Israel receives captive body from Red Cross in Gaza

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The United States on Thursday called on the UN Security Council to unite and back its draft resolution aimed at bolstering President Donald Trump's peace plan for Gaza, warning that Palestinians could otherwise suffer "grave" consequences.

"Attempts to sow discord now - when agreement on this resolution is under active negotiation - has grave, tangible, and entirely avoidable consequences for Palestinians in Gaza," a spokesperson for the US mission to the UN said in a statement.

"The ceasefire is fragile and we urge the Council to unite and move forward to secure the peace that is desperately needed," the spokesperson said, calling it an "historic moment to pave a path towards enduring peace in the Middle East."

Last week, US officials launched negotiations within the Council on a draft that would follow up on a ceasefire in the two-year war between Israel and Hamas and endorse Trump's plan.

A third draft of the resolution seen Thursday by AFP "welcomes the establishment of the Board of Peace," a transitional governing body for Gaza - that Trump would theoretically chair - with a mandate running until the end of 2027.

It would authorize member states to form a "temporary International Stabilization Force (ISF)" that would work with Israel and Egypt and newly trained Palestinian police to help secure border areas and demilitarize the Gaza Strip.

The ISF also would work on the "permanent decommissioning of weapons from non-state armed groups," protecting civilians and securing humanitarian aid corridors.

Unlike previous drafts, the latest mentions a possible future Palestinian state.

Once the Palestinian Authority has carried out requested reforms and the rebuilding of Gaza is underway, "the conditions may finally be in place for a credible pathway to Palestinian self-determination and statehood," the draft says.

"The United States will establish a dialogue between Israel and the Palestinians to agree on a political horizon for peaceful and prosperous coexistence," it adds.

The UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), which is no longer receiving US funding, on Thursday asked other donor nations for more money, warning that its operations could suffer without a cash infusion.

"We run week by week, month by month. I know that as of today, we will be able to process our salaries in November, but have no idea if or no visibility if we will be able to process our salaries in December," chief Philippe Lazzarini told a press conference.

UNRWA predicts that its budget shortfall between the last quarter of 2025 and the first quarter of 2026 will be about $200 million.

"Unlike in previous years, the projected income in the first quarter of 2026 is too low to absorb a large deficit from 2025," Lazzarini said.

"In the absence of a significant influx of new funding, the delivery of critical services to millions of Palestine refugees across the region will be compromised."

Israel confirmed Thursday that the returned body of one of the last four captives held in Gaza was an Israeli citizen, identified as 73-year-old Meny Godard.

The prime minister's office said that after analyses, authorities had informed Godard's family that "his identification has been completed".

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi called for the United Nations to impose "appropriate measures" against the United States and Israel over military strikes in June against Iran's nuclear sites.

Araghchi said that President Donald Trump and other US officials bear "criminal responsibility" for the strikes after Trump's statement last week that he directed Israel's initial attack on Iran on 13 June.

In a letter on Wednesday to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and the UN Security Council, Araghchi said Israel and the United States must be subject to reparations, including restitution and compensation for the damage caused in Iran.

Spokespersons for the US mission to the UN and for Guterres' office did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Trump told reporters on 6 November that he was "very much in charge" of Israel's initial strike on Iran.

Araghchi said Trump's comment constitutes clear evidence of US control during Iran's 12-day air war with Israel, which Iranian state media says killed more than 900 people, including Iranian military officials.

"This is indeed without prejudice to individual criminal responsibility of all those individuals, including within the Israeli regime, involved in commanding, ordering, committing, or aiding, abetting, and otherwise assisting in the commission of the war crimes," Araghchi said.

Two Palestinians killed by Israeli soldiers in the occupied West Bank on Thursday were both 15 years old, the Palestinian Authority said, after the Israeli military said it had "eliminated two terrorists".

The Ramallah-based Palestinian health ministry announced without further details "the martyrdom of Bilal Bahaa Ali Baaran (15 years old) and Muhammad Mahmud Abu Ayash (15 years old), killed by bullets from the occupation this afternoon, Thursday, near Beit Omar, north of Hebron".

Earlier Thursday, the Israeli military said soldiers operating in the area of Karmei Tzur, a Jewish settlement near the Palestinian village of Beit Omar, "eliminated two terrorists who were on their way to carry out a terror attack".

The Swiss Ministry of Foreign Affairs has expressed concern over the uptick in Israeli settler attacks in the occupied West Bank.

In a press statement, the Swiss Foreign Ministry said: "Switzerland is deeply concerned about the escalating violence of Israeli settlers against Palestinians in the West Bank," condemning the burning of Palestinian property by settlers.

Switzerland called for an immediate halt to such violence and the ongoing expansion of illegal settlements, urging Israel to "honour its obligations under international law and preserve the possibility of a two-state solution to ensure lasting security and peace."

Saudi Arabia plans imminently to boost commercial ties with Lebanon after Lebanese authorities demonstrated "efficacy" in curbing drug smuggling to the kingdom over the past months, a senior Saudi official said on Thursday.

Easing controls on imports, banned for years by Saudi Arabia, would be a first tangible sign of improvement, although Riyadh still wants to see the weak central government of Lebanon disarm Hezbollah - a demand Hezbollah has so far rejected.

"We will take imminent steps to bolster commercial relations between the two nations," said the Saudi official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

"The Lebanese government and security forces have demonstrated efficacy in curbing drug exports over recent months."

Israel has received the body of a captive from the Red Cross in Gaza, the Prime Minister's office confirmed.

The Israeli army said that the Red Cross is "on its way to the meeting point in the southern Gaza Strip, where a coffin of a deceased hostage will be transferred into its custody".

This comes as Hamas said one more captive body will be handed over to Israel on Thursday.

Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya met with his Egyptian counterpart Mahmoud Tawfik on Thursday in Cairo to discuss ways to accelerate the delivery of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, according to a post by Yerlikaya on Turkey’s InSocial platform.

Yerlikaya described the meeting as "very fruitful and constructive," adding that they discussed cooperation between their agencies, particularly in speeding up humanitarian aid to Gaza, combating organised crime, drugs, cybercrime, irregular migration, and disaster prevention, response, and recovery.

The Israeli military killed two Palestinians in a town in the occupied West Bank on Thursday, while Palestinian officials accused Israeli settlers of setting fire to a mosque in the territory.

In a statement, the military claimed that soldiers who were operating adjacent to the community of Karmei Zur eliminated two militants "who were on their way to carry out a terror attack".

Palestinian authorities also did not provide any details.

An Israeli strike targeted south Lebanon earlier Thursday, injuring at least one person.

The drone strike hit a vehicle in Toul, just west of the city of Nabatiyeh.

People at the site of the attack reported seeing hand grenades scattered on the floor following the strike.

أُصيب شخصٌ إثر استهداف مسيّرة إسرائيلية، اليوم الخميس، لسيّارة «رابيد» في منطقة تول في #النبطية #جنوب_لبنان. وظهرت صور ومقاطع من محيط موقع الغارة تُظهر تطاير قنابل يدويّة بعد استهداف السيّارة. pic.twitter.com/uk5vhv8JyG

— Megaphone (@megaphone_news) November 13, 2025

Twenty-five countries shipped oil to Israel during its two-year offensive in Gaza, according to a report published Thursday by the non-profit Oil Change International, which argued the same fossil-fuel system driving the climate crisis is also enabling "genocide."

Released at the UN climate summit in Brazil, the analysis found Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan were by far the largest suppliers of crude, accounting for 70 percent of shipments between November 1, 2023 and October 1, 2025.

Russia, Greece and the United States were the top providers of refined petroleum products - with the US standing out as the sole supplier of JP-8, a jet-fuel blend designed for military aircraft.

While official data indicates Brazil last sent oil directly to Israel in March 2024, the head of the Rio de Janeiro Oil Workers Union has claimed Brazil may have rerouted shipments via Italy.

British pro-Palestinian political commentator Sami Hamdi landed back in London on Thursday after being released from the United States, where he spent more than two weeks in immigration detention.

Hamdi was detained on October 26 at San Francisco International Airport after U.S. officials revoked his visa during a speaking tour in which he criticised Israel's actions in Gaza.

"It's wonderful to be back after being exonerated by two federal judges, both of whom found that there were serious breaches of freedom of speech," Hamdi told reporters after landing at London's Heathrow Airport, where he was embraced by his family.

He said the only allegation against him was overstaying his visa after it was revoked without warning. He insisted he had complied with all visa conditions and alleged the move was linked to his advocacy for Gaza.

My son Sami Hamdi arrived and met his loved ones.

Wonderful atmosphere.

We are now leaving Heathrow Airport.

Truth has triumphed over hatred.

Praise and thanks be to God abundantly. pic.twitter.com/0HGizgG2cW

— الهاشمي - ALHACHIMI (@MALHACHIMI) November 13, 2025

Pro-Palestinian activists climbed atop Berlin's iconic Brandenburg Gate and unfurled a large banner on Thursday before police arrested them.

Six activists wearing work vests and using a rented cherry-picker truck drove onto the tourist-packed square at noon, with three of them quickly using the lift to get on top of the 26-metre-tall structure.

"It happened very quickly," Berlin police spokesperson Florian Nath told AFP at the site. "We were here within minutes, but the basket was already on its way up, and we didn't stop it then because it's too dangerous in case something happens or people fall out."

The activists on top of the gate unfurled a banner reading "Never again genocide - freedom for Palestine". They also lit flares and shouted slogans.

🇩🇪🇵🇸 Pro-Palestine activists climbed the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin and unfurled a banner saying “Never again genocide – freedom for Palestine.” pic.twitter.com/cGXKMlGLGD

— HOT SPOT (@HotSpotHotSpot) November 13, 2025

The Syrian embassy reopened in London on Thursday after it was closed 13 years ago soon after the start of the Syrian conflict.

Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani attended the reopening and hoisted the Syrian flag at the diplomatic mission in the British capital's Belgravia area.

It marks a key step by the new administration in Damascus to end Syria’s diplomatic isolation and reopen official channels with major Western countries.

Syrian embassy reopens in London as Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani raises the national flag, reopening the mission closed since 2013.

Al-Shaibani’s visit to the UK marks a key step by the new administration to end Syria’s diplomatic isolation and reopen official channels… pic.twitter.com/8k9wGUoXM1

— The New Arab (@The_NewArab) November 13, 2025

Israeli opposition leader Yair Golan, head of the Democratic Party, condemned on Thursday the burning of a mosque in the occupied West Bank by what he called "Jewish terrorists".

"Another dangerous escalation in Jewish terrorism in the West Bank," he wrote in a post on X.

"Jewish terrorists go out night after night to harm, destroy, and vandalise. They target IDF soldiers and endanger them. Tonight, the torching and desecration of a mosque in Kafr Haris, a severe and most serious attack on a religious symbol - a vile act deserving of all condemnation.

"The Shin Bet must wake up, the police must wake up - we must deal harshly with the criminals and exact the full measure of justice with them.

"The lenient and encouraging attitude of [Itamar] Ben Gvir and [Bezalel] Smotrich leads to a serious security danger in the area; selective law enforcement must not be allowed," he said, in reference to the National Security and Finance ministers respectively.

The death toll from Israel's offensive in Gaza since 7 October 2023 has risen to 69,187, with more than 170,700 injured, Gaza's health ministry said in an updated figure on Thursday.

Syria’s state-run Al-Ikhbariya channel reported on Thursday that Israeli forces carried out an incursion in the town of Kudna, located in the Quneitra countryside in the country’s southwest.

The state broadcaster said on X that "Israeli occupation forces have entered the town of Kudna in the Quneitra countryside."

It added that "the Israeli forces involved in the Kudna incursion include vehicles and personnel."

Israeli violations in Quneitra have recently escalated. Syrian residents have complained of Israeli incursions into their farmlands - their main source of livelihood - the destruction of dozens of acres of forests, as well as arrests, the setting up of military checkpoints, and searches of passersby.

On Tuesday and Wednesday, Israeli army units reportedly entered several villages in the Quneitra countryside four times, establishing a checkpoint between the village of Abu Garah and the town of Suwaysa and preventing civilians from crossing, according to Syrian state media.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said Israel's continued aggression against his country is preventing the Lebanese army from completing its deployment in the south up to the border with Israel.

He added that negotiations with Tel Aviv are key to restoring stability in Lebanon's south, as ongoing attacks will lead nowhere.

Lebanon’s Interior and Municipalities Minister Ahmad al-Hajjar said the Lebanese army, alongside other security agencies, is working to maintain control over all Lebanese territory.

The armed wings of Hamas and Islamic Jihad said they would hand over the remains of another captive on Thursday as part of the US-brokered ceasefire deal with Israel in Gaza.

"The Al-Quds Brigades and the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades will hand over the body of one of the occupation's captives, which was found today in the Morag area north of Khan Yunis city in the southern Gaza Strip, at 8:00 pm Gaza time (1800 GMT)," a Hamas statement said.

At the start of the truce, which came into effect on October 10, Hamas was holding 20 living captives and 28 bodies of deceased captives.

It has since released all the living hostages and returned 24 of the deceased's remains, in line with the ceasefire terms.

In exchange, Israel has released nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners in its custody and returned the bodies of hundreds of Palestinians.

Iranian authorities arrested two men after a video went viral showing them dressed military uniforms while carrying a flag with a monarchist emblem, local media reported on Thursday.

The video, filmed inside a Tehran metro station, showed the two men brandishing a flag carrying the "lion and sun" emblem associated with Iran's former monarchy.

It was circulated widely on social media in Iran, according to the Fars news agency.

Fars said that an investigation determined that the two men were not members of the Iranian armed forces, but did not specify their identity.

Two army officers holding the Lion and Sun flag of Iran in defiance to the Islamist regime's ☫ emblem.

They are from the conventional army, not the IRGC.pic.twitter.com/Hk6u9KhCQH

— Penhan Tehrani (@tiregheib) November 12, 2025

Israeli settlers torched and defaced a mosque in a Palestinian village in the central West Bank overnight, scribbling hateful messages in a show of defiance a day after some Israeli leaders condemned a recent attack by settlers against Palestinians.

One wall and at least three copies of the Quran and some of the carpeting at the mosque in the Palestinian town of Deir Istiya had been torched when an AP reporter visited Thursday.

On one side of the mosque settlers had left graffitied messages like "we are not afraid," "we will revenge again," and "keep on condemning." The Hebrew scrawl, difficult to make out, appeared to reference Maj. Gen Avi Bluth, the chief of the military’s Central Command who issued a rare denunciation of the violence Wednesday.

It was the latest in a string of attacks that have provoked expressions of concern from top officials, military leaders and the Trump administration. Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has not commented on the surge in violence.

📷 مستوطنون يحرقون مسجداً فجر اليوم خلال هجوم على بلدة #دير_استيا غرب سلفيت في #الضفة_الغربية.( إعلام فلسطيني) pic.twitter.com/ylbW2sx3j8

— عربي بوست (@arabic_post) November 13, 2025

The United States will have some good deals to sign when Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman visits Washington next week and meets President Donald Trump, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Wednesday.

"We'll have some good agreements to sign with them ... I feel good about where it's at. There's still a few things that need to be tightened up and finalized, and we're going to have a good meeting next week," he told reporters.

Rubio did not give details.

Syria will play an active role in assisting the United States in fighting armed groups including Iran's Revolutionary Guards, Hamas and Hezbollah, US special envoy Tom Barrack said on Thursday.

Barrack wrote on X that "Damascus will now actively assist us in confronting and dismantling the remnants of ISIS, the IRGC (Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps), Hamas, Hizballah, and other terrorist networks".

Iran's powerful IRGC and Lebanon's Hezbollah were key backers of president Bashar al-Assad before he was ousted last december by a rebel coalition led by Sharaa.

Hamas does not have an armed presence in Syria.

A pro-Palestinian demonstration disrupted the official launch event for the 2028 European Championship in London on Wednesday.

A relatively small but noisy group protested outside the venue at Piccadilly Circus as officials from European soccer’s governing body — including UEFA president Aleksander Čeferin — attended the event.

The next edition of the Euros will be co-hosted by Britain and Ireland. The event Wednesday was arranged to unveil branding and the match schedule.

While attendees gathered inside, chants of "Kick Israel out" and "Get your hands off Palestine" could be heard outside. There have been calls to ban Israel from sports events following the Gaza conflict.

The brand launch of UEFA 2028 this evening in Piccadilly Circus, hosted by UEFA president Aleksander Čeferin, is being disrupted by protesters calling for the banning of Israel from the competition.#GameOverIsrael pic.twitter.com/qUObhkDXzr

— Real Media (@RealMediaGB) November 12, 2025

Turkey's main expectation from a planned International Stabilisation Force in Gaza is for it to provide guarantees that the fragile ceasefire will last, its Defence Ministry said on Thursday.

NATO member Turkey has been one of the most vocal critics of Israel's devastating two-year assault on Gaza, calling it a genocide. It has emerged as a critical player and mediator in ceasefire efforts, voicing a desire to join the stabilisation force despite Israel's repeated objections.

At a briefing in Ankara, the ministry also said Turkey believed the U.S.-led Civil-Military Coordination Center (CMCC) must ensure unhindered humanitarian aid deliveries into Gaza in line with international law.

The U.S. on Wednesday sanctioned individuals and entities in several countries related to their support of Iran's ballistic missile and drone production, in the latest attempt to pressure Tehran.

A total of 32 individuals and entities based in Iran, the United Arab Emirates, Turkey, China, Hong Kong, India, Germany and Ukraine that operate multiple procurement networks are being targeted in Wednesday's designations, the Treasury Department said in a statement.

"These networks pose a threat to U.S. and allied personnel in the Middle East and to commercial shipping in the Red Sea," the department said in a statement.

The U.S., its European allies and Israel accuse Tehran of using its nuclear programme as a veil for efforts to try to develop the capability to produce weapons. Iran says its nuclear programme is for peaceful purposes only.

U.S. Central Command said on Wednesday its forces assisted and enabled more than 22 operations against the Islamic State group in Syria in which five members of the organisation were killed and 19 captured.

Syria recently signed a political cooperation declaration with the Global Coalition to Defeat Islamic State and has been carrying out nationwide pre-emptive operations against the group.

The operations took place from October 1 to November 6, CENTCOM said.

U.S. Central Command forces advised, assisted, and enabled more than 22 operations against ISIS with partners in Syria over the past month, diminishing the terrorist group’s ability to conduct local operations and export violence around the world.

Read more:… pic.twitter.com/X2JTuXcPcz

— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) November 12, 2025

The U.S. gathered intelligence last year of Israeli officials discussing how their soldiers had sent Palestinians into Gaza tunnels the Israelis believed were potentially lined with explosives, according to two former U.S. officials familiar with the matter.

The information was shared with the White House and analysed by the intelligence community in the final weeks of former President Joe Biden's administration, the officials said.

International law prohibits the use of civilians as shields during military activity. Officials inside the Biden administration had long raised concerns about news reports that indicated Israeli soldiers were using Palestinians to potentially protect themselves in Gaza. Washington's collection of its own evidence on the subject has not been previously reported.

The Israeli military said its forces killed three militants in Gaza's southern area of Rafah on Wednesday while dismantling tunnels in territory under their control.

"IDF troops operating in the area of Rafah to dismantle underground infrastructure... identified four armed terrorists on the eastern side of the yellow line, within Israeli operational control," the military said, referring to the zone where its troops are stationed.

It said soldiers struck and eliminated three of the fighters, noting that there were no Israeli casualties.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Wednesday he was optimistic that the UN Security Council would finalise a resolution on Gaza that would back an international security force.

"We feel optimistic that it's going to happen," Rubio told reporters after G7 foreign ministers met in Canada. "I think we're making good progress on the language of the resolution and hopefully we'll have action on it very soon."

Rubio said the United States was speaking with different countries on ways to "balance their interests here, and how that's structured beyond just the security force."

He said that the deployment for the international force was crucial both to allowing more assistance into the Palestinian territory and sidelining Hamas.

"If you really want to see a huge uptick, not just in humanitarian assistance, but redevelopment, you're going to need to have security," Rubio said.