Israeli airstrikes on Yemen kill at least 35, Houthi officials say

Israel launched another round of heavy airstrikes in Yemen on Wednesday, killing dozens just days after Houthi rebels carried out a drone attack that struck an Israeli airport.

The Israeli strikes killed at least 35 people and wounded more than 130 others, the Houthi-run health ministry said. Search crews were continuing to dig through the rubble.

aimed at ending the war and freeing hostages still held by Hamas in Gaza.

Hamas claims its senior leadership, who were weighing a new U.S. ceasefire proposal, survived the strike, which killed two lower-ranking members and three bodyguards.

The war in Gaza began when Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, abducting 251 people and killing some 1,200, mostly civilians. Forty-eight hostages are still held inside Gaza, around 20 of them believed to be alive.

Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed more than 64,600 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. The ministry does not say how many were civilians or combatants but says women and children make up around half the dead.

Israel says it tries to avoid harming civilians and blames Hamas for their deaths because the militants operate in densely populated areas. Large parts of major cities in Gaza have been completely destroyed.