WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. President Donald Trump declined to say whether he supported or opposed a potential military takeover of Gaza by Israel and said his administration's focus was on increasing food access to the Palestinian enclave under assault from Washington's ally.

"As far as the rest of it, I really can't say. That's going to be pretty much up to Israel," Trump told reporters on Tuesday.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met senior security officials on Tuesday, with media reporting he favored a complete military takeover of Gaza.

(Reuters) -The United Nations on Tuesday called reports about a possible decision to expand Israel's military operations throughout the Gaza Strip "deeply alarming" if true.

U.N. Assistant Secretary-General Miroslav Jenca told a U.N. Security Council meeting on the situation in Gaza that such a move "would risk catastrophic consequences ... and could further endanger the lives of the remaining hostages in Gaza.

"International law is clear in the regard; Gaza is and must remain an integral part of the future Palestinian state," he added.

BERLIN (Reuters) -More than 100 Israeli academics have warned in a letter that a failure by Germany to put pressure on Israel could lead to new atrocities in Gaza.

"Further hesitation on Germany's part threatens to enable new atrocities - and undermines the lessons learnt from its own history," the academics wrote in the letter, addressed to senior Social Democrat (SPD) lawmakers Rolf Muetzenich and Adis Ahmetovic and seen by Reuters on Tuesday.

More countries must recognise a Palestinian state and stand up to Israel to stop its "genocidal activities", South Africa's Foreign Minister Ronald Lamola told AFP in an interview Tuesday.

Pretoria has been a leading critic of Israel's actions in Gaza, bringing a case before the UN's top court in December 2023 arguing that its war in the Palestinian territory amounted to genocide.

As some of Israel's allies "are now also saying, no, this can't continue, it means that it is bringing us closer and closer to the Israel regime (stopping) the genocidal activities", Lamola said.

The brother of Israeli hostage Evyatar David called on the world to "come together" to secure his freedom following the publication of a video in which the emaciated captive was shown purportedly digging his own grave.

David, 24, is one of 251 people taken captive by Hamas and its allies during their October 7, 2023 attack on southern Israel, which triggered the war in Gaza.

More than 90 people were killed when a migrant boat sank off Yemen's coast, Yemeni officials and a source at the International Organization for Migration told AFP Tuesday, updating earlier tolls.

The boat carrying mostly Ethiopian migrants sank on Sunday as it headed towards Abyan governorate in southern Yemen, a frequent destination for boats smuggling African migrants hoping to reach the wealthy Gulf states.

BEIRUT (Reuters) -Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem threatened Israel directly for the first time in months in a televised speech on Tuesday, saying missiles would fall on it if it resumed a broad war on Lebanon.

His comments came as Lebanon's cabinet met to discuss the fate of Hezbollah's arsenal, after Washington pressured Lebanese officials to commit to disarming the Iran-backed group and amid fears that Israel could intensify strikes if they fail to do so.

A British couple held in Iran on espionage charges spoke by phone Tuesday with relatives in the UK for the first time since they were detained in January, their family announced.

It comes after their children learned over the weekend that Lindsay and Craig Foreman, both 52, have been moved to separate prisons in and near Tehran, heightening fears for their welfare.

Iranian authorities seized the pair in Kerman, in central Iran, in early January while they were on a round-the-world motorbike trip, claiming the following month that they were suspected spies.

More countries must recognise a Palestinian state and stand up to Israel to stop its "genocidal activities", South Africa's Foreign Minister Ronald Lamola told AFP in an interview Tuesday.

Pretoria has been a leading critic of Israel's actions in Gaza, bringing a case before the UN's top court in December 2023 arguing that its war in the Palestinian territory amounted to genocide.

As some of Israel's allies "are now also saying, no, this can't continue, it means that it is bringing us closer and closer to the Israel regime to stop the genocidal activities", Lamola said.

DUBAI (Reuters) -Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has appointed Ali Larijani, a senior adviser to the supreme leader, as secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, the semi-official Fars news agency reported on Tuesday.

The appointment takes place amid institutional changes following a 12-day air war with Israel in June, the Islamic Republic's most severe security challenge since a war with Saddam Hussein's Iraq in the 1980s.