Israeli forces are expanding their activity in the Gaza Strip, a defense spokesman said, as Gaza lost Internet and phone service and Israel stepped up airstrikes in the area.
Israeli Defense Forces spokesman Daniel Hagari said in a press briefing that Israel has stepped up aerial attacks on underground targets and is “expanding ground activity this evening.” Hagari advised people not to pay attention to reports that a hostage deal is near.
Only about 2% of needed humanitarian aid is reaching Gaza, and that can’t be properly distributed because of fuel shortages, according to the UN. European Union leaders are calling for pauses in the fighting to ensure more supplies, and to help hostage negotiations with Hamas, designated a terrorist organization by the US and others.
(All time stamps are Israeli time)
Gaza Internet, Phone Services Cut by Israeli Bombing, Provider Says (8:30 p.m.)
Israeli bombardment cut off Internet and mobile services in the Gaza Strip, the main telecom provider in the Palestinian territory said.
“We regret to announce a complete cessation of all communications and Internet services in the Gaza Strip in light of the ongoing aggression,” Jawwal, the largest cellular operator in Gaza, said on its website. Calls to mobile numbers via the other Gaza cellular operator, Ooredoo, didn’t go through.
Chevron Says It’s Prioritizing Israeli Gas Deliveries (4:28 p.m.)
Chevron Corp. said Friday it’s supplying natural gas to Israel and Jordan from wells in the Mediterranean Sea even after shutting the key Tamar platform at the outbreak of the conflict with Hamas.
Chevron’s Leviathan platform increased production to help ease the 1 billion cubic feet per day loss from Tamar, Chief Financial Officer Pierre Breber said in an interview. Tamar is located in Israeli waters about 12 miles (kilometers) from the Gaza Strip and was shut on government orders shortly after this month’s deadly attack.
“The Israeli domestic market is prioritized in that event,” Breber said. “We continue to supply Jordan customers and we continue to supply part of our Egyptian contracts, but not all of our Egyptian customers.”
Al-Jazeera Says Talks On ‘Cease-Fire,’ Hostage-Exchange Moving ‘Quickly’ (3:43 p.m.)
Qatar-mediated negotiations to achieve a “cease-fire” agreement and a hostage exchange deal between Israel and Hamas are progressing “quickly,” Al-Jazeera TV said, citing unnamed sources.
Israeli Naval Commandoes Raid Hamas Installations in Southern Gaza (3:27pm.)
The Israel Defense Forces said naval commandos raided an installation in the southern Gaza Strip belonging to Hamas’ naval force, destroying “terrorist infrastructure.” Army Radio described it as Israel’s first sea-borne raid since the attack.
Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel included attempts to land commandos by sea. In recent days the Israeli military said they had repelled another attempt by Hamas frogmen to infiltrate Israel.
Emergency Services Report Injuries After Rocket Attack on Tel Aviv (2:46 p.m.)
Three people were injured in a rocket attack on Tel Aviv, though not seriously, emergency services said without providing details. Authorities later updated the number of injured to four. Israeli media said the rocket hit a residential building.
Hamas said they fired a rocket at the Israeli city in retaliation for the bombardment of Gaza.
Israel Won’t Exchange Fuel For Hostages, Official Says (2:20pm)
Israel is against a hostage exchange deal that entails sending fuel, according to an Israeli official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the details publicly. Over 200 Israelis, including women, children, and dozens of foreign nationals, are being held in the Gaza Strip.
Four have been released by Hamas. Osama Hamdan, Hamas politburo member and representative in Lebanon, told dpa that future releases will hinge on the entry of fuel and medical supplies to Gaza. Israel has halted the supply of fuel, electricity, food and water to Gaza since the October 7 attacks.
Israel Police: Whatsapp Hackers May Be Behind Unidentified Calls (1:17pm)
Israeli Police said there’s been numerous complaints from people who say they’ve received phone or video calls from unidentified international numbers in the past few hours. Police urged Israelis not to respond to unfamiliar numbers and said it could be a potential harassment tactic or attempt to take over WhatsApp accounts. Israeli media reported that many of the calls were immediately disconnected after being picked up.
UN Says Only 2% of Humanitarian Aid is Reaching Gaza (11:39)
The UN said only the tiniest fraction of needed aid to Gaza such as food, water and fuel is making it through, and even the distribution of those essential items is being blocked because of fuel shortages.
The UN repeated that it’s scaling back operations and might have to stop them altogether, according to UN humanitarian coordinator for Palestine Lynn Hastings, who spoke earlier today at a briefing in Geneva.
A total of 74 aid trucks have been allowed into the Gaza Strip since Oct. 7, short of the circa 100 trucks of humanitarian supplies per day a UN official estimated last week were needed.
Iran Says Hamas Wants an Immediate Ceasefire (11:20 a.m.)
Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri met with Hamas official Mousa Abu Marzouk in Moscow, Iran’s state-run Islamic Republic News Agency reported.
Bagheri told Marzouk that Tehran’s priorities in talks with foreign parties are an immediate ceasefire, aid for Palestinians and lifting the blockade on Gaza.
Marzouk, a member of Hamas’s political bureau, said Gazans would emerge from the conflict with their heads held high.
Israel Says It Knows of 229 People Held Hostage in Gaza (11:15 a.m.)
Israel’s government said it knows of 229 people that were abducted by Hamas during its Oct. 7 attacks. These are in addition to four people who have been freed.
Israel hasn’t said whether it knows how many are alive. Some may have been killed during Hamas’s incursion and been taken into Gaza as corpses, Israeli officials have said.
Iran Holds Army Drills to Deter Threats (8:01 a.m.)
Iran is holding two days of army drills to increase its “level of deterrence against potential threats” and the “capabilities and battle readiness of the ground forces,” state TV reported, without specifying the threats.
Iran has criticized the US for sending more troops to the Middle East since the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks. Iran denies having a direct role in them.
Israel Says Soldiers Carry Out Another Raid in Gaza Strip (7:40 a.m.)
Israeli soldiers carried out another raid in Gaza overnight that lasted several hours, Army Radio says in a post on X. Soldiers from the 36th division entered the Gaza Strip and attacked Hamas targets. They are “expected to leave soon.”
From Oct. 26: Israel Army Says Attacks Cells Inside Northern Gaza
The Israel Defense Forces later announced the raid and said the soldiers had exited Gaza with no injuries. The military also said it continued airstrikes on Gaza, attacking dozens of Hamas targets including sites for launching missiles.
US House of Reps May Consider Ukraine, Israel Aid Separately (6:40 a.m.)
The US House of Representatives will consider new military assistance for Ukraine and Israel as separate measures, the newly-installed speaker said Thursday, complicating President Joe Biden’s attempts to secure support for both US allies.
“Our consensus among House Republicans is that we need to bifurcate those issues,” Speaker Mike Johnson told Fox News.
Read more: War in Israel, Ukraine Thrusts Retiring Senate Veteran to Fore
The White House has asked Congress for $106 billion in emergency spending for Ukraine, Israel and other foreign assistance, hoping a package deal would help it to secure the full amount. More support for Ukraine has been a contentious issue.
Austin Says US Struck Two Facilities in Eastern Syria (5:12 a.m.)
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said President Joe Biden ordered “precision self-defense strikes” against two facilities in eastern Syria that were used by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and affiliated groups. The move was in response to attacks against US personnel in Iraq and Syria since Oct. 17, Austin said.
Israel’s Hostage Crisis Bodes Terror for the US: Andreas Kluth
“The United States does not seek conflict and has no intention nor desire to engage in further hostilities, but these Iranian-backed attacks against U.S. forces are unacceptable and must stop,” Austin said. “We continue to urge all state and non-state entities not to take action that would escalate into a broader regional conflict.”
Yellen Says US Weighing Further Hamas Sanctions (9:43 p.m.)
The US is weighing additional sanctions on Hamas as part of efforts to constrain the militant group’s ability to access money, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said.
US Presses Gulf Allies to Help Stem Fresh Fundraising for Hamas
“We are certainly looking at further opportunities we see,” Yellen said in an event at Bloomberg’s Washington office on Thursday. “We’re all over this and are likely to do more.”
