THE Israeli military says extensive attacks have been launched over the past 24 hours in the “opening moves” of operation “Gideon’s Chariots”, which will see troops “seize controlled areas in the Gaza Strip”.
Thousands of Palestinians have been ordered by Israeli forces to flee parts of northern Gaza as indiscriminate air strikes killed at least 115 people in the territory since dawn on Friday.
Meanwhile, Israel says it has launched strikes on the Yemeni ports of Hodeidah and as-Salif in response to the Houthi rebels firing missiles towards Israel, days after the Yemeni group agreed a truce with the United States.
The Israeli military said it carried out strikes on “terrorist infrastructure” on Friday, saying on X that the two ports had been used by the Houthi rebel group to “transfer weapons”.
Al Masirah TV, a Houthi-affiliated outlet, also reported Israeli strikes on the two ports. The extent of any damage was not clear, and there no immediate reports of casualties.
The Houthis have carried out a campaign of attacks against Israel in self-proclaimed solidarity with Palestinians after Israel launched its assault on Gaza in October 2023.
Israel has carried out strikes in response, including one on May 6 that damaged Yemen’s main airport in Sanaa and killed several people.
Israel’s war on Gaza has killed at least 53,119 Palestinians and wounded 120,214, according to Gaza’s Ministry of Health. The 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 the Hamas-led attacks on October 7, 2023, and more than 200 were taken captive.
