Israel-Palestine live: Deadly Israeli attacks across Gaza as West Bank raids continue

A new deal between Hamas and Israel to swap prisoners is still distant despite initial talks, Haaretz reported on Wednesday. 

Citing Israeli and foreign sources familiar with the details, the newspaper said the two parties are far from reaching a new agreement.

"Currently, there aren't any ongoing negotiations for a deal. There are preliminary talks aimed at assessing whether both sides are willing to discuss terms for a new deal," one source said. 

A speedboat with armed men aboard approached two vessels off the coast of Yemen's Red Sea port of Hodeidah, an advisory note from British maritime security company Ambrey said on Wednesday, according to Reuters. 

Britain's Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency said it had received reports of an incident in the vicinity of the Bab el-Mandab Strait, without giving more details.

The AP said two missiles fired from Yemen missed a Marshall Islands-flagged tanker near Bab al-Mandab and a drone was downed by a US warship. 

Ambrey said the oil tanker reported an "exchange of fire" with a speedboat 55 nautical miles (around 100 kilometres) off Hodeidah, adding that the boat approached the tanker and initiated the gunfire at a distance of 300 metres (1,000 feet).

It said the tanker was hailed by an entity claiming to be the Yemeni Navy, which asked the vessel to alter course, but a "coalition" warship advised the ship to maintain course.

Ambrey did not clarify which coalition it was referring to. Coalition Task Force (CTF) Sentinel, the operational arm of the International Maritime Security Construct (IMSC), is known to operate in the region. IMSC was formed in July 2019 in response to an increase in threats to navigation and the flow of trade.

Shortly after the tanker incident, Ambrey said, the speedboat approached a Malta-flagged bulk carrier 52 nautical miles off Hodeidah.

Ambrey added that it would provide updates where relevant.

Separately, UKMTO reported an incident in the Arabian Sea about 90 nautical miles off the Omani coastal town of Duqm. It gave no further details but advised ships to transit with caution and report any suspicious activity.

The Houthi movement previously vowed to block Israeli-bound ships from travelling through the Red Sea until aid enters Gaza.

The group did not immediately comment on the Wednesday incidents.

Pope Francis on Wednesday renewed his call for an "immediate" ceasefire in Gaza and pleaded for an end to suffering for both Israelis and Palestinians, Reuters reported. 

"I renew my appeal for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire," the leader of the world's more than 1.35 billion Catholics said during his Wednesday audience.

"May this great suffering for the Israelis and the Palestinians be over," he said, urging the release of all Israeli hostages and the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza.

An oil tanker was targeted near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait by two missiles fired from Yemen on Wednesday, according to the Associated Press. 

Citing a US official who spoke on condition of anonymity, AP said the missiles missed the commercial tanker and no one was hurt. 

A drone flying in the direction of tankers was shot down by an American warship, the official added.

AP said the Marshall Islands-flagged ship was carrying oil and chemicals and was heading toward the Suez Canal from India. 

The Houthi movement previously vowed to block Israeli-bound ships from travelling through the Red Sea until aid enters Gaza. 

The group did not immediately comment on the Wednesday attack.

Children's vaccines have run out in the Gaza Strip, risking "disastrous repercussions" for public health, according to the Palestinian health ministry.

"We call on international institutions to quickly intervene to provide the necessary vaccinations and ensure their delivery to all areas of the Gaza Strip to prevent a disaster," the ministry said in a statement on Wednesday. 

A senior Israeli colonel who commanded a forward base of an elite infantry unit has been killed in Gaza, along with another soldier, the Israeli military said on Wednesday. 

Itzhak Ben Basat, 44, was killed on Tuesday in an ambush by Palestinian fighters in Gaza's Shejaiya neighbourhood, a stronghold of Palestinian resistance groups.

Ben Basat, the head of the Golani Brigade's commander's team, is the most senior Israeli officer to be killed in Gaza since the ground invasion was launched in late October, according to the Times of Israel.

Nine other soldiers were killed in the same incident on Tuesday, including a lieutenant-colonel who commanded a Golani regiment, two company commanders, a platoon commander and a squad commander.

Israeli war cabinet minister Benny Gantz called the fighting in Gaza a "second war of independence" following the death of several commanders on Tuesday in a major blow to ground operations. 

"Israel's second independence war is taking a heavy, painful, and difficult price from us," Gantz wrote on X. 

"Everyone who falls is a scar on the entire State of Israel, and every such scar is a reminder of our warriors' heroism and the need to be worthy as a society of their sacrifice," he added. 

The Israeli military announced earlier that eight troops were killed in an ambush in Gaza's Shejaiya neighbourhood. 

They included the commander of the Golani Brigade’s 13th Battalion, the military's elite infantry unit. 

Two company commanders, a platoon commander and a squad commander were also among those killed. 

A UK maritime agency said it received reports of two separate "incidents" off the coasts of Yemen and Oman on Wednesday morning. 

The first incident was reported some 50 nautical miles west of Yemen's Hodeidah port, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said, and the second one reported 90 nautical miles south of Omani town Al-Duqm.

The UKMTO said "authorities are investigating" the incidents. 

Makeshift camps in Gaza have been flooded overnight by rainwater, compounding dire conditions for internally displaced Palestinians. 

The UN estimates that nearly 85 percent of Gaza's population - around 1.9 million people - have been displaced by Israel's bombardment.

Israeli troops continued to raid the occupied West Bank city of Jenin for a second consecutive day. 

A large-scale incursion targeting the city and its refugee camp was launched on Tuesday morning.

At least seven Palestinians have died in the attack so far, four of them killed in a drone strike. Dozens more have been detained. 

Local media said armoured vehicles continued to operate in the city on Wednesday with clashes and explosions heard periodically.  

Israeli shelling on a residential block in Khan Younis has killed 19 Palestinians, the Al Araby TV reported on Wednesday morning. 

 

Good morning Middle East Eye readers, 

After an overwhelming vote at the UN General Assembly calling for a ceasefire, Israeli fighter jets bombed Khan Younis on Tuesday night and into Wednesday, killing at least two children among other civilians. 

The relentless bombing since 7 October has killed 18,400 people and wounded 50,000 more - most of them children and women. 

Meanwhile, fierce combat between Israeli troops and Palestinian fighters continued east of Gaza City and Khan Younis. 

After Hamas said it killed several Israeli soldiers in an ambush in Shejaiya neighbourhood, one of the group’s main strongholds in northern Gaza, the Israeli military announced the death of eight troops in fighting. 

The commander of the Golani Brigade's 13th Battalion, an elite infantry unit, was among those killed. 

To stay up to date on the latest news, follow us on Facebook, X, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube.