German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has held a phone call with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the German government said, adding that Iran must engage in serious negotiations and stop destabilising the region.

Three Palestinians, including a woman, were injured in Israeli attacks in Gaza, in a fresh violation of last year’s ceasefire agreement, a medical source said.

Separately, Israeli naval vessels opened machine-gun fire and launched shells towards the Gaza City coast.

Illegal Israeli settlers wearing army uniforms assault Palestinian family in Talfit, leaving several injured.

Egypt is prepared to provide Saudi Arabia with “any kind” of support, as the kingdom faces intensified attacks by the Houthi militia, Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty said.

“Whatever is being asked by the Saudis, of course we will respond,” Abdelatty told Bloomberg Television when asked whether Egypt could provide military support to Saudi Arabia.

“Without any reservation, we provide all kinds of support,” he added in an interview on the sidelines of the annual meetings of the International Monetary Fund in Bangkok on October 12-18.

Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani has called for accountability for those responsible for Israel’s genocide in Gaza, which began in October 2023.

“What happened in the Gaza Strip is unquestionably genocide, and its perpetrators must not be allowed to escape accountability,” Tamim said during an address opening the 55th annual session of Qatar’s Shura Council in Doha.

The Committee to Protect Journalists urged pressure on Israel including potential economic consequences if it does not hold responsible troops behind a deadly 2023 strike on reporters in Lebanon.

The Committee to Protect Journalists, a New York-based group advocating freedom of the press, said that the European Union should consider a suspension of its agreement allowing free trade with Israel unless Israel takes responsibility.

"With Israel's blatant failure to take accountability, we call on the international community to pressure Israeli officials to complete a probe naming the units and individuals responsible for the deliberate attacks against journalists," said Sara Qudah, Middle East regional director for the Committee to Protect Journalists.

"The suspension of the EU-Israel Association Agreement is one of the few remaining avenues that could create a meaningful pressure to break this cycle of impunity," she said.

Saudi Arabia, the world's top oil exporter, faces a major economic contraction this year, the IMF said, as deadly attacks by Houthi militia squeeze a country already suffering from the Middle East war.

Saudi Arabia's GDP is expected to shrink by 3.3 percent, the International Monetary Fund said in its latest World Economic Outlook report, predicting a regional drop over Iran's blockading of the Strait of Hormuz.

The kingdom was already facing headwinds from Iran's chokehold on Hormuz, a vital shipping route for oil and gas, since the start of the Middle East war in February, when the US and Israel attacked Iran.

The Red Cross has called for urgent de-escalation in the Middle East, warning that further fighting would be disastrous for tens of millions of civilians.

"Civilians are paying an unacceptable price as a result of military operations in the Middle East," said Mirjana Spoljaric, the president of the International Committee of the Red Cross.

"In Yemen, the scale of death, displacement and damage to civilian infrastructure, including in Aden and Sanaa, is mounting at an alarming rate.

Spoljaric said civilians and civilian objects had to be spared from attack, while parties to conflict must, at all times, distinguish between civilians, civilian objects and military targets.

"A further intensification of hostilities would be disastrous for tens of millions of people. Urgent efforts must be made to de-escalate and protect civilians from further harm," Spoljaric said.

Türkiye’s UN envoy has called on Israel to end its “reckless acts” in Syria and fully comply with the 1974 Disengagement of Forces Agreement.

“Lasting stability is essential for Syria to rebuild its economy, attract investment, and participate in regional energy and connectivity projects,” Türkiye's Permanent Representative to the United Nations Ahmet Yildiz told a session of the UN Security Council.

“Israel’s continued violations of Syrian sovereignty and territorial integrity undermine these prospects and show disregard for international law,” Yildiz said.

“A stable, sovereign and unified Syria capable of securing its borders, defeating terrorist organisations and contributing to regional peace and economic cooperation serves the interests of all, including Israel,” he added.