Israel-Gaza War Day 26: US sends additional troops to Middle East, Blinken to visit Israel second time | Top 10 updates

The Israel-Gaza war has entered its 26th day. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is all set to visit war-torn Israel on Friday. The United States and other countries are looking at "a variety of possible permutations" for the future of the Gaza Strip if Hamas militants are removed from control. 

Blinken said that the Palestinian Authority should retake control of the Gaza Strip from Hamas, with international players potentially filling a role in the interim. 

Here's a 10-point guide on Israel-Gaza war

1) Secretary of State Antony Blinken will head back to Israel on Friday. After meeting with Israeli officials, he will then “make other stops in the region,” according to department spokesman Matthew Miller.

2) Blinken visited Israel twice in the days after the October 7 assault by Hamas. He also made stops in Jordan, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Egypt, Bloomberg reported. 

3) The United States is sending an additional 300 troops to the Middle East to assist with explosive ordinance disposal and communications, the Pentagon announced Tuesday. It had already announced that it was sending 900 troops to the region in response to tensions. 

4) The Israeli military said its ground and air forces targeted a network of Hamas militants in the Jabaliya area in northern Gaza that had taken control over civilian buildings, killing dozens of them including one of the group’s senior leaders.

Also Read: Live updates on Israel-Gaza war

5) Dozens were reported killed and wounded at a Gaza refugee camp. Health officials in the Hamas-controlled territory said the Jabaliya camp was hit by a series of Israeli airstrikes.

6) The Rafah border crossing is set to open Wednesday to let some wounded Palestinians leave, and Egypt said it’s ready to allow more aid trucks in, as per Bloomberg reports. 

7) The White House on Tuesday said that US President Joe Biden would veto a House of Representatives Republican bill to provide aid to Israel but not Ukraine, which includes cuts to funding for the Internal Revenue Service, were it to pass both chambers, according to Reuters reports. 

8) Some 2,50,000 Israelis have been displaced by the war so far, and the Israel Defence Forces are working with local councils to care for devastated communities of traumatized people from the south, including children who have been orphaned and dispersed throughout 29 regional councils. 

9) The official said that it took more than two weeks to identify some of the victims of the October 7 mass murder attack launched by Hamas death squads, ANI reported. 

10)  The US and Israel are exploring options for the future of the Gaza Strip, including the possibility of a multinational force that may involve American troops if Israeli forces succeed in ousting Hamas. 

(With inputs from agencies)