Israel Hamas War: Israel's Defense Minister Promises Ground Invasion of Gaza; 9 Palestinians Killed in West Bank

The State Department on Thursday issued a rare “worldwide caution” advisory for US citizens everywhere, citing terrorism and potential for anti-American demonstrations.

Israel’s defense minister told ground troops to be ready to enter the Gaza Strip, though he didn’t say when the invasion will start. In a meeting with Israeli infantry soldiers on the Gaza border on Thursday, Yoav Gallant urged the forces to get organised, be ready for an order to move in. (AP)

After returning from his Israel trip, US President Joe Biden will give a rare Oval Office speech on Thursday to try to get Americans behind the defence of Israel and Ukraine as the crises facing Washington’s allies pile up.

The US Senate will vote later today on a resolution affirming their support for Israel, CNN reported.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Jordan’s King Abdullah II condemned the “collective punishment” of Palestinians in Gaza as they met in Cairo for talks on the Israel-Hamas war.

Chinese President Xi Jinping told Egypt’s prime minister on Thursday that their countries should work together to bring “more stability” to the Middle East, as the Israel-Hamas war casts a shadow over the region.

Israeli troops killed nine Palestinians in multiple clashes across the occupied West Bank Thursday, the Palestinian health ministry said, as the death toll mounts in the territory while war rages in Gaza.

The World Health Organization called Thursday for a daily flow of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip beyond the first convoy readying near the border — including fuel to keep hospitals running.

World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Thursday urged Israel to allow fuel to be taken into the Gaza Strip, alongside the first deliveries of water, food and medicine.

“We welcome Israel’s announcement yesterday that it will not block the entry of water, food and medicines into Gaza from Egypt. Fuel is also needed for hospital generators, ambulances and desalination plants — and we urge Israel to add fuel to the life-saving supplies allowed to enter Gaza,” Tedros said.

Palestinians in war-torn Gaza on Thursday eagerly awaited aid trucks promised in a deal struck by US President Joe Biden with Egypt and Israel, as the army struck more Hamas targets.

The war — sparked by the bloody October 7 Hamas attack on Israel that officials said has claimed more than 1,400 lives — has set off fury across the Middle East against Israel and its Western allies.

Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and providing humanitarian assistance to the beleaguered people, and asserted that the perpetrators of the indiscriminate bombing on a hospital there must be held accountable.

He also appealed to all sides to abandon violence and begin the process of negotiations so that the aspirations of the Palestinian people are fulfilled and the “security concerns of Israel are also ensured”.

Two accused masterminds of Hamas’s October 7 attacks sit at the top of Israel’s hit list as it threatens that every member of the militant group faces death when it invades Gaza.

Military strategist Mohammed Deif and political leader Yahya Sinwar have already spent time in Israeli or Palestinian jails and been the targets of multiple assassination attempts.

The US and British embassies in Beirut on Thursday advised citizens to leave Lebanon while flights “remain available” as border tensions between Israel and Hezbollah intensify over Israel’s war with Hamas.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said the killing of thousands of innocent civilians, including children in Gaza and the collective punishment of millions of people by cutting off their food, water and electricity are crimes against humanity.

As the Israel-Hamas war continued for the 13th day, India on Thursday said it is difficult to evacuate its citizens from Gaza in the view of current situation. READ MORE

Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to the President of the Palestinian Authority Mahmoud Abbas and conveyed his condolences at the loss of civilian lives at the Al Ahli Hospital in Gaza. “We will continue to send humanitarian assistance for the Palestinian people. Shared our deep concern at the terrorism, violence and deteriorating security situation in the region. Reiterated India’s long-standing principled position on the Israel-Palestine issue,” Modi wrote on X.

The first woman elected to Hamas’s political leadership has been killed in an Israeli strike on the Gaza Strip, the militant group said Thursday.

Jamila Al-Shantee, 64, was killed Wednesday evening in Jabalia, in northern Gaza, Hamas said, AFP reported.

At least 13 people were killed in airstrikes in Gaza’s Khan Younis. An entire city block was targeted and destroyed by airstrikes, according to the general director of Gaza hospitals and the director of Al-Nasser Medical Center in the southern Gaza city, CNN reported.

MEA spokesperson Arindam Baghchi said 1,200 people have returned in five special flights including 18 Nepalis from Israel under Operation Ajay.