ROME (Reuters) -Italy and Greece on Wednesday called on Israel not to hurt activists aboard an international flotilla, which is bracing for Israeli action to prevent it from delivering aid to Gaza.

"(We) are calling on the Israeli authorities to ensure the safety and security of the participants and to allow for all consular protection measures," the two countries said in a joint statement issued by their respective foreign ministers.

NEW DELHI (Reuters) -It is highly unlikely that UN peacekeeping forces will be deployed in Ukraine or Gaza given the compositionoftheUnited Nations Security Council, a senior Indian defence ministry official said on Wednesday.

The official, Vishwesh Negi, was speaking at a press conference of the conclave of army chiefs of United Nations troop contributing countries in New Delhi.

He was replying to questions about the possibility of deployment of UN peacekeepers in Ukraine and Gaza.

Israel issued a final warning Wednesday for people to flee Gaza's main city, as Hamas weighed US President Donald Trump's plan to end nearly two years of war in the Palestinian territory.

Witnesses reported heavy bombardment in Gaza City, as Israel's defence minister, Israel Katz, said the army was tightening its encirclement of the city.

By Alexander Cornwell and May Angel

TEL AVIV/JERUSALEM (Reuters) -Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s support for Donald Trump’s Gaza plan is a gamble that may win back estranged allies abroad and repair his political base at home but risks a battle with coalition partners opposed to any hint of a Palestinian state.

Netanyahu, aligning himself with Trump, framed the plan as a joint effort that advances his government's goals while shifting international criticism about the war onto Hamas, which must now choose between accepting it or facing continued siege.

DUBAI (Reuters) -The range of Iran's missiles will be increased to any point deemed necessary, a senior Revolutionary Guards commander told the semi-official Fars news agency on Wednesday, in response to what he said were Western demands to curb Tehran's missiles.

Demands by the U.S. and some European countries to impose restrictions on Iran's missile capabilities have been one of the issues blocking the path to a nuclear deal, according to Iranian officials.

By Nidal al-Mughrabi

CAIRO (Reuters) -Hamas's review of U.S. President Donald Trump's Gaza plan stretched into a third day on Wednesday, a source close to the militant group said, as other Palestinian factions rejected the proposal and as Israel again bombed Gaza City.

Trump on Tuesday gave Hamas "three or four days" to respond to the plan he outlined this week with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has backed the proposal to end Israel's almost two-year-old war with the Palestinian militant group.

(Reuters) -At least 14 flights scheduled to operate out of Kabul airport on Wednesday were cancelled, with the status of other flights unclear, data from plane tracker Flightradar24 showed, following an internet shutdown in Afghanistan.

Growing chaos from the Taliban administration's order on Monday to cut internet and cell phone connections has hit banks, aid work, businesses, and the ability of Afghans to connect with family and friends. It has also left many stranded in Afghanistan, with flights cancelled.

ADEN (Reuters) -Yemen's Houthi militants claimed responsibility on Wednesday for an attack on the Dutch-flagged general cargo ship Minervagracht, which caught fire in the Gulf of Aden.

The Iran-aligned group has launched numerous assaults on vessels in the Red Sea since 2023, targeting ships they deem linked to Israel in what they describe as solidarity with Palestinians over Israel's war on Gaza.

The Houthis' military spokesperson said Monday's attack was carried out by a cruise missile.

(Reuters) -The international flotilla trying to deliver aid to Gaza said on Wednesday that several of its boats were approached by unidentified vessels, some navigating without lights.

The Global Sumud Flotilla said in post on Telegram that the vessels have departed, and participants implemented security protocols in anticipation of a possible interception.

(Reporting by Mrinmay Dey in Bengaluru; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman)

By Phil Stewart

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The Pentagon recommitted itself in a statement on Tuesday to scaling back its military mission in Iraq, a process that a U.S. official said will see Baghdad command efforts to combat remnants of Islamic State inside its own country.

Under the plan, the U.S. and its coalition allies would instead focus on combating Islamic State remnants in Syria and shift most of their personnel to Iraq's Kurdistan region to carry out that mission, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.