The US-made advanced anti-missile defense system 'THAAD' has finally been deployed in Israel. It was reported a week ago that the US was going to supply 'THAAD' to protect Israel from Iranian missile attacks.

On Tuesday (October 22), Indian media outlet First Post reported this news, quoting US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.

According to the report, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said on Monday that the advanced anti-missile system has been deployed in Israel.

On October 1, Iran launched missile attacks targeting Israeli military bases, air force bases and the building of the country's central intelligence agency Mosad. Israel admitted that the Israeli air force base was severely damaged.

In the wake of this attack, Israel launched a missile attack on Iran and the United States provided this 'THAAD' to protect it from Iran's missile attack in response to that attack.

'THAAD' and its features:

The short name of the missile defense system is 'THAAD'. Its full name is 'Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense'.

It uses sophisticated radar. It contains powerful missiles to destroy enemy missiles, rockets or warplanes. 'THAAD' can instantly destroy ballistic missiles that come within 150 to 200 kilometers. Its capabilities can be said to be absolutely perfect.

'THAAD' can destroy surface-to-surface, surface-to-air and air-to-air missiles. It is manufactured by the US arms manufacturer Lockheed Martin’s.

Journalists asked US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin whether THAAD was operational. In response, Lloyd said that THAAD was deployed very quickly and was able to operate as expected.

A week ago, US President Joe Biden said that the deployment of THAAD in Israel would protect it from Iranian missile attacks.

1,000 women and children from Gaza will soon be evacuated to Europe for medical care, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) Europe department, Hans Kluge, said in an interview with AFP on Monday (October 21).

In the interview, Hans Kluge said that many women and children in Gaza are being deprived of medical care due to the Israeli aggression. Israel has committed to the European Union to allow another 1,000 women and children to be evacuated to Europe for medical care within the next month. They will be assisted by European countries as well as the UN health agency.

UN investigators accused Israel of “crimes against humanity” on Thursday, saying that it is deliberately targeting health facilities in Gaza and killing and torturing medical workers there.

“This would never have happened if we had not continued the dialogue,” Kluge said. The same applies to Ukraine. Now, 15,000 HIV-AIDS patients are receiving HIV-AIDS drugs in the occupied territory of Donbas. We will always continue to condemn such attacks in the strongest possible terms.”

The 55-year-old Belgian stressed the importance of “not politicizing health.”

“The most important medicine is peace,” said Kluge. “Healthcare workers must be allowed to work in conflict zones,” he said.

Kluge wants to address the worrying situation of young people’s health and the growing inequality between men and women.

The WHO representative in the occupied Palestinian territories, Rick Pieperkorn, said in May that around 10,000 people would need to be evacuated from Gaza for urgent medical care.

WHO Europe has already evacuated 600 people from Gaza to seven European countries for treatment since the fighting began there in October 2023.

Colonel Ihsan Daksa, the commander of the 401st armored brigade of occupying Israel, was killed in an attack by the Palestinian armed group Hamas.

The Israeli army said he was killed in northern Gaza on Sunday (October 20). Besides, another army officer was seriously injured in the same attack.

Initial investigations by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) revealed that Col. Ihsan Daksa was in Jabalia, northern Gaza, with the tank. Hamas fighters attacked a total of two tanks with explosives, including the tank in which he was stationed.

The newspaper Times of Israel reported that Colonel Ihsan is one of the high-ranking officers of the Israeli army who lost their lives while carrying out ground attacks in Gaza.

Ihsan Daksa, 41, was a resident of the Druze town of Daliat el-Carmel. He took over as the commander of this brigade last June. He was honored for his contribution in the 2006 Ayat al-Sab War.

On October 7 last year, the war between Hamas and occupying Israel began. More than 43,000 Palestinians have been killed so far in this brutality that has been going on for more than a year. This number is increasing day by day. 

Yahya Sinwar, the head of the Palestinian independence armed organization Hamas, was hidden from the public eye for a long time. Yahya Sinwar, 61, spent most of his time hiding inside a tunnel under the Gaza Strip. Last Wednesday, the Israeli army shot him in the head in a building in Rafah, southern Gaza. It is still uncertain who will lead the organization after his death.

In this regard, two Hamas officials told the BBC that discussions to choose a successor to the group's leader, Yahya Sinwar, will begin very soon.

Sinwar's deputy Khalil al-Haiya could be considered the organization's most senior official and the strongest candidate, officials said.

Al-Haiya is currently based in Qatar. He is leading the Hamas delegation to cease-fire talks with Israel. He has deep knowledge, connections and understanding of the situation in Gaza.

They also said Hamas leaders would hold another rally to elect Sinwar's successor, just two months after the assassination of former leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran.

A senior Hamas official called Sinwar the architect of last year's October 7 attack, saying his appointment was a bold message against Israel.

Many believed Sinwar's leadership was a significant obstacle to any ceasefire agreement, the BBC reported. Therefore, the ceasefire talks have been stalled since last July.

Despite Sinwar's killing, a senior Hamas official reiterated to the BBC that the terms of the movement for a ceasefire and the release of Israeli hostages had not changed.

Hamas continues to demand Israel's full withdrawal from Gaza, an end to hostilities, the transfer of humanitarian aid and the reconstruction of the war-torn region. But Israel rejected the terms and asked Hamas to surrender.

"It is impossible for us to surrender," Hamas officials said.

They said, we are fighting for the freedom of our people. We will not accept surrender. We will fight to the last bullet and the last soldier, just like Sinwar did.

Sinwar's assassination is one of the most significant losses for the organization in decades. Despite the challenge of replacing him, Hamas has a history of losing leadership since the 1990s.

In this context Mohammad Sinwar, brother of Yahya Sinwar emerged as an important figure. He leads the armed group Hamas and is believed to play a key role in shaping the future of the Gaza movement.