Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cast the announcement that the fragile ceasefire in Gaza would advance to its second phase as largely symbolic, raising questions about how its more challenging elements will be carried out.

Speaking late Wednesday with the parents of the last Israeli hostage whose remains are still in Gaza, Netanyahu said the governing committee of Palestinians announced as part of the second phase was merely a "declarative move," rather than the sign of progress described by U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff.

The United States said that it is moving into the next phase of a Gaza ceasefire plan that involves disarming Hamas, rebuilding the war-ravaged territory and establishing the group of Palestinian experts that will administer daily affairs in Gaza under American supervision.

President Donald Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff said in a post on X Wednesday that the deal that the Republican president helped broker was entering its second phase following two years of war between Israel and Hamas, including the establishment of a technocratic government in Gaza.

Syria's military said it would open a corridor Thursday for civilians to evacuate an area of Aleppo province that has seen a military buildup following intense clashes between government and Kurdish-led forces in Aleppo city.

The army's announcement late Wednesday — which said civilians would be able to evacuate through the "humanitarian corridor" from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday — appeared to signal plans for an offensive in the towns of Deir Hafer and Maskana and surrounding areas, about 60 kilometers (40 miles) east of Aleppo city.

Human Rights Watch on Thursday criticized the Syrian government for what it says is the lack of accountability on perpetrators of sectarian violence and killings on all sides in clashes between government-backed armed Bedouin clans and Druze militias in a southern province in July that killed hundreds of civilians.

In its report, the rights group said it documented 86 "apparently unlawful killings" of civilians in Sweida province, of which 67 were Druze and 19 were Bedouin.

Lebanese authorities have arrested a Syrian citizen who is suspected of sending money to fighters loyal to former Syrian President Bashar Assad in Syria, judicial officials said Wednesday.

Ahmad Dunia was detained in recent days in Lebanon's region of Byblos north of Beirut and is being questioned over alleged links to Assad's maternal cousin Rami Makhlouf as well as a former Syrian army general who left the country after Assad's fall in December 2024, the officials said.

Iran's deadly crackdown on protesters and U.S. warnings of intervention are being closely watched by neighboring countries in the Middle East.

Here is how the crisis is regarded by some of the region's key players:

Some personnel have been told to depart the United States' Al Udeid military base in Qatar, two diplomatic sources told AFP on Wednesday, after Washington threatened to respond to a government crackdown on protests in Iran.

A number of personnel were asked to leave the base by Wednesday evening, one source told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive matter. The second source confirmed the information, also on condition of anonymity.

Strong winter winds collapsed walls onto flimsy tents for Palestinians displaced by war in Gaza, killing at least four people, hospital authorities said Tuesday.

Dangerous living conditions persist in Gaza after more than two years of devastating Israeli bombardment and aid shortfalls. A ceasefire has been in effect since Oct. 10. But aid groups say that Palestinians broadly lack the shelter necessary to withstand frequent winter storms.

Syrian government forces and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces exchanged fire Tuesday in a tense area of eastern Aleppo province, marking a possible escalation after days of clashes in the northern city.

No casualties were immediately reported, as an impasse continues in negotiations between the central government and the SDF over merging its thousands of fighters into the national army.

Israeli police issued an arrest warrant for a former aide to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday, accusing him of being implicated in two affairs involving the premier's office.