The Israeli army has completed its takeover of part of Gaza City, and is commencing “the next phase” of its ground incursion, according to Israel’s defense minister. As international calls for a ceasefire mount, reports say the main impasse to a possible hostage deal relates to the number of captives to be freed by Hamas and the length of the Israeli cease-fire.
Fighting raged in Gaza on Thursday, more than five weeks after an unprecedented attack by Hamas on October 7 sparked retaliatory bombing and a ground offensive by Israel, which vows to destroy the Palestinian militant group.
About 1,200 people, mostly civilians, were killed in Israel during the attack and around 240 people taken hostage, according to Israeli officials.
In Gaza, some 11,500 people, also mostly civilians, have been killed, officials in the Hamas-run territory have said.
Al-Shifa Hospital Raid
An Israeli army official said “information and footage” relating to hostages seized by Hamas was found on computers at the Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City during an ongoing special forces raid.
“Soldiers are proceeding one building at a time, searching each floor,” the military official said. Israel says Hamas has command centers buried under the hospital — a charge Hamas denies.
The health ministry in the Hamas-run enclave said the Israeli army had “destroyed the radiology service, and bombed the burns and dialysis departments” at Al-Shifa in the raid.
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UNRWA Cautions Fuel Shortage
The head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees said Thursday he feared for civil order in Gaza after communications blacked out again amid dire fuel shortages.
The Palestinian telecom company Paltel confirmed the blackout.
The announcement came a day after a truck carrying 23,000 liters of fuel entered Gaza, marking the first fuel delivery to the Palestinian territory since the war between Israel and Hamas erupted nearly six weeks ago.
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Israel says hostage found ‘murdered’
The Israeli army said a woman hostage, whose body was found by troops near Al-Shifa hospital, was “murdered” by her captors.
Hamas has repeatedly accused Israel of being responsible for the deaths of scores of hostages through its intensive bombardment of the Gaza Strip.
Israel controls key port
The Israeli army said its troops had taken “operational control” of Gaza City’s port.
“In the past few days, in a joint operation, soldiers… took operational control of the Gaza harbor, which was controlled by the Hamas terrorist organization,” the Israeli army said in a statement. “All buildings in the harbor area were cleared.”
Khalil Wakim, with AFP
