Jerusalem – Fighting raged Friday between Israel and Hamas in the besieged Gaza Strip, triggered by the Palestinian militant group’s unprecedented attack nearly 12 weeks ago.
The Oct 7 attack resulted in the deaths of around 1,140 people in Israel, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.
Hamas gunmen seized about 250 hostages, 129 of whom remain in Gaza after others were released and several were killed including by friendly fire.
Israel, determined to destroy Hamas, launched a relentless air and ground offensive that has left vast areas of Gaza in ruins.
The Israeli campaign has killed at least 21,320 people, mostly women and children, according to the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry.
On day 84 of the war, here are five key developments from the past 24 hours:
Israeli shelling over two days near Al-Amal hospital in southern Gaza’s main city Khan Yunis has killed 41 people, the Palestinian Red Crescent said Thursday.
The casualties include “displaced persons seeking shelter” at Red Crescent premises, it said.
The Gaza health ministry later said Israeli shelling had killed 20 people at the Shaboura camp in Rafah near Egypt.
The UN humanitarian office said an estimated 100,000 more people had arrived in the already-teeming southern border city of Rafah in recent days following the intensification of fighting around Deir al-Balah and Khan Yunis.
A Hamas delegation is due in Cairo Friday to give its “observations” about an Egyptian plan for a ceasefire, a Hamas official said.
Sources close to Hamas say Cairo’s three-stage plan provides for renewable ceasefires, a staggered release of hostages held by Hamas in exchange for Palestinian prisoners in Israel, and ultimately a ceasefire to end the war.
Israel has given preliminary approval to Cyprus for a maritime humanitarian corridor to ship aid to Gaza, the Israeli foreign ministry said Thursday.
The proposal would allow badly needed international aid to be checked “with Israeli supervision” in Cyprus before delivery, it said.
Last week the UN Security Council passed a resolution calling for “safe and unhindered delivery of humanitarian assistance at scale.”
US President Joe Biden is “devastated” by the death of US-Israeli Judith Weinstein Haggai, who had been thought to be the oldest woman held captive in Gaza, the White House said.
The 70-year-old’s death was announced late Thursday by her kibbutz community of Nir Oz, which said her body remains in the hands of militants.
A military investigation published Thursday found that Israeli soldiers ignored cries for “help” when they stormed a Gaza building holding three hostages just days before killing them by mistake earlier this month.
The Israel-Hamas war has intensified tensions across the region.
Israeli air strikes late Thursday hit southern Syria, the Syrian defence ministry said, reporting no casualties.
A war monitor said the area of Damascus international airport had been hit “one whole day” after it had reopened following Israeli strikes in late November. AFP
In the Red Sea, where Yemen’s Huthis have repeatedly targeted vessels with strikes they say are in support of Palestinians in Gaza, the US military said it shot down on Thursday a drone and an anti-ship ballistic missile fired by the Iran-backed rebels.
The US Treasury also unveiled sanctions against a network involved in financing Huthi attacks in the vital shipping route. AFP
