Middle East latest: Gaza war deaths pass 46,000 and Lebanon ends presidential deadlock

Gaza's Health Ministry said Thursday that more than 46,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Israel-Hamas war, with no end in sight to the 15-month conflict.

The ministry said a total of 46,006 Palestinians have been killed and 109,378 wounded. It has said women and children make up more than half the fatalities, but does not say how many of the dead were fighters or civilians.

The Israeli military says it has killed over 17,000 militants, without providing evidence. It blames Hamas for civilian deaths because it says militants operate in residential areas. Israel's air and ground operations have driven hundreds of thousands of Palestinians into sprawling tent camps along the coast with limited access to food and other essentials.

The war began when Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people and abducting around 250. A third of the 100 hostages still held in Gaza are believed to be dead.

In Lebanon, the parliament voted Thursday to elect the country's army commander, Joseph Aoun, as head of state, filling a more than two-year-long presidential vacuum.

The vote came weeks after a tenuous ceasefire agreement halted a 14-month conflict between Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah and at a time when Lebanon's leaders are seeking international assistance for reconstruction.

Here's the latest:

WARSAW, Poland — The Polish government adopted a resolution on Thursday vowing to ensure the free and safe participation of the highest representatives of Israel — including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — who choose to attend commemorations for the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau later this month.

Netanyahu became an internationally wanted suspect last year after the International Criminal Court, the world's top war crimes court, issued an arrest warrant for him and others in connection with the war in Gaza, accusing them of crimes against humanity.

Member countries of the ICC, such as Poland, are required to detain suspects facing a warrant if they set foot on their soil, but the court has no way to enforce that. Israel is not a member of the ICC and disputes its jurisdiction.

Palestinian families in Gaza mourn loved ones killed by Israeli strikes

KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip — Displaced Palestinians mourned their family members on Wednesday who were killed by Israeli strikes in the southern Gaza Strip, as dozens of people die each day in Israel's war with Hamas despite long-running ceasefire negotiations.

''I swear we've been waiting for news about a truce every day — but there's no truce, only news of my son and my daughter-in-law and her children being killed,'' she said at a school in Khan Younis where she's sheltering alongside many other displaced families.

Later at a nearby cemetery, she prayed over the graves of her family, marked only by headstones of cinderblock rubble stuck in the dry earth.

Malak Abu Awad, Fatma's daughter, scrolled through pictures of the dead children on her phone. She said it's pointless to keep hoping that ceasefire negotiations will bring an end to the war.

''On the contrary, we have more martyrs and are losing more of our of loved ones,'' she said.

Gaza's Health Ministry said Thursday that the death toll in Gaza surpassed 46,000 people, with at least 109,378 people wounded since the war began on Oct. 7, 2023.

TEL AVIV, Israel — Two drones were launched from Yemen toward Israel on Thursday evening, the military said, although there were no injuries according to Israel's Magen David Adom rescue service.

The latest drone attack came hours after the Israeli military said the Houthis, a Yemeni rebel group backed by Iran, have targeted Israel with more than 40 missiles and around 320 drones since October 2023. The military said the vast majority of the surface-to-surface missiles were intercepted before reaching Israeli airspace, and that the air force intercepted 100 of the drones.

Two drones have exploded inside Israel, in one case killing a man in Tel Aviv and wounding 10 others. Last month, a Houthi missile struck a playground in Tel Aviv, wounding 16 people, and caused damage at an empty school.

The Houthis have also been attacked shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, and say they won't stop until there is a ceasefire in Gaza.

In response, Israeli and U.S.-led forces have carried out airstrikes in Yemen's capital of Sanaa and the port city of Hodeida, killing dozens. The U.S. has bombed what it says are weapons systems, military bases and other equipment belonging to the Iranian-backed rebels.

Families of Israeli hostages say military pressure in Gaza puts captives' lives at risk

TEL AVIV, Israel — Family members of Israeli hostages who have been killed in Gaza implored on Thursday their government and world leaders to bring about a hostage deal.

''Military pressure has killed and is killing them,'' said Meirav Svirsky, sister of the late Itay Svirsky whose body was recovered from Gaza last month after he was killed in captivity.

''The policy that prioritizes the continuation of fighting must be replaced by a policy of saving lives and a policy committed to the return of all the hostages,'' she said.

The joint statement came a day after Israeli soldiers recovered the body of 53-year-old hostage Yosef AlZayadni in an underground tunnel in southern Gaza.

Hundreds of thousands of Israelis took to the streets this summer to demand a ceasefire and the return of the hostages after Israel recovered the bodies of six hostages, including Hersh Goldberg-Polin.

Lebanese parliament elects army commander as president

BEIRUT — Lebanon's parliament voted Thursday to elect the country's army commander, Joseph Aoun, as head of state, filling a more than two-year-long presidential vacuum.

The session was the legislature's 13th attempt to elect a successor to former President Michel Aoun — no relation to the army commander — whose term ended in October 2022.

The vote came weeks after a tenuous ceasefire agreement halted a 14-month conflict between Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah and at a time when Lebanon's leaders are seeking international assistance for reconstruction.

Death toll in Gaza surpasses 46,000, health ministry officials say

More than 46,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Israel-Hamas war, Gaza's Health Ministry said Thursday. The ministry said a total of 46,006 Palestinians have been killed and 109,378 wounded.

It has said women and children make up more than half the fatalities, but did not say how many of the dead were fighters or civilians.

The Israeli military says it has killed over 17,000 militants, without providing evidence. It says it tries to avoid harming civilians and blames Hamas for their deaths because the militants operate in residential areas. Israel has also repeatedly struck what it claims are militants hiding in shelters and hospitals, often killing women and children.

On Thursday, dozens of people took part in funeral prayers outside the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in the central Gaza city of Deir al-Balah for people killed in Israeli strikes the day before.

Palestinian health officials said Israeli airstrikes killed at least nine people in Gaza on Wednesday, including three infants — among them a 1-week-old baby — and two women.

More than 50,000 refugees return to Syria from Turkey

ANKARA, Turkey — Turkey's interior affairs minister says a total of 52,622 refugees have returned to Syria from Turkey in the first month following Bashar Assad's removal from power on Dec. 8.

Speaking at the Cilvegozu border crossing between Turkey and Syria on Thursday, Ali Yerlikaya said that more than 40,000 Syrians had returned with family members while some 11,000 individuals crossed into Syria alone.

''The voluntary, safe, honorable and regular returns have started to increase,'' Yerlikaya said.

Israeli military tightens rules on media coverage of war in Gaza

JERUSALEM — The Israeli military has further tightened restrictions on media coverage of the war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip amid mounting concerns that soldiers could face legal action abroad.

The restrictions announced late Wednesday mainly apply to media interviews, and include a requirement that soldiers holding the rank of colonel or below only be filmed from behind and identified by their first initial. Those ranked brigadier general or above can be identified, but must receive prior guidelines.

Any filming in combat zones also must be approved by the military's legal department.

Israel has barred foreign journalists from entering Gaza outside of embeds organized by the military.

Israel says it is operating in accordance with international law in Gaza and makes every effort to avoid harming civilians. But soldiers have posted dozens of photos and videos that appear to show them rummaging through homes and burning or blowing up residential buildings.

The military says it investigates and punishes any violations of military conduct. It says Hamas has built extensive military infrastructure in civilian areas, necessitating the demolition of buildings.

The army says it is working on additional guidelines for soldiers on what they can post to social media.

Families of American hostages in Gaza will attend Trump inauguration

NEW YORK — Family members of Americans being held hostage in Gaza are planning to attend President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration later this month.

Seven Americans are among the dozens of hostages still held by Hamas in Gaza.

Trump has sent his incoming special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, to Qatar this week for additional talks to work on their release. The Republican president-elect has threatened Hamas by warning that ''All hell will break out'' if the hostages aren't released.