Fears for hostages in Gaza as Hamas claims 50 have been killed by Israeli bombs
Around 50 Gaza hostages have been “killed by Israeli bombs”, their terrorist captors allege.
The claim by the Al-Qassam Brigade – the military wing of Hamas – came as Israeli tanks rolled in and out of the enclave hitting military infrastructure. A full invasion remains imminent with thousands of troops on the border. Israel says 224 of its citizens are still captive in Gaza, taken there during during the October Hamas raid that left more than 1,400 dead.
On Thursday, tanks led by the Givati infantry brigade and the 162nd Armoured Division rolled into Gaza in what was described as a “relatively large” ground incursion. The Israel Defence Force said the operation was “preparation for the next stages of combat” and that “the soldiers have since returned to Israeli territory”.
The IDF said it had killed the deputy head of Hamas’s intelligence directorate, Shadi Barud, in a strike in Gaza on Thursday afternoon. It accused Barud of masterminding the October 7 attacks with his boss Yahya Sinwar. Meanwhile he Israeli Navy said it had destroyed a missile launch site hidden near a kindergarten.
Israeli bombardment in southern city of Khan Yunis (AFP via Getty Images)
Desperate loved ones of kibbutz hostages at rally in Tel Aviv on Thursday (Getty Images)Some soldiers were able to temporarily leave the frontline to visit some of those they saved. At a resort hotel on the Dead Sea we saw them given spontaneous applause as they came into reception. More than 120 were killed in the Be’eri kibbutz but one survivor said the soldiers had “saved dozens more” when they took on the Hamas gunmen.
Teachers, civil servants and train drivers walk out in biggest strike in decade
Meanwhile Israeli jets struck over 250 sites belonging to Hamas in Gaza. They were said to include command centres, tunnels, and rocket launchers. The IDF claimed the launchers were “placed in the heart of civilian areas that fired toward Israeli territory throughout the war.”
They also said that naval forces struck a Hamas surface-to-air missile launch position in Khan Younis which was “located adjacent to a mosque and kindergarten. The site, they added, was “further proof that Hamas deliberately uses civilian sites for terror purposes.” In a separate development three Palestinians were killed and 11 injured in a drone strike on the Jenin refugee camp in the north of the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
A tearful British woman whose fiance is stuck inside Gaza said she felt “dead inside” after news broke of tanks moving into the strip. Afshan Abubakar, 42, said Hani Abualqaraya, 28, was struggling to stay alive amid the bombardment. The mum-of-three Afshan said he had been struggling to find anything to eat or drink as conditions grow ever more dangerous.
Israeli army footage of tanks going into Gaza (Israeli Army/AFP via Getty Image)She added: “I know it’s extreme, but I feel dead inside. I feel helpless. I’ve been watching the news like crazy. They can’t find water, it’s hard to even find bread. They have to go out and really look. When I call him, first I ask him ‘Are you OK?’ then I ask him ‘Did you find water yet?’ and ‘Did you have something to eat?’
“I remember a day or so ago he lied to me, I could tell he was lying because when your mouth is really dry you can’t talk properly. I could not understand what he was saying. I could tell he was lying when he said he had hummus. He said: ‘I had hummus and water’.” The United Nations issued a warning that nowhere is safe in Gaza.
Lynne Hastings, UN humanitarian coordinator for the territory, said: “People are left with nothing but impossible choices. Nowhere is safe.” Israel’s ambassador addressed the United Nations, telling the emergency General Assembly session that “Hamas are the new Nazis” and adding Israel is at “war with Hamas and Hamas alone”.
Gilad Erdan went on to give graphic details of some of the atrocities carried out by invading terrorists against Israeli civilians. He said: “No horror movie compares to the pure brutality Hamas carried out.” Israeli President Isaac Herzog has hailed a Bedouin Israeli hero who saved 30 people from the massacre at Supernova music festival on October 7.
He praised the bravery of Youssef Alziadna, who drove his bus into danger to rescue people attempting to flee. Hundreds of people were killed by Hamas at the music festival in the desert in southern Israel. Herzog says Alziadna told him: “I am an Israeli citizen and I knew I had to go in and save them.”
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