On the night of October 12, the Israeli Defense Forces launched a new wave of airstrikes in the Gaza Strip, hitting many targets belonging to Hamas. The IDF stated that it was committed to the destruction of the terrorist group, and the authorities urged citizens to be prepared for a protracted war.

On its sixth day, U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken arrived in Tel Aviv to express American support for the Israeli people. At the same time, Turkey has already begun negotiations to free the hostages taken by the militants (to see photos and videos, scroll to the end of the news story).

On Thursday night, alarms were heard in the southern kibbutz of Nahal Oz near the border with the Gaza Strip, informing about the alleged infiltration of drones. The Hamas terrorist group said it had launched several UAVs at Israel during the fighting in the south.

The IDF published a video of a strike to repel a terrorist found at sea, footage of a multi-story building used by the Islamic Jihad terrorist organization, and a video of a strike on Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip.

According to the Times of Israel, the health ministry in the militant-ruled coastal enclave has reported that 51 Palestinians have been killed and 281 others wounded in overnight IDF airstrikes on the Gaza Strip in the past few hours.

In total, Hamas has claimed the deaths of 1203 Palestinians and the injuries of 5769 others in the Gaza Strip. The IDF noted that it had eliminated about 1,500 militants in Israel.

Moreover, Israeli soldiers found the flag of the Islamic State jihadist group (ISIS) on the vest of a terrorist killed in an attack on the Sufa kibbutz near the border with the enclave.

Against this backdrop, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken arrived in Israel for a visit. He stated that he came with a "very simple and clear message on behalf of the President of the United States and the entire American people," meaning that Washington supports Tel Aviv.

The politician met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Isaac Herzog and other high-ranking officials. The day before, U.S. President Joe Biden himself called the Hamas attack on Israel "the deadliest day for Jews since the Holocaust."

According to some media reports, Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky is allegedly considering a trip to Israel. The purpose is to demonstrate Ukraine's solidarity with a country that is also at war.

At the same time, Turkey has started negotiations aimed at releasing hostages from the Gaza Strip. Details are currently unknown.

"Following the instructions of President Erdogan, the relevant institutions are conducting a process for releasing civilians held by Hamas," Reuters quoted a senior Turkish official as saying, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog says the country is preparing for a major military campaign against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

"My nation is grieving. This tragedy has affected almost every home in Israel. And this will be a protracted campaign against Hamas, which is, in fact, a long campaign against ISIS," he said.

For his part, Energy Minister Israel Katz assured that Gaza City will not have electricity, water, and gas until the militants release the hostages.

"Humanitarian aid to Gaza? Not a single electrical switch will be turned on, not a single water hydrant will be opened, and not a single gasoline tanker will enter until the abducted Israelis are returned home. No one will teach Israel morality," he said.

A prominent Kharkiv and Israeli theoretical physicist Serhiy Hredeskul and his wife were killed during a Hamas attack on the city of Ofakim. The couple was killed by terrorists who broke into their home. Hredeskul lived in Israel since 1991 and worked as a professor at Ben-Gurion University until 2012.

Meanwhile, the Israeli air force struck the airports of Damascus and Aleppo in Syria. The attack is being countered by Syrian air defense.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights noted that "as a result of the Israeli strikes, strong explosions were heard in the vicinity of Damascus International Airport and Aleppo International Airport".

Witnesses reported serious damage to the runways at the two airports.

As reported by OBOZ.UA, experts at the Le Beck Middle East Center suggest that Israel is facing a very long conflict on five fronts. In particular, Tel Aviv is allegedly on the verge of war not only with Hamas but also with Palestinians from the West Bank, Iran, Syria, and Lebanon.

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