Israeli strikes and gunfire killed at least nine people, including a child, in the Gaza Strip yesterday, health officials said.

Israel and Hezbollah agreed to a ceasefire yesterday, a US official said, after deadly exchanges between the two sides in Lebanon put a deal to end the Middle East war under strain, less than two days after it was signed.

The ceasefire declared in Gaza more than eight months ago is a “deadly illusion”, the UN charged yesterday, with 265 children killed there since the fighting was supposed to have stopped.

The Turkish government is tightening its grip on the opposition, with fresh arrests yesterday targeting elected officials from the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) as it faces a deepening leadership crisis.

US, Iran reach pact that falls short of Israeli war goals

US President Donald Trump yesterday said Israeli strikes on Beirut “should not have happened” as he vowed a regional peace deal was at hand, though he did not confirm reports it would be signed during the day.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday accused Benjamin Netanyahu of “following the path of Hitler” after the Israeli leader alleged he was an “antisemitic dictator” who had committed a “genocide” against the Kurds.

Tehran's demands to end the war include the release of billions of dollars in frozen assets, as well as the lifting of U.S. and international sanctions and recognition of its sway over the Strait of Hormuz

The two sides, which do not have formal diplomatic relations, also agreed to create "pilot zones" in which the Lebanese armed forces "will take exclusive control of the territory to the exclusion of all non-state actors."

Lebanon says attacks will stop on Beirut and its suburbs

The U.S. has proposed that as a first step, the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militant group would stop all attacks on Israel and in return Israel would refrain from escalation in Beirut, the official said

Netanyahu says Israel will tighten grip on Hezbollah areas

Israel’s flag flew over the medieval fortress on Beaufort in Lebanon yesterday as it warned Lebanese civilians to evacuate a large area of the south of the country ahead of stepped up ground operations.

Lebanon's culture minister told AFP on Friday that Israeli strikes on the country's south are putting heritage sites, including in the ancient city of Tyre, in "serious danger"

Hamas has not yet commented

Gaza health officials said Israeli airstrikes killed at least seven people on Tuesday, including five in one attack, in the latest violence to hit the territory despite a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.

Huge numbers of Muslims prayed on Mount Arafat yesterday at the climax of the hajj pilgrimage.

Over 1.5 million Muslims began filling a vast tent city in the holy city of Makkah yesterday for an annual hajj pilgrimage carried out against the backdrop of hopes for an end to the war in the Middle East.

Hospitals in Gaza are being prevented from functioning properly due to a severe shortage of medical supplies, the World Health Organization warned yesterday, denouncing Israeli restrictions on essential items.

Dhul Hijjah crescent moon sighted