Israel’s increasingly isolated Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was in New York on Thursday to address the United Nations General Assembly, but no meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump was planned.
Hamas said it was ready to move forward on a Gaza peace agreement, while a top European Union official said only a small amount of the funds needed to rebuild the Gaza Strip has been collected.
Here is a look at the latest news from the Middle East. Full coverage is available here.
Netanyahu begins whirlwind visit to address the UN
The Israeli prime minister’s brief stay in New York for the UN General Assembly includes meetings with several world leaders -- but not Trump, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio or Arab leaders.
Netanyahu’s office said he was on a “tight schedule” and needed to return to Israel before the start of the Jewish holiday of Sukkot at sundown Friday.
He will meet with the presidents of Argentina, Bolivia, Paraguay, Panama, and Ethiopia, the vice president of Colombia, and the prime ministers of Greece, Slovenia, and Papua New Guinea, according to his office.
Hamas says it’s ready to advance Gaza peace agreement
A Hamas spokesman said the group is ready to move forward with the next steps of a peace agreement, after Trump’s Board of Peace unveiled a six-month, US$2.45-billion plan for Gaza’s reconstruction.
Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem expressed the Palestinian militant group’s “full readiness to implement the Board of Peace’s roadmap” but made no mention of any disarmament plans.
Israel has said it will not allow reconstruction until Hamas disarms.
Last year, Hamas agreed to a plan that includes disarmament but has since traded accusations with Israel of ceasefire violations and has accused Israel of violating the agreement by continuing to occupy much of Gaza.
A top EU official said only one billion euros (US$1.1 billion) has been raised of the 71 billion euros (US$80.8 billion) that the United Nations, the World Bank and the 27-nation European Union estimate are needed to rebuild Gaza.
UN urges access to humanitarian aid for civilians in Yemen
The UN pleaded for the fast delivery of humanitarian aid in Yemen as fighting between Iran-backed Houthi rebels and Saudi-backed government forces intensifies an already dire humanitarian situation.
UN Human Rights Chief Volker Turk said people fleeing violence need access to food, shelter and healthcare. Ground fighting, artillery and aerial strikes have killed and wounded at least 125 civilians since the beginning of August. Turk also called for the release of 73 UN staffers detained by the Houthis in the past few years.
Iran’s top diplomat meets with Saudi counterpart
Iran’s top diplomat is meeting with his Saudi counterpart and other foreign ministers on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.
Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi’s official Telegram channel shared photos of brief, informal meetings between him and the foreign ministers of Jordan, Tajikistan, Armenia, and Saudi Arabia, as well as the Prince of Brunei.
After talks with U.S. representatives earlier this week, Araghchi faced criticism from some hard-liners in Iran.
Houtis claim attacks on southwestern Saudi Arabia
Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen say they have fired dozens of ballistic missiles and drones on Saudi Arabia’s southwestern Jazan province.
Houthi military spokesman Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree said the rebels targeted operations rooms, command centres, weapons depots and other Saudi military sites. He didn’t say when the attacks took place.
The Associated Press could not independently confirm the Houthi claims.
A Saudi military spokesman, Maj. Gen. Turki al-Malki, said six ballistic missiles targeting Saudi Arabia ‘s Red Sea port of Yanbu and southwestern city of Taif were intercepted.
Israeli strikes across Gaza kill at least 1 person
In Gaza, the Al-Aqsa Hospital said a man was killed when a car was hit on Thursday in Deir al Balah. There were also injuries in strikes in the southern city of Khan Younis, the hospital said.
The Israeli military said it struck operatives in both places and would provide more information later.
Earthquake shakes parts of Turkiye and Syria
A moderate earthquake shook southeast Turkiye and parts of Syria on Thursday, sending people rushing out of buildings in panic. There were no immediate reports of any damage.
The magnitude 5.4 quake was centred in Sanliurfa province, near the border with Syria, according to Turkiye’s Disaster and Emergency Management Agency.
In 2023, a magnitude 7.8 earthquake killed more than 53,000 people in Turkiye and destroyed or damaged hundreds of thousands of buildings in 11 southern and southeastern provinces, including Sanliurfa. Another 6,000 people were killed in Syria.
The Associated Press
