Antony Blinken to brief Israeli leaders on ceasefire, hostage release

Destroyed homes in Rafah

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was set to meet Israeli leaders on Wednesday as Hamas suggested it was open to a new ceasefire and hostage release deal, but both sides remain dug in on thus far elusive goals as the war enters its fifth month.

Hamas has put forward a detailed plan for a new cease-fire and hostage release deal with Israel. Qatar's prime minister said Tuesday that Hamas gave a "generally positive" answer to the latest plan for Gaza, but the Palestinian militant group's response would effectively leave the militant group in power in Gaza and allow it to rebuild its military capabilities, a scenario that Israel adamantly rejects.

A girl walks through the rubble after Israeli bombardment in Rafah. Pic/AP

More than half of Gaza's population of 2.3 million people is now crammed into the town of Rafah on the border with Egypt and surrounding areas, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said Tuesday. The Palestinian death toll after nearly four months of war has reached 27,478 people, the Health Ministry in Gaza said.

A quarter of Gaza's residents are starving and 85 per cent of the population has been driven from their homes, with hundreds of thousands surviving in makeshift tent camps.

Civilians killed by Israeli strikes: Syria

Israeli airstrikes over the central city of Homs and nearby areas killed and wounded civilians, the Syrian military said Wednesday. The strikes late Tuesday damaged both private and public property. The areas struck included the affluent al-Malaab neighbourhood and Hamra street.

France pays tribute to Hamas victims

France is paying tribute Wednesday to French victims of Hamas' October 7 attack, in a national ceremony led by President Emmanuel Macron. The ceremony will pay homage to 42 French citizens who died in the attack and three hostages still being held by Hamas and other militants in Gaza.

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