- Ground forces are still operating in the Gaza Strip in tandem with airstrikes by the Israeli air force.
- An IDF aircraft also hit vehicles that were carrying weapons, missiles, and mortar shells.
- According to Israel, there are 137 hostages still in Gaza.
According to a situational update released by the Israeli military, ground forces are still operating in the Gaza Strip in tandem with airstrikes by the Israeli air force on about 200 Hamas terror targets. IDF forces destroyed terror infrastructure, including tunnel shafts, explosives, and more weapons, inside a Beit Hanoun school.
To prevent an impending attack on IDF soldiers, an IDF aircraft also hit vehicles that were carrying weapons, missiles, and mortar shells. Additionally, the Israeli Navy has attacked several Hamas terror targets, such as terrorist infrastructure in Gaza Harbor and Hamas naval forces observation posts.
Terror targets
According to official statistics released by the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza, since October 7th, Israeli military action has resulted in the deaths of at least 15,523 Palestinians, including 6,600 children, and the injuries of 41,316 more.
A minimum of 6,800 individuals are reported missing. Following the surprise Hamas attack inside Israel on October 7, which resulted in at least 5,600 injuries and 1,200 fatalities, Israel began a military campaign against Hamas inside the densely populated Gaza Strip.
The testimony of hostages released during a week-long Gaza truce that concluded on Friday is being cross-referenced by a three-person medical committee that has been watching videos from the October 7th rampage by Palestinian gunmen led by Hamas in southern Israel for indications of fatal injuries among those taken.
A health ministry official, Hagar Mizrahi is in charge of the panel set up in response to the crisis, which is currently in its third month. She noted that determining someone’s death is never an easy task and that she takes into consideration “the desire of the families of loved ones abducted to Gaza to know as much as possible.”
In exchange for Israel releasing a large number of Palestinian prisoners and increasing the flow of humanitarian supplies to Gaza, Hamas released 108 of the 240 persons it had kidnapped. Israeli officials have proclaimed seven civilians and an army colonel dead in custody since the ceasefire.According to Israel, there are 137 hostages still in Gaza, though it’s unclear how they’re doing.
In the past, Hamas has declared that scores of hostages were killed by Israeli airstrikes, threatened to carry out its executions of hostages, and implied that some hostages were in the hands of other armed Palestinian factions. Israel has called on the Red Cross to set up visits and ensure the hostages’ safety, but they have remained incommunicado.
