International News from Thursday, July 16th, 2026

Israeli strikes killed at least five Palestinians in the Gaza Strip on Thursday, Palestinian health officials said, as a US-based research group reported a surge in Israeli attacks to levels not seen since the latest truce took effect in October.

An Indian court directed authorities on Thursday to monitor the health of an activist who is on the 19th day of a hunger strike on a stage in central Delhi to demand the education minister quits, and to intervene if his condition deteriorates.

A magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck near the town of Te Anau in New Zealand's South Island, shaking buildings and prompting authorities to briefly issue a tsunami warning.

Two attacks targeting a security convoy and a police station have left at least three officers dead and 20 injured in northwest Pakistan on Wednesday.

A bus has plunged into a river after colliding with a road guardrail on Wednesday, killing six people and injuring 11 in China's southwestern Sichuan province, local authorities said in a notice on Thursday.

Toronto's air quality has ranked the worst among major cities globally on Wednesday as wildfire smoke from northwestern Ontario blackened skies and spread into the northeastern United States, prompting health warnings and calls for residents to limit outdoor activities.

Iran and the US exchanged intensified fire on Thursday in a week-long escalation that has all but torn up last month's truce, but Iran's release of a US citizen was seen as signalling a path to avert the resumption of all-out war.