An Israeli drone allegedly hit a vehicle in Deir el-Balah in central Gaza, killing a Hamas police officer, Walla reported Wednesday morning, citing Palestinian reports. Overnight Wednesday, the IDF fired artillery at several areas in Gaza, including central Gaza and also at Beit Lahiya in northern Gaza, where Hamas is still attempting to reinstate itself, according to the IDF.

At least two people were killed including an 11-year-old girl, and six others injured after an Israeli airstrike hit a residential area in the southern Lebanese town of Hanin, Lebanon's official news agency NNA said on Tuesday."Israeli warplanes struck a two-story house with two air-to-surface missiles, completely destroying the building which was inhabited by a family that had not left the town since Israeli attacks began," NNA said.Hezbollah said in a statement it had fired dozens of Katyusha rockets Tuesday evening on the Israeli settlement of Margaliot in response to the Hanin attack.Israeli forces and Lebanon's armed terrorist group Hezbollah have been exchanging fire for over six months in parallel to the Gaza war, in the most serious hostilities since they fought a major war in 2006.

Foreign Minister Israel Katz thanked the US Senate for passing the Israel aid package in a post on X on Wednesday."I thank the US Senate for passing the Israel aid package tonight with an overwhelming bipartisan majority," he stated."As we mark 200 days to the barbaric October 7 terror attack by Hamas, Israel and the United States stand together in the fight against terrorism, defending democracy," he continued.I thank the U.S. Senate for passing the Israel aid package tonight with an overwhelming bipartisan majority.As we mark 200 days to the barbaric October 7th terror attack by Hamas, Israel and the United States stand together in the fight against terrorism, defending democracy…— ישראל כ”ץ Israel Katz (@Israel_katz) April 24, 2024

Turkey on Wednesday accused the United States of having a policy of double standards on human rights, saying Washington's annual rights report failed to reflect Israel's assaults in Gaza.Turkey's foreign ministry said in a statement it was deeply concerned that the US report did not "duly reflect the ongoing inhumane attacks in Gaza."The report was prepared with "political motives, far from impartiality and objectivity", it said, calling on Washington to cease its "double-standard policy on human rights".It also cited US ties with the Syrian Kurdish YPG militia, which Ankara deems a terrorist organization

US Gaza aid envoy David Satterfield is set to step down shortly and will be replaced by former senior United Nations official Lise Grande, two sources familiar with the issue told Reuters on Wednesday.Satterfield was appointed six months ago as the U.S. special envoy for Middle East humanitarian issues, specifically focusing on leading the US response to the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip.

The US military called on Iraq's government on Tuesday to take steps to safeguard American troops in both Iraq and Syria after failed attacks on Monday by Iran-aligned militia."These attacks put coalition and Iraqi personnel at risk. We call on the government of Iraq to take all necessary steps to ensure the safety of US forces in Iraq and Syria against attacks from these groups," Air Force Major General Patrick Ryder told a news briefing."If these attacks continue, we will not hesitate to defend our forces, as we have done in the past."

Tennessee lawmakers on Tuesday passed a bill that would allow the state's teachers to carry concealed handguns at school, as protesters yelled their opposition from the gallery.The bill was approved in a 68-28 vote in the Republican-dominated Tennessee House. The state's Senate passed the bill earlier this month.Tennessee has seen heated debate over gun laws since last year's shooting at a Nashville school left three children and three adult staffers dead. Some of the Democrats in the House helped lead protests inside the capitol, leading to their brief expulsion from the body last year."This is an awful day for Tennessee, our kids, our teachers, and communities," state Representative Justin Pearson, a Democrat who was booted from the House last year before being voted back in, wrote on social media. "Instead of protecting kids, they've protected guns AGAIN!"Republicans and other conservatives have often pushed for teachers to be armed in response to the numerous school shootings that have taken place in the US in the past 25 years. Proponents of the measures argue that armed teachers deter would-be school shooters. Detractors say guns in school will likely only lead to tragic accidental shootings.