Israel-Hamas war

Hamas: Ambulance convoy attacked - AFP journalist has seen several bodies 

The Hamas-controlled Palestinian Ministry of Health states that a convoy of ambulances at al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City was hit in an Israeli airstrike, several media outlets write. 

 

The ministry does not provide an exact death toll, but only states that dozens have died, writes Haaretz. AFP's journalist on the ground has seen several bodies at the impact site, which is close to the hospital.  

 

The Israeli Defense Forces say in a statement that they are investigating the information about the attack, writes Reuters. 

 

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Hezbollah leader: The war a Palestinian issue but there is a risk of escalation  

Hassan Nasrallah, terrorist-classified Hezbollah's top leader, gave his first speech on Friday since Hamas' attack on Israel on October 7.  

 

In the speech, he said several times that he did not know that Hamas planned the attack on Israel but emphasized that Hamas was right to attack the country. He added, however, that the war "is 100 percent a Palestinian issue."  

 

- It is for the Palestinian people and is not part of a regional problem, he said.  

 

Before the speech, many observers had feared that Hezbollah would take a more active role in the war. There were no such indications, but Nasrallah warned that there is a "big risk" of escalation.  

 

- Our soldiers are not afraid, he said. 

 

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Expert: Difficult to decipher what Hezbollah's next step will be 

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said in his speech on Friday that the war between Hamas and Israel "is 100 percent a Palestinian issue" but he warned at the same time that an escalation is a "real danger".  

 

Anders Ekholm, lieutenant colonel at the Norwegian Defense Academy, tells Ekot that Nasrallah's words carry weight in the region as his terrorist organization's soldiers are considered very skilled.  

 

- This is an opponent that the Israelis fear. 

 

Ekholm also says that it is difficult to decipher what the terrorist organization will do next, but notes that Hezbollah has already succeeded in tying about a third of the Israeli defense forces to battles on the Lebanese border. 

 

- It is a third that cannot be used in any other direction, he says.

 

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Journalist killed in Gaza - colleague breaks down: "We will die, one by one" 

During a broadcast on state Palestinian television on Thursday evening, correspondent Salman al-Bashir broke down, AP reports.  

 

al-Bashir reported from Nasser Hospital in Gaza as eleven bodies entered the morgue. One of the bodies was his colleague's and the other ten bodies were the colleague's family. 

 

- We can't handle this anymore, we are exhausted and we will be killed one by one, says al-Bashir.  

 

The broadcast also shows the news anchor starting to cry as al-Bashir continues to say that the outside world doesn't care about Gaza while removing his press vest and protective helmet. 

 

- The protective vests and helmets do not protect us. Nothing protects journalists, we are killed for no reason.  

 

Salman al-Bashir's words in the TV box have then quickly spread on social media and highlighted the fact that 31 journalists have been killed in Gaza since the war broke out on October 7.