Middle East latest: Israeli strikes kill 17 people in Gaza, nearly all of them women or kids

Israeli airstrikes in southern Gaza killed at least 17 people late Tuesday, nearly all of them women or children, the territory's Health Ministry and hospital officials said.

Five kids were killed as they sheltered together in the same tent, said Ahmed al-Farra, director of the children's ward at nearby Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis. Their bodies were among the eight children and five women brought to the hospital after strikes on tents, homes and a vehicle. Two bodies were unidentifiable.

The Israeli military said it targeted militants who had taken part in the Oct. 7, 2023, attack that sparked the war, without providing evidence. Israel said it took steps to lessen the risk of hurting civilians and blamed Hamas for the civilian casualties.

The Israel-Hamas war in Gaza is raging with no end in sight, although there has reportedly been recent progress in long-running talks aimed at a ceasefire and the release of Israeli hostages held by Hamas.

Some Palestinians in the Gaza Strip still have hope the war will end soon. Issam Saqr, a displaced man from Khan Younis, told The Associated Press he hopes the ceasefire ''will happen today — before tomorrow!''

Here's the latest:

Israel says only a ‘limited' number of its soldiers faced possible arrest overseas

On Sunday, Israel said it had helped the former soldier leave Brazil on a commercial flight, after Brazilian authorities launched an investigation into the soldier based on his social media posts showing him taking part in the demolition of civilian homes in Gaza. The investigation was based on a complaint filed by a pro-Palestinian activist group.

The Foreign Ministry said it is aware of fewer than a dozen similar complaints around the world. Eden Bar-Tal, the ministry's director general, accused ''terrorist organizations'' of spearheading the efforts to investigate Israeli soldiers. He dismissed the complaints as a public relations stunt with little chance of succeeding.

Palestinians in Gaza hope for a ceasefire as they endure war's harsh conditions

KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip — Displaced Palestinians in the Gaza Strip still have hope that Israel's 15-month war with Hamas will end soon, as both sides appear to be inching toward a ceasefire deal.

''What we are living is not a life. Nobody could bear the situation we're experiencing for a single day,'' said Munawar al-Bik, a displaced woman from Gaza City.

She spoke to The Associated Press on a dusty road in the southern city of Khan Younis beside the rubble of a destroyed building. Behind her, a sea of makeshift tents filled with displaced families stretched into the distance.

Muhammad Zaqout, a displaced man from Gaza City, said he's sick of children being killed daily, of the destruction and displacement.

In recent months, families who fled their homes in Gaza have had little access to clean water or enough food to eat, and they struggle to cope with harsh winter conditions that have killed several babies from hypothermia in recent weeks.

Issam Saqr, displaced from Khan Younis, said he hopes the ceasefire ''will happen today — before tomorrow!''

Israeli strike kills at least 17 people in southern Gaza, nearly all of them women or children

Five kids were killed in the same tent as they sheltered together in a camp for displaced Palestinians in Muwasi, said Ahmed al-Farra, director of the child ward at Nasser Hospital in nearby Khan Younis. Their bodies were among the eight children and five women brought to the hospital.

The strikes tore into tents for displaced Palestinians, a car and two houses in the the Khan Younis area, the hospital said. Two of the dead were men, and the two in the vehicle were unidentifiable.

In the morgue, bodies lay on stretchers or stacked on metal shelves. A young girl in a fuzzy pink sweatshirt rested with her head in the lap of another girl. Other corpses, some disfigured by the explosions, were covered in blankets.

The Israeli military said it targeted militants who had taken part in the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel that sparked the war, without providing evidence. Israel said it took steps to lessen the risk of harming civilians and blamed Hamas for the civilian casualties.

It was not immediately clear if that strike that killed the five children was inside the area in Muwasi Israel's military designated a humanitarian safe zone but has repeatedly targeted. Israel blames Hamas for civilian casualties.

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This post has been updated to reflect that hospital officials lowered the death toll to 17, not 18 as initially reported.

Turkey says it is ready to launch a new cross-border operation against Syrian Kurdish militias

ANKARA, Turkey — Turkey's foreign minister says Turkey is ready to launch a new cross-border operation against Syrian Kurdish militias if they do not comply with a Turkish ''ultimatum'' demanding that their leaders leave Syria and that other fighters disarm.

In an interview with CNN-Turk television on Tuesday, Hakan Fidan said his country was prepared to intervene even if the United States opposes the offensive, saying Turkey had conducted past incursions ''despite'' objections from Washington.

Turkey considers the Syrian Kurdish force an extension of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party and a threat to its security. For the U.S., the militia group has been a key ally in the fight against the Islamic State group.

Turkey has conducted several cross-border operations against the group since 2016.

Israeli foreign minister travels to UAE for talks with his Emirati counterpart

JERUSALEM — Israel's foreign minister was in the United Arab Emirates for talks with his Emirati counterpart.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry said that Gideon Saar discussed ''regional developments and the bilateral relations between the two countries'' in his talks with Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

Israel and the UAE established diplomatic relations as part of the 2020 Abraham Accords.

Trump says he will send his Middle East envoy to Qatar

PALM BEACH, Fla. — President-elect Donald Trump is dispatching his incoming special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, to Qatar this week for talks aimed at a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of some 100 Israeli hostages.

Trump speaking at a news conference at his Mar-a-Lago resort on Tuesday reiterated his threat that there will be ''hell to pay'' in the Middle East if the hostages are not released prior to his Jan. 20 inauguration.

Witkoff, who also spoke briefly at the press conference, said he expected to depart for Qatar later Tuesday or Wednesday but did not detail who he'd be meeting with during his latest visit to the region.

''The red lines he's put out there — that's driving this negotiation,'' Witkoff said.

Ireland formally intervenes in ICJ genocide case against Israel

LONDON — Ireland has formally asked to intervene in South Africa's case accusing Israel of committing genocide in Gaza, the International Court of Justice said Tuesday.

The request submitted in the Hague on Monday has roiled Irish relations with Israel.

Israel, which denies the allegations, announced last month that it would close its embassy in Ireland after the Irish government decided to intervene in South Africa's case.

In May, Israel recalled its ambassador to Dublin after Ireland announced along with Norway, Spain and Slovenia it would recognize a Palestinian state.

Several other countries have also intervened in the case: Nicaragua, Colombia, Libya, Mexico, Palestine, Spain, Chile, Bolivia, the Maldives and Turkey.

A French diplomat is in Lebanon to help unlock a yearslong political stalemate

BEIRUT — France's special envoy to Lebanon, Jean-Yves Le Drian, arrived in Beirut on Tuesday to help mediate the parliament's latest attempt to elect the country's president — a position that has been empty for more than two years amid sharp political and sectarian divides.

Lebanon's parliament is scheduled to meet on Thursday to elect a president. Le Drian will attend the session at the invitation of Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri.

Le Drian urged lawmakers to reach a consensus, emphasizing that electing a president is ''the first step toward the urgent reactivation of Lebanon's institutions and the restoration of the country's sovereignty,'' according to the statement.

It remains to be seen how much Lebanon's political landscape has shifted in recent months after Hezbollah, a powerful political actor in the country, was severely hobbled after the war with Israel, which killed top officials including longtime leader Hassan Nasrallah, as well as the overthrow of President Bashar Assad in neighboring Syria.

Former President Michel Aoun, an ally of Iran-backed Hezbollah, finished his term in October 2022.

First international commercial flight since Assad's ouster lands in Damascus

DAMASCUS, Syria — The first international commercial flight since the fall of Syrian President Bashar Assad last month landed Tuesday at the Damascus airport from Qatar.

The head of Syria's Civil Aviation Regulatory Commission, Capt. Haitham Misto, who was on board the flight with a team of specialists, said the aim was to evaluate the condition of the Damascus airport before resuming regular flights.

Israel launches raids in West Bank after attack kills 3 Israelis

JERUSALEM — The Israeli military launched a wave of raids across the occupied West Bank overnight and into Tuesday, killing at least three Palestinians it said were militants a day after a deadly shooting attack.

The army said it killed two militants in an airstrike after they fired at troops in the area of Tamun in the northern West Bank. It said another militant was killed in ''close-quarters combat'' in the nearby village of Taluza and an Israeli soldier was severely wounded. The military said it arrested more than 20 suspected militants.

Hamas said in a statement that one of its veteran commanders, Jaafar Dababsah, was killed by Israeli forces in the area of the two deadly raids.

The Palestinian Health Ministry says at least 840 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire in the West Bank since the start of the war in Gaza. At least 46 Israelis, including 19 soldiers, have been killed in violent attacks by Palestinian militants, according to the U.N.

The war in Gaza began when Hamas-led militants stormed across the border in a massive surprise attack nearly 15 months ago, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting around 250. Some 100 hostages are still inside Gaza, at least a third of whom are believed to be dead.