A Hamas official has linked the release of hostages held in Gaza to aceasefire in Israel’s bombardment of the enclave, initiated after a deadlyincursion by Hamas militants into southern Israel approximately three weeksago.
Israel is considering a ground invasion, but it has been advised by theU.S. and Arab nations to postpone such an operation to avoid escalatingcivilian casualties in the densely populated area and sparking a broaderconflict.
In retaliation for attacks on U.S. forces by Iranian-backed militiasfollowing the Gaza war, two U.S. fighter jets targeted weapons andammunition facilities in Syria. An opinion poll published on Fridayindicated that nearly half of Israelis now support delaying a groundinvasion due to concerns for the safety of approximately 224 hostagesreportedly held in Gaza.
A member of a Hamas delegation visiting Moscow stated that time isrequired to locate all those who were abducted by various Palestinianfactions during the Hamas attack on October 7.
These abductions involved dozens of people, primarily civilians, and Hamasintends to release them, but they emphasize the need for a “calmenvironment.” There have been clashes between Palestinian militants andIsraeli troops in at least two areas within the Gaza Strip, although theIsraeli military has not immediately confirmed these reports.
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Additionally, residents in central Gaza reported an apparent exchange offire, heavy shelling, and air strikes along the border. Israeli forcesattempted to land on a beach at the southern end of the Strip, according toHamas’s al-Qassam Brigades. Israel has stated that its fighter jets struckthree senior Hamas operatives who played significant roles in the October 7attack, although there has been no announcement by Hamas.
In the afternoon, rocket sirens sounded in southern Israel, and an Israelimedic reported three people wounded when a missile struck an apartmentbuilding in Tel Aviv.
Tragically, in the Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza, an airstrikekilled the pregnant wife of a Palestinian lawyer, Jehad Al-Kafarnah, alongwith her 8-month-old stillborn child.