Israeli defense minister says troops will remain in Gaza, Lebanon and Syria indefinitely

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel’s defense minister said on Wednesday that troops will remain in so-called security zones in the Gaza Strip, Lebanon and Syria indefinitely, remarks that could further complicate talks with Hamas over a ceasefire and hostage release.

Meanwhile, Israeli strikes across Gaza killed another 22 people, according to local health officials, including a girl who was not yet a year old. The girl’s mother, who was wounded, embraced her daughter, still wearing a bloodied blue dress, before she was taken for burial.

Israeli forces have taken over more than half of Gaza in a renewed campaign to pressure Hamas militants to release hostages after Israel ended their ceasefire last month. Israel has also refused to withdraw from some areas in Lebanon following a ceasefire with the Hezbollah militant group last year, and it seized a buffer zone in southern Syria after rebels overthrew Syrian President Bashar Assad in December.

“Unlike in the past, the (Israeli military) is not evacuating areas that have been cleared and seized,” Defense Minister Israel Katz said in a statement. The military “will remain in the security zones as a buffer between the enemy and (Israeli) communities in any temporary or permanent situation in Gaza — as in Lebanon and Syria.”

The Palestinians and both neighboring countries view the presence of Israeli troops as military occupation in violation of international law.

Lebanese president Joseph Aoun said that Israel’s continued presence in some areas in Lebanon was “hindering" the Lebanese army’s full deployment as required by the ceasefire negotiated with Israel.

Two Israeli drones strikes on Wednesday in southern Lebanon killed two people, the health ministry said. The U.N. said Israeli strikes in Lebanon have killed more than 70 civilians since the ceasefire took effect in November.

Hamas has said it will not release dozens of remaining hostages without a complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and a lasting ceasefire.

“They promised that the hostages come first. In practice, Israel is choosing to seize territory before the hostages," the main organization representing families of the hostages said in a statement. “There is one solution that is desirable and feasible, and that is the release of all the hostages at once as part of an agreement, even at the cost of ending the war."

Israel says it must maintain control of what it refers to as security zones to prevent a repeat of Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, attack in which thousands of militants stormed into southern Israel from Gaza, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting 251.

Israel’s offensive has killed over 51,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which does not say how many were civilians or combatants but says women and children make up more than half of the dead. Israel says it has killed some 20,000 militants, without providing evidence.

Ahlam Seiam’s family had planned to celebrate her first birthday later this month. Then the Israeli strike hit the building where they had pitched a tent on the roof.

Her grandfather, Nashat, said the family was awakened by a blast overnight. When he raced to the roof, he found his son, Mohammed, sobbing.

“I found her like this,” he said as he held the girl's body.

Associated Press footage showed the mother, wrapped in bandages, cradling her daughter one last time in the hospital bed.

Israel says it only targets militants and blames Hamas for civilian deaths because its fighters operate in residential areas. The grandfather said there were no militants in the area of the strike. There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military.

The family had fled to Khan Younis from the southern city of Rafah after Israel renewed its offensive last month. “Wherever you go, death will catch up with you. There is no escape,” the grandfather said.

Nermin Zughrub, Ahlam’s aunt, scrolled through photos of the girl on her phone.

“If the world doesn’t wake up today, when will it?” she said. “Every day, massacres. Every day, children.”

Israel's bombardment and ground operations have left vast areas of the territory uninhabitable and have displaced around 90% of the population of roughly 2 million Palestinians. Many have been displaced multiple times.

Hundreds of thousands are crammed into squalid tent camps with dwindling food as an aid blockade in Gaza imposed by Israel entered its seventh week. The U.N. humanitarian office, or OCHA, said Wednesday that humanitarian workers on the ground are reporting a rise in acute malnutrition across the Gaza Strip.

Water has become increasingly scarce, with Palestinians desperately lining up in front of water trucks clutching containers and jerrycans. Omar Shatat, deputy director of Gaza's Coastal Water Utility, told The Associated Press that each person gets six to seven liters of potable water each day, calling it a “water catastrophe.”

”Water, it’s the simplest thing," said Nevin Al-Dahloul, a displaced woman from Beit Lahiya. “We’re not asking for luxury, it’s our most basic right.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to annihilate Hamas and return the 59 hostages still in Gaza — 24 of whom are believed to still be alive.

On Wednesday, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad militant group released a video of hostage Rom Braslavski. It was the first sign of life of him, though recently released hostages had said they had seen him in captivity. In the video, which was filmed under duress, Braslavski says he was held in terrible conditions and pleads with Netanyahu to stop the war and allow humanitarian aid into Gaza.

Netanyahu also has said that Israel will implement U.S. President Donald Trump's proposal for the resettlement of much of Gaza's population in other countries through what Netanyahu refers to as “voluntary emigration.”

Palestinians and Arab countries have universally rejected Trump’s proposal, which human rights experts say would likely violate international law. Palestinians in Gaza say they don’t want to leave, and fear another mass expulsion like the one that occurred during the war surrounding Israel’s creation in 1948.

The Trump administration, which took credit for helping to broker the ceasefire, has expressed full support for Israel's decision to end the truce and to cut off aid. Trump's Mideast envoy, Steve Witkoff, has been trying to broker a new ceasefire, more favorable to Israel, but those efforts appear to have made little progress.

Netanyahu leads the most nationalist and religious government in Israel's history, and his coalition partners have called for the reestablishment of Jewish settlements in Gaza.

Shurafa reported from Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip, and Magdy from Cairo. Associated Press writer Bassem Mroue in Beirut contributed to this report.

Follow AP’s war coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war

Nashat Seiam, second from right, joins relatives and friends in prayer over the body of his granddaughter Ahlam, who was just days away from her first birthday, during her funeral after she was killed by an overnight Israeli airstrike on her home in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, on Wednesday, April 16, 2025,.(AP Photo/Mariam Dagga)

Hosam Seiam carries the body of his niece Ahlam Seiam, who was just days away from her first birthday, into Nasser Hospital, after their home was hit by an overnight Israeli airstrike in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.(AP Photo/Mariam Dagga)

Nashat Seiam carries the body of his granddaughter Ahlam Seiam, who was just days away from her first birthday, into Nasser Hospital, after their home was hit by an overnight Israeli airstrike in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.(AP Photo/Mariam Dagga)

Nashat Seiam, third from right, joins relatives and friends in prayer over the body of his granddaughter Ahlam, who was just days away from her first birthday, during her funeral after she was killed by an overnight Israeli airstrike on her home in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, on Wednesday, April 16, 2025,.(AP Photo/Mariam Dagga)

Palestinians accompany the bodies of their relatives killed in an Israeli airstrike, loaded onto a carte in preparation for burial, at Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, Wednesday, April 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)

Palestinians accompany the bodies of their relatives killed in an Israeli airstrike, loaded onto a truck in preparation for burial, at Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, Wednesday, April 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)

Mourners pray over the bodies of Palestinians killed in an Israeli airstrike during their funeral at Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, Wednesday, April 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)

A Palestinian woman reacts as others carry the body of their relative, killed in an Israeli airstrike, in preparation for burial at Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, Wednesday, April 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)

NEW YORK (AP) — Thousands of nurses in three hospital systems in New York City went on strike Monday after negotiations through the weekend failed to yield breakthroughs in their contract disputes.

The strike was taking place at The Mount Sinai Hospital and two of its satellite campuses, with picket lines forming. The other affected hospitals are NewYork-Presbyterian and Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx.

About 15,000 nurses are involved in the strike, according to New York State Nurses Association.

“After months of bargaining, management refused to make meaningful progress on core issues that nurses have been fighting for: safe staffing for patients, healthcare benefits for nurses, and workplace violence protections,” the union said in a statement issued Monday. “Management at the richest hospitals in New York City are threatening to discontinue or radically cut nurses’ health benefits.”

The strike, which comes during a severe flu season, could potentially force the hospitals to transfer patients, cancel procedures or divert ambulances. It could also put a strain on city hospitals not involved in the contract dispute, as patients avoid the medical centers hit by the strike.

The hospitals involved have been hiring temporary nurses to try and fill the labor gap during the walkout, and said in a statement during negotiations that they would “do whatever is necessary to minimize disruptions.” Montefiore posted a message assuring patients that appointments would be kept.

“NYSNA’s leaders continue to double down on their $3.6 billion in reckless demands, including nearly 40% wage increases, and their troubling proposals like demanding that a nurse not be terminated if found to be compromised by drugs or alcohol while on the job," Montefiore spokesperson Joe Solmonese said Monday after the strike had started. "We remain resolute in our commitment to providing safe and seamless care, regardless of how long the strike may last.”

New York-Presbyterian accused the union of staging a strike to “create disruption,” but said in a statement that it has taken steps to ensure patients receive the care they need.

"We’re ready to keep negotiating a fair and reasonable contract that reflects our respect for our nurses and the critical role they play, and also recognizes the challenging realities of today’s healthcare environment,” the statement said.

The work stoppage is occurring at multiple hospitals simultaneously, but each medical center is negotiating with the union independently. Several other hospitals across the city and in its suburbs reached deals in recent days to avert a possible strike.

The nurses’ demands vary by hospital, but the major issues include staffing levels and workplace safety. The union says hospitals have given nurses unmanageable workloads.

Nurses also want better security measures in the workplace, citing incidents like a an incident last week, when a man with a sharp object barricaded himself in a Brooklyn hospital room and was then killed by police.

The union also wants limitations on hospitals’ use of artificial intelligence.

The nonprofit hospitals involved in the negotiations say they’ve been working to improve staffing levels, but say the union’s demands overall are too costly.

Nurses voted to authorize the strike last month.

Both New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and Mayor Zohran Mamdani had expressed concern about the possibility of the strike. As the strike deadline neared, Mamdani urged both sides to keep negotiating and reach a deal that “both honors our nurses and keeps our hospitals open.”

“Our nurses kept this city alive through its hardest moments. Their value is not negotiable,” Mamdani said.

State Attorney General Letitia James voiced similar support, saying "nurses put their lives on the line every day to keep New Yorkers healthy. They should never be forced to choose between their own safety, their patients’ well-being, and a fair contract.”

The last major nursing strike in the city was only three years ago, in 2023. That work stoppage, at Mount Sinai and Montefiore, was short, lasting three days. It resulted in a deal raising pay 19% over three years at those hospitals.

It also led to promised staffing improvements, though the union and hospitals now disagree about how much progress has been made, or whether the hospitals are retreating from staffing guarantees.

Nurses strike outside New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside Mount Sinai West Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside Mount Sinai West Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside Mount Sinai West Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside Mount Sinai West Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

FILE - A medical worker transports a patient at Mount Sinai Hospital, April 1, 2020, in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, File)