Israel carries out limited ground raids in Gaza

In a statement, the Israeli military announced that limited ground operations were carried out in the Gaza Strip overnight to combat Palestinian gunmen. Simultaneously, air strikes were directed towards locations where Hamas militants were gathering, with the aim of preventing potential attacks on Israeli territory.

Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, chief spokesperson for the Israeli military, said that 222 people had been confirmed as hostages taken during the cross-border incursion by Hamas on October 7.

Meanwhile, Israeli forces stepped up airstrikes in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip and southern Lebanon while also widening attacks to include targets in Syria and the occupied West Bank.

On the other hand, led by US President Joe Biden, the leaders of Canada, France, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom issued a joint statement emphasising their support for Israel’s “right to self-defence” against Hamas as it is all but confirmed that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will escalate the conflict by launching a ground invasion of Gaza.

The ongoing war, now in its 16th day, has proven to be the deadliest of the five conflicts in Gaza for both sides. 

According to the Palestinian Health Ministry, the death toll in Gaza has reached a staggering 4,741 people, with close to 16,000 individuals sustaining injuries in the besieged area.