Live Updates
This image grab from a video released by the Israeli army shows what the army says are Gazans around aid trucks in Gaza City.
AFP
The war in Gaza is now on its 147th day, and eyes are on the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) following reports that its troops fired at a large crowd of Palestinians waiting for humanitarian aid to arrive in Gaza when violence erupted among the mob.
Lebanon’s caretaker prime minister Najib Mikati expressed confidence that a ceasefire in Gaza would pave the way for negotiations regarding the tense Israel-Lebanon border.
The Red Sea saw a 24-hour period of peace Thursday as the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said it did not issue any maritime security alerts that day. The peaceful day came after Yemeni rebel Houthis, another Iran-backed terror group, said it has prepared “surprises” in the Red Sea.
Also, the forces with the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) have been striking Houthi assets in self-defense with the aim of ensuring safe navigation for commercial ships in the Red and Arabian Seas and the Gulf of Aden.
Back in war-torn Gaza, the IDF is under mounting pressure to clarify the incident in northern Gaza wherein more than a hundred Palestinians were reported dead following a stampede as a humanitarian convoy entered the Strip to deliver aid.
Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu once again reiterated that Israel will not give in to Hamas’ “delusional demands” for a halt in the fighting – this despite desperate calls from the loved ones of some 100 hostages and around 30 bodies of deceased abductees for their release.
The war in Gaza stems from an arduous and violent history of the Israel-Palestine conflict that has left civilians from both sides suffering the consequences of decades-long fighting.
