Morning in the Middle East. Here’s what you need to know

Morning in the Middle East. Here’s what you need to know

The Israeli army has ended one of its biggest offensives in the occupied West Bank since October 7, saying it killed 10 “terrorists” in the Nur al-Shams refugee camp.

At least 14 people, including a child, were killed in the raid, the Palestinian Ministry of Health and the Wafa news agency said.

Images from the raid — one of the IDF’s largest in the West Bank since October 7 — show concrete slabs and rubble strewn in the area.

Elsewhere in the West Bank, Israeli forces shot and killed two Palestinians near Hebron on Sunday, in what the military said was an attempted attack on the army.

Meanwhile, an ambulance driver was killed in the West Bank on Saturday when his vehicle was hit by gunfire while transporting Palestinians wounded in an attack by Israeli settlers.

Violence by Israeli settlers and soldiers in the West Bank has increased during Israel’s war in Gaza. The surge has prompted more sanctions by the US and the EU.

Here are the latest developments in the region:

• US funding for Israel: The US House of Representatives has approved $26.4 billion in aid to Israel as part of a broader foreign aid package that still needs to pass the Senate. The Palestinian Authority’s presidential spokesman strongly condemned the move.
• Netanyahu vows to press on: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday said Israel would soon receive “additional and painful blows” and would increase “military and political pressure” on Hamas to release Israeli hostages held in Gaza, according to a video statement . His pledge came despite pressure from the US and others to limit civilian casualties and increase aid to the Palestinian territories.
• War cabinet meeting: Israel’s war cabinet met late Sunday to discuss efforts to free the hostages, an Israeli official confirmed. Negotiations on a ceasefire and hostage agreement have been facilitated by international mediators for several weeks, but have yielded no clear breakthrough of late. In his video message, Netanyahu said Hamas had rejected the proposal for a hostage deal “outright.” Blinken speaks with Gallant: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on Sunday. They discussed efforts to protect Israel’s security, enable hostage negotiations, and increase humanitarian aid to Gaza, a White House statement said.
• Aid drops: The US military conducted another round of aid airdrops in northern Gaza on Sunday, bringing the total amount of aid airdropped in Gaza to nearly 1,001 tons since March 2. The UN and aid agencies have questioned the effectiveness of airdrops from several countries.
• Israel strikes Lebanon: Israeli strikes hit four sites in southern Lebanon over the weekend, Lebanon’s state-owned National News Agency reported. The Israeli military confirmed three of the four strikes, on what it said were Hezbollah targets. Israeli and Hezbollah forces have been engaged in cross-border fire and tit-for-tat exchanges since October 7.
• Iran tensions: Iran’s top leader has called on the country’s armed forces to continue their fight against Israel by pursuing military innovation and learning “enemy tactics.” Attacks between Israel and Iran this month raised fears of a widening regional conflict in the Middle East, but both sides appear to be backing down for now.