WHO evacuates 41 critical patients from Gaza as thousands await transfer

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President Donald Trump is suggesting he could call on Israel to release imprisoned Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti, the most popular and potentially unifying Palestinian leader, as the United States aims to fill a leadership vacuum in post-war Gaza.

Trump, in an interview published Thursday, said he has discussed the potential for Barghouti's release with White House aides.

"I was literally being confronted with that question about 15 minutes before you called," Trump told Time magazine interview when asked about Barghouti. "So I’ll be making a decision."

Israel's far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich on Thursday expressed regret for what he called his "unfortunate" remarks about Saudi Arabia, made in the context of normalising ties with Israel.

"My statement regarding Saudi Arabia was unfortunate, and I regret any offence it may have caused," Smotrich said in a video statement he posted on X.

Earlier on Thursday, Smotrich said at a conference that Saudi Arabia should "keep riding camels" if it asks for a Palestinian state in exchange for normalising ties with Israel.

Clearing the surface of Gaza of unexploded ordnance will likely take between 20 to 30 years, according to an official with aid group Humanity & Inclusion, describing the enclave as a "horrific, unmapped minefield".

"If you're looking at a full clearance, it's never happening, it's subterranean. We will find it for generations to come," said Nick Orr, an Explosive Ordnance Disposal expert at Humanity & Inclusion, comparing the situation with British cities after World War Two.

"Surface clearance, now that's something that's attainable within a generation, I think 20 to 30 years," he added. "It’s going to be a very small chipping away at a very big problem."

Orr said it was seeking permission to import supplies to burn away bombs rather than detonate them, to ease concerns about them being repurposed by Hamas.

"If there is going to be any kind of future inside of Gaza, there needs to be an enabling security force that allows humanitarians to work," Orr said.

Supplies of food into Gaza are not meeting the nutritional needs of people in the enclave, some parts of which are experiencing famine, aid groups said on Thursday.

"The situation in the Gaza Strip remains catastrophic, even two weeks after the ceasefire began," Bahaa Zaqout, Director of External Relations at the Palestinian NGO PARC, said via video link from Deir Al Balah in Gaza.

Aid groups, including Oxfam, said the delivery of aid into Gaza is facing major hurdles, with many international NGOs still restricted from getting supplies in, while commercial goods that have entered are not meeting nutritional needs on the ground.

Zaqout cited examples of biscuits, chocolate and soda being allowed in on commercial trucks, while items such as seeds and olives remained restricted from entering.

"Unfortunately, these do not respond to the minimum nutritional values required for children, women and the most vulnerable groups," Zaqout said.

Turkey is in talks with its other countries over its potential participation in an international Gaza peacekeeping mission with its military "ready" if needed, a defence ministry source said Thursday.

"We are continuing contact with our counterparts regarding our participation in the task force to be established in Gaza," the source said.

The task force will operate as part of the US-led Civil-Military Coordination Centre (CMCC) for monitoring the ceasefire, which is based in the southern Israeli town of Kiryat Gat and was inaugurated on Tuesday by US Vice President JD Vance.

"The CMCC has been established to facilitate the formation of the Gaza task force. Under this structure, an International Stabilisation Force (ISF) will be set up that will be in charge of monitoring the ceasefire and preventing conflict," the source said.

"For now, nothing is confirmed about the level of Turkey's participation in such structures but it will probably be confirmed next week."

Asked if the Turkish military would participate, the source said it had "experience from previous peace missions" and was "ready to undertake any task assigned to it.. to establish and maintain peace".

The Israeli prime minister's office on Thursday condemned a parliamentary vote to advance two bills on West Bank annexation, calling it a "deliberate political provocation" by the opposition during the visit of US President JD Vance to Israel.

"The Knesset vote on annexation was a deliberate political provocation by the opposition to sow discord during Vice President JD Vance's visit to Israel," the office of Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement.

Earlier on Thursday, Vance said he viewed the move as an "insult" and described it as a "stupid political stunt".

The World Health Organization said Thursday it expected that at least $7 billion would be needed just to rebuild the broken health system in Gaza.

"There are no fully-functioning hospitals in Gaza, and only 14 out of 36 are functioning at all. There are critical shortages of essential medicines, equipment and health workers," WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters.

"The total cost for rebuilding Gaza health system will be at least $7 billion," he added.

Top US diplomat Marco Rubio landed in Israel on Thursday, an AFP journalist reported, the latest in a string of US officials to visit the country to shore up the Gaza ceasefire.

According to a US official, Rubio will meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu later on Thursday.

The World Health Organization said Thursday there had been little improvement in the amount of aid going into Gaza since a ceasefire took hold - and no observable reduction in hunger.

"The situation still remains catastrophic because what's entering is not enough," WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters, lamenting that "there is no dent in hunger because there is not enough food".

In the last 24 hours, Israeli attacks have killed one Palestinian and wounded two others, the Ministry of Health reported. 

The ministry added that since the ceasefire between Hamas and Israel was agreed, 89 Palestinians have been killed, 317wounded, and 449 bodies recovered. 

Lebanon's health ministry said on Thursday that Israeli drone strikes carried out earlier in the day in the country's south day two people and wounded one. 

The strikes targeted a car on the Zebdine road in the southern Nabatieh district.

The killing of the two people comes as Israel has increased its attacks on Lebanon in recent months, despite a ceasefire being in place. 

The body of a Thai farm labourer killed on 7 October and since held in Gaza was repatriated to Thailand on Thursday, officials said.

The remains of Sonthaya Oakkharasri arrived at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport from Tel Aviv on Thursday evening, part of a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas.

Israeli authorities confirmed this week that they had received Sonthaya's body and formally identified him.

Under the truce, Hamas has returned the final 20 surviving captives it was holding and so far released 15 of another 28 who died.

Nearly 30,000 Thais work in Israel, according to Thailand's labour ministry, mostly in the agricultural sector.

Iran's top diplomat warned on Thursday against fresh attacks on his country, after UN nuclear watchdog chief said he fears a possible "renewed use of force" if attempts at diplomacy with Tehran fail.

In an interview published Wednesday with Swiss newspaper Le Temps, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Grossi said "if diplomacy fails, I fear a renewed use of force".

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Thursday said it was not clear whether Grossi's remarks were meant "out of concern or as a threat".

"But those who issue such threats must understand that repeating a failed experience will only lead to another failure," he added in a video published by the foreign ministry.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said on Thursday that Israel is committed to working towards the success of the Trump plan for Gaza, adding that Hamas and Islamic Jihad must lay down their arms.

US Vice President JD Vance said on Thursday that Israel would not annex the West Bank, the day after Israeli lawmakers voted to advance two bills paving the way for the territory's annexation.

"If it was a political stunt it was a very stupid political stunt and I personally take some insult to it," Vance said as he wrapped up his visit in Israel.

"The West Bank is not going to be annexed by Israel, the policy of the Trump administration is that the West Bank will not be annexed by Israel, that will continue to be our policy," he added.

European Union leaders are seeking a more active role in Gaza and the occupied West Bank after being sidelined from the US-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.

At a summit Thursday in Brussels largely focused on Ukraine and Russia, EU heads of state are also expected to discuss the shaky ceasefire in Gaza and potential EU support for stability in the war-torn coastal enclave. The EU has been the biggest provider of aid to the Palestinians and is Israel's top trading partner.

"It is important that Europe not only watches but plays an active role," said Luc Frieden, the prime minister of Luxembourg, as he headed in to the meeting. "Gaza is not over; peace is not yet permanent," he said.

Outrage over the war in Gaza has riven the 27-nation bloc and pushed relations between Israel and the EU to a historic low.

Turkish peacekeeping forces will continue to help boost the Lebanese army's capability under a renewed deployment mandate in Lebanon, Turkey's Defence Ministry said on Thursday.

Turkey's parliament passed a bill on Tuesday to renew the military's deployment mandates in Syria and Iraq by three more years, and its deployment mandate under the U.N. Interim Force in south Lebanon (UNIFIL) by two years.

"Efforts will continue to improve security conditions in the region, ensure stability and assist in the capacity building of the Lebanese armed forces, with the aim of establishing and maintaining peace in Lebanon," the ministry said in a statement.

The Israeli military launched airstrikes on what it said were sites belonging to the Hezbollah militant group in east Lebanon on Thursday.

An organisation representing international media in Israel and the Palestinian territories expressed disappointment Thursday after Israel's top court postponed its hearing on granting journalists independent access to Gaza.

"The Foreign Press Association is disappointed in the Israeli Supreme Court's decision to grant the State of Israel yet another delay regarding the independent entry of journalists into Gaza," the FPA said in a statement after the hearing.

Recognising that the court had directed the government to present a clear position within 30 days, the FPA said it hoped that "the court will stand firmly against further delays by the state".

"The state today once again relied on stalling tactics to prevent the entry of journalists," the statement said.

The FPA said the Israeli government had sought to delay the entry of journalists into Gaza repeatedly, halting them from "carrying out their journalistic duties and hindering the public's right to information."

Israel's Supreme Court on Thursday pushed back the hearing of a petition filed by an organisation representing international media outlets in Israel and the Palestinian territories, demanding independent access for journalists to Gaza.

On Thursday, Israel's top court began the hearing of a petition filed by the Foreign Press Association (FPA) seeking access to Gaza.

The State Attorney acknowledged "the situation has changed" and requested a further 30 days to examine the circumstances. No date has been set for the next hearing.

The UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) says over 61 million tons of debris now cover Gaza following Israel's two-year offensive.

"Entire neighbourhoods have been erased, and families search the ruins for water, for shelter. UNRWA’s humanitarian aid remains blocked, but our teams continue to deliver lifesaving assistance," it wrote on X.

Over 61 million tons of debris now cover #Gaza.
Entire neighbourhoods have been erased, and families search the ruins for water, for shelter.

UNRWA’s humanitarian aid remains blocked, but our teams continue to deliver lifesaving assistance. pic.twitter.com/gRsJTpgNW4

— UNRWA (@UNRWA) October 23, 2025

Israel's Deputy Prime Minister Yariv Levin said Wednesday he had ordered the deportation of 32 foreign activists who had helped Palestinians harvest olives in the occupied West Bank, on the grounds they violated a military order.

Levin said the deportation order came after a complaint filed by Northern West Bank Settlements Council president Yossi Dagan, who said the activists were "anarchists who carried out provocations in the Samaria area."

This year's olive season has been particularly violent, with several acts of vandalism and attacks from Israeli settlers.

Israel's Supreme Court is set to hear on Thursday a petition filed by the Foreign Press Association, representing international media outlets in Israel and the Palestinian territories, demanding independent access for journalists to Gaza.

"For over two years, Israel has blocked foreign reporters from going into the territory, greatly hindering the media's ability to cover this devastating conflict," the FPA said in a statement on Wednesday ahead of the hearing, scheduled for 09:00 am (0600 GMT) on Thursday.

"We are pleased to finally have our day in court and hope the justices will swiftly approve our request to enter Gaza," Tania Kraemer, chairperson of the FPA, said in the statement.

"It is high time for Israel to lift the closure and let us do our work alongside our Palestinian colleagues."

Media watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has joined the petition filed by the FPA.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said that the Israeli Knesset's move towards the annexation of the West Bank would threaten President Donald Trump's plan to end the conflict in Gaza, which has produced a shaky ceasefire so far.

"I mean, that’s a vote in the – yeah, that’s a vote in the Knesset, but obviously I think the president’s made clear that’s not something we’d be supportive of right now, and we think it’s potentially threatening to the peace deal," Rubio told reporters late on Wednesday before leaving for Israel.

A bill applying Israeli law to the occupied West Bank, a move tantamount to annexation of land that Palestinians want for a state, won preliminary approval from Israel's parliament on Wednesday.