Gaza health officials said Wednesday a series of Israel attacks killed at least 17 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
In one attack, an Israeli strike hit a house in the Jabalia area of northern Gaza, killing at least 12 people.
The Israeli military also reported Wednesday that one of its soldiers was killed and another wounded during fighting with Hamas militants in northern Gaza.
In southern Lebanon, where Israeli forces and Hezbollah militants have been engaged in enhanced fighting for several months, the Lebanese military said Wednesday one of its soldiers was killed by Israeli fire.
A Lebanese military statement said Israeli forces struck a Lebanese army vehicle. The attack came a day after the Lebanese military said Israeli forces hit one of its positions in the Sarafand area of southern Lebanon, killing three soldiers.
France’s foreign ministry also reported Wednesday that French troops serving as part of a U.N. peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon came under fire. A ministry statement did not assign blame for the incident but stressed the need to ensure the security of U.N personnel.
“France reiterates that it is imperative that UNIFIL be able to exercise its freedom of movement so that it can fully implement its mandate,” the foreign ministry said.
A U.S. diplomat expressed hope Tuesday about a possible cease-fire agreement that would end fighting between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah.
“We have a real opportunity to bring this conflict to an end,” said Amos Hochstein, adding that he had held “very constructive talks” with Lebanese officials, including Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, a Hezbollah ally mediating for the militants.
Hochstein said the differences between the two sides had narrowed and an end to the conflict was “within our grasp.”
The Lebanese government and Hezbollah have agreed to a proposal that was submitted last week, and both made some comments on the content, Ali Hassan Khalil, an aide to Berri, told Reuters on Monday.
But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would continue to conduct military operations against Hezbollah even if a cease-fire is reached.
“The most important thing is not [the deal that] will be laid on paper,” Netanyahu told Israel’s parliament.
“We will be forced to ensure our security in the north [of Israel] and to systematically carry out operations against Hezbollah’s attacks … even after a cease-fire,” to keep the group from rebuilding, he said.
Netanyahu also said there was no evidence Hezbollah would respect a cease-fire.
The draft agreement would remove Israeli ground forces from Lebanon and push Hezbollah forces about 32 kilometers away from the Israeli border. More Lebanese troops and U.N. peacekeepers would be sent to the buffer zone in southern Lebanon as part of the deal, The Associated Press reported.
Hezbollah began its campaign after its ally Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023. About 1,200 Israelis were killed, and 250 were taken hostage. About 100 of the hostages have yet to be released, although a third of them are believed to be dead.
Following the attack, Israel began a campaign to eliminate Hamas in Gaza that has killed about 44,000 people, according to the Gaza health ministry.
Since the fighting with Hezbollah began, more than 3,500 people in Lebanon have been killed, according to authorities. Most of the fatalities have occurred since late September.
Hamas and Hezbollah have been designated as terrorist organizations by the United States.
Some information for this report came from The Associated Press, Reuters and Agence France-Presse.