Israel–Hamas war

U.S. credit rating agency Fitch downgraded Israel a notch on Monday, warning that its ongoing conflict against Hamas in Gaza could last "well into 2025" and weigh on economic activity.

Fitch lowered Israel's rating from "A+" to "A".

"The conflict in Gaza could last well into 2025 and there are risks of it broadening to other fronts," Fitch said in a note.

Iran on Tuesday rejected Western calls to stand down its threat to retaliate against Israel for the killing of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran late last month.

The Islamic republic and its allies have blamed Israel for Haniyeh's killing on July 31 during a visit to the Iranian capital for the swearing-in of President Masoud Pezeshkian. Israel has not commented.

A Palestinian prisoners watchdog said Tuesday that a man shot dead by Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank the previous day had been freed during the November truce in the Gaza war.

The US Central Command announced that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has ordered the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln to expedite its deployment to the Middle East, reflecting growing concerns over a potential regional conflict amidst the ongoing Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip, the Pentagon reported on Sunday.

Mediators from Egypt and Qatar have informed Israeli officials that Yahya Sinwar, the leader of Hamas, is seeking a ceasefire agreement to end the ongoing conflict in the Gaza Strip, according to an Israeli source familiar with the matter who spoke to CNN.

TOPSHOT - Displaced Palestinians watch as first responders prepare to transport corpses of people killed in an Israeli strike on a school in Gaza City on August 10, 2024, that killed more than 100 people.

The Islamic Republic has pledged to honor any ceasefire in Gaza and a hostage agreement accepted by Hamas, but still intends to punish Israel, the Iranian mission to the UN stated on Friday.

“Our priority is to establish a lasting ceasefire in Gaza,” the Iranian mission to the UN said in a statement.

Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has called on all nations to join the genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), following Türkiye's formal submission to intervene in the case.

Israel has vowed to eliminate new Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar, the alleged mastermind of the Oct. 7 attack, with regional hostilities threatening to boil over as the Gaza war enters its 11th month.

Turkey will submit on Wednesday a declaration of intervention in South Africa's genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in the Hague, a diplomatic source said.

The declaration will happen at 1330 GMT, the source added, after Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said this week that Turkey would make the declaration on Wednesday.