Live Updates
Smoke billows over buildings during Israeli bombardment in the Rafah area of the southern Gaza Strip.
AFP
The Israel-Hamas war has entered its 139th day, and amid fierce fighting in the Gaza Strip, Switzerland is looking to ban Hamas and other groups acting on its behalf following the killing of two Swiss nationals during Hamas’ Oct. 7 massacre in Israel.
In the destabilized Red Sea, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said it received reports of an explosion off the Houthi-controlled port of Hodeidah.
In Israel, sirens sounded in Eilat on Thursday morning. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it intercepted an aerial target in the Red Sea following the siren alert of incoming rockets and missiles.
Over in the troubled Israeli-Lebanese border, Iranian-backed Hezbollah on Thursday claimed that it had a “busy” day Wednesday as it attacked 13 Israeli army sites and assets.
Despite continuing attacks against Israel, Hezbollah, a Lebanon-based Hamas ally, reportedly told the Palestinian terror group that its demands for a ceasefire-hostage deal were unrealistic.
Hopes for a truce agreement were dashed after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the country was unready to “pay any price” for the release of its hostages at this point. However, war cabinet member Benny Gantz said there were “promising early signs” in negotiations for a ceasefire deal.
The Netanyahu government is under increasing pressure from the West and other countries to reach a deal amid the rising death toll in Gaza. Fighting has only intensified, and Netanyahu repeatedly said the Israeli army will fight until Hamas is eliminated – something the Israeli leader said will bring peace to the Israel-Palestine conflict.
Meanwhile, the U.S. continues to support Israel’s right to self-defense, but in recent weeks has expressed opposition to a planned ground operation in Rafah, an overcrowded southern Gaza city. It has also called for a path toward establishing a Palestinian state, a key issue in the violent history of the warring sides.
