Several people have been killed and dozens of others wounded in an Israeli strike on an ambulance convoy near the al-Shifa hospital in the besieged Gaza Strip, according to the Palestinian health ministry.
A convoy of ambulances was transporting critically wounded patients from al-Shifa hospital to the Rafah border crossing with Egypt when it was targeted in an Israeli strike on Friday, said Ashraf al-Qudra, a spokesman for the health ministry in Gaza.
Spokesman Brigadier General Pat Ryder confirmed earlier reports of the unmanned drones, also known as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), reports Al Jazeera.
"In support of hostage recovery efforts, the US is conducting unarmed UAV flights over Gaza, as well as providing advice and assistance to support our Israeli partner as they work on their hostage recovery efforts," he said in a statement.
Many casualties feared as Gaza officials said Israeli attacks hit ambulance convoy carrying wounded as it was leaving al-Shifa Hospital, reports Al Jazeera.
The al-Shifa Hospital has over 5,000 patients and tens of thousands of displaced people in the front and back yards.
It is the largest hospital in Gaza City and the Gaza Strip.
We informed the Red Cross and the Red Crescent, we informed the whole world, that those victims were lined up in those ambulances,” he said.
“This was a medical convoy.”
The Israeli military said it was looking into the report
🚑❌At precisely 16:30, Israeli occupying forces launched an airstrike on Rashid Street in the western part of #Gaza, their target was a group of ambulance vehicles returning from a mission to transport injured individuals to the Rafah border, which included an ambulance… pic.twitter.com/wQRFKfrLZY
The explosive force of the bombs dropped by Israeli warplanes on Palestine’s Gaza is “1.5 times more than the nuclear bomb dropped on Hiroshima” in Japan in 1945 (15,000 tons of TNT), the head of the Government Media Office in Gaza, Salama Marouf, said pic.twitter.com/8pauNw4e59
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) plans to break through Hamas’s defensive fortifications around bunkers and tunnels in a new phase of military activities in Gaza, Pulitzer Prize-winning American journalist Seymour Hersh reported in his blog on Substack.
"I was told by a military expert, who has served in combat with the IDF, that the tank movements were the beginning of a second phase of its combat operations against Hamas. The goal, he said, is to break Hamas’s defensive perimeter around its main bunkers and tunnels in the center of Gaza City," Hersh wrote.
According to the military expert, the tank columns "are not rushing into the center. Rather, they stay put on the perimeters, firing in from a distance." Such tactics, according to the journalist's sources, minimize Israeli casualties but result in hundreds of enemy fatalities. The downside of such tactics is that buildings and neighborhoods are "flattened," whether civilians are there or not, Hersh pointed out. The journalist also argues that Israel will not stop its almost round-the-clock bombing until 65% of the infrastructure in the Gaza Strip is hit. According to Hersh, Israel's bombardment has turned Gaza City into a deadly wasteland.
On October 31, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel’s military operation in Gaza had already entered its third phase, which included the expansion of ground operations in the enclave.
Seymour Hersh: Israel Won't Stop Bombing Gaza Until It Destroys 65% of Hamas Tunnels
Israel's military has declared its determination to increase and magnify its series of offensives in Gaza, while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has dismissed mounting international demands for a halt to the conflict.
The Israel Defense Forces's all-out war against the Palestinian militant group Hamas includes underground warfare that aims to destroy "a labyrinth of tunnels under Gaza," US investigative journalist Seymour Hersh wrote in an article on Substack.
He recalled that over the past few days, the IDF has escalated its ground operation against Hamas by sending tank columns “directly into Gaza and firing from a distance at targets in Gaza City."
The Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist quoted an unnamed military source as saying that the goal was "to break Hamas's defensive perimeter around its main bunkers and tunnels in the center of Gaza City.
The source admitted that although such tactics minimize Israeli casualties and increase “enemy kills,” there are some problems. Primarily, the insider stressed, buildings and neighborhoods in Gaza are “flattened […] whether civilians are inside these buildings or not.”
Moreover, “The slow approach takes time. How much time does Israel have to pursue this war?” the source said, referencing growing worldwide protests against the IDF operation in Gaza.
Hersh, for his part, pointed out that the Israeli Air Force (IAF) is doing its best to obliterate “the extensive Hamas tunnel system that includes exits and entrances underneath the thousands of residential and office buildings in Gaza City.”
In this vein, the source told the journalist that almost 50 percent of the targeted buildings inside Gaza City have already been destroyed, and that "the bombing is scheduled to continue until the IAF reaches its goal of wiping out 65 percent of the possible citywide escape routes for the Hamas leadership and its fighters."
Hersh quoted another unnamed source as describing the Hamas tunnels as something that was “dazzling in its ingenuity.”
“There were administrative tunnels, command-and-control tunnels, and storage tunnels throughout Gaza City,” the source claimed, adding that it was decided after the October 7 Hamas attack that “all buildings with terminal exits and entry points had to be bombed.”
Separate insiders told the journalist that "there is no sign that the Israeli leadership will stop the nearly round-the-clock bombing campaign until 65 percent of the targets for destruction have been hit." Right now, Hersh added, Gaza City looks “a deadly wasteland” due to the bombings.
"I also have been told that there is no power throughout the underground tunnel system and all the fighters and hostages are living in the dark, Hersh said. In conclusion, he cited one of the sources saying that “from Israel’s perspective, it is now a no-holds-barred war."
The remarks come after the IDF promised to intensify its ground incursion the Gaza, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejecting ceasefire-related calls and saying that “Israel will fight until this battle is won.”
Hostilities between Israel and Palestinian movement Hamas have become the deadliest for journalists covering the conflict since fatalities started to be documented in 1992, with the death toll among them reaching 36, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has said.
Earlier in the week, CPJ said that at least 31 journalists have died since the escalation of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
"The Israel-Gaza war has become the deadliest period for journalists covering conflict since CPJ began documenting journalist fatalities in 1992. As of November 2, CPJ’s investigations showed at least 36 journalists and media workers were among an estimated 10,000 killed since the war began on October 7—with more than 9,000 deaths in Gaza and the West Bank, and 1,400 in Israel. This deadly toll is coupled with harassment, detentions, and other reporting obstructions in the Palestinian territories of Gaza and the West Bank, Israel, and beyond," CPJ said in a statement on Thursday.
The CPJ says that nine additional journalists are missing or currently detained and another eight were injured during the conflict. It notes that 31 of the slain journalists were Palestinian, while four were Israeli and one was Lebanese.
The vast majority of the journalists were killed by Israeli airstrikes, according to the CPJ. Four of the 36 journalists were reportedly killed during Hamas attacks and three more were shot inside Gaza, though the CPJ does not note which side allegedly fired the shots.
On October 7, Palestinian movement Hamas launched a surprise large-scale rocket attack against Israel from the Gaza Strip and breached the border, killing and abducting people in neighboring Israeli communities. Israel launched retaliatory strikes and ordered a complete blockade of the Gaza Strip, home to more than 2 million people, cutting off supplies of water, food, and fuel. The escalation of the conflict has resulted in thousands of people killed and injured on both sides.
As Israel's ground invasion of Gaza intensifies, Israel has told media outlets that it cannot guarantee the safety of journalists working in the area.
Russia has strategically utilized unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to a great effect, particularly in neutralizing Ukrainian armored vehicles and tanks. These drones, known for their precision and agility, have become a powerful asset on the battlefield.
The Russian Defense Ministry has published footage showing Russian forces wiping out a Ukrainian German-made Leopard tank with a UAV in the Zaporozhye direction.
Russian drones have demonstrated that they can quickly identify and target tanks and other armored vehicles, often catching them off guard. Using swift strikes, these UAVs have repeatedly demonstrated their ability to disrupt and dismantle Ukrainian tank units.
The commander of the UAV group of the 1430 regiment of the Russian Armed Forces, who goes by the code name Yakut, informed journalists that Ukrainian troops are increasingly employing Leopard tanks in their assaults on Russian positions in the Zaporozhye direction. He added that any vehicles of Soviet origin in this area are rarely seen.
Earlier, the group under Yakut's command destroyed two Ukrainian Leopards and two Bradley BMPs while fending off a Ukrainian attack. According to information provided by the Russian servicemen, there were fewer Leopard tanks on the frontline sections of the Zaporozhye direction since mid-summer.
"They mostly have imported equipment remaining and practically no domestic equipment... They've begun using Leopards again. They didn't have them before. But now they've resurfaced. There is an assumption that they have resumed receiving NATO equipment and are endeavoring to once again take control of our settlements," Yakut said.
Russia Repels Attack in Donetsk Direction, Ukraine Loses Up to 115 Soldiers
Russia repelled an attack and Ukraine has lost up to 115 soldiers in the Donetsk direction in the past 24 hours, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Thursday.
"The daily losses of the enemy amounted to up to 115 soldiers, one tank, nine infantry fighting vehicles, including eight US-made Bradley infantry fighting vehicles, and four cars," the ministry said.
Ukraine lost up to 165 soldiers and seven tanks in the South Donetsk direction, the ministry added.
Ukrainian launched counteroffensive attempt in June and quickly turned into a failure which took the death toll of more than 90,000 Ukrainian soldiers on the battlefield and the loss of over 500 Ukrainian tanks.
Watch Russia's Su-25 Crush Ukrainian Fortified Field Positions
Russia's Sukhoi Su-25, also known as Grach (lit. rook) or Frogfoot, is a powerful attack jet that has played a pivotal role in the ongoing special operation. Renowned for its ability to provide close air support, the Su-25 has proven instrumental in obliterating ground fortified positions, reducing Ukrainian military capabilities.
The Russian Defense Ministry has published footage of Su-25 attack jets wreaking havoc on fortified field positions, in addition to reducing Ukrainian hardware to rubble in the Donetsk direction.
The Kiev regime's forces have struggled to counter Russia's jets effectively, especially the Su-25, due to their deadly mix of precision and firepower on the battlefield. These attack jets, which can carry various munitions, have shifted the balance in many encounters by consistently outmaneuvering and overpowering Ukrainian defenses.
Kremlin Shoots Down Top Ukrainian Commander’s ‘Stalemate on the Battlefield’ Comment
Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov, on Thursday, dismissed Ukrainian Commander-in-Chief Valery Zaluzhny's claims of a battlefield impasse, stating that they are false.
On Wednesday, Zaluzhny said in an interview with the Economist that the conflict with Russia has reached a "stalemate," adding that, according to NATO’s "text books" and the plans for the counteroffensive, "four months should have been enough time for us to have reached Crimea, to have fought in Crimea, to return from Crimea and to have gone back in and out again."
"No, it [conflict] has not reached a stalemate. Russia consistently continues to conduct the special military operation. All the objectives must be reached," Peskov said, answering a question whether the Kremlin agrees with Zaluzhny's statement.
