Middle East crisis live: Israeli strike on Gaza residential building kills at least 73 people, officials say

Israel says number of dead exaggerated after strike on town of Beit Lahiya in northern GazaAt least 759 Palestinian people in the occupied West Bank have been killed by Israeli forces since last October, Wafa, the Palestinian news agency, cited the territory’s health ministry as saying. The ministry said among the victims were 165 children and 18 women. There were over 6,500 recorded injuries. Most of the Palestinians there have been killed by Israeli troops and some by settlers, according to local health officials.Israeli forces have intensified their nearly daily search and arrest raids in the West Bank since its war on Gaza was launched following the Hamas-led 7 October attacks on southern Israel in 2023. The number of Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank – which are considered illegal under international law – have hit new records. Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu governs with the support of far-right parties that advocate more Israeli settlements in the West Bank and outright annexation. Israel says it is trying to stem Palestinian attacks in the West Bank and Israel. Continue reading...