Israel-Hamas war live: Two elderly hostages released as Gaza claims more than 5,000 Palestinians killed

Two elderly Israeli hostages have been released by Hamas, following Qatari-Egyptian mediation.

It comes after the terrorist group released two Americans on Friday, nearly two weeks after gunmen abducted them and dozens of others near Gaza.

Palestinians officials say 5,100 people have now been killed in the Gaza Strip since Israel’s bombing campaign was launched, around 40 percent of them children.

Attacks on the war-torn enclave continue, with the Israeli military saying that it had struck at least 320 targets in Gaza in the last 24 hours, including a tunnel housing Hamas fighters, and dozens of command and lookout posts.

The IDF said it had began more “limited raids” into Gaza to kill Hamas gunmen and search for hostages taken from southern Israel.

British-Israeli Yosef Guedalia, 22, has also been confirmed dead in Hamas’s attack on 7 October.

Guedalia was a soldier in an anti-terror unit and killed while confronting Hamas gunmen at Kibbutz Kfar Aza.

Key Points

• Number of Israeli captives confirmed at 222

• Over 320 Gazan targets attacked in last 24 hours, IDF says

• Second aid convoy reaches Gaza as Israel attacks targets in Syria and occupied West Bank

• US and Israel pledge ‘continued flow’ of aid to Gaza

• Israel vows to intensify attacks as ‘266 Palestinians killed'

• Family confirms missing British teenager killed in Hamas attack, reports BBC

Elderly hostage was kidnapped by motorbike and ‘hit by sticks'

10:26 , Alexander Butler

A freed Israeli hostage said she has “been through hell” during the 17 days she was held captive in Gaza by Hamas following its deadly terror attack on southern Israel which left up to 1,400 dead.

Yocheved Lifshitz, 85, was “taken through ploughed fields” and hit by Hamas fighters as she was taken into Gaza by the militants.

But she added the group “looked after our needs” and fed her pitta bread, hard cheese, low fat cream cheese and cucumber.

Nearly 5,800 Palestinians killed, Gazan health ministry says

12:09 , Alexander Butler

The number of Palestinians killed in Israeli strikes since 7 October now stands at 5,791, according Gaza’s health ministry.

It said 704 people had been killed in the last 24 hours alone. This is up from 5,087 reported on Monday, which included 1903 children.

The Ministry of Health of the State of Palestine is a government agency. It is controlled by the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank.

Since Hamas’s takeover of Gaza in 2007, Hamas governments have appointed different health ministers for the region.

Hezbollah will 'suffer horrible consequences' if it joins war, Netanyahu warns

11:23 , Alexander Butler

Mr Netanyahu warned militant group Hezbollah would suffer “horrible consequences” if it decided to start a second Lebanon war.

“If Hezbollah makes the mistake of joining this war in a significant way, it will regret it,” he said.

The “devastation against Hezbollah will be unimaginable,” he added.

Israel shares harrowing footage of killings during Hamas attack to counter denials

11:17 , Alexander Butler

Hamas attack was like 9/11 '20 times over', Netanyahu says

11:03 , Alexander Butler

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Hamas’s attack on southern Israel was the “worst terror attack the world has known since 9/11”.

“Like Anne Frank, Jewish children hid in attics from these monsters,” he said, adding they were then “found and butchered”.

The international community is now “uniting in support of Israel”, he added. “For Hamas barbarism not only threatens the Jews, it threatens the Middle East, it threatens Europe, it threatens the world.”

Live: Family members of British-Israeli kidnap victims speak at Israeli Embassy in London

10:55 , Alexander Butler

Live: Family members of British-Israeli kidnap victims speak at Israeli Embassy in London

Pictured: Freed hostage Yocheved Lifshitz

10:45 , Alexander Butler

Vigil in London for children killed in Gaza

10:43 , Alexander Butler

About 60 people have gathered in Parliament Square for a vigil to remember the children killed in Gaza during the Israel-Hamas conflict.

Attendees had the names of Palestinian children killed in the conflict written on the palms of their hands, which they raised in unison.

Melanie Ward, chief executive officer of Medical Aid for Palestinians – the charity which organised the event – called for a ceasefire and the release of hostages in a short statement to attendees.

A minute’s silence was then held to pay respect to the victims.

UN refugee agency calls for ‘unimpeded’ flow of humanitarian support

09:53 , Alexander Butler

The United Nations Palestinian refugee agency has called for an “unimpeded flow” of humanitarian assistance to Gaza which has been trapped in crisis after two weeks of intense Israeli attacks.

“We call for an unimpeded and continuous flow of humanitarian assistance and medical assistance to continue coming into Gaza,” said Tamara Alrifai, spokesperson for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).

“The trucks that have come in so far are just a trickle in the face of the immense needs of people on the street.”

Israel strikes 400 targets in Gaza, IDF says

09:49 , Alexander Butler

Israel has struck over 400 terrorist targets in Gaza in the last 24 hours, the IDF claimed.

Among the targets was a Hamas gunman setting up to fire rockets at Israel, a Hamas tunnel shaft and Hamas command centres.

“The IDF will continue operating in order to ensure the safety of innocent civilians,” it said.

Some pro-Palestine chants ‘don’t sit with our values’, says Tory minister

09:40 , Alexander Butler

Alleged chants at pro-Palestine marches “don’t sit with our values as a country”, Tory minister Victoria Atkins said.

“I think actually the majority of people were shocked and upset, actually, to see some of the things that were allegedly being shouted or appearing on placards.

“But there were some who were saying things that just ... don’t sit with our values as a country,” she told LBC.

Former Hamas hostage recalls ‘horrific’ mock execution experience

09:35 , Alexander Butler

Pictured: Yocheved Lifshitz released by Hamas

09:20 , Alexander Butler

Pictured: Gaza

09:13 , Alexander Butler

Elderly mother released from Gaza after 16-day Hamas hostage ordeal

09:00 , Alexander Butler

France stands in solidarity with Israel’s fight against terrorism, Macron says

08:45 , Alexander Butler

France will stand in solidarity with Israel in its fight against terrorism, President Emmanuel Macron said on Tuesday as he met with his Israeli counterpart Isaac Herzog in Jerusalem.

“What happened will never be forgotten,” Macron said, referring an assault on Israel in which the militant group Hamas killed over 1,400 people. “I am here to express our solidarity.”

Mr Macron added the first objective should be the release of all hostages “without distinction”. Mr Herzog said Israel does not make a distinction between those being held by Hamas with Israeli passports, and “anyone who holds another citizenship.”

Hezbollah is ‘playing with fire’, Herzog says

08:41 , Alexander Butler

The Iran-backed group Hezbollah in Lebanon is “playing with fire”, Israeli president Isaac Herzog warned.

In a joint media appearance with the French president Emmanuel Macron, Mr Herzog said: I want to make clear we are not looking for a confrontation in our northern border or with anyone else.

“We are focused on destroying Hamas infrastructure, and bringing our citizens back home. But if Hezbollah will drag us into war, it should be clear that Lebanon will pay the price.”

Israeli military is ‘ready and determined'

08:35 , Alexander Butler

The Israeli military is “ready and determined” for the next stage of the country’s war on Hamas, its spokesman said.

He said Israel was learning from U.S. experience in the Middle East but “our war is on our borders, not thousands of miles from Israel,” adding that he was expecting weeks of fighting ahead.

Hagari said Egypt was playing a key role in negotiations for the release of hostages from Gaza, which he said was a top priority for Israel.

Macron meeting Herzog live on our YouTube

08:15 , Alexander Butler

Live: Emmanual Macron meets with Israeli president Herzog as two more Hamas hostages released

At least 10 British nationals killed in Israel-Hamas conflict, minister says

08:00 , Alexander Butler

At least 10 British nationals have been killed in the conflict between Israel and Hamas and a further six are missing, British finance minister Victoria Atkins said.

It marks an increase from Thursday, when nine were confirmed dead.

Among those killed are two teenagers, a soldier, people visiting Israel on holiday and a music festival security guard.

British woman speaks of ‘relief’ after hostage mother released by Hamas

07:45 , Maroosha Muzaffar

A British national has spoken of her relief after her mother was released from Gaza by Hamas.

Yocheved Lifshitz and Nurit Cooper were handed over to the Red Cross at the Rafah crossing on Monday evening and will be transferred shortly to Israel.

The Foreign Office said that, while both women released by the proscribed terrorist organisation were Israelis, one of the women has family in the UK, with Mrs Lifshitz’s London-based daughter confirming her mother had been freed.

Sharone Lifschitz said: “I can confirm that my mother Yochi Lifshitz was one of two hostages released to the Red Cross this evening.

“While I cannot put into words the relief that she is now safe, I will remain focused on securing the release of my father and all those, some 200 innocent people, who remain hostages in Gaza.”

British woman speaks of ‘relief’ after hostage mother released by Hamas

'Anti-genocide consensus' urgently needed, former UN official for Palestinian territories says

07:30 , Maroosha Muzaffar

Richard Falk, former UN rapporteur on human rights in the Palestinian territories told TRT World in an interview that “there is no way for genocide to be reconciled with any kind of normalisation between Israel and Palestine”.

He added: “Genocide is such a disruptive act that it stops all other forms of cooperation. Maybe the outcome of the present conflict is such that it could lead to drastic changes in the way Israel and Gaza fight with each other. Then maybe we can consider the possibilities of a new framework of peace in the Eastern Mediterranean.

“There is one possibility that would be very promising from a Turkish perspective, and that is if it took the leadership in forming an anti-genocide consensus in the region, which might gain considerable support from a number of countries that are crucial to creating a political atmosphere that might, in time, lead to some kind of a peaceful solution.

“That has to include Jordan, Egypt, Lebanon and Türkiye, and might also include Saudi Arabia and Iran. It’s conceivable, though unlikely, that the anti-genocide consensus becomes a promising diplomatic initiative on the part of Türkiye and other regional countries.”

Some Gazans returning to north despite risk, UN says

07:15 , Maroosha Muzaffar

Palestinians who fled north of Gaza are beginning to return from the south due to the dire situation there, a senior UN official has said.

BBC reported that Israel told 1.1 million residents of Gaza City and other northern areas to evacuate. But the official said they were struggling to find food, shelter and drinking water in the south.

The director of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (Unrwa) in Gaza, Thomas White, told the outlet that the majority of displaced people survived on only one litre of water and one to two small portions of Arabic bread daily.

“Essentially, people have left everything in the north - their houses, their businesses, their lives. They’ve come to the south where they are struggling to find shelter, food is scarce, many people are having to drink unpotable water, so the situation in the south is dire.”

Union criticises police involvement after Tube driver suspended for Palestine chant on train

07:00 , Simon Calder

Train drivers union Aslef has hit out at police involvement after a Tube driver was heard leading a pro-Palestine chant on a packed train.

A driver has been suspended after the incident, which took place in London on Saturday as tens of thousands of people marched in support of Palestinians.

Finn Brennan, Aslef’s full-time organiser on London Underground, said: “We are aware that a Tube train driver has been suspended while an investigation takes place.

“The involvement of the police in this matter is a ridiculous overreaction to something that should clearly be dealt with internally by Transport for London in line with normal procedures.”

Obama warns Israel’s actions in Gaza could ‘worsen a growing humanitarian crisis’

06:40 , Maroosha Muzaffar

Barack Obama has warned the Israeli government against taking measures that could “worsen a growing humanitarian crisis” for the civilian population in Gaza.

The former president said he “fully supported” Joe Biden’s call for support of America’s “long-standing ally” in dismantling Hamas, but cautioned against action that could “erode global support for Israel“ and “undermine long term efforts to achieve peace and stability in the region.”

It comes after more than 5,100 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s bombardments and airstrikes, in retaliation for attacks carried out by Hamas, which left over 1,500 Israelis dead.

Obama warns Israel’s actions in Gaza could ‘worsen a growing humanitarian crisis’

China claims it will do its utmost for Palestinian-Israeli reconciliation

06:10 , Maroosha Muzaffar

China will do its utmost when it comes to contributing to Palestinian-Israeli reconciliation, its foreign minister told his Israeli counterpart in a phone call on Monday, according to Chinese state media.

China will firmly support any resolution as long as it is conducive to peace, foreign minister Wang Yi told Israel’s Eli Cohen, calling the conflict a “major choice between war and peace”, its state-run media reported on Tuesday.

Mr Wang also called for Israel to take effective measures to protect the safety of Chinese citizens and institutions in the Middle East, adding that “all countries have the right to self-defence, but they should abide by international humanitarian law and protect the safety of civilians”.

China has condemned violence and attacks on civilians in the conflict, and while Mr Wang has declared Israel’s actions “beyond the scope of self-defence” he has not named Hamas in his comments.

In a separate phone conversation with Palestinian foreign minister Riyad al-Maliki, Mr Wang said he “deeply sympathises” with the people of Gaza and that what they need most are security and efforts to stop war and promote peace, not weapons or geopolitical calculations.

China calls for the convening of a “more authoritative, wide-ranging and effective international peace conference” soonest to promote the resumption of peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians, Mr Wang said.

- Reuters

Recap: Israel shares harrowing footage of attacks

06:00 , Chris Stevenson

Israel has played harrowing footage of killings during the attack by Hamas into Israel more than two weeks ago.

The footage, 43 minutes long was captured by security cameras, body cameras worn by the Hamas attackers, vehicle dashboard cameras, social media accounts and videos from mobile phones, the Israeli military said.

It contained clips of Hamas gunmen cheering with apparent joy as they shot civilians on the road, and later stalking the pathways of kibbutzim and killing parents and children in their homes. Much of the footage was too grisly to release.

The footage was shown to foreign journalists in Tel Aviv on Monday, reflecting a want from the Israeli military to counter what it has said are attempts to downplay or deny the extent of the attack. Journalists present were not able to record the compilation of footage, but a short exert was released to the public.

The one minute of footage showed Hamas militants flagging down a car as it drove slowly along a rural road. The gunmen open fire, hitting the vehicle, which swerved and halted, revealing two people slumped in the front seats.

Other sequences showed a militant gunmen killing wounded female Israeli soldiers and a jubilant Hamas fighter calling his family: “I killed 10 Jews with my own hands.”

Another sequence showed one Hamas gunman shooting the apparently dead bodies of civilians inside a kibbutz in a celebratory manner, and another striking into the neck of a man on the ground using a garden tool.

‘No one left to mourn’: Palestinian journalist pens heartfelt essay on Gaza conflict

05:45 , Maroosha Muzaffar

Palestinian journalist Maram Humaid has penned a heartfelt essay on the Gaza conflict in which she has said that home was “no longer a sanctuary for living and relaxation”.

“In this land, ‘home’ is no longer a sanctuary for living and relaxation; it’s a precarious existence, subject to sudden devastation without warning,” Humaid wrote for Al Jazeera.

“No one is left to mourn. And in a way, some people envy those who found a peaceful end, escaping the ongoing madness of shelling and killing,” she said.

“The news cycle’s constant churn offers little respite to process the anguish of losing loved ones and mourn them properly.”

At least 110 reported killed by Israeli air strikes in Gaza

05:40 , Maroosha Muzaffar

At least 110 people, including women and children, have been killed due to Israeli air raids in various parts of the Gaza Strip late Monday and in the early hours of Tuesday, according to medical sources.

Al Jazeera, citing a medical source inside Gaza, reported that Israel struck Gaza’s al-Shati refugee camp and al-Balad in Jabaliya, al-Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza as well as two areas in the south, Rafah and Khan Younis.

The Palestinian news agency WAFA confirmed the report, saying that the largest number of casualties, exceeding 30 people, occurred in Rafah.

Medical sources also told WAFA that at least 23 people were killed, including children, and more than 80 others were wounded in Khan Younis. Dozens were also reported killed in separate strikes on the al-Shati and al-Bureij refugee camps.

Some Gazans returning to north despite risk, UN says

05:26 , Maroosha Muzaffar

Palestinians who fled north of Gaza are beginning to return from the south due to the dire situation there, a senior UN official has said.

BBC reported that Israel told 1.1 million residents of Gaza City and other northern areas to evacuate. But the official said they were struggling to find food, shelter and drinking water in the south.

The director of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (Unrwa) in Gaza, Thomas White, told the outlet that the majority of displaced people survived on only one litre of water and one to two small portions of Arabic bread daily.

“Essentially, people have left everything in the north - their houses, their businesses, their lives. They’ve come to the south where they are struggling to find shelter, food is scarce, many people are having to drink unpotable water, so the situation in the south is dire.”

Hamas accuses Israel of killing one of its leaders in prison

05:00 , Sam Rkaina

Hamas on Monday accused Israel of killing a senior leader of the Palestinian Islamist group who was being held in an Israeli prison.

Hamas named the leader as Omar Daraghmeh, 58, from the city of Tubas in the north of the Israeli-occupied West Bank. It described his death as an “assassination”.

The Israel Prison Service said earlier on Monday that a Palestinian prisoner born in 1965 had died after “feeling unwell and going to the prison clinic for tests”. It did not name the prisoner, but said he was from the northern West Bank.

The Israel Prison Service said it was reviewing the circumstances of the prisoner’s death. A spokesperson for the service did not immediately provide comment on Hamas’ accusation that Daraghmeh was killed.

Israel minister distributes assault rifles to Israelis in West Bank

05:00 , Maroosha Muzaffar

Israeli national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir distributed assault rifles to Israelis in the occupied West Bank, according to Middle East Monitor.

Last week Mr Ben-Gvir announced that his ministry had bought 10,000 rifles to arm what he referred to as “security teams”, the report said.

In addition to the assault rifles, helmets and bulletproof vests have also been obtained and will be distributed.

“We will turn the world upside down so that towns are protected. I have given instructions for massively arming the civilian security teams to provide solutions for towns and cities, and so as not to leave towns unprotected,” he reportedly said.

British woman speaks of ‘relief’ after hostage mother released by Hamas

04:51 , Maroosha Muzaffar

A British national has spoken of her relief after her mother was released from Gaza by Hamas.

Yocheved Lifshitz and Nurit Cooper were handed over to the Red Cross at the Rafah crossing on Monday evening and will be transferred shortly to Israel.

The Foreign Office said that, while both women released by the proscribed terrorist organisation were Israelis, one of the women has family in the UK, with Mrs Lifshitz’s London-based daughter confirming her mother had been freed.

Sharone Lifschitz said: “I can confirm that my mother Yochi Lifshitz was one of two hostages released to the Red Cross this evening.

“While I cannot put into words the relief that she is now safe, I will remain focused on securing the release of my father and all those, some 200 innocent people, who remain hostages in Gaza.”

British woman speaks of ‘relief’ after hostage mother released by Hamas

UN General Assembly to hold emergency meeting on Palestine

04:30 , Maroosha Muzaffar

The UN General Assembly has scheduled a special emergency session in response to a request made by Jordan and Mauritania, representing multiple nations, concerning the “grave situation” in Palestine.

“When the Security Council is unable to act, the General Assembly must step up,” Dennis Francis, the President of the UN General Assembly, said after announcing he would convene the meeting of the 193-member body this Thursday.

Joe Biden ‘welcomed the release of two additional hostages’

04:20 , Maroosha Muzaffar

In a call with prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, US president Joe Biden welcomed “the release of two additional hostages from Gaza” on Monday.

In a statement, the White House said: “The President also underscored the need to sustain a continuous flow of urgently needed humanitarian assistance into Gaza; updated the prime minister on US support for Israel and ongoing efforts at regional deterrence, to include new US military deployments.”

Tube driver who led ‘free Palestine’ chant on train is suspended by Transport for London

04:05 , Maroosha Muzaffar

A Tube driver who led a chant of “free, free Palestine” on a London Underground train on Saturday has been suspended.

After around 100,000 protesters took part in a pro-Palestinian demonstration in central London, footage posted online by Open Democracy journalist Ruby Lott-Lavigna appeared to show the chant being led over the train’s speaker system.

Ms Lott-Lavigna quickly deleted the video but in other footage from the same train the driver of the packed Central Line service repeatedly said “free, free” to which the passengers responded “Palestine”.

In the middle of the chant he asked passengers: “Louder, please, louder”.

Before letting people off the carriage to join the protest, he finished: “Hope you all have a blessed day today and look after yourselves.”

Tube driver who led ‘free Palestine’ chant on train is suspended by TfL

Obama says Israel cutting off Gaza ‘plays into enemy hands'

04:00 , Sam Rkaina

Former US president Barack Obama has issued a lengthy statement on the ongoing Hamas-Israel conflict.

In it he warns that the Israel government’s decision to cut off Gaza from essentials such as food and power will only make matters worse for the country.

He writes: “The Israeli government’s decision to cut off food, water and electricity to a captive civilian population threatens not only to worsen a growing humanitarian crisis; it could further harden Palestinian attitudes for generations, erode global support for Israel, play into the hands of Israel’s enemies, and undermine long term efforts to achieve peace and stability in the region.

“It’s therefore important that those of us supporting Israel in its time of need encourage a strategy that can incapacitate Hamas while minimizing further civilian casualties.

“Israel’s recent shift to allow relief trucks into Gaza, prompted in part by the Biden administration’s behind-the-scenes diplomacy, is an encouraging step, but we need to continue [to] lead the international community in accelerating critical aid and supplies to an increasingly desperate Gaza population.”

Two Israeli hostages released by Hamas had an ‘emotional reunion with families’

03:57 , Maroosha Muzaffar

Two Israeli women released by Hamas on Monday have arrived at Tel Aviv’s Ichilov Hospital, according to Times of Israel.

A nurse at the hospital was quoted as saying that 85-year-old Yocheved Lifshitz and 79-year-old Nurit Cooper “had an emotional reunion with their families”.

According to another news site Ynet, Ms Lifshitz said that she did not know where she was taken after arriving in Gaza. “They crossed the border fence into the Gaza Strip, and at first they held me in the town of Abesan,” she said. “After that, I don’t know where I was taken.”

How can police deal with ‘jihad’ protests over the Israel-Gaza war?

03:00 , Tom Peck

The Hamas terrorist attacks on Israel, and Israel’s retaliatory airstrikes on Gaza, have prompted waves of rallies and demonstrations all over the world.

In London, there have been several pro-Palestinian rallies, at which police chiefs have had the unenviable task of ensuring that free speech did not tip over into hate speech and, if it did, potentially taking action and making arrests.

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley met home secretary Suella Braverman on Monday to discuss the best way to police demonstrations at a time of acute sensitivity.

Click here for the full view.

Military team to protect U.S. personnel after repeated attacks

02:00 , Sam Rkaina

The military team is one of many fast-moving pieces the Pentagon is getting in place to try and prevent the already intense conflict between Israel and Hamas from becoming a wider war.

It also is trying to protect U.S. personnel, who in the last few days have come under repeated attacks that the Pentagon has said were likely endorsed by Iran.

Kirby said Iran was “in some cases actively facilitating these attacks and spurring on others who may want to exploit the conflict for their own good, or for that of Iran. We know that Iran’s goal is to maintain some level of deniability here. But were not going to allow them to do that.”

On Monday, the U.S. military garrison at an-Tanf, Syria, came under attack again, this time by two drones. The drones were shot down and no injuries were reported. It was the latest episode of more than a half-dozen times in the last week that U.S. military locations in the Middle East had come under rocket or drone attack since a deadly blast at a Gaza hospital.

Last Thursday the destroyer USS Carney shot down four land-attack cruise missiles launched from Yemen that the Pentagon has said were potentially headed toward Israel.

In response, over the weekend the Pentagon announced it was sending multiple Patriot missile defense system battalions and a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system to the Middle East, as well as repositioning the Eisenhower strike group to the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility. The ship had previously been en route to the Eastern Mediterranean.

Pentagon rushes defenses and advisers to Middle East as Israel’s ground assault looms

01:00 , Sam Rkaina

The Pentagon has sent military advisers, including a Marine Corps general versed in urban warfare, to Israel to aid in its war planning and is speeding multiple sophisticated air defense systems to the Middle East days ahead of an anticipated ground assault into Gaza.

One of the officers leading the assistance is Marine Corps Lt. Gen. James Glynn, who previously helped lead special operations forces against the Islamic State and served in Fallujah, Iraq, during some of the most heated urban combat there, according to a U.S. official who was not authorized to discuss Glynn’s role and spoke on the condition of anonymity.

Glynn will also be advising on how to mitigate civilian casualties in urban warfare, the official said.

Israel is preparing a large-scale ground operation in an environment in which Hamas militants have had years to prepare tunnel networks and set traps throughout northern Gaza’s dense urban blocks.

Glynn and the other military officers who are advising Israel “have experience that is appropriate to the sorts of operations that Israel is conducting,” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said Monday. The advisers will not be engaged in the fighting, the unidentified U.S. official said.

Israel fixtures rearranged by UEFA due to conflict

Tuesday 24 October 2023 00:01 , Sam Rkaina

Israel’s men and women have had their fixtures rearranged with clubs expected to release players outside the international window.

UEFA postponed all games scheduled in Israel in October due to the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas.

Israel’s Euro 2024 qualifying trip to Kosovo will be on November 12 while the Women’s Nations League double header against Kazakhstan will now be played on November 23 and 26.

Those games are outside the next international window but Israel’s Euro 2024 qualifier with Switzerland is now on November 15, inside the window.

A UEFA statement read: “The obligation to release players will be limited to a maximum of one player per club not affiliated to one of the associations involved in the matches and the release will be due only two days prior to the matches in question, based on a special FIFA decision motivated by the exceptional circumstances, as no dates could be found in the November international windows.”

Taking hostages “a despicable crime”, Lord tells House

Monday 23 October 2023 23:00 , Sam Rkaina

Leading lawyer Lord Pannick said the taking of hostages by Hamas, including children, the elderly and disabled was “a despicable crime”.

Speaking in the House of Lords, the independent crossbencher said: “The International Committee of the Red Cross has said that it is in ‘sustained daily contact with Hamas’.

“Will the Government urge the Red Cross to demand access to the hostages and do everything it can to ensure their welfare pending what we hope will be their return home?”

Tory leader in the upper chamber Lord True said: “We are making every diplomatic effort to secure that.

“The United Kingdom Government wishes to see all hostages returned and they should be returned forthwith.

“These are human beings, they are not bargaining chips to be played with by terrorists to demand media attention.”

British woman’s relief as mother released from Hamas capture

Monday 23 October 2023 22:58 , Sam Rkaina

A British national has spoken of her relief after her mother was released from Gaza by Hamas.

Yocheved Lifshitz and Nurit Cooper were handed over to the Red Cross at the Rafah crossing on Monday evening and will be transferred shortly to Israel.

The Foreign Office confirmed that, while both women released by the proscribed terrorist organisation were Israelis, one of the women has family in the UK.

Sharone Lifschitz, Yocheved’s daughter, said: “I can confirm that my mother Yochi Lifshitz was one of two hostages released to the Red Cross this evening.

“While I cannot put into words the relief that she is now safe, I will remain focused on securing the release of my father and all those, some 200 innocent people, who remain hostages in Gaza.”

Biden tells The Independent that Hamas should release hostages before any ceasefire

Monday 23 October 2023 22:45 , Sam Rkaina

Joe Biden says that Hamas should release the hostages it kidnapped in its bloody attack on Israel before any ceasefire in the bombardment of Gaza is implemented.

The president made his stance clear at an event on Monday in response to a question from Andrew Feinberg, the White House correspondent of The Independent.

“We should get... We should have a ceasefire, not a ceasefire... we should have these hostages released and then we can talk,” said Mr Biden to Feinberg.

Mr Biden was speaking at an event on the economy at the South Court Auditorium of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on the White House complex. His comments came as Hamas said it had released two elderly Israeli hostages, following Qatari-Egyptian mediation.

‘Scores killed’ in Israeli air strike on Gaza’s Al-Shati camp

Monday 23 October 2023 22:14 , Sam Rkaina

Scores of Palestinians were killed and wounded in an Israeli air strike that hit homes in Gaza’s Al-Shati camp late on Monday, the health ministry said.

“Many of the casualties are children and women who are still under rubble,” ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qidra said.

All three Italians missing after Hamas attack are dead, Rome says

Monday 23 October 2023 22:11 , Sam Rkaina

All of the three people with dual Italian-Israeli citizenship who went missing after the Oct. 7 attack on Israel by the Hamas militant group have died, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said on Monday.

“Unfortunately Nir Forti has also died. He was the last of the 3 missing Italian-Israelis,” Tajani said on X, the social media platform. “Dying at the age of 29, brutally killed by terrorists, is profoundly unjust,” he added.

Hours earlier, Tajani had announced the death of Lilian Le Havron, wife of Eviatar Moshe Kipnis who had been confirmed dead on Oct. 17. The couple lived in Kibbutz Be’eri, 3 miles (5 km) from Gaza, one of the first areas to be hit by Hamas.

“I renew my condolences to the children and family. For Italy another day of mourning,” the minister wrote, in another message on X.

On Sunday, Tajani had said that seven or eight Italians, plus their spouses and children, were in the south of the Gaza Strip and were trying to get out.

Grandson of freed hostage hopes others will follow

Monday 23 October 2023 21:30 , Sam Rkaina

The grandson of Yocheved Lifshitz, Daniel Lifshitz, confirmed to reporters in Eilat that his family had been formally notified that his grandmother had been released along with a fellow member of the Nir Oz kibbutz.

“We are truly hoping that this is just the beginning of the release of all the remaining hostages,” he said.

Asked what he would say to her, Lifshitz said: “That I love her.”

TV cameras capture moment two hostages released by Hamas

Monday 23 October 2023 21:11 , Barney Davis

Egyptian TV station Extra News broadcast footage late on Monday that it said showed two women freed by Hamas being transferred from a Red Cross vehicle to ambulances at the Rafah crossing between Egypt and the Gaza Strip.

The women were shown being helped into the ambulances and onto beds, awaiting transfer.

Qatar and Egypt broker deal

Monday 23 October 2023 20:57 , Bel Trew in Tel Aviv

The Independent understands the release of hostages tonight was brokered by Qatar and Egypt.

Abu Ubaida, spokesman for armed wing of the militant group Hamas, said on Telegram it had secured the release of the detainees “despite the enemy’s refusal to accept them since last Friday and their neglect of the issue of our prisoners”.

“We decided to release them for humanitarian and poor health grounds ... Despite that, the enemy refused to receive them last Friday,” the statement added.

A message sent by Hamas on Telegram named the two detainees as Yocheved Lifshitz, and Nurit Yitzhak. The two women are in their 70s and 80s and were kidnapped from the same kibbutz near the border with Gaza on 7 October.

The International Committee of the Red Cross confirmed the release, with Egyptian state media saying they were at the Rafah crossing with Egypt.

The ICRC said: “We facilitated the release of two more hostages, transporting them out of Gaza this evening. Our role as a neutral intermediary makes this work possible & we are ready to facilitate any future release. We hope that they will soon be back with their loved ones.”

Two arrested after pro-Israel protesters in US ‘pepper sprayed'

Monday 23 October 2023 20:50 , Sam Rkaina

US police arrested two people after one of them allegedly fired a shot and another pepper-sprayed protesters outside a pro-Israel rally in Chicago’s northern suburbs.

The rally took place Sunday evening at a Skokie banquet hall, the Chicago Sun-Times reported. About 1,000 people attended to show solidary with Israel, according to organizers.

A group of about 200 pro-Palestinian protesters gathered outside the hall. A man allegedly drove his car into the group, got out and fired a shot before police took him into custody. A witness told the newspaper that the man’s car had been covered in Israeli flags.

A man coming out of the banquet hall wearing an Israeli flag as a cape sprayed the crowed with pepper spray before he was arrested. No one was seriously hurt in the melee.

Police in U.S. cities as well as federal authorities have been on high alert for violence driven by antisemtic or Islamophobic sentiments as the war between Israel and Hamas continues.

Joe Biden demands Hamas release more hostages before talk of any ceasefire

Monday 23 October 2023 20:42 , Barney Davis

Joe Biden says that Hamas should release the hostages it kidnapped in its bloody attack on Israel before any ceasefire in the bombardment of Gaza is implemented.

The president made his stance clear at an event on Monday in response to a question from Andrew Feinberg, the White House correspondent of The Independent.

Biden says that Hamas should release hostages before any ceasefire

“We should get... We should have a ceasefire, not a ceasefire... we should have these hostages released and then we can talk,” said Mr Biden to Feinberg.

Red Cross confirms two hostages released by Hamas

Monday 23 October 2023 20:40 , Barney Davis

The International Committee of the Red Cross said it facilitated the release of two more hostages held by the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas on Monday, “transporting them out of Gaza this evening”.

The ICRC added: “Our role as a neutral intermediary makes this work possible (and) we are ready to facilitate any future release.”

Israel has yet to comment on the hostage release.

The release of the two hostages, 85-year-old Yocheved Lifshitz and 79-year-old Nurit Cooper, was confirmed by the International Committee of the Red Cross. The two women, along with their husbands, were snatched from their homes in the kibbutz of Nir Oz near the Gaza border in Hamas’ Oct. 7 rampage through towns of southern Israel. Their husbands were not released.In a statement, Hamas said it had released them for humanitarian reasons. Hamas and other militants in Gaza are believed to have taken roughly 220 people, including an unconfirmed number of foreigners and dual nationals. Hamas released an American woman and her teenage daughter last week.

Hamas’s ‘useful idiots’ on uni campuses ‘represent a fifth column'

Monday 23 October 2023 20:18 , Sam Rkaina

There are a number of “Hamas’s useful idiots” on some university campuses who “represent a fifth column supporting terrorism”, an education minister has said.

Robert Halfon was speaking in the Commons as MPs raised concerns over antisemitism and what one described as the “glorification” of Hamas’s attack on Israel on university campuses.

Education Secretary Gillian Keegan told MPs she has written to schools, colleges and universities reminding them of their duties under the Government’s anti-terror Prevent programme and to underscore that antisemitism will not be tolerated.

She said that “disturbingly” she had seen evidence of students and academics appearing to support Hamas.

The remarks came during a session of questions to education ministers in the Commons, where a number of MPs raised concerns over the impact for both Jewish and Muslim students of the Israel-Hamas conflict.

Hamas says it has released two more hostages

Monday 23 October 2023 19:25 , Sam Rkaina

Hamas has said it has released two more hostages this evening.

Two elderly Israeli woman have been freed more than two weeks after the terror group took hundreds of people captive during a deadly assault on Israel

A spokesperson for the militants said the releases were in response to a Qatari-Egyptian mediation.

“We decided to release them for humanitarian and poor health grounds,” a statement for Abu Ubaida, the spokesman of the group’s armed wing, said on its Telegram channel.

Grandfather pays tribute to British-Israeli soldier killed as he rescued hostages

Monday 23 October 2023 19:13 , Sam Rkaina

The heartbroken grandfather of a “heroic” British-Israeli soldier killed as he rescued hostages from Hamas said he has “lost an entire world”.

Yosef Guedalia, 22, was shot as he fought gunmen at Kibbutz Kfar Aza during the attack by Hamas who killed more than 1,000 people in southern Israel on October 7.

His grandfather Isidore Zuckerbrod, whose parents survived the Holocaust, said Mr Guedalia returned to the kibbutz four times to rescue hostages as Hamas militants shot at him.

On his fourth journey into the kibbutz, Mr Guedalia’s armoured vehicle was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) and he was shot as he fled the smoking wreck, his grandfather said.

Hamas militants dragged his body towards the border to use as a “dead hostage”, Mr Zuckerbrod said, but Israel Defence Forces (IDF) soldiers spotted them using a drone and shot the gunmen before retrieving their fallen comrade.

The 78-year-old, a retired GP who grew up in Manchester after the Second World War, said: “Every person who dies is a world in themself – if you save one life you save the whole world.

“Yosef’s loss to me is the loss of a whole world.

“He was the pride of the family, as is his older brother (Asher Guedalia) who went straight back into the army after our week of mourning.

“We are incredibly proud of him – he was a real hero.

Grandfather pays tribute to British-Israeli soldier killed as he rescued hostages

Monday 23 October 2023 19:11 , Sam Rkaina

The heartbroken grandfather of a “heroic” British-Israeli soldier killed as he rescued hostages from Hamas said he has “lost an entire world”.

Yosef Guedalia, 22, was shot as he fought gunmen at Kibbutz Kfar Aza during the attack by Hamas who killed more than 1,000 people in southern Israel on October 7.

His grandfather Isidore Zuckerbrod, whose parents survived the Holocaust, told the PA news agency that Mr Guedalia returned to the kibbutz four times to rescue hostages as Hamas militants shot at him.

On his fourth journey into the kibbutz, Mr Guedalia’s armoured vehicle was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) and he was shot as he fled the smoking wreck, his grandfather said.

Hamas militants dragged his body towards the border to use as a “dead hostage”, Mr Zuckerbrod said, but Israel Defence Forces (IDF) soldiers spotted them using a drone and shot the gunmen before retrieving their fallen comrade.

Tube driver who led ‘free Palestine’ chant on train is suspended by Transport for London

Monday 23 October 2023 18:45 , Sam Rkaina

A Tube driver who appeared to lead passengers in a chant of “free, free Palestine” on a London Underground train has been suspended pending further investigation, Transport for London said.

The incident happened on Saturday as around 100,000 protesters took part in a pro-Palestinian demonstration.

Footage posted online by a journalist appeared to show the chant being led over the train’s speaker system.

The driver of the Central Line service said “free, free” to which the passengers responded “Palestine” – a popular chant at protests.

Glynn Barton, TfL’s chief operating officer, said: “We have been urgently and thoroughly investigating the footage appearing to show a Tube driver misusing the PA system and leading chants on a Central Line train on Saturday.

“A driver has now been identified and suspended whilst we continue to fully investigate the incident in line with our policies and procedures.”

The chant was criticised by minister for London Paul Scully who said Tube staff should “focus on the day job” and warned against stoking tension in the capital.

The Israeli Embassy said: “It is deeply troubling to see such intolerance on London’s Tubes … public transport should be a place of safety and inclusivity for all.”

On Saturday British Transport Police Assistant Chief Constable Sean O’Callaghan said the force was investigating and was “aware of footage circulating on social media which suggests chants are led by driver of a train in London earlier”.

UK pressing Israel and others on Gaza aid, says James Cleverly

Monday 23 October 2023 17:59 , Barney Davis

Foreign secretary James Cleverly said ensuring humanitarian aid reaches Palestinians in Gaza needed action from others, as well as Israel.

James Cleverly, asked whether the UK was urging Israel to allow fuel and water into Gaza, told BBC Radio 4’s PM programme: “Israel needs to ensure that if it pauses its military action, that Hamas will not take the opportunity of that pause to attack Israel.

“We need to make sure that if people leave Gaza through the Rafah crossing into Egypt, that Egypt is not importing a terrorist problem itself.

“So it is not just about impressing upon Israel the need for humanitarian support, although of course we are doing that. It is about making sure that all of the decision-makers are being engaged with all of the time.”

World court to hold public hearings over consequences from Israel's occupation

Monday 23 October 2023 17:54 , Barney Davis

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) will hold public hearings to allow parties to give their views on the legal consequences of Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian territories before eventually issuing a non-binding legal opinion, it said on Monday.

The 193-member United Nations General Assembly in December had asked the ICJ, also known as the World Court, to give its view on the on-going conflict between Israel and Palestinians.

Hearings in the Dutch city of The Hague will open on Monday, February 19, the court said. The request for a so-called advisory opinion had been made before the current escalation in the region, so the ICJ’s opinion will focus solely on the Israeli occupation.

It was made in a resolution adopted by the General Assembly with 87 votes in favor. Israel, the United States and 24 other members voted against, while 53 abstained.