More than 46,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Israel-Hamas war, officials say

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Gaza’s Health Ministry says the death toll from the Israel-Hamas war has climbed above 46,000. The ministry updated its toll from the ongoing 15-month conflict on Thursday. It says 46,006 Palestinians have been killed and 109,378 wounded. The ministry has said women and children make up more than half the fatalities, but does not say how many of the dead were fighters or civilians. The Israeli military says it has killed over 17,000 militants, without providing evidence. It says it tries to avoid harming civilians and blames Hamas for their deaths because the militants operate in residential areas. Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians are now packed into sprawling tent camps along the coast with limited access to food and other essentials.

An army airstrike on a village in western Myanmar has killed at least 40, reports say

BANGKOK (AP) — An airstrike by Myanmar’s army on a village under the control of an armed ethnic minority group has killed about 40 people and injured at least 20 others, officials of the group and a local charity say. They say the attack occurred Wednesday in an area of western Rakhine state and set off a fire that destroyed hundreds of houses in the village. The military has not announced any attacks in the area, and the situation in the village could not be independently verified. Myanmar is wracked by violence that began when the army ousted an elected government in February 2021.

Venezuelan opposition leader emerges from hideout to protest Maduro’s plans

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado has left her hideout for the first time in months to join anti-government protests. She’s risking arrest as protesters make a last-ditch attempt to stop President Nicolás Maduro from being sworn in to another term after a disputed election. The protests are taking place a day before the ruling party-controlled National Assembly is scheduled to swear in Maduro to a third six-year term despite credible evidence that he lost the presidential election. Machado has called on supporters to demonstrate across Venezuela in order to force him out of office. Machado joined demonstrations in the country’s capital, Caracas. She has not been seen publicly since August.

2 people have died and 20 injured in snow and ice storm in northern France

PARIS (AP) — Authorities in northern France say two people have died and 20 others are injured from a cold snap bringing snow and ice across northern Europe. A statement Thursday from authorities in the Nord region said one of those killed slipped outside and violently banged their head. They said the other person had no fixed address and was found dead in the town of Valenciennes. The icy weather first hit Wednesday. Across the English Channel, weather warnings were in force across the U.K., where temperatures were expected to plummet to 3.2 degrees Fahrenheit in some places later on Thursday. Manchester Airport briefly closed its runways due to heavy snow on Thursday morning before reopening.