KEY POINTS
- Hezbollah fires toward northern Israel after accusing IDF of targeting Lebanese civilians
- US expects Army forces and vessels deployed to build Gaza humanitarian pier to arrive soon
- Israeli protests in Tel Aviv after Hamas publishes video of hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin
Tensions in the Israeli-Lebanese border have only intensified further on the 202nd day of the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip as Iran-backed Hezbollah targets northern Israeli communities.
U.S. President Joe Biden and 17 other global leaders, including the leaders of the United Kingdom and Canada, have issued a joint statement calling on Hamas to immediately release some 130 hostages who have been held in Gaza since the Palestinian militant group's Oct. 7 massacre in Israel.
Houthis, a Yemeni rebel group backed by Iran based in Yemen, have resumed their attacks in the Red Sea after some two weeks of no incidents reported to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations.
- Loud bang heard, smoke seen by merchant vessel's crew off Yemen's Aden: UKMTO
- Staffer of Belgian aid agency, 3 other members of his family, killed in Israeli strike in Rafah: Belgium's foreign ministry
- Nearly 400 bodies recovered from Nasser Hospital grounds mass graves: Palestinian civil defense team
- IDF withdraws Nahal Brigade from Gaza ahead of looming Rafah raid: Local media
- Hamas has shown signals of not intending to delay ceasefire deal: Report
- Egypt reportedly proposed restarting truce talks in exchange for Israel's agreement to not pursue Rafah raid
- US official reportedly blames Sinwar for Hamas' rejection of multiple ceasefire proposals
U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) forces intercepted an anti-ship ballistic missile launched from Houthi-held areas in Yemen. The missile is believed to have targeted a U.S.-flagged, owned and operated merchant ship in the Gulf of Aden.
Back in the Gaza Strip, there were reports of an internet outage in several parts of the central and southern regions Thursday as the Israel Defense Forces make the necessary preparations to raid Rafah, the overcrowded city in southern Gaza temporarily home to majority of the Palestinian population.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called out the "horrific" anti-Israel protests in American college campuses, saying antisemitism should be stopped.
The U.S. State Department said Israel's push to legalize settler outposts in the Israeli-occupied West Bank would be "dangerous and reckless" following reports that Israel's Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich was pushing for such a move.
A move that legalizes Israeli settlements in the West Bank could only add fire to the longstanding Israel-Palestine conflict that has left civilians from both sides suffering the consequences – a disproportionate number on the Palestinian side.
The live update has ended.
Sinwar calls shots in truce talks, rejects proposals: Reports
Yahya Sinwar, Hamas' most senior official in Gaza, is "the ultimate decision maker" in terms of ceasefire-related moves by the Palestinian terror group, multiple local outlets reported, citing a senior U.S. official.
"The question goes to him of whether he'll agree to release the vulnerable category of hostages to secure ceasefire and relief for Gazans, and the answer that comes back from Sinwar personally, is 'No,'" the official reportedly said.
