Skip next section READ: Medical evacuations from Gaza hit as US suspends visas
08/17/2025August 17, 2025
READ: Medical evacuations from Gaza hit as US suspends visas
The US government said on Saturday it was halting all visitor visas for people from Gaza while it conducts “a full and thorough” review.
The move, which will stop injured children from Gaza being brought to the US for medical treatment, comes after posts by influential far-right figure Laura Loomer alleged that Gazans entering the country on special visas had links to Hamas.
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Skip next section Israel claims hit on Houthi ‘energy infrastructure site’
08/17/2025August 17, 2025
Israel claims hit on Houthi ‘energy infrastructure site’
‘s military said Sunday it had struck an “energy infrastructure site” in used by the , an attack it said was conducted “in response to repeated attacks” by the Iran-backed group.
A statement said Israeli forces “struck… deep inside Yemen, targeting an energy infrastructure site that served the Houthi terrorist regime” somewhere near the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, which is in rebel hands.
The statement did not name the site, but Houthi-run Al-Masirah TV reported “an aggression targeting the Haziz power plant” south of Sanaa, citing civil defense agencies.
There were no immediate reports of casualties.
Since in October 2023 in response to a deadly attack on Israel, the Houthis have regularly fired missiles and drones at Israel, saying their actions are in solidarity with Palestinians.
Israel has intercepted most Houthi attacks but has carried out a series of airstrikes in Yemen targeting the group.
https://p.dw.com/p/4z76l
Skip next section Protesters in Israel call for end to Gaza war and hostage deal
08/17/2025August 17, 2025
Protesters in Israel call for end to Gaza war and hostage deal
Demonstrators took to the streets across on Sunday, with Tel Aviv a focus for protests calling for an end to the war in and a in the Palestinian enclave.
Protesters in Tel Aviv blocked several roads in the city, including the highway connecting Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, while a huge Israeli flag covered with portraits of the remaining captives was unfurled in so-called Hostage Square.
Protest organizers and the main campaign group representing the families of hostages also called a general strike that caused many businesses to close.
Protesters say they fear further fighting could endanger the hostages still thought to be in Gaza.
Police employed water cannon and made more than two dozen arrests for “disruption of order” during the protests.
The demonstrations were condemned by some members of the Israeli goverment, with far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich saying public pressure to obtain a deal “buries the hostages in tunnels and seeks to push the State of Israel to surrender to its enemies and jeopardize its security and future.”
The protests come after Israel’s security cabinet as the
The offensive was triggered by the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 17, 2023, in which 251 people were taken hostage in addition to the some 1,200 killed.
Forty-nine of the hostages remain in Gaza, 27 of whom are dead, according to the Israeli military.
https://p.dw.com/p/4z7BP
Skip next section Welcome to our coverage08/17/2025August 17, 2025
Welcome to our coverage
DW is covering the Middle East, as continues to have repercussions throughout the region and beyond.
Sunday has seen widespread protests in Israel against the war, with demonstrators saying the ongoing fighting is hampering efforts to bring home hostages held in Gaza by Palestinian militants.
Our blog, which contains reports, analysis and backgrounders from our newsroom and correspondents.
https://p.dw.com/p/4z73X
The post Middle East: Israel protests call for hostage deal, end to war appeared first on Deutsche Welle.
