The armed conflict between the nation of Israel and the terrorist group Hamas entered its sixth day of hostilities in the Middle East on Thursday. Follow all current developments surrounding this war in real time here.
6:04 am | The death toll in Gaza rises to 1,354
The number of deaths in the Gaza Strip rose to 1,354, Hamas’s Palestinian health ministry said on Thursday, following an increase in Israeli bombings in this Palestinian territory controlled by the Islamist movement.
AFP
5:47 am | Hamas attack: X (ex-Twitter) says it deleted or reported “tens of thousands of messages.”
The social network.
“Since the terrorist attack on Israel, we have removed or reported tens of thousands of posts,” X CEO Linda Yaccarino said in a letter to European Commissioner Thierry Breton posted on her account.
AFP
5:33 am | Gaza: The aim is to “liquidate” the Hamas government
The Israeli army’s goal on the sixth day of the war sparked by the bloody Hamas attack is to “liquidate” the government of the Palestinian Islamist movement that controls the Gaza Strip, a military spokesman said.
“Right now we are focusing on their senior leaders, not only the military leadership, but also their government officials up to (Yahya) Sinouar (the leader of Hamas in Gaza, editor’s note). “They are directly involved in Saturday’s deadly attack that shocked Israel and beyond with its brutality,” said Lt. Col. Richard Hecht.
AFP
5:30am | The humanitarian situation in Gaza will “very quickly become uncontrollable.”
The humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip will become “unmanageable very quickly,” said the regional director of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Fabrizio Carboni, on Thursday.
The Gaza Strip, home to around 2.3 million people, is subject to a total blockade by Israel, which is also shelling the Palestinian territory in response to unprecedented attacks by the Islamist movement Hamas in Israel this weekend. This war has already claimed several thousand civilian lives.
AFP
5:18 am | Israel called for a “proportionate” response
NATO member states expressed “solidarity” to Israel’s defense minister on Thursday after the Hamas attack, but also called on the country to respond “proportionately.”
AFP
5:18 am | Many UN experts condemn Hamas’ “horrible crimes.”
Several dozen independent UN experts condemned on Thursday the “horrible crimes” of Hamas in Israel, but also the response of the Hebrew state, which was denounced as “collective punishment” for Gaza.
“Nothing justifies violence directed indiscriminately against innocent civilians, whether by Hamas or Israeli forces. “This is absolutely forbidden under international law and constitutes a war crime,” write these human rights experts, who are mandated by the United Nations but do not speak on behalf of the organization.
AFP
4:53 am | Several countries are evacuating their nationals
Thousands of foreigners have been stranded in Israel and the Palestinian territories since the war began on Saturday, sparked by a bloody Hamas attack that left thousands dead and nearly 150 hostages.
Some countries have started repatriation operations, others are planning them soon. Here’s an inventory of the latest official information.
AFP
3:40am | Blinken comes to Israel on a solidarity visit after the Hamas attacks
According to an AFP journalist, American Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Tel Aviv on Thursday in a show of solidarity with Israel, days after the bloody attack by the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas.
Mr. Blinken is expected to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose country is a close ally of the United States. Washington has already provided additional military aid to Israel since the start of the war against Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip.
AFP
3:59 am | Three Chinese died in Gaza
Three Chinese citizens have been killed in the conflict between Israel and the Palestinian armed Islamist movement Hamas, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Thursday.
AFP
3:31am | Until the hostages are released, there will be no water or fuel in Gaza
Israeli Energy Minister Israel Katz said his country would not allow deliveries of basic necessities or humanitarian aid to Gaza until the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas released those abducted. Saturday in Israel.
“Humanitarian aid for Gaza? “No electric switch will be turned on, no water tap will be opened and no tanker truck will enter until the kidnapped Israelis return home,” he said in a statement.
AFP
2h51 | After Israeli attacks on Gaza, rockets were fired at Tel Aviv
Hamas said on Thursday it fired rockets into Tel Aviv after Israeli attacks on “civilians” in two refugee camps in the Gaza Strip, a Palestinian enclave controlled by the Islamist movement.
“The Ezzedine al-Qassem Brigades (Hamas’ armed wing, editor’s note) fired rockets into Tel Aviv in response to Israeli attacks on civilians in the Al-Shati and Jabalia camps,” Hamas said.
AFP