties.”
The UK-drafted resolution extended sanctions including travel bans and the freezing of assets of Houthis on a U.N. blacklist until Nov. 14, 2027. An arms embargo against the Houthis remains in effect.
The 15-member council expressed “grave concern” at the continuing Houthi generation of funds from international sources and the rebel group’s control over key economic sectors including energy and telecommunications which finance their acquisition of arms including drones.
UK Ambassador Sarah MacIntosh said after the vote that the resolution’s adoption “demonstrates the council’s determination to take decisive action against reckless attacks by the Houthis” in Yemen and against Saudi Arabia.
Yossi Dagan, a prominent Israeli settler in the occupied West Bank, was denied permission to enter France last week as he flew to Charles de Gaulle International Airport.
France’s Foreign Ministry confirmed that Dagan, who heads one of six Israeli regional councils in the West Bank, was banned "due to his active role in implementing Israel's settlement policy."
Israel’s Foreign Ministry called the decision by France “completely unacceptable."
France was one of several European countries this year to step up restrictions on Israeli settlers and settlements in the West Bank, which are viewed as illegal and a hindrance to peace talks.
In a separate development, Israel’s foreign minister and interior minister, Gideon Saar, said Thursday that French presidential candidate Jean-Luc Mélenchon has been barred from Israel for his vocal support of Gaza.
The United Kingdom, Qatar and Jordan led a coalition of more than 50 countries and organizations on Thursday calling on Israel to provide immediate entry of critical items for shelter, fuel, water, sanitation and health to Gaza.
The group said too many people in Gaza “risk exposure to hypothermia, respiratory infections, waterborne diseases and other preventable illnesses” with winter's arrival.
The statement echoed recent criticism by the Board of Peace and U.N. humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher.
The British military reported at least two tankers were struck by projectiles in recent days while traversing contested waters near Iran.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Center, which monitors maritime safety, said the oil tanker Dominica Prosperity was struck Wednesday in the Strait of Hormuz, northwest of Ras al-Khaimah. The agency reported the crew evacuated safely and no casualties were reported.
In another incident from Tuesday, the UKMTO said an unnamed tanker was struck by a projectile in the Persian Gulf. Multiple casualties were taken ashore for medical assistance while the remaining crew was safe and accounted for, the agency said.
The Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthis in Yemen said Thursday that they intercepted and destroyed a drone over Riyadh and two others in the country's eastern region.
Meanwhile the Houthis, without providing evidence, claimed they launched a drone targeting Aramco facilities in Riyadh. The state-owned oil company has not replied to requests for comment.
A highway crash involving several vehicles killed 14 people and injured 30 others on Thursday, the United Arab Emirates’ Ministry of Interior said.
The accident happened before midnight on Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Road at the entrance to the Emirate of Fujairah.
The ministry, citing local police, said a driver lost control of their truck and slammed into another vehicle, causing the truck to overturn and strike a number of other vehicles. The truck caught fire, and the blaze spread to other damaged vehicles.
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This report will be updated throughout the day as new developments emerge.
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