Israel-Lebanon latest: Israeli soldier group warns Netanyahu ‘red line crossed’ and threatens to stop fighting
It comes as the Israeli military expanded its ground invasion of southern Lebanon with thousands of troops
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Over 100 Israeli soldiers have warned Benjamin Netanyahu a “red line has been crossed” over the government’s war strategy and threatened to stop fighting.
In a letter addressed to Netanyahu and his defence minister Yoav Gallant, 130 soldiers said they would lay down their arms if a hostage release deal was not secured.
“If the government does not change course immediately and work towards securing a deal to bring the hostages home, we will not be able to continue serving,” the letter read.
“For some of us, the red line has already been crossed, and for others, it is rapidly approaching: the day when, with broken hearts, we will stop reporting for service.”
The group includes both reserve and regular soldiers, some of whom have served in Gaza and on Israel’s northern border since last year’s 7 October Hamas attacks.
It comes as Hezbollah targeted Israeli forces near the Lebanese border village of Labbouneh with artillery shells and rockets on Wednesday, injuring three soliders.
The conflict in Lebanon has escalated dramatically in recent weeks after Israel launched ground operations into southern Lebanon on 1 October that expanded further this week.
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Six wounded in stabbing attack in Israel, police say
At least six people were wounded, two of them seriously, in a stabbing attack in the Israeli city of Hadera on Wednesday, Israeli authorities said.
“The terrorist has been neutralized,” police said in a statement. “Four separate locations have been identified, resulting in six victims with stab wounds.”
The police did not immediately provide other details, but issued a brief video of the suspected attacker being apprehended.
Of the six people rushed to the hospital, at least two were in serious condition, according to medical officials.
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Hamas, Fatah leaders to hold Palestinian unity talks in Cairo
Leaders from the Islamist group Hamas and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah movement will hold further unity talks in Cairo on Wednesday, a Hamas official said.
The media adviser of the Hamas political chief, the Hamas delegation arrived in Cairo on Tuesday, according to reports.
It was led by Khalil Al-Hayya, the group’s chief negotiator and Hamas’ second-in-command, currently based in Qatar.
“The meeting will discuss the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip, and the challenges facing the Palestinian cause,” Hamas officials said.
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More than 42,010 Palestinians have been killed and 97,720 injured in Israel’s military offensive on Gaza since 7 October 2023, Gaza’s health ministry said.
Israeli soldiers demand hostage deal
Over 100 Israeli soldiers have threatened to stop fighting if Netanyahu’s government does not secure a hostage release deal.
In a letter addressed to Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his defence minister Yoav Gallant, 130 soldiers said: “If the government does not change course immediately and work towards securing a deal to bring the hostages home, we will not be able to continue serving.
“For some of us, the red line has already been crossed, and for others, it is rapidly approaching: the day when, with broken hearts, we will stop reporting for service.”
The group includes both reserve and regular soldiers, some of whom have served in Gaza and on Israel’s northern border since last year’s 7 October Hamas attacks.
Pictured: Damage in Beirut following Israeli airstrikes
185 Hezbollah targets hit in 24 hours, Israel claims
The Israeli military says it has hit around 185 Hezbollah targets in Lebanon in the past day. Soldiers had “dismantled” launch pads that “posed a threat” to northern Israel and located weapons, it added.
Hezbollah militants had also been killed in “close quarter encounters” and aerial strikes. In Gaza, the military said its operation against Hamas was still taking place, with “dozens” of fighters killed in the past 24 hours.
Weapons, including grenades and AK-47 rifles, had been destroyed, along with “infrastructure sites” and rocket launchers, it added.
Israel carries out new strikes in Gaza
At least 18 people were killed in overnight military strikes on Gaza as Israeli forces pressed on with a raid on the Jabalia refugee camp in the enclave’s north.
The Israeli military says the raid, now in its fifth day, is intended to stop Hamas fighters staging further attacks from Jabalia and to prevent them regrouping.
It has repeatedly issued evacuation orders to residents of Jabalia and nearby areas, but Palestinian and UN officials say there are no safe places to flee to in the Gaza Strip.
“At least 400,000 people are trapped in the area,” Philippe Lazzarini, the head of the UN Palestinian refugee Agency (UNRWA), posted on X on Wednesday.
“Recent evacuation orders from the Israeli Authorities are forcing people to flee again & again, especially from Jabalia Camp. Many are refusing because they know too well that no place anywhere in Gaza is safe.”
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