The settlement of Jabaliya as well as Khan Yunis were once again targeted by Israeli forces during overnight operations in Gaza, as the Israel Defense Forces continue to fight against Hamas, according to the Times of Israel.

The Israeli military announced in the early hours of this morning the deaths of five of his NCOs, clarifying via X (the former Twitter) that the four fell in fighting in the southern part of the Gaza Strip.

The fifth succumbed to injuries sustained during the Hamas attack on southern sectors of Israeli territory on October 7, according to Chahal’s statement.

Among the victims was Sergeant Maor Cohen Eisenkot, 19. According to the Israeli press, he is the nephew — the sister’s son — of Gadi Eisenkot, former chief of the general staff, now a member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s wartime government.

The son of Staff Sergeant Gal Meir Eisenkot, 25, was killed in the Gaza Strip on Thursday. He was buried yesterday Friday.

According to the official count, the casualties suffered by the Israeli armed forces since ground operations in the Palestinian enclave began are 97.

A UN force position in southern Lebanon was hit

At the same time, a position of the UN peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon was hit yesterday Saturday, but there were no injuries, the United Nations announced, adding that they are trying to ascertain who opened fire against the peacekeepers.

The peacekeeping force (FINUL in French, UNIFIL in English) is in the process of “verifying” the origin of the fire, however the incident had “no casualties”, although it caused damage to an observation tower of its base, explained its spokesman Andrea Tenendi.

An “Israeli armored Merkava” targeted a FINUL position near the border opposite Metula in northern Israel, according to the Lebanese national news agency NNA.

“We did not target FINUL, we did not hit a FINUL position,” the Israeli army spokeswoman insisted.

Half of Gaza’s population is starving, UN warns

At the same time, the UN’s top aid official warned that half the population of Gaza is starving as fighting continues there.

Carl Skau, deputy director of the United Nations World Food Program, said only a very small portion of the supplies needed were able to enter the Strip – and nine out of 10 people cannot eat every day.

Conditions in Gaza have made deliveries of goods “almost impossible”, Mr Skau said.