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Pictured: Israeli soldiers take part in a drill at an army urban warfare training facility simulating Gaza City, at the Tze’elim training center in the southern Negev desert on Jan. 16, 2023.
AFP
On the 28th day of the bloody Israel-Hamas war, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said the Iran-backed Imam Hussein militia is supporting Hezbollah in confrontations with the Israeli army on the Lebanon border.
The Israeli army also announced that its ground forces have encircled Gaza City, which is the largest city in Gaza Strip.
Israel has said that it is prioritizing the release of 242 hostages being held by Hamas and has once again urged civilians in the besieged strip to evacuate to the southern end of Gaza.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will arrive in Israel on Friday and is expected to focus on discussions about the release of hostages, as well as the continued flow of humanitarian aid for civilians in Gaza caught in the middle of conflict stemming from centuries of territorial disputes.
More than three weeks after Israel-Hamas tensions flared up following the carnage in southern Israel by Hamas operatives, the Israeli army has lost more than 300 soldiers and on Thursday announced the death of its highest-ranking official yet since the Oct. 7 attack.
