Israeli airstrikes kill 6 Gaza fighters, including Hamas counter-espionage official

Israeli strikes in the Gaza Strip have killed six Palestinian fighters, including a Hamas member believed to be responsible for interrogating individuals suspected of espionage in the southern Gaza Strip. According to Israel’s military update on Telegram, Bilal Nofal was eliminated by an IAF aircraft. Nofal played a role in advancing Hamas’ research and development processes, and his removal significantly impacted the organization’s capacity to develop and enhance its capabilities. More than 2,000 rockets have been fired toward Israel from Lebanon, the home of Hezbollah, since the start of the war in Gaza, killing 12 Israeli soldiers. Meanwhile, medicine for hostages was en route to Gaza on Wednesday after Qatar and France mediated a deal between Israel and Hamas — the first agreement between the two since a weeklong cease-fire broke down in November. The deal came more than 100 days into a conflict that shows no sign of ending and has sparked tensions across the Middle East, with a dizzying array of strikes and counterstrikes in recent days from northern Iraq to the Red Sea and from southern Lebanon to Pakistan. The United States launched the third strike in recent days against the Houthi rebel group in Yemen, according to a U.S. official. The Houthis have attacked shipping in the crucial Red Sea corridor, saying they seek to halt Israel’s war in Gaza against Hamas. In northern Gaza, Palestinian militants battled Israeli forces and launched a barrage of rockets from farther south. The Palestinian death toll rose to 24,285 people, Gaza’s Health Ministry said Tuesday. In Israel, around 1,200 people were killed during Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack that sparked the war and saw some 250 people taken hostage by the militants. With inputs from agencies.