Hamas attacks Gaza aid group, kills at least five, staff feared taken hostage
(JNS) — Hamas attacked a bus carrying about two-dozen members of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation team at about 10 p.m. in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, with “at least five fatalities, multiple injuries and fear that some of our team members may have been taken hostage,” the aid group stated.
The “local Palestinians,” who were “working side-by-side with the U.S. GHF team,” were on the way to one of the U.S.-backed aid group’s distribution centers west of Khan Younis, the foundation said.
Israel reportedly is preparing for an imminent Iran strike despite Trump’s prior admonitions
(JTA) — The United States is pulling its personnel from some bases in the Middle East amid simmering tensions and uncertainty over a possible Israeli strike on Iran — and Iran’s threatened response.
Israel has long been eager to attack Iran’s nuclear facilities and had hoped that President Donald Trump would support such a strike. Instead, Trump has reportedly warned Israel off several times, including during a visit by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the White House, saying that he prefers direct negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program.
Those talks are still underway, but Trump has increasingly expressed frustration with their pace and direction, indicating for the first time this week that he believes they could fail. At the same time, Netanyahu is increasingly beleaguered at home — with a vote to dissolve his government taking place, though failing, late Wednesday. And a United Nations watchdog group announced on Thursday that Iran had not been abiding by its earlier promises to constrain its nuclear program — spurring a promise by Iran to ramp up the program even more.
Seven members of terror cell killed after wounding two soldiers in Gaza
(JNS) — Israeli forces eliminated multiple terrorists in Gaza over the past 24 hours, including seven members of a cell that wounded two Israeli soldiers on Wednesday, according to the Israel Defense Forces.
Multiple weapons production and storage facilities in Gaza were hit during the same period, the military said.
The ground operations across the Strip are part of “Operation Gideon’s Chariots,” a broader campaign with the stated goal of dismantling Hamas’s remaining military capabilities, taking control of key areas and securing the release of hostages.
