ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR LIVE

Israel-Hamas war Live updates: 6,000 bombs dropped, 3,600 targets hit in Gaza, says Israeli Air Force

Israel-Hamas War Live News updates: The ongoing war between Israeli forces and Hamas militants is only escalating, with intensified attacks on both sides. In a recent development, the Israeli military said it was preparing for a ground operation in Gaza, but added that the political leadership had not yet decided.

The ongoing war between Israeli forces and Hamas militants is only escalating, with intensified attacks on both sides. The Israeli government has formed an emergency war cabinet to present a united front, even as forces continue to bomb the Gaza Strip.

The attacks come in retribution for a weekend attack by Palestinian Hamas militants who breached the border and have killed 1,200 so far in Israel. Gaza has been put under "total siege" by Israel, with food and fuel supply stopped to the enclave of 2.3 million people.

From its establishment in the late 1980s, on the eve of the first Palestinian intifada, or uprising, Hamas has been committed to armed struggle and the destruction of Israel. At the height of the peace process in the 1990s, it launched scores of suicide bombings and other attacks that killed hundreds of Israeli civilians. The violence only intensified with the breakdown in peace talks and the far deadlier second Palestinian uprising in 2000.

Check developments from yesterday here.

Meanwhile, the Gaza Health Ministry claimed that at least 1,100 people have been killed and 535 residential buildings have been destroyed, leaving around 250,000 homeless, news agency Reuters reported.

The United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken is headed to Israel to show Washington's enduring support for the country, seek to secure the release of captives, including Americans, and prevent a wider war from erupting.

Check the latest live updates on the Israel-Hamas War at IndiaToday:

Israel Hamas war: Egypt facilitating aid flights to Sinai for besieged Gaza: Report

Egypt said on Thursday it was directing international aid flights for Gaza to an airport in northern Sinai, though delivery of relief into the Palestinian enclave has so far been hampered by Israeli bombardments around the border.

The Rafah crossing between Sinai and Gaza remained open, the Egyptian foreign ministry said, adding that Egypt had asked Israel to avoid targeting the Palestinian side of the crossing after strikes that prevented normal operations there.

Israel's massive bombardment and imposition of a total siege on the Gaza Strip - after a devastating Hamas attack on Israel - has caused alarm in Egypt, which shares a border with the south of the narrow coastal territory and controls the main exit point for the 2.3 million people living there.

Israel Hamas war: Iran’s foreign minister urges end of violence in Gaza

Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian expressed his country’s support for the rights of the Palestinian people, saying that the ongoing war in Gaza will affect the whole region.

Amirabdollahian said there is a need for an end to the “killing of children and civilians in Palestine.”

The Iranian official made his comments Thursday during a meeting with Iraq’s National Security Adviser Qasim al-Araji in Baghdad.

Amirabdollahian’s comments were carried in a statement released by al-Araji’s office.

Al-Araji said demonstrations will be held in different parts of Iraq on Friday in support of the Palestinians.

Israeli forces currently striking many Hamas targets, says IAF

"Fighter jets of the Air Force are currently attacking many targets of the terrorist organization Hamas in the northern Gaza Strip. More details to come," the Israeli Air Force said.

Italy reiterates full support for Israel amid war with Hamas

Italy has reiterated its full support for Israel after the deadliest attack on civilians in Israeli history, the foreign ministry said on Thursday.

Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani told his Israeli counterpart, Eli Cohen, in a phone call that the Italian government would make every effort to prevent a widening of the conflict in the Middle East and ensure that no cooperation funds for the Palestinian population ended up in the pockets of Hamas. 

Israel Gaza live updates: Hamas official warns against ground invasion, says it would be disaster for the Israeli military

A high-ranking Hamas official warned Thursday that any Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip will prove catastrophic for the Israeli army.

“For every action the enemy takes, there is a plan we have,” said Saleh Al-Arouri, the deputy head of the political bureau of Hamas.

(AP input)

US says Israel can use American-provided munitions as it sees fit

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Thursday that the U.S. is placing no specific conditions on how Israel uses the American-provided munitions. Israel has a professional military and “we would hope and expect that they will do the right thing,” he told reporters at the close of the NATO defence ministers meeting in Brussels.

He was asked if the US would put conditions on the weapons, specifically that they would not be used against civilians. Austin said he would leave it to the Israelis to define their operations.

Austin also said that the US is working to provide Israel with whatever it needs, even as America continues to support Ukraine.

(AP)

US Defense Secretary to arrive in Israel on Friday: Report

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is scheduled to arrive in Israel on Friday, as per reports. 

Israel Gaza news: Hamas warns of Operation Al Aqsa Toofan to take place on Friday

Hamas fighters released a televised message stating, "On Friday, Hamas is going to launch a big offensive to take revenge for the killings of children and women by Israel in Gaza."

"This operation against Israel did not ever come in the dreams of Israel," Hamas threatened on Thursday. 

(Ashraf Wani's input)

Israel Hamas war: Dozens of fighter jets and helicopters attacked Hamas targets, say Israeli forces

"Dozens of fighter jets and helicopters attacked a series of terrorist targets of the Hamas terrorist organization throughout the Gaza Strip. So far, the IAF has dropped about 6,000 bombs against Hamas targets," Israeli Air Force stated. 

Israeli airstrikes killed hundreds of terrorists, 3,600 Hamas targets: IAF

"The airstrikes killed hundreds of terrorists and attacked over 3,600 targets, including command and control targets, strategic military infrastructure, weapons production sites, intelligence assets, leadership targets, naval superiority targets and rocket system targets," the Israeli Air Force said. 

"We will continue to attack forcefully and relentlessly, as long as necessary," the IAF added. 

Gaza residents given all clear after being asked to take shelter

The Jerusalem Post reported that residents in Sdot Negev Regional Council have been issued an all-clear after being ordered earlier to take shelter on Thursday afternoon. The Israel Defense Force confirmed that instructions to take shelter were issued after Hamas terrorists were spotted near Kissufim in their bid to infiltrate from Gaza. 

Sovereign Palestinian state needed to resolve conflict: Turkey amid Israel Hamas war

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan told German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in a call on Thursday that a sovereign Palestinian state should be established for a lasting solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the Turkish presidency said.

Erdogan and Scholz also exchanged views on ways to halt the fighting and humanitarian crises in the conflict, the presidency said on social messaging platform X, adding that Erdogan renewed his offer to mediate the conflict.

(Reuters)

Israeli PM shares images of 'babies murdered, burnt by Hamas monsters'

"Here are some of the photos Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu showed to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. Warning: These are horrifying photos of babies murdered and burned by the Hamas monsters. Hamas is inhuman. Hamas is ISIS," Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu shared on X. 

Sirens heard in south Israel

Sirens blare in several southern Israeli communities, including Ashkelon, Ashdod and Gan Yavne, possibly indicating a huge barrage of possible strikes. 

(The Times of Israel)

Israel Hamas war: Respite for Nepal as 253 students return from Israel

Nepal airlifted its 253 students from Israel's Tel Aviv. Nepal's Foreign Minister Narayan Prakash Saud was aboard the aircraft to welcome these students. 

Israel Hamas war: Israeli Air Force says 'dropped about 6,000 bombs against Hamas targets'

"The Air Force continues to vigorously attack terrorist infrastructure throughout the Gaza Strip; So far, the Air Force has dropped about 6,000 bombs against Hamas targets Starting in the morning, dozens of fighter jets, helicopter gunships and aircraft of the Air Force attacked a series of terrorist targets of the terrorist organization Hamas throughout the Gaza Strip," Israeli Air Force shared. 

Israel Hamas war: Residents near Gaza border area ordered to shelter

Hamas' al-Aqsa TV channel was reportedly hacked on Thursday, broadcasting a message to residents of the Gaza Strip to protect themselves and take refuge. 

"Hamas destroyed the Gaza Strip and smuggled its leaders to safe places. Now, you have to protect yourselves and evacuate your homes and go to safe places because the blow will be fatal," read the broadcast message on the channel. 

(The Jerusalem Post input)

Israel Hamas war: Palestinian President condemns violence

Jordan's King Abdullah and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called on Thursday for steps to prevent a deterioration in the Gaza crisis and they condemned what they called Israel's "collective punishment" of Palestinians.

In a statement after a meeting in Amman, they also warned against a "rise in violence and its spread" as a humanitarian crisis worsens amid Israel's intense bombing campaign in Gaza after a devastating cross-border attack by Hamas.

(Reuters)

Gaza stares at healthcare infrastructure collapse amid Israel-Hamas war

Fourteen health facilities have been damaged and 10 health care workers killed in the Gaza Strip by Israeli airstrikes since the Israel-Hamas war broke out, Palestinian health officials said Thursday.

(AP)

Israel Hamas war: Comparison of weapons of warring sides

There is a massive difference in the powers of Israel and Hamas and this difference has been reflected in the weapons they have been using in the ongoing war. Here's a comparison of the weapons used by both sides.

Israel Hamas war: Comparison of weapons of warring sides

There is a massive difference in the powers of Israel and Hamas and this difference has been reflected in the weapons they have been using in the ongoing war. Here's a comparison of the weapons used by both sides

Israel Hamas war: German foreign minister to visit Israel on Friday: Report

As per reports, German foreign minister Annalena Baerbock will visit war-hit Israel on Friday. The development follows US Secretary of State Antony Blinken's visit to Tel Aviv earlier today. Blinken, after meeting with Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu, said that he was in Israel not only as a US diplomat but as a Jew too. 

Israel Hamas war: Blinken meets with Israeli president Isaac Herzog

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Israeli President Isaac Herzog. He arrived in Tel Aviv earlier today in America's show of solidarity for Israel amid its full-fledged war with the Hamas Group. 

“There really are two paths before countries in this region and in many ways, countries in this world. But here in the Middle East, there’s the path of integration, cooperation, normalization and equal measures of justice, opportunity, dignity for all peoples, including the Palestinians,” news agency AP quoted Blinken as saying. 

He added, “Or there’s the path that Hamas has shown to the world these last few days — terror, destruction, nihilism, a path that leads to nowhere for anyone except to the darkest places in our souls.”

Israel Hamas war: More than 1,400 Palestinians killed, say Palestinian health officials

At least 1,417 Palestinians have been killed in the Gaza Strip and over 6,200 have been injured since the Israel-Hamas war began, Palestinian health officials said Thursday.

Of the dead, nearly 450 are children and 250 are women.

The war has claimed at least 2,600 lives on both sides since Hamas launched its attack on Israel last Saturday.

(AP)