GAZA: The United Nations humanitarian aid agency says hundreds of thousands of people would be “at imminent risk of death” if Israel carries out a military assault in the southern Gaza city of Rafah.

The city has become critical for humanitarian aid and is highly concentrated with displaced Palestinians.

Leaders internationally have urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to be cautious about any incursion into Rafah, where seven people — mostly children — were killed overnight in an Israeli airstrike.

On Thursday, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said any US response to such an incursion would be up to President Joe Biden, but that currently, “conditions are not favorable to any kind of operation.”

Turkiye’s trade minister said Friday that its new trade ban on Israel was in response to “the deterioration and aggravation of the situation in Rafah.”

The Israel-Hamas war has driven around 80 percent of Gaza’s population of 2.3 million from their homes, caused vast destruction in several towns and cities, and pushed northern Gaza to the brink of famine.

The death toll in Gaza has soared to more than 34,500 people, according to local health officials, and the territory’s entire population has been driven into a humanitarian catastrophe.

The war began Oct. 7 when Hamas attacked southern Israel, abducting about 250 people and killing around 1,200, mostly civilians. Israel says militants still hold around 100 hostages and the remains of more than 30 others.

Dozens of people demonstrated Thursday night outside Israel’s military headquarters in Tel Aviv, demanding a deal to release the hostages. Meanwhile, Hamas said it would send a delegation to Cairo as soon as possible to keep working on ceasefire talks. A leaked truce proposal hints at compromises by both sides after months of talks languishing in a stalemate.

Across the US, tent encampments and demonstrations against the Israel-Hamas war have spread across university campuses.

More than 2,000 protesters have been arrested over the past two weeks as students rally against the war’s death toll and call for universities to separate themselves from any companies that are advancing Israel’s military efforts in Gaza.

DHAHRAN: In a display of strategic cooperation, the Eastern Region Command in Dhahran orchestrated the latest iteration of the joint Saudi-US exercise, “Protection Shield 4.”

Bringing together branches of the Saudi Armed Forces, the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), and a consortium of civilian and military government entities—including the Ministry of Defense’s health services, the General Directorate of Civil Defense, the Ministry of Health, and the Saudi Red Crescent Authority—the drill aimed to bolster preparedness against potential threats of mass destruction.

Colonel Turki bin Salem Al-Sumairi, overseeing the participating mixed battalion, underscored the drill’s dual purpose: to enhance the operational capabilities of all involved and to foster seamless collaboration between Saudi and US forces. Furthermore, the drill sought to heighten awareness of chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear risks.

Field exercises formed the crux of the event, testing the efficacy of national response plans in confronting scenarios involving weapons of mass destruction. Additionally, coordination and information exchange mechanisms were scrutinized to ensure swift and effective joint responses.

Simulated ammunition was employed during the drills to simulate crisis scenarios arising from the deployment of weapons of mass destruction. Meanwhile, health services units from the Ministry of Defense, the Ministry of Health, the Civil Defense, and the Saudi Red Crescent engaged in drills aimed at enhancing collaborative efforts and refining responses to chemical and biological incidents.