Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
International Business Times
International Business Times
World
Marvie Basilan

Israel-Hamas Conflict: Israeli Forces Expand Offensive, Encircle Gaza's Second Largest City

Hamas Israel Hezbollah IDF Benjamin Netanyahu

KEY POINTS

  • The IDF clarified that it was targeting Hezbollah, not the Lebanese army
  • Netanyahu reiterated that the war will only end after Hamas is eliminated
  • All eyes are on Khan Yunis as Israeli army targets Hamas assets in southern Gaza
Live Updates
Smoke rises above Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip as battles rage between Israel and Hamas militants on Dec. 5, 2023. (Credit: AFP)

The Israel-Hamas war is on its 61st day, and the Lebanese army said one of its soldiers was killed in an Israeli air strike, marking the first time a Lebanese soldier was killed since the war started.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has since expressed "regret" over the incident, saying it operated in "self defense" to eliminate an "imminent threat" from Lebanese territory.

  • UNIFIL urges end to Blue Line fire exchanges
  • Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen revokes UN coordinator's residence visa
  • Egypt begins work on concrete wall in Gaza border area: Report
  • Israeli strikes kill 5 Hamas commanders hiding in tunnel near Indonesian Hospital: IDF
  • Washington announces visa restrictions policy against West Bank extremists
  • Netanyahu slams UN silence over Hamas' Oct. 7 sexual violence against women
  • Evidence of Hamas' 'gender-based violence' on Oct. 7 building up: Report
  • Israeli army on 'third phase' of ground operations in Gaza Strip: IDF chief
  • Hamas will not release any more hostages until Israel halts attacks: Official
  • Houthis hail 'strategic victory' after Red Sea attacks: Report
  • Cohen calls for resignation of Harvard, Penn, MIT presidents after Congress statements
  • Freed elderly hostage in serious condition after "lack of medical attention" in captivity
  • Blinken and Wang talk Israel-Hamas conflict in Wednesday's call
  • Khan Yunis has been encircled: IDF chief of staff
  • Drone incident Wednesday in the Red Sea: UKMTO
  • The lives of some abductees in 'immediate danger': Hostages' families

Israeli troops are expanding operations across the Gaza Strip, with Khan Yunis at the center of a ground offensive. Washington has been urging the IDF to minimize Palestinian civilian casualties.

Talks to negotiate for a new ceasefire-hostage deal have stalled. There are still 137 hostages being held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Of the said hostages, 17 are women and children, as per the IDF.

The IDF and Iran-backed terror group Hezbollah, a greater paramilitary force than Hamas, have intensified fire exchanges near Israel's northern border with Lebanon since the truce deal collapsed Friday.

Amid raging Israel-Palestine tensions that blew up when Hamas invaded Israel on Oct. 7 and killed more than a thousand people, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called on the international community to stand with Israel if the world wants "to help shorten the war."

The live update has ended.

'Solid intelligence' some remaining hostages are in 'immediate danger': Families

The Hostages and Missing Persons Families Forum told Israel's war cabinet in a letter that they received "solid intelligence that there are abductees whose condition has deteriorated and there is now immediate danger to their lives," as per local media.

The families demand that the war cabinet, which comprises of Netanyahu, defense minister Yoav Gallant, and minister without portfolio Benny Gantz, "act urgently" to get the remaining hostages freed.

The IDF previously said 137 hostages are still being held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Of the said number, 17 are women and children.

While more than a hundred hostages have been freed by Hamas during the seven-day ceasefire, there are still 137 hostages in captivity in Gaza. (Credit: AFP)

At least 10 freed hostages were sexually abused: Doctor

A doctor who treated some of the hostages freed by Hamas during the seven-day truce said at least 10 of the released men and women were either sexually assaulted or abused, the Associated Press reported.

No further details were provided, but the news came after earlier reports that Hamas militants who raided Israel on Oct. 7 committed "gender-based" sexual crimes during the attacks.

In photo: demonstrators hold posters reading 'UN Women, your silence is loud', alongside pictures of Israeli women being held hostage in Gaza, during a rally in London on Dec. 3, 2023. (Credit: AFP)

Drone incident reported in the Red Sea

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) on Wednesday received a report of an "incident involving a Uncrewed Aerial System (UAS)," west of Houthi-controlled port Hodeidah in Yemen.

Due to the incident, the UKMTO has advised ships within the vicinity to exercise caution and report "any suspicious activity" in the area.

The news comes after Houthis attacked three commercial vessels in the Red Sea on Sunday.

Turkey's Erdogan issues stark warning against targeting Hamas leaders in Turkey

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday warned that Israel "will pay a heavy price" if it attempts to eliminate Hamas leaders residing in his country, Israel's national broadcaster Kan reported.

Erdogan's warning came following reports that Israel was planning a campaign to assassinate top Hamas leaders abroad.

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been vocal about his support for Palestine. (Credit: AFP)

Huge stockpile of weapons located near clinic and school in Gaza: IDF

One of the largest stockpiles of weapons that the Israeli army has encountered in the Gaza Strip since the war started was located Wednesday by Israeli troops "near a clinic and a school" in northern Gaza, the IDF said in a Google-translated post on X.

Among the weapons found were long-range rockets, ready-for-use explosive charges, drones and hundreds of missiles and launchers.

Israeli forces have encircled Khan Yunis: IDF chief

The IDF's chief of staff Herzi Halevi said Wednesday that Khan Yunis, Gaza's second-largest city, has been encircled by Israeli forces, local i24 News reported Wednesday.

The Israeli army previously said its forces were operating "in the heart" of the city, which means Israeli troops are "both inside and both around" the southern Gaza city, as per the report.

Israeli tanks rolled into Khan Yunis after the IDF said it has expanded operations in the Gaza Strip. Streets across the city were almost empty Wednesday morning as residents sought shelter amid intense artillery fire exchanges.

Read the full story here.

Blinken reiterates preventing regional spillover in call with Chinese foreign minister

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken reiterated "the imperative of all parties working to prevent the [Israel-Hamas] conflict from spreading" in a call with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi Wednesday, AFP reported.

Wang, for his part, stressed that the "top priority" should be achieving a ceasefire and seeing the war send soon.

Beijing's Wang Yi and Washington's Antony Blinken meet in Jakarta. (Credit: AFP)

IDF spokesperson calls on international community to help free remaining hostages

"As the IDF expands its operations to dismantle Hamas in Gaza, we have not lost sight, not for one moment, of our critical mission to rescue hostages," IDF spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said in a message posted on X Wednesday.

"I can say with absolute certainty – every minute in Hamas captivity endangers their lives," he said. He further called on the international community to "take action." He also said the Red Cross should have access to the abductees that are being held "in brutal and inhumane conditions."

Hagari's call to action came shortly after local media reported that a 77-year-old freed hostage has been hospitalized and is now in serious condition following a lack of medical care while in captivity.

Freed elderly hostage in serious condition: Local media

Hanna Katzir, the 77-year-old hostage who was freed by Hamas during the seven-day ceasefire, has been hospitalized and is in serious condition, Israel's national broadcaster Kan reported Wednesday.

The Katzir family said "the trauma, the hunger and the lack of medical attention caused her heart problems," as per a translation by Kan. Katzir's son, Elad, remains in captivity in Gaza, while her husband, Avraham "Rami", was among more than a thousand people murdered by Hamas during the Oct. 7 massacre.

Israeli diplomat Yonatan Gonen said Carmit, Katzir's daughter, revealed that the Red Cross "did not send her [Hanna] any medication."

4 Israeli soldiers die in Gaza

Four more Israeli soldiers have died in the Gaza Strip as clashes with Hamas ensue – one of them being a search unit commander, the IDF announced Wednesday on its tribute page for fallen soldiers since the war started.

  • Lt. Col. Yohai Gur Hershberg, 52 – commander of the Fire Brigade's Missing Persons Search Unit
  • Sgt. Maj. Matan Damari – platoon commander in the Fire Brigade's patrol company
  • Maj. Yonatan Malka, 23 – armored fighter in the 82nd Battalion
  • Maj. Eliyahu Cohen, 23 – a fighter in the 7008th Battalion

Rocket sirens sound in Gaza border communities

Rocket sirens sounded in communities near Israel's southern border with Gaza, local outlets reported Wednesday morning local time.

Israeli foreign minister slams Harvard, Penn, MIT presidents after congress hearing on anti-Semitism

Cohen on Wednesday joined U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., in calling for the resignation of the presidents of Harvard, Penn and MIT: Claudine Gay, Liz Magill, and Sally Kornbluth, respectively.

During a Tuesday hearing to address the surge of anti-Semitism in American universities, the three university presidents refused to directly answer Stefanik's question of whether "calling for the genocide of Jews" violates the universities' code of conduct on bullying and harassment.

"The answer is yes, and this is why you should resign," a visibly appalled Stefanik said after the presidents responded with answers that included "depending upon the context" and "if the speech becomes conduct."

"These are unacceptable answers across the board," she added.

"This is a dangerous and sad moment. Absurd that places that are supposed to be a moral beacon have become a breeding ground for hatred," Cohen said, adding that "whoever gives place to anti-Semitism must not stay one day in his position!"

Houthis hail Red Sea attacks as 'strategic victory': Local media

Yemen's Houthi rebels called their attacks against commercial vessels and a U.S. Navy warship in the Red Sea in recent days as a "strategic victory," local media reported, citing Al-Masirah, the Houthis' media arm.

They also said the harassment of ships in the Red Sea was part of the Iranian "axis of resistance," which is a term used to refer to an informal anti-Israel and anti-Western coalition led by Iran.

In photo: commercial ships are docked at the Houthi-held Red Sea port of Hodeidah. (Credit: Reuters)

250 targets attacked by Israeli air defense forces

The IDF's air defense troops attacked about 250 targets in the last day, the IDF said Wednesday. Two rocket launchers were destroyed by Israeli strikes during the operations.

No more hostage releases until Israel halts attacks: Hamas official

Osama Hamdan, a Hamas official, said the terror group will no longer release any hostages until Israel stops its aggression in Gaza.

Hamdan's remarks came as the families of hostages who remain captive in Gaza call for more action in getting the remaining abductees freed.

Relatives and supporters of Israelis held captive in Gaza demonstrate in Tel Aviv for their release. (Credit: AFP)

IDF now on 'third phase' of Gaza ground operations: Chief of staff

The Israeli army is now on the "third phase" of its ground operations in the Gaza Strip, the IDF's Halevi said in a video message Tuesday. After having seized "many" Hamas strongholds in the north, the IDF is now focused on strongholds in the south, he said.

He reiterated that Israeli troops were operating "professionally," telling Gazans to evacuate before operations, and carrying out "combined" strikes against Hamas assets and combatants "from the air, sea and land."

Mounting evidence suggesting Hamas committed 'gender-based violence' on Oct. 7: Report

There is a "mounting body of evidence" that Hamas operatives who raided Israel on Oct. 7 sexually abused, raped or mutilated Israeli women during the attacks, NBC News reported. The outlet reviewed the evidence over the past several weeks.

There was also evidence that the genitals of some men who were killed during the carnage were mutilated, according to the report. "They had a thing with sexual organs, both in women and men," a first responder told police in videotaped testimony viewed by the outlet.

One woman who worked on preparing the bodies of women killed during the massacre told the outlet that multiple female corpses were mutilated. "They were shot in the vagina, they were shot in the breast...and this seemed like a systematic attempt at genital mutilation," she said.

Hamas has denied committing sexual violence and sexual crimes during the Oct. 7 attacks.

Netanyahu slams UN silence over sexual violence against women on Oct. 7

Israel's prime minister criticized the UN and other women's organizations for their silence amid increasing accounts of "sexual abuse and rapes of unparalleled brutality" that Hamas committed against women during the Oct. 7 carnage in Israel.

"I did not hear the human rights organizations. I did not hear the women's organizations. I did not hear the UN. I did not hear them crying out. And I say to them: 'Where are you? You are being silent because they are Jewish women?'", Netanyahu said during a war cabinet press conference Tuesday night.

US announces visa restrictions policy against extremists in the West Bank

Blinken on Tuesday announced a visa restrictions policy against amid increasing violence in the West Bank. "Violence against civilians will have consequences," he said.

Department of State spokesperson Matthew Miller said the restrictions will be implemented "against individuals involved in or meaningfully contributing to the undermining of peace, security, or stability in the West Bank."

IDF eliminates 5 commanders in Hamas' second largest brigade

Israeli air strikes eliminated five commanders of the Northern Gaza Strip Brigade, which is Hamas' second largest brigade, the IDF announced early Wednesday. The commanders were allegedly "hiding in a tunnel" near the Indonesian Hospital in northern Gaza.

Egypt starts construction of wall in Gaza border: Report

Egypt has started constructing a concrete wall in its border with the Gaza Strip, the Jerusalem Post reported, citing Arab media. It is believed that the project may be a means of preventing the potential passage of Gazan refugees into its territory, as per the report.

Israel revokes UN coordinator's residence visa

Cohen late on Tuesday announced his decision to revoke UN humanitarian coordinator Lynn Hastings' residence visa, saying the Israeli government will "no longer be silent in the face of the bias of the UN."

Cohen said Hastings did not condemn Hamas for its atrocities on Oct. 7, and for this, the UN coordinator "cannot serve in the UN and cannot enter Israel."

Netanyahu addresses calls to end war quickly

The Israeli Prime Minister on Tuesday addressed increasing calls around the world for the Israel-Hamas war to end soon amid the rising number of casualties on both sides, especially among civilian Palestinians.

"Our only way to end the war, and end it quickly, is to apply crushing pressure against Hamas – and destroy it," he wrote on X. He also called on Israel's "friends" to "stand with us" if they want to help shorten the war.

UNIFIL urges Israel, Hezbollah to 'end the cycle of violence'

The United Nations' peacekeeping mission to southern Lebanon, UNIFIL, on Tuesday urged "those exchanging fire along the Blue Line (the UN-drawn demarcation line between Israel and Lebanon) to end the cycle of violence."

The mission's statement came after a Lebanese soldier was killed in an Israeli air strike that targeted Hezbollah on Tuesday. "This is the first time, a LAF soldier was killed during this critical period," UNIFIL noted, adding that the Lebanese Army "have not engaged in conflict with Israel."

1 Lebanese soldier killed, 3 others wounded in Israeli shelling

The Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) said in a Google-translated post on X late Tuesday that Sgt. Abdul Karim Al-Miqdad was killed in an Israeli ark strike. Three other Lebanese soldiers were wounded in the said shelling. The injured soldiers have been transferred to a hospital for treatment.

Shortly after, the IDF released a statement, saying Israeli troops "operated in self defense to eliminate an imminent threat that had been identified from Lebanon." The said threat was detected "within a known launch area and observation point of the Hezbollah," it said.

The Israeli army said it "expresses regret" over the incident, adding that the incident was under review. Observers noted that it was "rare" for the IDF to issue an apology statement.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
If reason can’t save the world, no wonder magic and superstition are on the rise
Exorcisms are booming, witchcraft is having a moment, Tucker Carlson says he was attacked by a demon. It makes as much sense as anything at a time of climate crisis, war and Trump
The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Map: Pearl Clutchers in Hot Spring County
A rural Arkansas county files more than twice as many FCC complaints per resident than anywhere else in the United States.
Reason
Reason
I'd Never Have Considered a Brown Bedroom Before — But These 11 Rooms Have Me Dreaming of One
Proof that brown is the dreamiest neutral for a calming sleep space
Livingetc
Livingetc
This is how we do it: ‘We haven’t even tried to have sex for three years’
Lockdown robbed Daphne and Louis of what remained of their sex life – after 25 years, they’ve settled into an emotional, non-physical relationship
The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
50 million people have stopped buying luxury brands like Dior and Burberry after 'broken promises' to customers
‘A fabulous ice cream sundae is boring by the time you have it the fifth time,’ a retail analyst told Fortune
Fortune
Fortune
Disneyland debuts its first ride to celebrate a Black princess: ‘It’s about time’
Disney ‘rethemed’ Splash Mountain, the log-flume ride inspired by a racist 1946 film, into Tiana’s Bayou Adventure
The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.
Download on the AppStore Get it on Google Play