Netanyahu says Israel is not to blame for the flood crisis in Gaza, and other Mideast news

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected accusations that Israel has been delaying the entry of winter supplies into the Gaza Strip as the enclave faces worsening conditions this week, with severe rains flooding makeshift tents.

Iran's Revolutionary Guard said a tanker caught fire after hitting a naval mine early on Wednesday in the Strait of Hormuz. The British military also reported an incident with a tanker in the contested waterway, but it was not immediately clear if it was the same vessel. And Israel struck Gaza twice today, killing three Palestinians.

Here is the latest news from the Middle East on Wednesday. Read our full coverage here.

Netanyahu said Israel was not to blame for the worsening conditions for Palestinians in Gaza’s tent camps that have been hit with severe winter floods.

His remarks came after the U.S.-created Board of Peace — established under President Donald Trump's plan to end the Israel-Hamas war and oversee Gaza’s recovery — said Monday that Israel's delaying of the entry of winter supplies into Gaza had “exacerbated the consequences of a foreseeable humanitarian challenge.”

Torrential rain has battered the war-torn enclave in recent days, damaging tens of thousands of makeshift tents. Four people, including three children, were killed on Sunday when a large sandstone slab collapsed onto tents during the rains.

Netanyahu said the Palestinian militant group Hamas is to blame because it continues to refuse to disarm, although the ceasefire deal does not make entry of tents and other aid conditional on disarmament. Netanyahu also accused Hamas of seizing humanitarian aid to use for military purposes, though he did not provide evidence.

“Hamas alone is responsible for the suffering of the people of Gaza, and it is now cynically exploiting that suffering to shift blame onto Israel once again,” he said Tuesday.

The U.N. and other aid groups have more than 150,000 tents ready to enter Gaza, but Israel has not given permission, the U.N. humanitarian office said Sunday. Israel has also not allowed entry for pumps or other equipment to remove floodwaters, the office said.

British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband said the situation in Gaza was “intolerable” and demanded Israel end “arbitrary restrictions” on aid. And in Washington, Sen. Brian Schatz of Hawaii, the top Democrat on the Senate's foreign spending subcommittee, called for Israel to immediately allow winter gear into Gaza.

“There are a lot of challenges when it comes to Israel and Palestine that are complicated, and fraught, and contentious,” Schatz said on the Senate floor on Tuesday. “But we should all be able to agree that repairing torn tents and helping people to dry out, and providing warmth to freezing children is a basic human obligation.”

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said that a tanker caught fire early Wednesday after hitting a naval mine, Iran’s state media reported. It said the tanker was traveling through an unauthorized route in the Strait of Hormuz, a key waterway.

The British military said a tanker was involved in an incident while transiting the strait. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Center, or UKMTO, did not identify the tanker, and further details of the incident were not immediately available.

The center also said the status of the crew remained unknown. UKMTO is part of the British military tasked with monitoring maritime safety.

Last month, it had said it was “struggling to accurately report” the true number of attacks as the majority of ships now refuse to report them.

It was not immediately clear if the Iranian and UKMTO reports referred to the same incident.

An Israeli strike on Wednesday morning killed one person in Gaza City, and a second later in the day killed two more people, according to Shifa Hospital, where the bodies were taken.

The Israeli military said both strikes targeted military operatives. It did not provide additional details.

Large-scale fighting has slowed since Israel and Hamas reached a ceasefire deal in October 2025.

However, Israel continues to launch near-daily strikes on the enclave. Israel has killed more than 1,600 Palestinians in Gaza since the deal was reached, according to the territory's Health Ministry. The ministry, part of the Hamas-run government, maintains detailed records and is seen as generally reliable by U.N. agencies and independent experts. It does not distinguish between civilians and militants.

This report will be updated throughout the day as new developments emerge.

Palestinians gather beside their damaged tent a day after it was hit by an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City, Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)

Palestinians inspect damage to a building and tents a day after they were hit by an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City, Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)

Palestinians inspect damage to a building and tents a day after they were hit by an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City, Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)

Palestinians inspect damage to a building and tents a day after they were hit by an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City, Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)

Palestinians inspect their damaged tent a day after it was hit by an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City, Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)

RAWALPINDI, Pakistan (AP) — Dhananjaya de Silva and Kusal Mendis smashed centuries against Pakistan’s inexperienced bowling attack to take Sri Lanka to a formidable 404-4 at stumps on Day 3 of the first cricket test on Wednesday.

De Silva struck an unbeaten 167 with 20 fours to raise his 14th test hundred, while Mendis celebrated his elevation to the test captaincy with 117 not out, featuring 10 fours and four sixes.

The aggressive double-century stand between the former and current test captains pushed Sri Lanka within 30 runs of Pakistan’s first-innings 434-9 declared.

“We need to get a good first-innings lead,” No. 4 batter Kamindu Mendis said after his knock of 58. “Two set batsmen are at the crease and hopefully they’ll play well tomorrow as well.

“We haven’t yet decided when we will declare, but we have to score more runs in the first session tomorrow. I feel maybe tomorrow evening or on the last day it (the wicket) might get good for spinners and there’s something in it for the fast bowlers too.”

De Silva and Kusal Mendis toyed with Pakistan’s bowlers, except for the accurate Mohammad Abbas (2-64), to combine in an unbroken stand of 249, Sri Lanka's highest for the fifth wicket against Pakistan.

Thilan Samaraweera and Tillakaratne Dilshan held the previous record of 207, which arrived in Lahore during the 2009 tour when the tourists came under a terrorist attack.

Pakistan’s solitary success on another curtailed day caused by fading light came in the first session when Abbas found the edge of the bat of Kamindu Mendis.

Going into the test with two debutant bowlers, Arafat Minhas (0-92) and Saqib Khan (2-105), along with Razaullah (0-127), who has played in only one test, may have backfired for Pakistan.

De Silva, who resumed on 22 overnight with Sri Lanka struggling at 114-3, got a reprieve on 38 when Saud Shakeel spilled a regulation first-slip catch off a loose drive.

It was the only chance given by the batters all day.

After a guarded latter half of the first session when Kamindu Mendis was dismissed for 58, De Silva and Kusal Mendis took charge against Minhas’ left-arm spin while fast bowlers Razaullah and Saqib strayed in their lines and lengths.

De Silva raised his hundred off 151 balls with a well-timed boundary through mid-on against Minhas in the second session, and then continued to show plenty of aggression, even when Pakistan took the second new ball.

Mendis was particularly aggressive, hitting Minhas for two straight sixes and once pulling Razaullah for a big six over deep fine leg as Pakistan skipper Babar Azam ran out of ideas.

Mendis raised his century off 152 balls with a ramped boundary over the wicketkeeper’s head in the final session before play ended with 23 overs still to be bowled.

“I would like to give credit to both batters, they played really well,” Abbas said. “We gave our effort and beat the bat on a number of occasions, but that’s the beauty of test cricket. The cricket board wants to bring in new faces and give them a chance. They are learning.”

See AP’s full cricket coverage here

Sri Lanka's Kusal Mendis celebrates after scoring a hundred during the third day of the first Test cricket match between Pakistan and Sri Lanka, in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)

Sri Lanka's Kusal Mendis follows the ball after playing a shot during the third day of the first Test cricket match between Pakistan and Sri Lanka, in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)

Sri Lanka's Dhananjaya de Silva plays a shot during the third day of the first Test cricket match between Pakistan and Sri Lanka, in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)

Sri Lanka's Dhananjaya de Silva, left, celebrates with Kusal Mendis after scoring 150 runs during the third day of the first Test cricket match between Pakistan and Sri Lanka, in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)

Sri Lanka's Kamindu Mendis follows the ball after playing a shot during the third day of the first Test cricket match between Pakistan and Sri Lanka, in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)

Pakistan's Mohammad Abbas, center, celebrates after taking the wicket of Sri Lanka's Kamindu Mendis during the third day of the first Test cricket match between Pakistan and Sri Lanka, in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)

Sri Lanka's Dhananjaya de Silva plays a shot during the third day of the first Test cricket match between Pakistan and Sri Lanka, in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)

Sri Lanka's Kusal Mendis, left, and Dhananjaya de Silva run between the wickets during the third day of the first Test cricket match between Pakistan and Sri Lanka, in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)