Israel-Hamas war updates: Hamas releases two captives as Israel pounds Gaza
Hamas armed wing says it released captives for ‘humanitarian and medical reasons’ as Israeli bombardment intensifies.
This live blog is now closed. For the latest live coverage of the Israel-Hamas war, follow along here.
This live blog is now closed. For the latest live coverage of the Israel-Hamas war, follow along here.
- The Hamas armed wing has said it released two captives held in Gaza after Qatari and Egyptian mediation.
- The International Committee of the Red Cross says it facilitated the two captives’ release and transport out of Gaza, adding that it is “ready to facilitate any future release”.
- Both Israel and Hamas report overnight fighting inside the besieged Palestinian enclave.
- Reports say the US has urged Israel to delay its ground offensive as EU foreign policy chief backs a pause in fighting.
- At least 5,087 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza, while more than 1,400 people have been killed in Israel since October 7.
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You can read about the situation in the Gaza Strip here. Check out images and maps detailing how Israel’s continued bombardment of the coastal Palestinian enclave has destroyed entire neighbourhoods here.
Here’s a look back at today’s events
We are going to bring our live coverage to an end soon. Here’s a summary of today’s main events:
- Hamas’s armed wing has released two elderly captives held in the Gaza Strip after Qatari and Egyptian mediation.
- The International Committee of the Red Cross says it facilitated the pair’s release and transport out of Gaza; Israeli authorities added the two women were on their way to a medical facility in Israel.
- Israeli air attacks continue to pound various areas in Gaza, including the densely populated al-Shati refugee camp in Gaza City.
- The Palestinian Health Ministry says dozens were killed in the attack on al-Shati, including women and children.
- Hamas says Israel has assassinated Omar Daraghmeh, one of its senior members, who was being held in Megiddo prison under administrative detention.
- The White House has accused Iran of “actively facilitating” attacks on US forces in the Middle East amid a series of incidents in Iraq, Syria and elsewhere.
- Fifty-four trucks of humanitarian aid have entered Gaza so far through the Rafah crossing with Egypt – far less than what aid groups say is needed – but much-needed fuel has not been included.
- At least 5,087 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza since Hamas’s attack in Israel on October 7, and more than 14,000 were wounded. More than 1,400 people in Israel have been reported killed.
Trump says Americans ‘deserve’ their own Iron Dome missile defence system
Former US President Donald Trump has said Biden, by linking the threats posed by Hamas and Russia last week, “went before the American people and said that if you want to support Israel, then you have to give a blank check” to help Ukraine stave off the Russian invasion.
Speaking to a crowd of supporters in New Hampshire, Trump said that if he is re-elected in next year’s US presidential elections, he will order an Iron Dome missile defence system like the one Israel uses to be built over the US.
That shield would be “capable of blasting Chinese, Russian, and Iranian missiles out of our skies”, the Republican leader said. “Americans deserve an Iron Dome, and that’s what we’re going to have.”
Not the time for a ceasefire in Israel-Hamas conflict, says White House’s Kirby
John Kirby, the White House spokesman, has said “this is not the time for a ceasefire” in the conflict between Israel and Hamas.
“Israel has a right to defend themselves,” he told CNN. “They still have work to do to go after Hamas leadership.”
Biden says US ‘committed’ to getting food, water, medicine into Gaza
Biden says his administration “remains committed” to ensuring Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip have “access to food, water, medical care, and other assistance, without diversion by Hamas”.
Washington has faced criticism for failing to demand Israel stop its bombardment of the besieged Palestinian territory.
The United States remains committed to ensuring that civilians in Gaza will continue to have access to food, water, medical care, and other assistance, without diversion by Hamas.
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) October 23, 2023
Biden may not have clear endgame for Gaza war: Advocate
Adam Shapiro, director of Israel-Palestine advocacy at Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN), a US-based rights group, has said it appears that the Biden administration has not “formulated” a clear objective for the war in Gaza.
Biden has called for eliminating Hamas, but Shapiro said military efforts to completely root out the Palestinian group are unlikely to succeed.
“So for them to be launching this kind of open-ended, unclear mission with a big named goal in mind that bears no resemblance to reality just seems [like] folly,” he told Al Jazeera. “And I’m sure it’s going to come back eventually to harm American interests in the long term.”
Even more unclear, Shapiro added, is the fate of Gaza after an Israeli invasion; Biden has already voiced opposition to the idea of the Israeli military maintaining a permanent presence in the Palestinian territory.
Shapiro said even Israel may not have a coherent vision of what it would like to see after the war.
Israel won’t hold off Gaza ground invasion over captives, minister tells German tabloid
Israel will not hold off on a widely expected ground invasion of Gaza over the issue of captives being held in the Palestinian enclave, Israeli Energy Minister Israel Katz has told German tabloid newspaper Bild.
The Reuters news agency reported that Katz told Bild in an interview that everything would be done to bring the captives home.
“But that cannot hinder our actions including the ground offensive, if we decide on it,” he was quoted as saying.
“Hamas wants us to deal with the captives and wants the military to not go in to eliminate their infrastructure. That will not happen,” Katz said.
Israel says released captives’ husbands still being held by Hamas
More from the Israeli statement on the release of the two women captives by Hamas – the prime minister’s office says that the released captives’ husbands, 85-year-old Amiram Cooper and 83-year-old Oded Lifshitz, are still being held in the Gaza Strip.
The statement said that Israel would “continue to do everything possible for their return”, and added that the military and security forces had been “very active in recent days” to achieve the release of the captives.
The Israelis also thanked Egypt for its assistance, as well as the Red Cross.
Red Cross says its impartial stance allowed it to facilitate handover of captives
International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) spokesperson Stephen Ryan says the organisation’s impartial stance allowed it to play the dual role of facilitating the release of two captives from Gaza, while also delivering assistance to Palestinians in the enclave.
“The entire ICRC is relieved to see these two people returned to their families, particularly in such difficult conditions where there is ongoing fighting in Gaza,” Ryan told Al Jazeera.
“The ICRC has been calling for the release of hostages, while also continuing to provide humanitarian assistance.”
He added that while the ICRC is not involved in negotiations for the release of captives, it acts as an intermediary that facilitates the handover.
Israel confirms release of captives and handover to Israeli military
In Israel’s first official comment on the release of two Israeli women by Hamas on Monday, the Israeli prime minister’s office has confirmed that the women have been handed over to the Israeli military and are on their way to a medical facility in Israel.
The statement also confirmed the two women’s names.
The US State Department has also commented – with a spokesperson saying that the US was “very gratified” to see the release of the two captives.
Israeli air strikes continue to pound various areas in Gaza
Air strikes on the Gaza Strip continue now on Khan Younis city.
A residential building filled with people has been levelled to the ground. Ambulance vehicles rushed to evacuate the victims under the rubble of the destroyed house.
A small missile hit a building in front of the Al-Nasr Hospital inside Khan Younis city. People inside started to run away in order to find a place to hide.
Also … a very densely populated area was hit by Israeli missiles in the al-Shati refugee camp.
This is a very densely populated area full of residents and its houses are adjacent to each other.
What is al-Shati camp, ‘one of most densely populated areas in the world’?
Al-Shati refugee camp, also known as “Beach camp”, is the third largest refugee camp in the Gaza Strip, according to the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA).
Covering an area of 0.52 square kilometres (0.2 square miles), the camp on the Mediterranean coast of Gaza City is home to more than 90,100 registered Palestinian refugees.
“Streets and alleys in the camp are often very narrow and the area is considered one of the most densely populated areas in the world,” UNRWA says on its website.
The Gaza Health Ministry says dozens of people are believed to have been killed in Israeli air raids on the camp. We’ll bring you more information about this as we get it.
Dozens killed in Israeli strikes on al-Shati refugee camp, says health ministry
Dozens of Palestinians have been killed and many others wounded in Israeli air strikes on al-Shati refugee camp in the Gaza Strip, the Palestinian Health Ministry says.
“The Israeli occupation forces have massacred several families in al-Shati refugee camp during the last hour, killing and wounding dozens, including women and children,” Ashraf al-Qudra, spokesperson for the Palestinian Ministry of Health, said in a social media post.
Israeli PM concludes ‘security assessment’ in Tel Aviv
Netanyahu has concluded a security assessment at the Kirya in Tel Aviv, his press office says.
The country’s defence minister, military chief-of-staff and senior security officials also participated in the talks.
“We are working together as an iron fist for one objective – to eliminate Hamas. We back each other and we back the [Israeli army] – our soldiers and our commanders,” Netanyahu said in a statement.
The Israeli prime minister has sought to refute reports in Israeli media of a purported rift between his government and Israel’s defence and military leaders over a planned ground invasion of Gaza.
“We are fighting together and we will win together, only together,” he said.
US sends military advisers to Israel, including expert in urban warfare: AP
The Pentagon has sent military advisers, including a Marine Corps general versed in urban warfare, to Israel to aid in its planning for the war in Gaza, a US official told The Associated Press (AP) news agency.
One of the officers leading the assistance is Marine Corps Lieutenant General James Glynn, who previously helped lead special operations forces against the ISIS (ISIL) group and served in Fallujah, Iraq, the official said.
Glynn will also be advising on how to mitigate civilian casualties in urban warfare, said the official, who was not authorised to discuss Glynn’s role and spoke on condition of anonymity.
US military officers who are advising Israel “have experience that is appropriate to the sorts of operations that Israel is conducting”, Kirby, the White House spokesman, also told reporters today.
The advisers will not be engaged in the fighting, the unnamed US official told AP.
Iran’s FM says groups in Gaza acting ‘without any direction’ from country
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian was adamant and said Palestinian groups in Gaza are acting out on their own and without any direction from Iran.
The foreign minister did say that he had a phone conversation in the past 24 hours with the leader of Hamas, as well as Islamic Jihad, during which those men expressed their understanding that they’re going to be in this for the long haul during this conflict, and they’re going to to be ready for it.
The foreign minister said that the United States has been sending messages back and forth through a third party to Iran urging to show self-restraint and asking the Iranians to advise the groups in the region to do the same.
This is the first time we’ve heard directly from the foreign minister with such claims, that there’s been direct contact through intermediaries urging Iranians to try and de-escalate the situation.
Hamas says Israel has assassinated one of its senior members in prison
Hamas says Israel has assassinated one of its senior members in prison.
Omar Daraghmeh is one of more than 1,200 Palestinians who have been rounded up in the West Bank by the Israeli military since October 7.
Daraghmeh, 58, died in Megiddo prison, the Palestinian Prisoners’ Society and the Commission of Detainees’ Affairs confirmed in a joint statement.
The father of four – three sons and a daughter – had been in administrative detention [without charge or trial] since October 9, they said.
“Daraghmeh, a former prisoner, was detained with his son from his home in Tubas in the West Bank,” said Kamal Bani Odeh, director of the Prisoners’ Club in Tubas.
The two organisations said that Daraghmeh’s lawyer had seen his client earlier in the day and that he was in good health.
“We hold the occupation [Israel] fully responsible for this crime, which began with putting him under administrative detention without charge,” they said.
At least 238 Palestinian detainees have died in prison since 1967, the statement said.
White House spokesman accuses Iran of ‘facilitating’ attacks on US targets in region
John Kirby, the White House spokesperson, has accused Iran of “actively facilitating” attacks on US forces in the Middle East amid a series of incidents in Iraq, Syria and elsewhere since the war in Gaza began.
“Iran continues to support Hamas and Hezbollah, and we know that Iran is closely monitoring these events and, 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,” Kirby told reporters.
“We know Iran’s goal is to maintain some level of deniability here, but we’re not going to allow them to do that,” he added.
Earlier today, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said Israel’s bombardment of the Gaza Strip is taking place with direct support of the US, the IRNA news agency reported.
Released captive’s grandson welcomes her return
Daniel Lifshitz, the grandson of released captive Yocheved Lifshitz, has told The Times of Israel that his grandmother is in Egypt and should cross into Israel soon.
“We simply hope she’s OK, that her health is good, and we’re waiting to see her,” he told the Israeli news outlet.
He added that he and his family are “excited and happy” that his grandmother “is coming back to us”.
Egyptian media shows images of released captives
Images of the two released captives – two elderly women – have been aired on Egyptian media.
One of the women can be seen inside an ambulance while the other was being transported to another ambulance at the Rafah crossing between Egypt and the Gaza Strip.
Red Cross staff can be seen facilitating their transfer into the ambulances.
The released women have been identified as Yocheved Lifshitz and Nurit Cooper.
Asked about ceasefire, Biden says ‘hostages’ should be released first
US President Joe Biden has said that captives held by Hamas should be released before a ceasefire in Gaza can be discussed.
Asked whether he would support a potential deal to end to the fighting in exchange for freeing the captives, the US president said: “We should have those hostages released and then we can talk.”
Biden has so far resisted calls for a ceasefire, supporting what he calls “Israel’s right to defend itself”. He also previously said that Israel should eliminate Hamas.
Israeli defence minister says preparing for ‘air, ground and sea’ operation into Gaza
Israeli Minister of Defence Yoav Gallant has told members of the Israeli navy to “keep preparing for our operation, it will come soon” as he toured the Ashdod navy base and conducted an assessment of naval operations.
“We are preparing thoroughly for the next step – a multilateral operation in the air, ground, and sea,” he said.
A look back at the first release of Gaza captives last week
The latest release of two Israeli captives from Gaza – both women – follows the release late last week of two US citizens.
On Friday, Hamas’s Qassam Brigades released Americans Judith Raanan and Natalie Raanan, who were first taken from southern Israel with about 200 others on October 7.
The mother and daughter were released for “humanitarian reasons”, the Qassam Brigades said.
Read more about that first release here.
436 Palestinians in Gaza killed in past 24 hours: Ministry
At least 436 Palestinians, including 182 children, have been killed by Israeli air strikes and shelling in Gaza in the past 24 hours, a Health Ministry spokesman has said.
Ashraf al-Qudra said in a statement that most of the victims were killed in the southern Gaza Strip.
UN Security Council to hold debate tomorrow on the situation
The United Nations Security Council will hold a debate on Tuesday on the situation in the Middle East.
French Foreign Affairs Minister Catherine Colonna said in a statement that she would travel to New York to take part in the session.
“There she will reaffirm France’s desire to mobilize the Council on the basis of shared principles: unequivocal condemnation of Hamas’s terrorist attacks against Israel, the release of the hostages, the protection of civilians, compliance by all with international humanitarian law, and the need to make every possible effort to prevent a conflagration in the Middle East,” the ministry said.