Amid Hamas ‘regrouping’, Israeli forces step up attack, kill 87 in northern Gaza

A 41-year-old Israeli colonel was killed in combat in northern Gaza on Sunday even as forces intesified its strikes targeting Hamas militants. It struck multiple homes in the northern Gaza Strip overnight and into Sunday which left at least 87 persons dead or missing, the territory’s Health Ministry said.

It said another 40 persons were wounded in the strikes on the town of Beit Lahiya, which was among the first targets of Israel’s ground invasion nearly a year ago. The Israeli military said it carried out a precise strike on a Hamas target.

Israel has been carrying out a large-scale operation in northern Gaza for the last two weeks, saying Hamas has regrouped there. Palestinian officials say hundreds of people have been killed and that the health sector in the north is on the verge of collapse.

The United States is meanwhile investigating an unauthorised release of classified documents that assess Israel’s plans to attack Iran, according to three US officials. A fourth US official said the documents appear to be legitimate.

The documents, attributed to the US Geospatial Intelligence Agency and National Security Agency and marked top secret, indicate that Israel was moving military assets in place to conduct a military strike in response to Iran’s ballistic missile attack on Oct 1.

The US is urging Israel to press for a ceasefire in Gaza following the killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar last week. But neither Israel nor Hamas has shown any interest after months of negotiations came to a halt in August.

Iran supports Hamas and the Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon, where a year of escalating tensions boiled over into all-out war last month. Israel sent ground troops into Lebanon at the start of October.

The Lebanese army said three of its soldiers were killed in an Israeli strike on their vehicle in southern Lebanon. There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military on Sunday's strike.

Have attacked Hezbollah’s intelligence HQ: Israel

Beirut: Israel said its air force attacked Hezbollah’s intelligence headquarters in Beirut on Sunday as well as an underground workshop for the production of weapons. In a statement, the Israeli military said its fighter jets killed three Hezbollah commanders, including Alhaj Abbas Salameh, a senior figure in the group’s southern command, Radja Abbas Awache, a communications expert, and Ahmad Ali Hussein, who it said was responsible for strategic weapons development. It was not clear if the three were killed in the attack on the headquarters.