Thousands of demonstrators took to the streets of Jerusalem last night to protest against the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu because of his failure to reach an agreement on the hostages, DPA reported, quoted by BTA.
At a rally in front of the Knesset (Israeli parliament) building, the demonstrators called for early elections, as well as for an agreement to facilitate the release of the remaining Israeli hostages held in the Gaza Strip, reported the "Times of Israel".
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"After what happened on October 7, and in light of the extremism of this government and the denial of its failure, it must return the mandate to the people," protest leader Shikma Bressler told the newspaper.
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Netanyahu's government is made up of his right-wing religious party "Likud" and from far-right and ultra-religious coalition parties.
The Israeli army said it will soon achieve all the objectives of its offensive in the city of Rafah in the Gaza Strip, Reuters reported.
Half of the fighting units of the Palestinian Islamist movement "Hamas", which ruled the Gaza Strip before the attack on southern Israel on October 7, have been destroyed, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) statement said.
Between 60% and 70% of the city's territory in the southern part of the Palestinian enclave is already under "operational control" of the IDF. The Israeli army estimates that it will take several more weeks to complete its military operation in the city.
The Israeli offensive in the town of Rafah on the border with Egypt began in early May. The Israel Defense Forces stated that their goal was to destroy the last fighting units of "Hamas", DPA recalls.
The offensive sparked sharp controversy in the international community, as there were over one million Palestinians in the city when it began, most of whom had fled to Rafah from hostilities in other parts of the Gaza Strip. Almost all of them have already left the city and gone to the west, where it is difficult to receive humanitarian aid.
According to unconfirmed IDF data, released yesterday, during 40 days, Israeli troops have killed about 550 fighters of "Hamas" in the city of Rafah. 22 Israeli soldiers died in the fighting. In the course of the operation, an extensive system of tunnels and large quantities of weapons and explosives were discovered. According to the IDF, there are at least 25 underground tunnels in Rafah that cross the border with Egypt.
The DPA agency notes that it is unable to confirm the Israeli army's information through independent sources.
The Israeli military said it had killed a high-ranking artillery commander of the Lebanese Shiite group "Hezbollah" in an airstrike in southern Lebanon, DPA reported.
The liquidated commander, Mohammed Mustafa Ayub, is believed to have been a key figure in the rocket division of the "Nasser" in southern Lebanon. Tel Aviv claims he planned and carried out attacks against Israeli civilians and communities in northern Israel.
"Hezbollah" confirmed yesterday that one of its fighters had been killed by Israel, but gave no further details on his identity.
The division "Nasser" is one of the three military units of "Hezbollah" in southern Lebanon. Israel killed its commander Taleb Abdallah in an airstrike last Wednesday, after which the Shiite group fired more than 200 rockets and projectiles at northern Israel from the territory of Lebanon.
As tensions rise between Israel and "Hezbollah" Hospitals in and around the Galilee are preparing for an expansion of the war and more casualties, with fortified areas, artificial intelligence and research from previous wars offering security and guidance, Israel's TPS news agency reported.