Day: October 26, 2023

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has carried out a “targeted raid” overnight in northern Gaza using tanks.

It said the raid was carried out as part of “preparation for the next stages of combat” and “struck numerous terrorist cells, infrastructure and anti-tank missile launch posts”, in a post on Thursday, sharing video of the operation.

“The soldiers have since exited the area and returned to Israeli territory,” it added.

Earlier, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a televised speech that IDF forces are still preparing for a ground invasion, but did not give any clues as to the timing.

Israel told 1.1 million residents of Gaza City and other northern areas to leave for their own safety last week.

Meanwhile in Gaza, hospitals are stopping all but emergency services as fuel runs out. Israel has blocked fuel from reaching Gaza and accuses Hamas of stockpiling it.

The UN has said its humanitarian agency in Gaza is facing a similar fuel shortage, saying it may have to shut down in the coming hours as a result.

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said he was “shocked” at the reaction to a statement he made on Tuesday about the war between Israel and Hamas.

The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza says almost 6,500 people have been killed since 7 October.

More than 1,400 were killed in the initial attacks on Israel by Hamas, and more than 200 people are still being held hostage in Gaza

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has arrived in Georgia on a working visit. Minister of Regional Development and Infrastructure of Georgia Irakli Karsheladze welcomed the Prime Minister at Tbilisi International Airport.

Nikol Pashinyan will participate in the Silk Road international conference in Tbilisi today.

A meeting between the Prime Ministers of Armenia and Georgia Nikol Pashinyan and Irakli Gharibashvili is also planned as part of the visit.

At least 22 people were killed in two mass shootings at a restaurant and a bowling alley in Lewiston, Maine, Wednesday night, one of the city’s councilors told CNN.

Another 50 to 60 people were injured, according to multiple law enforcement sources.

An intensive manhunt is underway for a suspect, officials said, and police are asking residents to shelter in place as the situation is ongoing. Lewiston is the state’s second-largest city which is about 36 miles north of Portland.

Police identified Robert Card, 40, as a person of interest in the shooting, adding he should be “considered armed and dangerous.”