Israeli forces attacked areas of the central and southern Gaza Strip where residents have been expecting a renewed ground offensive in areas crammed with tens of thousands of Palestinians already displaced by the Israeli-Hamas war.

With nightfall on Thursday, an Israeli airstrike on a house in the southern city of Khan Younis killed eight Palestinians, health officials said. Three Palestinians were killed and six injured in an Israeli missile strike on a house in Maghazi camp in central Gaza, the Palestine Red Crescent said.

"The task here is to dismantle Hamas - so that it no longer has military and governing capabilities," Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said at a press briefing on operations in Khan Younis. "We will be required to show a lot of perseverance and determination."

A Palestinian journalist posted pictures of Israeli tanks near a mosque in a built-up area of Bureij in central Gaza.

The Islamist group Hamas released video it said showed its fighters targeting Israeli tanks and soldiers east of Bureij. Reuters was not able to verify the location or the date the video was filmed.

"That moment has come, I wished it would never happen, but it seems displacement is a must," said Omar, 60, who said he had been forced to move with at least 35 family members. He declined to give his surname for fear of reprisals.

Yamen Hamad has been living in a school in Deir al-Balah, also in central Gaza, since fleeing from the north. He said people newly displaced from Bureij and Nusseirat were setting up tents wherever there was open ground.

Hamas delegation is due in Cairo

A Hamas delegation is due in Cairo today to give its “observations” about an Egyptian plan for a ceasefire recently put forward.

Sources close to Hamas say Cairo’s three-stage plan provides for renewable ceasefires, a staggered release of hostages held by Hamas in exchange for Palestinian prisoners in Israel, and ultimately a ceasefire to end the conflict.

It also provides for a Palestinian government of technocrats after talks involving “all Palestinian factions”, which would be responsible for governing and rebuilding post-crisis Gaza.

A Hamas official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told AFP yesterday that the delegation would “give the response of the Palestinian factions, including several observations” regarding details of the exchanges and “guarantees for a complete Israeli military withdrawal”.

Diaa Rashwan, who heads Egypt’s State Information Services, said the plan was “intended to bring together the views of all parties concerned, with the aim of ending the shedding of Palestinian blood”.

Iran says it executes four 'saboteurs' linked to Israel's Mossad

Iran executed four "saboteurs" linked to Israel's Mossad intelligence service, the Mizan news agency affiliated to the judiciary said on Friday.

"Four members of a sabotage team associated with the Zionist regime, who had committed extensive actions against the country's security under the guidance of Mossad officers, were executed this morning following legal procedures," it said.

US intercepts Houthi drone, missile in 22nd attack since start of war

The US Navy's USS Mason shot down a drone and an anti-ship ballistic missile fired by the Iran-backed Houthi militia in the southern Red Sea on Thursday, US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced early Friday morning.

According to CENTCOM, this was the 22nd attempted attack conducted by the Houthis against international shipping since October 19. No damage was caused to the 18 ships present in the area at the time.

The USS MASON (DDG 87) shot down one drone and one anti-ship ballistic missile in the Southern Red Sea that were fired by the Houthis between 5:45 - 6: 10 p.m. (Sanaa time) on Dec. 28. There was no damage to any of the 18 ships in the area or reported injuries. This is the 22nd… pic.twitter.com/Y4JRS22850
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) December 29, 2023