Live: Trump envoy urges Netanyahu to reach ceasefire deal

The Israeli military confirmed on Wednesday that three soldiers from the 401st Armored Division were killed during combat operations in Beit Hanoun, a northern area of Gaza.

This latest incident brings the total number of Israeli soldiers killed since 7 October to at least 826, highlighting the mounting toll of Israel's ongoing military campaign in Gaza.

The Tulkarem Battalion of the Al-Quds Brigades, the military arm of Palestinian Islamic Jihad, announced it had destroyed an Israeli military bulldozer with an explosive device in the Nur Shams refugee camp, as reported by Al Jazeera Arabic.

• The group stated it had also unleashed “heavy gunfire” on Israeli forces during their raid on the camp near Tulkarem in the occupied West Bank, claiming to have “achieved confirmed hits.”

• Despite these assertions, no casualties have been reported, and the Israeli military has yet to comment on or confirm the incident.

The attack underscores the escalating tensions in the West Bank as resistance groups continue to challenge Israel’s military incursions into Palestinian territories.

Good morning, Middle East Eye readers,

Here are some of the latest updates on Israel's war on Gaza:

• Deadly strikes on Gaza: Israeli air strikes continued overnight, including a devastating attack on a home in the Nuseirat refugee camp that claimed two lives, one of whom was a child.

• Far-right rhetoric: Bezalel Smotrich, Israel’s far-right Finance Minister, declared that the war on Gaza is entering a “fundamental change,” warning that Israel is “preparing hell” for Hamas.

• Targeting resistance leaders: The Qassam Brigades identified Jaafar Dababshe, killed in an Israeli operation, as the “mastermind” behind Monday’s attack in the occupied West Bank.

• Home demolitions: Israeli forces are reportedly preparing to demolish Dababshe’s family home in the West Bank village of Wadi al-Badhan, continuing the contentious practice of collective punishment.

• Settler violence: Israeli settlers set fire to a Palestinian-owned car in the village of Wadi Rahhal, south of Bethlehem, as tensions escalate in the West Bank.

• White House reaction: While condemning the rising death toll in Gaza as “unacceptably high,” White House spokesperson John Kirby defended Israel, stating the Biden administration does not classify its actions as genocide against Palestinians.