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PremiumIsrael-Hamas War highlights: The war continued to rage in the Gaza Strip between Israel and Hamas on the 29th day (Saturday). Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected US calls for a humanitarian pause. The Israeli troops have further closed in on Gaza City, launching targeted attacks within the city on militant cells. The Palestinian death toll in the Israel-Hamas war has reached 9,227, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry in Gaza. More than 1,400 people in Israel have been killed, most of them in a Hamas attack, launched on 7 October. Roughly 1,100 people have left the Gaza Strip through the Rafah crossing since Wednesday under an apparent agreement among the US, Egypt, Israel, and Qatar, which mediates with Hamas.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met Qatari Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani in Amman, Jordan. The US has credited the Gulf nation for its help in securing the release of four hostages held by the group and Qatar has been a keen negotiator during this war.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will hear demands for an immediate ceasefire and urgent delivery of aid into the Gaza Strip during his meeting with Arab leaders in Jordan.
According to Jordan's foreign ministry, the ministers will also "discuss the repercussions [of the war] and ways to end this dangerous deterioration that threatens the security of the entire region."
IDF releases new footage of fighting in northern Gaza as troops push ahead with the ground offensive, according to Times of Israel.
As war rages between Israel and Hamas, the United Nations has warned that there are no safe places left in Gaza. All UN Buildings, meant for displaced people, have been impacted in the ongoing conflict.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres enewed his demand for a humanitarian cease-fire in Gaza, saying civilians “have been besieged, denied aid, killed and bombed out of their homes" for nearly one month. The secretary-general said international humanitarian law must be respected, including protecting civilians and civilian infrastructure — and not using civilians as human shields.
The Rafah border crossing will be opened Wednesday for a number of Palestinians who were injured in Gaza to complete their treatment in Egyptian hospitals, Reuters reported.
Israel has claimed responsibility for an attack outside Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City in which 15 people got killed and 50 others injured.
In a statement, Israel said it targeted the ambulance because it was being used by Hamas.
The head of Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said they could allow fuel to enter the Gaza Strip for use by hospitals in the near future but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said no such move have been approved.
Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi said that if hospitals in Gaza run out of fuel then it will be allowed in via the Rafah crossing with Egypt, Times of Israel reported.
The average Gazan is living on two pieces of Arabic bread a day, a UN agency said.
Fuel, essential for the functioning of institutions, hospitals, and the distribution of water and electricity, is not much left in Gaza.
Sewage is not being treated and instead is being pumped into the sea.
Cooking gas that was brought into Gaza from Egypt by the private sector before the war is increasingly in short supply.
Close to 600,000 people are sheltering in 149 UNRWA facilities, most of them schools, but the agency has lost contact with many in the north.
The Gaza Health Ministry’s total of more than 9,000 people killed in Gaza is four times as many deaths as during the 50-day conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza in 2014 when just over 2,200 Palestinians were killed.
The Israeli military said ground troops continued to exchange fire with Hamas militants Friday in Gaza, as Israeli aircraft killed numerous Hamas militants exiting tunnels.
Footage released by the military showed troops and tanks advancing through grassland toward bombed-out buildings as smoke clouds from airstrikes rose in the distance.
Israeli authorities informed France that the French Institute of Gaza was targeted in an Israeli strike, the Foreign Ministry said on Friday.
No one working at the institute, nor any French national, was inside the institute, the statement said.
A couple hundred people calling for a cease-fire as Israel continues its bombardment of the Gaza Strip blocked entrances to a federal building in downtown Seattle. Protesters, many wearing black sweatshirts that said “Cease Fire Now," sang songs about freedom.
The average person in Gaza is living on two pieces of Arabic bread made from flour the UN had stockpiled in Gaza. A UN agency supporting about 89 bakeries across Gaza aims to get bread to 1.7 million people.
Hamas attempted to slip some of its wounded fighters onto a list of people approved to pass from Gaza into Egypt at the Rafah crossing, US said.
Hamas agreed to allow foreign nationals out of Gaza if some wounded Palestinians also could cross to receive medical treatment in Egypt. But when Egyptian authorities vetted the list, they found several of the wounded Palestinians were suspected Hamas militants, an official said.
Israel and the US appear to be taking divergent approaches to securing the release of the more than 200 hostages held by Hamas in Gaza.
A senior Biden administration official said Friday the US believes the fighting will need to take a “fairly significant pause" to allow for their release. However, Israel has opposed any temporary ceasefire in Gaza unless Hamas freed all the hostages it holds.
The US and Arab leaders will be meeting in Jordan on Saturday for a ceasefire demand. According to te Gaza health officials, 15 people were killed in an Israeli air strike on an ambulance on Friday.
"We emphasize that this area is a battle zone. Civilians in the area are repeatedly called upon to evacuate southwards for their own safety," the Israeli military said.
-An ambulance convoy heading to the Rafah crossing with Egypt and carrying 15 to 20 critically wounded patients was hit at the gate to al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City.
-The Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza says an Israeli attack killed at least 14 Palestinians who were fleeing the north.
-Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu has ruled out a temporary ceasefire despite growing Western pressure for a “humanitarian pause", including from the United States.
-During a visit to Israel, US Secretary of State Blinken reiterates that Israel has a “right to defend itself" while also urging the country to do “everything" to ensure the protection of civilians.
-UN aid chief Martin Griffiths says there has been “some progress" in talks to allow fuel into Gaza.
-The Hezbollah chief, Hassan Nasrallah, gave a speech saying whoever wants to prevent a regional war must stop the war on the Gaza Strip; Nasrallah added that the group is ready for all possibilities.
Tel Aviv, Israel: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken says, "As long as the United States stands, Israel will never stand alone. Today, in my fourth visit to Israel since October 7, I reiterated that in all my discussions with Prime Minister Netanyahu, President Herzog, the Security Cabinet, I reiterated and made clear our support for Israel's right to defend itself, indeed, its obligation to defend itself...We're working with Congress now, to provide for Israel's defense, as well as for urgent humanitarian needs in Gaza. This right to self-defence, indeed, this obligation to self-defence, belongs to every nation. No country could or should tolerate the slaughter of innocents."
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vows to press ahead in Gaza, rules out cease-fire, until Hamas frees hostages, reports AP.
Nasrallah continues, saying Hezbollah has been escalating its operations by the day and forcing Israel to keep its forces near the Lebanese border instead of Gaza or the occupied West Bank.
Nasrallah also outlines two goals: The first is to stop the war in Gaza and the second is for Hamas to be victorious in this war.
Nasrallah does say that Arab and Muslim countries should work together to stop the war on Gaza.
He adds that “the enemy" is threatening Lebanon and the Lebanese while it sinks in the sands of the Gaza Strip.
Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, speaking for the first time since the Israel-Hamas war erupted, said on Friday that the operation launched by the Hamas militant group against Israel on Oct. 7 was "100% Palestinian".
A formidable military force backed by Iran, Hezbollah has been engaging Israeli forces along the Lebanon-Israel border in the deadliest escalation since it fought a war with Israel in 2006.
Nasrallah thanked groups in Yemen and Iraq, part of what is known as the "Axis of Resistance". It includes Shi'ite Muslim Iraqi militias which have been firing at U.S. forces in Syria and Iraq, and Yemen's Houthis, who have joined in the conflict by firing drones at Israel.
-Reuters
“Had a good conversation with my brother HH @MohamedBinZayed , President of UAE, on the West Asia situation. We share deep concerns at the terrorism, deteriorating security situation and loss of civilian lives. We agree on the need for early resolution of the security and humanitarian situation and that a durable regional peace, security and stability is in everyone’s interest.", PM Narendra Modi tweeted
As incessant bombing by Israel leave Palestine's Gaza city as a ‘ghost town’, UN workers are reportedly hesitating to go back to Gaza. This comes as Israel bombs UN shelters killing many volunteers apart from Palestinians.
The UN human rights office has told Al Jazeera that the workers may not have homes to return to and face grave dangers from continuing fighting in the territory.
“We were very concerned that at least 4,000 Palestinian workers and hospital patients were detained without sufficient legal basis in military facilities after Israel revoked their permits," spokeswoman Elizabeth Throssell told reporters in Geneva.
“There are worrying reports that some are being sent back into Gaza, despite the gravity of the situation there," Throssell added.
“We don’t know exactly to where; it probably isn’t clear whether they have got even a home to go to; and it’s an incredibly difficult and dangerous situation."
-US Secretary of State Antony Blinken reiterated that Israel has the right and obligation to defend itself
-Blinken urged Israel to protect civilians who are caught in the crossfire
-Blinken urged Netanyahu to "bring assistance to those who so desperately need it"
-Prior to his arrival in Israel, Blinken said he would seek "concrete steps" from Israel to ensure harm to Palestinian civilians is reduced.
-"When I see a Palestinian child -- a boy, a girl -- pulled from the rubble of a collapsed building, that hits me in the gut as much as seeing a child in Israel or anywhere else," Blinken said.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken reiterated Friday that Israel has the right and obligation to defend itself as it continues to pummel the Gaza Strip with an air and ground assault.
"Israel has not only the right but the obligation to defend itself... to make sure that this October 7 never happens again," Blinken told journalists as he met Israeli President Isaac Herzog in Tel Aviv.
-AFP
The Israel Defense Forces on Friday published a recording of what it said was a phone call from a day earlier in which a Gazan medical official acknowledged that Hamas’s fuel reserves were stored directly under Gaza City’s Shifa Hospital, the largest hospital in the Strip.
The Israeli army says it uncovered and blew up a number of Hamas tunnels inside Gaza.
The operation was led by the Yahalom unit, a special division trained to deal with engineering tasks, such as destroying underground tunnels and planting explosives.
Israel's Prime Minister's office tweeted, “Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is now holding a private meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, at the Kirya in Tel Aviv. They will also meet with the members of the War Cabinet."
Gaza's Health Ministry has informed that at least 9,227 Palestinians, including 3,826 children, have been killed in Israeli strikes on Gaza since 7 October
The Israeli military has said that they are on “very high alert" along the country’s northern border with Lebanon and will “respond to every event" on the border. The Israel Defense Forces has been fighting the Hezbollah group on the Lebanon front.
“We’re expecting a big speech this afternoon from Hezbollah’s leader", Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah.
According to reports, thousands of Palestinians from Gaza who were working in Israel when the war started have been forced to return to the enclave. Some 4,000 were believed to had gone missing amid a campaign of mass arrests after 7 October.
Encrypted messaging app, Telegram has restricted access to several channels affiliated with the Palestinian armed group Hamas.
The official account of Hamas along with the news account, 'Gaza Now' have not been accessible on versions of Telegram, founded by brother Nikolai and Pavel Durov.
Qassam Brigade and Hamas' official channels grew by nearly half a million and 100,000 subscribers, respectively, in the wake of the October 7 attacks.
Gaza Now - which is described as "Hamas-aligned" by the Atlantic Council - went from 343,506 subscribers to nearly 1.9 million.
Other armed groups including ISIL (ISIS) and al-Qaeda have also used Telegram as a way of promoting their ideology and claiming responsibility for attacks.
Israel Defence Forces (IDF) on Friday said it has killed Hamas battalion commander Mustafa Dalul during overnight combat operations.
IDF on X posted, "IDF and ISA forces eliminated a Hamas battalion commander during overnight operations. Mustafa Dalul directed combat against IDF forces and held key positions in Hamas' Gaza City Brigade. Our ground, aerial and naval forces continue to operate to eliminate Hamas' chain of command and terrorist capabilities".
Thousands of cross-border Gazan workers and labourers in Israel and the occupied West Bank were sent back to Gaza on Friday. Some of them returned through the Kerem Shalom crossing east of the Rafah border.
The Israel Defence Force on Friday stated that 2,50,000 Israeli civilians have been evacuated from their homes.
Earlier today, the IDF also stressed that the Israeli forces are only operating against the Hamas terrorist organization for the safety of both Israeli and Gazan civilians.
"Therefore, we have been urging the people of Gaza to evacuate south. For the past three weeks, this message was communicated to the people of Gaza in various forms-spoken, printed, or televised," it said.
The IDF also said that its priorities are to bring home the children, women and men, who are being held hostage by Hamas and to make sure Hamas will no longer have the ability to attack Israelis.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Israel on Friday. His second trip to the war-hit country is focused on measures to minimise harm to civilians in the war in Gaza.
Prior to his departure for Israel, Blinken said he would seek "concrete measures" from Israel to ensure that harm to Palestinian civilians is reduced.
The the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has warned that there was a real risk of a regional spillover from the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, adding that it was working "relentlessly" to secure a humanitarian ceasefire.
Israel's bombardment of the Gaza Strip in its war with Hamas has angered Arab states who are concerned about sharply rising civilian casualties and Israel's blockade of the densely populated coastal enclave.
The UAE has said it planned to treat 1,000 Palestinian children from Gaza, but did not clarify how they would leave the Israeli-besieged enclave for the Gulf state.
Israel President Isaac Herzog met ambassadors of Thailand, Philippines, Tanzania, and Nepal, whose citizens were killed and taken hostage by Hamas, The Times of Israel reported.
Israel Defence Forces on Friday said that 242 hostages, including 30 children are in Gaza. IDF stated that 8000 rockets have been fired at Israel since October 7. IDF noted that more than 300 rockets on average are fired at Israel daily. According to IDF, more than 250,000 Israelis have been evacuated from their homes.
McDonald’s UAE posted a statement on the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. The American consumer brand said, "McDonald's Corporation is not funding or supporting any governments involved in this conflict, and any actions from our local Developmental Licensee business partners were made independently without McDonald's consent or approval".
Earlier, the food chain on 14 October posted, "We are deeply saddened by the events in the region. and in light of the ongoing crisis in Gaza, McDonald's UAE is donating Dh1 million to Emirates Red Crescent, towards their 'Tarahum for Gaza' campaign".
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has launched a scathing attack against Israel. In a tweet in Hebrew, Khamenei wrote, "The Zionist entity is lying to you". The Iranian leader added, "The Zionist entity is helpless and confused right now, and without American support will be paralyzed within days".
The US military is flying surveillance drones over the Gaza Strip to help in hostage rescue efforts. However, Pentagon officials said that the aircraft has been active in the region since the days after Hamas launched a surprise attack on Hamas.
Israel said it had surrounded the Gaza Strip's biggest city and the focus of its drive to annihilate Hamas.
"We're at the height of the battle. We've had impressive successes and have passed the outskirts of Gaza City. We are advancing," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement.
Russia will reportedly send a shipment of 28 tonnes containing humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip. The aid consists of medicine, hemostatic agents as well as dressing materials. It will be handed over to representatives of the Egyptian Red Crescent Society. Last month, Russia sent 27 tonnes of food to the besieged enclave.
According to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), the number of journalists killed covering the Israel-Gaza conflict has risen to 36.
The tolld includes 31 Palestinians, four Israelis, and one Lebanese.
Eight journalists were injured and nine others were reported missing or detained as per the report.
Lebanon's Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah on Friday will break weeks of silence since war broke out between Hamas and Israel, in a speech that could impact the region.
Hezbollah on Wednesday published a letter from its fighters addressed to Palestinian groups in Gaza, saying they had their "finger with you on the trigger... to support Al-Aqsa mosque and our oppressed brothers in Palestine".
Israel will stop providing funding to the Palestinian Authority earmarked for the Gaza Strip and will bar Palestinians in Gaza from working in Israel, the country said.
Though Hamas seized control of Gaza from the Palestinian Authority in 2007, the PA has continued to pay tens of thousands of civil servants in the strip. The decision by Israel’s Security Cabinet on Thursday would punish the cash-strapped PA for continuing those salaries.
Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency said four four civilians were killed Thursday afternoon in Israeli bombardment of a border area in southern Lebanon.
The latest deaths raise to 10 the number of civilians killed on the Lebanese side of the border since tension began to rise along the Lebanon-Israel border following the October 7, attack by Hamas on southern Israel.
On the ongoing Israel-Gaza conflict, Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Lior Haiat said the war is a matter of survival for Israelis. He said if Israeli okay ceasefire, "Hamas will continue with other massacres one after the other. This is a war of self-defence after being attacked brutally. Our goal in this war is to eliminate Hamas control and Hamas terrorism from the Gaza Strip," Haiat said.
74 Americans with dual citizenship were evacuated from the Gaza Strip on Thursday, US President Joe Biden said. “We got out today 74 American folks out that are dual citizens," Biden said, calling the update "good news".
