Israel-Hamas war Highlights: Gaza blast stirs protests in Middle East & Washington

Bundesliga soccer club Mainz has suspended Dutch forward Anwar El Ghazi for what it called an “unacceptable” social media post about the Israel-Hamas war.

The club said on its website that it has “relieved Anwar El Ghazi of his training and matchday related duties” because of a post he shared Sunday that he since deleted. It does not say what the post contained, nor whether the player will return to play for the club.

Mainz spokesperson Silke Bannick declined Wednesday to give further details, saying only that El Ghazi was “released from training and matchday activities. Please understand that we will not comment further beyond the official statement.”

On its website, Mainz said: “In the post, El Ghazi stated an opinion on the ongoing conflict in the Middle East that was deemed unacceptable by the club. Prior to making this decision, the club and the player had engaged in an in-depth discussion.”

Israel-Hamas war LIVE: “I'm proud to be in Israel to honour the courage, commitment, and bravery of the Israeli people,” US President Joe Biden said in an X post.

“Americans are grieving with you following last week’s terror attacks,” he added.

The Senate is moving quickly to confirm Jacob Lew as ambassador to Israel, holding a hearing on his nomination Wednesday as President Joe Biden visits the region to reinforce U.S. support for Israel and try to ease tensions in its new war with Hamas.

The number of French citizens killed in the attacks by Hamas in Israel has risen to 24, said French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne.

Israel-Hamas war LIVE: The United States announced sanctions on Wednesday against a group of 10 Hamas members and the Palestinian militant organization's financial network across Gaza, Sudan, Turkey, Algeria and Qatar.

British foreign minister James Cleverly told parliament he would travel to the Middle East on Wednesday, outlining a diplomatic push that a British source said would include a visit to Egypt and possibly Qatar and Turkey.

Britain has called for "cool heads" following a blast at a hospital in Gaza that killed huge numbers of Palestinians and repeatedly said the Israel-Hamas conflict must not escalate to the wider region.

"I have travelled to Israel, I've engaged with G7 allies, regional partners, and will be visiting the region again later on today because we recognise that this will require intensive efforts," he told parliament.

"The continued endorsement of the Zionist narrative by the US administration makes it complicit in the occupation's massacres and the Baptist hospital massacre in Gaza," HAMAS said in a statement.

"Deeply shocked at the tragic loss of lives at the Al Ahli Hospital in Gaza. Our heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims, and prayers for the speedy recovery of those injured," Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on X.

"Civilian casualties in the ongoing conflict are a matter of serious and continuing concern. Those involved should be held responsible," the Indian PM said.

Israel-Hamas war LIVE: "The displacement of Palestinians from Gaza to Egypt means the same displacement will take place for Palestinians from the West Bank into Jordan," Egypt President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said.

"Subsequently, the Palestinian state that we are talking about and that the world is talking about will become impossible to implement -- because the land is there, but the people are not. Therefore, I warn of the danger of this matter."

"Last night, too many jumped to conclusions around the tragic loss of life at Al Ahli hospital," British foreign minister James Cleverly wrote in a post on X on Wednesday.

"Getting this wrong would put even more lives at risk. Wait for the facts, report them clearly and accurately. Cool heads must prevail," he added.

Israel-Hamas war LIVE: "I was deeply saddened and outraged by the explosion at the hospital in Gaza yesterday. And based on what I've seen, it appears as though it was done by the other team," US President Joe Biden said as he met Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Tel Aviv.

Israel-Hamas war LIVE: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Isaac Herzog warmly greeted Biden at Ben Gurion Airport.

• Biden's initial purpose for the trip was to secure additional humanitarian aid for Palestinian civilians after the Hamas incursion from Gaza into southern Israel. However, the Gaza hospital blast curtailed the meeting.

• Biden shortened his trip and shifted the focus to providing a strong public show of support after the Hamas assault.

• In Tel Aviv, Biden will discuss with Netanyahu and senior aides, followed by a conversation with Israel's war cabinet to address the country's defense-assistance requirements.

• The American president plans to meet with Israeli families affected by the conflict, including those with relatives held hostage in Gaza. He will also deliver public remarks on the situation and hold discussions with President Herzog.

"On October 7, Hamas murdered 1,400 Israelis, maybe more," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told U.S. President Joe Biden in televised remarks. He called on countries to rally behind Israel as it wages what he described as a war "between the forces of civilisation and the forces of barbarism".

U.S. President Joe Biden says HAMAS slaughtered more than 1,300 people, including 31 Americans.

Israel-Hamas war: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday condoled the loss of lives in the attack on hospital in Gaza that killed at least 500 people. “Deeply shocked at the tragic loss of lives at the Al Ahli Hospital in Gaza. Our heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims, and prayers for speedy recovery of those injured. Civilian casualties in the ongoing conflict are a matter of serious and continuing concern. Those involved should be held responsible,” he wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Israel-Hamas war LIVE: A survivor of the Hamas attack, Sabitha from Kerala - who is a caregiver in Israel, recounted her horror of the October 7 attack. Narrating her experience, Sabitha said, “It was my night duty and I was about to leave when around 6:30 we heard the sirens and ran to a safety room. It was non-stop…Within a few minutes, we heard the terrorists breaking into our house, shooting, breaking glasses. We were there for half an hour holding onto the door. The terrorists were in the house from almost 7:30...they were trying to open the door from outside but we tried our best to hold on to the door." Read more here

Israel-Hamas war: US President Joe Biden landed in Israel to show solidarity amid the ongoing war with Hamas militant group.

Israel-Hamas war: The Israeli army said Wednesday it had "evidence" that militants were responsible for the blast that killed hundreds at a Gaza hospital, saying a review proved others were at fault. "The evidence - which we are sharing with you all - confirms that the explosion at the hospital in Gaza was caused by an Islamic Jihad rocket that misfired," military spokesman Daniel Hagari said during a press conference in Tel Aviv.

Israel-Hamas war: The Israeli military on Wednesday released footage from the area around the Gaza hospital - before and after it was attacked. According to Israel, the rocket was launched by Islamic Jihad.

Israel-Hamas war: Russia's foreign ministry said on Wednesday that a strike on a hospital in Gaza that killed hundreds of Palestinians was a shockingly dehumanising crime and said that Israel should provide satellite imagery if it was not involved. "We qualify such a felonious deed as a crime - as an act of dehumanisation," Russian foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said, reported Reuters citing Radio Sputnik.

Israel-Hamas war: The Israeli military said on Wednesday that humanitarian aid would be made available to Palestinians who flee Gaza City southward, but did not immediately provide details on whether or how such aid would be brought into the enclave.

Israeli Ambassador to India, Naor Gilon on Wednesday said that the Hamas terror group is afraid of the Israel Defence Forces and is putting pressure on them to prevent any further action on Hamas. "After cowardly murdering, abducting and abusing defenceless Israeli citizens, they are afraid to confront the IDF, they are trying to create international pressure to prevent us from taking action. But nothing will prevent us from making sure that these murderers will not be able to repeat their atrocities...Come out of the tunnels and fight us," he said.

Ahead of US President Joe Biden's visit to Israel amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine, security has been tightened in Tel Aviv.

Israel on Wednesday called on residents in Gaza City and in the northern part of the besieged enclave to evacuate to the al-Mawasi area, in the west of the Khan Yunis governorate in the south, reported Al Jazeera.

The Hamas militant group has offered to release all the hostages on a condition - that Israel stops bombing Gaza immediately, reported NBC news. The condition came shortly after the deadly attack on a hospital in Gaza that killed at least 500 people.