GAZA/JERUSALEM -- Israel on Wednesday rejected Hamas' proposal for reaching a comprehensive ceasefire deal in Gaza to end the war, saying its army will continue to prepare for a major attack on Gaza City.
In a press statement released on Wednesday, Hamas reiterated its willingness to reach a "comprehensive deal" under which Israeli hostages in Gaza would be released in exchange for an agreed number of Palestinian prisoners held in Israel. (Israel-Hamas Ceasefire Proposal-Rejection)
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DAMASCUS -- The explosion at a former military base near Damascus International Airport on Wednesday was the result of a controlled detonation of wartime ordnance, the Syrian Civil Aviation Authority said.
The authority explained that the blast originated from the disposal of old munitions more than 20 km from the airport perimeter. It stressed that airport operations were unaffected and flights continued as scheduled. (Syria-Damascus Int'l Airport-Blast)
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SANAA/JERUSALEM -- Yemen's Houthi group on Wednesday claimed launching two ballistic missiles, one of which carried a "fragmentation warhead," on central Israel this morning, targeting two "sensitive targets" in Tel Aviv.
"The operation successfully achieved its objectives," and caused millions of Israelis to "rush to shelters," Houthi military spokesman Yahya Sarea said in a statement aired by Houthi-run al-Masirah TV, without identifying the "sensitive targets." (Yemen-Israel-Houthi Missile Attacks)
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GAZA -- At least 46 people were killed by Israeli attacks across Gaza on Wednesday, according to Palestinian sources.
In Gaza City, 24 people, including women and children, were killed in Israeli airstrikes targeting residential homes, whereas seven people were killed and 20 others injured in an Israeli drone strike on a crowded market in the Sheikh Radwan neighborhood, north of the city, Mahmoud Basal, spokesperson for Gaza's Civil Defense, told Xinhua. (Gaza-Israeli Attacks-Deaths) ■
