President Donald Trump on Thursday visits a U.S. base installation at the center of American involvement in the Middle East as he uses his four-day visit to Gulf states to reject the 鈥渋nterventionism鈥 of America鈥檚 past in the region.
In other parts of the Middle East violence flared in the West Bank and Gaza, A hospital in southern Gaza says 54 people have been killed in overnight airstrikes on the city of Khan Younis.
with a pregnant Israeli woman killed even as the international rights group ,Human Rights Watch ,said that Israel鈥檚 plan to seize Gaza, remain in the territory and displace hundreds of thousands of people 鈥渋nches closer to extermination.鈥
Trump plans to address troops at Qatar鈥檚 , which was a major staging ground during the U.S. wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and supported the recent U.S. air campaign against Yemen鈥檚 Iran-backed Houthis. The president has held up Gulf nations like Saudi Arabia and Qatar as models for economic development in a region plagued by conflict as he works to entice Iran to come to terms with his administration on a deal to curb its nuclear program.
The President also meets business leaders in Qatar and heads to Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates.
__
Gaza鈥檚 only hospital providing cancer treatment declared out of service
The European Hospital in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis is out of service due to severe damage to its infrastructure and access roads from Israeli strikes, the territory鈥檚 Health Ministry said Thursday.
The shutdown halts all specialized treatments, including cardiac surgeries and cancer care in the only facility that was providing ongoing medical care to cancer patients in Gaza, the ministry added.
Israeli forces struck the European Hospital twice on Tuesday, saying it was targeting a Hamas command center beneath the facility. Six people were killed in the strike.
European Hospital director Imad al-Hout told The Associated Press there had been 200 patients in the hospital at the time of Tuesday鈥檚 strikes. They were all gradually evacuated, with the last 90 transferred to other hospitals, including Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, on Wednesday morning. Efforts were now underway to coordinate repairs to the facility, he added.
___
American comedian jokes about cocaine on a baby before Trump visits base
American comedian Theo Von did a set Thursday before President Donald Trump鈥檚 visit to a military base in Qatar that included references to snorting cocaine off a baby鈥檚 back.
The jokes drew laughter and some groans from the service members at Al-Udeid Air Base, home to the forward headquarters of the U.S. military鈥檚 Central Command.
鈥淪omebody put some cocaine on the baby鈥檚 back, right? I didn鈥檛 do it,鈥 Von said. 鈥淎nd it wasn鈥檛 a lot of cocaine. ... It didn鈥檛 weigh the baby down, OK? And it was a mixed baby. So you can see the cocaine. I鈥檓 not doing white dust off a white child鈥檚 back, man.鈥
___
A key U.S. military base in the Middle East is awaiting a visit by President Donald Trump
Al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar is the forward headquarters of the U.S. military鈥檚 Central Command. At the base Thursday, service members listened to a comedy act ahead of Trump鈥檚 appearance. A Qatari and American flag flanked a large banner reading: 鈥淧EACE THROUGH STRENGTH.鈥
A Qatari F-15 and an MQ-9 Reaper drone sat to the side of the stage.
Theo Von, an American comedian, did a stand up set that included making jokes about Qatar鈥檚 national dress for men, the white thobe, and everyone being named Mohammed.
鈥淚t鈥檚 like a Ku Klux sandsman,鈥 he said.
He later made a joke about the U.S. Navy: 鈥淚鈥檓 not going to fly across the whole world just to be gay. I鈥檓 not in the Navy.鈥 And another punch line included: 鈥淲here do you think the next 9/11 should happen?鈥
___
Trump says only two solutions for Iran are 鈥榠ntelligent鈥 or 鈥榖rutal鈥
President Donald Trump kept up pressure Thursday on Iran, warning Tehran that a deal over its nuclear program or potentially airstrikes are the only two solutions to the diplomatic impasse.
Speaking in Qatar before business leaders, Trump said: 鈥淲e鈥檇 like to see if we could solve the Iran problem in an intelligent way, as opposed to a brutal way. There鈥檚 only two: intelligent and brutal. Those are the two alternatives.鈥
Trump also said that Qatar鈥檚 ruling emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, had been pushing for diplomatic deal over Iran鈥檚 nuclear program. Qatar shares a massive offshore oil and gas field that鈥檚 crucial to its wealth with Iran.
鈥淚 said last night that Iran is very lucky to have the emir because he鈥檚 actually fighting for them. He doesn鈥檛 want us to do a vicious blow to Iran,鈥 Trump said. 鈥淗e says, 鈥榊ou can make a deal. You can make a deal.鈥 He鈥檚 really fighting. And I really mean this: I think that Iran should say a big thank you to the emir.鈥
At another point, Trump mused: 鈥淚n the case of Iran, they make a good drone.鈥
___
Trump suggests India offered to drop tariffs to zero on US goods
President Donald Trump has suggested that India has offered to drop tariffs on U.S. goods to zero, something not immediately acknowledged by New Delhi.
Trump made the comments during a business roundtable in Doha, Qatar, on his Mideast tour, first discussing Apple鈥檚 plans to build manufacturing plants for its iPhone there.
鈥淚t鈥檚 very hard to sell into India and and they鈥檝e offered us a deal with what basically they鈥檙e willing to literally charge us no tariff,鈥 Trump said. India is a close partner of the U.S. and is part of the Quad, which is made up of the U.S., India, Japan and Australia, and is seen as a counterbalance to China鈥檚 expansion in the region
___
Trump says he didn鈥檛 think Putin would go to Turkey talks if he wasn鈥檛 there
U.S. President Donald Trump said Thursday that he didn鈥檛 think Russian President Vladimir Putin would go to talks in Turkey with Ukraine if he wasn鈥檛 there.
Trump made the remarks at a business roundtable in Qatar on his Mideast trip.
鈥淚 didn鈥檛 think it was possible for Putin to go if I鈥檓 not there,鈥 Trump said.
Trump had suggested he could travel there for the talks if Putin was going. On Thursday, however, Trump said: 鈥淚 actually said, why would he go if I鈥檓 not going? Because I wasn鈥檛 going to go. I wasn鈥檛 planning to go. I would go, but I wasn鈥檛 planning to go. And I said, I don鈥檛 think he鈥檚 going to go if I don鈥檛 go.鈥
___
President Donald Trump has attended a business forum in Qatar
Trump sat with GE Aerospace鈥檚 Larry Culp and Boeing Co.鈥檚 Kelly Ortberg on either side of him on Thursday. Both praised Trump for his support for the Qatar Airways order for Boeing aircraft. Ortberg called it one of the largest orders Boeing has ever had.
___
Hospital says 54 killed in overnight strikes in Gaza’s Khan Younis
A hospital in southern Gaza says 54 people have been killed in overnight airstrikes on the city of Khan Younis.
An Associated Press cameraman in Khan Younis counted 10 airstrikes on the city overnight into Thursday, and saw numerous bodies taken to the morgue in the city鈥檚 Nasser Hospital. Some bodies arrived in pieces, with some body bags containing the remains of multiple people. The hospital鈥檚 morgue confirmed 54 people had been killed.
It was the second night of heavy bombing, after airstrikes Wednesday on northern and southern Gaza killed at least 70 people, including almost two dozen children.
The strikes come as U.S. President Donald Trump visits the Middle East, visiting Gulf states but not Israel. There had been widespread hope that Trump鈥檚 regional visit could usher in a ceasefire deal or renewal of humanitarian aid to Gaza. An Israeli blockade of the territory is now in its third month.
___
Al Jazeera mutes critiques of American foreign policy during Trump鈥檚 visit
Qatar鈥檚 satellite news channel Al Jazeera long has been a powerful force in the Middle East, often taking editorial positions at odds with America鈥檚 interests in the region during the wars that followed the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks by al-Qaida.
But during President Donald Trump鈥檚 visit to the Gulf Arab nation this week, state-funded Al Jazeera muted its typical critiques of American foreign policy.
The channel, which broadcasts in Arabic and English, broadly covered Trump鈥檚 visit in a straightforward manner, highlighting it was the first-ever trip to Qatar by a sitting American leader. Mentions of the Israel-Hamas war, which Al Jazeera often has criticized America over for its military support to Israel, did not include any critiques of U.S. policy. Instead, journalists highlighted Qatar鈥檚 role as a mediator in the war and aired comments by Qatar鈥檚 ruler, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, calling for a ceasefire.
___
President Trump begins his third day in the Middle East
After a morning meeting with top U.S. and Qatari officials and American defense and aerospace business leaders, Trump heads to Al-Udeid Air Base, a U.S. installation at the center of American involvement in the Middle East. There, he will address troops and is expected to view a demonstration of American air capability.
The president then travels to the United Arab Emirates, the final leg of his first major foreign trip. He will head first to the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque and then to a state visit hosted at Abu Dhabi鈥檚 Qasr al-Watan palace.
___
Human Rights Watch slams Israeli plans to expand Gaza war
The international rights group said that Israel鈥檚 plan to seize Gaza, remain in the territory and displace hundreds of thousands of people 鈥渋nches closer to extermination.鈥
It called on the international community to speak out against the plan. It said that the new plans, coupled with the 鈥渟ystematic destruction鈥 of civilian infrastructure and the block on all imports into Gaza, were cause for signatories to the Genocide Convention to act to prevent Israel鈥檚 moves. It said states should halt weapons transfers to Israel and enforce international arrest warrants against Israel鈥檚 prime minister and former defense minister, as well as review their bilateral agreements with the country.
Israel vehemently denies accusations that it is committing genocide in Gaza.
The group also called on Hamas to free the 58 hostages it still holds in Gaza, 23 of whom are believed to be alive.
___
Pregnant Israeli woman killed in West Bank shooting attack, doctors rescue her baby
A pregnant Israeli woman has died after she was shot and critically wounded in a shooting attack in the occupied West Bank, a hospital said Thursday.
Beilinson Hospital said that doctors succeeded in saving her unborn baby, who was in serious but stable condition after being delivered by caesarean section.
The Israeli military said a Palestinian assailant opened fire on a vehicle late Wednesday, wounded two civilians. Soldiers launched a search for the attacker.
It鈥檚 the latest violence in the Palestinian territory, where the Israeli military has launched a major operation that it says is meant to crack down on militancy. The operation has displaced tens of thousands of people.
Hundreds of Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank in months of violence that surged there after the start of the war in Gaza.
