Israel's defense minister told ground troops to be ready to enter the Gaza Strip, though he didn't say when the invasion will start.

 Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday conveyed condolences to President of Palestinian Authority Mahmoud Abbas and reiterated India's long-standing "principled position" on the Israel-Palestine issue.

In a phone conversation, Modi, at the same time, shared with Abbas India's "deep concern" over terrorism, violence and deteriorating security situation in the region.

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak says Britain is standing by Israel in its "darkest hour" as it wages war on Hamas following the Palestinian militant group's October 7 attack.

US President Joe Biden Wednesday said that based on what he saw, it appears that the deadly explosion at the Gaza hospital was done by "the other team" and not the Israeli military, accepting the Israeli version that a "misfired" rocket by the Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad was responsible for the tragedy.

US President Joe Biden on Wednesday said he supports a two-state solution so that Israel and the Palestinian people can both live safely and securely in dignity and in peace as he announced USD 100 million for humanitarian aid in the war-torn Gaza and the West Bank.

 The UN Security Council on Wednesday failed to adopt a Brazil-led draft resolution that would have called for humanitarian pauses in the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict to allow full access for aid to the Gaza strip after the US vetoed the text.

The US, a permanent member of the UNSC and a close ally of Israel, said it is disappointed the resolution makes no mention of Israel's rights of self-defence.

Israel said on Wednesday that it will allow Egypt to deliver limited quantities of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said the decision was approved in light of a request from visiting US President Joe Biden.

Police have arrested four persons for allegedly defacing the flag of Israel in South Mumbai, an official said on Wednesday.

A video of the incident, which took place at a junction in the Bhendi Bazaar area on Tuesday night, has surfaced on social media platforms. In the video, a group of people can be seen defacing the Israeli flag.