24 Israeli troops killed as ground battles rage
Attack on PRCS part of ‘systematic targeting’ by Israel: official
Nebal Farsakh, a Ramallah-based representative of the PRCS, has said Tuesday’s attacks on the organisation’s headquarters left several injured and endangered thousands of displaced Palestinians sheltering inside and in the vicinity.
“The situation remains extremely dangerous. There has been a significant escalation since yesterday of attack on PRCS in al-Amal hospital,” she told Al Jazeera.
“Movement in Khan Younis city is extremely hard. The population is trapped under intense airstrikes along with gunfire from Israeli drones.”
Landline, cellular and WiFi connections are out as well.
“We remain extremely worried regarding the safety of our units in Khan Younis,” Farsakh said.
“There has been a systematic targeting of PRCS premises, and of health care facilities, by Israeli occupation forces since the start of the war. Eight PRCS members have been killed on duty with 29 others injured. At least 18 of centres in Gaza have been targeted, 14 ambulances completely out of service, along with 19 damaged.”
Israeli army deaths make it more important than ever to defeat ‘Nazi enemy’
Far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir says the deaths of 24 soldiers in a single day make it “clearer than ever” that Israel must not cease operations in Gaza.
Israel “must continue to subdue, crush and mow down the Nazi enemy in Gaza with all our might”, he wrote in a Telegram post.
Twenty-one Israeli soldiers were killed when a tank was hit by rocket-propelled grenade fire (RPG) near the Israel-Gaza boundary. Simultaneously, buildings set for demolition by Israeli forces collapsed after RPG fire ignited explosives they had planted.
Three Israeli soldiers died in fighting in southern Khan Younis city. More than 200 Israeli soldiers have now been killed since ground operations were launched at the end of October.
Houthi leader says US, UK strikes will only make Yemenis stronger
Mohammed Ali al-Houthi, a senior Houthi official, says Israel’s Western allies are supporting destruction in Gaza as they did during eight years of war on Houthi-controlled Yemen.
“Your strikes will only make the Yemeni people stronger and more determined to confront you, as you are the aggressors against our country,” he said in a post on X.
He added that the Yemeni people are fighting to stop the war on Gaza while the US is bombing Yemen to protect “terrorist criminal” Israel.
“We say to America and Britain that their aggression is nothing new.”
Update: Car showroom burned down in occupied West Bank
Earlier, we reported on a suspected arson attack against a car showroom in the town of Beitin, near Ramallah in the occupied West Bank.
The owner of the showroom, Abdel Aziz Hamed, told Al Jazeera there is no confirmation that illegal Israeli settlers set fire to it and a police investigation is under way. Settlers from an illegal outpost near Beitin attacked his showroom before, he noted.
Aziz Hamed said he received a phone call at dawn from people living near his business who told him it was ablaze and firefighters had been called in. They were unable to stop the flames, however, and he lost all the vehicles in the showroom.
Israeli president says ‘unbearably difficult morning’ after 21 soldiers killed
Isaac Herzog has described an “unbearably difficult morning” today as “more and more names of the best of our sons” are being added to tombstones.
Explaining how 21 Israeli soldiers died in a single day of combat in Gaza on Monday, he said “intense battles are taking place in an extremely challenging space”.
The fatalities occurred near the Israel-Gaza border when Israeli soldiers were targeted by RPG fire, while a nearby building simultaneously collapsed following a separate explosion, according to Israeli military spokesperson Daniel Hagari.
