IDF operates in Beit Hanun, Gaza City overnight while IAF strikes over 90 terror targets
Suspects were identified approaching IDF soldiers operating in the Rafah area in Gaza on Friday night, leading soldiers to fire warning shots to disperse them, the military said.
Prior to shooting, the soldiers called on the suspects to distance themselves. Reports of casualties were received, and the incident is under investigation, the IDF noted.
On Friday overnight, soldiers under the Southern Command operated and targeted terrorist infrastructure across the Gaza Strip between Friday and Saturday, the military said.
In northern Gaza, soldiers from Division 162 killed terrorists, destroyed terror infrastructure and weapons facilities above and below ground, the IDF noted.
Soldiers from Division 99 operated in northern and central Gaza, where they uncovered Hamas infrastructure and destroyed several terror sites in Beit Hanun.
In the Gaza City area, soldiers destroyed rocket launch positions, sniper positions, and weapons storage facilities, the IDF stated.
Additionally, the Israel Air Force attacked around 90 terror targets across Gaza, in coordination with ground forces. According to the IDF, the air force struck underground infrastructure and facilities.
This is a developing story.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Fox News
an hour ago
- Fox News
American man from Oklahoma 'brutally executed' by Syrian-backed jihadis
Syrian jihadists reportedly executed a 35-year-old Syrian American – a member of the religious minority Druze community – last week as government-backed forces viciously attacked members of the Druze community in the country. The State Department confirmed on Tuesday to Fox News Digital that an American, who has been identified as Hosam Saraya from Oklahoma, was killed in Syria. A State Department spokesperson said, "Time and time again, Secretary Rubio has emphasized the importance of prioritizing the safety and security of U.S. citizens. We can confirm the death of a U.S. citizen in the Sweida region of Syria last week. We offer condolences to the family on their loss and are providing consular assistance to them." Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla, wrote on X, "Hosam was an Oklahoman and member of the Druze community who was tragically executed alongside other members of his family in Syria. We are praying for his family, friends, and the entire community as they grieve this senseless loss." Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla, wrote on X that an "American citizen from Oklahoma" was "brutally executed alongside his family members in Syria," adding, "I'm working with partners in the region to learn more, and we're in touch with @GovStitt on this devastating situation. Our prayers are with the family at this time." President Ahmed Al-Sharaa had reportedly taken the side of the jihadi-influenced Bedouin tribes who executed Druze residents in southern Syria, declaring they carried out "heroic actions." Al-Sharaa, who used a nom de guerre "Abu Mohammed al-Golani," was on the FBI's Most Wanted List from 2013 through 2024 for his role in terrorism. Critics accuse al-Sharaa of seeking to violently repress the struggling ethnic and religious minority populations in Syria – Christians, Druze, and Kruds. Last week Israel launched military strikes against the jihadi forces on their way to the southern city of Sweida, where there is a large Druze population, to stop the massacre. Israel also attacked the Syrian Defense headquarters in Damascus to halt the bloodshed in Sweida. An Israel Defense Force spokesman told Fox News Digital during a Zoom call that it "learned its lesson" from the Hamas invasion of the Jewish state in 2023 and has two goals in southern Syria: border security and the rescue of Syrian Druze. The bulk of the world's Druze community lives in Syria. There are also sizable Druze populations in Israel and Lebanon. Arizona GOP Congressman Abe Hamadeh, who is of Druze background, told Fox News Digital, "The barbaric violence against the Druze community in Syria must end immediately. Under the bold leadership of President Donald J. Trump, Secretary Rubio, and Ambassador Barrack, the United States took bold steps to ease sanctions and extend goodwill to the Syrian government and its people in the hope of seeing real reforms." Hamadeh, whose mother is from Sweida, added, "Now is the time for the Syrian government to turn their words into real actions, if they want to maintain legitimacy: restore order, protect all of its citizens, and demonstrate a genuine commitment to peace and long-term stability. The only way is to build a new Syria that is reflective of its ethnic and religious mosaic. The United States wants Syria to succeed, but bloodshed, senseless violence, and division is not the path forward." The Arizona congressman said, "My staff and I are engaged in interagency efforts to ascertain what is, and is not, happening on the ground in Syria amid the fog of this conflict. We will not rest until all American remains and victims are returned. Justice and accountability must be served. We are praying for the victims and for peace." Al-Sharaa's rule since he toppled the pro-Iran regime of Bashar al-Assad in December has experienced massacres of Alawites, Christian and Druze. Critics argue that Al-Sharaa refuses to rope in the jihadi forces who seek to impose a Taliban-style rule on Syria. After Al-Sharaa's forces executed Syrian Christians in March, Rev. Johnnie Moore, the president of the Congress of Christian Leaders, told Fox News Digital: "This is a warning that the Syrian government is not ready for prime time if it can't protect a handful of vulnerable Christians who had absolutely nothing to do with this violence except being its victims," The death toll involving the clashes between Sunni Bedouin tribes and Druze fighters, which includes government forces and Israel, topped 1,000, according to the U.K.-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR). Washington helped implement a fragile ceasefire. SOHR noted, "Reaching an agreement including ceasefire and sponsored by Washington coincided with threats to keep Syria on the list of state sponsors of terrorism, in case that the agreement's terms were violated."
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Israel responds to WHO accusations over attacks on Gaza facilities
Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Generate Key Takeaways Israel's military on Tuesday responded to accusations by the World Health Organization (WHO) that its forces attacked the UN agency's facilities in central Gaza and detained staff members. The military said soldiers came under fire in the city of Deir al-Balah on Monday and returned fire in the direction the shots originated. However, the military did not specify whether the gunfire came from WHO premises in Deir al-Balah. The WHO said that a staff accommodation facility was attacked on Monday and that a central warehouse had been damaged in a separate incident on Sunday. According to a report by Israeli news outlet Ynet, citing a military spokesperson, the army is aware of claims that a residential complex housing WHO employees was struck. The report added that, according to the military, no agency staff were injured. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) publicly confirmed that several individuals were detained in Deir al-Balah on suspicion of "involvement in terrorism." It did not clarify whether those detained were WHO employees or their relatives, as the UN agency has claimed. Most of those detained were released following on-site questioning, the army said. The IDF did not comment on one individual who, according to the WHO, remains in custody. In a statement on Monday, WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said male WHO staff and their male relatives had been handcuffed, stripped, searched at gunpoint, and interrogated on site. Responding to the claim, the Israeli military stated on Tuesday: "At times during field questioning, it is necessary for individuals suspected of terrorist activity to temporarily remove parts of their clothing in order to ensure that they are not concealing explosive belts or other weapons." Suspects are treated in accordance with international law, the military added. Ghebreyesus also said that women and children related to WHO staff had been forced to flee on foot amid the fighting. The Israeli military said it had warned civilians to leave the area prior to its operation and had been in contact with international organizations operating there. The IDF advanced this week into the south-west of Deir al-Balah as part of its operations against Hamas and other militant groups. Palestinians mourn over dead bodies after they were brought to Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City after Israeli forces opened fire on civilians who were waiting for humanitarian aid near the Zikim area on the northern Gaza coastline. Omar Ashtawy/APA Images via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa
Fox News
3 hours ago
- Fox News
Disputed fire by ancient church in Holy Land sparks diplomatic, religious fallout
NEW You can now listen to Fox News articles! Israeli police late Monday dismissed reports alleging that Jewish settlers set fire to the archaeological site of the Church of St. George in the village of Taybeh in the West Bank, calling them "factually incorrect," lacking evidence and potentially misleading to the public. According to police, a probe was launched last Thursday by a specialized team within the Judea and Samaria Central Investigations Unit (YAMAR) under the direction of the district commander. An internal committee was also tasked with reviewing the timeline of events recorded in police information systems, assessing the handling of reports and complaints, and evaluating the response. "Findings gathered on the ground unequivocally show that no damage or harm was caused to the holy site itself," police said. DISPUTE OVER CHRISTIAN GROUPS' VISAS TO ISRAEL RESOLVED AFTER HUCKABEE THREAT The statement noted that a small fire had occurred in an open area near the site, but no buildings, crops or infrastructure were damaged. On Tuesday, U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee noted on X that Taybeh was "a beautiful village made up of mostly Arab Christians. Glad [the Israel Police] continue [to] search for truth [without] regard to assumptions." Huckabee pointedly added: "I have NOT attributed the cause of fire to any person or group as we don't know for sure. The press has. I have said that regardless, it was [a] crime [and] deserves consequences." An exclusive investigation by The Press Service of Israel (TPS-IL) first raised questions over the fire, having uncovered evidence that local Jewish residents had participated in firefighting efforts near the church and raised significant doubts about the cause of the blaze. TPS-IL also documented additional fires on July 7, 8 and 11 in nearby pastureland, located dozens of meters from the church compound. In each instance, a Jewish farmer with a property adjacent to the site filed complaints with police, claiming the areas where animals were grazing had been deliberately set ablaze. Last weekend, Huckabee visited Taybeh, where he called for accountability. "To commit an act of sacrilege by desecrating a place that is supposed to be a place of worship, it is an act of terror, and it is a crime," he said in a statement released by the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem. "There should be consequences, and it should be harsh consequences because it is one of the last bastions of our civilization, the places where we worship." The visit came after the Council of Patriarchs and Heads of Churches of Jerusalem issued a statement claiming that "radical Israelis from nearby settlements intentionally set fire near the town's cemetery and the Church of Saint George." A joint statement days earlier from the priests of the three churches in Taybeh – the Greek Orthodox Church, the Melkite Greek Catholic Church and the Roman Catholic Church – blamed "Israeli settlers" for "deliberately ignit[ing] a fire near the town's cemetery and the historic Church of Saint George (Al-Khadr), a fifth-century site considered one of the oldest religious landmarks in Palestine." HUCKABEE DEMANDS ISRAEL 'AGGRESSIVELY INVESTIGATE' MURDER OF PALESTINIAN-AMERICAN KILLED IN 'TERRORIST ACT' Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem Theophilos III accused "radical Israelis from nearby settlements" of "a targeted attack." Dan Diker, president of the Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs, told Fox News Digital that Israel must take a more assertive approach in handling incidents that could impact its international standing. "We are in the middle of the most consequential war since the founding of the state, and events like this are just as dangerous," he said. He emphasized the importance of reinforcing Israel's role in safeguarding Christian heritage and holy sites, particularly in contested areas. "This includes exposing the PLO and Hamas' ongoing war against Christian citizens, but it also requires transparency and assertiveness in showing our role as guardians of Christian sites and civilization in Judea, Samaria and Jerusalem," said Diker. He also pointed to what he described as a coordinated effort by the Palestinian leadership to undermine Israel's legitimacy on the global stage, particularly through the media. "We are in the midst of an international crusade by the Palestinian leadership to uproot our legitimacy," he said. "The international media has become an ecosystem for the defamation and delegitimization of Israel. They are weaponizing every event into an existential assault." On Monday night, the Binyamin Regional Council, which administers Jewish communities in southern Samaria, confirmed the church incurred no damage. "Here I am on the outskirts of the church. You can see the apse over here. And even on the outskirts or the outer walls, there are no signs of fire," the council's international spokeswoman, Eliana Passentin, said in a video. "We are the guardians of the biblical heartland. This land was given to us by God – there is no reason for us to burn a church or to disrespect anyone else's religion," she added. Speaking to Fox News Digital on Tuesday, Passentin recalled bringing visitors to the local brewery in Taybeh, which was so well-regarded that a rabbi granted it kosher certification. She noted that Israelis and Christian Arabs had coexisted peacefully in the area for years, but expressed concern that the community now identifies itself with a Palestinian state that does not formally exist. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP "When I was walking around, one of the priests in Taybeh said he believed in the two-state solution and it felt as if the P.A. was putting a lot of pressure on the Christians," Passentin said. She suggested that the latest crisis was manufactured by those seeking to divide Jews and Christians, whom she described as joint guardians of Judea and Samaria. "We are striving for peace," she said. "This is the land of the Bible, and we should be building it together – not fighting or spreading false blood libels accusing Jews of burning down a church."
