Israel agreed to a U.S. request to set up its air defenses to protect U.S. troops in the region from an expected ground invasion of Gaza, according to U.S. officials and people familiar with Israel’s planning.
Iran’s role: The leader of Iran-backed Hezbollah met senior Gaza militant officials, while Iran’s supreme leader accused the US of “orchestrating” Israel’s attack. Hundreds of Hamas fighters trained in Iran before Oct. 7, people familiar with intelligence about the attack say.
Hostages: Hamas is using hostages to delay a ground invasion and force Israeli concessions, officials and analysts said. Biden called on Netanyahu to seek the release of the hostages before a ground invasion.
Battle: Israeli forces fought on four fronts on Wednesday, attacking targets in the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, Lebanon and Syria.
Israeli failure: Netanyahu said he and other government officials would be held accountable for the Hamas attack after the war.
Humanitarian crisis: A UN agency warned it would significantly reduce its operations in Gaza unless it got more fuel, while France said it would send a navy ship to support hospitals in Gaza. Only eight of the 20 aid trucks scheduled to enter Gaza on Tuesday arrived.
Losses: Hamas officials said the Palestinian death toll in Gaza was over 6,500. The figure could not be independently verified. More than 1,400 people in Israel died in the Hamas attack that sparked the war; The IDF said over 300 members of the Israel Defense Forces were killed. Biden expressed doubts about the Hamas-controlled Health Ministry’s death toll figures in the Gaza Strip.