Headlines
US hostages, mother and daughter, were released by Hamas
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared that his country will “fight until victory” in Gaza, indicating that despite Hamas’ release of two American hostages, Israel would continue to pound the territory and prepare for an invasion.
Two of our missing people are at home. In a statement made on Friday night, Netanyahu added, “We are not giving up on the fight to bring back all kidnapped and missing persons.
“At the same time, we’ll continue to fight until victory,” he added.
His comments come hours after Hamas freed two Americans, a mother and daughter from the Chicago region who are also Israeli citizens. They were the first of more than 200 hostages released, according to Israel, from the militant group’s detention facility in Gaza.
As U.S. President Joe Biden ascended the stairs to board Air Force One on Friday, reporters questioned him about whether Israel should postpone an attack of Gaza until additional hostages may be released. Although Biden answered, “Yes,” the White House later claimed that he had not heard the question well.
Biden was far away when the question was posed, according to Ben LaBolt, director of communications for the White House.
The query sounded like ‘Would you like to see more captives released?’ He wasn’t making any other comments,” LaBolt stated.
Biden stated earlier on Friday that he thought one of the reasons Hamas attacked Israel was to prevent Israel from normalising relations with Saudi Arabia.
In a speech to supporters in Washington on Friday, Biden claimed that Hamas “knew I was about to sit down with the Saudis.”
After American efforts in 2020 led to the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain recognising Israel, the US had been seeking to bring Israel and Saudi Arabia together to establish diplomatic ties.
At least eight Palestinians were killed and 45 were injured when Israeli planes targeted six homes in Gaza early on Saturday, according to Palestinian media. Nearly a third of all the dwellings in the region—140,000—have reportedly suffered damage in Gaza, according to the UN. There have allegedly been approximately 13,000 home demolitions.
Two trucks carrying aid entered the Egyptian side of the border crossing with Gaza early on Saturday, but an official in Egypt told The Associated Press that they had not yet crossed into the Gaza Strip.
Israel announced on Wednesday that Egypt will let the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza, but the border has remained blocked. Israeli airstrikes, according to Egypt, damaged the crossing.
Israel pounded the Gaza Strip with bombs on Friday night, despite warnings that its soldiers would suddenly invade the region, which is run by Hamas.
Friday’s X, formerly known as Twitter, post from the Israel Defence Forces stated: “During the night, fighter jets attacked over a hundred operational targets of the terrorist organisations in the Gaza Strip, destroying tunnel shafts, munitions warehouses, and dozens of operational headquarters.”
Israel is preparing to evacuate the northern city of Kiryat Shmona, according to recent events. The occupants will be housed in state-funded guest houses, the authorities announced on Friday. The northern city has experienced multiple rocket and missile assaults from Palestinian militant organisations due to its proximity to Israel’s border with Lebanon.
With the turmoil escalating, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak made his newest Middle Eastern stop on Friday: Egypt. Sunak has already met with the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and other Israeli officials.
Sunak visited Israel after Biden to show that the West supports the fight against Hamas militants.
“You have suffered an unspeakable, horrific act of terrorism, and I want you to know that the United Kingdom and I stand with you,” Sunak stated. Later, he promised Benjamin Netanyahu, the prime minister, “We will stand with your people. We also want you to succeed.
Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant ordered the nation’s ground troops to prepare for an invasion of the Gaza Strip on Thursday.
While urging the troops to “get organised, be ready,” Gallant visited with Israeli army soldiers stationed on the Gaza border. He did not, however, specify when the order would be given for the invasion.
“Whoever sees Gaza from afar now, will see it from the inside,” he stated. “I promise you.”
Following the cross-border raid by Hamas on Israel on October 7 that resulted in 1,400 deaths, the majority of them civilians, Israel has deployed 300,000 or more troops around the border.
After his brief trip to Tel Aviv on Wednesday, Biden claimed that he had open discussions with Israeli authorities about their military operations in Gaza, which have resulted in the deaths of more than 3,400 people, many of them civilians.
On board Air Force One, he told reporters, “I was extremely direct with the Israelis. Although Israel “has been badly victimised,” according to Biden, the nation has “an opportunity to relieve the suffering” of defenceless civilians in Gaza “who have nowhere else to go.”
Reuters, Agence France-Presse, and The Associated Press all contributed information to this article.