Israel Hamas war Highlights: Joe Biden announces 74 Americans evacuated from Gaza

Japanese foreign minister Yoko Kamikawa announced on Thursday her plans to meet with Palestinian officials during her upcoming visit to Israel and Jordan, Reuters reported. She intends to convey Japan's willingness to offer assistance to the Palestinians.

During her two-day trip starting on Friday, Minister Kamikawa is also scheduled to meet with Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen. Her visit coincides with the deepening crisis in Gaza following an Israeli strike on the Jabalia refugee camp, prompting the evacuation of foreigners, including Japanese nationals.

Regarding her meeting with Palestinian counterparts, Kamikawa expressed her hope to address the severe humanitarian situation in the Gaza region and directly convey Japan's commitment to providing ongoing aid. However, she did not specify the Palestinian officials she would meet with.

(With Reuters inputs)

Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has reported that over 20,000 injured individuals remain trapped in the Gaza Strip, despite some initial evacuations of foreign passport holders and severely injured Palestinians to Egypt.

In a statement on Wednesday, MSF acknowledged the evacuation of "severely injured" individuals and mentioned that their 22 international staff members in Gaza were among those who left through the Rafah border crossing. However, they highlighted that a significant number of injured people are still in Gaza, facing limited access to healthcare due to the ongoing blockade.

MSF's Palestinian staff continues to provide care in the territory, and another international team is prepared to enter Gaza to replace those who left as soon as the situation allows. The organization has called for a larger-scale evacuation, a ceasefire, and increased access for critical aid.

(With AFP inputs)

• More foreign nationals are preparing to leave the blockaded Gaza Strip, with its Hamas-led government reporting at least 195 Palestinian casualties in Israel's attacks on the Jabalia refugee camp. U.N. human rights officials have suggested that these strikes could potentially constitute war crimes.

• Explosions were reported in the early hours of Thursday around Gaza City's densely populated al-Quds hospital, according to the Palestinian Red Crescent. Israeli authorities had previously issued an evacuation warning to the hospital, but U.N. officials noted that doing so without endangering patients was impossible.

• Israel stated that its strikes on Tuesday and Wednesday resulted in the deaths of two Hamas military leaders in Jabalia, Gaza's largest refugee camp. Israel claimed that the group had established command centers and other "terror infrastructure" in and around civilian buildings, intentionally putting Gazan civilians at risk.

• As international calls for a humanitarian pause in hostilities continue to grow, the situation in the Gaza Strip has become increasingly dire due to Israel's military actions and a tightened blockade. Essential supplies such as food, fuel, clean water, and medicine have become scarce.

(With inputs from agencies)

Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on Wednesday claimed that Jabalya, which underwent a series of Israeli airstrikes, is the “permanent home of Palestinians under Palestinian authority, and there are no refugees residing there.”

Israel Defense Forces spokesperson Jonathan Conricus wrote on X (formerly Twitter) saying, "Jabalya is the permanent residence of Palestinians under Palestinian rule," and suggested that it's time to dispel the "fictional" refugee claims.

He added, "No refugees there, just as my grandparents from Morocco and Poland who fled to Israel in 1948 are no longer refugees. Time to lay these fictional and hereditary refugee claims to rest @UNWRA @cnni."

The Israel Defense Forces claimed that dozens of militants, including the commander of Hamas's Central Jabaliya Battalion, Ibrahim Biari, were killed in an airstrike on the Jabalya refugee camp in the Gaza Strip. According to CNN, Israel contended that the attack targeted a militant command center and an underground tunnel network.

However, Hamas has refuted the presence of one of its leaders in the camp, with spokesperson Hazem Qassem making a statement to that effect.

(With inputs from agencies)

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau addressed the 'pain' experienced by Palestinian families amid the Israel-Hamas war, explaining his discussions with them. Here are the series of tweets Trudeau wrote on X:

“The price of justice cannot be the continued suffering of Palestinian civilians. When I sat down with Palestinian families today, they spoke about the loved ones they have lost in Gaza – and about the pain, anger, trauma, and grief they’re feeling.”

“They also spoke about concerns regarding their right to advocate, without fear of reprisal, for Palestinians to live in peace and security. Canadians have the right to assemble peacefully and express themselves freely – and we discussed the importance of that right.”

“As we call for renewed efforts toward a two-state solution, we’ll continue to advocate for humanitarian pauses, for humanitarian aid to be delivered, and for international law to be upheld. Canada is committed to the goal of just and lasting peace in the Middle East.”

At least 15 Israeli soldiers have lost their lives in the ground invasion of Gaza since Tuesday, according to a New York Times report. The Israeli forces have been advancing further into the region, targeting numerous sites associated with the Hamas terror group. These 15 casualties, primarily infantry soldiers, represent the first publicly confirmed Israeli military losses within Gaza since the ground invasion began last Friday, the report further said.

In Israel, the soldiers' identities were prominently displayed on various news websites, while their names were announced on live television when the military confirmed their deaths on Wednesday.

The Israeli military reported that it had targeted over 11,000 sites in the Gaza Strip in response to the devastating attacks by Hamas that occurred on October 7, leading to the loss of over 1,400 Israeli lives and the abduction of more than 200 individuals.

(With inputs from agencies)

Gaza's Hamas-run government media office on Thursday said that at least 195 Palestinians lost their lives in the two Israeli attacks on Jabalia refugee camp, and 120 people remain missing under the rubble, Reuters reported. Additionally, at least 777 individuals were wounded, as stated in their official release.

United Nations human rights officials said that the strikes on the camp might constitute a “war crime” due to the high number of civilian casualties and the extensive destruction caused by Israeli airstrikes on Jabalia refugee camp. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights took to X (formerly Twitter) and said, “Given the high number of civilian casualties & the scale of destruction following Israeli air strikes on Jabalia refugee camp, we have serious concerns that these are disproportionate attacks that could amount to war crimes.”

On the other hand, Israel contended that its airstrikes on Tuesday and Wednesday targeted two Hamas military leaders in Jabalia, which is Gaza's largest refugee camp. Israel further asserted that the group had established command centers and other “terror infrastructure under, around and within civilian buildings, intentionally endangering Gazan civilians.”

(With Reuters inputs)

A group of foreign passport holders and wounded Palestinians has crossed from Gaza into Egypt, marking the first such evacuation since the beginning of the Israel-Hamas conflict in early October, Bloomberg reported citing Egypt's Extra News TV channel. The report further said that a video footage broadcasted on the channel showed individuals disembarking from a bus, some carrying luggage, after crossing through the Rafah border point.

Ambulances also entered Gaza to transport around 80 injured Palestinians for treatment in Egyptian medical facilities.

As of 3.30 pm local time, around 160 people had crossed into Egypt from Gaza, according to a spokesperson for the interior ministry in the Hamas-controlled territory. Their nationalities were not immediately disclosed. This evacuation arrangement was mediated by Qatar in collaboration with the United States, as per an informed source.

The agreement, separate from discussions to increase aid delivery to Gaza, aims to allow roughly 500 people to depart each day, with the exclusion of those without foreign passports, at least for the time being.

President Joe Biden has suggested that Israel and Hamas should temporarily "pause" their hostilities to facilitate the release of hostages in Gaza, although he did not explicitly endorse a complete ceasefire.

During a political fundraiser in Minneapolis, a protester interrupted Biden's speech and called for an immediate ceasefire. In response, Biden said, "I think we need a pause. A pause means give time to get the prisoners out." Biden also credited himself with influencing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to allow time for hostage release before launching a ground invasion and convincing Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi to permit the evacuation of foreigners and wounded Palestinians from Gaza through Egypt.

(With Bloomberg inputs)