Palestine

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — The Israeli military on Friday said its ground forces were “expanding their activity” in the Gaza Strip, as the army moved closer to a full-on ground invasion of the besieged territory.

Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, the army’s spokesman, said aerial attacks had been targeting Hamas tunnels and other targets.

“In addition to the attacks that we carried out in recent days, ground forces are expanding their activity this evening,” he said. “The IDF is acting with great force ... to achieve the objectives of the war.”

Tehran, IRNA - Several coastal areas of the besieged Gaza Strip witnessed fierce overnight clashes between Palestinian resistance fighters and Israeli occupying forces, who infiltrated the Gaza border.

Coastal areas of Rafah and Khan Yunis, along with the eastern regions of Khan Yunis, Al-Bureij camp, and Beit Hanoun, were scenes of fierce clashes on Thursday night, with special Israeli army units facing resistance as they attempted to infiltrate Gaza through the sea, Palestinian sources reported.

RAFAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israeli troops and tanks briefly raided northern Gaza overnight, the military said Thursday, engaging with Hamas fighters and targeting anti-tank weapons in order to “prepare the battlefield” before an expected ground invasion.

The raid came after after more than two weeks of devastating airstrikes in the small, densely-populated territory — with more than 250 in the past 24 hours — and as the U.N. and other world leaders warn of a dire humanitarian crisis getting worse.

RAMALLAH, Oct 25 (NNN-WAFA) – Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, yesterday, called for a “complete ceasefire” in the Gaza Strip, and the opening of permanent corridors for the delivery of humanitarian aid to people in the coastal enclave.

Abbas made the remarks, during his meeting with visiting French President, Emmanuel Macron, at the presidential headquarters in Ramallah.

Abbas condemned the killing of civilians on both sides and called for the release of civilians, prisoners, and detainees on both sides.

GAZA, Oct 25 (NNN-WAFA) – The Palestine Health Ministry, yesterday warned of the possible outbreak of a major epidemic wave in the Gaza Strip, amid the ongoing Israeli regime’s airstrikes and siege on the Palestinian enclave.

Ministry spokesperson, Ashraf al-Qedra, said in a press statement that, up to 3,150 cases of diseases were recorded in a single day, after the outbreak of Israel-Hamas conflict on Oct 7, with the most of them reported among children. The diseases included diarrhea, food poisoning, skin symptoms, scabies, and bronchial infections.

GAZA Oct 25 (Reuters) - Israel has agreed to delay an expected invasion of Gaza for now so that the United States can rush missile defences to the region to protect U.S. troops there, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday, citing U.S. and Israeli officials.

U.S. officials have so far persuaded Israel to hold off until U.S. air-defence systems can be placed in the region, as early as later this week, the WSJ said.

GAZA, Oct. 25 (Xinhua) -- The death toll of Palestinians from Israeli airstrikes on the Gaza Strip has risen to 6,546, the Hamas-run Health Ministry said on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, 17,439 Palestinians were wounded in the coastal enclave, the ministry said in a statement.

The Israeli airstrikes were triggered by a large-scale Hamas attack on Israeli military targets and towns on Oct. 7, which has so far killed at least 1,400 people in Israel.

RAFAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — The U.N. warned on Wednesday that without more fuel it will soon sharply curtail relief operations in the Gaza Strip, which has been blockaded and devastated by Israeli airstrikes since Hamas militants launched an attack on Israel more than two weeks ago.

The warning came as hospitals in Gaza struggled to treat masses of wounded with dwindling resources, and as the U.N.'s top official faced an angry backlash from Israel after saying the Hamas massacre of Israelis that sparked the fighting did not “take place in a vacuum.”

RAFAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Rapidly expanding Israeli airstrikes across the Gaza Strip killed more than 700 people in the past day as medical facilities across the territory were forced to close because of bombing damage and a lack of power, health officials said Tuesday.

The soaring death toll from Israel’s escalating bombardment was unprecedented in the decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict. It could signal an even greater loss of life in Gaza once Israeli ground forces backed by tanks and artillery launch an expected offensive into the territory aimed at crushing Hamas.

RAFAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israel ramped up its airstrikes Monday in Gaza, where the death toll is rising rapidly, and the United States advised Israel to delay an expected ground invasion to allow more time to negotiate the release of hostages taken by Hamas militants.

Israel has allowed two small aid convoys but no fuel to enter the besieged coastal enclave, where there has been a power blackout for nearly two weeks. Hospitals say they are scrounging for generator fuel in order to keep operating life-saving medical equipment and incubators for premature babies.