The ship is operated by an Israeli company, Mano Cruise, which said about 1,700 passengers were on board and it is sailing to Cyprus.

"Strengthening air defense capabilities is clearly an urgent priority for Iran at the moment," expert Hongda Fan told Newsweek.

The head of an Israeli parliamentary committee told the Finance Ministry on Thursday to come up with a compensation plan by next week for Israelis stranded abroad during last month's war with Iran or the panel would impose one.

The Middle East has been transformed since 7 October, and almost two years on, the conflict in Gaza is at another inflection point.

Former Mossad official Rami Igra warned that the Gaza war is damaging Israel's global reputation and called for an immediate end to the conflict, emphasizing the need for a long-term solution. Former Mossad official Rami Igra warned that the ongoing images emerging from Gaza will harm Israel’s reputation for generations and called for an immediate end to the war in Gaza on Wednesday on the 103FM program with Anat Davidov and Odi Segal.

Save the Children, Doctors without Borders and Oxfam International are among global aid agencies warning of chaos, starvation and death in Gaza, and are calling for the blockade to end. The joint statement comes two months after the Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation took over aid distribution.

Health authorities say Israeli strikes in Gaza killed at least 21 people. Israeli strikes in Gaza killed at least 21 people late Tuesday and early Wednesday. More than half of those killed were women and children, health authorities said.

US Ambassador to Israel expresses support for Israel's stance and says Hamas is solely responsible for the continuation of the fighting.