Israeli Air Force Killed Another Hamas Leader and Hit 250 Terrorist Targets in Last 24 Hours

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF), in collaboration with the Shin Bet intelligence service, on Thursday evening eliminated the commander of the Khan Yunis West Battalion of the Hamas terrorist organization, Midhat Mabasher, the IDF announced in a post on the X Network. Midhat Mabasher took part in attacks with snipers and explosives against Israeli troops and settlements, the cited source also states.

Also, in the last 24 hours, the IDF attacked more than 250 Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip, including terrorist tunnels, dozens of terrorists, operational headquarters and launching positions of the terrorist organization Hamas, using fighter jets. During the night, a “Sky Racer” aircraft crashed in the Gaza Strip due to a technical malfunction. There are no fears of leaks and the incident is under investigation, according to the IDF.

At the same time, the Israeli army carried out a new raid in the Gaza Strip last night, for the second day in a row. Tanks and infantry destroyed, among other things, Hamas command centers and anti-tank missile launchers, supported by aircraft and artillery fire.  According to the army leadership, the soldiers withdrew after completing the objectives, without any of them being injured. Dozens of tanks and armored vehicles were used in the raid two nights ago. Meanwhile, Israeli jets hit hundreds of Hamas targets in airstrikes. Such maneuvers prepare the ground for the inevitable ground offensive, Israeli officials say.

The Islamist group Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, said through Russian media that it will not release the hostages taken during the October 7 attack on Israel unless it agrees on a truce, reports Reuters on Friday. The agency takes over a statement recorded by the Kommersant newspaper by Abu Hamid, a member of the Hamas delegation visiting Moscow; he claimed that his organization needs time to locate all those kidnapped from Israel and taken to Gaza by various Palestinian factions.

“They kidnapped dozens of people, most of them civilians, and we need time to find them in the Gaza Strip and release them,” Hamid said. He stated that to act in this sense a calm environment is needed. Hamas claimed on Thursday that about 50 of the hostages were killed by Israeli airstrikes on the Gaza Strip.

Israel asked Russia to expel the Hamas delegation, appreciating that the invitation to Moscow of the representatives of the terrorist organization is “deplorable”.

US deploys around 900 troops to Middle East (Pentagon)

The US Department of Defense is about to deploy around 900 troops to the Middle East to bolster troop protection capability amid the Gaza conflict, a spokesman said. Pentagon, Pat Ryder, transmits dpa on Friday. “I can confirm that since our first status of forces announcement, approximately 900 military personnel have been or are in the process of deploying to the U.S. Central Command area of ​​responsibility,” Ryder said.

Some of them are transferred from missile units, he mentioned.

The Pentagon spokesman did not comment on where exactly the US troops would be deployed, stating only that “these forces … are not going to Israel”, but rather “are intended to support regional deterrence efforts and strengthen the protection capabilities of US forces”.

Palestinian militants have launched about 8,000 rockets at Israel since the start of the war, according to a tally by the Israeli government on Thursday. At least 550 rockets fell accidentally inside the Gaza Strip, the Israel Defense Forces said earlier. The missiles are generally intercepted by the Iron Dome missile defense system, which Israel began using in 2011 and which destroys short-range missiles in flight. The US supported the development, construction and maintenance of the system.

Missile hit a medical facility in the Egyptian city of Taba, at least 6 people injured

A rocket launched in the context of clashes between Hamas militants and Israel hit an Egyptian resort about 220 km from the Gaza Strip on Friday morning, Al Qahera News from Egypt reported, Reuters reports. The rocket hit a medical facility in Taba, injuring at least six people, Al Qahera TV reported.

A witness in Taba confirmed hearing an explosion and seeing smoke rising, but Reuters could not immediately identify the source of the explosion. Taba is located on the Egyptian border with the Israeli Red Sea port of Eilat.

The Israeli military said it was aware of a security incident outside its borders. Hamas announced on Wednesday that it had targeted Eilat with a rocket, which the Israeli military said had hit an outlying area. This incident appeared to be the longest-range Palestinian attack in Gaza. There was no immediate claim of responsibility after the blast on Friday morning.

The US military struck two units of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards in Syria 

The United States launched strikes on Thursday against two units used by the Iranian Revolutionary Guards and “affiliated groups” in eastern Syria, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin announced.

“These legitimate self-defense and precision strikes are in response to a series of ongoing and mostly failed attacks against U.S. personnel in Iraq and Syria by Iranian-backed militias,” the official said on Oct. 17. American, according to a statement. US forces have been attacked by drones several times since the conflict in Gaza between Israel and the Islamist terrorists Hamas began; The United States believes that Iran is responsible for the increase in the number of such strikes in Iraq and Syria, by militant groups, notes Reuters.

The Pentagon announced the two operations after President Joe Biden sent a message to Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, warning him against any attack on US troops that threatens to escalate the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas. “A direct message has been sent. I will not go any further,” White House spokesman John Kirby confirmed.