 "Israel")
Israel said on Thursday there would be no humanitarian exceptions to its siege of the Gaza Strip until all its hostages were freed, after the Red Cross pleaded for fuel to be allowed in to prevent overwhelmed hospitals from "turning into morgues".
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Tel Aviv on a trip to show solidarity with Israel, help prevent the conflict from spreading and try to free hostages. Standing beside him, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said: “Thank you, America, for standing with Israel, today, tomorrow and always”.
Israel has vowed to annihilate the Hamas movement that rules the Gaza Strip, in retribution for the deadliest attack on civilians in its history when hundreds of gunmen crossed the barrier and rampaged through Israeli towns on Saturday.
Public broadcaster Kan said the Israeli death toll had risen to more than 1,300. Most were civilians gunned down in their homes, on the streets or at a dance party. Scores of Israeli and foreign hostages were taken back to Gaza; Israel says it has identified 97 of them.
The full scale of the killings has emerged in recent days after Israeli forces reclaimed control of towns, finding homes strewn with bodies. They say they found women who had been raped and killed, and children who were shot and burned.
Also Read
Russian President Vladimir Putin called for negotiations between Israeli and Palestinian forces and hoped the war, which has already killed thousands over the last five days, would not expand.
“Without electricity, hospitals risk turning into morgues,” ICRC regional director Fabrizio Carboni said. “The human misery caused by this escalation is abhorrent, and I implore the sides to reduce the suffering of civilians.”
Israeli Energy Minister Israel Katz said there would be no exceptions to the siege without freedom for Israeli hostages.
“Humanitarian aid to Gaza? No electrical switch will be lifted, no water hydrant will be opened and no fuel truck will enter until the Israeli hostages are returned home. Humanitarian for humanitarian. And nobody should preach us morals,” Katz posted on social media platform X.
Saudi Arabia's de facto ruler and Iran's president spoke by phone about the war between Israel and Hamas, Saudi state media said early Thursday, their first call since a surprise rapprochement in March.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman received a call on Wednesday from the Iranian leader, Ebrahim Raisi, during which they discussed “the current military situation in Gaza and its environs”, the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA) said.
Israeli strikes knocked Syria's two main airports out of service on Thursday, Syrian state media said, in the first such attack since a weekend Hamas assault on Israel triggered fierce fighting.
Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday alleged babies were murdered and burned by Hamas terrorists during their onslaught against Israel. He also showed the photos to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who landed in Israel today.
Germany is offering military help to Israel and promising to crack down on support for the militant Hamas group.
