Israel in ‘full control’ along Gaza border

Israel’s army says its forces are in “full control of communities” in its southern territory near Gaza.
Israel says it struck more than 500 targets in the Gaza Strip, while fierce battles with Hamas fighters continue in several areas in southern Israel.
Bombing has not stopped ‘even for a minute’
Refaat al Areer, a Gaza resident, tells Al Jazeera of what it was spending the night under constant sound of Israeli bombardment in the besieged enclave.

“We have run out of adjectives to describe the Israeli bombing of whole blocks, targeting Palestinian families as they slept, targeting mosques, businesses and residential areas.

“The night was unprecedented. We barely slept. The situation was terrifying.

“I think this is just going to be the beginning because the bombs have not stopped for 10 hours, not even for a minute.”

Hungary continues to evacuate more people
Hungary’s foreign minister has said his country was in the process of evacuating 110 more people from Israel.

Peter Szijjarto in a Facebook post said the evacuees were currently on a flight to Budapest, bringing the total number of people it has helped leave the country to 325.

That number also includes citizens from Sweden, Germany and Austria, Szijjarto added.Iran denies it had a role in Hamas attack
Iran says claims that it played a role in Hamas’s assault on Israel were unfounded.

“The accusations linked to an Iranian role… are based on political reasons,” foreign ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani told reporters.

Palestinians had “the necessary capacity and will to defend their nation and recover their rights” without any help from Tehran, Kanani added.

His comments came after the Wall Street Journal reported that Iran helped Hamas plan its surprise attacks.Israel says it regained control of all towns around Gaza fence
The Israeli army says it has regained control of all towns around the Gaza fence.

In remarks quoted by the Israeli media, army spokesperson Daniel Hagari said incidents of clashes between troops and fighters have been “isolated” in the last few hours.

He said that currently there is no fighting in the region, adding: “It is possible there are still terrorists in the area.”

Hagari said tanks, supported by combat helicopters and drones, are defending the breaches around the fence, adding that 15 out of 24 towns on the border have been evacuated.Gaza’s Shujayea under heavy bombardment
Reporting from Gaza, Al Jazeera’s Jamileh Abu Zanoona says that the Shujayea neighbourhood in the enclave has been targeted by heavy bombardment in the last hour.

Shujayea, also often referred to as Shujaiyah, is one of the most densely populated areas of Gaza and has been a frequent target of Israeli air strikes.

In July 2014, during Israel’s military offensive called Israeli F-16s, tanks and mortar fire attacked the neighbourhood while dozens of one-tonne bombs razed the area until late afternoon the next day, killing 72 Palestinians – an attack referred to by Palestinians as “massacre at dawn”.

Here’s Al Jazeera’s report of that Israeli attack in Shujayea:

What is the Hamas group?
The Hamas armed group controls the Gaza Strip, a territory of about 365sq km (141sq miles) that is home to more than two million people and blockaded by Israel.

The group has been in power in the besieged enclave since 2007 after a brief war against Fatah forces loyal to President Mahmoud Abbas, the head of the Palestinian Authority and Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO).

The Hamas movement started as an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt and created a military wing, the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, to pursue an armed struggle against Israel with the aim of liberating historic Palestine.EgyptAir suspends flights to Israel: Report
Egypt’s national carrier has suspended its flights to Israel, according to Cairo airport officials speaking to the Associated Press news agency.

The flights between Cairo and Tel Aviv are suspended until further notice, said two officials, who spoke to the agency on condition of anonymity.

EgyptAir normally operates a daily flight between Cairo International Airport and Ben Gurion International Airport, just outside Tel Aviv.‘There’s no safe haven’: Gaza resident recalls overnight Israeli strike
Gaza residents have woken up to more destruction after continuous bombardment overnight.

“It was a tough night. We were waiting for our destiny,” Enas Wajeeh Qeshta, a resident of Gaza, told Al Jazeera.

Qeshta said that as the Israeli bombardment continued overnight, her family gathered in one room “so that if we are bombed, we can die together”.

“There’s no safe haven. Everyone is targeted.”

Why are so many Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails?
Hamas fighters have taken hostage dozens of Israeli civilians and soldiers.

The Palestinian group said it plans to use the captured Israelis to strike a deal for the release of Palestinians in Israeli prisons.

So just how many Palestinians are currently in Israeli custody? Read our explainer here for details on the issue.Military planes evacuate Poles from Israel
Three military planes evacuating Poles from Israel have landed in Warsaw.

“The first people evacuated from Israel are already in Poland,” Defence Minister Mariusz Blaszczak said on X.

The first plane brought in 120 people who had been stuck at Tel Aviv airport. Two other aircraft followed.

“A military Boeing is leaving for Israel to evacuate other people,” he continued.