Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday that Israel must "complete" the defeat of Hamas in Gaza to secure the release of the remaining hostages, days ahead of a cabinet meeting to discuss an updated war plan.
Recent footage of weak and emaciated captives has sparked outrage in Israel, while UN experts also warn of an unfolding famine for Palestinians in Gaza.
Oil giant Saudi Aramco announced its 10th straight drop in quarterly profits on Tuesday as a slump in prices hit revenues, putting more pressure on the key driver of the Saudi economy.
Second-quarter profits slid 22 percent year-on-year to 85 billion riyals ($22.67 billion), extending a decline that stretches back to late 2022.
"The decrease in revenue was mainly due to lower crude oil prices and lower refined and chemical products prices," Aramco said in its quarterly report.
By Lefteris Papadimas
ATHENS (Reuters) -It took just minutes for a new Greek-made anti-drone system to show what it is capable of.
On its first test run with a European Union patrol in the Red Sea a year ago, the Centauros system detected and swiftly brought down two aerial drones launched by Yemen's Houthis, who have been attacking merchant vessels in the busy shipping lane.
(Reuters) -Israel will allow gradual and controlled entry of goods to Gaza through local merchants, COGAT, the Israeli military agency that coordinates aid, said on Tuesday.
"This aims to increase the volume of aid entering the Gaza Strip, while reducing reliance on aid collection by the U.N. and international organisations," the agency said.
Saudi Aramco's profit slid 22 percent in the second quarter to 85 billion riyals ($22.67 billion) as a slump in prices hit revenues, the oil giant said on Tuesday.
Aramco, the world's biggest oil exporter and driver of the Saudi economy, has now seen profits decline for 10 straight quarters since record results in late 2022.
"The decrease in revenue was mainly due to lower crude oil prices and lower refined and chemical products prices," Aramco said in its quarterly report.
As it grinds on well into its twenty-second month, Israel's war in Gaza has set friends and families against one another and sharpened existing political and cultural divides.
Hostage families and peace activists want Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government to secure a ceasefire with Hamas and free the remaining captives abducted during the October 2023 Hamas attacks.
Right-wing members of Netanyahu's cabinet, meanwhile, want to seize the moment to occupy and annex more Palestinian land, at the risk of sparking further international criticism.
By Kanishka Singh
(Reuters) -Canada said on Monday it delivered humanitarian assistance through airdrops to Gaza, which has been under a devastating Israeli military assault for almost 22 months, with Ottawa again accusing Israel of violating international law.
"The (Canadian Armed Forces) employed a CC-130J Hercules aircraft to conduct an airdrop of critical humanitarian aid in support of Global Affairs Canada into the Gaza Strip. The air drop consisted of 21,600 pounds of aid," the Canadian government said in a statement.
A British couple detained in Iran for seven months on espionage charges have been moved to separate prisons in and near Tehran, heightening fears for their welfare, their son told AFP on Monday.
Lindsay and Craig Foreman, both 52 and who previously split their time between southeast England and Spain, were seized in Kerman, in central Iran, in early January while on a round-the-world motorbike trip.
JERUSALEM (Reuters) -Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday he would convene his security cabinet this week to discuss how to instruct the military to meet his war goals in Gaza.
"We must continue to stand together and fight together to achieve all our war objectives: the defeat of the enemy, the release of our hostages, and the assurance that Gaza will no longer pose a threat to Israel," Netanyahu said at the outset of a regular cabinet meeting.
By Markus Wacket
BERLIN (Reuters) -A senior lawmaker in German Chancellor Friedrich Merz's coalition on Monday said Berlin should consider sanctions on Israel including a partial suspension of weapons exports or the suspension of a European Union-wide political agreement.
The call by Siemtje Moeller, the deputy leader of the Social Democrats (SPD) parliamentary faction, reflects a sharpening of rhetoric from Berlin against Israel which has yet to yield any major policy changes however.
