Israel has attacked around 40 targets belonging to the Hezbollah movement in Lebanon, the country's military says according to several media.
The attacks are said to have taken place with artillery and aircraft, and among the targets were weapons depots, according to the IDF. Israel says half of Hezbollah's commanders in the area have been killed.
It happens after the Iran-backed movement stated on Tuesday that it carried out attacks with, among other things, drones against two bases north of the coastal city of Acre. It is the first time during the Gaza war that the group has struck targets so far into Israel, according to Al Jazeera.
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Invasion of Rafah is said to be very close - Israel is said to have bought 40,000 tents
Before Israel launches a ground invasion of the city of Rafah in the Gaza Strip, it plans to widen the "humanitarian zone" bordering the Mediterranean coast, an anonymous Israeli military source told the New York Times. The newspaper writes that it is among the first clear statements from the Israeli side about what will happen to the Palestinian civilians in the event of an invasion.
Meanwhile, Israeli sources tell Reuters that Israel has bought 40,000 tents, each of which holds ten to twelve people. Satellite images appear to show tent camps being set up in nearby Khan Younis.
The evacuation of civilians is said to be the first step of the invasion. This is expected to be communicated within two weeks, according to the sources - and the evacuation itself is believed to take about a month.
On Wednesday, information was also spread in several Israeli media that a ground invasion is underway "very soon". Before then, one million civilians are to be evacuated, according to media reports. The decision is said to have been hammered out after the negotiations with Hamas collapsed.
Israel-Hamas War Victims
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The EU demands an investigation into mass graves at Gaza hospitals
The European Commission is now demanding that an independent investigation be established following reports that more than 300 bodies were found in mass graves at hospitals in Gaza, writes AFP. Around 340 bodies are said to have been found in graves at Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis and another 30 at Shifa Hospital in Gaza City.
It is EU spokesperson Peter Stano who says that an investigation is necessary.
- It really gives the impression that violations of international human rights may have been committed, he says according to the news agency.
Even the UN's human rights body, OHCHR, has demanded an investigation into what happened.
Demonstrations for the hostages: "It's terrible"
Relatives of people taken hostage by the terrorist group Hamas held a protest in Tel Aviv on Tuesday to mark 200 days since their loved ones were taken to the Gaza Strip.
The families and others expressing solidarity lay on the ground and held up their red-painted hands.
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They demand that the Israeli government act to free the hostages.
The BBC has spoken to Aviva Siegel who was released in November after 51 days in captivity. Her husband Keith is still stuck.
- It's terrible. I have gone to pieces. It is so difficult to handle the situation. To think how they have it [...] the terrorists who were so brutal to us, and that Keith is still there.
Swedish Radio reports that there is concern among Israelis that the elderly hostages may be dead.
- Many feel that time is about to run out, says SR's correspondent Cecilia Uddén.
Israel har attackerat omkring 40 mål tillhörande Hizbollah-rörelsen i Libanon, uppger landets militär enligt flera medier.
Attackerna ska ha skett med artilleri och flyg, och bland målen fanns bland annat vapenförråd, enligt IDF. Israel säger att hälften av Hizbollahs befälhavare i området dödats.
Det sker efter att den Iranstödda rörelsen på tisdagen uppgett att man utfört attacker med bland annat drönare mot två baser norr om kuststaden Acre. Det är första gången under Gazakriget som gruppen slår mot mål så långt in i Israel, enligt Al Jazeera.
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