Meanwhile, as a "ground offensive" of the besieged Gaza Strip loomed, hundreds of Israeli tanks were deployed near the border in South Israel, waiting for the all-clear from the country's political establishment and the military top brass.
"We are preparing for a ground incursion. I won't specify when, how, how many. I also won't detail the range of considerations, most of which the public is not aware of. And that's the way it is supposed to be. This is the way, so that we protect our soldiers' lives."
US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin on Thursday spoke with Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant and discussed the need to facilitate humanitarian aid into Gaza and to ensure the protection of civilians.
Amid the ongoing Israeli offensive against Hamas in Gaza following the October 7 terror attacks, a group of Jewish students took shelter in a library at Cooper Union in New York as a group of demonstrators chanted "Free Palestine" outside, The Times of Israel reported.
After Russia and China vetoed the US-authored draft resolution condemning the terror attacks by Hamas on Israel, Gilad Erdan, the Israeli ambassador to the United Nations, said had these countries endured a similar massacre, they would have acted with much greater force than his nation.
Responding to Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, accusing the US of "directing" the ongoing Israeli strikes in Gaza, followimg the October 7 Hamas terror attacks, President Joe Biden said the US has had troops in the region since 9/11 to go after ISIS, and it had nothing to do
Coming down heavily on the Israel government after the country's National Security Adviser Tzahi Hanegbi thanked Qatar for its "crucial" diplomatic efforts amid the ongoing war on the terrorist group Hamas, former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said "Qatar is itself our enemy" and not a c
Pope Francis on Wednesday called for the release of hostages held captive by Hamas and also urged for the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza at a time when the escalation of violence has resulted in the death of innocent civilians on both sides.
Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong stated, "We call for humanitarian pauses on hostilities, so food, water, medicine, and other essential assistance can reach people in desperate need, and so civilians can get to safety."
The Israeli publication posted an image tweeted on social media X to show Hezbollah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, with Hamas deputy chief Saleh al-Arouri, and Islamic Jihad chief Ziad al-Nakhala.
The exact number of Hamas divers involved in the infiltration was not specified by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), but Hebrew-language media reports estimate it to be between five and eight individuals.
Meanwhile in a press conference on the sidelines of Tuesday's United Nations Security Council's open debate on the situation in the Middle East, Jordan's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi emphasised that the lives of Palestinians are no less valuable than the lives of I