Israeli troops carry out brief raid into Gaza

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) carried out a brief raid in northern Gaza overnight into Thursday, striking targets the military said it must to “prepare the battlefield.”

The raid comes as reports indicate fuel supply in Gaza is running out and international organizations underscore the urgent need to deliver more humanitarian aid to civilians in the region.

“International humanitarian law protects people during conflict and helps ensure humanitarian assistance reaches those in need, without discrimination,” the United Nations wrote early Thursday morning in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter. 

A day earlier, the U.N. Human Rights account posted a similar message, referencing the dwindling resources the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) is working with to provide aid to civilians in northern Gaza.

“We’re extremely distressed that critical @UNRWA ops in Gaza are at risk due to critical fuel shortages,” the U.N. Human Rights account said on X. 

“Fuel aid must be permitted to operate generators essential for hospitals, sanitation, water treatment, food & UN work in helping civilians & protecting human rights across Gaza,” the post continued. 

The calls come as Israel reportedly prepares for a ground invasion that has been anticipated for nearly two weeks.

Israel has said the goal is twofold: to destroy the militant group Hamas — which the United States has designated as a terrorist organization — and to retrieve the more than 200 hostages the group took captive Oct. 7, in a surprise attack that killed about 1,400 Israelis. 

Israel’s task is especially difficult because Hamas has notoriously deployed tactics that put its civilians in harm’s way, including setting up launch posts in hospitals and schools, effectively using civilians as shields. 

The Gaza Health Ministry, run by Hamas, estimated more than 7,000 Palestinians have been killed since the war began — a number that includes the disputed estimate of deaths at an explosion near a hospital. 

Israeli officials have pushed back on reports that Gaza is running out of fuel, with a spokesperson on Thursday pointing to a similar report Oct. 16 that said Gaza had only 24 hours left of fuel.

Israel also claimed Hamas has a lot of fuel it is preserving for war purposes.