KEY POINTS
- Israeli police forcefully remove protesters blocking aid trucks at Nitzana border crossing
- German airline Lufthansa extends suspension of Tehran flights amid tensions
- Israel to open a new northern Gaza crossing for incoming overseas aid
On Day 188 of the Israel-Hamas war, Indonesia, in a major turnaround, for the first time committed to normalizing ties with Israel as part of its bid to join the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), multiple outlets reported. The Southeast Asian nation previously denounced Israel's military offensive in Gaza.
Russia has urged his citizens not to travel to the Middle East due to Iran's threat as Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has said Israel "will be punished" for the killings of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) members in the Damascus strike last week.
- Hezbollah claims attack on Israeli army tank near tension-packed border
- UN agencies in Gaza distributed only 61 of 298 trucks that entered enclave Wednesday: Israel
- Israeli fighter jets strike Hezbollah target in southern Lebanon
- Israel is prepared to attack and defend: Netanyahu
- IDF announces assassination of top Hamas financing operative
- Hamas doesn't have the hostages to meet truce requirements' first phase: Reports
- US intel suggests number of dead hostages much higher than known: Report
U.S. envoy to the Middle East Brett McGurk has reportedly called on the region's foreign ministers to help urge Iran to de-escalate tensions with Israel.
Back in Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was reportedly not consulted on the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) strike that killed three of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh's sons Wednesday.
In the Houthi-disrupted Red Sea, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) forces destroyed 11 drones belonging to the Iranian-backed Yemeni rebel militia.
In war-torn Gaza, the United Nations continues to demand that Israel allow more humanitarian aid to enter the Strip amid looming famine, especially in the northern Gaza Strip.
The Netanyahu government has remained unmoved in the face of immense pressure regarding Israel's military offensive in Gaza that has killed over 33,000 people as per figures from Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry. More countries are also calling for a two-state solution to end the long and violent history of the Israel-Palestine conflict that led to Hamas' Oct. 7 massacre in Israel.
The live update has ended.
US intel indicates most hostages in Gaza are dead: Report
U.S. estimates regarding the number of dead hostages still being held in Gaza may be much higher than the 34 the Israeli army announced, the Wall Street Journal reported Thursday, citing American official familiar with the intelligence.
The officials noted, though, that information the U.S. has collected on the hostages is still limited and relies in part on Israeli intelligence.
