Israeli soldiers killed the commanders of the Hamas battalion that led the massacre in Kibbutz Beeri, one of the bloodiest attacks of October 7th. This was reported by the IDF (the Israeli Defense Forces) and the Shin Bet, explaining that the commander of the Hamas Nuseirat battalion, Ismail Siraj, and his deputy, Ahmed Wahaba, were killed in an air attack this evening in the Gaza Strip .
The joint statement adds that Siraj previously served as commander of Hamas' Nukhba military company and was also involved in rocket production. The Nuseirat Battalion carried out the massacre in Kibbutz Be'eri and other Israeli border communities on 7 October. The same battalion was also involved in the launch of anti-tank missiles and drones against Israeli troops active in Gaza in recent months, the IDF specifies.
Blinken meets Erdogan in Türkiye
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken meanwhile met Turkish President Recep Tayyip today in Istanbul, with the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza at the top of the agenda. Blinken was in Turkey ahead of his fourth Middle East tour in three months. He also met with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan.
The Turkish minister conveyed Ankara's call to Blinken for an “immediate ceasefire” in Gaza and to continue providing humanitarian aid to the besieged strip, state news agency Anadolu reported. Israel's actions pose a “threat” to the region and discussions on a two-state solution should resume, Fidan told Blinken.
In addition to Gaza, the two discussed final steps to complete Ankara's ratification of Sweden's NATO candidacy and the United States' planned sale of F-16 fighter jets to Turkey. Fidan told Blinken that Turkey expects the F16 purchase process to be concluded before its parliament can finally vote on Sweden's NATO candidacy, Anadolu added. The U.S. Senate still must approve the sale.
Hezbollah rockets against Israel
They were over 60 rockets launched by Hezbollah against northern Israel, which, in claiming responsibility for the action, defined it as the “initial response” to the killing in recent days of Hamas number 2, Saleh al Arouri, in a raid in Beirut attributed to the Jewish state. “At 8.15 we fired 62 rockets at the Israeli base in Meron,” Hezbollah said in a statement, the day after the warning issued by its leader, Hassan Nasrallah, according to which the assassination of al Arouri “will not go unanswered” . The Party of God also claims that the attack also caused injuries and calls the affected base “the only intelligence, surveillance and air control center in the north of the usurping entity”.
In Gaza 22,722 dead
Meanwhile, the number of people who have lost their lives and 58,166 of those who have been injured in the Gaza Strip has risen to 22,722 since the Israeli retaliation began for the attack suffered by Hamas on 7 October. This was announced by the Hamas-run Ministry of Health, stating that 122 Palestinians were killed in the last 24 hours while 256 were injured.
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