Israeli troops and tanks carried out an hours-long raid into northern Gaza on Thursday night, taking out several Hamas targets to “prepare the battlefield” for an expected full-force invasion.
An overnight raid by Israel Defense Forces (IDF) troops entered Palestinian territory in the biggest offensive since launching a war against Hamas on Oct. 7 — with Israeli fighters taking out the terrorists, as well as Hamas infrastructure and anti-tank missile launcher units, the Jewish state said.
Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, an IDF spokesman, said the raid was “part of our preparations for the next stage of the war.”
Along with the ground invasion, Israel has carried out about 250 airstrikes across Gaza over the past 24 hours, targeting Hamas tunnel shafts, rocket launchers and other terrorist infrastructure.
The IDF said Thursday night’s attack was successful, with no Israeli fighters injured.
While there was no immediate confirmation of any Palestinian casualties, the Hamas-led Gaza Health Ministry said more than 6,500 Palestinians had been killed in the war so far, including women and children.
In preparation for the next phase of the battle, the IDF is operating in northern Gaza.
IDF tanks & infantry attack numerous terrorist cells, infrastructure and anti-tank missile launch posts.
The army has withdrawn from the area and returned to Israeli territory. pic.twitter.com/oMdSDR84rU
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) October 26, 2023
Gaza officials said 750 of the deaths occurred in the past 24 hours, up from 704 from the previous day.
The Health Ministry’s estimates cannot be independently verified, and the ministry’s totals do not distinguish between civilians and members of terrorist groups.
In any case, the dangers of war were highlighted on Wednesday when the wife, son, daughter, and granddaughter of Al-Jazeera reporter Wael Dahdouh were killed in an Israeli airstrike.
Israeli troops and tanks launched an hours-long ground offensive into northern Gaza overnight into Thursday, the army said, striking several terrorist targets to “prepare the battlefield.” IDF/X The raid came after the UN warned that it was running out of fuel in the Gaza Strip.IDF/X
The network showed footage of the veteran Gaza journalist sobbing as she entered the hospital and saw her son die.
Dahdouh and other mourners attended the funeral on Thursday wearing blue flak jackets reportedly used while working in the Palestinian territories.
Thursday’s airstrikes also hit a residential building in the southern city of Khan Younis where 75 people live, according to family members.
Part of the building was destroyed during an overnight Israeli raid on Thursday, Oct. 26. 2023.IDF/X
Israel has repeatedly blamed Hamas for the loss of civilian life since the war began, accusing the terrorists of hiding behind the densely populated coalition territory, which is home to more than 2 million people.
The Jewish state vowed to eradicate the terror group after Hamas attacked Israel in early October, killing more than 1,400 people and taking at least 224 hostages back to Gaza.
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As Israel prepares for an all-out invasion, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, has raised concerns that the humanitarian crisis in Gaza will only worsen.
Smoke billows in the air in the northern Gaza Strip on Thursday morning, October 26, after “columns of tanks and infantry” launched an overnight raid into Hamas-controlled Gaza. AFP via Getty Images People search for survivors and the bodies of victims through the rubble of buildings destroyed by Israeli forces in the southern Gaza strip on Oct. 26. 2023. AFP via Getty Images
The Palestinian territories are quickly running out of food, water and medicine, with about 60 truckloads of aid packages arriving in recent weeks, just a fraction of what the population needs.
“This is a small amount of what is needed, a drop in the ocean,” said William Schomburg, head of a small delegation in Gaza. “We’re trying to create a pipeline.”
Gaza is also running out of fuel, which is needed for power generators, with Israel refusing to let any through for fear that Hamas will take it for their own benefit.
UNRWA has shared its own fuel to keep incubators, life support machines and other essential equipment working in hospitals, as well as running bakeries so people can eat in shelters.
The agency, however, is expected to run out of fuel by Thursday.
Aid cuts have led to “alarming” infection rates in some hospitals in Gaza, according to Doctors Without Borders, with amputations now often required to stop infections from spreading.
A surgeon with a humanitarian group said he had to amputate half of a 9-year-old’s leg with only “slight sedation” on the hallway floor while his mother and sister watched.
As the fighting continues, Israel has also faced other attacks, including rocket launches from Syria and from Hezbollah terrorists operating in Lebanon.
Israel captured several military sites in Syria, with Syrian media reporting at least eight soldiers dead and seven wounded.
Its airports in Aleppo and Damascus were also hit in an apparent effort to stop arms shipments from Iran reaching terrorist groups.
Smoke billows from an Israeli attack in Khan Yunis on Thursday, Oct. 26. AFP via Getty Images A tank opens fire after crossing the border into the Gaza Strip during an overnight raid by Israeli forces.IDF/X
With more conflict on the horizon, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a speech Wednesday night that his country would investigate what happened on Oct. 7 that allowed Hamas to attack Israel in force.
An investigation, however, will only take place once Hamas is defeated, he added.
“We’re going to get to the bottom of what’s going on,” he said. “This matter will be investigated. Everyone has to answer, including me.”
By Postal Wire
Categories: Trending
Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
