Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday
said the Gaza city of Rafah will be evacuated ahead of an expected Israeli offensive,after the country
rejected a Hamas cease-fire proposal earlier in the week.This comes as Hamas reportedly
gave a "positive response" to a potential hostage deal,US Secretary of State Antony Blinken
traveled to Saudi Arabia for truce talks-
leaving the Middle East on Thursday with no resolution -and the UN
appointed an independent panel to review Israel's UNRWA allegations.Meanwhile, as the Russia-Ukraine war approaches the two-year mark, Volodymyr Zelenskyy
replaced the Ukraine's military chief on Thursdayamidst
reports he'd been considering the move - which the US
declared a "sovereign choice" - with the new military chief
outlining his priorities on Friday.This comes as Russia reportedly made
advances in Ukraine,Ukraine
struck a Russian bakery,and Tucker Carlson
interviewed Putin.Elsewhere, Venezuela reportedly
deployed its military near the Guyana border,a US drone strike
killed an Iran-backed militia leader in Baghdad,Thailand and Muslim separatists
agreed to end their ongoing conflict,M23 rebels
advanced near Goma in the Congo,Papua rebels
agreed to release a kidnapped New Zealand pilot,and a drone attack in Syria
killed six US-backed Kurdish fighters.Meanwhile, Yemen's Houthis
claimed fresh attacks on Red Sea shipping,despite the US
launching additional strikes against them.