Israel troops launch brief ground raid into Gaza

Palestinians search for survivors and the bodies of victims. Pic/AP

Israeli troops and tanks launched an hourslong ground raid into northern Gaza overnight into Thursday, the military said, striking several militant targets in order to "prepare the battlefield" ahead of a widely expected ground invasion after more than two weeks of devastating air raids.

The raid came after the UN warned it is on the verge of running out of fuel in the Gaza Strip, forcing it to sharply curtail relief efforts in the territory, which has also been under a complete siege since Hamas' bloody rampage.

Israeli tanks entering northern Gaza for the overnight raid. Pic/AP

The rising death tolls in Gaza are unprecedented in the decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Even greater loss of life could come if Israel launches an expected ground offensive aimed at crushing Hamas, which has ruled Gaza since 2007 and survived four previous wars with Israel.

The Health Ministry in Hamas-ruled Gaza said Wednesday that more than 750 people were killed over the past 24 hours, higher than the 704 killed the previous day. The ministry however, does not distinguish between civilians and combatants.

Rise in harassment against Jewish and Muslim Americans

Muslim and Jewish civil rights groups say they've seen large increases in reports of harassment, bias and sometimes physical assaults against members of their communities since the October 7 Hamas attacks.

The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) and the Center on American-Islamic Relations saw increases in reported instances, many involving violence or threats against protesters at rallies in support of Israel or in support of Palestinians over the last two weeks. Other attacks and harassment reported by the groups were directed at random Muslim or Jewish people in public.

A spokesperson for the Council on American-Islamic Relations said it had received 774 reports of bias-related acts in two weeks. The ADL recorded at least 312 antisemitic acts including physical violence such as a woman being punched in the face in New York by an attacker who the league says said, "You are Jewish."

Hamas supporters use online games to torment Israeli kids

Israel's Ministry of National Security has reported that it has received reports of attacks made during games played on the popular game platform Roblox, wherein kids playing the game were exposed to characters (avatars) wearing uniforms and holding weapons with the flags of Palestine and Saudi Arabia, attack Israeli players.

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