Middle East latest: Gaza war deaths pass 46,000 and Lebanon ends presidential deadlock

Gaza's Health Ministry said Thursday that more than 46,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Israel-Hamas war, with no end in sight to the 15-month conflict.

The ministry said a total of 46,006 Palestinians have been killed and 109,378 wounded. It has said women and children make up more than half the fatalities, but does not say how many of the dead were fighters or civilians.

The Israeli military says it has killed over 17,000 militants, without providing evidence. It blames Hamas for civilian deaths because it says militants operate in residential areas. Israel's air and ground operations have driven hundreds of thousands of Palestinians into sprawling tent camps along the coast with limited access to food and other essentials.

The war began when Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people and abducting around 250. A third of the 100 hostages still held in Gaza are believed to be dead.

In Lebanon, the parliament voted Thursday to elect the country’s army commander, Joseph Aoun, as head of state, filling a more than two-year-long presidential vacuum.

The vote came weeks after a tenuous ceasefire agreement halted a 14-month conflict between Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah and at a time when Lebanon’s leaders are seeking international assistance for reconstruction.

Here's the latest:

WARSAW, Poland — The Polish government adopted a resolution on Thursday vowing to ensure the free and safe participation of the highest representatives of Israel — including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — who choose to attend commemorations for the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau later this month.

Netanyahu became an internationally wanted suspect last year after the International Criminal Court, the world’s top war crimes court, issued an arrest warrant for him and others in connection with the war in Gaza, accusing them of crimes against humanity.

Member countries of the ICC, such as Poland, are required to detain suspects facing a warrant if they set foot on their soil, but the court has no way to enforce that. Israel is not a member of the ICC and disputes its jurisdiction.

KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip — Displaced Palestinians mourned their family members on Wednesday who were killed by Israeli strikes in the southern Gaza Strip, as dozens of people die each day in Israel’s war with Hamas despite long-running ceasefire negotiations.

Fatma Abu Awad lost six family members on Tuesday in two Israeli strikes 15 minutes apart. An Israeli strike on a vehicle killed her son, while a separate strike on a tent in Muwasi Khan Younis wounded her son and killed his wife and four children.

“I swear we’ve been waiting for news about a truce every day — but there’s no truce, only news of my son and my daughter-in-law and her children being killed,” she said at a school in Khan Younis where she’s sheltering alongside many other displaced families.

Later at a nearby cemetery, she prayed over the graves of her family, marked only by headstones of cinderblock rubble stuck in the dry earth.

Malak Abu Awad, Fatma’s daughter, scrolled through pictures of the dead children on her phone. She said it’s pointless to keep hoping that ceasefire negotiations will bring an end to the war.

“On the contrary, we have more martyrs and are losing more of our of loved ones,” she said.

Gaza’s Health Ministry said Thursday that the death toll in Gaza surpassed 46,000 people, with at least 109,378 people wounded since the war began on Oct. 7, 2023.

TEL AVIV, Israel — Two drones were launched from Yemen toward Israel on Thursday evening, the military said, although there were no injuries according to Israel’s Magen David Adom rescue service.

The latest drone attack came hours after the Israeli military said the Houthis, a Yemeni rebel group backed by Iran, have targeted Israel with more than 40 missiles and around 320 drones since October 2023. The military said the vast majority of the surface-to-surface missiles were intercepted before reaching Israeli airspace, and that the air force intercepted 100 of the drones.

Two drones have exploded inside Israel, in one case killing a man in Tel Aviv and wounding 10 others. Last month, a Houthi missile struck a playground in Tel Aviv, wounding 16 people, and caused damage at an empty school.

The Houthis have also been attacked shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, and say they won’t stop until there is a ceasefire in Gaza.

In response, Israeli and U.S.-led forces have carried out airstrikes in Yemen's capital of Sanaa and the port city of Hodeida, killing dozens. The U.S. has bombed what it says are weapons systems, military bases and other equipment belonging to the Iranian-backed rebels.

While the damage from Houthi fire in Israel is minimal compared with heavy damage from missiles and drones from Gaza and Lebanon, the persistent launches threaten Israel’s economy, keeping many foreign airlines away and preventing the country from restarting its hard-hit tourism industry.

TEL AVIV, Israel — Family members of Israeli hostages who have been killed in Gaza implored on Thursday their government and world leaders to bring about a hostage deal.

“Military pressure has killed and is killing them,” said Meirav Svirsky, sister of the late Itay Svirsky whose body was recovered from Gaza last month after he was killed in captivity.

“The policy that prioritizes the continuation of fighting must be replaced by a policy of saving lives and a policy committed to the return of all the hostages,” she said.

The joint statement came a day after Israeli soldiers recovered the body of 53-year-old hostage Yosef AlZayadni in an underground tunnel in southern Gaza.

“We don’t want any more people to join our community of agony and pain,” said Rachel Goldberg-Polin, the Israeli American mother of the late hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin.

Hundreds of thousands of Israelis took to the streets this summer to demand a ceasefire and the return of the hostages after Israel recovered the bodies of six hostages, including Hersh Goldberg-Polin.

BEIRUT — Lebanon’s parliament voted Thursday to elect the country’s army commander, Joseph Aoun, as head of state, filling a more than two-year-long presidential vacuum.

The session was the legislature’s 13th attempt to elect a successor to former President Michel Aoun — no relation to the army commander — whose term ended in October 2022.

The vote came weeks after a tenuous ceasefire agreement halted a 14-month conflict between Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah and at a time when Lebanon’s leaders are seeking international assistance for reconstruction.

Aoun was widely seen as the preferred candidate of the United States and Saudi Arabia, whose assistance Lebanon will need to ensure that Israel withdraws its forces from southern Lebanon as stipulated in the agreement and to fund the post-war rebuilding.

More than 46,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Israel-Hamas war, Gaza’s Health Ministry said Thursday. The ministry said a total of 46,006 Palestinians have been killed and 109,378 wounded.

It has said women and children make up more than half the fatalities, but did not say how many of the dead were fighters or civilians.

The Israeli military says it has killed over 17,000 militants, without providing evidence. It says it tries to avoid harming civilians and blames Hamas for their deaths because the militants operate in residential areas. Israel has also repeatedly struck what it claims are militants hiding in shelters and hospitals, often killing women and children.

On Thursday, dozens of people took part in funeral prayers outside the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in the central Gaza city of Deir al-Balah for people killed in Israeli strikes the day before.

In the hospital morgue, a man could be seen kneeling and bidding farewell to a relative before slamming a refrigerator door in an outburst of grief.

Palestinian health officials said Israeli airstrikes killed at least nine people in Gaza on Wednesday, including three infants — among them a 1-week-old baby — and two women.

ANKARA, Turkey — Turkey’s interior affairs minister says a total of 52,622 refugees have returned to Syria from Turkey in the first month following Bashar Assad’s removal from power on Dec. 8.

Speaking at the Cilvegozu border crossing between Turkey and Syria on Thursday, Ali Yerlikaya said that more than 40,000 Syrians had returned with family members while some 11,000 individuals crossed into Syria alone.

“The voluntary, safe, honorable and regular returns have started to increase,” Yerlikaya said.

Turkey has hosted the largest number of Syrian refugees since the outbreak of the Syrian civil war in 2011 — more than 3.8 million at its peak in 2022.

JERUSALEM — The Israeli military has further tightened restrictions on media coverage of the war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip amid mounting concerns that soldiers could face legal action abroad.

The restrictions announced late Wednesday mainly apply to media interviews, and include a requirement that soldiers holding the rank of colonel or below only be filmed from behind and identified by their first initial. Those ranked brigadier general or above can be identified, but must receive prior guidelines.

Any filming in combat zones also must be approved by the military’s legal department.

Israel has barred foreign journalists from entering Gaza outside of embeds organized by the military.

The military recently warned soldiers against posting on social media after legal action over alleged war crimes was initiated against a soldier who was visiting Brazil.

Israel says it is operating in accordance with international law in Gaza and makes every effort to avoid harming civilians. But soldiers have posted dozens of photos and videos that appear to show them rummaging through homes and burning or blowing up residential buildings.

The military says it investigates and punishes any violations of military conduct. It says Hamas has built extensive military infrastructure in civilian areas, necessitating the demolition of buildings.

The army says it is working on additional guidelines for soldiers on what they can post to social media.

NEW YORK — Family members of Americans being held hostage in Gaza are planning to attend President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration later this month.

Representatives for the family members said they plan to meet with officials in the incoming Trump administration and members of Congress to urge them to prioritize the safe return of the hostages.

Seven Americans are among the dozens of hostages still held by Hamas in Gaza.

Trump has sent his incoming special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, to Qatar this week for additional talks to work on their release. The Republican president-elect has threatened Hamas by warning that “All hell will break out” if the hostages aren't released.

Fatma Abu Awad and her daughter Malak pray in a graveyard where their relatives who were killed by an Israeli airstrike are buried, in Khan Younis, Gaza, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

FILE - Palestinians mourn their relatives killed in the Israeli bombardment of Maghazi in the Gaza Strip, during their funeral at a hospital morgue in Deir al-Balah, Gaza, Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana, File)

Israeli soldiers attend the funeral of 1st Sgt. Matityahu Ya'akov Perel, who was killed in a battle in the Gaza Strip, at the Mount Herzl military cemetery in Jerusalem, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)

Destroyed buildings stand inside the Gaza Strip, as seen from southern Israel, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

Palestinian women look at a damaged residential building following an overnight Israeli strike in Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

Members of the Bedouin community, part of Israel's Palestinian minority who have Israeli citizenship, attend the funeral of Yosef Al Zaydani in Rahat, southern Israel, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025 after the Israeli military said his body of was recovered in an underground tunnel in southern Gaza Strip. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)

Kareem Al-Dabaji mourns his brother Anas Al-Dabaji, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike that hit an apartment in Deir Al-Balah, at Al-Aqsa Hospital morgue in Deir Al-Balah, Gaza, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

Lebanese lawmakers count the votes after casting their ballots to elect a new president, at the parliament building in downtown Beirut, Lebanon, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)

Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, right, casts his vote to elect a new president, at the parliament building in downtown Beirut, Lebanon, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. (Lebanese Parliament media office via AP)

Smoke rises following an explosion in the Gaza Strip, as seen from southern Israel, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)

Members of the Bedouin community, part of Israel's Palestinian minority who have Israeli citizenship, attend the funeral of Yosef Al Zaydani in Rahat, southern Israel, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025 after the Israeli military said his body of was recovered in an underground tunnel in southern Gaza Strip. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)

Members of the Bedouin community, part of Israel's Palestinian minority who have Israeli citizenship, attend the funeral of Yosef Al Zaydani in Rahat, southern Israel, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025 after the Israeli military said his body of was recovered in an underground tunnel in southern Gaza Strip. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)

A Palestinian looks at a damaged residential building following an overnight Israeli strike in Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip, Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

Palestinians look at a damaged residential building following an overnight Israeli strike in Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip, Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

LOS ANGELES (AP) — At least five people were killed and thousands of structures were burned as fierce wildfires raged in the Los Angeles area, officials said. Fast-moving flames blazed through homes and businesses as residents fled smoke-filled canyons and picturesque neighborhoods that are home to many celebrities.

Many of the towering fires that began Tuesday were fueled by powerful Santa Ana winds, which gusted to more than 70 mph (112 kph) in some spots. The winds dropped Thursday, but the National Weather Service warned that even the reduced gusts could still spread fire rapidly and the wind is expected to strengthen again Thursday evening. Another round of strong winds may form Tuesday.

The exact death toll remained unclear Thursday morning, but the total is expected to rise as crews begin to search the rubble.

Gov. Gavin Newsom said the state has deployed more than 1,400 firefighting personnel to battle the blazes. Oregon, Washington, Utah, New Mexico and Arizona were dispatching teams to assist.

AccuWeather estimated $52 billion to $57 billion in preliminary damage and economic loss has occurred from the fires.

Here's what to know about the fires:

Thousands of structures have been damaged or destroyed in the hilly coastal neighborhood of Pacific Palisades, making it the most destructive fire in Los Angeles history.

The wreckage surpassed that of the Sayre Fire of November 2008, which destroyed 604 structures in Sylmar, the northernmost suburb of the city, according to statistics kept by the Wildfire Alliance, a partnership between the city’s fire department and MySafe:LA.

Some 25 square miles (40 square kilometers) burned in Pacific Palisades, which is dotted with celebrity homes and was memorialized by the Beach Boys in their 1960s hit “Surfin’ USA.” The flames torched part of Palisades Charter High School, which has been featured in many Hollywood productions, including the 1976 horror movie “Carrie” and the TV series “Teen Wolf.”

The fire destroyed the public library, two major grocery stores, a pair of banks and several boutiques in Palisades Village. Actor Billy Crystal and his wife Janice lost their home of 45 years.

Farther inland, the Eaton Fire north of Pasadena burned between 200 and 500 structures, substantially damaged five school campuses in Altadena and scorched more than 16.5 square miles (43 square kilometers). Employees at a senior center pushed dozens of residents in wheelchairs and hospital beds to a parking lot to escape.

The Hurst Fire, which started Tuesday night, prompted evacuations in Sylmar in the San Fernando Valley and grew to 1 square mile (2.6 square kilometers).

Late Wednesday, another blaze broke out in the Hollywood Hills. Called the Sunset Fire, it was burning near the Hollywood Bowl and other iconic landmarks, but firefighters were able to hold that blaze to under 1 square mile (2.6 square kilometers).

Nearly 180,000 people were ordered to evacuate — a number that kept changing because evacuation orders were continually being issued.

The flames marched toward highly populated and affluent neighborhoods, including Calabasas and Santa Monica, home to California’s rich and famous. Hollywood stars including Mark Hamill, Mandy Moore and James Woods were among those forced to flee, and Moore later said she lost her home in Altadena.

The fires filled the air with a thick cloud of smoke and ash, prompting air and dust advisories for 17 million people across a vast stretch of Southern California, according to the South Coast Air Quality Management District.

The worst conditions were in the vicinity of the fires. In East Los Angeles, the air quality index hit an unhealthy 173. Good air quality is considered to be 50 or less.

Dr. Puneet Gupta, the assistant medical director for the Los Angeles County Fire Department, said wildfire smoke causes heart attacks and worsens asthma, while burning homes can release cyanide and carbon dioxide.

The Critics Choice Awards rescheduled their Sunday ceremonies for Jan. 26. They're due to be held at the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, only miles from Pacific Palisades.

The organization that puts on the Oscars has extended the voting window for Academy Awards nominations and delayed next week’s planned nominations announcement.

Film studios canceled two movie premieres because of the fires and windy weather, the Universal Studios Hollywood theme park closed for the day because of smoky, windy conditions and the J. Paul Getty Trust said two of its museums will remain closed for the next few days. But Disneyland, which is farther from the fires in Anaheim, remained open.

Universal Studios also canceled shooting for numerous series, including “Hacks,” “Ted Lasso” and “Suits LA.”

All schools were closed Thursday in the Los Angeles Unified School District.

The NHL postponed the Los Angeles Kings’ home game against the Calgary Flames at the Kings’ downtown arena Wednesday night.

The NBA postponed Thursday's scheduled Lakers game against the Hornets because of the fires while the NFL said it is monitoring conditions to determine if Monday's playoff game between the Los Angeles Rams and Minnesota Vikings will be affected. If that game has to be moved, it will be played at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, the home of the Arizona Cardinals.

More than 420,000 customers were without power in Southern California on Thursday morning, with about half of them in Los Angeles County, according to PowerOutage.us, which tracks outages nationwide.

Residents in some areas including Palisades have been ordered to boil their water before using it because ash and debris from the fires have contaminated some water supplies. Officials say the sewer, water and power infrastructure across the region has been significantly damaged.

Looters who are taking advantage of the wildfire crisis in Los Angeles by targeting vulnerable communities will be prosecuted, officials promised during a news conference Thursday morning. There have been at least 20 arrests.

“This is simply unacceptable,” Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Chair Kathryn Barger said. “I promise you, you will be held accountable.”

Thick heavy smoke from wildfires passes over the Hollywood sign in Los Angeles on Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel)

The Eaton Fire engulfs a property Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025 in Altadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)

Firefighters protect a structure as the Eaton Fire advances Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025 in Altadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)

Residents embrace in front of burning structures as the Eaton Fire advances Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025 in Altadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Nic Coury)

Fire explodes out of a window of the Altadena Community Church, Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025, in the downtown Altadena section of Pasadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Firefighters work inside a burned structure while battling the Eaton Fire, Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025, in Altadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Nic Coury)

Trees sway in high winds as the Eaton Fire burns structures Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025 in Altadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)

People watch as the Eaton Fire destroys a neigborhood Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025 in Altadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)

The Palisades Fire ravages a neighborhood amid high winds in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

Firefighters work a hydrant in front of the burning Bunny Museum, Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025, in the Altadena section of Pasadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

The Palisades Fire ravages a neighborhood amid high winds in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

A wildfire-ravaged property is shown after the Palisades Fire swept through in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

A man walks his bike among the ruins left behind by the Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

The Eaton Fire burns vehicles and structures Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025 in Altadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Nic Coury)

A resident of a senior center is evacuated as the Eaton Fire approaches Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025 in Altadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)

A resident of a senior center is evacuated as the Eaton Fire approaches Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025 in Altadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)

The Palisades Fire burns a residence in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)

A firefighter battles the Palisades Fire as it burns a structure in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)