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Middle East conflict live updates Houthi strike kills 2 civilian mariners, U.S. officials say, the first fatalities in militants’ campaign

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A missile launched by Houthi militants in Yemen struck a commercial vessel in the Gulf of Aden on Wednesday, U.S. officials said, speaking on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue. The missile killed two people, the officials said, the first known fatalities in the Houthis’ months-long campaign of violence against maritime traffic. At least six other mariners were injured, and the crew has abandoned ship, one U.S. official added. Earlier Wednesday, Hamas said it will continue to negotiate through mediators toward a cease-fire deal, with talks underway in Egypt, a day after an Israeli government spokesman expressed hope that an agreement could be reached.

Key updates
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Both Israel and Hamas face pressure to come to a deal as Ramadan, the holiest period in the Islamic calendar, approaches and as Gaza’s Health Ministry says that “famine” in the north has reached “lethal levels,” with 18 people reported dead of malnutrition and dehydration.
The babies of 5,500 women who are due to give birth in the next month in Gaza are at risk of dying, the U.N. agency for children, UNICEF, reported. Mothers do not have access to prenatal or postnatal checkups because of bombings, it said. Anxiety is also leading to premature births, it said, citing the U.N. Population Fund.
A convoy of 14 trucks carrying food earmarked for northern Gaza was turned away at a checkpoint by the Israel Defense Forces, the World Food Program said Tuesday, as fears grow that the besieged enclave is on the brink of famine.
Benny Gantz, a member of Israel’s war cabinet and a political rival of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, met with Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer during a U.S. visit Tuesday. Austin requested Gantz’s support for increasing humanitarian shipments to Gaza, according to a Pentagon readout. Gantz is due to visit the United Kingdom on Wednesday.
At least 30,717 people have been killed and 72,156 injured in Gaza since the war began, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants. Israel estimates that about 1,200 people were killed in Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack and says 246 soldiers have been killed since the start of its military operation in Gaza.
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Both Israel and Hamas face pressure to come to a deal as Ramadan, the holiest period in the Islamic calendar, approaches and as Gaza’s Health Ministry says that “famine” in the north has reached “lethal levels,” with 18 people reported dead of malnutrition and dehydration.
The babies of 5,500 women who are due to give birth in the next month in Gaza are at risk of dying, the U.N. agency for children, UNICEF, reported. Mothers do not have access to prenatal or postnatal checkups because of bombings, it said. Anxiety is also leading to premature births, it said, citing the U.N. Population Fund.
A convoy of 14 trucks carrying food earmarked for northern Gaza was turned away at a checkpoint by the Israel Defense Forces, the World Food Program said Tuesday, as fears grow that the besieged enclave is on the brink of famine.
Benny Gantz, a member of Israel’s war cabinet and a political rival of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, met with Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer during a U.S. visit Tuesday. Austin requested Gantz’s support for increasing humanitarian shipments to Gaza, according to a Pentagon readout. Gantz is due to visit the United Kingdom on Wednesday.
At least 30,717 people have been killed and 72,156 injured in Gaza since the war began, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants. Israel estimates that about 1,200 people were killed in Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack and says 246 soldiers have been killed since the start of its military operation in Gaza.
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Israel-Gaza war

Israel-Gaza war: The latest round of talks on a deal that would pause fighting and release hostages for Israeli-held Palestinian prisoners remains underway in Cairo. Hamas said Wednesday that it will continue to negotiate through mediators.

Middle East conflict: Tensions in the region continue to rise. As Israeli troops aim to take control of the Gaza-Egypt border crossing, officials in Cairo warn that the move would undermine the 1979 peace treaty. Meanwhile, there’s a diplomatic scramble to avert full-scale war between Israel and Lebanon.

U.S. involvement: U.S. airstrikes in Iraq and Syria killed dozens of Iranian-linked militants, according to Iraqi officials. The strikes were the first round of retaliatory action by the Biden administration for an attack in Jordan that killed three U.S. service members.