Israel-Hamas war news Highlights: US Navy intercepts 3 missiles fired from Yemen

As the Israel-Hamas war intensifies, the United States Thursday launched a visa waiver program allowing Israelis wishing to visit the United States for 90 days or less to come without applying for a visa.

The U.S. announced Sept. 27 that it was admitting Israel into the visa waiver program, adding the country to a select group of 40 mostly European and Asian countries whose citizens can travel to the U.S. for three months without visas.

Israel pounded the Gaza Strip with airstrikes Thursday, including in the south where Palestinians were told to take refuge, and the country's defense minister ordered ground troops to “be ready” to invade, though he didn’t say when.

A US Navy ship on Thursday shot down missiles and drones that had been fired by Houthi rebels in Yemen, possibly at Israel, the Pentagon said.

Three "land-attack cruise missiles and several drones" were intercepted by a destroyer, a spokesman told reporters. The attack had been conducted from Yemen and "potentially toward targets in Israel."

The ship, USS Carney, was patrolling in the Red Sea as part of a heavily reinforced US military presence ordered by President Joe Biden to maintain stability in the wake of war between Israel and the Hamas militant group in the Gaza Strip.

Israel pounded the Gaza Strip with airstrikes Thursday, including in the south where Palestinians were told to take refuge, and the country's defense minister told ground troops to “be ready” to invade, though he didn’t say when.

Ministers from across the European Union said on Thursday that member states must screen migrants and asylum seekers better and expel those deemed a security risk more quickly, after Islamist attacks highlighted persistent difficulties.

Interior and justice ministers met in Luxembourg to discuss what steps to take following deadly attacks in Brussels and France, at a time of heightened security concerns linked to the Israel-Hamas conflict.

Israeli airstrikes on Gaza continue and Israel's defense minister has told troops to be ready for a ground assault on the Palestinian territory, although he has not said when that will begin.

More than 1 million Palestinians, roughly half of Gaza’s population, have fled homes in the north and Gaza City after Israel told them to evacuate. The airstrikes early Thursday continued across the entire territory, including in areas in the south that Israel had declared as “safe zones.”

Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant told troops gathered at the Gaza border on Thursday that they will soon see the Palestinian enclave "from inside", suggesting an expected ground invasion with the aim of annihilating Hamas could be nearing.

The European Union on Thursday demanded Meta and TikTok detail their efforts to curb illegal content and disinformation during the Israel-Hamas war, flexing the power of a new law that threatens billions in fines if tech giants fail to do enough to protect users.

The European Commission, the 27-nation bloc's executive branch, formally requested that the social media companies provide information on how they're complying with pioneering digital rules aimed at cleaning up online platforms.

The commission asked Meta and TikTok to explain the measures they have taken to reduce the risk of spreading and amplifying terrorist and violent content, hate speech and disinformation.

AP

Since Israel initiated its bombardment of the Gaza Strip, the Palestinian journalists' union has reported that sixteen Palestinian journalists have lost their lives in the conflict, AFP said.

Additionally, many other journalists have sustained injuries in the ongoing conflict, which began on October 7 following a Hamas militant attack on Israel that led to a substantial Israeli response in the Palestinian territory.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged "rapid, unimpeded humanitarian access" to the besieged Gaza Strip on Thursday, as Israel kept up its retaliation for Hamas's deadly attacks.

"We need food, water, medicine and fuel now. We need it at scale and we need it to be sustained, it is not one small operation that is required," Guterres said in Cairo, as calls mounted for aid to reach the territory's 2.4 million people.

“In plain terms, that means humanitarians need to be able to get aid in and they need to be able to distribute it safely.”

AFP

On a visit to Cairo, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said there needed to be "rapid, unimpeded humanitarian access" after dire warnings about the impact of the Israeli blockade.

"We need food, water, medicine and fuel now. We need it at scale and we need it to be sustained, it is not one small operation that is required," he added.

The emergencies director of the World Health Organization (WHO), Michael Ryan, said aid needed to get in "every day", calling an initial 20 trucks -- the deal struck by Biden with Israel and Egypt -- "a drop in the ocean of need right now".

State-affiliated television channel Al Qahera News has announced that the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and the Gaza Strip will reopen tomorrow, Times of Israel reported.

This development follows an agreement brokered by US President Joe Biden, which involved Egypt and Israel, allowing the passage of relief supplies into Gaza through Egypt. Currently, hundreds of trucks laden with supplies are awaiting access on the Egyptian side of the border, ready to provide much-needed assistance to the region.

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has introduced an emergency economic relief plan, surpassing the aid provided during the COVID-19 pandemic, Times of Israel reported.

"We've collaborated closely with the Tax Authority in recent days to devise a comprehensive strategy aimed at sustaining the economy and assisting the Israeli public," Smotrich stated. "Today, we are unveiling a multifaceted plan that significantly exceeds the scale and scope of our response during the COVID-19 period."

Smotrich pledged compensation to businesses across the nation that have suffered due to the ongoing conflict.

"The resilience of the Israeli economy allows us to provide unwavering support for both military and civilian efforts during this crisis," he affirmed. "Our financial resources are available, and we are committed to deploying them generously for all necessary purposes."

Furthermore, Smotrich announced his intention to submit a bill to the Knesset in the coming days, aiming to expand the budget framework and enhance our flexibility to meet evolving needs.

The head of the IDF Southern Command, Major Geeneral Yaron Finkelman, stated that the anticipated ground offensive in the Gaza Strip will be "long and intense", Times of Israel reported.

"This war was forced on us, with a cruel enemy that harmed us greatly. But we stopped them... we are striking them heavily," Finkelman conveyed to troops near the Gaza border today.

"Now, the maneuver is going to move the fighting to their territory. We are going to beat them in their territory," he continued. "It's going to be difficult, long, and intense."

Five trucks of medical supplies are ready at the border between Gaza and Egypt, the World Health Organization said on Thursday, welcoming Israel's announcement that it will not block the entry of aid into the Palestinian territory.

"Our trucks are loaded and ready to go," WHO director general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a press conference. He said he hoped the supplies would be delivered as soon as the Rafah crossing opened, "hopefully tomorrow".

The delivery of aid is set to be the first after Israel said it would impose a "total blockade" on the narrow Gaza Strip that is home to 2.3 million people, cutting electricity supplies and halting flows of food and fuel, in response to a devastating attack from Hamas on Israeli territory on Oct. 7.

There have also been heavy Israel air strikes in the war with Hamas. The U.N. has warned of a "humanitarian catastrophe".

Reuters

The Israeli military has not ruled out the possibility that Hamas fighters who infiltrated the Jewish state during the devastating cross-border invasion on October 7 remain in the country.

"We have not finished scanning [the Gaza border area] yet," IDF Spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said on Thursday.

He noted that troops on Wednesday located and captured a Palestinian fighter--tired and hungry--who was attempting to return to the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip.

Hagari stressed that there have been no additional infiltrations of Israel over the past few days.

On Tuesday, an unarmed Gazan was caught near the Israeli city of Netivot, about eight miles from the Strip, and taken to the local police station for questioning. It is thought that he entered Israel as part of the mass border infiltration.

Also on Tuesday, Hadassah Medical Center in Jerusalem's Ein Kerem said that it was refusing to treat a Hamas fighter.

The hospital said that security officials had attempted to admit the terrorist during the night, but that he was refused entry and thrown out of the building.

On October 7, some 2,500 terrorists broke through the Gaza security barrier and rampaged through Israeli communities in the western Negev, murdering more than 1,400 persons and wounding over 4,500. At least 203 people were taken back to Gaza as captives.

“We welcome Israel's announcement that it will not block the entry of food, water, and medicine into Gaza from Egypt,” the World Health Organization said on Thursday.

Authorities have confirmed that 10 police officers were wounded, with one in serious condition, due to a bomb explosion in the Nur Shams refugee camp near the West Bank city of Tulkarem earlier today.

In an official statement, the police disclosed that Border Police officers were conducting an operation in the camp to apprehend individuals wanted by law enforcement. During this operation, they came under fire, and improvised explosive devices (IEDs) were thrown at them. Earlier in the morning, one of these IEDs detonated near the officers, resulting in serious injuries to one of them. An additional nine officers sustained minor injuries, according to the police.

The Israel Defense Forces released a video depicting a drone strike on a group of Palestinian gunmen in Nur Shams earlier today. In a joint statement, both the IDF and the police noted that security forces had been conducting operations in the camp since late last night, resulting in the arrest of at least 10 wanted individuals.

On Thursday, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan engaged in discussions with his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukry regarding the ongoing hostilities between Israeli and Palestinian forces, particularly the Israeli strikes on Gaza, according to an official source from the Turkish Foreign Ministry, Reuters reported.

No additional details about the call were disclosed. It is worth noting that Turkey has dispatched humanitarian aid intended for the besieged population in Gaza, but these deliveries have faced delays due to the border closure in Egypt, a consequence of the ongoing conflict. Additionally, Cairo is slated to host a summit of regional leaders over the weekend to address the situation.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Jordan's King Abdullah II condemned the "collective punishment" of Palestinians in Gaza as they met in Cairo for talks on the Israel-Hamas war.

Ahead of the meeting, the Jordanian royal court said Sisi and King Abdullah would "discuss means to stop the Israeli aggression on Gaza".

In separate statements issued later, the Egyptian presidency and the royal court said the two leaders "affirmed their unified position rejecting the policy of collective punishment in the siege, starvation or displacement" of Palestinians.

AFP

Air raid sirens have been activated in towns in northern Israel near the Lebanese border and in southern Israel near the Gaza Strip, Times of Israel reported.

As of now, there have been no immediate reports of injuries or damage. This occurrence suggests a possible coordinated attack originating from both Gaza and Lebanon.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a post on X, formerly Twitter, that he spoke to the president Palestinian Authority and offered support.

PM Modi said, “Spoke to the President of the Palestinian Authority H.E. Mahmoud Abbas. Conveyed my condolences at the loss of civilian lives at the Al Ahli Hospital in Gaza. We will continue to send humanitarian assistance for the Palestinian people. Shared our deep concern at the terrorism, violence and deteriorating security situation in the region. Reiterated India's long-standing principled position on the Israel-Palestine issue.”

Hamas reports that the first woman elected to their political leadership, Jamila Al-Shantee, has been killed in an Israeli airstrike in the Gaza Strip, AFP reports.

The incident occurred on Wednesday evening in Jabalia, a town in northern Gaza. In 2021, she made history as the first woman to be elected to Hamas's political bureau, which consists of 20 members. At the same time, another woman, Fatima Shurab, also joined the top leadership as the president of the women's commission through an automatic appointment.

Three Palestinians were killed in clashes with Israeli forces in Nur Shams refugee camp in the West Bank city of Tulkarm, the Palestinian Ministry of Health said on Thursday.

Israeli forces broke into the camp and clashes are still taking places between the Israeli army and a number of gunmen, witnesses said.

Reuters

Israel's Defense Minister Yoav Gallant has taken responsibility for the failure to prevent the terrorist onslaught by Hamas in southern Israel on October 7, Times of Israel reported.

"I bear the responsibility for the defense establishment. I have been responsible for it over the past two weeks, even during challenging incidents, and I am committed to leading it to victory in this battle," Gallant declared during a press conference held at a military assembly area near the Gaza border.

"We will maintain precision and decisiveness, continuing until we successfully accomplish our mission," Gallant affirmed.