According to the Israeli army, the city of Gaza is surrounded – at a glance Signa Holding is in financial difficulties – this threatens Karstadt, Globus and Co.

The Israeli army says it has attacked further positions of the Islamist Hamas in the Gaza Strip and surrounded the largest city in the closed-off coastal area. The city of Gaza is the “focal point of the terrorist organization Hamas,” military spokesman Daniel Hagari said Thursday evening.

At the same time, fighting continues to escalate on Israel’s border with Lebanon – and Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah’s first speech since the outbreak of the Gaza war could further worsen the situation. In response to the shelling from Lebanon, the Israeli army said on Thursday evening that it had attacked military positions of Nasrallah’s pro-Iranian militia.

Hezbollah leader wants to break his silence

The Israeli military will continue to focus on the fighting in the Gaza Strip even as Iran pressures its allies to distract Israel from it, military spokesman Hagari said. “We are focused on destroying Hamas.” The secretary general of Hezbollah in Lebanon, which is also supported by Shiite Iran, will address the public for the first time since the start of the Gaza war on Friday afternoon. A memorial ceremony has been officially announced for the slain Hezbollah fighters – but Nasrallah’s statements could also indicate whether the Hezbollah militia will increasingly join the war between Israel and the Islamist Hamas.

Israel continues to take action against Hamas

According to the Israeli army, more than 130 terrorists were “eliminated” in the Gaza Strip on Thursday. It was unclear how many of them were still alive. Israeli military spokesman Hagari said soldiers killed terrorists in close combat where fighting was necessary, without naming specific locations.

The Israeli army had repeatedly called on people still in the northern Gaza Strip and Gaza city to flee to the south of the coastal area. According to estimates by the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, Gaza City has a population of nearly 750,000, equivalent to about a third of the population of the Gaza Strip.

Flashing again in Israel

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken plans to meet Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other representatives of the Israeli government in Israel on Friday to learn more about their further plans. “He will reiterate our support for Israel’s right to defend itself in accordance with international humanitarian law and discuss the need to take all precautions to minimize civilian casualties,” the State Department said in Washington prior to. There will also be further humanitarian aid for the population in the Gaza Strip.

More aid is coming to the Gaza Strip

On Thursday, 102 trucks carrying urgently needed aid arrived there, more than on any other day, as “The Times of Israel” newspaper reported, citing the Palestinian Red Crescent. The trucks brought water, food and medicine from Egypt to the Gaza Strip via the Rafah border crossing. This means that a total of 374 trucks carrying aid have arrived in the coastal area since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas.

Meanwhile, extremist Palestinians fired rockets again at southern Israel from there. The army announced on Thursday that an alarm had been raised in the desert town of Beersheva and in a kibbutz near the Gaza Strip. In addition, rocket alarms were activated several times in the north. It was unclear where the shelling came from. According to the emergency services, there were initially no reports of injuries.

Another firefight on Israel’s border with Lebanon

The Israeli army says it has also stationed large numbers of soldiers and reservists on its northern border with Lebanon. The armed forces are prepared to “respond immediately and energetically to any attack by Hezbollah.” According to its own statements, the army attacked Hezbollah’s command and control centers and weapons depots on Thursday in response to shelling from Lebanon.

Israeli forces also attacked a military site used by Hezbollah, the army said. The Shia militia is “responsible for the current situation in Lebanon.” Hezbollah claimed responsibility for 19 attacks on Israeli posts near the border. The Shiite organization had also previously stated that it had hit an Israeli “spy system.”

Since the outbreak of the Gaza war, there have been repeated violent incidents on the border, resulting in deaths on both sides, the majority of which so far have been Hezbollah fighters. There are concerns that the war could spread to Lebanon and other countries in the region. Hezbollah has close ties to Hamas and is considered one of its main supporters.

Israel: The Palestinian Authority is no longer allowed to receive money for Gaza

Meanwhile, the Israeli security cabinet wants to deduct all funds intended for the Gaza Strip from payments to the Palestinian Authority (PA). Prime Minister Netanyahu’s office announced this on Thursday evening. The statement did not make it clear whether Israel would now resume the remaining millions of dollars in payments to the West Bank Autonomous Authority. According to media reports, the security cabinet has decided to do so.

According to the will of the Israeli government, workers from the Gaza Strip who have been stuck in Israel since the start of the Gaza war should be returned to the closed area. According to Netanyahu’s office, the security cabinet decided on Thursday evening that no Palestinians from there would be allowed to come to Israel to work.

What will be important on Friday?

Hezbollah Secretary General Nasrallah will address the public this afternoon for the first time since the start of the Gaza war. If his speech calls for a tougher approach to the enemy in the south, the situation could get completely out of hand. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken also wants to travel to Jordan after his talks in Israel. (sda/dpa)