Israel-Hamas war news Highlights: Israeli military plans to increase strikes on Gaza, says spokesman

A 50-year-old Indian internal medicine specialist has been dismissed from his job in Bahrain over an anti-Palestine tweet, his employer in the Gulf country has said.

The Royal Bahrain Hospital in a statement on Friday described Dr. Sunil Rao’s tweet, which he had subsequently deleted, as a violation of the hospital’s code of conduct.

“It has come to our attention that Dr Sunil Rao, who is working as a Specialist in Internal Medicine, has posted tweets on social media that are offensive to our society,” said the hospital statement.

“We would like to confirm that his tweets and ideology are personal and do not reflect the opinion and values of the hospital,” it said.

PTI

Hamas claims to have targeted an Israeli tank with an anti-tank guided missile on the Gaza border, near the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis, Times of Israel reported.

There is no immediate comment from the IDF on the incident.

Two Thai nationals were injured in northern Israel Saturday, medics said, as the country's military and Hezbollah continued to exchange fire following a call to evacuate a nearby city.

Tensions have been mounting across Israel's northern frontier for weeks, as security forces clash with Lebanon's Iran-backed Hezbollah along with allied Palestinian factions, after Hamas gunmen mounted a multi-pronged attack on communities in southern Israel on October 7.

Read Here.

Hamas said on Thursday that it won't discuss the fate of Israeli army captives until Israel ends its 'aggression' on Gaza, Reuters reports.

About 100,000 people joined a pro-Palestinian demonstration in central London, marching through the British capital to demand an immediate ceasefire in Gaza following the Hamas attack on Israel two weeks ago. Chanting "Free Palestine", holding banners and waving Palestinian flags, the protesters moved through London before massing at Downing Street, the official residence and office of British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.

The United States welcomes the delivery of a 20-truck convoy carrying humanitarian aid for Gazan civilians through Egypt’s Rafah crossing for the first time since the October 7 Hamas onslaught, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement on Saturday.

Blinken thanks Egypt, Israel, and the United Nations for securing the aid, which he says will help begin addressing the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, where residents have been without access to sufficient food, water, medical care, and safe shelter.

Blinken says the reopening of Rafah followed days of “exhaustive” diplomatic engagements by the US with Israel and Egypt and he calls on the sides to do their part to keep Rafah open so that more aid can get into Gaza.

“Hamas must not interfere with the provision of this life-saving assistance,” Blinken says. “Palestinian civilians are not responsible for Hamas’s horrific terrorism, and they should not be made to suffer for its depraved acts.”

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has released a video capturing an airstrike targeting an anti-tank guided missile squad in southern Lebanon. This squad had fired a missile at Margaliot, resulting in injuries to two Thai workers. Times of Israel reported.

Activists and leaders of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal staged a protest here on Saturday to condemn Palestinian militant group Hamas's attack on Israel.

Activists and leaders of the two organisations gathered at Azad Maidan and shouted slogans condemning the attack on civilians in Israel.

"We condemn the attack by the terrorist organisation Hamas in Israel on October 7. This was one of the most heinous crimes on mankind," said Shriraj Nair, joint secretary of the VHP (Konkan region).

PTI

Arab leaders at a Cairo summit condemned Israeli bombardment of Gaza as Europeans said civilians should be shielded, but the absence of Israel and senior U.S. officials at the meeting undermined any prospect for halting an escalating war.

Leaders and foreign ministers were meeting as a two-week conflict in neighbouring Gaza raged on, amid growing concern in many countries at an unfolding humanitarian catastrophe in the blockaded enclave that is home to 2.3 million people.

Arab states said it was time to restart efforts to end a decades-long cycle of violence between Israelis and Palestinians, which flared once again on Oct. 7 when Palestinian group Hamas launched a deadly assault on Israeli soil and Israel responded with a devastating counteroffensive on Gaza.

Reuters

Switzerland is currently examining potential financing links to Hamas, even though the country does not officially designate the group as a terrorist organization, according to the attorney general, AFP reports.

This investigation began "several weeks" prior to the October 7 attacks on Israel by Hamas, as stated by Stefan Blaettler on Swiss public radio station SRF. However, specific details regarding the investigation are yet to be disclosed. Unlike the European Union and the United States, Switzerland has not imposed restrictions on Hamas, which may make the investigation a complex undertaking.

The Israel Defense Forces state that they are actively preparing for the anticipated ground offensive in Gaza with "plans for the expansion of the fighting" recently approved.

IDF confirmed that troops are "conducting training in accordance with the approved operational plans." Tens of thousands of soldiers have been deployed to the Gaza border in readiness for the forthcoming major ground incursion, which officials indicate will commence "soon."

British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly, addressing the Cairo Peace Summit hosted by Egypt, emphasized the importance of adherence to international law and the protection of civilian lives in Gaza. Cleverly conveyed his direct discussions with the Israeli government, urging them to uphold these principles, Reuters reported.

"In spite of the immensely challenging conditions, I have called for the Israeli military to exercise discipline, professionalism, and restraint," Cleverly stated.

Cyprus police have arrested four individuals, believed to be Syrians, following a minor explosive incident near the Israeli Embassy in Nicosia, AP reported.

The suspects, aged between 17 and 21, are facing charges related to attempting to damage property with explosives, possessing and using explosives, and carrying a knife. It's unclear whether the incident, which occurred approximately 30 meters from the Israeli Embassy, is linked to the conflict in Gaza.

Security measures have been heightened across the European Union since the outbreak of hostilities following Hamas' attack on Israel on October 7th.

During the recent barrage from the Gaza Strip, a rocket hit a home in the southern city of Sderot, according to the municipality.

The Magen David Adom ambulance service has confirmed that there are no reports of injuries, Times of Israel.

Israeli Defense Forces arrested 68 Hamas members in an overnight strike.

In a post on X, formerly Twitter, IDF wrote, “At the end of an extensive arrest operation to thwart terrorism and confiscate weapons tonight, 89 wanted persons were arrested in Judea and Samaria and the Bekaa and Valleys Brigade, of which 68 were operatives of the terrorist organization Hamas; The forces destroyed the house of the active Hamas terrorist who murdered the late Ilan Ganels.”

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni emphasised the need to prevent an escalation in the conflict between Israel and Hamas during her speech at the Cairo International Summit for Peace in the Middle East, Reuters reported.

She further advocated for the international community to work towards a two-state solution. The summit coincided with Israel's preparations for a ground operation in Gaza in response to an attack by Hamas that resulted in the loss of 1,400 lives.

Speaking on the Israel-Hamas conflict, Greek PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis says that no military intervention can replace a viable political solution, Reuters report.

King Abdullah of Jordan criticised the global silence surrounding Israel's attacks on the Gaza Strip and called for an equitable approach to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

"The message the Arab world is hearing is that Palestinian lives matter less than Israeli ones," he said, adding he was outraged and grieved by acts of violence waged against innocent civilians in Gaza, the West Bank and Israel.

"The Israeli leadership must realise once and for all that a state can never thrive if it is built on a foundation of injustice ... Our message to the Israelis should be that we want a future of peace and security for you and the Palestinians."

On Saturday, the initial of 20 humanitarian aid trucks made its way into the conflict-ridden and blockaded Gaza Strip via the Rafah border crossing with Egypt, according to reports from AFP correspondents on both sides. The UN's humanitarian chief, Martin Griffiths, expressed confidence that this delivery marks the beginning of a sustained initiative to offer crucial provisions to Gaza's residents. He emphasized the importance of ensuring that "this first convoy must not be the last."

Israeli ministry says that at least 307 soldiers killed since October 7 surprise attack by Hamas.

Israel is facing a shortage of bulletproof jackets as it adds thousands of reservists in its fight against Hamas. An Israeli company that makes bulletproof jackets told ANI about the current situation, stating that the bulletproof manufacturing companies are unable to meet the current demand.

Speaking to ANI, Yoav Dotan, said, "Right now the country is in full mobilisation. The whole country is mobilised towards the war efforts. Men and women have been drafted into the Army under emergency degree. They don't have enough equipment, but slowly the equipment is getting to all the units".

"Not only the army reserve need equipment which is part of it is bulletproof fest or helmets, but also the civilian infrastructure that protects the towns. So the demand is very, very high. There are many manufacturers...but the demand is just too high right now," he added.

Egypt initiated a summit on the Gaza crisis with the aim of preventing a broader regional conflict. However, the gathering of Middle Eastern and European leaders is expected to face difficulties in reaching a consensus on the Israel-Hamas conflict.

Diplomatic sources suggest that it's unlikely the summit will produce a joint statement due to sensitivities surrounding calls for a ceasefire and whether to acknowledge Hamas's October 7 attack on Israel and Israel's right to self-defense.

The absence of a high-ranking official from Israel's primary ally, the United States, and some other prominent Western leaders has tempered expectations for the hastily-convened event. The United States, which currently lacks an ambassador assigned to Egypt, is represented by its embassy Charge d'Affaires.

PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti on Saturday led a protest with her party - Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), against Israel's military campaign in Gaza.

"When 500 children were killed in two years in Ukraine, the whole world cried, but today no one is speaking up," the former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister said.

“There is oppression in Palestine, supply of food, water and medicines has been stopped, and people are being bombarded. Israel is doing to Palestine what was done to the Jews in the holocaust and its consequences can be very grave in the coming times,” she added.

More than 200 trucks carrying over 3000 tonnes of humanitarian aid entered the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and Gaza on Saturday, first time since the Hamas attack on Israeli territories, Times of Israel reported.

At the same time, a number of international citizens are anticipated to depart Gaza, with the US Embassy in Jerusalem cautioning of a potential situation marked by disorder and chaos on both sides of the border crossing.

This comes as the UN is focussing on efforts to push humanitarian aid across the Egyptian border into Gaza.

Earlier on Friday, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres arrived at the Egyptian side of the Rafah border crossing with Gaza in northern Sinai in Egypt, CNN reported.

Hamas' media office released a statement on Saturday, stating that the anticipated shipments of aid would not alleviate the dire medical situation in Gaza.

The remarks came the border crossing between Egypt and Gaza opened on Saturday, marking the first time aid has been allowed to enter the region since Israel imposed a blockade in response to Hamas' violent actions two weeks ago.