Israeli airstrike kills Hamas member in Lebanon

An Israeli drone attack killed two people in southern Lebanon on Wednesday, including a member of the Hamas militant group.

The attack hit a car outside the city of Tire on the Mediterranean coast. Lebanese state media confirmed that Hamas members came from the Rushdie refugee camp, where the armed group has frequent activities.

The Israeli military also reported on Wednesday that it had carried out airstrikes in the southern Gaza Strip city of Khan Younis and ground operations in central Gaza in pursuit of Israel’s goal of eliminating Hamas.

The health ministry in Hamas-controlled Gaza reported on Wednesday that a further 88 Palestinians had been killed in Israeli offensives over the past day. According to the ministry, the total number of Palestinian deaths since the war broke out in early October is at least 31,272, with another 73,000 injured.

On Tuesday evening, Israeli troops shot and killed two Palestinians in the village of Jib near Jerusalem after Israeli police said five Palestinians threw Molotov cocktails on a highway.

In a separate incident, Israeli troops shot and killed a 12-year-old boy during clashes at a refugee camp on the outskirts of Jerusalem.

Disaster relief work

A Spanish charity ship carrying more than 200 tons of humanitarian food aid set sail from Cyprus for Gaza on Tuesday, the latest effort to feed tens of thousands of hungry Palestinians.

The food, collected by World Central Kitchen, a charity founded by celebrity chef José Andrés, was towed on a barge to an undisclosed location on the Gaza coast by a ship belonging to Spanish aid organization Open Arms . The 400-kilometer journey is expected to take two to three days.

Cypriot Foreign Minister Constantinos Combos told state radio that a second ship was being loaded in Cyprus and would soon travel again to help besieged Palestinians.

“We are working hard to ensure that the first shipments arrive safely and then be distributed safely,” Combs said later in a speech in Beirut.

“If everything goes to plan… we have established mechanisms for a second, larger shipment and then we will try to make this a more systematic operation to increase the volume,” he said.

The U.S. military has sent a ship to the Mediterranean to build a temporary dock on Gaza’s coastline to provide access for more aid trucks, but said the dock could take two months to complete.

no ceasefire

The United States, Qatar and Egypt had hoped to reach a ceasefire before the start of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan on Monday that would include the release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners and more aid to Gaza. Negotiations reached an impasse last week.

National security adviser Jake Sullivan told a news conference on Tuesday that the United States encouraged Israel to “remain engaged.” Sullivan added: “We believe there is scope for this deal to be completed even though we are already in the holy month of Ramadan.”

Sullivan declined to confirm reports that the administration is considering placing conditions on U.S. military aid to Israel if Israel proceeds with plans to invade Rafah without adequate plans to protect civilians. More than a million Palestinians are seeking safety in Gaza’s southernmost region, near the Egyptian border.

“I’m not going to comment on hypotheticals,” he said, repeating the administration’s talking points that the United States does not support military action in Rafah because such action “cuts off the arterial flow of humanitarian assistance and then creates a drain on Israel.” There’s a lot of pressure.” -Egyptian border. “

American and Israeli hostage dies

US President Joe Biden said on Tuesday he was “shocked” to learn of the killing of 19-year-old US-Israeli soldier Itay Chen. Chen was previously thought to have been taken hostage by Hamas, but the Israeli military announced this week that he was killed in an attack on October 7.

“I reiterate my commitment to all the families who remain hostage: We are with you. We will never stop working to bring your loved ones home,” Biden said in a statement released by the White House.

Chen’s family was instrumental in pushing Israeli and U.S. officials to release about 100 hostages still held by Hamas. His father, Ruby Chen, has made numerous media appearances and met with senior U.S. officials.

Sullivan highlighted the tragic fate of other hostages held by Hamas, saying the United States could not determine “whether they are alive or not.”

Hamas launched a terrorist attack on Israel on October 7, killing about 1,200 people and taking about 250 hostages. After that, Israel began to take military operations to eliminate Hamas.

White House Bureau Chief Patsy Widakuswara contributed to this article. This report contains information from The Associated Press, Reuters and AFP.