Tel Aviv/Gaza, Nov. 2, (dpa/GNA) - The Israeli army said on Thursday that it had attacked more than 12,000 Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip since the war began as fierce fighting continued on the ground in the besieged Palestinian territory.
On the 27th day of the Israel-Hamas war, 400 dual passport holders left Gaza for Egypt, the Egyptian Red Crescent said.
On Wednesday, more than 360 left while dozens of other injured Gazans were taken to Egyptian hospitals.
The Egyptian Foreign Ministry said some 7,000 foreign passport holders from 60 countries are waiting to exit Gaza, where the humanitarian situation continues to deteriorate.
The Hamas-controlled Health Ministry reported 16 hospitals out of service and more than 9,000 dead in Gaza since the hostilities started on October 7, when Hamas fighters killed more than 1,400 people in Israel.
And Bahrain, which established diplomatic ties with Israel in 2020, recalled its ambassador, while Saudi Arabia, which had been considering closer ties with Israel prior to the Hamas terrorist attack against Israel said it was making another $13 million in aid available to Gaza citizens.
On the military front, the Israeli army said its more than 12,000 targets in Gaza included weapons depots, buildings belonging to leading members of Hamas and rocket arsenals.
Army spokesman Daniel Hagari gave the figures on Thursday on X, formerly Twitter. On Wednesday, the military spoke of about 11,000 targets.
Israel insists it only strikes Hamas targets but notes that Hamas often operates out of hospitals, schools and other civilian institutions.
Still, the high number of civilian casualties in the densely populated coastal area as well as the catastrophic situation for its inhabitants have triggered international criticism of Israel’s actions. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected calls for a ceasefire.
There were clashes overnight between Israeli soldiers and Hamas fighters in the north of the Gaza Strip overnight, according to both sides.
The al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, reported its fighters had attacked Israeli soldiers north-west and south-east of Gaza City with anti-tank shells.
The Israeli army said that during the night soldiers encountered terrorist cells that attacked with anti-tank rockets and hand grenades. Long battles ensued, during which the soldiers were supported by artillery and air force.
“Dozens of terrorists” were killed and Hamas infrastructure was also destroyed, the Israeli army said. The military did not give any information on possible casualties among its own ranks in the latest fighting.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said there are now known to be at least 242 hostages in Hamas captivity in Gaza, according to an IDF update on Thursday.
Hagari, the Israeli army spokesman, said most Israeli hostages are believed to be alive.
Militant Palestinians in Gaza again fired rockets at southern Israel on Thursday afternoon. There were rocket alerts in the desert city of Beersheba and in a kibbutz near the Gaza Strip.
On the northern front, the Israeli army said it fired on and hit a “terror cell” in the Lebanese border area. The military said it was responding to anti-tank missiles launched into northern Israel.
Hezbollah said their fighters hit an Israeli “espionage system.”
On the diplomatic front, apart from recalling its ambassador to Israel, Bahrain said in a statement on Thursday that all economic ties with Israel were being halted, as part of measures Bahrain has taken in support “For the Palestinian cause and the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people,” parliament said.
The Foreign Ministry reiterated Bahrain’s stance condemning and denouncing Israel’s escalation of the war in the Gaza Strip. It also called for the establishment of a sovereign independent state on the borders of June 4, 1967, with East Jerusalem as its capital, in accordance with international resolutions.
Bahrain sent two planes carrying aid to Gaza. The Saudi government said its additional $13 million in aid to civilians in Gaza is being donated by Saudi King Salman and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
GNA