LIVE UPDATES: IDF Carries Out Tank Raid in Northern Gaza

At least 27 journalists have been killed since the beginning of the Palestine-Israel conflict escalation, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said in a statement. Earlier reports said 22 journalists had died.

The European Union sees no role for Palestinian movement Hamas in any future international peace conference on the Middle East, European Council President Charles Michel said on Friday.

Israeli soldiers deployed at a military base in the Dahlak Archipelago in Eritrea have been attacked, Lebanese media reported on Thursday, citing Eritrean military sources.

The Israeli military conducts ground raids into the Gaza Strip as part of the preparation to the next stages of the ongoing war with Hamas, Israel Defense Forces spokesman Daniel Hagari said on Thursday.

National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said on Thursday that he cannot speak about the Palestinian movement Hamas’ travel habits nor about their conversations with Russian officials.

Hamas representatives traveled to Russia earlier on Thursday for a meeting with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov.

The United States has not formally conducted an assessment to determine whether Israel is following international law when conducting its airstrikes in Gaza, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said on Thursday.

The United States believes it is important for the United Nations to have access into the Gaza Strip to be able to deliver humanitarian goods to Palestinians, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said on Thursday.

sraeli strikes did not affect Hamas, and the movement maintains military and political power in the Gaza Strip, a member of the political office of Hamas, Husam Badran, told Sputnik on Thursday.

Russia is able to play an important role in ending the war between Israel and the Gaza Strip, and delivering aid to the Palestinian exclave, a member of the political office of Hamas, Husam Badran, told Sputnik on Thursday.

According to Badran, Hamas values Russia’s role on the international stage, especially use of veto in the UN Security Council against the United States.

The United States will not be spared from consequences if the "genocide" in Gaza continues, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian said on Thursday.

Iranian Minister of Foreign Affairs Hossein Amir-Abdollahian warned the US of “uncontrollable consequences” of its financial and military support to Israel during his speech Thursday at an emergency session on the Israel-Palestine conflict at the UN General Assembly

Hamas is prepared to release its non-military hostages to Iran, Iranian Minister of Foreign Affairs Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said on Thursday during his speech at the UN General Assembly emergency session on the Israel-Palestine conflict.

Russian Deputy Foreign Mikhail Bogdanov and his Iranian counterpart, Ali Bagheri, on Thursday discussed the escalation of the Middle East conflict and agreed on the necessity to end hostilities in the Gaza Strip, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.

An Israeli drone attacked a "terrorist cell" in Lebanon on Thursday after it attempted to launch anti-tank missiles, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said.

Israel's ambassador to the UN declared Thursday at the UN General Assembly that the United Nations was "so broken, so morally corrupt" that he did not think it was a sustainable organization.

"This week, the UN celebrated its 78th birthday. Yet looking at this resolution and the honorary guests hosted today in these halls, this organization has shown that it is so broken, so morally corrupt that I do not have high hopes that it will make it to 90, let alone 100," Gilad Erdan said.

Erdan was speaking at an emergency special session on the Israel-Palestine conflict at the UN General Assembly, amid a deadlock in the Security Council on the wording of a resolution.

The United Nations General Assembly President Dennis Francis called on the warring parties in Gaza to respect humanitarian ceasefire and allow conditions for opening a humanitarian corridor to the Gaza Strip.

“All parties to this conflict must abide by international humanitarian law and ... immediately create the necessary conditions to allow for an opening of the humanitarian corridor to the Gaza Strip,” Francis told the General Assembly hall.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said on Thursday that it killed the deputy head of Hamas' Intelligence Directorate, Shadi Barud, who is allegedly responsible for planning the October 7 attack.

On October 7, Palestinian group Hamas launched a surprise large-scale rocket attack against Israel from the Gaza Strip and breached the border, killing and abducting around 200 people in neighboring Israeli communities. Israel launched retaliatory strikes and ordered a complete blockade of the Gaza Strip, home to more than 2 million people, cutting off supplies of water, food and fuel. The escalation of the conflict has resulted in thousands of people killed and injured on both sides.

The military wing of the Palestinian movement Hamas, the Al-Qassam Brigades, said on Thursday that it is shelling Tel Aviv in response to Israel's mass killings of civilians.

Russia has discussed release of hostages and evacuation of Russians from the Gaza Strip during a meeting with a delegation of Hamas in Moscow on Thursday, the Russian Foreign Ministry told Sputnik.

The Palestinian movement Hamas said on Thursday that during a meeting with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov that it highly appreciates the position of Russian President Vladimir Putin on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and the efforts of Russian diplomacy.

"The movement's delegation highly appreciated the position of Russian President Vladimir Putin, as well as the efforts of active Russian diplomacy," Hamas said in a statement.

The death toll from Israeli strikes on the Gaza Strip has exceeded 7,000 and over 18,000 people have been injured, the Al-Arabiya broadcaster reported on Thursday, citing the enclave's Health Ministry.

Earlier in the month, the Health Ministry of the Gaza Strip said that the death toll reached 6,500 and 17,400 people received injuries.

The number of victims of the Israeli strikes against the Gaza Strip has reached 7,028 and 18,484 people have received injuries of various degrees, according to the broadcaster.

The number of children who died following the Israeli attacks have exceeded 2,900, the enclave’s health ministry said.

"The number of victims of the Israeli aggression in the Gaza Strip has totaled 2,913 children," the statement read.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova on Thursday confirmed that a delegation of the Hamas movement has arrived in Moscow.

Earlier in the day, a source told Sputnik that a member of the political office of Hamas, Mousa Abu Marzouq, is in Moscow.

The foreign ministers of Egypt, Jordan, the UAE, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, Kuwait and Morocco demanded on Thursday that the UN Security Council oblige Israel and the Gaza Strip to immediately cease fire, according to a joint statement, published by the Egyptian Foreign Ministry.

"We demand that the Security Council oblige the parties to cease fire immediately and on a permanent basis," the statement said.

A member of the political bureau of the Palestinian movement Hamas, Mousa Abu Marzouq, is on a visit to Moscow, a source in the Palestinian delegation told Sputnik on Thursday.

Israel allegedly used munitions containing white phosphorus during strikes on the Gaza Strip, Ambassador of the Permanent Observer Mission of Palestine to the United Nations in Geneva Ibrahim Khraishi said on Thursday.

The ambassador told a briefing that Israel used white phosphorus during its strikes on the enclave, adding that this was also established by Human Rights Watch.

Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki called on Israel to completely cease fire in the Gaza Strip, media reported on Thursday.

On Wednesday, media reported that al-Maliki visited the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague and met with the ICC's chief prosecutor Karim Khan.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will soon pay an official visit to Russia, with the agenda including constructive talks on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov said on Thursday.

Russia is closely monitoring the transfer of a US F-16 squadron to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict zone, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday.

"Of course, this something that we are watching very closely. Of course, we are carefully monitoring the situation in the region," Peskov told a briefing.

Peskov added that the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip is catastrophic and get even worse with the start of a ground military operation.

Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki called on Israel to completely cease fire in the Gaza Strip, AFP reported on Thursday.

On Wednesday, media reported that al-Maliki visited the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague and met with the ICC's chief prosecutor Karim Khan.

The death toll from Israeli shelling of the city of Khan Yunis in the south of the Gaza Strip has reached 22, and more than 100 other were injured, the Palestinian Interior Ministry said on Thursday.

Earlier in the day, the ministry said that at least seven were killed and dozens were injured in the shelling.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov said on Thursday that he met with the political leadership of the Palestinian Hamas movement during his recent visit to Qatar and discussed the situation with the hostages.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Vershinin and Egyptian Ambassador to Russia Nazih el Nagari have discussed de-escalation of the Israel-Hamas conflict as well as the current situation in Syria and Libya, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Thursday.

"Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Vershinin has received Egyptian Ambassador to Russia Nazih el Nagari at his request. An exchange of opinions on topical regional issues on the UN Security Council and General Assembly agenda took place. Special attention was paid to the efforts within the UN platforms to de-escalate violence in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict zone, including in the context of resumption on October 26 of the 10th Extraordinary Special Session of the UN General Assembly on the protection of Palestinian people," the ministry's statement read.

Russia and Israel continue to maintain contacts in light of the recent strikes on Syria's military infrastructure by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), Israeli Ambassador to Moscow Alexander Ben Zvi told Sputnik on Thursday.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) denies that Hamas was able to intercept its helicopter with a surface-to-air missile, the Israeli Haaretz newspaper reported on Thursday.

Earlier in the day, Hamas's military wing, the Qassam Brigades, said that it had shot down an Israeli helicopter with a Sam7 surface-to-air missile above central Gaza Strip.

The World Health Organization (WHO) urged Hamas on Wednesday to immediately release all captives and ensure that the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has access to them to provide necessary medical care.

"Gravely concerned by the humanitarian and health situation facing approximately 200 people, including health workers and up to 30 children, abducted from Israel by Hamas and other armed groups on 7 October 2023, the World Health Organization today reiterated its call for the immediate release of all the hostages, along with urgent access to each of them and delivery of medical care," the WHO said in a statement.