US President Joe Biden on Friday called on Hamas militants to agree to a new offer from Israel on releasing hostages in exchange for a Gaza ceasefire, saying it was the best way to begin winding down the deadly conflict. Biden's speech came after the Israeli military said it had ended operations in eastern Jabaliya in northern Gaza after destroying tunnels and weapons production sites. Read FRANCE 24's liveblog to see how all the day's events unfolded.
Summary:
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US President Joe Biden on Friday called on Hamas militants to agree to a new offer from Israel on releasing hostages in exchange for a Gaza ceasefire, saying it was the best way to begin winding down the deadly conflict.
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Israeli forces on Friday struck targets across Gaza, including the southernmost Rafah area and Nuseirat in central Gaza. Strikes on two separate locations killed a total of 11 people overnight, medical sources at a hospital in Deir al-Balah and the Nuseirat refugee camp reported.
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The Israeli military on Friday said it has ended operations in eastern Jabaliya in northern Gaza after destroying tunnels and weapons production sites.
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The Israeli military on Friday said two more of its soldiers were killed in fighting in Gaza. Nearly 300 soldiers have been killed since Israel began its ground offensive in the Palestinian enclave.
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At least 36,284 Palestinians have been killed and 82,057 wounded in Israel’s war in Gaza, according to the latest official death toll given by the territory's Hamas-run health ministry. Some 1,170 people were killed in the Hamas-led October 7 attacks and 250 people were taken hostage, according to Israeli figures, with 132 still missing.
Yesterday's key developments:
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Slovenian lawmakers will vote next week on whether to recognise a Palestinian state, the parliament speaker said Thursday, just two days after Spain, Ireland and Norway formally recognised it in a coordinated decision.
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Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on Thursday urged the international community to ensure Palestinians in the Gaza Strip are not displaced in their war-ravaged territory.
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Israel pressed on with its offensive on Rafah on Thursday, a day after saying its forces had taken control of a buffer zone along the nearby border between the Gaza Strip and Egypt, giving it effective authority over Gaza's entire land frontier.
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Chinese President Xi Jinping called on Thursday for a peace conference on the war between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas as he addressed Arab leaders and diplomats at a forum in Beijing.
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At least 36,224 Palestinians have been killed and 81,777 wounded in Israel’s war in Gaza, according to the latest official death toll given by the territory's Hamas-run health ministry. Some 1,170 people were killed in the Hamas-led October 7 attacks and 250 people were taken hostage, according to Israeli figures, with 132 still missing.
Gaza’s health ministry collects data from the enclave’s hospitals and the Palestinian Red Crescent. For more on the health ministry’s casualty figures, click here.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP & Reuters)
