Israel’s invasion of the Gaza Strip pounded the southern city of Khan Younis, pushing thousands of Palestinians to flee even further south on Monday.

Families made their way on foot down the coastal highway, smoke billowing from the city behind them. Others loaded blankets and belongings into vehicles or donkey carts.

The war has displaced some 85% of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents, and one in four of them are starving, the U.N. says.

Late Monday, U.S. officials said the American and British militaries bombed multiple sites in Yemen used by the Iranian-backed Houthis to attack shipping in the Red Sea, as fears grow that Israel’s war against Hamas militants in Gaza will spark a regional conflict.

The Health Ministry in Gaza says more than 25,000 Palestinians have been killed in the war, which erupted on Oct. 7 when militants from Gaza attacked southern Israel, killing around 1,200 people and taking about 250 hostages.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to continue the offensive until “complete victory” over Hamas, and to return around 100 hostages who are still held in Gaza.

But he’s facing mounting pressure from the hostages’ relatives to make a deal with Hamas and win their loved ones’ release. On Monday, family members disrupted a committee meeting in Israel’s parliament, yelling, “You won’t sit here while they are dying there!”

Currently:

— Iran is ‘ directly involved ’ in ship attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels, US Navy commander tells AP.

— European Union pushes for Palestinian statehood, rejecting Israeli leader’s insistence that it’s off the table

— US military ends rescue search for Navy SEALs lost in raid on ship with Iranian weapons.

— US sanctions Iraqi airline, its CEO and Hamas cryptocurrency financiers.

— Strike kills Hezbollah fighter and civilian in Lebanon, amid seeming Israeli shift to targeted killings.

— Find more of AP’s coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war.

Here’s the latest:

US AND UK BOMB YEMEN'S HOUTHI REBELS AGAIN, OFFICIALS SAY

WASHINGTON — The U.S. and British militaries bombed multiple sites used by the Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen on Monday night, several U.S. officials said. It's the second time the two allies have conducted coordinated retaliatory strikes on the rebels’ missile-launching capabilities.

According to officials, the U.S. and U.K. used warship- and submarine-launched Tomahawk missiles and fighter jets to take out Houthi missile storage sites and launchers. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing mission.

The joint operation comes about 10 days after U.S. and British warships and fighter jets struck more than 60 targets in 28 locations. That what was the first U.S. military response to what has been a persistent campaign of Houthi drone and missile attacks on commercial ships since the start of the Israel-Hamas war in October. The Houthis link their attacks to the conflict.

The Houthi media office said in an online statement that several American and British raids targeted Yemen’s capital, Sanaa. And Jamal Hassan, a resident from south Sanaa, told The Associated Press that two strikes landed near his home, setting off car alarms in the street. An Associated Press journalist in Sanaa also heard aircraft flying above the skies of Sanaa overnight Monday.

The latest barrage of allied attacks follows an almost-daily assault on Houthi missile launchers by U.S. fighter jets and ship-based Tomahawks over the past week.

The chaotic wave of attacks and reprisals involving the United States, its allies and foes suggests that the retaliatory strikes haven’t deterred the Houthis from their campaign against Red Sea shipping, and that the broader regional war that the U.S. has spent months trying to avoid is becoming closer to reality.

US MILITARY SAYS ATTACK ON ITS TROOPS AT IRAQ BASE WAS ‘LARGER SCALE’ THAN BEFORE

WASHINGTON — Pentagon deputy press secretary Sabrina Singh said Monday that an attack by Iranian-backed militants on a base housing U.S. troops in Iraq on Saturday “was a larger scale attack than we have seen before,” calling it a “barrage.”

Multiple missiles were fired at al-Asad air base in western Iraq, injuring two U.S. personnel and one Iraqi Security Forces member, she said. The U.S. personnel have returned to duty, Singh said.

Since the Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza began on Oct. 7, Iran-backed militias have launched 151 attacks on U.S. facilities in Syria and Iraq. Most of them have been claimed by an umbrella group calling itself the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, which has said the attacks are in retaliation for Washington’s support for Israel in the war.

Singh was briefing reporters at the Pentagon Monday. According to the Pentagon, the three latest attacks took place on Monday morning and included multiple rockets fired at U.S. and coalition troops at Mission Support Site Euphrates in Syria, a single rocket fired at the Rumalyn Landing Zone in Syria and a one-way attack drone fired at al-Asad. There were no casualties or damage reported from these attacks.

Also on Monday, the U.S. slapped new sanctions on Iraqi airline Fly Baghdad and its CEO Basheer Abdulkadhim Alwan al-Shabbani, saying they have provided assistance to Iran’s military wing and its proxy groups in Iraq, Syria and Lebanon.

GAZA LOSES PHONE AND INTERNET SERVICE IN TENTH BLACKOUT OF WAR

RAMALLAH, West Bank — Communication services across the Gaza Strip have dropped due to ongoing fighting, cutting the besieged territory off from the outside world, the Palestinian telecoms provider Paltel said Monday.

“We regret to announce that telecom services in Gaza Strip have been lost,” Paltel said in a post on X. “Gaza is blacked out again for the 10th time since October 7th due to the ongoing and escalating aggression.”

Communication services in Gaza partially returned on Friday following a weeklong blackout. During that time, Palestinians from the enclave often walked miles from their homes or places of shelter hunting for a signal to send message friends and loved ones.

The telecommunications company is used by people in both the Israeli-occupied West Bank and The Gaza Strip.

US NAVY SAYS IRAN IS ‘DIRECTLY INVOLVED’ IN YEMEN’S HOUTHI REBEL ATTACKS ON SHIPS

JERUSALEM — The U.S. Navy’s top Mideast commander says Iran is “very directly involved” in ship attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels during Israel’s war against Hamas.

Vice Adm. Brad Cooper, the head of the Navy’s 5th Fleet, stopped short of saying Tehran directed individual attacks by the Houthis in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. The Houthis link their attacks to the Israel-Hamas war.

However, Cooper acknowledged in an interview with The Associated Press on Monday that attacks associated with Iran have expanded from previously threatening just the Persian Gulf and its Strait of Hormuz into waters across the wider Middle East. He described the Houthi attacks as the most significant hostile actions against merchant shipping in two generations.

In recent days, the U.S. has launched seven rounds of airstrikes on Houthi military sites, targeting air bases under the rebels’ control and suspected missile launch sites.

So far, Iran has not directly gotten involved in fighting either Israel or the U.S. since the war in Gaza began on Oct. 7. However, Cooper maintained Iran had been directly fueling the Houthi attacks on shipping.

“What I’ll say is Iran is clearly funding, they’re resourcing, they are supplying and they’re providing training,” Cooper said. “They’re obviously very directly involved. There’s no secret there.”

EU PUSHES FOR PALESTINIAN STATEHOOD, REJECTING ISRAELI LEADER’S INSISTENCE IT’S OFF THE TABLE

BRUSSELS — European Union foreign ministers are saying they think the creation of a Palestinian state is the only credible way to achieve peace in the Middle East.

As they met in Brussels on Monday, the ministers expressed concern that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government has rejected Palestinian statehood. He has also described plans for open-ended military control over Gaza.

The EU invited the foreign ministers of Israel, the Palestinians, Egypt, Jordan and a representative of the Arab League to take part in the talks.

Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz refused to respond when asked about the possibility of Palestinian statehood. Holding up pictures of Israeli hostages, Katz said he had come to seek support for Israel’s campaign to dismantle Hamas.

US SANCTIONS IRAQI AIRLINE, ITS CEO AND HAMAS CRYPTOCURRENCY FINANCIERS

WASHINGTON — The U.S. has hit Iraqi airline Fly Baghdad and its CEO with sanctions for allegedly providing assistance to Iran’s military wing.

Additionally, the U.S. has imposed a fifth round of sanctions on the militant group Hamas for its abuse of cryptocurrency since the Oct. 7 attack on Israel.

In the new sanctions announced Monday, Treasury said Fly Baghdad and its CEO Basheer Abdulkadhim Alwan al-Shabbani have provided assistance to Iran’s military wing and its proxy groups in Iraq, Syria and Lebanon. A representative from the firm was not immediately available.

The sanctions block access to U.S. property and bank accounts and prevent the targeted people and companies from doing business with Americans.

Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control also designated three leaders and supporters of an Iran-aligned militia in Iraq, Kataib Hezbollah, as well as a business that it says moves and launders funds for the organization.

Fly Baghdad denied the U.S. allegations and said it would take legal action to demand compensation for losses resulting from the sanctions “as it is clear that the decision was based on misleading and false information and cannot stand before the law.”

SAUDI ARABIA SAYS IT WON’T RECOGNIZE ISRAEL WITHOUT A PATH TO A PALESTINIAN STATE

JERUSALEM — Saudi Arabia’s top diplomat says the kingdom will not normalize relations with Israel or contribute to Gaza’s reconstruction without a credible path to a Palestinian state. That’s a nonstarter for Israel’s government.

Prince Faisal bin Farhan’s remarks in an interview with CNN broadcast late Sunday were some of the most direct yet from Saudi officials.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces mounting domestic pressure over the plight of Israeli hostages, including an angry protest inside a parliamentary committee meeting on Monday.

He has rejected Palestinian statehood and described plans for open-ended military control over Gaza. The dispute over Gaza’s future pits Israel against its top ally, the United States, as well as much of the international community.

ANTI-WAR PROTEST BRIEFLY DISRUPTS AUSTRALIAN OPEN MATCH

MELBOURNE, Australia — A pro-Palestinian protester threw papers onto an Australian Open court and briefly disrupted a match between Alexander Zverev and Cameron Norrie on Monday before being stopped by other spectators.

Olympic champion Zverev said he didn’t feel unsafe but questioned why it took several minutes for security to react, leaving it to tennis fans to intervene.

“When something like this happens, it shouldn’t be another fan dragging the other person out,” he said, noting that security at Melbourne Park was usually very tight, including for the players. “It should be the security guys ... there quite quickly.”

Protesters threw anti-war pamphlets onto at least two courts and also near the entrance to the tournament site.

At Zverev’s match, a woman wearing a face mask threw anti-war pamphlets from the stands onto the court behind the baseline during the sixth game of the third set on Margaret Court Arena.

Printed in black on the white pages was the message “Free Palestine” and “While you’re watching tennis bombs are dropping on Gaza.”

Ball kids gathered up the papers and the match continued after security escorted the protester away.

IDF hammers Gaza as Netanyahu defies U.S., EU over 2-state solution

Gazans sheltered Monday from intense bombing and shooting in the city of Khan Younis, as pressure built on Israel for an eventual two-state solution involving statehood long sought by Palestinians. Witnesses reported deadly strikes and fierce fighting between Israeli soldiers and Hamas militants overnight in the southern city which has become the latest epicenter of the war.

The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza reported on Monday that more than 120 people had been killed in the previous 24 hours.

Palestinian officials say U.S. teen killed by Israeli forces in West Bank

"Artillery shelling has not stopped since 5:00 am," said Yunis Abdel Razek, 52, sheltering with his family at the city's Al-Aqsa University.

Mahdi Antar, 21, had sought refuge at Al-Nasser hospital in Khan Younis. "The situation is terrifying. Tonight and today are very difficult, bombing and shooting. I do not know what to do. I think they will storm the hospital," he said.

Victims of the latest Israeli strikes were brought to the hospital, at least one on a hand-pulled cart.

The Palestinian Red Crescent said Israeli forces were "besieging" their ambulance center "and targeting anyone attempting to move in the area."

At one building that had been hit, men walked over broken concrete with only flashlights casting a dusty light to help them search in the darkness for survivors.

Netanyahu defies U.S., rejects 2-state solution

The strikes came as European Union foreign ministers held meetings in Brussels with top diplomats from Israel, the Palestinian Authority and key Arab states. The 27 EU ministers first met Israel's Foreign Minister Israel Katz before sitting down separately with the Palestinian Authority's top diplomat, Riyad al-Maliki.

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell told Israel "peace and stability cannot be built only by military means."

"Which are the other solutions they have in mind? To make all the Palestinians leave? To kill off them?" Borrell said.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has drawn condemnation from the United Nations and defied the United States, which provides Israel with billions of dollars in military aid, by rejecting calls to enter negotiations on the creation of a Palestinian state. The U.S. government has long advocated the elusive two-state solution as the only way to defuse the long-standing conflict between the Israelis and the Palestinians.

The Israeli leader reaffirmed and defended his rejection of the concept in a video statement broadcast Sunday evening, saying his "insistence is what has prevented, over the years, the establishment of a Palestinian state that would have constituted an existential danger to Israel. As long as I am prime minister, I will continue to strongly insist on this."

On Monday, Maliki demanded the EU call for an immediate cease-fire and urged the bloc to consider sanctions against Netanyahu for "destroying the chances for a two-state solution."

Jordan's Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said "the whole world" sees a two-state solution as "the only way out of this misery."

Katz told reporters he was in Brussels to discuss the need "to bring back our hostages and restore security for the citizens of Israel."

Hamas calls its terror attack a "defensive act"

The talks came a day after Hamas issued a 16-page report, in Arabic and English, explaining the background to the group's unprecedented Oct. 7 terror attack on southern Israel, which sparked the current war.

Hamas, long designated a terrorist organization by Israel, the U.S. and the European Union, called the attacks a "defensive act" and "necessary step" against Israeli occupation, "reclaiming the Palestinian rights and on the way for liberation and independence like all peoples."

Israeli officials say Hamas militants killed some 1,200 people in southern Israel, mostly civilians, and seized about 240 others as hostages. About half have been freed, but some 132 people are still believed to be held captive in Gaza by Hamas or other groups.

In response, Israel has carried out a relentless offensive that has killed at least 25,295 people in Gaza, around 70% of them women and children, according to the latest toll issued by Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry.

Hostage families storm Israeli government meeting

U.S. intelligence agencies estimate that the Israeli offensive has killed 20% to 30% of the Hamas fighters in Gaza, and is still far from its stated goal of destroying the group entirely, the Wall Street Journal reported Sunday.

In a video statement issued after the Hamas report, Netanyahu said Israel's soldiers would "have fallen in vain" and security would not be guaranteed if his government were to accept Hamas' demands for the release of the remaining hostages. Those include ending the war immediately, withdrawing Israeli forces from Gaza, releasing Palestinian prisoners and guaranteeing that Hamas remains in power, Netanyahu said.

The Israeli leader is under intense pressure to return the captives and account for security failings surrounding the Oct. 7 attacks.

Relatives and supporters of the captives have held regular rallies and on Monday upped the pressure by storming a parliamentary finance committee meeting, where they shouted and brandished signs.

"Shame on you!" shouted one of the protesters at the Israel lawmakers. "They are your brothers as well. Get up!"

"Yesterday the prime minister comes up and says there won't be a deal? On the back of whom will there not be a deal? What right does he have not to negotiate a deal?" demanded another.

In a bid to secure a new hostage exchange deal, U.S. officials confirmed to CBS News that White House coordinator for the Middle East Brett McGurk was traveling to the region Monday to meet top officials in Cairo, followed by a trip to Qatar. The three countries helped broker a one-week truce in late November that saw 80 hostages freed in exchange for 240 Palestinian prisoners in Israel.

Rising tensions and violence across the Middle East  i—nvolving Iran-backed groups in Lebanon, Iraq, Syria and Yemen - have stoked fears of a wider conflagration.