United States President Joe Biden condemned the retaliatory attacks by Israeli settlers against Palestinians in the West Bank.
A look at the top developments from the Israel-Hamas war:
1. The Israeli military said on Thursday that it conducted an overnight ground raid into northern Gaza and struck several “fighters, militant infrastructure and anti-tank missile launching positions”, the Associated Press reported. As per the Israeli military, the exercise was undertaken to “prepare the battlefield”. This comes amid reports that Israel may launch a full-scale ground offensive into Gaza to destroy Hamas’ military infrastructure. The Israeli ground forces conducted raids into Gaza on Monday as well.
The health ministry in Gaza said on Wednesday that at least 6,546 Palestinians have been killed and 17,439 since October 7, when Hamas launched a multi-pronged attack on Israel. In response, Israel has declared a siege on Gaza and has been conducting airstrikes on the narrow strip of land. In the occupied West Bank, over 100 Palestinians have been killed, while the toll on the Israeli side stands at 1,400.
2. After overnight Israeli air strikes in Gaza, deputy Hamas chief Saleh al-Arouri said that “despite the enemy’s crimes…the resistance is well”.
