The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) says fighter jets and helicopters struck targets in the Gaza Strip overnight, including tunnel shafts, command centers and weapons storage facilities.
Hamas militants were targeted and killed by an IDF drone operating on the direction of ground troops, the military said.
Meanwhile, the US has stepped up pressure on Israel to do more to protect civilians following the resumption of combat operations in Gaza.
Israeli strikes on Gaza have killed at least 15,207 people and injured at least 40,652 others, Dr. Ashraf Al-Qudra, a spokesperson for the Hamas-controlled health ministry in Gaza, said on Saturday. At least 70% of those killed were women and children.
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin reaffirmed on Saturday that the country’s support for Israel is “not negotiable” in remarks at a forum in California — but also emphasized that the protection of civilians in Gaza is crucial to Israel’s long-term success against Hamas.
Here’s a look at more headlines from today:
Israeli soldiers killed: Israel says two more soldiers have died in their offensive in the Gaza Strip. Several others were “lightly injured” as a result of an anti-tank missile being fired toward an IDF vehicle in Beit Hillel in Northern Israel.
UK sends flights: The United Kingdom will fly surveillance aircraft over Gaza to help Israel locate the hostages taken by Hamas in the 7 October attacks. The UK government said it has been working with other countries “to secure the release of hostages, including British nationals, who have been kidnapped.”
IDF destroys tunnels: The IDF said it has destroyed about 500 Hamas tunnels in Gaza during its offensive. It also claimed it has located more than 800 tunnel shafts in the Palestinian enclave, claiming many of the tunnel shafts “were located in civilian areas” and inside civilian structures.
Netanyahu demands investigation: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Sunday has called for a “thorough inquiry” into the fatal shooting of Yuval Doron Castleman, the civilian who responded to Thursday’s Jerusalem shooting attack and was himself shot and killed, apparently by a soldier who also responded.
Israel peace activists reconsider position: When human rights activist Ziv Stahl was awakened to the booms of rocket fire on October 7, while staying at her sister’s home in Kibbutz Kfar Aza, she did not for a moment anticipate the scale of the terrorist attack unfolding around her. Nor did she imagine the horror she would feel when she later called the police, who “basically told me no one is coming.” Read the full story here.
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