Hamas

China urged the United States to play "a constructive role" in the Middle East on Friday after its top diplomat Wang Yi spoke with his U.S. counterpart Antony Blinken over the phone.

In a significant development in the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, the Palestinian movement Hamas has issued a call for a ceasefire to facilitate the location and release of Israeli hostages held in the Gaza Strip.

Israel was on alert Thursday after its arch-foe Iran threatened reprisals over a strike in Syria this month that killed two Iranian generals, and as the war against Hamas ground on in Gaza.

Oil prices have surged due to renewed concerns about the Middle East conflict. Brent crude futures increased by 0.32% to 90.80 USD per barrel, while American WTI crude rose by 0.3% to 86.50 USD per barrel. This comes amid fears of an Iranian strike on Israel following verbal threats by Iran in response to an Israeli attack on an Iranian diplomatic compound in Syria.

Turkish and American top diplomats have discussed on the phone the latest developments in Gaza amid fears of a fresh escalation between Israel and Iran.

According to Turkish diplomatic sources, the phone conversation between Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken occurred upon the initiative of the latter.

The United States and its allies are concerned about a potential attack by Iran or its proxies on military and government targets in Israel. The attack, believed to be imminent, would be in response to the killing of Iranian generals in Damascus, escalating the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas.

Türkiye will not stop supporting Palestine and sending humanitarian aid to the civilians stranded in Gaza, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has said, vowing that trade restrictions imposed on Israel will remain in place until a ceasefire is reached and enough amount of humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians.

Three sons and four grandsons of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh were killed in an Israeli airstrike in the Gaza Strip. Hamas officials and Haniyeh's family confirmed the deaths. The Israeli army acknowledged the attack, identifying the three sons as members of Hamas' armed wing. Hamas stated that the victims were traveling in a car when it was targeted in the Al-Shati refugee camp in Gaza.

Israel's foreign minister threatened yesterday that its country's forces would strike Iran directly if the Islamic Republic launched an attack from its territory against Israel, as tensions between the rival powers flare following the killings of Iranian generals in a blast at the Iranian consulate in Syria.

Palestinian nurse Maha Sweylem came to the gutted shell of the Al-Shifa hospital in northern Gaza hoping for yet dreading news of her husband, who she said was a doctor there.

World Health Organization teams arrived at what was Gaza's biggest hospital Monday to help identify the bodies that litter the ruins.