armed fighters

Israeli forces kill two Palestinians including Hamas gunman in West Bank

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Israeli forces kill two Palestinians including Hamas gunman in West Bank

Israeli forces shot dead two Palestinians near Tubas in the occupied West Bank. One of them, Mohammad Omar Daraghmeh, was a member of Hamas and the head of Hamas infrastructure in the Tubas area. Daraghmeh was killed during an exchange of fire with security forces and weapons were found in his vehicle. Another man was killed in a raid in the Al-Fara refugee camp, but it is unclear if he was a member of Hamas. The incident is part of a series of confrontations between Israeli forces and Palestinians in the West Bank since the start of the war in Gaza.

Blinken begins new Middle East trip as U.S. strains with Israel show

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Blinken begins new Middle East trip as U.S. strains with Israel show

– U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken embarked on a Middle East mission, with no initial stop in Israel announced.
– Intense fighting occurred around Al Shifa hospital in Gaza City, with Israel claiming to have killed 90 gunmen and Hamas stating those killed were civilians.
– Blinken was scheduled to visit Saudi Arabia and Cairo to discuss efforts to secure a truce in the conflict.
– Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected a plea from President Joe Biden to call off plans for a ground assault of Rafah.
– Netanyahu aims to complete the elimination of Hamas battalions in Rafah through a ground assault.
– The war between Israel and Hamas began on October 7, with Hamas killing 1,200 people and capturing 253 hostages, and nearly 32,000 Palestinians confirmed killed since then.
– Ceasefire talks have resumed in Qatar, with discussions on a truce involving the release of around 40 Israeli hostages in return for hundreds of Palestinian detainees.
– Israel launched an operation against Al Shifa hospital, claiming Hamas fighters regrouped there, and reported killing 90 gunmen and detaining 160 at the hospital.
– Hamas acknowledged a senior police commander was killed in the hospital but stated he was responsible for civilian security.

Anti-Kremlin fighters launch cross-border attacks into Russia

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Anti-Kremlin fighters launch cross-border attacks into Russia

Armed fighters claiming to be Russian citizens opposed to the Kremlin conducted cross-border incursions into western Russia from Ukraine using tanks. Moscow reported repelling the attacks. The groups, acting independently according to Ukraine, aimed to distract Russian forces and relieve pressure on Ukrainian troops in eastern Ukraine. The Freedom of Russia Legion claimed control of Tyotkino, a village in Russia’s Kursk region. The attacks involved the Russian Volunteer Corps and the Siberian Battalion. Russia’s defense ministry stated it repelled the incursions and drone attacks in the Belgorod and Kursk regions. The incidents occurred days before Russia’s presidential election, with the groups hinting at opposition to the expected re-election of Putin.