The Israeli military said Thursday it was investigating an incident in which its troops opened fire on ambulances, claiming to have targeted "terrorists," while the U.N. reported that 15 medics and humanitarian workers were killed.

"The incident from March 23, 2025, in which IDF (military) forces opened fire targeting terrorists advancing in ambulances, has been transferred to the General Staff's fact-finding and assessment mechanism for investigation," military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani said in a statement.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office is once again ensnared in scandal after police arrested two of his close associates this week on suspicion of accepting money from Qatar to promote a positive image of the Gulf Arab state in Israel.

The affair has gripped Israelis because Qatar, a country that many view as a patron of Hamas, and which has no formal diplomatic ties to Israel, appears to have penetrated the highest corridors of power.

Overnight strikes by Israel killed at least 55 people across the Gaza Strip, hospital officials said Thursday, a day after senior government officials said Israel would seize large areas of Gaza and establish a new security corridor across the Palestinian territory.

Israel has vowed to escalate the nearly 18-month war with Hamas until the militant group returns dozens of remaining hostages, disarms and leaves the territory. Israel has imposed a month-long halt on all imports of food, fuel and humanitarian aid that has left civilians facing acute shortages as supplies dwindle.

Syria accused Israel on Thursday of mounting a deadly destabilization campaign after a wave of strikes hit military targets, including an airport, and ground incursions left 13 people dead.

Israel said it responded to fire from gunmen during an operation in southern Syria and warned interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa that he would face severe consequences if its security was threatened.

The head of the U.S. Central Command, General Michael Kurilla, visited Israel this week for talks with Israeli army chief Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir on regional security issues, the military said on Thursday.

Kurilla arrived in Israel on Tuesday and held a joint meeting with Zamir and other Israeli military commanders "during which they discussed strategic security issues across the region," the military said in a statement.

Yemen's Houthis said a strike they blamed on the United States killed a guard at a communications tower on Thursday, among more than 30 strikes on rebel-held parts of the country.

There was no immediate statement from Washington, which has carried out a wave of strikes against Houthi targets in recent weeks after President Donald Trump vowed to pummel the rebels until they stop attacking commercial shipping in solidarity with Palestinian militant group Hamas.

Israel's far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir prompted strong condemnation from Arab nations and Palestinian militants Hamas on Wednesday with his latest visit to the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem's Old City.

The firebrand politician was visiting the site, which is sacred to Jews and Muslims, in Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem after returning to the government last month following the resumption of the war against Hamas in Gaza.

Hamas condemned a visit on Wednesday by Israel's far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir to the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem, calling it a "provocative and dangerous escalation".

In a statement, the Palestinian militant group called for Palestinians "and our youth in the West Bank to escalate their confrontation... in defense of our land and our sanctities, foremost among them the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque". The disputed site is sacred to both Jews and Muslims.

Gaza's civil defense agency said nine children were among 16 people killed in an Israeli strike on what it called a U.N. clinic in Jabalia Wednesday, which the army did not immediately confirm.

Civil defense spokesman Mahmoud Bassal said there were also dozens of people wounded in the strike which "targeted an UNRWA building housing a medical clinic in Jabalia refugee camp". The U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) was not immediately able to confirm the strike.

Since President Donald Trump took office, the U.S. government has used its immigration enforcement powers to crack down on international students and scholars at several American universities who had participated in pro-Palestinian demonstrations or criticized Israel over its military action in Gaza.

Trump and other officials have accused protesters and others of being "pro-Hamas," referring to the Palestinian militant group that attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. Many protesters have said they were speaking out against Israel's actions in the war.