Latest in the Middle East: Three young siblings killed in Gaza, while Israeli attacks leave six dead in Lebanon

An Israeli attack on a house in northern Gaza killed three siblings aged six and younger, including at least six people killed in airstrikes in the war-ravaged territory, Palestinian medics said. In Lebanon, at least six people were killed and 15 injured in an Israeli airstrike on a residential building south of Beirut on Wednesday, the health ministry said.

The Biden administration said Tuesday it would not restrict arms transfers to Israel, saying it has made limited progress in increasing the flow of humanitarian aid to Gaza. Eight international aid groups had previously said Israel had not met U.S. demands for better humanitarian access to the Gaza Strip, where hunger experts say famine may already be ravaging the north.

Israel's war in Gaza has killed more than 43,000 people, according to Palestinian health officials. Officials do not distinguish between civilians and combatants but say more than half of those killed were women and children.

The war between Israel and Hamas began after Palestinian militants stormed Israel on October 7, 2023, killing around 1,200 people – mostly civilians – and kidnapping 250 others.

The Lebanese Hezbollah group began shooting at Israel on October 8, 2023 in solidarity with Hamas in Gaza. Since then, more than 3,200 people have been killed and more than 14,200 injured in Lebanon, the country's health ministry reported. 76 people were killed in Israel, including 31 soldiers.

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CAIRO – The militant group Islamic Jihad in Palestine has released a new video showing an Israeli hostage held in Gaza for over a year.

The video shows Sasha Troufanov speaking likely under duress, describing the harsh conditions in Gaza, warning of military operations to free him and calling on Israelis to protest for his release.

It was the first such video to be released in several weeks. It was not clear when it was filmed, but Troufanov appeared to be referring to Israel's war against Hezbollah in Lebanon and the recent shootout with Iran in October.

Islamic Jihad took part in Hamas' attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, in which militants killed about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took another 250 people hostage. About 100 hostages are still in the Gaza Strip, about a third of whom are believed to be dead.

Islamic Jihad released two previous videos of Troufanov earlier this year. On Monday he turned 29, celebrating his second birthday in captivity. His mother, grandmother and girlfriend were also captured but were released as part of a ceasefire in November 2023. His father was killed in the attack on October 7th.

The United States, Egypt and Qatar have spent most of this year negotiating a ceasefire and the release of the remaining hostages. Hamas has said it will release the remaining hostages only in return for a permanent ceasefire, the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza and the release of Palestinian prisoners.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to maintain Israeli control over parts of the Gaza Strip and continue the war until “total victory” over Hamas and the return of remaining prisoners.

BEIRUT – An Israeli airstrike on a residential building in the town of Aramoun, south of Beirut, killed at least six people and injured 15 others on Wednesday, the Lebanese Health Ministry said.

The state-run National News Agency reported that children were missing after the strike and it was not clear whether they were under the rubble or taken to a hospital.

There was no warning before the attack and it was not clear what the target was. There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military.

Also on Wednesday morning, the Israeli military attacked several locations in Beirut's southern suburbs, an area called Dahiyeh, after issuing evacuation warnings. It said the attacks targeted “Hezbollah facilities and interests.” There were no immediate reports of casualties.

Israeli forces and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah have been clashing since October 8, 2023, when Hezbollah began firing rockets across the border in support of its ally Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The conflict escalated from mid-September. Israel has launched a sweeping air strike on Lebanon and a ground invasion that it says is intended to push Hezbollah back from the border.

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip – Palestinian medics say an Israeli attack on a house in the northern Gaza Strip has killed three siblings aged six and younger.

They were among at least six people killed in Israeli strikes on Tuesday in the war-ravaged area where Israel has been at war with Hamas for more than 13 months.

According to Gaza's Health Ministry's emergency services, the three children were killed in an attack on a house near a clinic in the urban Jabaliya refugee camp, where Israel has been waging an offensive for over a month.

In downtown Deir al-Balah, a strike hit a tent in the western part of the city, killing at least two people, including a 15-year-old boy, Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital said. The hospital said a man was killed in another attack on a tent in the Nuseirat refugee camp that had been set up. An Associated Press journalist counted the three bodies in the hospital.

Israel says it only targets militants and tries to avoid harming civilians. She accuses Hamas fighters of hiding among civilians in houses and emergency shelters.

The military rarely comments on individual attacks, which often kill women and children.

The war began when Hamas-led militants stormed Israel on October 7, 2023, killing about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking another 250 people hostage. There are still around 100 prisoners in the Gaza Strip, a third of whom are believed to be dead.

According to local health authorities, over 43,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel's retaliatory offensive. They do not distinguish between militants and civilians in their count, but say women and children make up more than half of those killed.

WASHINGTON – In response to further attacks on U.S. personnel, U.S. forces carried out strikes against Iran-aligned militia groups in Syria for the second straight day on Tuesday, U.S. Central Command said late Tuesday.

In the latest retaliatory strikes, US forces attacked a weapons depot and logistics facility after militia groups launched a rocket attack on US personnel at the Shaddadi patrol base in eastern Syria.

Earlier on Tuesday, Pentagon press secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said the militias also attacked U.S. personnel over the weekend with a drone strike and indirect fire at another base, Green Village, where U.S. troops were operating – prompting the U.S Attack prompted nine militia targets to turn to self-defense on Monday.

There are around 900 US soldiers stationed in Syria. No US troops were injured in any of the attacks.

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