Israel launches air and ground assault on Deir al-Balah in central Gaza – Middle East crisis live

<p>Deaths reported as Israeli tanks move in on area IDF believes Hamas are holding some hostages</p><p>Agence France-Presse (AFP) reports that defence minister <strong>Israel Katz</strong> said in a statement that the Israeli military “has just struck terror targets of the Huthi terror regime at the port of Hodeida and is forcefully enforcing the prevention of any attempt to restore the previously attacked terror infrastructure.”</p><p>In a separate statement, the army said that “among the military infrastructure struck were engineering vehicles... fuel containers, naval vessels used for military activities and force against the State of Israel and vessels in the maritime zone adjacent to the port, and additional terror infrastructure used by the Houthi terrorist regime.”</p><p><em>As I have made clear - Yemen’s fate is the same as Tehran’s. The Houthis will pay a heavy price for launching missiles toward the State of Israel.</em></p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2025/jul/21/gaza-israel-war-latest-situation-updates-live-news">Continue reading...</a>