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Gaza war: 39 Palestinians held by Israel freed as truce continues

Thirty-nine Palestinians held by Israel were freed as part of a hostage-swap agreement on Sunday. There were 17 hostages released from Gaza.
25 min read
26 November, 2023

This live blog on Israel's war on Gaza has concluded. Make sure to follow us for the latest news on , , and .

A total of 39 Palestinians detained by Israel were released from prison on Sunday as part of the pause in fighting in Gaza.

Qatar, with the support of the United States and Egypt, engaged in weeks of intense negotiations to secure the four-day truce between Israel and Hamas, which began Friday after nearly seven weeks of war that left close to 15,000 killed by brutal Israeli bombing.

As part of agreed commitments, "39 Palestinian civilians will be released today in exchange for the release of 13 Israeli detainees from Gaza, in addition to a detainee holding Russian citizenship and 3 Thais," Qatari foreign ministry spokesperson Majed Al-Ansari said on social media platform X.

Israel's army separately said 13 of the released hostages were back on Israeli territory, and another four were on their way to Egypt.

Since Friday, 78 Palestinian women and child prisoners have been released.

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The truce - which has now entered its third day - has also allowed for many Gazans to return to their homes. However, several found their houses had been turned to rubble as they brace for survival over the winter period.

The United Nations said the pause enabled it to scale up the delivery of food, water, and medicine to the largest volume since the resumption of humanitarian aid convoys on October 21. It was also able to deliver 129,000 litres (34,078 gallons) of fuel - just over 10 percent of the daily pre-war volume - as well as cooking gas, a first time since the war began.

Egypt has said that it received positive feedback from both sides about the idea of extending the truce for a day or two and releasing more hostages and prisoners.

"It's only a start, but so far it's gone well," US President Joe Biden told reporters Friday, adding "the chances are real" for extending the truce.

Jordan's Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi called for "a permanent ceasefire and a complete end to this aggression".

But Israeli armed forces chief Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi said Saturday that the war to eliminate Hamas would continue.

"We will return immediately at the end of the ceasefire to attack Gaza," Halevi said.

"We will also do this in order to dismantle Hamas, also to create a great deal of pressure to return as quickly as possible and as many abductees as possible, every last one of them."

Israel has gone on to violate the ceasefire on multiple occasions, including sections surrounding the entrance of aid into the Gaza.

Several journalists and residents of Gaza have said that war planes have flown across the territory, where Israeli forces have killed close to 15,000 Palestinians since the war began on 7 October.

Featured images: Getty

This live blog has now concluded
4:14 AM
°®Âþµº Staff

This live blog on Israel's war on Gaza has concluded. Make sure to follow us for the latest news on , , and .

UN moves 7,600 vaccine doses from Gaza City to south
4:02 AM
°®Âþµº Staff

The United Nations moved 7,600 vaccines from Gaza City to the south of the strip on Sunday.

A joint UN convoy collected the shots, which are for various diseases, from a health ministry warehouse, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says in a statement.

"The need for this transfer arose due to the lack of refrigeration capacity in the north. After thorough inspections to ensure their validity, the vaccines will be utilised to enhance routine immunisation, which has been hampered by a shortage of supplies and ongoing hostilities," OCHA adds.

Spain PM Sánchez stands by Gaza comments that angered Israel
3:58 AM
°®Âþµº Staff & Agencies

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez on Sunday defended comments he made about the Israeli offensive in Gaza which angered Israel, saying "it was a question of being humane".

Visiting the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt on Friday with Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo, Sanchez said the "indiscriminate killings of innocent civilians" in the Palestinian territory was "completely unacceptable".

Both leaders called for a permanent ceasefire in the war-battered territory, with the Belgian premier also denouncing the destruction in the Gaza Strip as "unacceptable".

The Israeli foreign ministry swiftly summoned the ambassadors of Spain and Belgium for a "harsh rebuke" over comments by the two countries' leaders, accusing them of supporting "terrorism".

"Condemning the vile terrorist attacks of a terrorist group like Hamas and at the same condemning the indiscriminate killing of Palestinians in Gaza, is not a question of political parties nor of ideology, it is a question of being humane," Sanchez told a gathering of his Socialist party in Madrid to applause from the audience.

Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares told public television on Friday he had called in the Israeli ambassador to lodge a formal protest against the Israeli government's allegations.

Pedro Sánchez is the prime minister of Spain [Jesus Hellin/Europa Press/Getty-file photo]
Musk to meet Israeli President Herzog, hostage families
3:08 AM
°®Âþµº Staff & Agencies

Israeli President Isaac Herzog will meet Elon Musk on Monday and emphasise "the need to act to combat rising anti-Semitism online", the politician's office said Sunday.

Musk, owner of X, formerly known as Twitter, has come under fire over what critics say is a proliferation of hate speech on the social media site since his takeover.

He has also been accused by the White House of "abhorrent promotion" of anti-Semitism after endorsing a conspiracy theory seen as accusing Jews of trying to weaken white majorities.

Herzog's office said the meeting would be joined by "representatives of families of hostages held by Hamas, who will speak about the horrors of the Hamas terror attack on October 7, and of the ongoing pain and uncertainty for those held captive".

"In their meeting, the President will emphasise the need to act to combat rising antisemitism online," Herzog's office said.

In September, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged Musk to combat anti-Semitism on X, calling on him to find "the ability to stop not only anti-Semitism, or rolling it back as best you can, but any collective hatred".

Musk, the world's richest person, said while his website could not stop all hate speech before it was posted, he was "generally against attacking any group, no matter who it is".

X Corp is currently suing nonprofit Media Matters on grounds it has driven away advertisers by portraying the site as rife with anti-Semitic content.

Musk has also threatened to file suit against the Anti-Defamation League over its claims that problematic and racist speech has soared on the site since he completed his $44-billion takeover.

US says thanks Egypt for 'partnership' on Gaza hostage deal
2:56 AM
°®Âþµº Staff

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken says he spoke with his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukry to thank Cairo for its "partnership in reaching" an agreement between Hamas and Israel to release hostages held in Gaza.

"We discussed minimising harm to civilians, increasing aid into Gaza, and steps toward achieving a viable, prosperous Palestinian state," Blinken adds on social media platform X.

Crew of tanker seized of Yemen 'safe': US official
2:20 AM
°®Âþµº Staff & Agencies

A tanker linked to anÌýIsrael-affiliatedÌýcompany was seized offÌýYemenÌýSunday by armed individuals,ÌýUSÌýdefence officials said, but the crew members were later brought to safety.

"There are indications that an unknown number of unidentified armed individuals seized the M/V Central Park in the Gulf of Aden Nov. 26," a US defence official toldÌýAFP.

The maritime security firm Ambrey said that "US naval forces are engaged in the situation" after the incident involving the Central Park, which is owned and managed by a UK-based, Israel-linked company.

Hours later, another US defence official toldÌýAFPÌýthat US and coalition forces responded to the emergency aboard the tanker and "the crew of the M/V Central Park is currently safe".

It was not immediately clear if the crew remained aboard the vessel or the ship's location.

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Israel forces kill seven Palestinians in West Bank
1:36 AM
°®Âþµº Staff

Israeli forces killed seven Palestinians, including four children, in the occupied West Bank during operations on Saturday and Sunday, the United Nations says.

"The deadliest incident, which lasted for ten hours, took place in Jenin refugee camp, and resulted in five Palestinians killed," the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says in a daily update.

There was armed fighting with Palestinians as well as airstrikes, causing large-scale infrastructure and residential damage.

"According to medical sources, during the operation, Israeli forces impeded the work of paramedics, denied access to two hospitals, and arrested two people injured in one of the hospitals," OCHA adds.

3 Thai hostages released from Gaza in good health: Thai PM
12:25 AM
°®Âþµº Staff & Agencies

The three Thai hostages released in Gaza were in good health, Thailand Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin posts on social media platform X.

"I'm happy," Srettha says, adding that the three were healthy and not in need of urgent medical attention.

(Reuters)

Israel-linked tanker seized off Yemen: US official
11:53 PM
°®Âþµº Staff & Agencies

A tanker linked to anÌýIsrael-affiliatedÌýcompany was seized offÌýYemenÌýon Sunday by armed individuals, aÌýUSÌýdefence official confirmed, following a series of incidents on the same shipping route.

"There are indications that an unknown number of unidentified armed individuals seized the M/V Central Park in the Gulf of Aden Nov. 26. US and coalition forces are in the vicinity and we are closely monitoring the situation," the official toldÌýAFP.

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Pro-Palestinian demo draws 10,000s in Morocco's Casablanca
11:50 PM
°®Âþµº Staff & Agencies

Tens of thousands of Moroccans demonstrated on Sunday in the country's commercial capital Casablanca, calling for a permanent ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the suspension of diplomatic ties with Israel.

An AFP journalist reported that demonstrators in Casablanca waved Palestinian flags and demanded that Rabat suspend relations with Israel.

"It is not a truce that we need, but a permanent ceasefire" to give a chance "for peace, for the creation of a sovereign Palestinian state, with its capital in Jerusalem," socialist MP Nabila Mounib told AFP on Sunday.

She said she hoped to see "the return of all those exiled in the Palestinian diaspora" and the release of Palestinian prisoners.

Hassan Bahadou of the anti-normalisation alliance of leftist parties and Islamists that organised the protest said: "We also condemn the silence of negligent Arab regimes allied with the Zionist entity [Israel]."

Pro-Palestinian demonstrations had declined in recent years in Morocco, but have surged since the Gaza war broke out.

Moroccan cardiologist Safae Abderazzak told AFP she was demonstrating "to condemn the Israeli aggression against our Palestinian brothers and against our fellow doctors who are being tortured and martyred in Gaza".

A pro-Palestinian demonstration took place in Casablanca on Sunday [AFP/Getty]
Three Palestinian students attending US colleges shot
11:33 PM
°®Âþµº Staff & Agencies

Three Palestinian students attending US colleges were shot on Saturday night in Burlington, Vermont, and were being treated for injuries on Sunday, according to the students' former school in the occupied West Bank.

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More women, children key to extending pause, Qatar PM says
11:01 PM
°®Âþµº Staff

The pause in fighting in the Gaza Strip will be extended if Hamas can find further women and children hostages, Qatar's prime minister and foreign minister says.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani says over 40 women and children hostages in the enclave are not thought kept by the Palestinian group.

"If they get additional women and children, there will be an extension," the Qatari premier tells the Financial Times.

"We don't yet have any clear information how many they can find because… one of the purposes [of the pause] is they [Hamas] will have time to search for the rest of the missing people."

Sheikh Mohammed adds that Israel is willing to lengthen the pause in hostilities should there be "proof" the Palestinian group has further women and children to free, "but nothing beyond that".

Jordan FM wants to align Europeans behind full ceasefire
10:31 PM
°®Âþµº Staff & Agencies

Jordan's Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said Sunday he hopes a meeting of Mediterranean officials will help bridge a gap between Arab and European countries in calling for a humanitarian pause in Gaza to become a permanent ceasefire.

Safadi said the truce was holding up but that more effort was needed to reach at least 200 daily trucks bringing aid into the Gaza Strip, and for the pause in the fighting "to immediately develop into a permanent ceasefire".

The minister spoke to The Associated Press on the eve of Monday’s Union for the Mediterranean gathering that will bring to Barcelona in northern Spain 42 delegations from Europe, the Middle East and northern Africa, many of them represented by their foreign ministers. Israel is not attending the meeting.

Safadi noted that while Arab nations have demanded the end of what he called Israel's "aggression" in Gaza, most European nations have not gone that far, instead calling for a "humanitarian pause".

"We need to bridge the gap," Safadi said, adding that the war "is producing nothing".

"What is this war achieving other than killing people, destroying their livelihoods, and again, creating an environment of hate and dehumanisation that will define generations and will take us a very, very long time to navigate through toward the future that we want," he said.

Qatar PM says Hamas's Doha office has 'always been useful'
9:42 PM
°®Âþµº Staff

Hamas's office in Qatar is useful for regional stability, Doha's prime minister and foreign minister says in his first interview following the Gulf state's key role mediating the truce in Gaza.

Hamas has had a political office in Doha since 2012.

Asked whether the Palestinian group's political leaders would remain in Qatar, Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani tells American broadcaster CBS's programme Face the Nation: "This office, when it's established, it's established in coordination with the US to establish the communication with Hamas.

"And it's been always useful, not only for the US, but for the US, Israel, and for the stability of the region.

"And as long as this is something useful, and also, you know, right now we are in the middle of the negotiation, we will always keep the communication open with everyone."

Sheikh Mohammed says Qatar's communication with Hamas over the years has been "very exclusive" to the group's political branch.

"We don't deal directly with or [ever] have any dealing with the military wing," he adds.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani is Qatar's PM [KARIM JAAFAR/AFP/Getty-archive]
Confirmed: 39 Palestinians held by Israel freed
9:27 PM
°®Âþµº Staff

It's now confirmed that 39 Palestinians held by Israel have been freed as part of the hostage-swap agreement.

The Palestinian Authority's official news agency Wafa described the Palestinians as "male teenage detainees".

The media outlet adds: "A bus and vehicles belonging to the International Committee of the Red Cross transported several released detainees from the 'Ofer' military prison to Martyr Yasser Arafat Square in the centre of Ramallah, while the 21 Jerusalemite detainees were released from the 'Al-Maskobiyah' detention centre, where their families received them."

The Ofer jail is located near Ramallah in the occupied West Bank.

Netanyahu tells Biden Gaza campaign will resume after truce
9:13 PM
°®Âþµº Staff & Agencies

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday he told US President Joe Biden that Israel will resume its campaign in Gaza with full force once the temporary truce comes to an end.

However, Netanyahu also said he would welcome extending the truce if it facilitated the release of ten additional hostages every day, as agreed under the original Qatari-brokered deal.

(Reuters)

ICRC says facilitates releases from Gaza, Israeli detention
8:50 PM
°®Âþµº Staff

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) says it has facilitated the releases of 36 people today, about half held in Israeli detention and the rest in Gaza.

"Today, in our role as a neutral intermediary, we successfully facilitated the release and transfer of 17 hostages who were held in Gaza. We also facilitated the release of 19 Palestinian detainees from Israeli places of detention," the ICRC says in a statement.

Biden, Netanyahu agree to continue working on hostages file
8:27 PM
°®Âþµº Staff & Agencies

US President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke on Sunday and agreed to "continue working to secure release of all hostages", the White House said.

(Reuters)

Palestinians released by Israel arrive in Ramallah
7:50 PM
°®Âþµº Staff & Agencies

Palestinian prisoners released by Israel under the ceasefire deal arrive in the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah, The Associated Press reports.

'Immense relief' as UN deliveries to northern Gaza ramp up
7:38 PM
°®Âþµº Staff & Agencies

A UN official who took part in a humanitarian aid convoy to northern Gaza said on Sunday aid groups were on track to deliver the biggest shipment in over a month, describing thin, gaunt residents slaking their thirst as soon as water arrived.

Before a four-day truce between Israel and Hamas got underway on Friday, UN agencies had voiced fears of disease and dehydration in the north, cut off from outside aid for weeks in a siege within a siege. The UN previously said it could not get safe passage and medical groups who remained active like the International Red Cross came under fire there.

"People are so desperate and you can see in adults' eyes they haven't eaten, you can see the children are getting thinner," the UN children's agency's James Elder told Reuters by video link from southern Gaza after returning from Gaza City.

"There's just this immense relief. Literally people as they get water start drinking the water immediately," he said. "They're thirsty. They've been thirsty for days."

UNICEF's Elder took part in a five-truck convoy on Sunday alongside other UN agencies delivering high-energy biscuits, vitamin tablets for children as well as medical kits. A dispute over aid flows to the north of the Israeli-besieged enclave temporarily held up a deal to free captives on Saturday.

The deliveries were made to hospitals where rations were controlled, Elder said. He described seeing children, often with multiple injuries including burns and shrapnel wounds, lying in hospital beds in a state of shock.

"They look like they'd been broken and then badly put back together," he said.

"It seems callous and cold to think that we may be getting to the end of those deliveries and hostilities will continue, [that] the war, this war on children will continue."

Even as the aid deliveries flowed north, Elder said he saw hundreds of Gazans heading in the other direction, fearing the renewal of Israeli bombardments if the four-day truce is not prolonged.

"People are so terrified that this pause won't be continued… I saw grandmothers carrying children, children pushing grandmothers in wheelchairs through the dust," he said.

(Reuters)

France hopes Gaza truce lasts until all hostages freed: FM
7:29 PM
°®Âþµº Staff & Agencies

France hopes the four-day truce in Gaza between Israel and Hamas will last until all hostages held by the Palestinian militant group are freed, Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna said on Sunday.

"We demand the release of our hostages and all the hostages. It would be good, helpful and necessary for the truce to be extended to this end," she told French broadcaster BFMTV.

Israeli airstrike hit Damascus airport, Syrian regime says
7:12 PM
°®Âþµº Staff & Agencies

An Israeli airstrike on Sunday hit the international airport in the Syrian capital of Damascus and put it out of commission, Syrian regime state media said.

Israel has struck Syria's Damascus and Aleppo international airports several times since the onset of the Gaza war on 7 October. Israel has also struck parts of western Syria after rocket fire landed on the Israeli-occupied Syrian Golan Heights.

The Syrian regime's official news agency SANA, citing an unnamed military official, said Israel fired missiles from the direction of the Golan Heights, striking Damascus International Airport and other areas in the Damascus countryside causing material damage. There was no mention of casualties.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based war monitor, said the strikes came just hours after the airport resumed flights after a monthlong hiatus following a previous Israeli strike.

Red Crescent delivers 100 trucks of aid to north Gaza
7:06 PM
°®Âþµº Staff

The Palestine Red Crescent Society says its teams have delivered 100 trucks of aid to northern Gaza, including Gaza City governorate, reaching thousands of people in "desperate need of life's essentials".

The aid includes food, water, baby formula, and blankets, the humanitarian group adds on social media platform X.

Hamas seeks to extend truce with Israel with some conditions
6:42 PM
°®Âþµº Staff & Agencies

Hamas announced in a statement on Sunday that it is seeking to extend its four-day truce with Israel should serious efforts be made to increase the number of Palestinian detainees released from Israel.

(Reuters)

Palestinian foreign ministry condemns Vermont shooting
6:28 PM
°®Âþµº Staff & Agencies

The Palestinian foreign ministry on Sunday condemned a shooting in the US state of Vermont in which it said three Palestinian students had been injured.

The ministry said in a statement that Hisham Awartani, Tahseen Ahmed and Kinnan Abdalhamid, who were speaking Arabic and wearing the traditional Palestinian keffiyeh, had sustained "severe and moderate injuries" during the shooting.

The foreign ministry called on US authorities to quickly hold those responsible for the shooting to account.

(Reuters)

Israel prison service says 39 Palestinians freed under truce
6:21 PM
°®Âþµº Staff & Agencies

Israel's prison service said 39 Palestinian detainees were released on Sunday under the terms of a truce agreement between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

The announcement came after 13 Israeli hostages were freed in the Palestinian territory under the deal, along with three Thais and a Russian-Israeli dual citizen.

Erdogan, Raisi affirm stance against 'Israeli brutality'
6:14 PM
°®Âþµº Staff & Agencies

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Iranian counterpart Ebrahim Raisi discussed on a call on Sunday the importance of Muslim countries, especially Turkey and Iran, taking a common stance against "Israeli brutality in the Palestinian territories."

"Israel's unlawful attacks on Gaza, humanitarian aid efforts for Palestinians and possible measures towards a permanent ceasefire in the region were discussed during the phone call," the Turkish Presidency said in a statement.

(Reuters)

Recep Tayyip Erdogan is the Turkish president [Billel Bensalem/APP/NurPhoto/Getty-archive]
ICRC confirms transfer of 17 hostages from Gaza
5:46 PM
°®Âþµº Staff & Agencies

The International Committee of the Red cross confirmed on Sunday it had successfully facilitated and transferred 17 hostages from Gaza in a post on social media platform X.

It did not provide further details.

(Reuters)

Hamas 'willing' to extend truce: source
5:43 PM
°®Âþµº Staff & Agencies

A source close to Hamas said on Sunday the group was willing to extend the current truce with Israel in Gaza for two to four days beyond its initial expiry on Monday.

"Hamas informed the mediators that the resistance movements were willing to extend the current truce by two to four days. The resistance believes it is possible to ensure the release of 20 to 40 Israeli prisoners," the source told AFP, referring to hostages seized in the October 7 attacks.

Netanyahu to Israeli army: 'We will continue until victory'
5:34 PM
°®Âþµº Staff & Agencies

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday made his first to Gaza since Israel's war in the besieged territory began, telling soldiers there that Israel will continue until it wins.

"We continue until the end - until victory," footage posted online by his office showed him saying, on his first such trip since the brutal military campaign began on October 7. "Nothing will stop us, and we are convinced that we have the power, the strength, the will and the determination to achieve all the war's goals, and we will."

4-year-old US-Israeli hostage among those released by Hamas
5:29 PM
°®Âþµº Staff & Agencies

US President Joe Biden says 4-year-old American hostage Abigail Edan has been released by Hamas.

'"She’s free and she’s in Israel," he said, adding that another dual American citizen – a 45-year-old woman – was also released.

Biden said he expects more American captives to be released.

"I’m going to continue working with the Emir of Qatar, President Sisi of Egypt and Prime Minster Netanyahu of Israel to do everything possible to see [that] all the hostages are freed," he said.

Biden hopes Israel-Hamas truce extends 'beyond tomorrow'
5:15 PM
°®Âþµº Staff & Agencies

US President Joe Biden says hopes Israel-Hamas pause extends 'beyond tomorrow', while he said he will will speak about hostages at 12 p.m. Eastern Time, according to the White House.

Sisi thanks Qatar for mediating prisoner exchange deal
5:14 PM
°®Âþµº Staff & Agencies

Egypt's President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi thanked Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani on Sunday for his work in mediating a truce for Gaza and the exchange of prisoners between Hamas and Israel.

"I look forward to more cooperation that can help meet the aspirations of the Palestinian people and to establish a comprehensive peace in the region," Sisi said on social media.

39 Palestinian detainees to be released on Sunday: Qatar
4:32 PM
°®Âþµº Staff & Agencies

A total of 39 Palestinians held by Israel are to be released from prison on Sunday, Qatar's Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman said.

As part of agreed commitments, on the third day of the Gaza truce, "39 Palestinian civilians will be released today in exchange for the release of 13 Israeli detainees from Gaza, in addition to a detainee holding Russian citizenship and 3 Thais," Majed Al-Ansari said in post on X, formerly Twitter.

13 Israeli hostages, 4 foreigners handed over to Red Cross
3:53 PM
°®Âþµº Staff & Agencies

Thirteen Israeli hostages and four foreign nationals were handed over to the Red Cross in the Gaza Strip on Sunday, the Israeli army said.

"Based on information that was received from the Red Cross, 14 Israeli hostages and three foreign hostages have been transferred to the Red Cross," it said in a statement on the third day of an agreed pause in the fighting between Israel and Hamas, that is to also see Palestinian prisoners freed in Israel.

Armed men seized oil tanker in Gulf of Aden: US official
3:23 PM
°®Âþµº Staff & Agencies

Unidentified armed individuals were believed to have seized the oil tanker Central Park in the Gulf of Aden on Sunday, a US defence official said.

The incident is the latest in a series of attacks in Middle Eastern waters since Israel began waging a brutal war in Gaza on October 7.

It followed a seizure of an Israeli-linked cargo ship by Yemen Houthis, allies of Iran, in the southern Red Sea last week. The group, which also fired armed drones at Israel, vowed to target more Israeli vessels.

"US and coalition forces are in the vicinity and we are closely monitoring the situation," the U.S. official said.

Central Park, a small oil tanker (19,998 metric tons), is managed by the Israeli-owned Zodiac Maritime Ltd, a London-headquartered international ship management company, LSEG data showed.

There was no immediate comment from Houthi officials.

Damascus Airport out of service again after Israeli strike
3:03 PM
°®Âþµº Staff & Agencies

Israeli air strikes on Sunday made Damascus airport inoperable just hours after flights had resumed following a similar attack last month, a war monitor said.

"Israeli warplanes on Sunday afternoon carried out a new raid targeting Damascus international airport... putting it out of service again," said the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Damascus Airport has often been targeted by Israeli strikes amid the war in Gaza [Getty]
Hamas releases Russian hostage amid prisoner swap deal
3:02 PM
°®Âþµº Staff & Agencies

Hamas on Sunday said it had released a Russian hostage held by its militants in the Gaza Strip, without saying who was freed or exactly when.

"In response to the efforts of Russian President Vladimir Putin and in appreciation of the Russian position in support of the Palestinian cause, the Islamic Resistance Movement Hamas released one of the detainees of the Russian citizenship," it said in a statement.

3 Palestinian students shot in apparent hate crime in the US
2:52 PM
°®Âþµº Staff

Three Palestinian students in the US were reportedly shot in Burlington, Vermont, according to reports.

The three, Hisham Awartani, Tahseen Ahmed and Kenan Abdel Hamid were wearing Palestinian kuffiyehs when the incident occurred.

Awartani was reportedly shot in the back, Ahmed in the chest and Abdel Hamid sustained minor injuries.

The shooting has been labelled as a hate crime by the victims' family members.

Qatar minister hopes for extended truce in Gaza
2:22 PM
°®Âþµº Staff

Qatar’s Minister of State for International Cooperation, Lolwah Rashid al-Khater, said she hopes that the Israel-Hamas truce can be extended, during a visit to southern Gaza.

Al-Khater expressed hopes for an increase in the quantity of humanitarian aid being delivered into the enclave.

"We hope our efforts aiming at extending the humanitarian truce will be successful. This will enable more parties to deliver more relief aid," she told Al Jazeera.

"There are several paths being followed, including the diplomatic one. To this end efforts are being made, and talks being held in an attempt to have the truce extended."

Egypt receives list of Palestinians, Israelis to be released
1:53 PM
°®Âþµº Staff & Agencies

The Egyptian government has said that it was received the list of the 39 Palestinian women and children prisoners set to released on Sunday, alongside the names of 13 Israeli hostages who will also be freed amid the prisoner exchange deal between Hamas and Israel

120 aid trucks enter Gaza from Egypt
1:39 PM
°®Âþµº Staff & Agencies

Egypt says 120 trucks, including two fuel and two gas cooking fuel trucks have entered the besieged and war-hit Gaza Strip on the third day of the truce, the government media office said on Sunday.

Aid into Gaza has entered via Egypt [Getty]
Funeral procession held in Jenin for killed Palestinians
12:38 PM
°®Âþµº Staff

The funeral procession for five Palestinians killed in the West Bank over the weekend took place in Jenin.

A total of eight Palestinians were killed in Israeli incursions in the occupied territory, amid a surge in violence in the West Bank and anger over the war in Gaza.

At least 237 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank since October 7.

 

Israeli forces stepped up their raids in the West Bank since the war in Gaza [Getty]
Israel-linked tanker boarded off Yemen coast: security firm
12:35 PM
°®Âþµº Staff & Agencies

A tanker linked to an Israel-affiliated company has been boarded off the coast of Yemen, the maritime security firm Ambrey said on Sunday following a series of incidents on the same shipping route.

Ambrey said that "US naval forces are engaged in the situation" after the incident involving the Central Park vessel owned and managed by a UK-based, Israel-linked company.

Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels had previously threatened to attack the tanker if it did not divert to the port of Hodeida, it said.

Communications from a US coalition warship had been intercepted warning the Central Park to disregard the messages, Ambrey added.

The boarding took place offshore from the Yemeni port city of Aden, with another vessel in the area reporting "an approach by eight persons on two skiffs wearing military uniforms", Ambrey said.

Hamas ready to 'release captives if all Palestinians freed'
11:58 AM
°®Âþµº Staff

Ghazi Hamad, member of Hamas’s political bureau said the group is "willing to release all captives in exchange for the release of all Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails," in a live interview with Al Jazeera.

He added that the armed group is committed to the four-day truce agreement, and that Hamas is currently working on a possible extension of the truce together with international partners.

"Our priority is to stop the aggression against our people. We want to stop this genocide in Gaza," he said.

Israel summons Irish FM over Varadkar's social media post
11:41 AM
°®Âþµº Staff

Israel has summoned Ireland's ambassador to the country amid a row over social media post by Irish PM Leo Varadkar, in which he described a Hamas-held hostage as "lost" before being subsequently "found".

Minister Benny Gantz said: "Emily was never 'Lost' – she was brutally kidnapped and held hostage by terrorist Hamas,".

Emily Hand, a 9-year-old Irish-Israeli girl, was among the hostages released on Saturday as part of a truce deal between Hamas and Israel.

Israel kills Gaza Palestinian farmer in ceasefire breach
11:03 AM
°®Âþµº Staff & Agencies

A Palestinian farmer was killed and another wounded on Sunday after they were targeted by Israeli forces in the Maghazi refugee camp in the centre of Gaza, the Palestinan Red Crescent said, in an evident breach of the four-day truce.

Al-Qassam Brigades commander, senior leaders killed
10:53 AM
°®Âþµº Staff & Agencies

Hamas' military wing on Sunday confirmed the commander of its northern brigade, Ahmed Al-Ghandour, and three other senior leaders had been killed during Israel's offensive against the Islamist movement.

In a statement, the Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades said Ghandour was a member of its military council and named three other leaders who had died, including Ayman Siyyam, who Israeli media reports said was head of the Brigades' rocket-firing units.

39 Palestinians, 13 Israelis to be released on Sunday
9:47 AM
°®Âþµº Staff

On Sunday, 39 Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails will be released in exchange for 13 Israeli hostages held in Gaza, Israeli media said on the third day of the truce agreement.

No official times have been given, though the Israel Prison Service stated.

A list bearing the names of the 39 Palestinians set to be released has been received, however. 

Gazans queue up for fuel amid temporary truce
8:59 AM
°®Âþµº Staff

Scores of Gazans were seen on Sunday morning queueing up for fuel amid an ongoing four-day truce in the battered territory, which has allowed for the delivery of fuel from the United Nations.

Images shared online showed hundreds of cars awaiting their turn outside of a Rafah petrol station.

The UN said it was able to deliver 129,000 litres (34,078 gallons) of fuel - just over 10 percent of the daily pre-war volume amid the temporary truce.

Palestinians injured, arrested during Israeli raid in Hebron
8:42 AM
°®Âþµº Staff

Two Palestinians were injured and six others were arrested last night during raids into several areas of Hebron by the Israeli forces, the Palestinians official news agency Wafa said, citing security sources.

According to the sources, the Israeli occupation forces shot two individuals following a raid in the town of ad-Dhahiriya, south of Hebron. The two were said to be in a stable health condition.

The incursion extended to several neighborhoods in the city of Hebron, where Israeli troops arrested several six Palestinians.

Two Palestinians killed in West Bank's Jenin and Nablus
8:28 AM
°®Âþµº Staff & Agencies

Two Palestinians were shot dead by the Israeli occupation forces in Nablus and Jenin early on Sunday, the Palestinian health ministry said.

The Palestinian Red Crescent identified one of the victims as 30-year-old Udai Musbah Snobar, who sustained a live bullet wound to the face during confrontations with Israeli forces following their raid into the village of Yatma.

 

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