By Anna Mehler Paperny, Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo

TORONTO (Reuters) -"The Road Between Us: The Ultimate Rescue," a documentary about one man's response to the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack in Israel, faced protests during its Wednesday premiereat the Toronto International Film Festival, where it was almost not shown.

Canadian filmmaker Barry Avrich chronicles the story of retired Israeli Defence Forces Major-General Noam Tibon as he races from Tel Aviv to a kibbutz near the Gaza Strip to save his son and his family.

A Belgian festival said Thursday it stood by its decision to axe a leading German orchestra's performance over concerns about its Israeli conductor -- despite furious protests from Israel and Berlin.

Belgium's foreign minister distanced himself Thursday from the decision by Flanders Festival Ghent, where the Munich Philharmonic was to perform on September 18, led by its future chief conductor, Israel's Lahav Shani.

Israel's ambassador to Belgium described the move as "anti-Semitic" and accused festival organisers of "racism".

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer hosted Israeli President Isaac Herzog for a contentious meeting Wednesday, with relations strained between their countries and protests held against Herzog's London visit.

Herzog's visit came as Starmer has in recent months toughened his criticism of how Israel is waging its war in Gaza, and put the UK on the path to recognise a Palestinian state.

The pair shook hands in front of photographers and TV cameras in Downing Street, with few smiles on display, as the meeting got underway Wednesday afternoon.

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer hosted Israeli President Isaac Herzog for a contentious meeting Wednesday, with the visiting head of state vowing to "voice firm opposition" to Britain's recent stance on Israel.

Herzog's visit comes after Starmer's government has in recent months toughened its criticism of how Israel is waging its war in Gaza, triggering pushback from Israeli leaders.

The pair shook hands in front of photographers and TV cameras in Downing Street, with few smiles on display, as the meeting got underway Wednesday afternoon.

By David Ljunggren

OTTAWA (Reuters) -Canada is evaluating its relationship with Israel after the attack on Hamas leaders in Qatar, foreign minister Anita Anand said on Wednesday, in the latest sign of unhappiness with the Israeli government.

Anand reiterated that Canada considered the attack to be unacceptable, especially given Qatari attempts to facilitate peace in the Middle East.

By Andrew MacAskill and William James

LONDON (Reuters) -Israeli President Isaac Herzog arrived for talks with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer in Downing Street on Wednesday in what is likely to be a tense meeting, with both leaders planning to criticise each other country's recent behaviour.

The meeting comes a day after Israel expanded its attacks on Hamas by launching an airstrike aimed at killing the Islamist group's political leaders in Qatar, a British ally in the Middle East, which Starmer condemned.

The Israeli military said it had intercepted a missile fired from Yemen on Thursday, a day after Israeli forces carried out air strikes that Huthi rebels said killed 46 people and wounded more than 160.

The Iran-backed Huthis have repeatedly launched missiles and drones at Israel since their Palestinian ally Hamas's October 2023 attack on Israel sparked the Gaza war, although no one claimed responsibility for the latest attack.

By Andrew Mills, Rachna Uppal and Yousef Saba

DOHA (Reuters) -Israel's strikes targeting Hamas in Doha, hot on the heels of an Iranian hit on a U.S. base in the Gulf nation in June, could shake Qatar's image as a stable business hub as it seeks to balance commercial goals with global diplomatic ambitions.

By Michael Holden

LONDON (Reuters) -Prince Harry's foundation is to donate $500,000 to projects including the World Health Organisation to help develop prosthetics and provide other support for children from Gaza and Ukraine, his office said on Wednesday.

The announcement came on the third day of the prince's visit to Britain as Harry visited the Centre for Injury Studies (CIS), part of Imperial College London, to learn more about its work, especially its focus on injuries suffered by children and those sustained in natural disasters.

Ahmed was in a university lecture when he heard the bangs: loud explosions from unprecedented Israeli air strikes targeting Hamas that shattered Qatar's peace and put the wealthy Gulf region on edge.

"Honestly no one expected it to be an explosion (from an attack) here. I thought construction workers had dropped something heavy," the 27-year-old Qatari student, who did not want to give his family name, told AFP.