Escalating Middle East Conflict and Humanitarian Crisis

Israeli strikes on Gaza have killed over 90 people in 48 hours, with 15 fatalities overnight, including women and children in a designated humanitarian zone. The dead also include those in Khan Younis and Rafah city, with aid groups warning of widespread malnutrition among children and a dire humanitarian situation due to Israel's six-week blockade on Gaza. The conflict began with a Hamas-led attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, and has since killed over 51,000 Palestinians, displaced 90% of Gaza's population, and destroyed much of the territory.

Hamas is facing a financial crisis amid the ongoing war in Gaza, with salary payments to many government employees ceasing and senior officials receiving only half pay. The group's financial squeeze is attributed to Israel's tightened blockade, which has limited access to Hamas' stockpile of around $500 million stored in Turkey, funded by Qatar's monthly transfers of $15 million. Despite the financial difficulties, analysts say Hamas is likely to find ways to recover, having survived similar crises in the past by exploiting black market activities and taxes on merchants. Protests against Hamas have started to gain traction in Gaza, with some protesters calling for an end to Hamas' rule, but the group has responded violently, crushing dissent. Experts believe that while the financial squeeze will complicate Hamas' operations, it is unlikely to lead to the group's collapse.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz announced that Israeli troops will remain in Gaza's buffer zones indefinitely, even after the war ends, as a buffer between the enemy and Israeli communities. The buffer zones make up 30% of the Gaza strip. Katz stated that unlike in the past, the IDF will not withdraw from areas that have been cleared and captured. Hamas recently rejected an Israeli-proposed ceasefire deal, citing demands for disarmament and a full withdrawal of Israeli troops.

More than 90 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli strikes in Gaza over the past 48 hours, according to the Hamas-run health ministry. The dead include women and children who were killed in the southern city of Khan Younis, with at least 11 sheltering in a designated humanitarian zone. Israel has vowed to intensify attacks on Gaza to pressure Hamas to release hostages, with the territory under blockade and facing a severe humanitarian crisis, with almost its entire population relying on charity kitchens for food.

A Sky News investigation into the killing of 15 aid workers by Israeli forces has contradicted Israel's official account of the incident. The aid workers, including a UN employee, paramedics from the Palestine Red Crescent Society, and first responders from Civil Defence, were unarmed and were on a rescue mission when they were attacked. Videos found on the phone of paramedic Rifaat Radwan, one of the victims, show the chaos and terror of the last moments of the aid workers, with Israeli troops firing at them for over five minutes. New audio obtained by Sky News reveals that the shooting continued for some time after the initial attack, with paramedic Ashraf Abu Labda heard reciting the Shahada as heavy gunfire continued in the background. Another paramedic, Assad al Nsasrah, was alive as late as 5.54am and was on the phone with the dispatch centre, before being arrested by Israeli soldiers. Israel has denied wrongdoing, claiming its troops suspected the vehicles contained Hamas operatives, but Sky News found no evidence to support this claim.

US air strikes on a key oil terminal on Yemen's Red Sea coast controlled by the Houthi movement have killed at least 74 people and wounded 171 others, according to the Houthi-run health ministry. The US military said the attack aimed to restrict supplies and funds for the Iran-backed Houthis, destroying the Ras Isa terminal "to eliminate this source of fuel for the Iran-backed Houthi terrorists and deprive them of illegal revenue." The Houthi-led government in north-west Yemen said the terminal was a civilian facility and that the strikes constituted a "war crime." The attack was the deadliest known since President Donald Trump ordered an intensification of the US bombing campaign last month in response to Houthi attacks on Red Sea shipping and Israel linked to the Gaza war.

US airstrikes on the Ras Isa oil port held by Yemen's Houthi rebels killed 58 people and wounded 126 others, according to the Houthis. The attack, which the US Central Command said was aimed at depriving the rebels of a source of fuel and revenue, marked a major escalation of the US campaign against the Houthis. The Houthis and Iran denounced the attack as a violation of Yemen's sovereignty, while the US also accused a Chinese satellite company of supporting Houthi attacks on US interests. The US campaign against the Houthis appears to be more extensive than under the previous administration, and is linked to efforts to pressure Iran over its nuclear program.