MEDICAL sources tell Al Jazeera that at least 31 people have been killed in Israeli strikes on Gaza throughout Thursday and more deaths have been reported from attacks early on Friday morning.
Also Al Jazeera’s correspondent in Gaza describes Israel’s 60-day blockade on aid entering the territory as the “deliberate strangulation” of the civilian population.
Meanwhile, the Israeli military’s primary goal in the war on Gaza is securing the return of the remaining captives, not the total destruction of Hamas, as claimed by Prime Minister Netanyahu this week, an unnamed Israeli military source has told The Times of Israel.
“The supreme mission that the [Israeli military] is dealing with is our moral duty to return the hostages.
The second mission is defeating Hamas. We are working to advance both goals, with the return of the hostages being at the top [of the list of priorities],” the source said.
Speaking at the annual Independence Day Bible Contest in Jerusalem on Thursday, Netanyahu said “victory” over Hamas, not the return of the 59 remaining captives, was the “supreme goal” of Israel’s war.
Israel’s war on Gaza has killed at least 52,418 Palestinians and wounded 118,091, according to the enclave’s Health Ministry. The Gaza Government Media Office updated the death toll to more than 61,700, saying thousands of people missing under the rubble are presumed dead.
An estimated 1,139 people were killed in Israel during Hamas-led attacks on October 7, 2023, and more than 200 were taken captive.
