Bahrain's lower house of parliament announced Thursday the halting of economic ties with Israel and the return of ambassadors on both sides over the Israel-Hamas war, although there was no government confirmation.

Israel's foreign ministry said it had not been notified of any decision by Bahrain. If confirmed, it would be the first such move by one of Israel's Arab Gulf allies.

At least four Palestinians were killed during Israeli raids in the occupied West Bank, Palestinian health officials said Wednesday, as violence there continued in tandem with the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.

Three people were killed during a raid in the northern city of Jenin, while another was shot dead in Tulkarem, also in the north, the Ramallah-based health ministry said.

Hamas said Wednesday that seven hostages, including three foreign passport holders, were killed in Israel's bombing of Gaza's largest refugee camp.

Dozens of bodies were seen on Tuesday at the Jabalia camp where Israel said it killed a Hamas military commander in a strike on a tunnel complex.

Lebanese emergency crews rush to the scene of Israeli bombardments in aging vehicles and without protective gear as the crisis-hit country struggles to prepare for a possible war.

A grueling, four-year-long economic collapse, widely blamed on the governing elite, has left Lebanon ill-prepared for another disaster, and volunteers and local authorities are scrambling to fill the gap with limited means.

Scores of foreign passport holders trapped in Gaza started leaving the war-torn territory on Wednesday as the Rafah crossing to Egypt opened for the first time since the October 7 Hamas attacks, AFP correspondents reported.

Convoys of desperately needed aid have passed between Egypt and Gaza but no people have been allowed to cross. Some 400 foreigners and dual nationals along with some 90 sick and wounded were expected to leave on Wednesday.

Iran said on Tuesday it was "natural" for Tehran-backed groups to attack Israel in light of its war on Hamas, warning of a wider spillover if no ceasefire is reached.

Sarit Zehavi, founder and director of Alma, a research center in the upper Galilee region near Lebanon’s border, says she is worried about the safety of her family.

Israeli forces were engaged in "fierce battles" with Hamas militants inside the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, the army said, as it continued to pummel the Palestinian territory with air and artillery strikes.

Israeli forces are "engaged in fierce battles with Hamas terrorists deep inside the Gaza Strip," the army said in a statement, adding that dozens of militants had been killed in the past few hours.

Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels Tuesday pledged more attacks against Israel if its war on Hamas in Gaza continues, saying it had already fired drones and ballistic missiles in three separate operations.

"The Yemeni Armed Forces... confirm that they will continue to carry out qualitative strikes with missiles and drones until the Israeli aggression stops," said a Houthi military statement aired on the rebels' Al-Masirah TV.

Hamas on Monday released a video showing three women from among at least 239 people that Israel says were abducted to Gaza during the October 7 attacks by the Palestinian militant group.

It was not immediately possible to verify the identity of the women in the 76-second video in which one calls for Israel to make a deal for the release of all captives. Hamas said the women were "Zionist detainees".