1,148 Palestinians cross reopened Rafah crossing: Gaza media office

The Hamas-run Gaza media office said on Thursday that 1,148 Palestinians have crossed the Rafah border crossing in both directions since its reopening earlier this month.

In a brief press statement, the office said that 1,148 travelers passed through the crossing, out of 3,400 who were expected to cross during the same period.

According to the statement, a total of 640 people departed and 508 returned to the Gaza Strip from Feb. 2 through Wednesday. It added that 26 Palestinians were turned back while attempting to leave, without any explanation.

It had been expected that 50 Palestinians, including patients and wounded individuals, would leave Gaza daily, accompanied by two companions, while another 50 would return each day, according to media reports.

On Monday, Hamas accused Israel of a "blatant violation" of the Rafah crossing's operational mechanisms stipulated in the ceasefire agreement.

In a press statement, Hamas said that despite the reopening of the crossing, Israeli authorities continued to violate the agreed mechanisms and subjected returning travelers to physical and psychological mistreatment and harsh interrogations.

The movement added that Israel had failed to adhere to the daily quotas for departures and returns, placing the lives of thousands of patients and wounded individuals in danger due to delays in receiving medical treatment abroad.

The limited operation of the Rafah crossing began on Feb. 2, marking its first partial reopening in more than a year and a half. The move came as part of a preliminary trial phase under a ceasefire agreement brokered by the United States.

Returning travelers and Palestinian factions have accused the Israeli army of restricting their freedom of movement through extensive searches, prolonged questioning, and confiscation of personal belongings. Israeli authorities have not commented on the allegations.

The Rafah crossing has been mostly closed since Israeli forces took control of the area in May 2024, cutting off Gaza from the outside world and exacerbating the humanitarian crisis.

1,148 Palestinians cross reopened Rafah crossing: Gaza media office

U.S. President Donald Trump is weighing an initial limited military strike on Iran to force the country to reach a nuclear deal, U.S. media reports said on Thursday.

Sources familiar with the matter said that the initial assault, which if authorized could come within days, would target a few military or government sites, the reports said.

If Iran still refused to meet Trump's demand of ending nuclear enrichment, the U.S. would respond with a broad campaign potentially aimed at toppling the Tehran regime, according to the reports.

Trump said Thursday that Iran has 10 to 15 days to reach a deal over its nuclear program, otherwise "really bad things" will happen.

U.S. Vice President JD Vance said that the second round of the U.S.-Iran talks in Geneva on Tuesday showed "some" positive signs but key U.S. red lines remain unmet.

A Trump adviser estimated a "90 percent chance" of strikes within weeks if talks fail, Axios reported Tuesday.

The aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford was approaching Gibraltar on Wednesday as it made its way from the Caribbean to join the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln in waters near Iran, according to local media reports.

In a letter to the UN Security Council on Thursday, Iran's UN ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani said that Iran neither seeks tension nor war and will not initiate any war.

"However, in the event that it is subjected to military aggression, Iran will respond decisively and proportionately in the exercise of its inherent right of self-defense under Article 51 of the Charter of the United Nations. In such circumstances, all bases, facilities, and assets of the hostile force in the region would constitute legitimate targets," said the letter.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that the country is on high alert and preparing for all scenarios as tensions between the United States and Iran escalate.

Speaking at a graduation ceremony for combat officers, Netanyahu warned that if Tehran were to strike Israel, it would face a response "beyond their imagination".

Trump weighs initial limited strike on Iran: reports