e in the upcoming election, the first since Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, attack, if Jewish parties are willing to partner with them to form a governing coalition.

UNICEF calls on Israel's military to stop killing children in Gaza

UNICEF called on Israel's military to take immediate steps to stop the killing of children in Gaza, more than a year into a ceasefire.

The agency said that the total number of children killed has surpassed 350 since Israel and Hamas reached the agreement last October.

 This level of violence against children is unacceptable,  Edouard Beigbeder, UNICEF's regional director for the Middle East and North Africa, said in a statement.

Israel's military says strikes target Hamas fighters and that it takes steps to mitigate civilian harm.

Palestinians in Gaza face bread shortages

Crowds gathered outside bakeries across Gaza on Friday, banging on metal doors and scrambling to obtain bags of bread.

The World Food Program announced Monday that it had reduced the number of people receiving assistance in Gaza to 1.1 million from 1.6 million because of a severe funding shortfall.

Ibrahim Abu Osama, a resident of Gaza City, said some bakeries had shut down and flour prices had skyrocketed since then. He said he had been unable to find bread.

At the same time, commercial shipments into Gaza, including food, were halted for days following a dispute over fees imposed on merchants, before Israel said Monday it would gradually resume them. As of Thursday, commercial shipments had resumed, but not of food.

Yemen retracts statement saying gatherings in Houthi-controlled areas would be considered targets

Yemen's defense ministry retracted a statement warning that tribal mobilization gatherings in Houthi-controlled areas would be considered legitimate military targets, calling the statement  wrong and unacceptable. 

Defense Minister Taher al-Aqili apologized to Yemen's tribes in a post on X on Thursday, saying the military would not target tribal gatherings, known locally as  Nakf,  or other civilian assemblies. He said the military would abide by international humanitarian law in all its operations.

The statement earlier released by the internationally recognized ministry had warned residents in Houthi-controlled areas against attending such gatherings, accusing the Iran-backed rebels of using rallies and so-called  cultural courses  to mobilize supporters and recruit children for combat. These activities are among the Houthis' main tools for rallying support and fighters.

Israeli strikes in Gaza kill 1

Strikes by Israel's army killed at least one person in southern Gaza Friday morning, according to Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis.

The Israeli military said the strike targeted a Hamas fighter.

More than 1,500 Palestinians in Gaza have been killed by the Israeli military since the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas began in October 2025, according to the territory's health ministry. The ministry maintains detailed records and is regarded as generally reliable by U.N. agencies and independent experts. Part of the Hamas-run government, the ministry does not distinguish between civilians and combatants but says women and children make up nearly half of those killed.

Foreign ministers meet in Turkey over regional conflicts

Turkey hosted meetings Friday with the foreign ministers of Egypt, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and European nations - the UK, France, Germany and Italy - to discuss conflicts in the Middle East and efforts to resolve the Russia-Ukraine war.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan is expected to press for diplomacy to ease tensions between the United States and Iran, stress the importance of freedom of navigation through Hormuz and the Bab el-Mandab Strait and reaffirm Turkey's support for Saudi Arabia in the face of Houthi attacks.

At the opening of a conference on mediation in Istanbul ahead of the meetings, Fidan said that in an  increasingly deteriorating environment, the return of diplomacy and mediation for peaceful resolution of conflicts is now more necessary than ever. 

This report will be updated throughout the day as new developments emerge.