Live: Gaza death toll nears 50,700

The UAE is lobbying the Trump administration to torpedo a post-war plan for the Gaza Strip that Egypt drafted and which has been endorsed by the Arab League, US and Egyptian officials told Middle East Eye.

The split is becoming increasingly bitter, with US diplomats concerned that it is harming US interests in the region. It reflects growing Arab competition over who calls the shots in the Gaza Strip’s future governance and reconstruction, as well as different opinions over how much influence Hamas should retain there. 

The Emirati pressure poses a dilemma for Cairo because both the UAE and Egypt broadly back the same Palestinian powerbroker for Gaza, Mohammed Dahlan, an exiled former Fatah official.

“The UAE could not be the lone state opposing the Arab League plan when it was agreed, but they are trashing it with the Trump administration,” the US official told MEE.

The UAE is flexing its unparalleled access to the White House to criticise the plan as unworkable and accuse Cairo of giving too much influence to Hamas.

Read more: UAE lobbying Trump administration to reject Arab League Gaza plan, officials say

The United States has carried out at least 10 air strikes on Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen, including Saada province and Hodeidah, according to Houthi media reports early Wednesday.

Washington’s latest escalation comes after the Houthis vowed to resume attacks on Red Sea shipping in support of Palestinians in Gaza.

Houthi military spokesman Yahya Sarea claimed their forces detected “hostile military movements” in the Red Sea ahead of what he described as a large-scale US assault.

Sarea said Houthi forces fired missiles and drones at the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman and other warships disrupting the US attack. 

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez isn’t mincing words. In a post on X, he condemned Israel’s assault on Gaza as “atrocious,” “sad,” and “unacceptable.”

His government has been one of the strongest European voices backing Palestinian rights, with Sanchez last year formally recognising Palestinian statehood. 

Less than two weeks ago, Tucker Carlson, the conservative podcaster with a strong read on US President Donald Trump, sat down for an interview with Qatar’s prime minister, where the two raved about Trump’s iron-fisted ability to broker a Gaza ceasefire.

“Trump gets elected in November, inaugurated in January and immediately there is a ceasefire,” Carlson said.

Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani, responded in kind: “What’s really making me feel sad [is] the agreement that we have achieved on the 15th of January of this year is almost 95 percent the one…agreed in December and March.”

“With the previous [Biden] administration we were working very closely…but at the end of the day…President Trump of course… they know if there is no deal happening before the inauguration it might have a consequence,” Thani said.

On Tuesday, Israel made clear there was no consequence to ripping up a deal on which the US, Egypt, and Qatar staked their reputations.

Read more: How Trump's Gaza ceasefire imploded

The casualty count in southern Gaza keeps rising. At least 14 people have been killed in Israeli air raids on Khan Younis and Rafah, according to the latest update from Al Jazeera Arabic.

Israel’s bombardment of the besieged enclave shows no sign of slowing, as reports of new strikes continue to emerge. 

Itamar Ben Gvir is back in government. The far-right ultranationalist politician has been reinstated as Israel’s minister of national security, the prime minister’s office has confirmed.

Ben Gvir, who leads the far-right Jewish Power party, quit in January in protest at a ceasefire deal in Gaza. His return comes just a day after Israel unleashed a wave of surprise air strikes on the besieged enclave, killing more than 400 Palestinians.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to keep bombing Gaza until Hamas releases captives.

“The government unanimously approved Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s proposal to reappoint MK Itamar Ben Gvir to the position of Minister of National Security,” the PM’s office said in a statement.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres made this statement following Israel’s renewed assault on Gaza, which has drawn condemnation from governments and humanitarian organisations worldwide.

Guterres also demanded an immediate halt to Israel’s attacks and warned that the ceasefire must be respected.

“I strongly appeal for the ceasefire to be respected, for unimpeded humanitarian assistance to be reestablished and for the remaining hostages to be released unconditionally,” he said in a post on X.

Good morning Middle East Eye readers, 

Here are the latest updates from the Israeli war on Gaza, now in its 529th day: 

• Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has declared that Israel’s assault on Gaza is “only the beginning,” vowing to continue military operations which have killed hundreds of people.

• Israeli police violently broke up protests in Jerusalem, where demonstrators called for a deal to release captives held by Hamas and condemned the renewed offensive, according to Israeli media.

• Hamas spokesperson Osama Hamdan dismissed Israel’s escalation as “delusional,” warning that its actions will only fuel further instability in the region.

• Yemen’s Houthis have fired two ballistic missiles at Israel’s Nevatim base in retaliation for its attacks on Gaza, spokesman Yahya Saree said.

• The US has launched fresh air raids on Houthi positions in Yemen, targeting the city of Saada, local media report.

• At least 174 Palestinian children were killed in Israel’s latest attack on Gaza, making it one of the deadliest days for children in the enclave’s history, according to rights group Defense for Children – Palestine.

• Amnesty International has condemned Israel’s relentless bombardment, warning the world cannot continue to allow “staggering levels of death and suffering” in Gaza.