TRANSCRIPT
Israeli troops are forcing their way into the city of Rafah on the southern-most region of the Gaza Strip.
Locals say they saw tanks and other military vehicles moving into five neighbourhoods of the Al-Mawasi area in Rafah's west, with heavy shelling and gunfire hitting the tents of displaced Palestinian families.
The latest incursion has reportedly cost the lives of eight people.
Rafah is considered as the final refuge for many displaced Palestinians, with over a million people fleeing to the area due to the war.
It comes during a period of tensions between the Israeli military with the government.
Speaking to Israel's Channel 13, Israeli Defence Force spokesman rear admiral Daniel Hagari has made a controversial claim regarding his nation's long-term goal of eliminating Hamas.
"This business of destroying Hamas, making Hamas disappear — it’s simply throwing sand in the eyes of the public, if we don't bring something else to Gaza then at the end of the day we will get Hamas."
The Israeli government issued a statement shortly after the remarks made by Mr Hagari, saying that the elimination of Hamas remains its primary purpose.
Mr Netanyahu has reiterated that Israel's operation in Gaza will not cease until their objective of rescuing the remaining hostages captured by Hamas during the October 7 raids has been achieved.
“We will not leave the Gaza Strip until we return all our hostages - both the living and the dead. We are doing this mission and also many other missions, and for now it’s better to be silent about it.”
Protests continued in Israel for yet another day, with demonstrators gathering outside the residence of Mr Netanyahu in Jerusalem.
There are growing calls for the resignation of the Israeli government with people expressing their anger for its handling of the Gaza war.
Protesters are also calling for an immediate ceasefire in the enclave and the release of the remaining hostages held by Hamas.
Speaker and protester Ami Dror has accused the Israeli government of putting its own interests ahead of securing the safety of the captives.
“We know that the only way to return the hostages (held in Gaza) and to start the healing process of this country is to eliminate this racist, messianic, corrupted government that chooses all the time that chooses their survival over the hostages' survival. So every day counts here. And the way we do it, we're using nonviolent protest everywhere we can in the streets, in the cities next to the houses (of the Prime Minster) in order to make sure that this government cease to exist as soon as possible."
Meanwhile, human aid groups say they have yet to access the corridor that was opened by the Israeli military for the provision of support towards Palestinians in need.
The military announced earlier this week they would making "tactical pauses" to their operations for around 11 hours every day to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid.
But UNRWA spokesman Jonathon Fowler says it remains too dangerous for aid groups to operate on a consistent basis.
"The problem is humanitarian workers, including UNRWA staff but also people from other parts of the UN system, have to be able to get to the border to pick up those trucks to then distribute them to the population. And this is where it's extremely problematic at the moment. One of the reasons for this is that this is still an active war zone."
Meanwhile, the European community has collectively shown its support towards Cyprus, following threats made against the nation by Lebanese military group Hezbollah.
The group's leader, Hassan Nasrallah, said the EU nation had chosen to involve itself in the war by providing Israel with access to its military bases.
As such, he has warned that Hezbollah will henceforth treat Cyprus as an enemy.
“In one word and on this international platform, Cyprus should be warned that opening Cypriot bases and airports to the Israelis to target Lebanon means that the Cypriot government has become part of the war. And the resistance will deal with it (Cyprus) as if it is part of the war.”
Cypriot president Nikos Christodoulides sought to play down the threat, saying that his country are not involved in the conflict and are more interested in resolving the situation in the Middle East.
"The Republic of Cyprus is not involved in any way in the hostilities. The Republic of Cyprus is not a part of the problem, the Republic of Cyprus is part of the solution. And our role, as it was manifested for example through the humanitarian corridor, is recognized not only by the Arab world but by the entire international community."
European Commission spokesman Peter Stano has sought to remind the Hezbollah leader that Cyprus remains one of its members.
"Let me remind everyone that Cyprus is a member state of the European Union. That means the European Union is Cyprus and Cyprus is European Union. That means any threat against one of our member states is a threat against the European Union. So in this sense, the European Union fully supports Cyprus as such and the statement made in this context of the threats from Hezbollah by President of Cyprus."
Cyprus and Lebanon maintain good bilateral ties historically and are seeking to de-escalate any tensions caused by the Hezbollah leader's statements.
Sources say the foreign ministries of the two nations have been in close contact, with discussions being held for a potential visit by the Cypriot minister Konstantinos Kombos to Beirut sometime in the near future.
In a lettter, the Lebanese prime minister Najib Mikati has thanked Mr Christodoulides for his handling of the situation.
