By Olivia Le Poidevin

GENEVA, April 29 (Reuters) - The World Health Organization said on Wednesday that attacks on healthcare facilities and staff are increasing globally, with a notable uptick recorded since the recent conflict in the Middle East began.

Before the U.S. and Israel launched airstrikes on Iran at the end of February, attacks globally on such facilities and staff averaged about 3.7 per day, but that has now increased to 4.3, the WHO said.

Demand for summer air travel is holding up well despite airlines hiking ticket prices, although possible shortages of jet fuel could throw a wrench in the key travel period, an industry trade body said Wednesday.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA), which unites most of the world's leading airlines, said demand for air travel held up well in March despite the war in the Middle East.

Passenger volume rose by 2.1 percent compared to March last year, while the number of flights dropped by 1.7 percent.

LONDON, April 29 (Reuters) - At least six ships - a fraction of the usual traffic - have crossed the Strait of Hormuz in the past 24 hours, shipping data showed on Wednesday, while the U.S. and Iran remain deadlocked over coming to terms that would re-open the crucial waterway.

The vessel traffic was mainly through Iranian waters and included the Vast Plus chemical tanker, which is subject to US sanctions, according to Kpler ship-tracking data and satellite analysis from SynMax.

By Pesha Magid, Nidal al-Mughrabi and Alexander Cornwell

JERUSALEM, April 29 (Reuters) - New maps of Gaza quietly issued by Israel a little more than a month ago have put thousands of displaced Palestinians inside an expanded restricted area, within boundaries the military says it can continue to change.

WASHINGTON, April 29 (Reuters) - The United States' war in Iran has cost $25 billion so far, a senior Pentagon official said on Wednesday, providing the first official estimate of the military's price tag for the conflict.

With just six months before mid-term elections in which Trump's Republicans may face an uphill battle to keep their House majority, Democrats are riding high in public opinion polls as they attempt to link the unpopular Iran war with affordability.

By Jonathan Allen and Maria Tsvetkova

WASHINGTON/NEW YORK, April 29 (Reuters) - Britain's King Charles and his wife Queen Camilla arrive in New York on Wednesday to commemorate victims of the September 11, 2001, al Qaeda attack on the city, part of a four-day state visit to the U.S.

UN rights experts on Wednesday urged Saudi Arabia to ditch their foreign labour system in the build-up to the 2034 football World Cup, citing abuse and exploitation concerns.

The kingdom's "kafala" sponsorship system binds foreign workers to their employers, making it difficult for them to leave their jobs.

In 2021 Riyadh announced the easing of some kafala-related restrictions, specifically when it comes to requesting exit permits, but activists say the changes were limited and exempted millions, notably domestic workers.

KYIV, April 29 (Reuters) - Ukraine has requested that Israel seize a vessel carrying grain it says was stolen from areas occupied by Russia, its top prosecutor said on Wednesday, after the shipment sparked a diplomatic tussle between the countries.

Ukraine and Israel traded accusations on Tuesday, with Ukraine saying it had repeatedly urged Israel via diplomatic channels to take measures regarding the vessel. Israel accused Kyiv of "Twitter diplomacy".

Two Jewish men were wounded in stabbings in north London on Wednesday, investigated by police in the British capital as a "terrorist incident", after a series of antisemitic attacks in recent weeks.

King Charles III and Prime Minister Keir Starmer led the condemnation of the "appalling" late morning assaults in Golders Green, which is home to a large Jewish population.

Police said a 45-year-old man -- a British national born in Somalia -- was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder.

LONDON, April 29 (Reuters) - British police arrested a man after two people were stabbed in an area of north London with a large Jewish population, a community organisation said on Wednesday, amid a recent spate of anti-semitic attacks in the capital.

The Jewish organisation, Shomrim, said on X that a man was seen running with a knife in Golders Green and attempting to stab Jewish members of the public, before its officers detained him.