Five Killed in Gaza as Iran and US Trade Blunt Words on War

The Middle East conflict intensified on Tuesday with fresh violence in Gaza, Yemen, and the Persian Gulf.

Hospital authorities in the Gaza Strip confirmed that five people died on Tuesday from Israeli strikes and gunfire. Shifa Hospital in Gaza City reported four deaths resulting from three separate attacks. Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis stated that one person was shot dead after crossing the Yellow Line. The Israeli military said it targeted militants in Gaza City but offered no immediate comment on the shooting in the south. These deaths occurred while the region continues to see attacks despite a ceasefire agreement that began in October 2025.

In the occupied West Bank, Israeli settlers clashed with Palestinians harvesting olives in the village of Qusra. Mattan Berner Kaeish, an activist with Protect the Harvest, said settlers hit multiple people with sticks and rocks. Rabbis for Human Rights shared video footage showing a masked settler striking a woman in the head with a flagpole. Israeli forces arrived to disperse crowds. After the initial confrontation, another group of settlers threw stones at security forces, who responded with tear gas. The military confirmed stones were hurled at soldiers but did not identify the throwers.

Overnight airstrikes in Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, killed one person and wounded nine. The Houthi-run health ministry said one strike hit a gas station, killing one and wounding three. Another strike targeted an oil company, wounding at least six. The ministry blamed Saudi Arabia for both attacks. A spokesperson for the Saudi-led coalition said a drone was intercepted in eastern Saudi Arabia. The Associated Press could not independently verify either claim.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard displayed an underground facility it called a missile city on state television. The video showed General Staff Chief Gen. Ali Abdollahi visiting the site. The broadcast did not specify when the visit occurred or name the location. The facility reportedly houses new surface-to-surface missiles.

Tensions between Tehran and Washington escalated as officials exchanged rhetoric. Mohsen Rezaei, Iran’s Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, posted on X that the war has wrecked the United States. He urged Washington to surrender to Iran’s terms, which include lifting sanctions and port blockades. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio called those terms absurd. Speaking in Paris, Rubio said Iran is bleeding economically. He noted that the Iranian people deserve better than being a third world country.

Maritime incidents added to the pressure. Iran’s state media reported that three tankers struck mines in the Strait of Hormuz. It said one was a supertanker and another was under U.S. military protection. The U.K. Maritime Trade Operations said a tanker was hit by an unknown projectile near Lima, Oman. Abu Dhabi National Oil Company confirmed one of its vessels was attacked in U.A.E. territorial waters. It was not clear if the incidents were connected. Iran also denied involvement in a cyberattack that raised refrigerator temperatures in about 700 French supermarkets in October.