In the 61st day of the war, the Israeli army is stepping up its operations in southern Gaza, bombing hospitals and schools. The US administration has expressed “deep concern” about how the fighting will unfold over the next few weeks. The US has warned Israel in a “tough and direct” call that the Israeli military cannot use the same destructive tactics and must do more to limit civilian casualties. However, the US warnings do not seem to have affected Israel

Watch the Israel-Hamas war LIVE, day 61, on HotNews.ro:

05:43 ​The Israeli military (IDF) has apologized for an IDF strike that killed one Lebanese soldier and wounded three others, saying the target was a Hezbollah fighter on the border with Lebanon.

In a post on X, the military published: “Today, IDF fighters acted to neutralize the threat identified from the territory of Lebanon. “The threat came from the base of the Hezbollah terrorist organization near Al-Awadi on the border with Lebanon. We were told that several soldiers of the Lebanese army were wounded during the attack. Lebanese army forces were not the target of the attack. The IDF regrets the incident, which is currently under investigation.”

05:00Gen. Yaron Finkelman, head of the Israel Defense Forces’ Southern Command, said on Tuesday: “We are in the most tense day [de luptă] since the beginning of the ground operation by the number of Hamas terrorists killed, the number of enemy encounters and the amount of ammunition used by our forces both on the ground and in the air. We intend to continue to advance.”

01:15 Renewal of hostilities in Gaza “will deepen catastrophic hunger crisis” – UN

Renewed fighting in Gaza will only exacerbate the catastrophic hunger crisis that is already threatening to engulf the civilian population, the United Nations said in a statement tonight.

The UN said the recent lull in fighting had allowed the World Food Program to expand aid operations. During this time, he was able to double the number of distribution points outside the shelters and deliver food to places where it was impossible to reach.

00:55Netanyahu says humanitarian aid does not weaken levers for hostage release

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was asked about Israel’s authorization of additional humanitarian aid and fuel to Gaza and whether it reduces Israel’s leverage over Hamas in releasing the hostages, the Times of Israel reported.

He says the “main card” Israel has to get the hostages back is a military effort and a ground operation, and that humanitarian aid supports that.

“There is no contradiction” between the military effort and the humanitarian aid that goes with it, as it all works together to help with the hostages, the prime minister says.

00:25 Israel cancels the visa of the UN humanitarian aid coordinator

Israel’s foreign minister says he has revoked the visa of UN official Lynn Hastings for her words AND her failure to condemn Hamas.

In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, Eli Cohen called the UN “biased” and said those who do not condemn the militants cannot enter Israel.

Hastings, the UN humanitarian coordinator in the occupied Palestinian territories, has repeatedly called for a ceasefire in the region.