Israeli airstrikes killed five people in Gaza and three in the West Bank on Friday, despite a fragile US-brokered ceasefire. Meanwhile, thousands of sailors remain stranded in the Persian Gulf because of the Iran war, while Iran promotes an energy deal with Russia and the United States has imposed restrictions on a major Egyptian bank over its ties to Iran. Here’s a look at the latest developments in the Iran war and across the Middle East. You can find full coverage here. Israeli attacks in Gaza kill 5 Israeli attacks in Gaza have killed five people, local hospital officials said Friday. Two brothers and another relative were killed in an attack on the family home on the outskirts of Khan Younis, Nasser Hospital officials said. Israel’s military said it was not aware of an attack in Khan Younis. Two separate Israeli strikes killed one person each in Gaza City on Friday, according to health officials at Shifa Hospital. The Israeli army confirmed that it attacked two separate areas of the city, without giving further details. The five deaths are the latest in Gaza since a ceasefire deal in October attempted to stop a more than two-year war between Israel and Hamas. While the most intense fighting has subsided, Israeli forces have carried out repeated airstrikes, killing at least 1,303 Palestinians, according to health officials in Gaza. Attack kills three in Jenin Israel’s military said it killed three Palestinians in an airstrike in the West Bank city of Jenin on Friday, describing one of the dead as a Hamas agent and the other two as accomplices. The military identified one of the targets as Qais Bitawi, who was allegedly “involved in the advancement of significant terrorist activity.” The Palestinian Health Ministry confirmed that Bitawi had been killed, along with two other people. Hamas condemned the attack as a “heinous crime.” Violence has increased in the West Bank, where at least 87 Palestinians have been killed in attacks by settlers and Israeli soldiers this year, according to Palestinian officials. Three Israelis have been killed by Palestinians in 2026. Thousands of sailors stranded by Iran war The UN maritime agency said on Friday that 19 sailors have died and at least 6,000 remain stranded on hundreds of ships unable to leave the region since the start of the Iran war on February 28. There have been at least 70 attacks on international shipping in the Persian Gulf, according to the International Maritime Organization. Subscribe to Morning Wire: Our flagship newsletter breaks down the day’s biggest headlines. IMO Secretary General Arsenio Dominguez urged practical solutions and renewed cooperation to restore freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz. About 20% of the world’s traded oil and natural gas passed through the vital commercial waterway at the mouth of the Persian Gulf before the war. Iran and Russia seek to revive energy deal Iran’s ambassador to Russia said Friday that the two countries are seeking to deepen ties between their energy networks by reviving a plan that dates back to 2022, according to Iranian state media. Umud Shokri, a fellow at George Mason University, said the plan calls for channeling 55 billion cubic meters of Russian gas annually to Iran, through Azerbaijan. He said that would help Iran weather economic pressure from the United States by easing seasonal gas shortages, although there are significant obstacles as building the infrastructure would be expensive and time-consuming. “It’s more than a brag, but it’s not a game-changer yet,” Shokri said. US imposes restrictions on Egyptian bank The Trump administration is taking steps to limit the operations of an Egyptian bank in the United Arab Emirates. Banque Misr, Egypt’s second-largest bank, is accused of serving as an economic lifeline for Iran’s leadership. But under a new rule proposed by the US Treasury, the bank’s Emirati branches would be deprived of access to the US financial system. The Central Bank of Egypt said it was in contact with US authorities and that the restrictions are limited to Banque Misr branches in the UAE and relate only to dollar transfers. No other Egyptian banks are affected. Iran opposes US economic pressure Iran’s Foreign Ministry on Friday condemned a new round of US economic measures against the country, calling them “economic terrorism” and saying Tehran would use all available means to counter them. The ministry said the sanctions violated international law and called on other countries to refrain from implementing them. He accused Washington of using the US dollar to pressure other countries to comply with its policies. Earlier this week, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent vowed to completely separate Iran from the global economy and threatened countries that continue to do business with Iran with secondary sanctions. It was part of the US campaign to use economic pressure to try to obtain concessions from Iran. Finland to stop providing U.N. agency aid to Palestine Finland said it will not extend an agreement to provide humanitarian aid with the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees, or UNRWA. Israel’s Foreign Ministry, which has accused the UN agency of being a “focus of terrorism”, welcomed the news. UNRWA did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Finland provided UNRWA with €5 million ($5.8 million) a year under a multi-year agreement that is set to expire at the end of this year. Ville Tavio, the country’s foreign trade minister, said in a post on X that aid to the Palestinian territories would be provided through other channels, such as the UN World Food Programme. UK warns Israel against dismissing British officials. The UK warned against any attempt by Israel to remove British officials from the Gaza ceasefire coordination center on Friday, after reports that Israel was considering expelling UK officials. The comments came in response to reports that Israel is considering expelling officials from Britain and other European nations from the monitoring center. Israel has already recalled two Dutch diplomats from the ceasefire center. The country said Thursday that the decision was in response to a Dutch ban on trade in Israeli goods from the occupied West Bank and other “anti-Israel measures.”
