Israeli strikes kill two in Gaza, destroy warehouses

Israel's military killed two Palestinians in Gaza and destroyed two warehouses near a hospital that were said to be storing medicine in separate strikes, amid uncertainty over whether Israel has accepted a deal reached with Hamas over the group's disarmament.

Palestinian health officials said two Palestinians were killed in the Sheikh Radwan area of Gaza City in central Gaza in an Israeli air strike. A military spokesperson said those targeted were Hamas militants but declined to provide further details.

In an earlier incident, an Israeli air strike destroyed two warehouses that were used to store medicine by the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah in southern Gaza, the Palestinian health ministry in Gaza said in a statement.

Several hours after the strike, the Israeli military said it had struck a Hamas hideout near the hospital which the group used to store weapons. Other sites in Gaza that it said were used by Hamas to store arms were also struck, a military statement said.

The military said the strikes were directed by the Shin Bet intelligence agency. It did not disclose any evidence to support the claim that Hamas was storing weapons at any of the sites.

Reuters footage of the Deir al-Balah strike showed a crater several metres wide marking the site of the explosion, with debris strewn across the area, including what appeared to be medical supplies, close to a densely packed tent encampment.

Two other warehouses storing medicine and the hospital's outpatient clinic were damaged in the strike, the Palestinian Health Ministry said. There were no immediate reports of any injuries.

The hospital said the warehouses had stored essential medical supplies used to treat kidney failure patients undergoing dialysis, along with other materials like gauze used in wound care and routine treatment.

"The Israeli occupation has committed a heinous crime," Khalil al-Daqran, a doctor at the hospital, said of the strike.

"In the middle of the night, (the military) targeted a warehouse containing medical supplies for the hospital, and the occupation completely destroyed it," he said.

Witnesses said the military had issued an evacuation warning for the area before carrying out the Deir al-Balah strike.

Hospitals and other civilian sites are protected under international humanitarian law, although that protection can be lost if they are used for military purposes. Israel's military says Hamas and other armed groups operate from within civilian areas and facilities, including hospitals.

Fatima Sharab, a displaced Palestinian living in a tent near the warehouses, said many people in need of medical care had been sheltering in the area to be close to the hospital.

Israel has continued to carry out strikes on Gaza since agreeing last October to a US-mediated ceasefire, killing 1,222 Palestinians in the past nine months. Palestinian health officials say many of those killed were women and children. Hamas rarely announces its casualties.

US President Donald Trump said there had been a breakthrough in his plan to end the war, which both Israel and Hamas agreed to last year and which started with the ceasefire.

Mr Trump said that Hamas, which ruled Gaza for nearly two decades before carrying out the 7 October 2023, attack on Israel that triggered the Gaza war, had agreed to lay down its weapons.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is yet to comment publicly, while his National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has called the agreement unacceptable and said that Israel must continue to carry out its policy of assassinating Hamas leaders.

Mr Trump's Board of Peace, established to implement his plan for ending the Gaza war, released a roadmap on Thursday outlining the final steps for carrying out the initiative. The document states that Israel will cease military operations as part of its commitment to Mr Trump's 20-point plan, which it signed last year.

Israel says killed several Hezbollah fighters in south Lebanon

The Israeli military said it killed several Hezbollah fighters in southern Lebanon and that an Israeli soldier was injured there despite a ceasefire.

The military said it identified several Hezbollah fighters overnight inside what Israel has labelled a "security zone" in southern Lebanon which its forces occupy.

"Following the identification, the soldiers struck the terrorists and eliminated them in order to remove the threat," the military said in a statement.

Israeli forces "will continue to operate to remove any threat to its soldiers and will not allow the Hezbollah terrorist organisation to harm Israeli civilians", it said.

An Israeli soldier was moderately injured, the military said earlier, and was evacuated to a hospital for treatment.

When contacted by AFP journalists in Beirut, Hezbollah did not comment. The Iranian-backed militant group has not claimed any attacks since 20 June.

US embassies urge citizens to 'consider departing' Middle East

US embassies in several Middle Eastern capitals warned American citizens to beware an "unforeseen escalation" in the regional conflict and urged them to be ready to leave.

"Americans in the region should consider departing, or be prepared to depart should there be escalation," said a security alert, versions of which were posted on social media by the US missions in Amman, Jerusalem, Muscat, Baghdad and Beirut.

The messages urged citizens to check flight details and to follow safety advice from local authorities.

"Americans currently in the Middle East should exercise caution and heightened vigilance and should be prepared for flight cancellations, periodic airspace closures, and potential travel disruptions," it said.

Americans in Jordan were told not to visit US military bases there, which have recently come under Iranian missile attack, and in Israel they were urged to seek the location of the nearest bomb shelter.

"The Iranian regime is unpredictable, as seen by its recent decisions to attack areas in the region without warning or provocations as well as to expand attacks to areas not previously targeted (such as Egypt)," said a post on the US Embassy Jerusalem site.

The US embassy in Beirut said that the mission remained on "ordered departure status", meaning that non-emergency US government personnel were still relocated outside of Lebanon.

On Wednesday, a drone struck a US-owned gas vessel moored in an Egyptian port, causing a fire. Egypt is investigating but has not yet accused any group of launching the attack.

Iran's military, meanwhile, has accused Washington of "escalating tensions" in the region, and warned: "Any country serving as defensive shield for criminal and aggressive America will be engulfed by the flames of war."

This week, Iran and the US resumed overnight exchanges of fire after a days-long lull in fighting although there were no reported strikes overnight Friday to Saturday.

The Middle East war broke out on 28 February when the United States and Israel launched strikes on Iran, which has retaliated with missile and drone strikes across the region.

Read more: Hamas has moved toward disarming - now it's up to Israel