Israel-Hamas war Highlights: ‘Will target Hamas like human animals,’ says Israeli minister

The Hamas-controlled interior ministry said several displaced people who had taken shelter at a church compound in the Gaza Strip have been killed and injured after an Israeli strike late Thursday.

The strike left a "large number of martyrs and injured" at the compound of the Greek Orthodox Saint Porphyrius Church, the ministry said.

Witnesses said the strike damaged the facade of the church and caused an adjacent building to collapse, adding that many injured people were evacuated to hospital.

Saint Porphyrius is the oldest church still in use in Gaza and is located in the city's historic neighbourhood.

The Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem expressed its "strongest condemnation" of the strike at its church compound.

(With AFP inputs)

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant addressed troops stationed at the Gaza border on Thursday, indicating that they would ‘soon’ have a close view of the Palestinian enclave, implying a potential ground invasion with the objective of eradicating Hamas might be approaching, news agency Reuters reported.

Israel carried out additional airstrikes in Gaza on Thursday in response to the events of October 7 when Hamas militants killed 1,400 Israelis.

Israel has placed the 2.3 million residents of the Gaza Strip under a blockade and launched numerous strikes that have resulted in thousands of casualties and over a million people being displaced.

Gallant said, “You see Gaza now from a distance, you will soon see it from inside. The command will come.” However, troops were not expected to enter while foreign leaders were visiting.

Shortly after Gallant's statement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu released a video of himself with troops near the border, pledging victory.

China is ready to maintain communication and coordination with Russia to cool down the Israel-Palestinian conflict, its Middle East special envoy said after meeting with his Russian counterpart this week, Chinese state media reported, accroding to news agency Reuters.

Following a meeting with the Russian counterpart in Doha, Qatar, the envoy, Zhai Jun, said that China and Russia share the same stance on the Palestinian matter. He further said the root cause of the current situation in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict is the absence of guaranteed legitimate national rights for the Palestinian people.

Zhai expressed China's concern about civilian casualties and the humanitarian crisis and affirmed China's willingness to contribute positively to the resumption of peace talks between Palestinians and Israelis, along with the genuine implementation of a two-state solution. He also noted that China holds no "selfish" interests in the Palestinian issue.

• In his Oval Office address on Thursday, US President Joe Biden called upon Americans to put aside "angry politics" and come together to provide military support for Israel and Ukraine, framing it as a civic duty to the world. He emphasised that the United States cannot afford to abandon these countries, asserting that the US remains a global protector of freedom.

• Regarding the threats posed by Hamas and Russian President Vladimir Putin, Biden remarked, "they represent different threats but they share this in common: they both want to completely annihilate a neighboring democracy."

• Biden underscored the significance of American leadership, alliances, and values, describing them as the foundation that holds the world together. He stressed that the United States is a beacon to the world.

• Biden further urged the US Congress to approve urgently needed military assistance for both Israel and Ukraine, emphasising that this aid would enhance US security for generations. "It is a smart investment that's going to pay dividends for American security for generations. (It'll) help us keep American troops out of harm's way. (It'll) help us build a world that is safer, more peaceful and more prosperous for our children and grandchildren," Biden said.

The Pentagon on Thursday said that the United States is currently in the process of evaluating the nature of the Hamas attacks that occurred in Israel on October 7. They also mentioned that, at this point, any potential connection between Iran and these attacks remains unclear.

"We're continuing to assess the nature of these attacks, and that's something that we will continue to look very closely...At this point, the information that we have does not show a direct connection to the Hamas attacks on October 7 as it relates to Iran...," Pentagon Press Secretary Air Force Brigadier General Pat Ryder said in a press briefing on Thursday.

"We do know, as you've heard others say, that Iran has a significant relationship with Hamas in terms of funding, training, and support and in that regard, they certainly bear some responsibility, but again, no direct linkage to these attacks. We'll continue to keep an eye on that," he added.

(With inputs from agencies)

• Drones and rockets targeted the Ain al-Asad air base in western Iraq, which houses US and international forces, news agency Reuters reported. Multiple explosions were reported from within the base, according to two security sources. The Iraqi military responded by closing off the area around the base and initiating a search operation. The extent of casualties and damage resulting from the attacks was not yet clear, as per the sources.

• Additionally, Iraqi police reported that rockets struck another military base near Baghdad's international airport that hosts US forces, but further details were not provided.

• These recent incidents mark the fourth attack within a 24-hour period on Iraqi military bases hosting U.S. forces. On Wednesday, U.S. military forces in Iraq were targeted in two separate drone attacks, resulting in minor injuries to a small number of troops. However, the U.S. military successfully intercepted one of the armed drones.

• Iraqi armed groups aligned with Iran had threatened to launch missile and drone attacks on U.S. interests if the United States intervened in support of Israel against Hamas in Gaza.

In the rare Oval Office address, US President Joe Biden said that Hamas and Russia are both out to "annihilate" democracies and made the case for assistance to Ukraine and Israel as a vital US interest.

Hamas and Russian President Vladimir Putin "represent different threats but they share this in common: they both want to completely annihilate a neighboring democracy," Biden said in the prime-time speech.

"It is a smart investment that's going to pay dividends for American security for generations," the 80-year-old Democrat said in just the second speech of his presidency delivered from behind the historic Resolute Desk.

"American leadership is what holds the world together. American alliances are what keep us, America, safe. American values are what make us a partner that other nations want to work with," he said.

"America is a beacon to the world. Still. Still," he said.

US President Joe Biden said it is “vital for America's national security” for Israel and Ukraine to succeed in their wars, making the case Thursday night for deepening US involvement in a rare Oval Office, Associated Press reported.

Biden further said, “conflict and chaos could spread in other parts of the world,” if international aggression is allowed to continue.

“Hamas and Putin represent different threats," Biden said. "But they share this in common. They both want to completely annihilate a neighboring democracy.”

He announced his intention to request urgent funding from Congress, expected to be around $100 billion over the next year. This proposal, to be unveiled on Friday, will cover support for Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan, humanitarian aid, and border management.