Live updates: Day 6 of the latest Israel-Hamas war

The Israeli military prepared for a possible ground invasion in Gaza on Thursday as it pounded the tiny coastal strip in retaliation for the unprecedented weekend attack on Israel by the militant group Hamas.

In a deliberate show of support for Israel, a U.S. official confirmed that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin plans to visit on Friday, a day after Secretary of State Antony Blinken was in Israel to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

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Suffering in Gaza, meanwhile, rose dramatically with Palestinians desperate for food, fuel and medicine and the territory's only power plant shut down for lack of fuel. Israel said Thursday that a complete siege would remain in place until Hamas freed 150 hostages taken during its incursion.

An Israeli strike Thursday afternoon in the Jabaliya refugee camp in Gaza collapsed a residential building on families sheltering inside, killing at least 45 people, Gaza's Interior Ministry said.

Egypt has engaged in intensive talks with Israel and the United States to allow the delivery of aid and fuel through its Rafah crossing point, which remained closed on both sides Thursday.

The war has claimed at least 2,800 lives on both sides.

Here's what's happening on Day 6 of the latest Israel-Hamas war:

NUMBER OF DISPLACED IN GAZA RISES TO 423,000

JERUSALEM -- The number of people forced from their homes by the airstrikes soared 25 per cent in a day, reaching 423,000 out of a population of 2.3 million, the United Nations said Thursday. Most crowded into UN-run schools.

Families were cutting down to one meal a day, said Rami Swailem, a 34-year-old lecturer at al-Azhar University, who had 32 relatives sheltering in his home. Water stopped coming to the building two days ago, and they have rationed what's left in a tank on the roof.

The death toll from Israeli strikes on Gaza rose to 1,537, with 6,612 people wounded, the Gaza-based Health Ministry said Thursday. Of those killed, 276 were women and 500 were under the age of 18, the ministry said.

The jump in the death toll comes as Palestinians report heavy Israeli airstrikes across the besieged Gaza Strip, with bombardment on residential buildings in densely populated city districts and refugee camps.

NEPALIS RETURN HOME FROM ISRAEL

KATHMANDU, Nepal -- More than 200 Nepali nationals evacuated from Israel returned home Friday as the government worked to bring back the bodies of 10 Nepali students killed in the unprecedented attack by Hamas.

Nepal's foreign minister, Narayan Prasad Saud, accompanied 254 citizens on a plane chartered by the government. The returnees were welcomed home by family and friends at Kathmandu airport.

In addition to those killed, four Nepalis were wounded and one is still missing, Saud said. One of the wounded was flown back in the evacuation flight and three others were getting treated at hospitals in Israel, Saud said.

He said 54 Nepali nationals still in Israel have been moved to safer areas and will be evacuated eventually.

Many Nepalis in Israel are students studying agriculture techniques.

HAMAS CIVILIAN MEMBER DEFENDS GROUP'S INCURSION

JERUSALEM -- A prominent civilian member of Hamas defended the group's rampage through Israeli communities in a video released by the group Thursday and decried the civilian deaths in Gaza from the six days of Israeli airstrikes that have followed.

The solemn video lacked the bravado of a recording aired by Hamas' military wing Saturday hailing "the greatest battle" as the massacres still played out.

Basem Naim, a physician and former Hamas government minister, said in the "swift collapse" of the Israeli military on Saturday, "chaos prevailed and civilians found themselves in the middle of the confrontation" between Israeli and Hamas combatants.

The claim is contradicted by countless videos and survivor accounts of Hamas militants deliberately targeting and killing hundreds of civilians.

Naim said the 150 hostages taken back into Gaza would be treated according to religious values and international laws. "At the same time we are really worried ... they might be the victims of the Israeli army bombardment, like our people," he said.

He added that Hamas would not consider freeing the captives until Israel stopped its bombardment.

IF ISRAEL DOESN'T END BOMBARDMENT, WAR MAY OPEN ON 'OTHER FRONTS,' IRAN SAYS

BEIRUT -- Iranian Minister of Foreign Affairs Hossein Amirabdollahian said Thursday that if Israel's bombardment of Gaza continues, the war may open on "other fronts," an apparent reference to the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.

Amirabdollahian arrived in Beirut late Thursday evening, where he was greeted by representatives of Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad along with Lebanese officials.

"In light of the continued aggression, war crimes, and siege on Gaza, opening other fronts is a real possibility," Amirabdollahian said, speaking to journalists on his arrival.

Early Thursday, Amirabdollahian had visited Iraq, where he made similar statements after a meeting with Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani.

Questions have swirled around the extent of Iran's role in the unprecedented surprise attack launched by the Palestinian militant group Hamas on Israel on Saturday.

Hamas officials have denied that Iran was directly involved in planning the attack or green-lighted it, and to date no government worldwide has offered direct evidence that Iran orchestrated the attack. However, many have pointed to Iran's long sponsorship of Hamas that has included training, funding and providing it with weapons.

EUROPEAN COMMISSION PRESIDENT TO TRAVEL TO ISRAEL

BRUSSELS -- European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will travel to Israel on Friday to express support for the nation in the wake of last weekend's attack by Hamas.

Von der Leyen will be accompanied by European Parliament president Roberta Metsola, the commission said in a statement late Thursday. Von der Leyen has been one of the most outspoken European Union leaders in support of Israel since the attacks and the subsequent war with Hamas.

HEZBOLLAH SENDS DRONE OVER ISRAEL, OFFICIAL WITH LEBANON GROUP SAYS

BEIRUT -- The militant Hezbollah group sent a drone over Israel on Thursday, according to an official with a Lebanese group familiar with the situation along the Lebanon-Israel border.

The drone was shot down over Israel, the official said, without elaborating further. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the person was not authorized to comment to the news media.

An Israeli military spokesman wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, Thursday afternoon that an air-defense missile was fired in northern Israel but it turned out there was no target in the air.

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Associated Press writer Bassem Mroue contributed to this report.

INTERNET CONNECTIVITY IN GAZA BELOW 20%, ANALYST SAYS

BOSTON -- Internet connectivity in Gaza City has been below 20% since Tuesday, according to analyst Doug Madory of the network monitoring firm Kentik Inc., whose data shows outages began Saturday morning.

Madory said an internet provider in Gaza told him that Israeli air strikes had cut fiber optic cables. The provider declined to speak with an Associated Press reporter but Madory relayed his message: "Pray for us to stay alive and stop this war."

BRAZIL SAYS ABOUT 20 CITIZENS SEEKING TO FLEE GAZA

RIO DE JANEIRO -- Brazil's foreign affairs ministry said Thursday that it had identified about 20 Brazilians seeking to flee Gaza, mostly women and children.

Many of them are currently sheltered in a local school, waiting for officials to find a safe passageway to the Egyptian border, the ministry said.

Meanwhile, 214 Brazilian citizens successfully left Israel in a second repatriation flight that landed in Rio on Thursday morning, with a third flight on its way, the ministry said in a statement.

DEATH TOLL IN GAZA HAS SURPASSED 1,500, HEALTH MINISTRY SAYS

JERUSALEM -- The death toll from Israeli strikes on Gaza has risen to 1,537, with 6,612 people wounded, the Gaza-based Health Ministry reported Thursday.

Of those killed, 276 were women and 500 were under the age of 18, the ministry said.

The jump in the death toll comes as Palestinians report heavy Israeli airstrikes across the besieged Gaza Strip, with bombardment on residential buildings in densely populated city districts and refugee camps killing many family members at a time in their homes.

U.S. AND QATAR AGREE TO NOT ACT ON ANY IRANIAN REQUEST TO ACCESS FUNDS

WASHINGTON -- The U.S. and Qatar have agreed not to act on any Iranian request to access $6 billion in funds that were transferred from South Korea after a blanket waiver by President Joe Biden's administration meant to clear the way for the release of five Americans held by Iran, a U.S. official said Thursday.

The move stops short of freezing the funds. Under the terms of the agreement, the funds must be requested by Iran and can go only for humanitarian purposes. The Americans were released last month.

The official was not authorized to speak publicly about the agreement and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

The funding has been a concern as questions mount about Iran's influence or role in the Hamas attack on Israel. Iran is Hamas' principal financial and military sponsor, though the White House says it has not uncovered information that Iran was directly involved in the operation.

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Associated Press Writer Matthew Lee contributed to this report.

IF ISRAEL DOESN'T END ATTACKS, WAR MAY OPEN ON `OTHER FRONTS,' IRAN SAYS

BEIRUT -- Iranian Minister of Foreign Affairs Hossein Amirabdollahian said Thursday that if Israel's bombardment of Gaza continues, the war may open on "other fronts," an apparent reference to the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.

Amirabdollahian arrived in Beirut late Thursday evening, where he was greeted by representatives of Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad along with Lebanese officials.

"In light of the continued aggression, war crimes, and siege on Gaza, opening other fronts is a real possibility," Amirabdollahian said, speaking to journalists on his arrival.

Early Thursday, Amirabdollahian had visited Iraq, where he made similar statements after a meeting with Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani.

Questions have swirled around the extent of Iran's role in the unprecedented surprise attack launched by the Palestinian militant group Hamas on Israel on Saturday.

Hamas officials have denied that Iran was directly involved in planning the attack or green-lighted it, and to date no government worldwide has offered direct evidence that Iran orchestrated the attack. However, many have pointed to Iran's long sponsorship of Hamas that has included training, funding and providing it with weapons.

 

ISRAEL TELLS CITIZENS ABROAD TO AVOID HAMAS DEMONSTRATIONS

TEL AVIV, Israel -- Israel's Foreign Ministry is warning Israelis abroad to avoid demonstrations said to have been called for by Hamas in cities around the world, saying they could become violent.

In a joint statement with Israel's National Security Council, the Foreign Ministry said Thursday that there is a concern that Israelis or Jews could be targeted during the protests. The ministry statement said protests are expected on Friday and urged Israelis to be cautious.

45 PALESTINIANS KILLED IN AIRSTRIKE ON HOUSE, GAZA MINISTRY SAYS

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip -- The Israeli military bombarded a residential building in the densely populated Jabaliya refugee camp in northern Gaza on Thursday, killing at least 45 people and injuring dozens more, Gaza's interior ministry said.

A late-afternoon airstrike hit the al-Shihab family house at the center of the Jabaliya camp, interior ministry spokesperson Eyad Bozum told The Associated Press. The al-Shihab house was packed with dozens of relatives at the time of the airstrike, Bozum said. Some family members had fled heavy bombing from other parts of the Gaza Strip and taken refuge there

Bozum said the death toll was likely to rise from that airstrike as civil defense workers were still pulling bodies from the rubble and counting the dead.

The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the strike.

TWO ISRAELI POLICE OFFICERS WOUNDED IN EAST JERUSALEM

JERUSALEM -- A Palestinian armed with an improvised submachine gun opened fire toward police officers at one of the entrances to Jerusalem's Old City, wounding two officers, including one seriously. Police said they chased and shot the assailant, whose condition was not immediately clear.

Tensions have been running high in Jerusalem, with most shops closed since the Hamas attack and Palestinian protests in East Jerusalem at night that have devolved into deadly clashes with police.

EGYPT CALLS FOR URGENT DELIVERY OF HUMANITARIAN AID TO GAZA

CAIRO -- Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi on Thursday called for the urgent delivery of humanitarian aid into the Gaza strip through the crossing with Egypt.

With Israel sealing off the Palestinian enclave, the only way in or out is through the crossing with Egypt at Rafah. While Rafah is not officially closed, airstrikes have prevented it from operating. Egypt has been trying to persuade Israel and the United States to allow the delivery of aid and fuel through Rafah.

Egypt is ready to "harness all its capabilities and efforts to mediate in coordination with all international and regional actors without restrictions or conditions," el-Sissi said during a military college graduation ceremony in Cairo.

FRENCH PRESIDENT PLEDGES TO HELP ENSURE GAZA HOSTAGES FREED

PARIS -- French President Emmanuel Macron pledged Thursday to `'do everything" to ensure that hostages held in Gaza are freed, and urged French people to stay united and not allow the Mideast war to erupt into tensions at home.

Soon before he spoke in a televised address to the nation, Paris police used tear gas and water cannons to disperse pro-Palestinian protesters who had defied a ban and demonstrated in the French capital against the Israeli government.

Amid a rise in antisemitic acts in France since the Hamas attack Saturday, Macron pledged that the government would protect its Jewish citizens and be `'ruthless toward all those who bear hate." He also noted concerns about hostility toward France's Muslims.

"Let us stay united," he said.

U.S. HAS NO PLANS TO SEND TROOPS TO ISRAEL, WHITE HOUSE SAYS

WASHINGTON -- The U.S. has no plans to send troops to Israel, White House National Security spokesman John Kirby said Thursday.

"There is no intention, no plan, and frankly, no desire by the Israelis," Kirby said.

Kirby also said there have been ongoing conversations with Israel "about the continued need for continued flow of humanitarian assistance" into Gaza.

He said establishing corridors to provide safe passage out of Gaza for civilians is "the right thing to do for innocent victims who are actually being held hostage as well by Hamas."

U.S. DEFENSE SECRETARY TO VISIT ISRAEL ON FRIDAY

WASHINGTON -- U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin plans to visit Israel on Friday, the second high-level U.S. official to visit Tel Aviv in two days, in a deliberate show of support and an effort to determine what additional military aid is needed in the war with Hamas.

Austin is expected to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, said a U.S. official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive travel details. Austin's arrival comes just a day after U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited and vowed American support for Israel in a meeting with Netanyahu.

Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Austin said the U.S. is "working urgently to get Israel what it needs to defend itself, including munitions and our iron Dome interceptor interceptors."

BRITAIN TO DEPLOY 2 ROYAL NAVY SHIPS TO THE MEDITERRANEAN

LONDON -- Britain's government says it is deploying two Royal Navy ships to the eastern Mediterranean within days to show support for Israel, offer "deterrence and assurance" and support humanitarian efforts.

The government said Thursday that U.K. Royal Air Force surveillance planes will also begin patrols on Friday to help "track threats to regional security, such as the transfer of weapons to terrorist groups."

The military deployment, which includes three helicopters and a company of Royal Marines, will be on standby to support Israel and regional allies.

"We must be unequivocal in making sure the types of horrific scenes we have seen this week will not be repeated," British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said in a statement.

Sunak is expected to discuss the situation in Israel with northern European leaders at a summit in Sweden on Friday.

ISRAEL'S PARLIAMENT APPROVES EMERGENCY UNITY GOVERNMENT

JERUSALEM -- Israel's parliament approved an emergency unity government Thursday night, swearing in Benny Gantz and four other ministers to serve in a security cabinet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.

DEATH TOLL OF U.S. CITIZENS IN HAMAS ATTACK RISES TO 27

WASHINGTON -- The death toll of U.S. citizens in the Hamas attack on Israel has risen to 27, and the number of missing is now at 14, White House National Security spokesman John Kirby said Thursday.

Kirby said that the U.S. was continuing to work with Israeli officials to try to locate those who remain unaccounted for. Kirby said he believes only a few of those missing have been taken hostage.

IRAN'S FOREIGN MINISTER: REGION WILL FACE REPURCUSSIONS IF ISRAEL DOESN'T END ATTACKS ON GAZA

BAGHDAD -- During a visit to Iraq Thursday, Iran's foreign minister said that if Israel fails to stop its attacks on civilians in Gaza, the region will face "new conditions."

"They cannot put Gaza under complete siege and bomb the citizens and commit war crimes, and expect no response," Iranian Minister of Foreign Affairs Hossein Amirabdollahian said in a statement released by the foreign ministry.

Amirabdollahian met with Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani Thursday and was expected to travel to Lebanon, where he will meet with officials on Friday.

Questions have swirled around Iran's role in the attack launched by Palestinian militant group Hamas on Israel Saturday. Hamas officials have denied Iran's direct involvement, and to date no government worldwide has offered direct evidence that Iran orchestrated the attack. However, many have pointed to Iran's long sponsorship of Hamas.

ERDOGAN RENEWS CALL FOR REDUCING TENSIONS BETWEEN ISRAEL AND PALESTINIANS

ANKARA, Turkey -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called on the United States to work toward reducing tensions between Israel and Palestinians, renewing his criticism of a U.S. decision to send an aircraft carrier to the region.

"What is more appropriate for a country like America? To establish peace or to go there with gasoline and fuel (the fire)?" Erdogan said during an address to hundreds of youth on Thursday.

"We don't want the conflict and attacks to escalate further and God forbid, spread to our region. We call on all actors who have a voice and influence in the region to make efforts toward reducing tensions," he continued.

Erdogan renewed his criticism of Israel's retaliatory airstrikes and said Israel should act "like a state" and observe the human rights of Palestinians in Gaza.

U.S. TO START EVACUATING AMERICANS FROM ISRAEL, POSSIBLY AS SOON AS FRIDAY

WASHINGTON -- The U.S. government will begin operating evacuation flights to help Americans leave Israel as Israel prepares to escalate retaliatory action against Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip, according to the Biden administration.

White House National Security spokesman, John Kirby confirmed Thursday that the U.S. would arrange charter flights from Israel to sites in Europe. "We're still working through some of the details of that to assist U.S. citizens and their immediate family members," he said.

The evacuation flights are expected to begin operating as early as Friday. The U.S. government is arranging for at least four charter flights a day out of Israel through Frankfurt, Germany.

LEBANESE PREMIER URGES GROUPS TO AVOID INCITING CONFLICT IN ISRAEL

BERIUT -- Lebanon's caretaker prime minister is calling on all Lebanese groups to exercise self-restraint and to not be pulled into "Israel's plans."

Najib Mikati's comments Thursday after a Cabinet meeting in Beirut were apparently meant to encourage the militant group Hezbollah to avoid inciting any conflict with Israel.

"Lebanon is in the eye of the storm and what is happening along our southern border leaves us deeply worried," Mikati said.

He said the incidents along Lebanon's border with Israel over the past few days are the result of Israel's "provocations and continuous violations" of a United Nations Security Council resolution that ended a monthlong was between Israel and Hezbollah in 2006.

Mikati said Lebanon condemns "criminal acts committed by Israel."

UN SAYS HUMANITARIAN SITUATION IN GAZA IS GETTING MORE DESPERATE

The number of people fleeing attacks on Gaza is continuing "in very, very large numbers," with a 30 per cent increase in the past 24 hours, the United Nations humanitarian office says.

Two-thirds of the people displaced by the violence -- 218,000 -- have taken refuge in 92 schools run by the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said Thursday.

Dujarric said the humanitarian situation, with the Israeli cutoff of fuel, food and electricity, is getting more dire "by the day, if not by the hour."

"More than 2,500 units have been destroyed, severely damaged and rendered uninhabitable while nearly 23,000 others have sustained moderate to minor damage," he said. "At least 88 educational facilities have been struck."

Dujarric said discussions about opening a humanitarian corridor from Gaza are ongoing, and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and UN Mideast envoy Tor Wennesland are engaging "with all relevant actors."

BLINKEN TO TRAVEL TO SAUDI ARABIA, THE UAE AND EGYPT AFTER VISITING JORDAN AND QATAR

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken confirmed Thursday that he will visit Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt following planned trips to Jordan and Qatar. Blinken is set to travel on Friday to Doha where he will talks with senior Qatari officials.

Qatar has ties with Hamas and has in the past served as facilitator in discussions to calm tensions in and around Gaza.

BRITAIN'S SUNAK ANNOUNCES US$3.7M FOR SECURITY AT SCHOOLS AND SYNAGOGUES

Britain's Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has announced millions of pounds in extra funding to boost security at schools and synagogues and protect them against antisemitic attacks in the wake of Hamas' attacks in Israel.

Sunak's office said Thursday that 3 million pounds (US$3.7 million) of additional funding will be provided to the Community Security Trust, an organization established to protect British Jews from antisemitic threats. The funding will enable the group to provide more guards in the schools it supports, as well as outside synagogues during prayer times.

The Community Security Trust said it recorded 139 antisemitic incidents in the U.K. over the past four days -- a fourfold increase compared to the same period last year.

The funding announcement came after Sunak met with senior officials and police chiefs to discuss security and policing protests and rallies by pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian groups planned across the U.K. this weekend.

ISRAEL'S MILITARY SAYS THE NUMBER OF SOLDIERS KILLED HAS RISEN TO 247

Israel's military said Thursday that 247 soldiers have been killed since the start of the war last weekend -- an increase from 222 earlier in the day.

The military previously confirmed to The Associated Press that the 222 soldiers had all been identified and their families notified.

IRAN'S FOREIGN MINISTER URGES END OF VIOLENCE IN GAZA, SAYS THE WAR WILL AFFECT ENTIRE REGION

Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian expressed his country's support for the rights of the Palestinian people, saying that the ongoing war in Gaza will affect the whole region.

Amirabdollahian said there is a need for an end to the "killing of children and civilians in Palestine."

The Iranian official made his comments Thursday during a meeting with Iraq's National Security Adviser Qasim al-Araji in Baghdad.

Amirabdollahian's comments were carried in a statement released by al-Araji's office.

Al-Araji said demonstrations will be held in different parts of Iraq on Friday in support of the Palestinians.

Iran is a main supporter of Palestinian factions based in Gaza, including Hamas and the Islamic Jihad group.

FORMER ISRAELI DEFENCE OFFICIAL SAYS BOMBARDMENT OF GAZA SHOULD CONTINUE UNTIL HAMAS IS 'ASHES'

A former Israeli defence official told The Associated Press Thursday that Israel should continue bombarding Gaza for as long as militants remain in the territory, even if it incurs massive casualties to Israeli soldiers.

Yaakov Amidror, a retired General and senior fellow at JINSA, a Washington D.C.-based think tank, said that Israel would "bomb any attempt to build military capability in the in the Gaza Strip for the next hundred years," raising the spectre of an unending military engagement in Gaza.

"We need to crush Hamas to ashes, no matter how many casualties," Amidror said. "Of course, we will give all means to our soldiers to defend themselves. but I don't think casualties are the main element in decision-making."

FAMILIES OF MISSING FRENCH-ISRAELI CITIZENS ASK MACRON FOR INFORMATION ABOUT EFFORTS TO FIND THEM

Struggling to speak as they sobbed or choked back tears, families of French-Israeli citizens missing since the Hamas attack began last weekend appealed Thursday for information about their whereabouts and for efforts to bring them back.

"We don't know if she is dead, if she is in Gaza. We don't know anything. We haven't heard anything," Doron Journo, whose 24-year-old daughter Karin Journo disappeared Saturday, said at a news conference in Tel Aviv.

Karin's sister appealed to French President Emmanuel Macron, saying, `'I want my country back. I want my sister back."

Batsheva Yahalomi described being kidnapped by militants on motorbikes along with her baby and 12-year-old son Eitan. She and the baby escaped, but she hasn't seen Eitan since.

Ido Nagar held his 6-month-old child as he pleaded for information about his wife, Celine Ben-David Nagar, 32, who had also been at the music festival. `'Bring my wife back to her daughter."

ISRAEL MILITARY SAYS IT HAS DROPPED 6,000 BOMBS ON GAZA SINCE START OF WAR

The Israeli military said Thursday it had dropped 6,000 bombs on Gaza since the start of the Israel-Hamas war. While Israel says it is striking Hamas targets, many civilians in the pounded strip have been killed. Hospitals and U.N. shelters have also been hit.

The airstrikes have also killed entire families in their homes. Gaza's Ministry of Health said Thursday that 22 entire families had been killed. An airstrike in the northern city of Jabalia Thursday killed 44 members of the same family, leaving just six survivors.

HAMAS OFFICIAL WARNS AGAINST GROUND INVASION, SAYS IT WOULD BE DISASTER FOR THE ISRAELI MILITARY

JERUSALEM -- A high ranking Hamas official warned Thursday that any Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip will prove catastrophic for the Israeli army.

"For every action the enemy takes, there is a plan we have," said Saleh Al-Arouri, the deputy head of the political bureau of Hamas.

Israeli defence officials have yet to order a ground invasion of the pummeled territory, but have been planning for the possibility of it. The military has called over 300,000 reservists into action in preparation.

PALESTINIAN PRESIDENT ABBAS CALLS FOR END OF VIOLENCE TOWARDS CIVILIANS ON GAZA STRIP

JERUSALEM -- In a meeting with the King of Jordan Thursday, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas gave tempered remarks calling for the end of aggression toward Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, Palestinian state media reported, as Israeli airstrikes pummeled the besieged strip.

"We reject the practices of killing civilians or abusing them on both sides," said Abbas, who is the head of Palestinian Authority in the occupied West Bank.

In 2007, Hamas violently seized Gaza from the internationally recognized Palestinian Authority.

HUNDREDS GATHER IN ROMANIA'S CAPITAL IN SUPPORT OF ISRAEL

BUCHAREST, Romania -- Several hundred people gathered for a rally in Romania's capital on Thursday to pledge their support for Israel in what its embassy called the country's "fight against terrorism."

Held at a central Bucharest park, many attendees waved Israeli flags and some brandished signs that read: "We stand with Israel."

Israel's ambassador to Romania, Reuven Azar, told reporters there that "we are going to tackle this evil, because without tackling this evil, we are all in danger."

"We are now in a very difficult moment in our history. We've been attacked by one of the most ferocious, barbaric, savage forces in the world that is killing innocent civilians, families, babies, children, taking hostages, (and) burning people alive," he said. "It's a kind of savagery that we haven't seen before."

U.S. DEFENCE SECRETARY SAYS ISRAEL CAN USE AMERICAN-PROVIDED MUNITIONS AS IT SEES FIT

U.S. Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin said Thursday that the U.S. is placing no specific conditions on how Israel uses the American-provided munitions. Israel has a professional military and "we would hope and expect that they would do the right things," he told reporters at the close of the NATO defence ministers meeting in Brussels.

He was asked if the U.S. would put conditions on the weapon, specifically that they would not be used against civilians. Austin said he would leave it to the Israelis to define their operations.

Austin also said that the U.S. is working to provide Israel whatever it needs, even as America continues to support Ukraine. "The United States can walk and chew gum at the same time."

AID CHIEF CALLS FOR ESTABLISHING DEMILITARIZED ZONES IN GAZA

Secretary General of the Norwegian Refugee Council Jan Egeland has called for establishing demilitarized zones in Gaza amid unrelenting bombardment by Israel following last weekend's unprecedented attack by Hamas.

Writing Thursday on X, formerly known as Twitter, Egeland said urgent life-saving support is needed for civilians trapped in Gaza.

"The siege must be lifted," he wrote. "Defined, safe, and demilitarised zones within Gaza itself must be established & respected by all parties."

Egeland also called for the international community to facilitate a deal to release all civilians held by both sides, "with immediate release of children, mothers with infants, the wounded & sick."

ISRAEL'S MILITARY CHIEF ADMITS FAILURE TO PROTECT CITIZENS AROUND THE GAZA STRIP

The chief of staff for Israel's military, Herzi Halevi, admitted Thursday that the military had failed to protect civilians around the Gaza Strip from Hamas's unprecedented attack on the country.

"The IDF is responsible for the security of the country and its citizens, and on Saturday morning in the area surrounding the Gaza Strip, we did not," Halevi said. "We will learn, we will investigate, but now is the time for war."

BLINKEN TO VISIT QATAR ON FRIDAY

After visiting Israel and Jordan, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will travel on Friday to Doha where he will have talks with senior Qatari officials.

Qatar has ties with Hamas and has in the past served as facilitator in discussions to calm tensions in and around Gaza.

GERMAN CHANCELLOR SCHOLZ MEETS WITH EMIR OF QATAR, DISCUSSES FATE OF HOSTAGES

The German government says Chancellor Olaf Scholz has discussed the fate of hostages taken by Hamas with the emir of Qatar.

The emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, was in Berlin on Thursday for a previously scheduled visit. Qatar has been a mediator in the past.

Scholz's office said the German leader underlined Berlin's condemnation of Hamas' attack and Israel's right to defend itself. It said he stressed that "Hamas has full responsibility for the well-being of the hostages" and called for them to be released "as quickly as possible."

The statement said Scholz "recognized in this context Qatar's humanitarian effort" and the two leaders agreed to remain in close contact on the issue.

The hostages include several German-Israeli dual citizens, but Germany hasn't given a precise figure.

HEALTH FACILITIES DAMAGED AND 10 HEALTH CARE WORKERS KILLED IN GAZA

Fourteen health facilities have been damaged and 10 health care workers killed in the Gaza Strip by Israeli airstrikes since the Israel-Hamas war broke out, Palestinian health officials said Thursday.

OFFICIALS SAY MORE THAN 1,400 PALESTINIANS HAVE BEEN KILLED IN THE GAZA STRIP

 At least 1,417 Palestinians have been killed in the Gaza Strip and over 6,200 have been injured since the Israel-Hamas war began, Palestinian health officials said Thursday.

Of the dead, nearly 450 are children and 250 are women.

The war has claimed at least 2,600 lives on both sides since Hamas launched its attack on Israel last Saturday.