Israeli troops entered the main hospital in southern Gaza on Thursday in what the army said was a limited operation seeking the remains of hostages taken by Hamas.
One patient died and seven were wounded when Nasser Hospital in the southern city of Khan Younis came under fire on Wednesday, Dr. Khaled Alserr, one of the remaining surgeons at the hospital, told The Associated Press.
Israeli troops, tanks and snipers have surrounded the hospital compound for at least a week, with heavy fire all around it, killing several people inside the compound in recent days, according to health officials. Israel accuses Hamas of using hospitals and other civilian structures to shield its fighters.
Israel launched airstrikes in southern Lebanon for a second day after killing 10 civilians and three Hezbollah fighters on Wednesday in response to a rocket attack that killed an Israeli soldier and wounded several others. It was the deadliest of daily exchanges of fire along the border since the Oct. 7 start of the war in Gaza.
Negotiations over a ceasefire in Gaza appear to have stalled, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to continue the offensive until Hamas is destroyed and scores of hostages are returned.
The number of Palestinians killed during the war in Gaza has surpassed 28,000 people, according to the Health Ministry in Gaza. A quarter of Gaza's residents are starving. About 1,200 people, mostly civilians, were killed and around 250 abducted in Hamas' attack on Israel on Oct. 7.
Here's the latest:
JERUSALEM -- An Israeli kibbutz says one of its residents who was kidnapped by Hamas has been pronounced dead.
Yair Yaakov, 59, was captured from his home in Kibbutz Nir Oz on Oct. 7 when Hamas militants staged a attack on southern Israel that killed roughly 1,200 people and took 250 others hostage.
His partner, Meirav Tal, and two of his children, Yagil and Or, were also taken captive but released during a brief ceasefire in November.
Nir Oz was hit hard on Oct. 7, with dozens of residents taken hostage.
The kibbutz said Thursday that Yaakov had been killed on Oct. 7 and his body was being held in Gaza.
"He was energetic, loved life, and often enjoyed music with a cold beer. He was a loving father to his children," the kibbutz said.
It did not say how it had determined the death, but families are typically notified of intelligence assessments by the Israeli military.
Over 100 hostages are still held captive in the Gaza Strip after 121 were released during the ceasefire. The remains of roughly 30 others either killed on Oct. 7 or who died in Hamas captivity are believed to be in Gaza.
CAIRO -- Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and his Egyptian counterpart Abdel Fattah el-Sissi on Thursday called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and reiterated their support for an independent Palestinian state.
"We agreed on the importance of a ceasefire in the Gaza strip and the release of (Israeli) hostages and (Palestinian) prisoners and the passage of as much humanitarian aid as possible in order to preserve the lives of civilians," el-Sissi said in a news conference attended by Lula in Cairo. The Brazilian leader was visiting Egypt as part of a trip strengthening relations with Africa.
"Peace cannot be achieved without the establishment of an independent Palestinian state," Lula told reporters.
He also said his country supported the genocide case filed by South Africa against Israel at the International Court of Justice.
"Brazil had strongly denounced the Hamas attack on Israel and we called it a terrorist attack," Lula said. "However, there is no justification for the way Israel reacted. Unfortunately, it is killing women and children."
LONDON -- The head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees says it will run short of money for its work in Gaza within weeks unless donor countries reverse their decision to suspend funding.
UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said the decision by 15 nations had frozen a total of US$450 million, and a failure to restore funding "will definitely impact our ability to continue to operate."
The U.S., the U.K. and several other countries suspended funding to UNRWA after Israel alleged a dozen of its employees took part in Hamas' Oct. 7 attack, which ignited the war in Gaza. The UN is investigating the claims.
Speaking during a visit to Dublin, Lazzarini said that the suspended money includes 82 million euros ($88 million) from the European Union's executive, the European Commission.
"This amount is due at the beginning of March. It is of utmost importance that this is released on time, because if it is not released, our operation will start to be compromised as from the month of March," he said.
Ireland's Deputy Prime Minister Micheal Martin said the Irish government would give 20 million euros ($22 million) to UNRWA this year, and accused Israel of running a "disinformation campaign" against the agency.
"Our partners in the European Union and elsewhere, including the United States, must urgently rescind this decision and resume funding. "Sufficient aid is still not reaching civilians in Gaza and that is very unacceptable," Martin said.
CAIRO -- The head of the Arab League on Thursday warned that an Israeli ground offensive into Gaza's southernmost city of Rafah would lead to "a humanitarian disaster" and threaten stability in the region.
"We are calling on all parties that understand the gravity of the situation to act immediately in order to stop these crazy plans," Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit said in a statement. Over half of Gaza's population of 2.3 million have sought refuge in Rafah after fleeing elsewhere in the coastal enclave.
"What is the meaning of justice and international organizations if they remain unable to enforce a ceasefire and to put an end to these daily gruesome massacres?" he said.
The statement came a day after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered his negotiating team to pull out of talks in Cairo to broker a ceasefire with Hamas. Netanyahu had accused Hamas of making "delusional demands.
ROME -- Israel has formally complained after the Vatican No. 2 spoke of the "carnage" in Gaza by what he termed a disproportionate Israeli military operation following the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks.
The Israeli Embassy to the Holy See called the comments by Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican secretary of state, "regrettable." In a statement Wednesday, the embassy said he hadn't considered what it said were the relevant facts on which to judge the legitimacy of Israel's actions.
Speaking Tuesday at a reception, Parolin had condemned the Oct. 7 attacks against Israel and all forms of antisemitism. But he questioned Israel's claim to be acting in self-defence by inflicting "carnage" on Gaza.
"Israel's right to self-defence has been invoked to justify that this operation is proportional, but with 30,000 dead, it's not," he said.
In its statement, the Israeli Embassy accused Hamas of turning the Gaza Strip into "the biggest terrorist base ever seen." It said Israeli armed forces were acting according to international law and said the proportion of Palestinian civilians to "terrorists" killed was less than in other conflicts in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan.
But in a front-page editorial Thursday entitled "Stop the Carnage," the Vatican's editorial director Andrea Tornielli doubled down on the Vatican position. Tornielli quoted a Rome-based Holocaust survivor, Edith Bruck, who has been highly critical of the Israeli government's response, which she has blamed on the rise in antisemitic acts against Jews around the world.
CANBERRA, Australia -- Canada, Australia and New Zealand are warning Israel that a ground offensive in the Gaza border city of Rafah would be catastrophic.
"We are gravely concerned by indications that Israel is planning a ground offensive into Rafah. A military operation into Rafah would be catastrophic," the prime ministers of the three nations said in a joint statement on Thursday.
With 1.5 million Palestinians taking refuge in the area where there was an already dire humanitarian situation, the impacts on Palestinian civilians from an expanded military operation would be devastating, they said.
"There is growing international consensus. Israel must listen to its friends and it must listen to the international community," the statement said.
UNITED NATIONS -- The 22 Arab countries at the United Nations are urging the UN Security Council to demand an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and unhindered humanitarian assistance, and to prevent any transfer of Palestinians out of the territory.
The Arab Group chair this month, Tunisia's UN Ambassador Tarek Ladeb, told UN reporters Wednesday that some 1.5 million Palestinians who sought safety in Gaza's southern city of Rafah face a "catastrophic scenario" if Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu goes ahead with a potential evacuation of civilians and military offensive in the area bordering Egypt.
Algeria, the Arab representative on the Security Council, circulated a draft resolution about two weeks ago demanding an immediate humanitarian ceasefire and unhindered humanitarian access, as well as rejecting the forced displacement of Palestinian civilians, which has been the subject of intense discussions.
U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield said last week that the resolution could jeopardize "sensitive negotiations" aimed at achieving a pause in the Israel-Hamas war and release of some hostages taken during Hamas' surprise Oct. 7 attack in southern Israel.
Riyad Mansour, the Palestinian UN ambassador, said Wednesday that there is "massive support" for the resolution and Arab diplomats have had "very frank discussions" with the U.S. ambassador, trying to get American support.
"We believe that it is high time now for the Security Council to decide on a humanitarian ceasefire resolution after 131 days," he said. "The space is narrowing for those who are continuing to ask for more time."
Some Arab countries were pushing for a vote on the Algerian draft this week, but several Arab and council diplomats said a vote is now likely early next week, giving more time for negotiations with the U.S. to avoid a veto. The diplomats spoke on condition of anonymity because the discussions have been private.
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Associated Press writer Edith M. Lederer contributed.
Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly has said some 45,000 Canadians could be in the country, though only about half that number have registered with the embassy in Beirut.
A B.C. condo owner who was blamed for a cockroach infestation in her building and charged thousands of dollars for the cost of eradicating the bugs must be refunded, the civil resolution tribunal ruled.
Health Canada issued a recall last week for various sexual enhancement products for containing prescribed drugs like tadalafil and sildenafil.
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Sean "Diddy" Combs is appealing a federal judge's decision to keep him in jail while he awaits trial on sex trafficking charges.
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Dikembe Mutombo, a Basketball Hall of Famer who was one of the best defensive players in NBA history and a longtime global ambassador for the game, died Monday after a battle with brain cancer, the league announced. He was 58.
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A B.C. condo owner who was blamed for a cockroach infestation in her building and charged thousands of dollars for the cost of eradicating the bugs must be refunded, the civil resolution tribunal ruled.
Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly has said some 45,000 Canadians could be in the country, though only about half that number have registered with the embassy in Beirut.
Seas of orange shirts have come to represent a growing awareness of Canada's history of oppressing Indigenous Peoples – but that awareness must translate into more "substantive changes" from the government, according to a B.C. chief.
A child was sent to hospital after being attacked by a coyote in northwest Calgary.
He may not have logged the fastest time or even gone the full distance, but residents of a Newfoundland town agree the goat who unexpectedly joined the local weekend half marathon was the event's undisputed champion.
Dockworkers kicked off a three-day strike at the Port of Montreal on Monday, shutting down two terminals that handle more than 40 per cent of the container traffic at Canada's second-largest port.
More than 90,000 residents east of Atlanta were told to keep sheltering in place Monday a day after a chemical plant fire sent a massive plume of dark smoke high into the sky that could been seen for miles.
Sean "Diddy" Combs is appealing a federal judge's decision to keep him in jail while he awaits trial on sex trafficking charges.
For the first time in Rwanda’s history, its health ministry is dealing with an outbreak of Marburg virus disease, a rare but deadly hemorrhagic disease similar to Ebola – but unlike Ebola, there is no treatment or vaccines for Marburg, and it has a fatality rate of 88 per cent.
A man who authorities say spent 12 hours camped outside Donald Trump's golf course before Secret Service spotted him with a rifle pleaded not guilty on Monday to federal charges including attempted assassination.
Nearly 6,000 people in Haiti are starving, with nearly half the country's population of more than 11 million people experiencing crisis levels of hunger or worse as gang violence smothers life in the capital of Port-au-Prince and beyond, according to a new report released Monday.
Republican JD Vance and Democrat Tim Walz will meet Tuesday in the lone vice presidential debate of the 2024 election, bringing together undercards who have spent two months going after each other and the opposing nominees who top the major-party tickets.
Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly is asking members of the United Nations to counter growing political polarization abroad while taking shots at Conservative rhetoric at home.
The Liberal government is announcing more details on its existing strategy and funding to fight hate crimes.
Migrant groups are pushing the federal government to reverse its cap on international study permits and tightening post-graduate work permit qualifications, claiming it will leave many students 'in limbo.'
Health Canada issued a recall last week for various sexual enhancement products for containing prescribed drugs like tadalafil and sildenafil.
The family of Kendyl Smith-Trimm, a young girl who bravely battled cancer, has raised a staggering $66,500 in her memory for the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario.
The fertility rate in Canada reached an all-time low in 2023, and the lowest rate was recorded in British Columbia, according to new data from Statistics Canada.
The two astronauts stuck at the International Space Station since June welcomed their new ride home with Sunday's arrival of a SpaceX capsule.
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Canadian innovators and technical leaders gathered in Ottawa Thursday to demonstrate the latest cutting-edge technology.
A New Mexico judge on Monday denied 'Rust' armorer Hannah Gutierrez Reed's request for new trial and upheld her involuntary manslaughter conviction for the 2021 death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.
Oasis shocked fans by announcing a reunion tour last month, ending a 15-year hiatus and, presumably, the long-held feud between brothers Liam and Noel Gallagher. But those were only U.K. dates. On Monday, the band shared that they're planning on heading to North America in 2025, too.
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Kim Ruether lifted her son's eyelid and saw his still, dilated pupil staring at the ceiling as he lay on a stretcher in a northwestern Alberta hospital hallway a decade ago. She says she didn't need a doctor to tell her the boy was dead.
Many people consider eating less meat, be it for health, environmental or animal-welfare reasons. (Livestock accounts for nearly half of agricultural emissions fueling climate change.) But they sometimes hesitate because they are concerned about how they would replace all that lost protein.
Ryan Hunter's athleticism has been on full display since his arrival in the CFL, but the Canadian's versatility is now shining through.
Toronto Raptors team president Masai Ujiri tried to lay to rest rumours that he has friction with Edward Rogers, the executive chair of Rogers Communications, Inc.
Dikembe Mutombo, a Basketball Hall of Famer who was one of the best defensive players in NBA history and a longtime global ambassador for the game, died Monday after a battle with brain cancer, the league announced. He was 58.
General Motors’ Cruise autonomous vehicle division will pay a US$1.5 million penalty after the unit failed to fully report a crash involving a pedestrian, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said Monday.
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A tale about a taxicab hauling gold and sinking through the ice on Larder Lake, Ont., in December 1937 has captivated a man from that town for decades.
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Police are looking to the public for help after thieves broke into a Lethbridge ice creamery, stealing from the store.
A fire burning near Oak Street and West 49th Avenue in Vancouver Monday afternoon has created a massive cloud of black smoke, visible from kilometres away.
The leader of the BC Conservative Party pledged to build bridges and promote economic reconciliation with First Nations on the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, a move Indigenous leaders slammed as “political opportunism.â€
The residential “school†survivor whose story sparked Orange Shirt Day — and the “Every Child Matters†movement — says she is worried the cause is being forgotten.
Toronto police have identified a man who was found fatally shot early Monday morning in a plaza in the city's Weston area.
Toronto police have charged a suspect with second-degree murder following a deadly stabbing at a Scarborough home on Sunday afternoon.
Toronto police say they have identified two suspects who allegedly assaulted and spat at police during a pro-Palestinian protest downtown earlier this month, and they are trying to identify one more.
Blood Tribe Chief Roy Fox says the death of Jon Wells on Sept. 17 after a scuffle with police at a Calgary hotel has brought back memories of a public inquiry in the 1980s that 'underscored the cultural gap' between his community and police.
The Calgary police homicide unit is investigating after two people were found dead in a home in the community of Penbrooke Meadows.
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Ontario Provincial Police laid charges against an Ottawa driver after a child was found to not be wearing a seatbelt inside a vehicle early Sunday morning.
A 19-year-old man convicted of killing a Montreal teenager outside his school in October 2021 was sentenced to six years on Monday.
Several windows were damaged and spray painted with 'Free Gaza' during a protest at Concordia University Sunday night, Montreal police say.
A group of 23 bilingual municipalities are in Quebec Superior Court today to ask a judge to suspend the application of several portions of the province's 2022 language reform.
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Mounties say one person is dead in the aftermath of a collision involving two vehicles south of Calmar on Sunday.
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More than a hundred people marched on Cape Breton’s Membertou First Nation on Monday – the fourth National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
The St. Andrews Historical Society in St. Andrews, N.B., announced that it would exhibit “one of the most significant 18th-century treaties between Great Britain and two First Nations of Canada†at Drewhaven Town & Country on Thursday.
He may not have logged the fastest time or even gone the full distance, but residents of a Newfoundland town agree the goat who unexpectedly joined the local weekend half marathon was the event's undisputed champion.
Thousands of Manitoba Hydro customers are without power Monday after strong winds barrelled through parts of the province overnight.
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Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen touched down in Winnipeg this week, ahead of his lunar mission set to launch in a year’s time.
Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) is warning of high winds affecting some regions of southeast Saskatchewan.
A man is in custody after allegedly robbing a business in McLean, Sask. with an edged weapon on Saturday.
The Friends of the Regina Public Library (FRPL) sponsored an architectural tour on Sunday, for folks looking to learn more about the history of the library's historic central branch.
Communities across the country marked the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation with events honouring survivors of residential schools and remembering those who never made it home.
An Etobicoke resident was taken to hospital after he told a Guelph Police officer he had been stabbed during Homecoming celebrations near the University of Guelph.
A woman has been charged as part of a murder investigation in Brantford.
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Monday marks the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation across Canada — a time to honour the Indigenous peoples impacted by the brutal legacy of residential schools.
The fourth and final walk in memory of Megan Gallagher drew around one hundred people in Saskatoon on Sunday.
A 73-year-old man on a mobility scooter was killed Sunday night in Sudbury after being hit by a vehicle on Lasalle Boulevard and Barry Downe Road.
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A pedestrian has died after reportedly getting struck by an OPP cruiser in Bala early Sunday morning.
A pair of homes are destroyed on Penhale Avenue in St. Thomas, Ont. after an electrical fire set a garage ablaze Sunday night.
Students from three elementary schools in the Thames Valley District School Board (TVDSB) were taking part in a day of learning on the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
The City of London is informing drivers about temporary road restrictions on Wellington Street as part of the Downtown Loop Phase 3 finishing work and surface paving.
The fourth annual National Day for Truth and Reconciliation saw plenty of community members gathering across Barrie on Monday, reflecting on the impacts of residential schools and honouring survivors.
Around 20 South Simcoe Police officers attended the 47th annual Canadian Police and Peace Officers' Memorial Service in Ottawa on Sunday with three fallen constables in their hearts.
An early Sunday morning fire in Colgan that caused significant damage is under investigation.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers seized $11,000 US from an inbound American citizen at the Ambassador Bridge.
A section of Drouillard Road will close this week for an infrastructure renewal project.
The City of Windsor has unveiled plans for the “Park in Perfect Harmony†initiative in the downtown core.
The residential “school†survivor whose story sparked Orange Shirt Day — and the “Every Child Matters†movement — says she is worried the cause is being forgotten.
British Columbia drivers are reminded that winter tires and chains are mandatory on most highways in the province starting Tuesday.
The leader of the BC Conservative Party pledged to build bridges and promote economic reconciliation with First Nations on the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, a move Indigenous leaders slammed as “political opportunism.â€
Fire crews in Vernon, B.C., responded to a large house fire early Saturday morning.
A pair of runaway pigs are in the custody of an animal sanctuary in the Okanagan after evading police and volunteers for hours earlier this week.
The Red Bridge, a historic landmark in Kamloops, B.C., was completely destroyed by fire early Thursday morning.
The sentencing for three men convicted of helping lead and coordinate the COVID-19 protest blockade at Coutts, Alta., in 2022 has been delayed.
A 10-year-old boy from Lethbridge is being praised as a hero after a routine summer outing at the pool nearly turned tragic for his friend.
A man and woman have been charged after a Lethbridge ice creamery was broken into earlier this week. Staff arrived at Cookie Crimes, in the 300 block of Sixth Street South, just before 5:30 a.m. on Monday to discover the front window broken.
Overnight on Thursday as the community of Elliot Lake was resting to prepare for the upcoming Kraft Hockeyville celebrations, when vandals struck a building that has been top of mind for the northern Ontario city for more than a year.
Ontario Provincial Police remind the public that ‘a case is never closed until it is solved,’ while highlighting the force's continued investigation of the 1996 disappearance of Melanie Ethier.
Sault residents may notice some commotion on the Algoma University campus over the next two weeks as a team conducts an archaeological search.
He may not have logged the fastest time or even gone the full distance, but residents of a Newfoundland town agree the goat who unexpectedly joined the local weekend half marathon was the event's undisputed champion.
A mother in a community where the cost of living is one of the highest in the country says grocery prices are 'inhumane' and retailers are putting profits ahead of people’s basic human right to food.
A soccer game in England on Tuesday night drove a spike in online traffic across the Atlantic to a website launched by the Newfoundland and Labrador government.
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