Israel-Hamas war: Gaza church housing Palestinians bombed, Biden seeks billions in aid for Israel

A day after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu allowed limited humanitarian aid into Gaza from Egypt following a request from US President Joe Biden, the latter said he would ask Congress to approve extra funding for Israel.

As the war between Israel and Hamas terrorists continues to escalate, an explosion struck a Greek Orthodox church housing displaced Palestinians late Thursday, resulting in deaths and injuries. The Associated Press quoted an official and said the death toll wasn’t clear as bodies were still being brought to the hospital, while some still remained trapped under the rubble. Palestinian authorities blamed the blast on an Israeli airstrike.

The war began on October 7 after Hamas terrorists stormed into Israel, and Israel vowed to destroy the group. The Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry said that 3,785 Palestinians have been killed and more than 12,500 others have been wounded. More than 1,400 people in Israel have been killed. An Israeli military spokesperson said that the families of 206 people believed to have been captured by Hamas and taken into Gaza had been notified.

Israel Hamas war: Israel kills Hamas special naval forces operative
In a joint announcement, the Israel Defense Forces and Israel Securities Authority said their fighter jets continued to strike military targets belonging to terrorist organisations in the Gaza Strip. They also said they killed Mabduh Shaalabi, a Hamas special naval forces operative, who was involved in terror attacks against Israel from the sea. Shaalabi was targeted while in an operational command center.