The Israeli military said its forces were "expanding the operation to Khan Younis" in the southern coastal region and had "neutralized dozens of terrorists" across Gaza in the past 24 hours.<\/p>\n
Israel has pounded southern and central Gaza, while Egypt is set to host a high-level Hamas delegation for talks to try to end the nearly 12-week war that has ravaged the besieged Palestinian territory.<\/p>\n
The Israeli military said its forces were "expanding the operation to Khan Younis" in the southern part of the coastal region and that they had "neutralized dozens of terrorists" across Gaza in the past 24 hours. AFPTV footage showed smoke rising over Rafah, near Egypt, after fresh strikes early Friday.<\/p>\n
Israeli shelling near Al Amal in Khan Younis has killed 41 people over the past two days, the Palestinian Red Crescent said on Thursday. Victims of repeated Israeli attacks near the facility include "displaced persons seeking refuge," it said.<\/p>\n
(AP Photo\/Ariel Schalit)<\/p>\n
The UN humanitarian agency said about 100,000 more displaced people had arrived in the already crowded southern border town of Rafah in recent days after fighting intensified around Deir al-Bala and Khan Younis.<\/p>\n
At Al-Aqsa Hospital in Deri Al-Ballah, Palestinians gathered to recognize their loved ones killed in attacks. Suher Nasser held the bodies of her twin children, who she sobbed said were killed in an Israeli bombardment on Thursday. "The house was bombed and debris fell on the children on December 28 \u2013 their birthday."<\/p>\n
The fighting has reduced much of northern Gaza to rubble, while the battlefront has increasingly shifted south and raised tensions across the Middle East.<\/p>\n
Israel has vowed to destroy Hamas in retaliation for the Oct. 7 attack that left about 1,140 dead, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli figures. About 250 hostages were also taken during the attack, of which more than half remain captive.<\/p>\n
Israel's relentless aerial bombardment and ground invasion of Gaza have killed at least 21,507 people, mostly women and children, according to the health ministry in Hamas-ruled Gaza. This figure includes 187 deaths in the last 24 hours, according to a ministry statement. The Israeli military says 168 of its soldiers have been killed inside Gaza.<\/p>\n
Sources close to Hamas say Egypt's three-stage plan calls for renewable ceasefires, a staggered release of hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners in Israel and an eventual end to the war.<\/p>\n
Hamas' military wing, the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, said on Friday it had fired a new volley of rockets into southern Israel. Israel has repeatedly stated that one of the main goals of the war is the return of the 129 hostages it says remain in Gaza.<\/p>\n
On Thursday, an Israeli kibbutz community said one of its residents, 70-year-old American-Israeli Judith Weinstein Hagai, believed to be the oldest woman held captive, had actually died in the Oct. 7 attack and her body was being held by militants. US President Joe Biden said he was "devastated" by the news.<\/p>\n
The UN says more than 80% of Gaza's 2.4 million residents have been driven from their homes. Many now live in cramped shelters on the tiny plot of land or in makeshift tents around Rafah.<\/p>\n
The UN agency for Palestine refugees, UNRWA, said 308 people seeking refuge in its facilities were killed during the war.<\/p>\n
They found a live baby in the wreckage<\/b><\/p>\n
Rescuers found a little girl alive in the ruins of her house after an Israeli airstrike in the town of Rafah.<\/p>\n
Little Mariam's skin was gray with dust and she made few noises as rescuers reached deep into the rubble to free her legs and lift her up. People thronged the ruins of the Abu Edouane family home where Maryam's family had taken refuge.<\/p>\n
Mariam's mother and sister were both killed in the strike along with other members of the Abu Edwan family and people from other families who were temporarily living together. Her father and brother survived her.<\/p>\n
Source: Reuters, AFP<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Israeli army has expanded its operation in the southern part of the Gaza Strip and neutralized dozens of terrorists in the last 24 hours. The fighting has resulted in the destruction of a large part of northern Gaza and the displacement of over 80% of its population. The UN has reported that over 100,000 displaced people have arrived in the already overcrowded city of Rafah in recent days. The Israeli military has vowed to destroy Hamas in retaliation for the attack on October 7th, which has resulted in the deaths of over 1,140 people. The conflict has claimed the lives of at least 21,507 people, mostly women and children, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. The UNRWA has reported that 308 people seeking refuge in its facilities have been killed during the war. Rescuers have found a baby girl alive in the rubble of a house in Rafah after an Israeli airstrike.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":824,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"Default","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[3,145,210,136],"class_list":["post-823","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cyprus","tag-cyprus","tag-gaza","tag-health","tag-isiyiioeiyi"],"acf":{"keyphrase":"","keywords":"","sourceimg":"","country-category":""},"yoast_head":"\n