Fears are rising that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will soon follow through on repeated threats to send troops into the southern Gazan city of Rafah, where 1.5 million people are sheltering, many in makeshift encampments.

Tlaleng Mofokeng, the United Nations special rapporteur on the right to health, accused Israel of treating human rights as an "a la carte menu".

The protests, which began last week at Columbia University with a large group of demonstrators establishing a so-called "Gaza Solidarity Encampment" on school grounds, have spread to other campuses, including Yale, MIT and others.

Netanyahu, who threatened action "in the coming days" without elaborating, has repeatedly said Israel will launch a ground assault on Rafah despite international concern for civilians who have taken refuge in the southern Gazan city.

Qatar's warning that it was reassessing its role as a mediator between Israel and Hamas has raised concerns about the prospects for a ceasefire and the return of hostages.

Air defense systems over several Iranian cities were activated, state media reported, after the country's official broadcaster said explosions were heard near the city of Isfahan. There had been no reaction from Israeli or Iranian officials to the overnight strikes and the extent of the damage remained unclear.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Wednesday he would host a leader of Palestinian militant group Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh, in Turkey this weekend.

The United Nations Security Council will vote Thursday on the Palestinians' application to become a full UN member state, several diplomatic sources have told AFP.

Traders were also digesting figures showing Chinese expansion easily beat expectations in the first three months of the year but retail and industrial data came in well below par, suggesting leaders have much work to do to kickstart growth.

During six months of war between Israel and Iran-backed militant group Hamas in Gaza, Iran's proxies around the region have stepped up attacks on Israel and its allies, saying they are acting in support of Palestinians in Gaza.

The US goal since the start of the latest round of conflict between Israel and Hamas six months ago has been to prevent it from spiraling into a broader regional conflict, and Washington is keen to lower the temperature in the region.

However, while Israel called the attack -- which Tehran said was in response to a strike on its Syrian embassy -- an escalation of hostilities, analysts said there was hope among traders that the crisis could be contained.

World powers have urged restraint after Iran late Saturday launched more than 300 drones and missiles at Israel, though the Israeli military has said the vast majority were intercepted.

With global outrage over the toll inflicted by the six-month-old war growing, Biden rebuked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's handling of the conflict and reiterated the need for a ceasefire.

Six months into the bloodiest Gaza war, Qatari, Egyptian and US mediators have proposed another temporary ceasefire, according to a Hamas source.

Israel kept up the pressure, warning that it was ready for future military operations against Hamas in Gaza's far-southern city of Rafah, the last area so far spared a ground invasion.

Amid escalating pressure for increased humanitarian aid access to Gaza, Israel's Cabinet has approved the opening of the Erez border crossing in northern Gaza.

Israeli farmer Yarden Zemach, 38, said he felt safe when picking avocados with Palestinians on October 5 -- just two days before the attack.

WCK urges Australia, Canada, the U.S., Poland, and the U.K. to join WCK in calling for a third-party investigation

Biden has led a chorus of international anger over the attack on employees of US-based World Central Kitchen, who were distributing desperately needed food to a population on the verge of famine.

The usually bullish Netanyahu, 74, appears both physically and politically fragile.

Monday's deaths came as the Israeli army wrapped up a two-week military operation in and around the Al-Shifa Hospital which reduced the besieged territory's largest medical complex to charred ruins.

Israel vowed to eliminate Hamas after the Islamist group's unprecedented October 7 attack on Israel, and has been bombing Gaza without respite, damaging many healthcare facilities.

The ministry said dozens of bodies had been found at the complex, where an AFP journalist and eyewitnesses saw tanks and vehicles pulling out.

France and China have sought to strengthen ties in recent years and, during meetings in Paris in February, Foreign Minister Wang Yi told President Emmanuel Macron that Beijing appreciated his country's "independent" stance.

The war erupted after Hamas's unprecedented attack on Israel from Gaza on October 7, resulting in about 1,160 deaths -- mostly civilians -- according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.

The United States on Monday abstained at the Security Council, allowing a resolution to pass for the first time that called for an immediate ceasefire, infuriating Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who delayed a delegation to Washington to discuss US concerns on Rafah.

Besieged Gaza is in desperate need of aid and the United States said it would continue airdrops, despite pleas from Hamas to stop the practice after the Islamist group said 18 people had died trying to reach food packages.

Israel reacted furiously to the US abstention, as it allowed the resolution to go through with all the other 14 Security Council members voting yes.

The Council has been divided over the Israel-Hamas war since the October 7 attacks, approving only two of eight resolutions, with both dealing mainly with humanitarian aid to the devastated Gaza Strip.