Palestinians wounded in Israeli strikes are brought to Shifa Hospital in Gaza City on Wednesday, Oct. 11, 2023. (AP Photo/Ali Mahmoud)

The Israeli military prepared for a possible ground invasion in Gaza on Thursday as it pounded the tiny coastal strip in retaliation for the unprecedented weekend attack on Israel by the militant group Hamas.

In a deliberate show of support for Israel, a U.S. official confirmed that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin plans to visit on Friday, a day after Secretary of State Antony Blinken was in Israel to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Suffering in Gaza, meanwhile, rose dramatically with Palestinians desperate for food, fuel and medicine and the territory’s only power plant shut down for lack of fuel. The morgue at Gaza’s biggest hospital overflowed Thursday as bodies came in faster than relatives could claim them.

Israel said Thursday that a complete siege would remain in place until Hamas freed 150 hostages taken during its incursion. Egypt has engaged in intensive talks with Israel and the United States to allow the delivery of aid and fuel through its Rafah crossing point, which remained closed on both sides Thursday.

The war has claimed at least 2,800 lives on both sides, and displaced 423,000 people in Gaza.

Here's what's happening on Day 6 of the latest Israel-Hamas war:

NUMBER OF DISPLACED IN GAZA RISES TO 423,000

JERUSALEM — The number of people forced from their homes by the airstrikes soared 25% in a day, reaching 423,000 out of a population of 2.3 million, the United Nations said Thursday. Most crowded into U.N.-run schools.

Families were cutting down to one meal a day, said Rami Swailem, a 34-year-old lecturer at al-Azhar University, who had 32 relatives sheltering in his home. Water stopped coming to the building two days ago, and they have rationed what’s left in a tank on the roof.

The death toll from Israeli strikes on Gaza rose to 1,537, with 6,612 people wounded, the Gaza-based Health Ministry said Thursday. Of those killed, 276 were women and 500 were under the age of 18, the ministry said.

The jump in the death toll comes as Palestinians report heavy Israeli airstrikes across the besieged Gaza Strip, with bombardment on residential buildings in densely populated city districts and refugee camps.

NEPALIS RETURN HOME FROM ISRAEL

KATHMANDU, Nepal — More than 200 Nepali nationals evacuated from Israel returned home Friday as the government worked to bring back the bodies of 10 Nepali students killed in the unprecedented attack by Hamas.

Nepal’s foreign minister, Narayan Prasad Saud, accompanied 254 citizens on a plane chartered by the government. The returnees were welcomed home by family and friends at Kathmandu airport.

In addition to those killed, four Nepalis were wounded and one is still missing, Saud said. One of the wounded was flown back in the evacuation flight and three others were getting treated at hospitals in Israel, Saud said.

He said 54 Nepali nationals still in Israel have been moved to safer areas and will be evacuated eventually.

Many Nepalis in Israel are students studying agriculture techniques.

HAMAS CIVILIAN MEMBERS DEFENDS GROUP'S INCURSION

JERUSALEM — A prominent civilian member of Hamas defended the group’s rampage through Israeli communities in a video released by the group Thursday and decried the civilian deaths in Gaza from the six days of Israeli airstrikes that have followed.

The solemn video lacked the bravado of a recording aired by Hamas' military wing Saturday hailing “the greatest battle” as the massacres still played out.

Basem Naim, a physician and former Hamas government minister, said in the “swift collapse” of the Israeli military on Saturday, “chaos prevailed and civilians found themselves in the middle of the confrontation” between Israeli and Hamas combatants.

The claim is contradicted by countless videos and survivor accounts of Hamas militants deliberately targeting and killing hundreds of civilians.

Naim said the 150 hostages taken back into Gaza would be treated according to religious values and international laws. “At the same time we are really worried … they might be the victims of the Israeli army bombardment, like our people,” he said.

He added that Hamas would not consider freeing the captives until Israel stopped its bombardment.

IF ISRAEL DOESN’T END BOMBARDMENT, WAR MAY OPEN ON ‘OTHER FRONTS,’ IRAN SAYS

BEIRUT — Iranian Minister of Foreign Affairs Hossein Amirabdollahian said Thursday that if Israel’s bombardment of Gaza continues, the war may open on “other fronts,” an apparent reference to the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.

Amirabdollahian arrived in Beirut late Thursday evening, where he was greeted by representatives of Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad along with Lebanese officials.

“In light of the continued aggression, war crimes, and siege on Gaza, opening other fronts is a real possibility,” Amirabdollahian said, speaking to journalists on his arrival.

Early Thursday, Amirabdollahian had visited Iraq, where he made similar statements after a meeting with Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani.

Questions have swirled around the extent of Iran’s role in the unprecedented surprise attack launched by the Palestinian militant group Hamas on Israel on Saturday.

Hamas officials have denied that Iran was directly involved in planning the attack or green-lighted it, and to date no government worldwide has offered direct evidence that Iran orchestrated the attack. However, many have pointed to Iran’s long sponsorship of Hamas that has included training, funding and providing it with weapons.

EUROPEAN COMMISSION PRESIDENT TO TRAVEL TO ISRAEL

BRUSSELS — European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will travel to Israel on Friday to express support for the nation in the wake of last weekend’s attack by Hamas.

Von der Leyen will be accompanied by European Parliament president Roberta Metsola, the commission said in a statement late Thursday. Von der Leyen has been one of the most outspoken European Union leaders in support of Israel since the attacks and the subsequent war with Hamas.

HEZBOLLAH SENDS DRONE OVER ISRAEL, OFFICIAL WITH LEBANON GROUP SAYS

BEIRUT — The militant Hezbollah group sent a drone over Israel on Thursday, according to an official with a Lebanese group familiar with the situation along the Lebanon-Israel border.

The drone was shot down over Israel, the official said, without elaborating further. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the person was not authorized to comment to the news media.

An Israeli military spokesman wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, Thursday afternoon that an air-defense missile was fired in northern Israel but it turned out there was no target in the air.

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Associated Press writer Bassem Mroue contributed to this report.

INTERNET CONNECTIVITY IN GAZA BELOW 20%, ANALYST SAYS

BOSTON — Internet connectivity in Gaza City has been below 20% since Tuesday, according to analyst Doug Madory of the network monitoring firm Kentik Inc., whose data shows outages began Saturday morning.

Madory said an internet provider in Gaza told him that Israeli air strikes had cut fiber optic cables. The provider declined to speak with an Associated Press reporter but Madory relayed his message: “Pray for us to stay alive and stop this war.”

US AND QATAR AGREE TO NOT ACT ON ANY IRANIAN REQUEST TO ACCESS FUNDS

WASHINGTON — The U.S. and Qatar have agreed not to act on any Iranian request to access $6 billion in funds that were transferred from South Korea after a blanket waiver by President Joe Biden's administration meant to clear the way for the release of five Americans held by Iran, a U.S. official said Thursday.

The move stops short of freezing the funds. Under the terms of the agreement, the funds must be requested by Iran and can go only for humanitarian purposes. The Americans were released last month.

The official was not authorized to speak publicly about the agreement and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

The funding has been a concern as questions mount about Iran’s influence or role in the Hamas attack on Israel. Iran is Hamas' principal financial and military sponsor, though the White House says it has not uncovered information that Iran was directly involved in the operation.

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Associated Press Writer Matthew Lee contributed to this report.

ISRAEL TELLS CITIZENS ABROAD TO AVOID HAMAS DEMONSTRATIONS

TEL AVIV, Israel — Israel’s Foreign Ministry is warning Israelis abroad to avoid demonstrations said to have been called for by Hamas in cities around the world, saying they could become violent.

In a joint statement with Israel’s National Security Council, the Foreign Ministry said Thursday that there is a concern that Israelis or Jews could be targeted during the protests. The ministry statement said protests are expected on Friday and urged Israelis to be cautious.

45 PALESTINIANS KILLED IN AIRSTRIKE ON HOUSE, GAZA MINISTRY SAYS

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — The Israeli military bombarded a residential building in the densely populated Jabaliya refugee camp in northern Gaza on Thursday, killing at least 45 people and injuring dozens more, Gaza’s interior ministry said.

A late-afternoon airstrike hit the al-Shihab family house at the center of the Jabaliya camp, interior ministry spokesperson Eyad Bozum told The Associated Press. The al-Shihab house was packed with dozens of relatives at the time of the airstrike, Bozum said. Some family members had fled heavy bombing from other parts of the Gaza Strip and taken refuge there

Bozum said the death toll was likely to rise from that airstrike as civil defense workers were still pulling bodies from the rubble and counting the dead.

The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the strike.

TWO ISRAELI POLICE OFFICERS WOUNDED IN EAST JERUSALEM

JERUSALEM — A Palestinian armed with an improvised submachine gun opened fire toward police officers at one of the entrances to Jerusalem’s Old City, wounding two officers, including one seriously. Police said they chased and shot the assailant, whose condition was not immediately clear.

Tensions have been running high in Jerusalem, with most shops closed since the Hamas attack and Palestinian protests in East Jerusalem at night that have devolved into deadly clashes with police.

EGYPT CALLS FOR URGENT DELIVERY OF HUMANITARIAN AID TO GAZA

CAIRO — Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi on Thursday called for the urgent delivery of humanitarian aid into the Gaza strip through the crossing with Egypt.

With Israel sealing off the Palestinian enclave, the only way in or out is through the crossing with Egypt at Rafah. While Rafah is not officially closed, airstrikes have prevented it from operating. Egypt has been trying to persuade Israel and the United States to allow the delivery of aid and fuel through Rafah.

Egypt is ready to “harness all its capabilities and efforts to mediate in coordination with all international and regional actors without restrictions or conditions,” el-Sissi said during a military college graduation ceremony in Cairo.

US HAS NO PLANS TO SEND TROOPS TO ISRAEL, WHITE HOUSE SAYS

WASHINGTON — The U.S. has no plans to send troops to Israel, White House National Security spokesman John Kirby said Thursday.

“There is no intention, no plan, and frankly, no desire by the Israelis,” Kirby said.

Kirby also said there have been ongoing conversations with Israel “about the continued need for continued flow of humanitarian assistance" into Gaza.

He said establishing corridors to provide safe passage out of Gaza for civilians is “the right thing to do for innocent victims who are actually being held hostage as well by Hamas.”

US DEFENSE SECRETARY TO VISIT ISRAEL ON FRIDAY

WASHINGTON — U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin plans to visit Israel on Friday, the second high-level U.S. official to visit Tel Aviv in two days, in a deliberate show of support and an effort to determine what additional military aid is needed in the war with Hamas.

Austin is expected to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, said a U.S. official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive travel details. Austin’s arrival comes just a day after U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited and vowed American support for Israel in a meeting with Netanyahu.

ISRAEL'S PARLIAMENT APPROVES EMERGENCY UNITY GOVERNMENT

JERUSALEM — Israel’s parliament approved an emergency unity government Thursday night, swearing in Benny Gantz and four other ministers to serve in a security cabinet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.

DEATH TOLL OF US CITIZENS IN HAMAS ATTACK RISES TO 27

WASHINGTON — The death toll of U.S. citizens in the Hamas attack on Israel has risen to 27, and the number of missing is now at 14, White House National Security spokesman John Kirby said Thursday.

Kirby said that the U.S. was continuing to work with Israeli officials to try to locate those who remain unaccounted for. Kirby said he believes only a few of those missing have been taken hostage.

ERDOGAN RENEWS CALL FOR REDUCING TENSIONS BETWEEN ISRAEL AND PALESTINIANS

ANKARA, Turkey — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called on the United States to work toward reducing tensions between Israel and Palestinians, renewing his criticism of a U.S. decision to send an aircraft carrier to the region.

“What is more appropriate for a country like America? To establish peace or to go there with gasoline and fuel (the fire)?” Erdogan said during an address to hundreds of youth on Thursday.

“We don’t want the conflict and attacks to escalate further and God forbid, spread to our region. We call on all actors who have a voice and influence in the region to make efforts toward reducing tensions,” he continued.

News from © The Associated Press, 2023