The Palestinian death toll from the nearly three-year Israel-Hamas war has surpassed 74,000, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.
Meanwhile, Iran's foreign minister says Tehran has not been formally notified of U.S. President Donald Trump's rejection of its proposed deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. And the World Health Organization says almost 700 people in Yemen have been killed since an escalation in fighting last month.
Here is a look at the latest news from the Middle East on Sunday.
In Gaza, over 1,100 have been killed since ceasefire
Gaza’s Health Ministry on Saturday said the Palestinian death toll has risen to 74,016, with 175,068 wounded. The war erupted on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas-led militants invaded Israel, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking 251 others hostage.
While a ceasefire that took effect last Oct. 10 has halted the heaviest fighting, Israeli strikes have continued in what the military has said are responses to threats or attacks.
Since the ceasefire, 1,145 Palestinians have been killed, said the ministry, which is part of the Hamas-led government. It maintains detailed records viewed as generally reliable by U.N. agencies and international organizations. It does not distinguish between civilians and militants.
Meanwhile, seven Israeli soldiers have been killed since the ceasefire.
The latest Israeli strike in Gaza, in the Muwasi area of Khan Younis, killed one person and wounded three others, Palestinian health officials said.
Next steps in the U.S.-brokered ceasefire remain largely stalled. Israeli forces now control over half of the Palestinian territory, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says they will not withdraw until Hamas disarms.
Iran's top diplomat says they await word from mediators
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran awaited a U.S. response through mediators after Trump rejected Iran’s proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and resume negotiations.
Araghchi spoke to Iranian state media on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly in New York.
Araghchi said Iran would assess the U.S. position once it was conveyed through intermediaries. He said Tehran’s conditions for reopening the strait remained unchanged and there would be “no backing down from them.”
Houthi rebels accuse Yemeni forces of a deadly strike
Iranian-backed Houthi rebels accused Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces of striking a market in Yemen's Taiz province, killing at least seven people.
Anees al-Asbahi, a spokesperson for the Houthi-run health ministry, said the strike hit shops in a market in the district of Taiziyah. He said at least other 40 people, including five children, were wounded.
The military of Yemen’s internationally recognized government rejected the Houthi claims, saying it attacked Houthi “warehouses and positions” in northern, southern and western Taiz and left “dozens of dead and wounded” among the rebels.
There has been fierce fighting on Yemen’s Red Sea coast as government forces attempt to reverse recent Houthi advances. The WHO says almost 700 people have been killed since the escalation last month.
Israel’s Jewish opposition vows cooperation to beat Netanyahu
Israel’s leading Jewish opposition parties said Saturday evening they promised to cooperate to beat Netanyahu's coalition in next month's critical elections. The parties have been criticized for infighting.
The vote, the first since the Oct. 7, 2023, attack, is largely seen as a referendum on the security failures that led to it.
The meeting was attended by Gadi Eisenkot, a former military chief seen as Netanyahu’s main challenger; Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid, two former prime ministers running together; Yair Golan, head of the center-left party, and Avigdor Lieberman, who heads a hawkish opposition party.
“We recognize that these elections are critical to the future of the state,” the joint statement said.
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This report will be updated throughout the day as new developments emerge.
