Israeli–Hamas war : Netanyahu convenes top generals, war cabinet to assess escalating conflict
The ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine’s Hamas has entered its 17th day now killing over 6,000 people on both sides and injuring thousands of others.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited the country’s troops stationed near the Lebanon border, where the forces have exchanged fire with the Iran-backed Hezbollah terrorist group since the October 7 war began. This came after Hezbollah said that Israel would pay a price if it conducted another ground invasion in the Gaza Strip as the group was “in the heart of the battle”.
Netanyahu said, “If Hezbollah decides to enter the war, it will miss the Second Lebanon War. It will make the mistake of its life. We will cripple it with a force it cannot even imagine and the consequences for it and the Lebanese state are devastating.”
Here is all that happened on Day 16:
On Sunday, Israel announced the approval of a second shipment of humanitarian aid for Gaza following a request from the US and guidance from other political officials. The first shipment, comprising 20 trucks, entered the region on Saturday, marking the first aid delivery since Israel’s complete blockade began two weeks ago. The Sunday batch specifically included water, food, and medical supplies, with no fuel, according to Israeli authorities.
The United Nations agency responsible for Palestinian refugees issued a warning on Sunday that Gaza will exhaust its fuel supply within three days. Philippe Lazzarini, the UNRWA Commissioner-General, emphasized the dire consequences of such a fuel shortage, including the inability to provide water, maintain operational hospitals and bakeries, and deliver essential aid to civilians in desperate need.
India dispatched approximately 6.5 tonnes of medical aid and 32 tonnes of disaster relief supplies to Palestinians on Sunday. A plane from the Indian Air Force, carrying these provisions, departed from New Delhi destined for Egypt’s El-Arish airport. The aid package comprises vital life-saving medications, surgical equipment, tents, sleeping bags, tarps, water purification tablets, and other essential items, as confirmed by Arindam Bagchi, the External Affairs Ministry spokesperson.
Syrian state media reported that Israeli airstrikes early Sunday targeted the international airports of the Syrian capital Damascus and the northern city of Aleppo, resulting in one person’s death and damage to the runways. This attack is the second on Damascus International airport this month and the third on Aleppo’s airport. It occurred as tensions increased in the Middle East due to the Israel-Hamas conflict.
The Israeli Defense Forces reported that a military aircraft conducted an airstrike on Sunday on the Al-Ansar mosque located in the Jenin refugee camp in the West Bank, which is currently under Israeli occupation. The IDF, using X (formerly Twitter), stated that the airstrike was targeted at an “underground terror route” used by Hamas and Islamic Jihad militants that was concealed beneath the mosque. Tragically, one Palestinian lost their life as a result of the shelling, as confirmed by the Palestinian Red Crescent.