According to the Israeli military, five militants hiding in a mosque were killed

Israel has carried out almost daily attacks in the West Bank, which it has occupied since 1967, since the start of its Gaza offensive. According to local health officials, more than 40,000 people have been killed in Gaza since Hamas terror attacks on October 7, which killed about 1,200 people and took about 250 hostage.

The Israeli offensive in the coastal enclave also continued on Thursday. The Israel Defense Forces said their troops had killed dozens of insurgents in recent days and discovered large quantities of weapons in central and southern Gaza.

An Israeli military statement said one of those killed was Osama Jadallah, a commander of the Islamic Jihad intelligence unit who the Israeli military said was involved in the October 7 attacks.

Many families of hostages still held in Gaza have tried to increase pressure for a ceasefire that would end the fighting in Gaza and allow the release of their loved ones, but so far renewed talks have failed to produce an agreement.

On Thursday, some of the hostages' families took part in a planned protest near the enclave's border. However, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, which represents the hostages' families, said that “in their immense grief, the families broke through the fence and ran towards the Gaza border.”

They were asked by Israeli security forces to turn back and returned to the nearby Kibbutz Nirim, the forum said.

The Israel Defense Forces confirmed that several Israeli civilians had approached the Gaza border, but said they had not crossed the border fence.

“The armed forces have evacuated the civilians and there is no need to worry about crossing the border into Gaza,” they said.