Israeli airstrikes killed at least 40 people in central and southern Gaza on Thursday as diplomatic efforts for a ceasefire continue.
One strike hit a designated humanitarian safe zone. Israel said the strike targeted a high-ranking police officer and blamed Hamas for civilian casualties.
A missile fired from Yemen triggered air raid sirens in Jerusalem and central Israel early Friday. The Houthis claimed responsibility and promised more attacks until the Gaza war ends.
Later Thursday, further Israeli strikes in Gaza refugee camps killed at least 14 more people, including women and children. The Israeli army said it only targets militants. Thursday’s death toll in Gaza reached at least 40.
Local health officials report over 45,500 Palestinians have been killed since the war began in October 2023. The conflict started after a Hamas attack into Israel killed around 1,200 people and resulted in the capture of approximately 250 hostages. The fate of many hostages remains unknown.
Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu authorized a delegation to pursue ceasefire talks in Qatar. The delegation includes members from intelligence and military agencies and aims to restart talks mediated by the US, Qatar, and Egypt. Hamas has not yet commented.
The World Health Organization (WHO) urged Israel to allow more medical evacuations from Gaza. WHO Director Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said, “At this rate, it would take 5-10 years to evacuate all these critically ill patients, including thousands of children. In the meantime, their conditions get worse and some die.”
Israel also launched airstrikes in southern Lebanon, targeting suspected Hezbollah rocket launchers. The strikes happened outside typical border areas of Israeli operations. No casualties were reported.
Israel confirmed its role in a September 2024 commando raid in western Syria, targeting a suspected Iranian-led missile factory. An Israeli military spokesman stated, “This facility posed a clear threat to the state of Israel and this is why we had to take action.”
Al Jazeera condemned the Palestinian Authority’s decision to prevent it from operating in the West Bank, calling the action “in line” with similar Israeli actions.
