I amIsrael’s Chief of Staff Herzey Halevi has announced the expansion of operations in the Gaza Strip. “We are close to eliminating the military system in the northern Gaza Strip, (…) we will continue in other areas,” Halevi said, during a visit to troops in the Gaza Strip on Friday, according to the report. “There’s still a lot to do, but we’re on a great path.” The commanders of the Islamist Hamas must be “systematically” removed and the infrastructure destroyed. For this purpose, “more areas are targeted”.
So far, Israel’s ground forces have concentrated in the northern part of the Gaza Strip in recent weeks. However, experts are of the opinion that operations will be expanded in the south as well. Repeated airstrikes have already been carried out there.
All Improvements in Live Ticker:
10:53am – About 800,000 more people in the northern Gaza Strip
Nearly six weeks after the start of the war, some 800,000 people are still believed to be in the northern part of the Gaza Strip. The UN Office for Emergency Relief, OCHA, reported this on Friday, citing the Palestinian Authority for Statistics (PCBS) in the West Bank. It is not clear on what survey this estimate was based – given the chaos of the war and the presence of the Israeli army in the north of the sealed coastal zone. The commission said it based its assessment on data from telecom companies and others.
The information could not be independently verified. The statistics agency is believed to be controlled by Hamas. Only about a third of the population, or about 400,000 people who lived there before October 7, have left the region, according to reports.
10:00 am – Recovery of two bodies of hostages in the Gaza Strip
Soldiers have recovered the bodies of two hostages near Shifa Hospital in the Gaza Strip, nearly six weeks after Islamist Hamas attacked Israel. A dead 65-year-old woman was found in a hospital compound, brought to Israel and identified, the Israeli military said Thursday. The woman was abducted from the border region of Biri during the massacre by Hamas in Israel on October 7. Weapons such as submachine guns and rocket-propelled grenades were also found in the building.
On Friday morning, the army said it had recovered another body. The remains of the kidnapped 19-year-old soldier were found in a building next to Shifa Clinic. His body was identified by experts in Israel on Thursday evening. The cause of death was not initially announced.
9:00 am – Soldier and assassin killed in attack
A soldier and three assailants were killed in an attack on an Israeli military checkpoint south of Jerusalem on Thursday, according to the military. The Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Islamist Hamas in the Gaza Strip, claimed responsibility for the attack.
The assailants opened fire at the army checkpoint. According to a military spokesman, the attackers were planning a major attack from Hebron in the West Bank. According to media reports, they wanted to go to Jerusalem.
8:26 a.m. – The Israeli army delivers water and food to the Shifa Clinic
Israel’s military said it provided 4,000 liters of drinking water and 1,500 food items to Shifa Hospital in the Gaza Strip. The Army announced this on Friday X. Photos show a truck carrying water bottles and a pallet being unloaded by a forklift.
The Israeli army announced early Wednesday that soldiers had entered the largest hospital in Gaza City. Israel accuses Islamist Hamas of using clinic as terror base
7:54 am – Human Rights Watch warns of epidemics in Gaza
Human Rights Watch has warned that diseases like cholera and typhus are at risk of spreading in Gaza due to lack of clean drinking water. Health experts fear an imminent outbreak of infectious diseases in Gaza due to a lack of clean water, Human Rights Watch said. A New York-based human rights organization called on Israel on Thursday to immediately end its blockade of the Gaza Strip.
Israel sealed off the Gaza Strip after the October 7 terrorist attack; Since then, access to water, electricity and fuel has been restricted or interrupted. A small amount of water comes from Israel and Egypt, but most people must use local supplies. 96 percent of these are unfit for human consumption according to the UN.
5:43 am – Israel reports attacks on “senior” Hamas members in Gaza
The Israeli military announced attacks on Hamas “underground facilities”. Strikes against “high-ranking” Hamas members have been carried out in the past few days. Two underground bunkers were “significantly damaged,” said Daniel Hagari, a military spokesman. The Israeli military suspected that “several high-level Hamas commanders” were in hiding, including Ahmed Randor, the head of the Hamas Brigade north of the Gaza Strip, and Haiman Zion, the head of the Hamas Rocket Brigade.
4:28 am – 144 trucks bring relief supplies to the Gaza Strip
Another 144 trucks have arrived in Gaza carrying urgently needed relief supplies. Among other things, they brought food, water and medicine from Egypt to the border, as the Israeli Gogat authority responsible for relations with the Palestinians announced on platform “X”. According to the United Nations, 100 trucks are needed every day to deliver essential goods to 2.2 million people. Before the war began, an average of 500 trucks entered the Gaza Strip every day of the week, according to OCHA, the UN’s emergency relief office.
2:33 am – Israeli missiles intercepted over Syria
The Syrian army says it has intercepted several Israeli rockets fired from the Golan Heights into the area around the capital Damascus. Some rockets caused property damage. The Israeli military declined to comment.
1:12 am – Four killed in firing at West Bank checkpoint
According to the Israeli Armed Forces, four people were killed in a shooting at a checkpoint in the West Bank. Israeli soldiers and police shot dead three suspected Islamist Hamas terrorists from Hebron at a checkpoint near Jerusalem, the army said Thursday evening. The attackers were planning to attack Israeli troops. An Israeli soldier was also killed in the firing.
10:25 pm – Netanyahu sees evidence of hostages at clinic
According to a US media report, Israel’s head of government sees “strong signs” of hostages being held by Hamas at the largest hospital in the Gaza Strip. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told US broadcaster CBS that this was one of the reasons why Israeli soldiers occupied the Shifa Clinic. If they were in the hospital, they were taken out. The report said Netanyahu said the Israeli government had intelligence on the hostages. However, he did not want to divulge any details.
9:13 pm – Israel discovers a tunnel in the hospital
Israel’s military says it has discovered a tunnel belonging to the radical Islamist group Hamas at Al-Shifa Hospital. The vehicle was also seized along with a large number of weapons. The military releases photographs and video recordings that show both.
9:05pm – Attack on checkpoint south of Jerusalem
One person was killed in an attack on Israelis south of Jerusalem on Thursday, according to Israeli police. Police said three others were injured. Three attackers were shot dead. The terrorist organization Hamas has claimed responsibility for the crime.
The attackers reportedly drove to a checkpoint on the road leading from southern Jerusalem to Israeli settlements in the West Bank and opened fire. After the gunfight, police and bomb disposal squad searched the area, but could not find any other attack or explosive devices.
. “Amateur alcohol specialist. Reader. Hardcore introvert. Freelance explorer.”