Qatar and France send medicine for hostages in Gaza as war rages on and regional tensions spike
New Indian ExpressRAFAH, Gaza Strip: A shipment of medicine for dozens of hostages held by Hamas was en route to Gaza on Wednesday after France and Qatar mediated the first agreement between Israel and the militant group since a weeklong cease-fire broke down in November. Israel has also vowed to return the more than 100 hostages still held inside Gaza after Hamas released most of the rest in November in exchange for Palestinians imprisoned in Israel. A WELTER OF STRIKES ACROSS THE MIDDLE EAST In just the last few days, a U.S.-led coalition has carried out strikes against Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen, Iran has struck what it described as an Israeli spy headquarters in northern Iraq and militant bases in Pakistan and Syria, and Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah have escalated the intensity of their fighting across the border. Israel said Wednesday that an airstrike in the urban Balata refugee camp in the northern West Bank killed a senior militant implicated in recent attacks on Israelis.