Israel-Hamas Conflict: Israeli Army's First Colonel Falls In Northern Gaza Ambush, 9 Others Killed

Hostages' families demand 'courage' from Israeli government for deal

The families of hostages still being held in Gaza on Wednesday marched to the Knesset to demand that the Israeli government return to the negotiation table with Hamas for the safe return of their loved ones.

"We want the government to be courageous in their upcoming decision," said Nadav Rudeif, whose father Lior was abducted from Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak during Hamas' Oct. 7 carnage in Israel, as per The Times of Israel.

Rudeif acknowledged that "the price will be high" in exchange for the remaining hostages, but he said the families want to show support for the government so they can "be brave" when making decisions related to the abductees' freedom.

Following the recovery of two hostages' bodies from Gaza on Tuesday, there are now at least 135 hostages remaining in Gaza.

195 humanitarian trucks entered Gaza Tuesday

A total of 195 trucks carrying humanitarian supplies – majority of them food – entered the Gaza Strip on Tuesday after the Kerem Shalom crossing was opened for inspections, the Israeli government said Wednesday.

The Kerem Shalom crossing specifically catered to more trucks that carried food for Gaza civilians on Tuesday.

Sirens sound in northern Israel

As the Israeli army regroups from its huge losses Tuesday night in Shuja'iyya, rocket sirens sounded in northern Israel Wednesday afternoon, local media reported. The rocket siren also sounded in Rosh Hanikra, which is located near Israel's border with Lebanon.

Lebanon-based terror group Hezbollah has been increasing the frequency of its attacks against Israel since the seven-day ceasefire fell apart early this month.

Israeli army destroying road near Hamas' Gaza leader's Khan Yunis house: Report

Using bulldozers, the Israeli army was destroying the road near the Khan Yunis home of Hamas' most senior official in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar, Reuters reported Wednesday, citing a resident of Gaza's second-largest city.

While heavy fighting ensued in the last four hours in southern Gaza's main city, residents told the outlet that Israeli tanks did not make further attempts to advance from the city center.

The Israeli army previously said it had completed encircling Khan Yunis in efforts to hunt down Sinwar.

Joint Israeli forces search over 400 buildings at Jenin refugee camp in 30-hour operation

Joint forces of the Israeli army, Israel's security services agency Shin Bet, and the Israel Border Police (MGB) searched more than 400 buildings at the Jenin refugee camp in an operation that lasted for over 30 hours, the IDF said Wednesday.

As a result of the hours-long operation, "hundreds of suspects" were detained, weapons and ammunition were confiscated, and terrorist infrastructure were destroyed.

Israeli troops continue to operate "at this time," the IDF added.

Hamas combatant underwent surgery in Israel after northern Gaza battles: Report

A Hamas militant who was injured in overnight battles with the Israeli army in northern Gaza was hospitalized and underwent surgery at the Sharon Medical Center in Petach Tikvah, Israel, multiple Israeli outlets reported Wednesday.

The said combatant is reportedly set for transfer to a military facility. No further details were provided about the patient's current health condition.

Israeli army publishes footage of fighting in Shuja'iyya

IDF spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari on Wednesday afternoon local time published footage that showed Israeli soldiers battling against Hamas militants in Shuja'iyya, a Hamas stronghold in northern Gaza.

The move comes after the Israeli army lost 9 soldiers in a single operation, including two senior IDF officers. Hagari said Israeli ground forces continue to fight in the area.

10 Israeli soldiers killed in Northern Gaza

Ten IDF soldiers, including two senior commanders, were confirmed to have died in the northern Gaza Strip's Shuja'iyya area Tuesday as the IDF pushed through with its ground operation that reportedly led to the destruction of 250 Hamas targets in the previous day. Three other soldiers were seriously wounded in the battles.

The fallen soldiers included the eight earlier mentioned, while the two others were Col. (res.) Itzhak Ben Basat and Sgt. Eran Aloni. Col. Basat led the Golani Brigade's commanders team and is the highest ranking IDF official to have fallen in battle since Oct. 7.

Talking about the soldiers' demise, War Cabinet Minister Benny Gantz referred to the ongoing war in Gaza as "Israel's second independence war" and added that it is "taking a heavy, painful and difficult price from us."

The latest death toll marks the second-highest deaths among soldiers in a single day since Oct. 31, when 15 soldiers died days after the IDF launched ground incursions in Gaza.

Israel attacks 250 Hamas targets in Gaza

Joint troops with the Israeli army's ground forces, the Navy and the Israeli Air Force (IAF) attacked more than 250 Hamas military assets and targets in the past day, the IDF said Wednesday.

Hezbollah launched rockets from post near UN compound: IDF

Iran-backed paramilitary group Hezbollah once again launched several rockets toward Israel from a launching position only 130 meters away from a UN compound Tuesday, the Israeli army said.

The IDF said earlier Tuesday that rockets were launched from an area near a UN facility Monday.

Recovered bodies of hostages located underground in Gaza: IDF spox

The bodies of Eden Zakaria and Command Sgt. Maj. Ziv Dado, were found in an "underground infrastructure, in a densely populated area in Gaza," Hagari said Wednesday morning.

He explained that because Hamas militants were hiding "among and under the people of Gaza" while also keeping hostages in "brutal conditions," rescue operations were difficult to pull off.

However, he said the Israeli army will not be deterred from its mission of rescuing the remaining hostages. He went on to say that hostage rescue operations will continue "for as long as necessary."

As he has done in previous operational updates, Hagari called on the Red Cross to have immediate access to the hostages since the abducted people are not only Israelis but also foreign nationals.

Israel declares 19 of remaining hostages in Gaza dead in absentia

The Israeli government has declared that 19 of 135 remaining hostages in the Gaza Strip as dead in absentia, meaning no remains were found and there was no evidence to prove that they are dead or alive.

The news comes as the loved ones of hostages still being held in Gaza put pressure on Israel and the international community to work faster to get the abductees back home. Some freed hostages have shared their accounts of "Russian roulette" experiences in captivity, while others warned that time was running out to keep the remaining hostages alive.

France to host meeting on potential Hamas sanctions

France will host more than 20 countries, Israel included, for a meeting in Paris Wednesday to tackle ways with which Hamas' finances and online activities can be restrained, Reuters reported, citing three diplomats.

The news comes after France, Italy and Germany pushed other European Union members to create ad hoc sanctions against the Palestinian terror group.

UKMTO warns of incident off the Red Sea

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) received "a report of an incident" within the vicinity of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, west of the Houthi-controlled Hodeidah port in Yemen Wednesday morning local time.

Authorities are looking into the incident, but vessels have been advised to move with caution when passing by the area and report suspicious activities to the UKMTO.

The news comes after the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said earlier this week that an anti-ship cruise missile was launched from a Houthi controlled location in Yemen toward a Norwegian-flagged tanker that was passing through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.

Sirens sound in southern Israel

Rocket sirens sounded in Sderot and in communities near Israel's southern border with Gaza, local outlets reported Wednesday morning local time.

IDF battalion commander tried to save comrades in fierce Shuja'iyya battle

More details have emerged about the fighting in Gaza that killed a second battalion commander in the IDF as local media reported about the Tuesday battle.

A multi-round ambush by Hamas against IDF troops in inner Shuja'iyya late Tuesday afternoon initially cut off four soldiers who were looking to clear a building when they encountered improvised explosives, the Jerusalem Post reported.

Lt. Col. Tomer Greenberg, commander of the Golani Brigade's 13^th Battalion, was among several officers who attempted to save the first four soldiers, who were later found to have been killed.

Israeli soldiers killed in booby-trapped building in Shuja'iyya: Hebrew media

Seven of the eight soldiers announced by the IDF Wednesday to have been killed in battles in Gaza died in succeeding blasts while they searched buildings in Shuja'iyya, Hebrew outlet Walla reported, citing a notice from the Golani Brigade.

Soldiers were moving to clear buildings in Kasbah, Shuja'iyya, when a large explosion occurred and wounded some fighters. When another group of soldiers attempted to rescue their injured comrades, a second explosive went off, as per the notice.

A third troop that entered the booby-trapped building to reach their comrades were also reportedly hit in an explosion.

Israeli embassy in the UK launches digital campaign for remaining hostages

The Israeli embassy in the United Kingdom on Tuesday launched a digital campaign in London to display the photos of hostages still being held by Hamas and other Palestinian factions in Gaza.

"There should be nothing controversial about raising awareness for innocent civilians being held hostage by a terror organization. This is a humanitarian cause," the embassy wrote on X.

Israel deploys 4 corvettes to the Red Sea

The Israeli Navy has deployed four new Sa'ar 6-class corvettes to the Red Sea Wednesday to join operational activities at a time when Yemen's Houthi rebels have carried out multiple attacks against commercial ships in the area in recent weeks.

The IDF said the warships are powered by advanced combat systems and "a state-of-the-art Israeli system" that should help boost naval power while neutralizing Hamas' naval capabilities.

Israel attacks Syrian military assets, Hezbollah infrastructure

Israeli warplanes and tanks "recently" attacked several military targets and infrastructure belonging to the Syrian army, the IDF said early Wednesday.

An Israeli fighter jet also attacked a rocket launching post in Lebanese territory that belonged to Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah.

IDF's 13th Battalion of Golani Brigade falls in northern Gaza, several other officers killed

Lt. Col. Tomer Greenberg, 35, the commander of the Golani Brigade's 13th Battalion, was killed in battle in northern Gaza, the IDF announced early Wednesday. Another officer with the same battalion also fell in battle in the northern Gaza Strip: company commander Maj. Roi Maldasi, 23.

The Golani Brigade also lost two officers from the 51st Battalion: company commander Maj. Roshe Avraham Bar-On, 23, and platoon commander Capt. Liel Haiu, 22.

The IDF's Special Rescue Tactical Unit lost platoon commander Maj. Ben Sheli, 26.

The Israeli army's tribute page for fallen soldiers since the war started was also updated early Wednesday to add three more soldiers who were killed in fierce battles in Gaza.

• Sgt. Maj. Rom Hecht, 20 – fighter in the Special Rescue Tactical Unit
• Sgt. Ahya Daskal, 19 – fighter in the 51st Battalion of the Golani Brigade
• Sgt. Uriah Yaakov, 19 – fighter in the 614th Battalion of the Combat Engineering School (killed in a separate northern Gaza clash Tuesday)

Lt. Col. Greenberg's death marks only the second announcement from the IDF that a battalion commander has been killed in battle after Lt. Col. Salman Habkah, commander of the 53rd Battalion of the 188th Armored Brigade, was revealed to have been killed in battle on Day 27 of the Israel-Hamas conflict.

Some Hamas leaders have left Qatar: Report

Several Hamas officials have left Qatar for an unknown destination, the Jerusalem Post reported late Tuesday, citing the Arabic channel of Kan, Israel's national broadcaster.

Sources in Doha reportedly said the Hamas leaders who exited Qatar have turned off their phones and are not accepting any calls. The channel further reported that Saleh al-Arouri, a senior Hamas member, departed from his known residence in Beirut, Lebanon, for Turkey.

Haniyeh, Hamas' political bureau chief, is known to be living an "easily life" in Qatar. Several other Hamas officials also spend time in Doha "regularly," including Khaled Meshaal, the terror group's former head.

The Qatari government has yet to officially confirm the news.

UNGA votes overwhelmingly in favor of resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire

A total of 153 members of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) voted in favor of a resolution demanding an "immediate humanitarian ceasefire" in Gaza during an emergency session Tuesday afternoon.

There were 23 abstentions and 10 votes against the resolution that also called for "ensuring humanitarian access" for the enclave. The resolution also called for the immediate and unconditional release of all remaining hostages in Gaza.

The countries that joined the U.S. and Israel in voting against the resolution were Austria, Czechia, Guatemala, Liberia, Micronesia, Nauru, Papua New Guinea and Paraguay.

The move came after the U.S., one of only five permanent members of the UN Security Council, used its veto power to take down a draft text calling for a ceasefire.

Read the full story here.

Netanyahu admits there are issues with Washington over 'day after' plans

The Israeli prime minister admitted in a series of posts on X Tuesday that "there is disagreement [with the U.S.] about 'the day after Hamas' and I hope that we will reach agreement here as well."

His remarks came after Biden said during Monday's White House Hanukkah reception that he has ensuing disagreements with Netanyahu, whom he has known for decades.

Netanyahu further revealed that even with the disagreements during an "intensive" dialogue with Biden and his team, Israel received "full backing" for its ground incursion into the Gaza Strip.

2 hostages' bodies recovered by Israeli special forces

Soldiers from the Israeli Special Forces recovered the bodies of Eden Zakaria, 27, and CSM Ziv Dado, 36, who were both abducted by Hamas during the Oct. 7 carnage, the IDF announced late Tuesday.

Dado served as a logistics supervisor in the Israeli army's Golani Brigade (51st Battalion). Zakaria was among the dozens of festival goers that Hamas operatives abducted from the Re'im music festival.

The IDF later added that MSG Gal Meir Eisenkot and MSG Eyal Meir Berkowitz "fell in battle during the operations that enabled the location of Eden and Ziv's bodies." Several other Israeli soldiers were injured during the operations.

Eisenkot is the son of Knesset member and former IDF chief of staff Gadi Eisenkot.

Israeli army begins flooding Hamas tunnels with seawater: Report

Washington has been informed by Israelis that the IDF has started flooding some tunnels in Gaza with seawater, CNN reported Tuesday, citing an unnamed U.S. official. Israel is "carefully testing out" the process, which is being down "on a limited basis," as per the report.

The official noted that Israel is not yet sure if the operation will work but they are being careful to test the process only in tunnels they do not believe have hostages inside.

When asked for his comment regarding the report, Biden said "there is assertion being made that they're quite sure there are no hostages in any of these tunnels, but I don't know that for a fact."