Israel at war: What happened on days 28-29?

Israeli forces will reach Hamas terror leader Yahya Sinwar and will kill him, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant vowed on Saturday evening briefing on developments in Operation Swords of Iron.

Further, Gallant said that "by the end of the war, there will be no Hamas in Gaza. There will be no threat to Israeli civilians from the Strip."

Israel intensified its ground operation in Gaza over the weekend, successfully targeting and dismantling vital Hamas elements, including their critical infrastructure and personnel.

The IDF said on Saturday that the Hamas terrorist organization took advantage of a humanitarian window of opportunity that the IDF gave to the residents of Gaza and carried out attacks with mortar fire and anti-tank missiles.

“There were no casualties to our forces in this incident,” the IDF said. 

The IDF has been operating on the ground in Gaza for a week. The IDF had informed residents that the Salah al-Din route, a major road running from Gaza City to southern Gaza, could be used for humanitarian transit by civilians. “While the IDF was opening a humanitarian axis for the movement of Gaza residents to the south, terrorists from the terrorist organization Hamas attacked the forces involved in opening it,” the IDF said.

Hamas exploited this and used mortars and artillery to prevent it from being opened to the movement of civilians.  

Turkey has decided to recall its ambassador, Şakir Özkan Torunlar, from Tel Aviv for consultations following Israel's "refusal of calls for a ceasefire and continuous and unhindered flow of humanitarian aid," Ankara's foreign ministry said Saturday.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has come out firmly defending Hamas’ attack on October 7, calling the terrorist organization “a liberation group.” In response, Israel recalled its diplomats from Turkey last week.

"Israel has been openly committing war crimes for 22 days, but the Western leaders cannot even call on Israel for a ceasefire, let alone react to it," Erdogan told a crowd in Istanbul, last week.

In a statement published by the administration "In view of the ongoing humanitarian tragedy in Gaza caused by Israel's continuous attacks against civilians and its refusal to accept a ceasefire and allow the flow of humanitarian aid, it was decided to recall our ambassador in Tel Aviv back to Ankara for consultations."

"Netanyahu is no longer someone we can talk to. He is erased," Turkish media quoted Erdogan as saying.

The diplomatic adviser to the president of the United Arab Emirates on Saturday said the United States needs to push for a quick end to the Israel-Hamas war and that a new process must be found for the decades-long Israeli-Palestinian issue or the United States would be seen as ineffective.

Anwar Gargash also said that Israel's policy of containment which has been the "hallmark" of the Palestinian issue for the past two decades had failed and called for a new approach that addresses refugees, borders, and east Jerusalem.

"US involvement will be seen by when we end this war, the quicker the better, and whether we can have another you know, sort of process at problem-solving, at issue solving," he said at a policy conference in the capital Abu Dhabi.

"If this crisis continues, and especially the humanitarian side, and if this crisis, brings us back full circle, to the old containment policy of pre-Seventh of October, I think the American role here is not going to be, forget right and wrong, is not going to be seen as effective," he added.

Qatar's foreign ministry said on Saturday that the continued bombardment of the Gaza Strip complicated its efforts to mediate the release of hostages held by Hamas.

Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed Bin Abdulrahman al-Thani made the comment in a meeting with US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken on Saturday, the ministry said in a statement.

Hassan Nasrallah will seal Lebanon's fate if he decides to launch a larger offensive on Israel, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant warned Saturday in a visit to the IDF's 146th Division, operating in the North.

Following a situational assessment with OC Northern Command Uri Gordin, Gallant sent a message to Hezbollah's secretary-general, assuring that the Israeli Air Force is "holding its power for the Lebanese sector, for Hezbollah.

"Yehya Sinwar made a mistake and sealed Hamas's fate, as well as the fate of the Gaza Strip. If Nasrallah makes a mistake, he will seal Lebanon's," Gallant warned from the North.

During his visit, Gallant was given an assessment of recent Israeli defense operations throughout the northern theater and in Israeli border towns carried out on Saturday. These include the killing of terror cells along with a Hezbollah observation post operating from southern Lebanon.

The Israeli military said that the strikes were in response to Hezbollah's recent attempt to fire from Lebanon into Israel.

 The diplomatic adviser to the United Arab Emirates' president said on Saturday the latest war in Gaza shows Israel's policy of containment has failed and the US needs to push for a quick end to the conflict and a new strategy, or else be considered ineffective by the region.

"If this crisis continues, especially the humanitiaran side, and if this crisis brings us back full circle to the old containment policy of pre-Oct. 7, I think the American role here, forget right or wrong, but it will not be seen as effective," Anwar Gargash told a policy conference in Abu Dhabi.

One person was reportedly lightly wounded Saturday in a drive-by shooting attack by terrorists near the West Bank village of Khirbat al-Nabi Elias, Army Radio said.

The shooting targeted an IDF post near the Palestinian village, as per the report. IDF has begun a manhunt in search of the perpetrators.

This is a developing story.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said Gaza must be part of an independent, sovereign Palestinian state once the Israel-Hamas war is over, and Ankara will not support any plans "gradually erasing Palestinians" from history.

Turkey, which has sharply escalated its criticism of Israel as the humanitarian crisis in Gaza has intensified, supports a two-state solution and hosts members of Hamas, which it does not view as a terrorist organization, unlike the US, Britain and others in the west. Turkey has called for an immediate ceasefire and offered to set up a system to guarantee it.

Speaking to reporters on a return flight from Kazakhstan on Friday, Erdogan repeated his criticism of Western countries for their support of Israel, saying Ankara's trust in the European Union was "deeply shaken".

"Once all of this that is happening is finished, we want to see Gaza as a peaceful region that is a part of an independent Palestinian state, in line with 1967 borders, with territorial integrity, and with east Jerusalem as its capital," Erdogan was on Saturday cited as saying by broadcaster Haberturk and others.

Israel and Hezbollah traded blows on Saturday, with the IDF hitting terrorist positions and a rocket depot as Hezbollah introduced a powerful new missile, according to the Israeli military and media sources.

The IDF struck Hezbollah terror cells along with a Hezbollah observation post in Lebanon, the IDF said. The Israeli military added that the strikes were in response to Hezbollah's recent attempt to fire from Lebanon into Israel.

An accompanying video appears to show the IDF strike.