Kathmandu— Hundreds of people gathered in Gaza City on Tuesday to hold a mass funeral for 112 Palestinians whose bodies were recovered from rubble left by Israeli airstrikes nearly three years earlier. Elsewhere, a projectile reportedly struck a cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz, Qatar announced it was mediating peace talks between the US and Iran, and Yemen’s Houthis claimed they fired at an airport in Saudi Arabia.

Gaza Mass Funeral

The funeral took place for victims who were among more than 300 killed during a Nov. 22, 2023 attack on Gaza City’s Sabra neighborhood. First responders recovered the bodies over the weekend after digging through the rubble for 136 hours, according to Gaza’s Civil Defense agency. The bodies included 40 children, 30 women and seven people with disabilities.

Around 7,400 people are still missing and presumed buried under the rubble from the war that began on Oct. 7, 2023 when Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel.

Strait of Hormuz Incident

A cargo ship reported being “hit by an unknown projectile” at 2 a.m. local time while it was 37 kilometers (23 miles) northeast of Al Khasab in Oman, according to the UK Maritime Trade Operations Center. The town of Al Khasab sits on the tip of the Arabian Peninsula that juts into the Strait of Hormuz, which has been effectively shut by Iran’s attacks since February.

Qatar Mediation Efforts

Despite conflicting claims, mediation efforts were underway between the US and Iran to wind down the war, Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari said Tuesday. Senior U.S. officials struck an optimistic tone on Tuesday, suggesting a deal to reopen the strait could be reached soon.

Yemen Conflict Escalates

Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree, a military spokesman for the Iranian-backed rebels, said a drone hit a “sensitive target” at the airport in Najran, without providing evidence. The Houthis recently announced a blockade on Saudi-linked shipping passing through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait that leads to the Red Sea.

Beirut Port Explosion Memorial

Families of the more than 200 people killed in the massive explosion at the port in Beirut gathered at the blast site to mark six years since tons of improperly stored ammonium nitrate exploded, devastating large parts of the Lebanese capital. No one has been convicted in a long-stalled judicial investigation into the incident.

(With inputs from AP)

Originally published on abcnews.com.np.