A shooting incident took place at a West Jerusalem bus station which resulted in at least three people dead and 16 wounded. Two suspected attackers were also killed on the scene.
Hamas said the Jerusalem attackers belonged to the group. They declared that the “operation came as a natural response to unprecedented crimes conducted by the occupation.” The resistance group issued a statement pointing to Israel’s recent military campaign in Gaza and the treatment of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails as motivating factors behind the attack.
The truce between Israel and Hamas was extended for only one day. However, the people in the Gaza Strip are sceptical as to what happens next.
Despite the truce, Israeli forces are continuing deadly raids in the West Bank, killing three Palestinians, including two children, in the last 24 hours. An 8-year-old boy was shot in the head and a teenager in the chest. A 25-year-old man, who was shot by Israeli soldiers near Tubas in the occupied West Bank on Wednesday , died of his injuries on Thursday, bringing the number of Palestinians killed in the West Bank since 7 October to 248.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, after meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, highlighted the necessity to protect civilians in southern Gaza, where many have sought refuge. The State Department urged Israel to prioritise humanitarian and civilian protection needs in the region, urging the nation to take every possible measure to avoid civilian harm.
As Blinken arrived in Ramallah to meet with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Netanyahu linked the Jerusalem attack to past violence on 7 October. Netanyahu remarked: “This is the same Hamas.”
The brief truce allowed the markets in the Gaza Strip to open and witnessed an influx of shoppers desperate to secure food, supplies, and winter clothes. However, the prices have soared, triggering anger among the shoppers.
Hamas member Mohammad Nazzal claimed that Israeli authorities refused to take back the bodies of captives killed in Israeli air raids. He expressed Hamas’ readiness to deliver the bodies of Israeli prisoners but pointed out that the Israeli authorities have thus far refused.
Nazzal also highlighted the ongoing efforts for a permanent ceasefire and revealed internal divisions within the Israeli leadership. Nazzal disclosed that the political and military establishments in Israel have yet to reach a consensus on whether to halt or continue the war.
Palestinian journalist Ismail Abu Omar shared footage revealing the extent of destruction caused by Israeli bombardments on the newly constructed Fukhari school in Khan Younis, southern Gaza.
Jordan’s King Abdullah II issued a plea to UN aid officials and international non-governmental organisations (NGOs), urging them to pressurise Israel to facilitate the uninterrupted aid flow into Gaza.