Gaza latest: Trump threatens to ‘go in and kill Hamas’ if violence continues

An Israeli airstrike targeting the top leaders of Yemen’s Houthi rebels in August killed the chief of staff of its military, officials said.

The Houthis have acknowledged the killing of Maj Gen Muhammad Abdul Karim al-Ghamari, who had been sanctioned by the UN over his role in the country’s decade-long war.

Israeli defence minister Israel Katz said al-Ghamari died of wounds he suffered in the attack and had joined “his fellow members of the axis of evil in the depths of hell”.Mr Katz referred to the bombing as “the strike of the firstborn,” likely a reference to the attack Israel conducted on 28 August.

That attack killed Houthi prime minister Ahmed al-Rahawi and others. However, analysts suggested al-Ghamari may have been wounded in a different attack targeting the secretive group.

Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu also acknowledged Israel killing al-Ghamari.

“Another chief of staff in the line of terror chiefs who aimed to harm us was eliminated,” Mr Netanyahu said. “We will reach all of them.”

Greta Thunberg claims she was “hit and kicked” while in Israeli custody after she was detained from her Gaza aid flotilla.

The young Swedish activist has accused Israeli guards of having “no empathy or humanity”, recalled seeing dozens of people in handcuffs with their foreheads on the ground, and says she had to “beg” for water while in 40C heat.

Thunberg also claimed Israeli guards wrote the words “wh***” and drew images of a penis and the Star of David on her suitcase. Israel has hit back at the activist and claimed her allegations are “ludicrous and baseless”.

Gaza’s water, sanitation, and energy systems are on the brink of a total collapse after nearly two years of war.

As residents begin returning following a ceasefire, the region’s environmental damage could make its recovery impossible without urgent action, a new report warns.

Analysts said Gaza’s ecosystems have been devastated by bombardments, almost entirely ruining croplands and water systems, leaving two million people at continuous risk of a humanitarian crisis.

Thousands of displaced Gazans began returning to what is left of their homes after a ceasefire was announced this week between Israel and Hamas.

However, the study released by the Arava Institute on Wednesday estimated that 69 per cent of Gaza’s infrastructure has been damaged. It warned that environmental degradation now threatens public health, food security, and regional stability.

Prime minister Keir Starmer has said the ban on supporters of Israeli side Maccabi Tel Aviv attending their team’s match against Aston Villa is “the wrong decision”.

The move to prohibit Maccabi Tel Aviv fans from attending their Europa League game at Villa Park yesterday was made amid public safety fears.

But Sir Keir has criticised the decision.

He said in a post on X: This is the wrong decision. “We will not tolerate antisemitism on our streets.

Steve Witkoff, the US special envoy, said Washington will pursue the return of the bodies of the deceased until they are all handed over to Israel.

“And I’m confident they will all come home,” Mr Witkoff said at an event at the US Holocaust Memorial Museum.

Hamas has so far returned the remains of nine hostages and is yet to hand over the dead bodies of 19 others under the Donald Trump-brokered ceasefire agreement.

Mr Witkoff reiterated that “Hamas must unequivocally disarm, and they can have no future in Gaza; no future as they have been”.

“Only when extremism ends can prosperity begin. Peace in the region will save countless lives of Israeli and Gaza alike, and bring dignity to those who have suffered for far too long,” he added.

Mr Witkoff said the US was committed to substantially expanding the Abraham Accords.

Hamas has reportedly said that the return of the remaining dead captives “may take some time” as some of the bodies were buried inside tunnels destroyed by the Israeli military.

“The bodies of the Israeli prisoners that the resistance was able to access were handed over immediately,” Hamas said in a statement, according to Al Jazeera.

The Palestinian group has said that it requires equipment and devices to remove the rubble, which are currently unavailable due to Israel’s ban on their entry.

“Therefore, any delay in the return of the bodies falls entirely on the Netanyahu government, which is obstructing and preventing the provision of the necessary capabilities,” the group said.

Hackers took over the public address systems at four airports, three in Canada and one in the US, to broadcast messages praising Hamas and criticising president Donald Trump.

An “advertisement streaming service” at the Kelowna International Airport in British Columbia “was briefly compromised and unauthorized content was shared,” according to the Kelowna Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP).

Hackers broadcast messages in a foreign language and music over the PA system at Victoria International Airport in British Columbia, according to an airport spokesperson.

The hackers breached third-party software to access the PA system, and the airport switched to an internal system to regain control, the spokesperson said.

The Canadian Centre for Cyber Security is assisting the airport and the RCMP with the investigation.Hackers similarly took control of the PA system at Harrisburg International Airport in Pennsylvania, US transportation secretary Sean Duffy said in a social media post on Wednesday.

The US Federal Aviation Administration and airport officials are investigating the breach, he said.

Hackers also breached the flight information display screens and public address system Tuesday evening at Windsor International Airport in Ontario, and displayed “unauthorized images and announcements,” according to airport officials.

The breach was to a “cloud-based software provider” used by the airport, and “our systems returned to normal shortly thereafter,” according to the airport’s statement.

US president Donald Trump has warned Hamas that there would be “no choice but to go in and kill” Hamas if it it continued to “kill people in Gaza”.

It follows Hamas’ execution of seven Palestinians for “collaborating” with Israel, actions which Mr Trump appeared to condone at the time, comparing it to gang violence and recent US strikes on Venezuelan “drug boats”.

But he has since changed stance, warning the group that such killings are “not [part of] the Deal”.

Addressing the allegations of killing Palestinians, a senior Hamas official told Reuters: “The occupying state is working day and night to undermine the agreement through its violations on the ground.”