GAZA/JERUSALEM, Oct. 13 (Xinhua) -- At least 13 hostages captured by Hamas were killed in Israeli airstrikes on Gaza in the past 24 hours, Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, said Friday.
"Foreigners and Israelis were killed during the intense Israeli attacks in northern Gaza and inside Gaza City during the past 24 hours," it said in a press statement.
Six were killed in the northern Gaza Strip, while seven were killed in separate places in Gaza City, according to the statement.
The Israeli army announced that it attacked about 750 targets Thursday night in the Gaza Strip, including underground tunnels, military compounds and sites, homes of officials, weapon depots, and communication rooms, in addition to eliminating activists.
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The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) on Friday ordered residents of Gaza City to evacuate to the southern area of the coastal enclave ahead of a possible Israeli ground offensive.
"The IDF calls for the evacuation of all civilians ... for their own safety and protection," read a statement issued Friday morning.
"You will be able to return to Gaza City only when another announcement permitting it is made," the statement said.
According to the IDF, Hamas militants are using underground tunnels in the city to hide.
Israel is believed to be preparing for a ground incursion on the Gaza Strip, according to media reports and analyses.
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The Israel military on Friday morning fired two missiles over Lebanon's southern village of Naqoura and surrounding areas, the National News Agency (NNA) reported.
The NNA also reported that Israel fired flare bombs overnight over Lebanon's villages adjacent to the Blue Line. Reconnaissance aircraft of the Israeli army flew over villages adjacent to the Blue Line.
The agency noted that most residents near the Blue Line were displaced to safer areas. At the same time, public and private schools remained closed according to the education minister's decision.
The Blue Line, established by the United Nations in 2000, spans 120 kilometers and serves to verify the withdrawal of Israeli forces from southern Lebanon. It is a temporary demarcation line until the two countries officially establish their land borders.
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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said human rights violations aimed at innocent civilians in Gaza were "unacceptable" in a phone call with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron on Friday.
According to Türkiye's Presidential Office, Erdogan said that his country is providing aid to people in need and Western countries should do more to reduce tensions and avoid actions that do not promote peace.
The Turkish president told Macron that Türkiye suggests resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict permanently based on a two-state solution, and if all parties approach the issue with sincerity, a solution can be found to bring peace to the region and the world.
Also on Friday, Turkish military aircraft landed in Egypt, carrying medical and relief aid that will be delivered to Gaza through the Rafah border crossing. ■
