Hyderabad/New Delhi/Jerusalem/ Tel Aviv: The Israeli military prepared for a possible ground invasion in Gaza on Friday as it pounded the tiny coastal strip in retaliation for the unprecedented weekend attack on Israel by the militant group Hamas. In a deliberate show of support for Israel, a U.S. official confirmed that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin plans to visit on Friday, a day after Secretary of State Antony Blinken was in Israel to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Suffering in Gaza, meanwhile, rose dramatically with Palestinians desperate for food, fuel and medicine and the territory's only power plant shut down for lack of fuel. The morgue at Gaza's biggest hospital overflowed Thursday as bodies came in faster than relatives could claim them.
Israel said that a complete siege would remain in place until Hamas freed 150 hostages taken during its incursion. Egypt has engaged in intensive talks with Israel and the United States to allow the delivery of aid and fuel through its Rafah crossing point, which remained closed on both sides Thursday. The war has claimed at least 2,800 lives on both sides and displaced 423,000 people in Gaza.
Here's what's happening on Day 7 of the latest Israel-Hamas war:
- Israeli shelling along Lebanon border kills 1 journalist, wounds 6
An Israeli shell landed in a gathering of international journalists covering clashes on the border in south Lebanon, killing one and leaving six injured. An Associated Press photographer at the scene saw the body of the dead journalist and the six who were wounded. Some of them were rushed to hospitals in ambulances.
- EAM Jaishankar speaks to Saudi Foreign Minister on 'grave' situation in Middle East
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Friday spoke to his Saudi counterpart Prince Faisal bin Farhan and they discussed the situation arising out of the Hamas-Israel conflict. The phone conversation came two days after Jaishankar discussed the crisis with Foreign Minister of the United Arab Emirates Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
- Blinken and Austin bolster US support for Israel as potential ground offensive in Gaza looms
Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin assured Israel that we have your back as he and America's top diplomat met Friday with Israeli and Arab leaders. But there was no indication the U.S. was trying to prevent an expected Israeli ground offensive into Gaza that could worsen a humanitarian crisis for the 2.3 million Palestinians trapped in the blockaded territory.
- Israeli military carried out small raids into Gaza Strip
The Israeli military said for the first time that ground troops have been operating inside the Gaza Strip. In a statement Friday, the army said troops had entered Gaza to battle militants, destroy weapons and search for evidence about the missing hostages held by Hamas. The announcement did not appear to be the beginning of an expected ground invasion of Gaza. Israel has been massing troops along the Gaza border since last Saturday's deadly incursion by Hamas militants.
- Terrorism cannot be granted as right of freedom of expression, says Canada India Foundation
A not-for-profit organisation focussed on strengthening India-Canada relations has strongly condemned the ghastly terrorist attack" on Israel, saying terrorism or any act of violence cannot be granted as a right of freedom of expression in any mature society. It said that terrorism, extreme ideologies, violence and disregard for peaceful co-existence need collective resolve and response by all individuals and countries, without any exception.
- President Biden to speak with families of US hostages held by Hamas
U.S. President Joe Biden told CBS' 60 Minutes that he would speak to families of U.S. hostages held by Hamas. They have to know that the president of the United States of America cares deeply about what's happening, Biden said. The meeting is expected to take place virtually.
- Japan to evacuate its citizens from Isreal on Saturday
Japan will send a charter flight to evacuate its nationals from Israel as the clashes between Israeli military and Hamas intensified, officials said Friday. Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno told reporters that the charter flight will transport evacuees from Israel's commercial airport of Tel Aviv to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates on Saturday. The government is arranging the flight based on survey results that showed Japanese citizens in the region wanted to evacuate, Matsuno said.
- 150 rockets launched towards Ashkelon and Sderot, says Hamas official
A Hamas official said that Hamas had launched 150 rockets toward the southern cities of Ashkelon and Sderot. Israel's rescue service reported no major injuries.
- WHO says forced evacuation would be a death for some hospitalised patients
The World Health Organisation spokesman Tarik Jasarevic told a UN briefing in Geneva on Friday that forced evacuation of severely ill or badly injured people from hospitals in northern Gaza would amount to a death sentence for some. The spokesman added the two major hospitals in northern Gaza have already exceeded their combined 760-bed capacity, and warned of a shortage of blood in hospital blood banks across Gaza.
- 3 more Palestinians were killed by Israeli troops in West Bank, death toll rises to 39
As tensions flare in the West Bank, the Palestinian Health Ministry reported Friday that two Palestinians were shot dead by Israeli troops in Tulkarem and a third was shot dead in Nablus, bringing the death toll in the territory to 39 since the start of the war.
- Abbas says displacement of Palestinians would amount to 'Second Nakba'
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who is currently in Jordan, emphasized his “complete rejection” of displacing people from Gaza, saying it would amount to a “second Nakba,” or catastrophe. That’s the term Palestinians use to describe their mass displacement from what is now Israel during the 1948 Mideast war surrounding its creation, when hundreds of thousands of Palestinians fled or were driven out.
- Egyptian news outlet says Israeli forces attacked its crew
An Egyptian TV news station said Israeli forces attacked its crew in Jerusalem. The state-owned Al-Qahera News, which is close to security agencies, said some Israeli forces pointed their weapons at its crew filming the firing of sound bombs on Palestinians in the holy city. The station said Israeli troops forced them to leave the area.
- First round of humanitarian aid for Gaza arrives in Egypt, Turkis group says
The Turkish Red Crescent said Friday that its first planeload of aid for Gaza had arrived in Egypt. The organization included photographs in a social media post of a cargo plane being unloaded at El Arish airport, some 20 kilometers (12 miles) from the Gazan border.
- Turkey is attempting to send aid to Gaza, Erdogan's office says
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Friday that Turkey is attempting to provide humanitarian aid to Gaza and condemned human rights violations against civilians, his office said. In a telephone call with French President Emmanuel Macron, Erdogan discussed efforts for peace “that are increasing in intensity day by day,” according to a statement on social media from the Turkish presidency.
- Romania confirms deaths of 2 Romanian- Israeli citizens
Romania’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Friday that two dual Romanian-Israeli citizens have died since Hamas launched its attacks against Israel a week ago. The ministry said that the Israeli authorities confirmed the death of the second citizen on Friday, a day after they were reported missing by family members. The ministry had confirmed the death of the first person on Monday, and said both of those who have died resided in Israel.
- Czech evacuation flights from Israel return 228 citizens home
Czech Foreign Ministry said Friday the country has completed evacuation flights of its citizens from Israel, which is at war following the Hamas attacks on Oct. 7. A total of six flights transported 228 people between the ages of several months to 93 years in what was “one of the most logistically demanding events,” Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky said.
- Palestinian health Minister renews plea for aid from international community
The Palestinian Minister of Health on Friday again pleaded for aid from the international community to assist hospitals in Gaza Strip. “For the seventh day, we renew our urgent appeals to all countries of the world, human rights, humanitarian and health organizations, emphasizing the necessity of providing immediate health support to the hospitals in the Gaza Strip,” said the minister, Mai Al-Kalla.
- Scotland's leader says Gaza evacuation order will have devastating consequences
Scotland’s leader, First Minister Humza Yousaf, has urged the international community to help civilians in Gaza, and shared a video from his mother-in-law, who is trapped in the territory with her husband. In the clip posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, Elizabeth El-Nakla says “everybody from Gaza is moving towards where we are” in the southern half of the strip after Israel’s order to evacuate the north.
- Gaza's hospitals cannot evacuate their wounded, Health Ministry says
It was not possible to evacuate the many wounded from Gaza’s hospitals, Health Ministry spokesperson Ashraf al-Qidra said Friday, and hospital staff would not heed Israel’s evacuation warning. “These warnings are a violation of international law and the fourth Geneva Convention, which stipulates ensuring the continuity of health services,” he said. “We have a duty and a humanitarian mission, and we cannot evacuate hospitals and leave the wounded and sick to die.”
- Israeli military denies killing hostages held by Hamas
Top Israeli military spokesperson Daniel Hagari denied that they have killed hostages held by Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip. “We have our own information and do not believe the lies of Hamas. We have verified information that reaches us,” Hagari said in an interview on Al Jazeera Arabic television, and denied that Israel has targeted civilian infrastructure, saying Hamas used hospitals and United Nations buildings as command centers by digging tunnels.
- Muslim communities around the world are staging protests after Friday prayers
Protests were staged after Friday prayers in Muslim communities around the world — including Sri Lanka, Indian-controlled Kashmir and Baghdad — condemning Israel’s attacks on Gaza and showing support for Palestinians in the wake of the deadly surprise attack launched in southern Israel by the militant group Hamas on Oct. 7. In the cold desert region of Ladakh’s Kargil district, thousands marched in the main town while raising slogans against Israel and the United States.
- Hezbollah legislator says they have maintained deterrence with Israel despite clashes
Hezbollah legislator Hassan Fadlallah said that the deterrence between the militant group and Israel has been maintained since a monthlong war in 2006 that ended in a draw, despite clashes over the past week. Fadlallah’s comments came minutes after Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian held separate meetings with Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati and key ally Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.
- Copenhagen's main synagogue cancels event, instead holds event for victims in Israel
The main synagogue in Copenhagen canceled Friday’s planned open-doors event that is part of the annual Culture Night where museums, government agencies, associations and shops are open all evening, saying “in the current situation, we will unfortunately have to prioritize the tasks differently. We hope for your understanding.”
- Hungarian police ban a planned Palestinian solidarity demonstration
Hungarian police banned a Palestinian solidarity demonstration planned for Friday in the capital, Budapest, saying it “would directly endanger public safety and public order.” In a post on Facebook, the Budapest Police Headquarters said that participation in the rally, which aimed to bring together supporters of Palestine to “stand with Gaza and its brave people,” would result in “sanctions.”
- Israel-Lebanon border town are quiet as armies prepare for a possible escalation
An eerie quiet prevailed Friday in south Lebanon and northern Israel in the wake of Israel’s call for the evacuation of hundreds of thousands of civilians in Gaza City ahead of an expected ground invasion. Many analysts believe a ground invasion could be the catalyst for the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, a Hamas ally with a much larger arsenal, to enter the war.
- Israel says an embassy employee in Beijing is hospitalised after an attack
The Israeli Foreign Ministry says an employee at its embassy in Beijing has been attacked and is now hospitalized. There were few details regarding the attack in the Chinese capital. In a message sent to journalists, the ministry said its officials were trying to confirm the details of the attack.
- Iran's Foreign Minister calls for regional talks to keep violence in Gaza from spreading
Iran’s foreign minister says the aim of his visit to Beirut is to preserve security in Lebanon amid regional tensions. Hossein Amirabdollahian called in comments after meeting caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati in Beirut for leaders of the region to hold a meeting in order to discuss the situation. He warned that the violence in Gaza could spread to the region if Israel does not stop “the destructive war against the Gaza Strip.” He added that what Hamas did over the weekend was in response to the policies of Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
- UN agency says it's not evacuating Palestinian shelters or staffers
The United Nations Palestinian refugee agency known as UNRWA has transferred only its international staff to its compound in southern Gaza. Juliette Touma, a spokesperson for the agency, said that UNRWA was not aware of any evacuation plans for its thousands of Palestinian staff members and their families in Gaza. She said that local UNRWA workers were making their own decisions about whether to stay in their homes in Gaza City, transfer to the U.N. compound in the south, or flee elsewhere within the Gaza Strip.
- 3 Palestinians are killed and dozens arrested overnight in the West Bank
Confrontations across the West Bank continued into late Thursday night, with Palestinian health officials reporting three Palestinians had been killed overnight. That brings the total number of Palestinians killed in the West Bank up to 35 in the seven days since the start of the latest Israel-Hamas war, with 650 Palestinians wounded in that time. The highest ever monthly total for West Bank deaths since the U.N. started recording in 2005 is 47.
- Protesters gather in Baghdad in support of Palestinians
Tens of thousands of demonstrators gathered Friday in Tahrir Square in the center of Baghdad to show support for Palestinians and protest the Israeli bombardment of Gaza in the wake of the deadly surprise attack launched in southern Israel by the militant group Hamas on Oct. 7. The protest was called by influential Shiite cleric and political leader Muqtada al-Sadr. Similar protests are expected in Lebanon, Syria and other Arab countries following afternoon prayers Friday.
- Hezbollah holds talks with Iran's Foreign Minister about Israel
Iran’s foreign minister discussed the volatile situation in the Middle East with the leader of the militant Hezbollah group. A Hezbollah statement said Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian and Hezbollah Secretary-General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah met in Beirut early Friday to discuss “the Israeli aggression on Gaza and the brutal crimes committed against its people.”
- German Foreign Minister is en route to Israel to show solidarity
Germany’s foreign minister is heading to Israel on a visit meant to show her country’s solidarity. During the visit Friday, Annalena Baerbock is expected to discuss how Germany can support Israel, as well as the fate of hostages taken by Hamas the previous weekend — among them several German-Israeli dual citizens. Baerbock said in a statement that “Hamas brings people nothing but suffering and death, in Israel and in Gaza.”
- 13 hostages killed in Israel's attacks on Gaza Strip, Hamas says
Hamas says Israel’s heavy bombardment of the Gaza Strip has killed 13 hostages, including foreigners, held by the group. Hamas’ military wing said in a statement Friday that the 13 were killed in various locations over the past 24 hours. It did not give the nationality of the foreigners. There has been no confirmation from Israel.
- Egypt send troops to reinforce its border with Gaza, official says
Egypt has taken “unprecedented measures” to prevent a breach to its borders with Gaza, a senior Egyptian security official said Friday, calling Israel’s potential ground invasion of the territory a “grave mistake.” the official said that Egypt is working “around the clock” with Israel’s allies, including the U.S. and European governments, to prevent such a ground invasion, and eventually stop the war.
- UN opens appeal for $294 million in aid for Palestinians
The United Nations opened an appeal Friday for $294 million that it says it needs to aid and protect 1.2 million Palestinians in the besieged Gaza Strip and the occupied West Bank. The U.N. said it hopes to deliver the relief funds to dozens of partners in the Palestinian territories, including U.N. agencies now struggling to provide basic services to over a million people in Gaza as Israeli attacks on the enclave intensify, along with several aid groups including the Palestinian Red Crescent.
- Indonesian religious leaders call on Muslims to pray for Palestinians
As violence and tensions increase in the Gaza Strip with Israeli airstrikes after an unprecedented attack by Hamas, Islamic leaders in Indonesia — the world’s most populous Muslim-majority nation — appealed to all mosques across the country to pray for peace and safety for the Palestinian people. In a sermon at Abu Bakar Al Shidiq, one of the most conservative mosques in Jakarta, a cleric called during Friday prayers to help the Muslims in Palestine. “Prayer is a weapon for devout Muslims,” he said.
- Lloyd Austin lands in Tel Aviv for talks with government leaders
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin arrived Friday in Tel Aviv to meet with senior government leaders and see firsthand some of the U.S. weapons and security assistance the United States rapidly delivered to Israel in the first week of its latest war with Hamas. Austin is expected to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant, and the Israeli War Cabinet.
- Hamas calls on Palestinians in Gaza to stay in their homes despite evacuation orders
Hamas called on Palestinians to stay in their homes Friday after Israel issued sweeping evacuation orders in Gaza. The Hamas Authority for Refugee Affairs told residents of the north of the territory to “remain steadfast in your homes and to stand firm in the face of this disgusting psychological war waged by the occupation.” Israel has ordered the evacuation of northern Gaza, including Gaza City, which is home to hundreds of thousands of people.
- Israeli military says it will soon operate with 'significant force' in Gaza
The Israeli military says it will operate with “significant force” in Gaza in the coming days and is calling on civilians to evacuate in the sealed-off territory so it can strike Hamas militants, a spokesperson said Friday. He made the remarks as half of Gaza’s 2.3 million Palestinians tried to make sense of orders to evacuate south within the narrow coastal territory, which is just 40 kilometres (25) miles long. The unprecedented orders include Gaza City, home to hundreds of thousands of Palestinians.
- On high alert since the latest Israel- Hamas war, Antwerp evacuates central station
Police in Belgium’s Antwerp, home to a large Jewish population, have evacuated its Central Station while they investigate a suspicious package left behind. In a statement, the police of the port city of 500,000 called on everyone to avoid the massive station as “all entries are being closed off. The building is being emptied.”
- Northern Gaza's streets are empty as residents puzzle out evacuations
Residents of northern Gaza said the streets in cities and refugee camps were entirely empty as people stayed in their homes trying to figure out what to do. There were no cars in the road except for ambulances. Because of the internet outages and collapse of mobile phone networks, Palestinians said information was scant and most still hadn’t heard direct orders from the army to evacuate.
- Blinken seeks diplomacy in talks with the Palestinian President and Jordanian King
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has opened a second day of frantic Mideast diplomacy, seeking to avert an expanded regional conflict while pledging full support for Israel as it steps up its war with Hamas and prepares for an expected ground invasion of the Gaza Strip. A day after visiting Israel to offer the backing of President Joe Biden's administration, Blinken was in Jordan on Friday for talks with Jordanian King Abdullah II and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who has a home in the Jordanian capital of Amman.
- Philippine National Security Adviser pushes to designate Hamas as a terrorist group
A top Philippine national security official said Friday he would push for the designation of the Hamas militant group as a terrorist organization under his country’s anti-terrorism law for its “barbaric terrorist assault” on Israel which killed hundreds of people, including at least three Filipinos. National Security Adviser Eduardo Ano said blacklisting the Hamas as a terrorist organization would be a Philippine expression of “solidarity with the people of Israel.”
- Gaza awakes to chaos under evacuation order that some are calling impossible
Residents in northern Gaza awoke to panic Friday after its 1.1 million residents, including hundreds of thousands in Gaza City, were ordered to evacuate south. “This is chaos, no one understands what to do,” said Inas Hamdan, an officer at the United Nations' Palestinian refugee agency in Gaza City while she grabbed whatever she could throw into her bags amid the panicked shouts of her relatives. She said all the U.N. staff in Gaza City and northern Gaza had been told to evacuate south to Rafah.
- Veteran politician accuses Israel of trying to drive Palestinians into Egypt
Half an hour after a massive evacuation order was called in Gaza, veteran Egyptian politician Mustafa Bakri accused Israel of trying to drive Palestinians into Egypt. “It seems that this warning foretells the imminent ground aggression and forced displacement of the people of the Gaza Strip towards the border with Egypt, so that they can eliminate the dream of establishing a Palestinian state,” Bakri said on the social media platform X, formerly Twitter. Cash-strapped Egypt fears a mass influx of migrants on its eastern border. It has called for international aid to be funnelled through its Rafah crossing with Gaza.
- Israel orders 1.1 million people in northern Gaza to evacuate, UN says
Israel's military on Friday ordered the evacuation of northern Gaza, a region that is home to 1.1 million people, within 24 hours, a United Nations spokesperson said. The order, delivered to the U.N., comes as Israel presses an offensive against Hamas militants. U.N. spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said the evacuation would be "impossible" without "devastating humanitarian consequences."
- 200 evacuees arrive in India from Tel Aviv
India's first chartered flight brought over 200 Indian nationals back home from Tel Aviv on Friday, nearly a week after the latest Israel-Hamas war erupted. There are about 18,000 Indian citizens living in Israel, a small percentage of them students, according to India's External Affairs Ministry. Nearly one-third of them have registered with the Indian embassy ready to fly back home.
- Number of people displaced in Gaza rises to 423,000
The number of people forced from their homes by the airstrikes soared 25% in a day, reaching 423,000 out of a population of 2.3 million, the United Nations said Thursday. Most crowded into U.N.-run schools. The death toll from Israeli strikes on Gaza rose to 1,537, with 6,612 people wounded, the Gaza-based Health Ministry said Thursday. Of those killed, 500 were under the age of 18, the ministry said. Palestinians were reporting heavy Israeli airstrikes across the besieged Gaza Strip, with bombardment on residential buildings in densely populated city districts and refugee camps.
- Nepalis return home from Israel
More than 200 Nepali nationals evacuated from Israel returned home Friday as the government worked to bring back the bodies of 10 Nepali students killed in the unprecedented attack by Hamas. Nepal's foreign minister, Narayan Prasad Saud, accompanied 254 citizens on a plane chartered by the government. The returnees were welcomed home by family and friends at Kathmandu airport.
In addition to those killed, four Nepalis were wounded and one is still missing, Saud said. One of the wounded was flown back in the evacuation flight and three others were getting treated at hospitals in Israel, Saud said. He said 54 Nepali nationals still in Israel have been moved to safer areas and will be evacuated eventually. Many Nepalis in Israel are students studying agriculture techniques. (With AP inputs)
