Israel conducts second incursion into Gaza ahead of major ground offensive
Israeli forces have carried out a second incursion into the Gaza Strip in order to attack Hamas targets and prepare for a full-scale ground offensive, an operation that has been delayed after pressure from the United States, which fears that this action will further increase tension in the Middle East.
The raid took place in the Shuja'iyya neighbourhood of eastern Gaza City and was carried out by infantry, combat engineering and armoured forces, with Israeli air force drones and helicopter gunships providing aerial cover, the army said.
In recent hours, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) has announced the deaths of five other senior Hamas officials, as well as the deputy head of the terror group's intelligence directorate, Shadi Barud. The IDF accused Barud of planning the 7 October massacre together with Hamas leader in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar. Hamas-held sites, including anti-tank guided missile launch sites and command centres, were also targeted.
Israeli air strikes on Gaza that began after Hamas's brutal invasion of southern Israel have also killed more than 7,000 Palestinians, including nearly 3,000 children, according to the terrorist-controlled health ministry.
Both Israel and the US have questioned these figures, saying they are unreliable. For this reason, the authorities in the Strip have published a document which they say contains the names of all identified victims and their identification numbers.
With no prospect of a truce, the Foreign Ministers of Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have condemned the attacks on civilians and violations of international norms in a joint statement in which they also criticised the Israeli occupation.
The UN, for its part, has denounced the lack of fuel in the Palestinian enclave, warning of the collapse of hospitals and the intensification of the humanitarian crisis. In response, the Israeli army has shown the organisation tanks in the territory with some "500,000 litres" of fuel that are in the hands of Hamas, which continues to fire rockets into Israel, especially into the south and centre of the country.
Regarding the lack of fuel for Gazan civilians, it is worth noting that last week the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) reported that "a group of people with trucks pretending to be from the Ministry of Health" broke into the agency's headquarters and took some of the humanitarian aid, such as fuel and medical supplies. However, the agency itself later deleted the statement, denying that any such looting had taken place.
In an effort to ease the crisis in the enclave, 12 more aid trucks have entered Gaza from the Rafah crossing with Egypt, bringing the total number of trucks that have delivered humanitarian assistance in recent days to 74.
In the West Bank, meanwhile, raids have also been carried out by Israeli forces. Since the war began, the IDF has arrested some 1,030 Palestinians, including some 670 affiliated with Hamas. The Palestinian authorities have reported the deaths of 110 citizens since 7 October.
In the last hours, Israeli troops confirmed the death of Ayser Mohammad Al-Amer, a Palestinian Islamic Jihad commander, during clashes in the Jenin refugee camp.
Number of Hamas abductees rises to 233
The IDF has raised the number of Hamas abductees in Gaza to at least 233. Army spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari stressed that this figure is not final as they continue to "investigate new information" about the hostages. Among the hostages are babies, the elderly and children, such as Erez Calderon and Ohad Zichri, who in the last few days have turned 12 and 9 years old respectively, probably in a tunnel in Gaza.
So far, the terrorist group has released four women: Judith and Natalie Ra'anan - mother and daughter - and the elderly Yocheved Lifshitz and Nurit Cooper, who were kidnapped with their husbands, who are still in Gaza.
In addition to the more than 200 hostages, the Hamas attack on 7 October left 1,400 dead and thousands wounded. It has also caused the evacuation of thousands of people from southern Israel, while Hezbollah attacks have caused the same in the north.
Israel speaks of "Red Sea area threats" after two attacks on Egypt
The war between Israel and Hamas has dangerously raised tensions in the region. Pro-Iranian militias have mobilised in different countries against Israel and US military bases in countries such as Syria and Iraq. In response, the US has carried out air strikes against two weapons and ammunition depots in eastern Syria used by Iran's Revolutionary Guards.
"These precision self-defence strikes are a response to an ongoing and largely unsuccessful series of attacks against US personnel in Iraq and Syria by Iranian-backed militia groups that began on October 17," Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin said in a statement.
The war also threatens to directly affect nearby countries, such as Egypt, which has suffered two attacks on its national territory, one in Taba, on the border with Israel, and the other in Nuweiba. The two cities, located in the Sinai Peninsula, are two popular spots for tourists visiting Egypt.
As a result of the incidents, which are still under investigation, several people have been injured. Hamas announced this week that it had attacked the Israeli town of Eliat, on the Red Sea shore near the Egyptian border, in what appeared to be the terrorist group's most far-reaching attack since 7 October. Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen have also launched missiles at Israel that were intercepted by the US and Saudi Arabia.
The IDF has said that these attacks on Egyptian cities are coming from the "Red Sea area", in a possible reference to the Houthis. "Israel will work together with Egypt and the US and strengthen the defence against threats from the Red Sea area," Hagari said.
As the war threatens to spread, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian has warned the US from UN headquarters in New York that "they will not be spared" if the conflict continues.
During his address to the UN, the Iranian diplomat also defended Hamas, which he described as a "liberation movement" and called on the international community to recognise it as such and respect its rights. "According to international law, the Palestinian liberation movement Hamas is fighting against the occupation and has a legitimate right," he said.
Tehran has been funding and arming Hamas for years. It is also reported to have played a key role in the 7 October attack. Furthermore, according to the Wall Street Journal based on intelligence sources, some 500 Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad fighters received specialised combat training in Iran weeks before the invasion.
Hamas delegation visits Moscow
As the danger of war escalates, a Hamas delegation led by Musa Abu Marzuk, a member of the terrorist group's political wing, has travelled to Moscow to meet with Russian diplomats. According to the Foreign Ministry, the meeting focused on "the immediate release of foreign hostages located in the Gaza Strip", as well as issues related to "guarantees for the evacuation of Russian and other foreign citizens".