(Reuters) -Israel's prime minister told the family of Alon Ohel, a hostage still held in Gaza, that there was a combined military-diplomatic effort that was being continuously pursued to defeat Hamas and bring back all hostages, his office said in a statement on Wednesday.

Kobi Ohel, the hostages father, said in a statement that he and his wife expect Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will return from his trip to the United States with "news that all the people of Israel are waiting for".

By Michelle Nichols

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) -Iran and European powers remain at loggerheads as they try to strike a last-ditch deal to avert the return of U.N. sanctions before Saturday evening.

Britain, France and Germany launched a 30-day process on August 28 to reimpose U.N. sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program.

The trio, known as the E3, has taken the step over accusations Iran has failed to abide by a 2015 deal with world powers that aimed to prevent it from developing a nuclear weapon.

WHAT IS THE 2015 IRAN NUCLEAR DEAL?

UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher on Wednesday slammed impunity in the face of the "horror" unfolding in Gaza, calling on those with power to stop the "21st-century atrocity."

In recent weeks Israel has launched a major air and ground offensive on Gaza City in a bid to root out Hamas, exacerbating already dire humanitarian conditions there.

ISTANBUL (Reuters) -Turkey's main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) on Wednesday re-elected Ozgur Celik as its Istanbul provincial head, after a court ruling removed him from the post earlier this month over alleged irregularities rejected by the party.

An Istanbul court had ruled that the votes of delegates in the 2023 CHP provincial congress had been influenced by cash payments, and thus the board members elected at the congress should be removed. The court named former CHP deputy chair Gursel Tekin as interim provincial head.

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) -U.S President Donald Trump promised Arab leaders he would not let Israel annex the occupied West Bank, Politico reported on Wednesday, citing six people familiar with the matter.

Two people described Trump as being firm on the topic during their meeting on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, Politico reported.

Two others familiar with the matter, Politico reported, said the U.S. team presented a white paper outlining the Trump administration’s plan to end the Gaza war, including the promise against West Bank annexation.

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) -Iran has no intention to build nuclear weapons, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian told the U.N. General Assembly on Wednesday, just days before international sanctions could be reimposed on his country over Tehran's nuclear ambitions.

"I hereby declare once more before this assembly that Iran has never sought and will never seek to build a nuclear bomb. We do not seek nuclear weapons," Pezeshkian said.

Iran's president repeated Wednesday that his country is not seeking nuclear weapons, after military strikes by Israel and the United States earlier this year, and impending sanctions triggered by European powers.

"I hereby declare once more before this assembly that Iran has never sought and will never seek to build a nuclear bomb," President Masoud Pezeshkian told the United Nations General Assembly.

"The one disturbing peace and stability in the region is Israel, but Iran is the one that gets punished," he said.

Iranian officials at the UN summit this week won't be able to shop in New York after the US government barred them from purchasing everything from bulk household goods to expensive watches.

The restrictions on the visiting Iranians were described by a State Department spokesman as "maximum pressure."

"We will not allow the Iranian regime to allow its clerical elites to have a shopping spree in New York while the Iranian people endure poverty, crumbling infrastructure, and dire shortages of water and electricity," Thomas Pigott said.

The United Nations called Wednesday for an investigation into alleged drone attacks against a Gaza-bound aid flotilla that prompted Italy and Spain to send naval ships to help.

The Global Sumud Flotilla, carrying activists including Swedish environmentalist Greta Thunberg, blamed Israel for more than a dozen explosions heard around its vessels off Greece late on Tuesday.

UN Human Rights Office spokesperson Thameen Al-Kheetan said anyone responsible for the "violations" should be held accountable, and called for an "independent, impartial and thorough investigation".

By Angeliki Koutantou and Alvise Armellini

ATHENS/ROME (Reuters) -An international aid flotilla trying to deliver aid to Gaza said on Wednesday it was attacked overnight by drones in international waters off Greece, prompting Italy to send a navy ship to come to its assistance.

The Global Sumud Flotilla is using about 50 civilian boats to try and break Israel's naval blockade of Gaza, with many lawyers and activists onboard, including Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg.