GAZA + DAMASCUS + TEL AVIV ( Web News )
Israel has agreed to delay the invasion of Gaza for now, so the US can rush missile defenses to the region, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday, citing US and Israeli officials.
At least 6,546 Palestinians, including 2,704 children, were killed and 17,439 wounded in Israeli strikes since October 7, the health ministry in Hamas-controlled Gaza said on Wednesday.
In the past 24 hours, 756 Palestinians including 344 children were killed in Israeli strikes, the ministry said.
The ministry said “the massacres took place on the southern region of the Gaza strip.”
Talking about the health system, the ministry said the attacks targeted and damaged 57 institutions, and that 73 medical staff were killed and 25 ambulances were now out of service.
There was no immediate word of any casualties in what appeared to be the longest-range Palestinian attack of the Gaza war raging since October 7.
Israeli strikes hit Syria’s Aleppo airport
Israel renewed its air aggressions on Syria… bombing Aleppo International Airport on Wednesday afternoon,” the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
Syrian transport ministry official Suleiman Khalil said the Aleppo airport runway had been targeted by a strike.
GAZA.
Israeli forces on an overnight raid in the occupied West Bank came under fire by a group of Palestinians whom the military then hit with a drone, the Israeli military said on Wednesday, and Palestinian officials said three people were killed.
The military said armed Palestinians “fired and hurled explosive devices” at its forces in Jenin refugee camp, in the northern West Bank. The military then struck them with a drone, and “hits were identified”, it added.
The drone fired at least two projectiles, the Palestinian Authority’s official news agency WAFA reported, citing sources in the camp.
Three people were killed and more than 20 others injured, WAFA reported, citing Wissam Bakr, director of Jenin Governmental Hospital.
The drone attack was at least the third use of Israeli air power in the West Bank since violence in the territory surged after Hamas’ Oct. 7 armed rampage in southern Israel.
Jenin refugee camp, a Palestinian militant stronghold, was the focus of a major Israeli military operation earlier this year.
Saudi Crown Prince urges immediate action for Gaza ceasefire in call with Biden
During the call, the Crown Prince emphasized the urgency of taking immediate action to explore ways to halt military operations, which have claimed thousands of civilian lives on both sides, according to SPA.
MBS strongly condemned the targeting of civilians in any form, as well as the destruction of infrastructure and vital interests that affect their daily lives, SPA said. He also stressed the necessity of achieving a ceasefire, de-escalation and preventing a deterioration of the situation that could impact the security and stability of the region.
He also highlighted the importance of adhering to international humanitarian law, lifting the blockade on Gaza, preserving essential services, and allowing the entry of humanitarian and medical assistance.
According to SPA, MBS underscored the urge of working towards restoring the path to peace, ensuring that the Palestinian people obtain their legitimate rights and achieving a just and comprehensive peace.
President Biden expressed his gratitude to the Crown Prince for his efforts to reduce the intensity and scope of the escalation in the region, SPA reported.
The leaders’ dialogue is a component of global endeavors aimed at resolving the Gaza crisis and fostering a peaceful outcome.