JERUSALEM -- The Israeli army announced on Friday that the body of an Israeli soldier kidnapped by Hamas militants during the Oct. 7 attacks was returned to Israel after being discovered in a building adjacent to Gaza's largest hospital.

The recovery of the soldier's body came one day after the army said it had extracted the remains of an Israeli civilian who was abducted by Hamas militants on Oct. 7 from a structure near the same hospital. (Israel-Hostages-Body Recovery)

- - - -

GAZA -- Gaza's government media office announced on Friday that the total number of Palestinian deaths in the enclave has exceeded 12,000 since the start of the Israel-Hamas conflict on Oct. 7.

Ismail al-Thawabta, the director general of the media office, said at a press conference that among the dead were 5,000 children and 3,300 women, adding that more than 30,000 people were variously injured. (Israel-Gaza Strip-Death Toll)

- - - -

BAGHDAD -- Two airbases housing the U.S.-led coalition forces in Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdistan region and western Iraq were attacked by drones on Friday.

A statement by Kurdistan's regional Counter-Terrorism Service said a booby-trapped drone hit the Harir Airbase outside the city of Erbil, the capital of the Kurdish region, at 10:25 a.m. local time (0725 GMT). (Iraq-Drone Attack-U.S. Forces)

- - - -

CAIRO -- Six trucks carrying 150,000 liters of diesel crossed on Friday the Egyptian side of the Rafah crossing, the sole point connecting the Gaza Strip with Egypt's North Sinai province, according to Egypt's Al-Qahera TV News.

Israel halted the entry of fuel into the Palestinian enclave soon after the outbreak of the Hamas-Israel conflict on Oct. 7. It was not until Wednesday that the first fuel trucks entered Gaza, carrying 25,000 liters of diesel to fuel the UN aid distribution trucks. (Egypt-Gaza-Aid)