Israel-Hamas War - What happened on day 61?

IDF Southern Command Chief Maj.-Gen. Yaron Finkleman on Wednesday said in a meeting in southern Gaza with his field commanders that the IDF is continuing to press forward with its invasion of Khan Yunis in southern Gaza.

On Tuesday, the IDF revealed that its invasion of southern Gaza and Khan Yunis had started Sunday night.

According to the IDF, the top field commanders handling the Khan Yunis invasion presented Finkleman with the status of IDF and enemy forces within the city, the attacks already undertaken, and their future attack plans.

"The battle for Khan Yunis is a central priority. I am impressed that it is being carried out well: that we have a handle on all the details and that we are pressing forward," said Finkleman.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that Israeli forces were surrounding the home of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar on Wednesday, just a few hours after reports by Arabic media claimed the same.

"Yesterday I said that our forces can reach anywhere in the Gaza Strip. Now they are surrounding Sinwar's house. So his house is not his fortress, and he can escape, but it's only a matter of time before we get him," said Netanyahu.

The prime minister additionally called on the Red Cross to visit Israeli hostages being held by Hamas, saying he had spoken with the president of the Red Cross and asked her to speak to Qatar and have them pressure Hamas to let the Red Cross in.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated his insistence that Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas will not be given control over the Gaza Strip on Wednesday in response to a report by Sky News Arabia that Abbas had expressed interest in doing so.

Sky News Arabia reported on Wednesday that Abbas had confirmed that the PA is ready to assume power in Gaza, citing Palestinian sources.

Netanyahu responded to the report by stating "as long as I am the prime minister of Israel - this will not happen."

"Those who educate their children for terrorism, finance terrorism and support terrorist families, will not be able to rule Gaza after eliminating Hamas," said Netanyahu.

IDF Sgt.-Maj. (res.) Adi Shani, 39, fell in combat in the northern Gaza Strip, the IDF Spokesperson's Unit said on Wednesday.

The US Navy shot down a drone that originated from a part of Yemen controlled by the Houthi group on Wednesday morning, a US defense official told Reuters on Wednesday.

It is the sixth time the US Navy has fired upon drones in the southern Red Sea since war broke out between Israel and the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas on October 7 and comes amid a series of attacks on commercial vessels in Middle Eastern waters.

Earlier on Wednesday, Britain's Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency and British maritime security company Ambrey reported an incident involving a suspected drone over the Red Sea west of the Yemeni port of Hodeidah.

UKMTO warned vessels transiting the area to exercise caution.

There was no damage to US Navy vessels or injuries to US personnel in the attack, said the US official, who declined to be named.

Mia Leimberg emerged from nearly two months' captivity in Gaza with Bella, her Shih Tzu, in her arms, one of the most astonishing moments of a week-long ceasefire between Israel and Hamas that ended last Friday.

"When we were there we had to feed her our leftovers - yeah I'm talking about you Bella," said Mia, 17, looking down at the small white dog in her arms. "And we had to make sure that she doesn't run wild where we were. We had to keep her so that she doesn't go exploring and annoy anybody there."

Mia and her mother Gabriela were visiting family in Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak when they were taken hostage by Hamas during its October 7 attack on southern Israel, sparking the war in Gaza.

The mother, daughter, aunt, and dog were set free as part of a swap for Palestinian prisoners, but her uncle and her aunt's partner remain in captivity.

"It was difficult. I held her (Bella) all the way there. It was an extra four kilos. And I'm just lucky enough that I managed to keep her through that whole situation and bring her back," Mia said from her home in Jerusalem in her first media interview.

The US Navy shot down a drone originating from a part of Yemen that is controlled by the Houthi group on Wednesday morning, a US defense official who declined to be named said.

The IDF responded to the source of rocket fire from Lebanon on Wednesday, the Israeli military said.

Earlier, sirens sounded across northern Israeli border towns.

Saudi Arabia has asked the United States to show restraint in responding to attacks by Yemen's Houthis against ships in the Red Sea, two sources familiar with Saudi thinking said, as Riyadh seeks to contain spillover from the Hamas-Israel war.

The Iran-aligned Houthis have waded into the conflict that has spread around the Middle East since war erupted on Oct. 7, attacking vessels in vital shipping lanes and firing drones and missiles at Israel itself.

The group which rules much of Yemen says its attacks are a show of support for the Palestinians and has vowed they will continue until Israel stops its offensive on the Gaza Strip - more than 1,000 miles from their seat of power in Sanaa.

The Houthis are one of several groups in the Iran-aligned "Axis of Resistance" that have been attacking Israeli and US targets since the start of the conflict on Oct. 7, when their Palestinian ally Hamas sparked the war by attacking Israel.

"I arrived in the midst of the war. My family was held captive for 50 days in the hands of Hamas, and apart from that, my cousin was killed, his in-laws were killed, and the houses of the family were burned to the ground.”

Even though five of her six kidnapped relatives were returned from Hamas’s captivity late last month, Dr. Pazit Ziv, a Leeds University academic with dual Israeli and British citizenship, is still grappling with an unimaginable family tragedy resulting from a brutal attack by the terrorist organization on October 7th. This horrific incident led to the murder of three of her relatives and the abduction of six others, with one remaining captive despite efforts to secure their release.

In the midst of despair, a lifeline emerged. The Jewish community in London rallied behind Ziv, sponsoring her travels to Israel. She touched down days before the hostage exchange. The reunion with her family was a torrent of emotions, a mix of "absolute happiness, exhilaration to see them, to touch them, to be with them."

Yet, as joy and relief flooded their hearts, the family now faced the daunting task of rebuilding their lives. The scars left by the traumatic events continue to affect each family member differently. "It's very, very early days to understand how they're going to be able to fathom together what lies ahead," she reflected, noting that the family cannot truly initiate any healing process and recovery before all hostages are brought back home.