The UN Security Council struggled to find a unified voice Tuesday on pausing the Israel-Hamas war as aid efforts neared collapse and global economic fallout spread.
With calls growing for a new truce, Qatar-based Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh is to visit Egypt on Wednesday for talks on a ceasefire in Gaza and a prisoner exchange with Israel, a source close to the Islamist group said.
In what they say is a show of support for Palestinians in Gaza, Yemen’s Huthi rebels have repeatedly fired missiles and drones towards cargo ships in the Red Sea.
Major shipping firms have diverted their vessels as a result, pushing up oil prices, and the United States announced a new security initiative to protect the waterways vital to global trade.
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Tuesday joined a virtual meeting about the initiative set to include Britain, France, Italy and other countries.
A top Huthi official later said any country that acts against the rebels “will have its ships targeted in the Red Sea”.
Qatar, backed by Egypt and the US, helped broker a week-long truce and hostage-prisoner swap in November.বিস্তারিত