Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh said Tuesday a truce agreement with Israel was in sight as a brutal Israeli war on Gaza entered its 46th day. Israel continues airstrikes on civilian targets as the Palestinian death toll jumps exponentially by the hour.
22:00 Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu says that captives will be released in stages, and that the war against Hamas will not stop after a ceasefire.
20:10 The Palestinian health ministry said Tuesday the death toll in the Gaza Strip had reached 14,128 since the war began on October 7.
The ministry said 5,840 children and 3,920 women were among the dead, with another 33,000 people wounded.
Previously, the health ministry said it could no longer give exact tolls as intense fighting has prevented bodies from being recovered.
19:30 Fifty-three journalists and media workers have been killed in the latest Israeli war on Gaza, according to a tally by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) published Tuesday.
The toll includes 46 Palestinians, four Israelis and three Lebanese killed since the war began on October 7, the New York-based organization said.
The CPJ said 11 journalists have been injured and three are missing since the start of the war, while 18 have been arrested.
17:30 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office has announced meetings of three key decision-making bodies late Tuesday to discuss “the issue of the release of hostages.”
A statement released by Netanyahu’s office said the special war Cabinet will convene at 6 p.m. (1600 GMT), followed by meetings of the broader Security Cabinet and then the full Cabinet.
It gave no further details, but the various bodies are required to approve important government decisions.
The meetings come as Hamas officials say a deal could be reached soon on a cease-fire and swap of Palestinian prisoners for captives held by the Islamic militant group in Gaza.
“On the return of the hostages, we are making progress,” Netanyahu said in a meeting with Israeli soldiers. “I don’t think it’s worth saying too much, not even at this moment, but I hope there will be good news soon.”
15:30 Al-Qassam Brigade announced they had launched a rocket barrage striking the Ra’im military base in southern Israel, which houses the Israeli army’s Gaza division.
15:00 17 Palestinians were killed by Israeli bombardment of the Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip early Tuesday, a Palestinian official news agency Wafa reported.
Dozens of Palestinian civilians were also killed in airstrikes on several other areas in the Gaza Strip, including on a school in Al-Faluja and on homes in Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip.
According to medical reports, at least 80 Palestinian civilians were killed and dozens wounded in bombardment on the northern Gaza Strip on Tuesday, Wafa reported.
13:30 Israeli airstrikes on two residential buildings in Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza killed and injured dozens of civilians on Tuesday.
12:30 As indirect talks continue between Israel and Palestinian factions, various reports pointed to some key elements in a possible truce deal.
According to reports, the deal would involve a five-day ceasefire and no Israeli air activity over the Gaza Strip.
The deal would involve the release by Palestinian factions of 50 captives, including settlers and foreigners, in return for the release by Israel of 300 Palestinian women and children in Israeli jails.
The deal would also allow for the entry of 300 trucks carrying food, medical supplies, and fuel.
On Tuesday, two fuel trucks and 50 trucks carrying humanitarian aid entered Gaza via the Rafah border crossing, according to Al-Qahera News.
Also, nine ambulances to transport injured Palestinians out of Gaza entered the strip today.
12:10 Al Jazeera reported that three journalists were killed in an Israeli airstrike in the town of Tayr Harfa in South Lebanon.
Al-Mayadeen confirmed its correspondent Farah Omar and cameraman Rabih Maamari were killed in an Israeli airstrike.
Earlier, an Israeli airstrike killed an elderly woman and wounded her granddaughter in southern Lebanon on Tuesday, state-run media reported, according to AFP.
“Enemy aircraft raided inhabited houses in Kafr Kila, leading to the death of citizen Laiqa Sarhan, 80, and the wounding of her granddaughter,” the official National News Agency said.
12:00 Amid reports of a possible truce between Israel and Hamas, tens of trucks carrying thousands of tons of humanitarian aid to Gaza are waiting on the Egyptian side of the Rafah border crossing to enter the strip in order to relieve 2.4 million Palestinians under an Israeli blockade since 7 October.
Egypt has continued to receive aid to Gaza that is being sent by various countries and organizations from around the globe at Arish International Airport in North Sinai.
Tens of trucks full of humanitarian aid are ready to head from Arish to Rafah.
11:40 On the occasion of World Children’s Day, two Palestinian children in Gaza, Lujain and Leen, sent a message to the world calling for peace.
“Stop The War – Support Gaza’s Children Today”
“Stop War – Save Gaza”
11:30 Israel has recalled its ambassador to South Africa, Eliav Belotserkovsky, back to Jerusalem “for consultations” ahead of a parliamentary vote in the African country to decide the fate of the Israeli embassy.
This came ahead of a vote in South Africa’s parliament on a motion to shut down the Israeli embassy and cut all ties with Israel until a cease-fire is implemented in Gaza.
The two countries’ diplomatic relations have recently witnessed a rise in tensions over the Israeli war on Gaza.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa previously said his country believes Israel is committing war crimes and genocide in Gaza, where thousands of Palestinians have been killed.
Earlier this month, South Africa recalled its ambassador to Israel and withdrew all its diplomatic staff from the country.
11:00 The Israeli bombardment of the Indonesian Hospital, where thousands have been sheltering from Israeli airstrikes in northern Gaza, has killed 600 Palestinians and injured hundreds more in the last 72 hours, according to the Palestinian health ministry.
10:30 Amid reports of a possible truce, Israel intensified airstrikes against civilian targets in northern Gaza, hitting Hefsa bint Omar school in Faluja which is sheltering displaced Palestinians, and the vicinity of Kamal Adwan Hospital in Beit Lahia.
9:45 “We are close to reaching a deal on a truce,” Haniyeh said, according to a statement sent by his office to AFP.
There was no immediate response from Israel on the status of negotiation efforts to secure the release of the estimated 240 captives seized by Hamas on 7 October in return for the release of a part of the 8,000 – 9,000 Palestinian political prisoners in its jails.
9:00 Israeli Jet fighters pounded the vicinity of the Indonesian hospital on Monday evening as Israel continued targeting hospitals in northern Gaza.
Israeli airstrikes also targeted residential buildings in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, killing and injuring dozens, mostly women and children.
The Palestinian death toll has climbed over 13,300 including 5,600 children and 3,550 women.
The number of wounded Palestinians has climbed to over 32,000.
On the other hand, Hamas targeted Tel Aviv with one of the largest barrages of rockets since the war started on 7 October.
Meanwhile, Hamas spokesperson Abu Obeida announced that Qassam fighters destroyed or disabled 29 Israeli armoured vehicles in the last 48 hours.
Injured Palestinians evacuated from the Indonesian Hospital in the north of the Gaza Strip receive care at Nasser Hospital in the southern city of Khan Younis, on November 20, 2023.
