Netanyahu: If we fail to minimize civilian casualties – night update without photos EU targets Russian diamond exports – night update without photos

Hostage’s body found in Gaza Strip

Nearly six weeks after the Islamist Hamas attack on Israel, soldiers have recovered the body of a hostage near Shifa Hospital in the Gaza Strip. The dead woman was discovered in a hospital annex, taken to Israel and identified, the Israeli military said Thursday. The woman was kidnapped from the border town of Beeri on October 7 during the Hamas massacre in Israel. Weapons such as submachine guns and rocket-propelled grenades were also found in the building.

During their operation in the largest clinic on the coastal strip, Israeli forces also said they found command and control centers. A military representative left it unclear what exactly this meant. Weapons, computers and military equipment were also found there. It remained unclear whether any of the centers discovered was also the command center of the Palestinian Islamic organization, which the military suspected was located beneath the hospital. Hamas denies the existence of such a base under the clinic.

Fighters from the Islamist terrorist organization Hamas from the Gaza Strip attacked Israel on October 7, brutally killing about 1,200 people. At the same time, about 240 people were kidnapped as hostages. Israel then launched airstrikes and a ground offensive in the Gaza Strip in late October. According to Palestinian information, more than 11,000 people were killed. According to the UN, the supply situation is catastrophic. Israel has been under international pressure for its warfare – especially since the attack on the Shifa clinic.

Netanyahu: We are failing to minimize civilian casualties

The Israeli leader acknowledged that the armed forces are not always successful in their efforts to prevent civilian casualties. The army is trying to end the military operation in the Gaza Strip with a minimum of civilian casualties, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in an interview with the American television channel CBS. “We try, but unfortunately it doesn’t work. Every death of a citizen is a tragedy. We are trying to do everything in our power to keep civilians out of harm’s way, while Hamas is doing everything it can to keep them there.”

Military: Four killed in shooting at West Bank checkpoint

Four people have been killed in a shooting at a checkpoint in the West Bank, according to the Israeli military. Israeli soldiers and police shot three suspected terrorists from the Islamist Hamas from Hebron at the checkpoint near Jerusalem, the army said. The attackers planned to launch an attack on Israeli forces. An Israeli soldier was also killed in the shooting.

Israeli Army: Hamas Tunnel Discovered at Shifa Clinic Site

Israeli soldiers say they have discovered a Hamas tunnel on the grounds of Shifa hospital. The military said a booby-trapped vehicle containing a large quantity of weapons, ammunition and handcuffs was also discovered at the site. The army suspects it was prepared for the October 7 Hamas massacre in Israel and the hostage taking. A tunnel was also discovered in Rantisi Hospital. Weapons and ammunition were also found in Al-Kuds Hospital.

Report: Netanyahu sees evidence that hostages are at the clinic

According to a report in the US media, the Israeli head of government sees “strong indications” that Hamas was holding hostages in the largest hospital in the Gaza Strip. That was one of the reasons why Israeli soldiers raided the Shifa clinic, Netanyahu told the CBS television station. Negotiations are currently underway between Israel and Hamas over the hostages kidnapped in the Gaza Strip. There are talks of the release of at least 50 women and children and a three- to five-day ceasefire, a person familiar with the negotiations told the German Press Agency.

Israel takes control of the western city of Gaza

According to Defense Minister Joav Galant, the Israeli army has taken control of the western part of Gaza city in the northern Gaza Strip. “The next phase has begun,” Galant said. He did not leave open what this phase should actually look like. The Israeli military also reported that it had taken “operational control” of the city’s port, which was previously controlled by Hamas. Local sources confirmed the takeover to dpa. The Israeli army has again called on civilians in several neighborhoods of the embattled city of Gaza to flee. Hundreds of thousands have already fled from the north to the south of the coastal strip. However, there were also several Israeli airstrikes there.

What will be important on Friday?

Following his verbal attacks on Israel and his defense of Hamas, which the EU has classified as a terrorist organization, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is expected to visit Germany. He wants to meet Chancellor Olaf Scholz in the chancellery on Friday. Erdogan recently defended Hamas as a “liberation organization” and condemned Israel as a “terrorist state.”

In addition, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell wanted to travel to Ramallah for talks. Discussions with representatives of civil society and a meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas were planned. (sda/dpa)