An Israeli drone late on Wednesday attacked a group of terrorists who were planting explosives and endangering IDF forces in the West Bank city of Jenin during arrest operations. Palestinians report several terrorists killed and wounded.
More stories:
Israeli forces have been operating for over 40 hours in Jenin and its refugee camp. This is the second time in a day that an aircraft has conducted an aerial attack.
During the operation, IDF forces arrested about 20 wanted individuals and detained over 560. In addition, around 10 underground tunnels were located, half of which have already been destroyed. A significant amount of weapons was seized.
White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan met with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday to discuss the Gaza conflict and other regional issues, two U.S. officials said.
Sullivan, who is to visit Israel on Thursday and Friday, discussed with the Saudis "broader diplomatic efforts to maintain stability across the region and prevent the Israel-Hamas conflict from expanding," one official said.
U.S. negotiations aimed at reaching a deal normalizing relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia were halted by the Hamas militants' attack on Oct. 7 on southern Israel in which 1,200 people were killed. But all sides have said they want to resurrect the effort when the time is right.
10 View gallery
White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan in Saudi Arabia
(Photo: Saudi Press Agency/Handout via REUTERS)
Sullivan will travel to Israel on Thursday and hold talks with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and members of the war cabinet on Thursday and Friday.
Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak announced that the family of Tal Chaimi, 41, who has until now been identified as a hostage, was informed that he was murdered in the Hamas attack on October 7.
"Tal is the third generation of the founders of Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak and was connected with every fiber of his soul to the kibbutz and was one of the pillars of the community," said the kibbutz in a statement.
"His family and friends say that he was always the first to help, lend a hand, and instill calm and confidence in everyone around him. Only about three months ago, Tal lost his mother, Esti, after a battle with a serious illness. Tal left behind his wife Ella, three children - 9-year-old twins and a 6-year-old, his father Zohar, and his sister Or. May his memory be blessed."
Joshua Mollel, a Tanzanian agricultural intern in Israel reported missing since October 7, was kidnapped and murdered in the Gaza Strip where his body is held by Hamas, Kibbutz Nahal Oz, where he worked, announced on Wednesday.
"We send our condolences to Joshua's family. His father is on his way to Israel and will be accompanied by representatives of the Foreign Ministry upon arrival," the kibbutz said in a statement.
IDF Spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari on Wednesday dismissed speculations that a Hamas deadly ambush that led to the death of 10 Israeli soldiers in Gaza’s Shijaiyah occurred due to lack of air support.
"The [forces] stormed the building to extract [the wounded] under heavy fire. The Air Force supported the soldiers with 20 aircraft. There were dozens of Air Force strikes during the event," he told a press conference.
Hagari also addressed the fact that high-ranking officers also perished in the incident, saying that their presence on the frontline is a “testament to our soldiers' bravery. Always at the forefront, always first to charge, always first when it's needed to rescue our soldiers."
According to Hagari, "The wider our operations, the more clashes we have, and sadly, more casualties. These encounters result in many Hamas terrorists killed and contribute to significant surrender, and we see this every day in Jabaliya, Shijaiyah and Khan Younis."
When asked if the incident could have been avoided, Hagari replied, "We fire in Shijaiyah every time we know there are terrorist targets. There is no change in the fire policy - for each division, each brigade, each soldier, before every force's entry into the area - the Air Force strikes everywhere."
After terrorists operating inside a school in Khan Younis initiated combat with IDF soldiers, the IDF conducted a targeted raid against the terrorists inside the school, the IDF said Wednesday evening.
During the operation, the troops engaged with a terrorist cell that fired at the soldiers with firearms and RPG-style anti-tank missiles. The troops killed the terrorists during the battle. In the area of the school, the troops located long-range rockets and an underground combat compound.
IDF forces clash with terrorists inside Khan Younis school
(Video: IDF Spokesperson's Unit)
In addition, IDF troops directed an Israeli Air Force strike on the compound, and additional observation and control centers belonging to the Hamas terrorist organization.
Nine rockets were fired from the Gaza Strip toward the southern city of Ashdod and neighboring communities Wednesday afternoon. Six rockets were intercepted by air defenses while the rest crashed in unpopulated areas.
A large rocket fragment fell on a supermarket in Ashdod, causing damage. There were no physical injuries; a person was treated at the scene for shock.
The IDF on Wednesday, launched attacks on South Lebanon after rocket fire targeted the Western Galilee near the border with Lebanon.
Hezbollah targets Galilee
Earlier the military released the names of 10 soldiers, nine of whom were killed in Shuja'iyya, in the Gaza Strip. The fallen are Sergeant First Class Rom Hecht, Major Ben Shelly, Captain Liel Hayo, Staff Sergeant Oriya Yaakov, Sergeant Achia Daskal, Major Moshe Avram Bar On, Major Roei Meldas, Lieutenant Colonel Tomer Grinberg, Colonel Itzhak ben basat, Sergeant Eran Aloni.
An initial investigation into the incident revealed that a Golani brigade force was operating in a densely constructed area of the town when they came under fire. Additional fighters came into the structures to evacuate the wounded when an explosive device was activated, causing further fatalities. The terrorists who were ultimately killed, the IDF believed, emerged from a tunnel shaft.
Despite criticism of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, voiced by U.S. President Joe Biden over his refusal to discuss the role of the Palestinian Authority in post-war Gaza, administration officials told CNN on Wednesday that there was no plan to attach conditions to U.S. military aid to Israel in its fight against Hamas.
The United States and the UK on Wednesday imposed a fourth round of sanctions on individuals linked to Hamas, the U.S. Treasury Department said. The sanctions target eight individuals who "perpetuate Hamas's agenda by representing the group's interests abroad and managing its finances, the Treasury said in a statement. Some of those targeted were based in Turkey, including Haroun Mansour Yaqoub Nasser Al-Din, identified as a key financial operative.
Families of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza after being abducted during the October 7 massacre, demonstrated outside the UN headquarters in Geneva where heads of state and diplomats marked 75 years since the declaration for human rights. The families raised a giant banner with pictures of the captives and the words, "We will not stop until they are all back," and slammed the international body, the Red Cross and leaders for failing to take action that would bring about the release of hostages from Gaza.
Families of hostages outside the UN
(Boaz Unger)
Missiles fired on Yemen's Houthi rebels territory on Wednesday missed a commercial tanker loaded with Indian-manufactured jet fuel near the key Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a U.S. official said. An American warship also shot down a suspected Houthi drone flying in its direction during the incident, the official added.
Israel struck targets in Syria in response to rocket fire, the military said. "IDF aircraft and tanks struck a number of military posts and military infrastructure belonging to the Syrian Army in Syrian territory."
PLO Sec. Gen Hussein Al-Sheikh said U.S. President Joe Biden must transform his words into actions and call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. In a post on X, he said Biden must put forward "a comprehensive political plan based on international legitimacy and international law, ending the occupation and establishing an independent Palestinian state." On Tuesday, Biden told donors to his re-election campaign that Israel "can't say no" to a Palestinian state
The United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday night passed by a large majority a resolution calling for an "immediate humanitarian cease-fire" in the Gaza Strip. Some 153 countries voted in favor of the cease-fire, 10 countries voted against and 23 abstained or were absent.
The list of countries that voted against includes the United States, Israel, Czech Republic, Micronesia, Paraguay, Papua New Guinea, Liberia, Nauru, Guatemala and Austria. Among the countries that abstained are Germany, Great Britain, Ukraine, Georgia, Argentina, Bulgaria, Hungary, the Netherlands, Panama, South Sudan, Togo, Tonga, Slovakia, Uruguay and Lithuania.
In October the General Assembly called for "an immediate, durable and sustained humanitarian truce leading to a cessation of hostilities" in a resolution adopted with 121 votes in favor, 14 against - including the U.S. - and 44 abstentions.
The Israel Defense Forces has begun pumping seawater into Hamas' tunnel complex in Gaza, the Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday citing unnamed U.S. officials. The process will likely take weeks, according to the report.
Some Biden administration officials have said the process could help destroy the tunnels, where Israel believes the militant group is hiding hostages, fighters and munitions, the Journal reported. Other officials have expressed concerns the seawater would endanger Gaza's fresh water supply, the newspaper reported.
An IDF fighter jet and tanks struck a Hezbollah launch post with weapons and terrorist infrastructure after a number of launches were identified toward IDF posts along the northern border, according to the IDF spokesperson's unit. Throughout the day on Tuesday, Hezbollah claimed responsibility Tuesday afternoon for eight shooting attacks on Israeli posts in the border area.
In addition, three launches of rockets from Syria toward Israeli territory were identified. Two of the rockets fell in open areas inside Syrian territory, and one launch fell in an open area in Israel. In response, the IDF fired toward the sources of the launches.
A convoy of 80 aid trucks for Gaza was sent from Egypt to the Kerem Shalom crossing for security checks on Tuesday after a new inspection system was opened in an effort to accelerate deliveries of relief, a Red Crescent official said. The use of Kerem Shalom, which is on the border between Israel, Gaza and Egypt about 3 km (1.86 miles) from Rafah, should allow for the processing of more trucks, including some that would come from Jordan for the first time since the start of the war in Gaza, aid officials say.
10 View gallery
Prime MInister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Joe Biden
(Photos: Yonatan Sindel/Flash90, Reuters)
U.S. President Joe Biden said that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should "replace his government." The Israeli government is "beginning to lose support in the face of indiscriminate bombings," Biden said during a fund-raising event in Washington for his re-election campaign. Biden's statement comes ahead of the expected visit to Israel by U.S. national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, who is supposed to arrive on Thursday and meet with Netanyahu and other officials.
Meanwhile, Biden has invited to a meeting at the White House the families of hostages with American citizenship who are held captive by Hamas in the Gaza Strip, a senior U.S. administration official told Reuters. It is currently unclear how many families will attend the meeting, and some may take part virtually. This will be the first time that the president himself will meet with them.
10 View gallery
IDF handover ceremony of the bodies recovered from Gaza
(Photo: IDF Spokesperson's Unit)
The IDF has recovered from Gaza the bodies of Hamas hostage Eden Zacharia, 28, from Rishon Lezion, who was abducted from the Nova music festival in Re'im, and Sergeant Major Ziv Dado, 36, from Rehovot, who was killed during the Hamas surprise attack on October 7, the IDF Spokesperson's Office released for publication. As part of the operation during which the bodies were located, Master Sgt. (res.) Gal Meir Eisenkot and Master Sgt. (res.) Eyal Meir Berkowitz were killed, and other soldiers were injured.
First published: 07:31, 12.13.23