Israeli troops are preparing for ground operations in central Gaza for the first time since the outbreak of the war in Gaza, raising hopes that some of the remaining 50 hostages may be located.

While strategic considerations were still in play, the heart of the decision lay in defending the extended family of Israel’s own Druze—a gesture shaped as much by kinship as by security. Israel has carried out hundreds of strikes in Syria over the past decade,

Gaza authorities reported Israeli forces fatally shot 93 Palestinians seeking aid on Sunday, with incidents occurring near Gaza City, Rafah, and Khan

Violence in Syria's Druze province has triggered Israeli military action, complicating relations with Turkey and creating a power vacuum that Iran could exploit.

The Israel Defense Forces on Wednesday attacked the entrance to the Syrian regime’s military headquarters in the Damascus area in response to reports of atrocities against local Druze residents.

Israel's air force dominated Iran's airspace and dealt a heavy blow to the country's air defenses while Iranian armed forces launched successive barrages of missiles and drones on Israeli territory.

Israel has threatened to increase its involvement in Syria and vowed to protect the Druze religious minority, which began as a 10th-century offshoot of Ismailism, a branch of Shiite Islam, the Associated Press reported. Most of the world’s Druze population lives in Syria, with the rest predominantly in Israel and Lebanon.

The Israel Defense Forces said it struck "the entrance" of Syria's military headquarters in Damascus on Wednesday.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said the Damascus headquarters served as a command center for deploying regime forces to Suwayda, a southern Syrian region gripped by days of deadly clashes between government troops, Druze militias, and Bedouin groups.

Israel Defense Forces (IDF) launched a new ground maneuver on Sunday in the city of Deir al-Balah, marking the military’s first confirmed ground incursion into central Gaza since the start of the war 21 months ago.