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German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul on Wednesday expressed "deep concern" after the deadliest night of bombing in Gaza since a US-brokered truce went into effect earlier this month.Gaza's civil defence agency said the strikes had killed more than 100 people, including at least 35 children, a toll confirmed by an AFP tally of medical sources at five hospitals in Gaza."We appeal to Israel to exercise military restraint in order to prevent further suffering," Wadephul said in a ministry statement released ahead of a planned trip to the region.Israel carried out strikes on dozens of Hamas targets overnight to Wednesday following the death of a soldier.After the strikes, the Israeli military said it had begun "renewed enforcement of the ceasefire", though explosions could still be seen on an AFP live video feed of the Gaza skyline after the statement was issued.US President Donald Trump, who helped to broker the nearly three-week-old truce, had earlier said that nothing would be allowed to jeopardise it. But he also endorsed Israel's right to "hit back" if attacked.Wadephul also called on Hamas to "fulfil its part of the agreement... to lay down its arms and finally hand over all the remains of the deceased hostages."Following the agreement between Israel and Hamas on a ceasefire, there is hope for lasting peace, which we must continue to work towards," he added.Wadephul will first visit Jordan before heading to Lebanon and Bahrain, according to his ministry."During my trip to the Middle East, I intend to discuss with our partners where and how Germany can specifically accompany and support the next steps," he said.

The United Nations on Wednesday called the deaths in Israel's new military strikes on Gaza "appalling", as it urged all sides not to let peace "slip from our grasp".Israel said it had carried out strikes on dozens of Hamas targets following the death of a soldier, with the Gaza Strip experiencing its deadliest night of bombing since a US-brokered truce went into effect earlier in October.UN rights chief Volker Turk said the attacks had reportedly hit schools, homes and tents for internally displaced people within the Palestinian territory."Reports that over 100 Palestinians were killed overnight in a wave of Israeli airstrikes mainly on residential buildings, IDP tents and schools across the Gaza Strip, following the death of an Israeli soldier, are appalling," he said in a statement."The laws of war are very clear on the paramount importance of protecting civilians and civilian infrastructure."Turk said Israel must comply with its obligations under international humanitarian law, and would be accountable for any violations."It is distressing that these killings occurred just as the long-suffering population of Gaza started to feel there was hope that the unrelenting barrage of violence may be at an end," he said.Turk called for all parties in the conflict to act in good faith and implement the ceasefire, and urged other countries, particularly those with influence in the region, to do everything in their power to ensure compliance."The past two years have brought untold suffering and misery, and the near wholesale destruction of Gaza," he said."We must not allow this opportunity for peace and a path towards a more just and secure future to slip from our grasp."

Their faces contorted with pain, relatives mourned two children killed in overnight Israeli strikes on Gaza, leaning over small bodies on the pavement wrapped in sheets, one stained blood red.In the Nuseirat camp in central Gaza on Wednesday, Palestinians combed through piles of broken cement in a house flattened by an air strike, trying to salvage what they could."We had dinner and sat down, and then it was as if Judgment Day had come. All these stones were on top of us," Muneer Mayman told AFP in the morning, pointing to a pile of cinder blocks and concrete under which he had been found."We lay there for more than two hours while they were removing the rubble from over us."Behind him, men and children were at work sifting through debris, hauling off belongings wrapped in blankets for lack of bags or wheelbarrows.In south Gaza's Khan Yunis, an elderly woman held her face between her hands as she sat by a few utensils relatives had salvaged from rubble, an AFP journalist saw.Nuseirat's Al-Awda hospital reported at least 31 people killed in the strikes that broke the relative peace brought by a ceasefire that began on October 10.Gaza's civil defence agency said that 101 people including 35 children were killed since the strikes began, a figure confirmed by an AFP tally of medical officials in five hospitals.Jalal Abbas, a 40-year-old displaced man living in a tent in the central city of Deir al-Balah, told AFP he fears the war will return for good."The return of war is what we feared most. I expected the escalation and bombardment to resume because Israel always creates pretexts," he said."Every day they threaten to bring back the war, using the issue of the bodies as an excuse -- it's all lies," he added.Abbas was referring to Israel's declaration that Hamas broke the terms of the US-brokered ceasefire deal by not returning the bodies of deceased hostages quickly enough.Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said Wednesday the military had launched the strikes "in response to the attack on soldiers and the blatant violation of the agreement to return the abducted missing".At least one Israeli soldier was killed in clashes on Tuesday.In Khan Yunis, members of the civil defence, a rescue force acting under Hamas authority, had been searching by flashlight through the rubble through the night.Women wailed as the rescuers took away the bodies of deceased relatives on stretchers, before search and rescue teams moved on to the next site, a plot of land where two tents were struck.In north Gaza's Al-Shati camp too, bombardments tore through the night."We had just started to breathe again, trying to rebuild our lives, when the bombardment came back -- bringing war, explosions and death," Khadija al-Husni, 31, told AFP.Husni also lives in a tent, having been displaced at least once like nearly all Gazans after two years of war.She deplored the ambiguity of the current ceasefire, which has been sporadically broken by Israeli air strikes or fighting with Hamas since its beginning."Either there is a truce or a war -- it can't be both. The children couldn't sleep; they thought the war was over," Husni said."Are we condemned to live in endless suffering?"

Israeli planes launched strikes in Gaza City Tuesday after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused the resistance group Hamas of violating a ceasefire in the Palestinian territory and ordered the military to carry out "powerful attacks".At least two people were killed and four wounded in a strike on a residential building in the city's Sabra neighbourhood, and an area close to Shifa hospital, the largest operational hospital in northern Gaza, was also hit, according to Gaza officials, witnesses and Hamas media.The strikes were the latest violence in a fragile three-week-old ceasefire and which followed a statement by Netanyahu's office saying he had ordered immediate attacks.The statement did not give a specific reason for the attacks but an Israeli military official said Hamas had violated the ceasefire by carrying out an attack against Israeli forces in an area of the enclave that is under Israeli control.The US-backed ceasefire agreement went into effect on October 10, halting two years of war that has devastated the narrow coastal strip.Both sides have accused each other of ceasefire violations.Earlier yesterday, Israeli media reported an exchange of fire between Israeli forces and fighters in the southern Gaza city of Rafah.Hamas denied responsibility for an attack on Israeli forces in Rafah. The group also said in a statement that it remained committed to the ceasefire deal in Gaza.Tuesday's strikes on Gaza City followed what Israel called a "targeted strike" on Saturday on a person in central Gaza.Netanyahu said earlier yesterday that Hamas had violated the ceasefire by turning over some wrong remains in a process of returning the bodies of hostages to Israel.Hamas said Netanyahu was looking for excuses to back away from Israel's obligations.Witnesses in Khan Younis said the Egyptian teams, working with armed Hamas fighters, were digging deep near the Hamad Housing City in the western side of Khan Younis, reaching tunnel shafts.Gaza health authorities say 68,000 people are confirmed killed in the Israeli strikes and thousands more are missing.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday ordered the military to carry out intense strikes on the Gaza Strip, after accusing Hamas of violating the US-brokered ceasefire.Minutes later, Hamas said it would delay handing over the remains of another hostage under the terms of the truce deal over what it called Israel's truce "violations"."Following security consultations, Prime Minister Netanyahu instructed the military to immediately carry out powerful strikes in the Gaza Strip," a statement from the premier's office said, without elaborating.Hamas had earlier said it would hand over another hostage body, scheduled on Tuesday, amid mounting Israeli pressure after Hamas returned only the partial remains of a previously recovered captive."We will postpone the handover that was scheduled for today due to the occupation's violations," Hamas's armed wing said in a statement, adding that any Israeli "escalation will hinder the search, excavation, and recovery of the bodies".Hamas handed over late on Monday what it said was the 16th of 28 hostage bodies it had agreed to return under the ceasefire deal, which came into effect on October 10.But Israeli forensic examination determined Hamas had in fact handed over partial remains of a hostage whose body had already been brought back to Israel around two years ago, according to Netanyahu's office.In returning only the partial remains of an already returned captive, Netanyahu's office and a campaign group representing hostage families accused Hamas of breaching the ceasefire.Netanyahu's office decried a "clear violation of the agreement" after identification procedures revealed the latest remains belonged "to the fallen hostage Ofir Tzarfati, who had been returned from the Gaza Strip in a military operation about two years ago".Netanyahu's latest instructions came after he held security consultations earlier in the day.Israeli government spokeswoman, Shosh Bedrosian, later told journalists that "in terms of consequences for Hamas nothing is off the table right now, but all of this is in full coordination with the United States, with (US) President (Donald) Trump and his team."The Hostages and Missing Families Forum urged the government to take action.Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem rejected claims the group knows where the remaining bodies are, arguing that Israel's bombardment during the two-year conflict had left locations unrecognisable."The movement is determined to hand over the bodies of the Israeli captives as soon as possible once they are located," he told AFP.Hamas has already returned all 20 living hostages as agreed in the ceasefire deal.Hamas also accused Israel of ceasefire violations, with the territory's health ministry saying that at least 94 people had been killed in Israeli fire since the truce began.On the ground in Gaza, 60-year-old Abdul-Hayy al-Hajj Ahmed told AFP he was afraid the war would start again because of the mounting pressure on Hamas."Now they accuse Hamas of stalling, and that is a pretext for renewed escalation and war," he said."We want to rest. I believe the war will come back."Israel's far-right national security minister accused Hamas of stalling the release of the remaining bodies."It is time to break its legs once and for all," Itamar Ben Gvir wrote on X.

HE President of Qatar Red Crescent Society (QRCS) Yousef bin Ali Al Khater affirmed that the Gaza Strip has been at the top of the QRCS's humanitarian priorities since the outbreak of the war, due to the severe humanitarian conditions there. HE explained that QRCS has implemented more than 50 projects with a total value exceeding QR200mn, benefiting around 1.7mn people across several humanitarian sectors, including food, shelter, and water. In an interview with Qatar News Agency (QNA), HE Al Khater said that QRCS has launched three dedicated campaigns for Gaza: the "Fidak Palestine” campaign, which was an emergency response appeal; the "Gaza Abiyya” campaign, launched in response to developments on the ground and the worsening humanitarian situation marked by increased displacement, food shortages, and deteriorating health conditions; and most recently, the "Life for Gaza” campaign, which was launched at the end of July 2025 and remains ongoing. HE pointed out that these campaigns coincide with QRCS's seasonal initiatives, such as the Ramadan Campaign, Warm Winter Campaign, and Adahi Campaign, in which Gaza is given top priority in project funding and implementation due to the immense humanitarian needs there. Regarding the main challenges and obstacles that have hindered the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza, Al Khater emphasised that QRCS office in Gaza has continued its work and managed to reach beneficiaries despite difficult circumstances and the repeated displacement of its staff. Even during prolonged border closures, the office maintained aid distribution in coordination and cooperation with official Qatari authorities and several international organisations, including the World Health Organisation (WHO), the World Food Programme (WFP), the Egyptian Red Crescent (ERC), the Jordan Hashemite Charity Organisation (JHCO), and the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS), he added. He underlined that implementation methods and types of interventions were diversified between delivering aid from outside Gaza and implementing some projects within the Strip. As for the humanitarian interventions that entered Gaza despite the ongoing siege, Al Khater noted that QRCS carried them out in full co-ordination with the relevant Qatari authorities, with all aid delivered under the title "Qatar Aid." He recalled that, at the start of the war, an air bridge was established between Doha and Al-Arish in the Arab Republic of Egypt to transport aid and evacuate patients and the wounded for treatment in Qatari hospitals. Additionally, warehouses were prepared in Al-Arish to receive and store aid until it could be transferred into Gaza, he added. Regarding the aids delivered through Jordan, he said that an agreement was reached with the Jordan Hashemite Charity Organisation to utilize its logistical capacities to receive and deliver aid into Gaza. On medical interventions since the beginning of the aggression on Gaza, Al Khater explained that these included the supply of medicines and medical consumables, a field hospital, ambulances, medical equipment and tools, contracting with specialist surgeons to perform complex surgeries, as well as the deployment of a medical team from outside Gaza and medical evacuation to Qatar for patients and the injured. Regarding prominent future projects that Qatar Red Crescent Society (QRCS) intends to implement in 2026, Al Khater said that the focus will be on recovery and rehabilitation activities and development projects in the Gaza Strip, continuous readiness to provide urgent humanitarian response to various crises, strengthening international and local partnerships, humanitarian advocacy in international forums, and establishing emergency response units (ERU) internationally accredited by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), in addition to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the World Health Organisation (WHO), which includes the Psychosocial Support Unit, the Field Hospital Unit (Type 2), and the Water and Sanitation Unit (15). He spoke about the most prominent humanitarian campaigns provided by the QRCS to Syria, including the 'Syria Rejoice' campaign, which comes within Qatar's humanitarian efforts to support the brotherly Syrian people, particularly in the health sector, by providing advanced medical equipment and supplies that contribute to enhancing the capacity of hospitals and health centers to provide care and treatment services. Under the auspices of the Department of International Co-operation and with the support of Sidra Medicine and several Qatari entities, land and air shipments totaling 90 tonnes of medical equipment and supplies were sent in September 2025, in addition to various relief materials intended to support the health and humanitarian sectors in Syria, he pointed out. Al Khater explained that the campaign aims to support the Syrian healthcare sector by supplying hospitals and healthcare centers with modern medical equipment and supplies, alleviate the humanitarian suffering of those affected by these difficult circumstances, enhance the healthcare system's ability to respond to emergencies, improve services provided to patients, and restore hope and stability to those returning to their areas after years of crisis. He pointed out that the plan aims to cover the needs of more than 50 hospitals and health centers across various Syrian governorates by delivering hundreds of essential medical devices and equipment, along with thousands of relief baskets, blankets, and first aid kits. Al Khater reviewed the most prominent humanitarian projects presented during 2025 in Bagladesh, Yemen, Somalia, Lebanon and Afghanistan. (QNA) ####OPT CUT Several projects have been launched in Bangladesh, including the operation of five health centers and a field hospital inside Rohingya refugee camps, the digging of 25 drinking water wells in various areas, the construction of about 508 new shelters and the maintenance of 302 existing shelters inside the camps, the distribution of non-food item packages to beneficiaries, the launch of seasonal projects such as Warm Winter and Adahi, and the treatment of heart diseases for sick children through the Little Hearts medical convoy. In this context, HE noted the launch of two livelihood projects to economically empower Rohingya refugee women and farmers affected by the floods. In Lebanon during 2024 and 2025, QRCS focused on five main areas and launched several projects for health, water and sanitation, food security, emergency and winter responses, and cash assistance through the Road to Stability initiative, supported by the Qatar Fund for Development (QFFD), to support thousands of the most vulnerable Lebanese families with multi-purpose cash assistance. In Yemen, Al Khater highlighted the most prominent projects and humanitarian responses implemented by QRCS, including the drilling of wells and the construction of water reservoirs, livelihood improvement and standard of living projects, and support for the Cardiovascular Center in Taiz. He also highlighted seasonal projects such as distributing food baskets and winter shelter materials, and a project to support kidney failure and cancer patients. Regarding humanitarian interventions in Afghanistan, he pointed to the construction, equipping and operation of a Basic Health Centre (BHC) in Kandahar province (Dand District) to provide basic healthcare services, support for the operation of a Comprehensive Health Centre (CHC), drilling and installing 62 artesian wells to provide drinking water, and implementing three projects to enhance the livelihoods of poor and needy families in various fields, in addition to seasonal projects such as Iftar and Warm Winter, as well as the construction of a residential village for poor families who were forcibly returned from asylum for 100 families with funding from philanthropists from Qatar. His Excellency noted the implementation of a project responding to the needs of those affected by the 2025 earthquake in Kunar province. He indicated that an agricultural support project is currently being implemented to improve the living standards of approximately 2,000 families affected by disasters, with funding from QFFD. Arrangements are also underway to implement a project to support the Children's Heart Center at the Indira Gandhi Children's Hospital in Kabul, with funding from the same fund at an estimated cost of more than $2mn. In Somalia, QRCS implemented numerous health and medical projects in various regions, including cardiac catheterizations for children, general surgery, urology, and eye surgeries, as well as providing therapeutic medications to government hospitals, Al Khater explained. It also implemented productive projects for poor families to provide a steady source of income, and drilled deep artesian wells in drought-affected areas.

A convoy of Egyptian trucks and vehicles transporting heavy machinery entered Gaza overnight to help locate the remains of Israeli hostages in the territory, AFP footage showed.The vehicles were filmed in Khan Yunis in the south of Gaza.The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request on Sunday morning for confirmation that the vehicles had entered.But The Times of Israel had reported that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu personally approved the entry of the Egyptian team and several engineering vehicles to the Palestinian territory to locate the missing remains.On Saturday night, Egyptian state-linked Al-Qahera News channel reported that the team was on its way to Gaza.Two Egyptian military sources had also confirmed to AFP that the convoy was at the Kerem Shalom crossing Saturday night, awaiting authorisation to cross into the Palestinian territory.On October 17, a Turkish official had announced that a team of 81 rescuers sent by Ankara to locate the hostages' bodies in Gaza was waiting in Egypt to enter the strip.But the Turkish team never received approval from Israel, amid reports that Israel objected to any Turkish involvement in Gaza.Based on the ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel, Hamas was due to return all 48 remaining hostages, alive and dead, who were still held in the territory, in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinians held by Israel.But only 15 of the 28 dead hostages have been returned so far, with the remaining bodies buried under the rubble across the devastated territory and Hamas calling for tools and assistance to locate them.

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has issued an appeal on the humanitarian situation in Gaza. In a series of statements, the UN agency painted a grim picture of life for Gaza's children, saying that although the latest ceasefire had offered a brief window of survival, current aid levels remained vastly insufficient to meet the scale of destruction and need.UNICEF reported devastating statistics on the impact of the conflict, stating that more than 64,000 children have been killed or injured, while over 56,000 have lost one or both parents.The UN agency said Israel had caused widespread destruction across the territory.While acknowledging a slight increase in the flow of humanitarian aid, UNICEF insisted that the current assistance remains far from enough. The agency urged Israeli authorities to open all crossings immediately and unconditionally to ensure that humanitarian supplies can enter Gaza freely.Beyond emergency relief, UNICEF said it is working to preserve Gaza's future by supporting education.

Israeli forces carried out a "targeted strike" on an individual in central Gaza, Israel's military said Saturday.A US-backed ceasefire is in force between Israel and the Palestinian resistance group Hamas more than two years after the war in the Gaza Strip began.Witnesses said they had seen a drone strike a car and set it ablaze. Local medics said four people had been wounded, but there were no immediate reports of deaths.Witnesses said separately that Israeli tanks had shelled eastern areas of Gaza City, the Gaza Strip's biggest urban area.Several Israeli media sites said Israel, in a reversal of a policy of barring entry to foreign forces, had allowed Egyptian officials into the Gaza Strip to help locate the bodies of hostages taken captive on October 7, 2023.As part of the ceasefire agreement, Hamas has said it will return all the hostages, but the remains of 18 are still in the enclave. Reuters

A number of Palestinian factions, during a meeting in the Egyptian capital, Cairo, have affirmed their support for and continued implementation of the ceasefire agreement measures in the Gaza Strip.These measures include the withdrawal of the occupation forces from the Strip, the complete lifting of the blockade imposed on it, the opening of all crossings, including the Rafah crossing, the entry of all humanitarian and health supplies, and the initiation of a comprehensive reconstruction process that will restore normal life to the Strip and end the suffering of its residents.The factions explained in a statement Friday that their meeting in Cairo came at the invitation of Egypt, complementing the efforts of mediators in Qatar, Egypt, and Turkiye to stop the war on Gaza and address its repercussions.The statement noted that the meeting aimed to discuss developments in the Palestinian issue and the second phase of US President Donald Trump's plan to stop the war on the Gaza Strip, as part of the preparations for holding a comprehensive national dialogue to protect the Palestinian national project.According to the statement, the attendees expressed their appreciation for Arab, Islamic, and international efforts, including those of President Trump, to halt the war on Gaza.They emphasised that the current phase requires a unified national stance and a political vision based on unity of voice and destiny, and the rejection of all forms of annexation and displacement in the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, and Jerusalem.They also condemned the Israeli parliament's (the Knesset) approval of the preliminary reading of the "Applying Israeli Sovereignty to the West Bank" law, considering it a dangerous aggression against Palestinian identity and existence.They also praised the US president's decision to halt this move and his promise not to repeat it. They emphasised that Palestinian national unity is the decisive response to these policies and the need to take all necessary steps to achieve this.The statement indicated that the attendees agreed to hand over the administration of the Gaza Strip to an interim Palestinian committee composed of independent "technocrats" from the Gaza Strip.This committee will be responsible for managing daily life and basic services in co-operation with Arab partners and international institutions, based on transparency and national accountability.They also agreed to establish an international committee to oversee the funding and implementation of the Gaza Strip's reconstruction, while emphasising the unity of the Palestinian political system and independent national decision-making.They also agreed to take all necessary measures to maintain security and stability in the Gaza Strip, stressing the importance of issuing a UN resolution regarding the interim UN force to monitor the ceasefire.They called for an end to all forms of torture and violations against Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons, and stressed the need to hold the occupation to relevant international laws and conventions. They emphasised that the issue of prisoners will remain a top priority until their freedom is achieved.The Palestinian factions affirmed their continued joint efforts to unify visions and positions to confront the challenges facing the Palestinian cause, including calling for an urgent meeting of all Palestinian forces and factions to agree on a national strategy and revitalise the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) to include all components of the Palestinian people and its vital forces.The participants pledged to "make this meeting a true turning point toward national unity in defense of the Palestinian people and their right to life, dignity, and freedom, and to safeguard the trust of the Palestinian cause and the rights of future generations, as well as their right to self-determination and the establishment of an independent state with Jerusalem as its capital, while ensuring the right of return for Palestinian refugees."

With Gaza's education system shattered by two years of gruelling war, Unicef's regional director says he fears for a "lost generation" of children wandering ruined streets with nothing to do."This is the third year that there has been no school," Edouard Beigbeder, the UN agency's regional director for the Middle East and North Africa, told AFP in Jerusalem on Thursday after returning from the Palestinian territory."If we don't start a real transition for all children in February, we will enter a fourth year. And then we can talk about a lost generation."The devastating conflict between Israel and Hamas reduced swathes of Gaza to rubble, displaced the vast majority of its population at least once and crippled public services.The destruction "is almost omnipresent wherever you go," Beigbeder said."It is impossible to imagine 80 percent of a territory that is completely flattened out or destroyed," he added.A US-brokered ceasefire which came into effect earlier in October has allowed Unicef and other education partners to get about one-sixth of children who should be in school into temporary "learning centres," Beigbeder told AFP."They have three days of learning in reading, mathematics and writing, but this is far from a formal education as we know it," he added.Beigbeder said that such learning centres, often located in schools or near displacement camps, consisted of metal structures covered with plastic sheeting or of tents.He said there were sometimes chairs, cardboard boxes or wooden planks serving as tables, and that children would write on salvaged slates or plastic boards."I've never seen everyone sitting properly," he added, describing children on mats or carpets.Despite the ceasefire, Beigbeder said the situation for Gaza's education system was catastrophic, with 85 percent of schools destroyed or unusable.Of the buildings still standing, many are being used as shelters for displaced people, he said, with the situation compounded by the fact that many children and teachers are also on the move and looking to provide for their own families.Gaza's school system was already overcrowded before the conflict, with half the pre-war population under the age of 18.Of the schools managed by the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority alone, Beigbeder said that some 80 out of 300 were in need of renovation.He said 142 had been completely destroyed, while 38 were "completely inaccessible" because they were located in the area to which Israeli troops have withdrawn under the ceasefire.The UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) said on October 18 that it was launching a "new e-learning school year" with the aim of reaching 290,000 pupils.Beigbeder said it was vital to put education "at the top of the agenda" and rebuild a sense of social cohesion for Gaza's children, almost all of whom are traumatised and in need of psychological support.Unicef said one of the priorities was getting permission at border crossings to bring in materials to set up semi-permanent schools, as well as school supplies which have been blocked as they're considered non-essential.Israel repeatedly cut off supplies into the Gaza Strip during the war, exacerbating dire humanitarian conditions, with the UN saying it caused a famine in parts of the Palestinian territory.The World Health Organisation said Thursday there had been little improvement in the amount of aid going into Gaza since the ceasefire took hold -- and no observable reduction in hunger."How can you rehabilitate classrooms if you don't have cement? And above all, we need notebooks and books ... blackboards, the bare minimum," said Beigbeder."Food is survival. Education is hope".

The US State Department on Friday appointed a career foreign service officer and the current ambassador to Yemen, Steven Fagin, as the civilian lead for a new center working to implement a peace deal in Gaza and get humanitarian aid into the Palestinian enclave, the department said in a statement. The announcement came after Secretary of State Marco Rubio visited the Civil-Military Coordination Center in southern Israel, and pledged that more US diplomats would be joining the roughly 200 US military personnel posted there. "Ambassador Steven Fagin will serve as the civilian lead of the Civil-Military Coordination Center, which is supporting the implementation of the President's 20 Point Peace Plan for Gaza," the department said. The center was opened on October 17 by the US Central Command, with Lieutenant General Patrick Frank, commander of US Army Central, appointed as its military lead. The Civil-Military Coordination Centre was set up in southern Israelto observe the ceasefire for any violations and handle logistics including aid delivery into war-ravaged Gaza. Some 200 US troops were sent to the centre, set up in a rented warehouse, where they work with soldiers from Israel and European countries, representatives of the United Arab Emirates and Jordan, and personnel from the United Nations and aid groups. Secretary of State Marco Rubio visited the site, which is a short drive from Gaza, on Friday and called it a "historic" undertaking. "There's going to be ups and downs and twists and turns, but I think we have a lot of reason for healthy optimism about the progress that's being made," Rubio said. Fagin has served as US ambassador to Yemen since 2022, although he has performed the role from outside the country, which is controlled by the Houthi government not recognised by Washington.