Israel-Hamas War Day 248: What's happening in Gaza, Middle East?

Israel Air Force (IAF) jets and IDF ground troops operated in the center of the Gaza Strip and Rafah on Monday.

A Palestinian entered an IDF base in the West Bank and was found by chance by forces in the base, the Army Radio reported on Monday. 

Terrorists wearing military vests set fire to a mobile home in the West Bank, according to Israeli media reports. 

The IDF intensively attacked two areas in the Gaza Strip on Sunday night, according to Palestinian reports on local news outlets.

One attack targeted an area east of Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip, and the second was intense artillery shelling hit the Urayba area, north of Rafah city in the southern Gaza Strip.

Al Jazeera, early Monday morning, denied accusations that it employed Abdullah Al-Jamal; who held the recently freed Israeli hostages captives.

"The X account of the Israeli Ministry of Defense, and some Israeli websites, quoted the name of a Palestinian journalist from Gaza called Abdullah Al-Jamal and claimed that he works with #AlJazeera, and that his name was linked to what happened in the Israeli army's liberation of four prisoners in the central Gaza Strip on Saturday," Al Jazeera wrote on X, formerly Twitter. "Al Jazeera Media Network confirms that Abdullah Al-Jamal has never worked with the Network, but had contributed to an Op-ed in 2019 and that these allegations are completely unfounded.

"The Network also stresses that these allegations are a continuation of the process of slander and misinformation aimed at harming Al Jazeera's reputation, professionalism, and independence. 

"It calls for accuracy before publishing any of these allegations, the repetition of which has become ridiculous.
Al Jazeera Media Network reserves all its legal rights to refute all these allegations."

The X account of the Israeli Ministry of Defense, and some Israeli websites, quoted the name of a Palestinian journalist from Gaza called Abdullah Al-Jamal and claimed that he works with #AlJazeera, and that his name was linked to what happened in the Israeli army's liberation of…

— Al Jazeera PR (@AlJazeera) June 9, 2024

US Secretary of State Blinken will meet Prime Minister Netanyahu at 6:00 PM at the Prime Minister's Office in Jerusalem on Monday.

At 8:30 PM, he will meet Defense Minister Gantz in Tel Aviv. This is according to the official schedule published by the US State Department.

Blinken will arrive in Israel after a meeting with Egyptian President el-Sisi in Cairo.

Negev and Galilee Minister Yitzhak Wasserlauf from the Otzma Yehudit party, updated on his X, formerly Twitter, that funds were transferred for immediate aid  for displaced residents from the north.

Following a visit to the Metula Local Council, Wasserlauf wrote, "We allocated an immediate assistance budget of several hundred thousand shekels for the purchase of emergency equipment and supplies for residents staying in hotels and rentals."

He further wrote, "I remind you, the responsibility to return them safely to their homes lies with us. The responsibility to address all their needs until their return home is also on us," and promised, "I will do everything in my power to be an address for them for practical solutions and to remove bureaucratic obstacles."

The IDF continued its effort to prepare its soldiers to defend the country, with two units about to complete their training.

The IDF stated both brigades participated in Gaza fighting. A senior IDF official said, “The soldiers and units arrive with high combat readiness and capability due to their experience gained in Gaza combat.”

According to a military source, the artillery corps of Brigade 36 completed its preparation for war in Lebanon. “We are essentially part of Artillery Brigade 282, expected to support Brigade 36 if there's a flare-up in the northern sector. We are tasked with providing fire support, whether it's aerial, or artillery, to ensure the operation runs smoothly for our forces,” said the Battalion Commander of the artillery center.

IDF reportedly attacked the eastern part of the El-Bureij in central Gaza Strip, with residents claiming they felt "an earthquake-like tremor," the Palestinian news agency "Shehab" reported on Sunday night.

The IDF said on Sunday that in accordance with the assessment of the situation, the commander of the Southern Command signed an order to change the policy of the closed military area in several areas in the Gaza Strip and in agricultural areas.

As part of the change of the closed areas, the area near Kibbutz Gebraam will be opened and the citizens will be allowed to come to the place. The area near Moshav Shokeda will be closed and access to it without prior arrangement is prohibited.