Israel-Hamas War HIGHLIGHTS: US Reaffirms Support For Lebanon Amidst Tension Between Israel And Hezbollah
Israel-Hamas War HIGHLIGHTS: Hello and welcome to the live blog on the Israel-Hamas War. Follow this space for all the live and latest updates.
Background
Israel-Hamas War HIGHLIGHTS: Amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak extended support to Israel as he arrived in Tel Aviv on Thursday condeming an "unspeakable, horrific act of terrorism" referring to the October 7 surprise attacks by Hamas.
Over 3,700 people, including 1,524 children, 1,000 women, and 120 older people, have been killed in Israeli strikes on the Gaza Strip so far, the Hamas-run health ministry said. More than 12,500 others have been wounded since the war began, following a shocking Hamas assault on Israel that killed around 1,300 people, the vast majority of whom were civilians.
The UK PM met Israeli President Isaac Herzog and is also scheduled to meet Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
During his meeting with Herzog, Sunak thanked the Israeli President for the support provided to British nationals caught up in the "terror attacks". "Together we agreed on the importance of getting urgent humanitarian support to ordinary Palestinians in Gaza who are also suffering," he said.
Sunak's visit comes a day after the US President Joe Biden has visited Israel amid its war with Hamas.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday spoke to the President of Palestinian H.E. Mahmoud Abbas, and conveyed his condolences at the loss of civilian lives in the bombing at Gaza Hospital.
Modi said that India will continue to send humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian people. "Spoke to the President of the Palestinian Authority H.E. Mahmoud Abbas. Conveyed my condolences at the loss of civilian lives at the Al Ahli Hospital in Gaza," he said in a post on X, adding: "We will continue to send humanitarian assistance for the Palestinian people. Shared our deep concern at the terrorism, violence and deteriorating security situation in the region. Reiterated India's long-standing principled position on the Israel-Palestine issue."
US Reaffirms Support For Lebanon Amidst Tension Between Israel And Hezbollah
In a phone call, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken emphasised US support for the Lebanese Armed troops and Internal Security Forces, after Israeli and Hezbollah troops recently exchanged artillery fire on the Israel-Lebanon border.
According to US State Department spokeswoman Matthew Miller, in the phone, Blinken expressed "growing concern" about mounting tensions in the Middle East and the potential repercussions of Lebanon being pulled into the war. The secretary also expressed sympathy to Lebanese who had lost loved ones.
Large Fire Breaks Out In Bani Suhaila After Israeli Airstrike, Says Palestinian Govt
According to a Palestinian Ministry of Interior statement in Gaza on Saturday afternoon, a "large fire" has broken out in the Bani Suhaila district of Khan Younis due to an Israeli attack on a house.
CNN acquired a video from Khan Younis showing a massive cloud of smoke rising above the city's skyline in the southern Gaza Strip.
The Israel Defence Forces have no immediate information on the purported strike's circumstances.
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