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Here are some of the latest images of the 30 Palestinian prisoners released in the latest swap. It comes as international mediators race to seal another extension to allow further exchanges and prolong the halt of Israel’s air and ground offensive.
The Thai Foreign Minister Parnpree Bahiddha-Nukara has held back tears when he met fellow Thais released to Israel by Hamas, Reuters is reporting.
Another two Thai workers were set free on Tuesday, bringing the total released to 19. With their arrival at Shamir Medical Center, the workers embraced one another.
“We survived! We survived!” they cheered, and one was seen wiping away tears.
“We are not part of the conflict,” Parnpree said in a Reuters interview later on Wednesday after an emotional meeting with the workers on Tuesday.
He said there were no conditions for their release.
The extended truce between Israel and Hamas is due to end at 7am Thursday local time (5am GMT) and there is little sign so far of an agreement between the two sides on a second extension. It is currently 3.30am.
Haaretz is reporting that no understanding has yet been reached regarding a list of captives to be released in a next round, with Israel apparently insisting that it include women and children.
Agence France-Presse has quoted a Hamas source as saying that talks were focused on extending the pause by “two days or more” but that “what is being proposed in the discussions to extend the truce is not the best.”
Israel’s war cabinet was meeting late on Wednesday over terms to extend the truce.
Ahed Tamimi among Palestinian prisoners released
Among the 30 Palestinian prisoners freed on Wednesday night was Ahed Tamimi, a 22-year-old activist who has become a key figure for Palestinians defying the Israeli occupation.
Thirty Palestinian prisoners were freed overnight Wednesday, Israeli prison authorities said, in the final exchange under an extended truce deal that is due to expire within hours.
“During the night, 30 male and female security prisoners were released from a number of prison facilities,” the country’s prison service said in a statement.
Tamimi was detained over an Instagram post, which her family denies she made.
The overnight releases, which came after a sixth batch of hostages were freed from Gaza, bring the number of Palestinian prisoners freed by Israel under a truce deal to 210.
Hamas and other militants in Gaza have released 70 Israelis under the deal, along with nearly 30 hostages of other nationalities outside the truce framework.
For more on who Ahed Tamimi is – read this piece by Beth McKernan and Sufian Taha.
China says the UN security council should intensify its diplomatic mediation, relaunch the two-state solution and convene a “more authoritative and effective” international peace conference at the soonest, in a position paper on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict released on Thursday.
China also urged the security council to heed the general call of the international community for a comprehensive ceasefire to be put in place to stop the fighting, the country’s foreign ministry said in statement listing the proposals, Reuters reports.
Jordan on Thursday will host an international conference attended by the main UN bodies and regional and international relief agencies to coordinate humanitarian aid to war-devastated Gaza, official media said.
UN aid chief Martin Griffiths and key UN bodies and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) involved in ramping up aid to Gaza will be present at the conference, along with representatives of western and Arab countries involved in the aid effort, Reuters reports.
The conference, to be held behind closed doors, will be addressed by King Abdullah who has been lobbying western leaders to back a UN resolution that calls for an immediate ceasefire.
30 Palestinians freed, says Israel Prison Service
The Israel Prison Service said early on Thursday it had freed 30 Palestinians from Israeli jails in the sixth such release under a truce arrangement with Gaza’s Hamas militant group, Reuters is reporting.
The Palestinians were released from prison facilities in Israel, the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem, the prison service said in a statement.
The United States is urging Israel to narrow the zone of combat and clarify where Palestinian civilians can seek safety during any Israeli operation in southern Gaza, to prevent a repeat of the large death toll from Israel’s northern Gaza attacks, Reuters is reporting.
Officials from President Joe Biden down, including in the state department and the Pentagon, are reportedly pleading with Israel to take a more cautious approach if and when the Israeli military extends its offensive to southern Gaza.
It’s understood two-thirds of Gaza’s population of 2.3 million have fled south to avoid the war zone in the north.
In the US, Senate majority Leader Chuck Schumer is warning that antisemitism in the country has reached levels unseen in generations, Associated Press reports. He’s called on his fellow Democrats to clearly condemn it. Schumer said:
The vitriol against Israel in the wake of 7 October is all too often crossing a line into brazen and widespread antisemitism the likes of which we haven’t seen in generations in this country, if ever
Schumer added that because many of the incidents targeting Jewish people have come alongside left-wing demonstrations against Israel, liberal Jewish people “are feeling singled, targeted and isolated.” He specifically called out the phrase “from the river to the sea,” saying it alarms Jewish people to hear it used.
He told The Associated Press he spent days over the Thanksgiving holiday writing the speech.
Schumer is the highest-ranked Jewish elected official in the US. His remarks during a nearly-45 minute speech on the Senate floor Wednesday come at a sensitive time in the Israel-Hamas war, as the Biden administration is engaged in delicate negotiations to release hostages held by Hamas and extend the ceasefire.
In an interview, he said his position “called on me to do this speech.”
US secretary of state Antony Blinken arrived on Thursday in Tel Aviv where he was expected to meet with Israeli leaders to discuss extending Israel’s temporary truce with Hamas militants and boosting humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip, Reuters news agency reports.
Blinken is making his third trip to the region since the deadly 7 October attacks by Hamas on Israel and is also expected to visit the occupied West Bank, where he will probably meet with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, according to a Palestinian official. Blinken said at a news conference in Brussels on Wednesday:
Looking at the next couple of days, we’ll be focused on … doing what we can to extend the pause so that we continue to get more hostages out and more humanitarian assistance in
Summary
It is now slightly past 1am in Gaza and Tel Aviv. Here is where the day stands:
Sixteen hostages were released today, including 12 Israelis and four Thais. Among the Israeli hostages released today were Elena Trupanov and Irena Tati, two dual Israeli-Russian citizens who were released earlier this evening.
The Palestinians to be released from Israeli prisons in exchange include 16 minors and 14 women, the Qatari foreign ministry said.
A Hamas source said on Wednesday that the group was not satisfied with Israel’s proposals for another truce extension, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reports. Speaking to AFP ahead of the expiration of the current truce, which will be at 7am local time on Thursday, the source said: “What is being proposed in the discussions to extend the truce is not the best.”
The Palestine Red Cross Society (PRCS) delivered 21 trucks of aid into Gaza and northern areas on Wednesday. “PRCS is committed to delivering the largest number possible of humanitarian aid to north Gaza, which had not received any aid prior to the humanitarian pause agreement,” the group said.
Israel’s defense minister, Yoav Gallant, has said Israeli forces are ready to resume fighting “immediately”. Posting to social media on Wednesday, Gallant wrote: “We are making every attempt to return all the abductees and to fully exploit the current move to return all the abducted women and children in Gaza. IDF forces in the air, on land and at sea are ready to resume fighting immediately.”
Two boys, one eight years old and the other 15, were shot and killed by Israeli forces on Wednesday in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin, the Palestinian health ministry said. In a statement reported by Agence France-Presse, the health ministry said: “Adam al-Ghul, eight years old, and Bassem Abu el-Wafa, 15 years old, were killed by bullets from the occupier [Israel].”
Benjamin Nentanyahu has spoken with representatives of the Bibas family after reports from Hamas that three of its members were killed, including 10-month-old Kfir Bibas, Haaretz reports. According to Haaretz, the Israeli prime minister told the family representatives that the matter was being investigated by Israel’s security forces.
The US is hopeful that the truce in Gaza between Israel and Hamas can be extended, the US ambassador to the UN, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, told reporters on Wednesday, Reuters reports. “We’re hopeful the truce can be extended,” Thomas-Greenfield said, adding: “This is all in the hands of Hamas. The Israelis have said if they continue to release 10 hostages a day, they will extend by a day. So it truly is in their hands. But I do think there is a potential for that and we are actively working to extend the deal.”
Three Qatari armed forces aircraft carrying 108 tons of aid for Palestinians in Gaza have arrived in El Erish, Egypt, Qatar’s news agency announced on Wednesday. The three planes, which carried basic food supplies and shelter equipment, brings the total number of Qatari planes sent to Gaza to 30, carrying 1,018 tons of aid.
Speaking at the UN security council on Wednesday, Palestine’s foreign minister, Riad al-Maliki, said that the ongoing violence between Israel and Hamas was “not a war” but rather a “carnage that no one can justify”. “It must be brought to an end,” al-Maliki said.
Jordan will host an international conference on Thursday that will be attended by the main UN bodies, as well as regional and international relief agencies to coordinate humanitarian aid to Gaza, Reuters reports. The UN aid head, Martin Griffiths, as well as key UN bodies and NGOs involved in increasing the entry of aid into Gaza, are expected to attend the conference, along with representatives from western and Arab countries.
The UN secretary general, António Guterres, said on Wednesday that Gaza is in the midst of an “epic humanitarian catastrophe”. Addressing a UN security council meeting chaired by China’s foreign minister, Wang Yi, Guterres said “we must not look away” from the deteriorating humanitarian crisis that has engulfed Gaza.
Updated
Speaking at the United Nations in New York on Wednesday, the Saudi foreign minister, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, said that Saudi Arabia is “not going to work with anyone” who seeks to encourage Palestinians to leave their land.
Bin Farhan said:
The Palestinians do not want to leave their land and we are not going to encourage them or force them to leave their land and we are not going to work with anyone who has that agenda. The Palestinians have a right to their land and they have a right to live in safety and security and dignity on their land. That is what we will push for and that is what we will work towards.
#NewYork | Foreign Minister HH Prince @FaisalbinFarhan: The Palestinians do not want to leave their land. We are not going to encourage them to leave their land and we are not going to work with anyone who has that agenda. pic.twitter.com/ef1tRS9h5v
— Foreign Ministry 🇸🇦 (@KSAmofaEN) November 29, 2023
Updated
Hamas not satifisfied with Israel's proposals for another truce extension – reports
A Hamas source said on Wednesday that the group was not satisfied with Israel’s proposals for another truce extension, Agence France-Presse reports.
Speaking to AFP ahead of the expiration of the current truce which will be at 7am local time on Thursday, the source said: “What is being proposed in the discussions to extend the truce is not the best.”
According to the source, the negotiations, which are led by Qatari and Egyptian mediators, were focused on an extension of “two days or more”.
“Any discussion on an exchange of military prisoners, soldiers and officers will first require [Israeli] aggression to stop and a lifting of the siege that is strangling Gaza,” the source told AFP, adding that Hamas is demanding Israel withdraw its tanks and military equipment from Gaza.
Updated
Here are images of the 12 Israeli hostages released by Hamas today, including Elena Trupanov and Irena Tati, two dual Russian and Israeli citizens who were released earlier this evening:
Updated
The Red Cross has transferred the 14 hostages, including 10 Israelis and 4 Thais, to Egypt, an Israel Defense Forces spokesperson, Daniel Hagari, said.
The hostages are currently on their way to the Kerem Shalom crossing where they will be received by Israeli security officials, he added.
לפני זמן קצר העבירו נציגי הצלב האדום את 14 החטופים והחטופות בהם 10 חטופים ישראלים וארבעה חטופים בעלי אזרחות תאילנדית למצרים.
— דובר צה״ל דניאל הגרי - Daniel Hagari (@IDFSpokesperson) November 29, 2023
החטופים השבים ארצה בדרכם בשטח מצרים לנקודת המפגש עם כוחותינו בכרם שלום >>
Updated
Here are the names of the 12 Israeli hostages released by Hamas today, including the two women with dual Israeli and Russian citizenship who were released earlier today:
Liat Atzili, 49
Yarden Roman Gat, 36
Raz Ben Ami, 57
Raaya Rotem, 54
Liam Or, 18
Ofir Engel, 17
Amit Shani, 16
Gali Tarshanksy, 13
Moran Stela Yanai, 40
Itai Regev, 18
Elena Trupanov, 50 (released earlier today)
Irena Tati, 73 (released earlier today)
Updated
Sixteen hostages now released today, including 12 Israelis and 4 Thais
Ten Israelis and four Thais have been handed over by Hamas and are on their way to Israel, the Israeli military announced.
In total, 16 hostages were released today after two women with dual Israeli and Russian citizenship arrived in Israel earlier in the day.
“According to the information provided by the Red Cross, 10 Israeli abductees and abductees and four abductees with Thai citizenship are on their way to Israel,” Daniel Hagari, an Israel Defense Forces spokesperson, tweeted a few minutes ago.
על פי המידע שנמסר מהצלב האדום, 10 חטופות וחטופים ישראליים וארבעה חטופים בעלי אזרחות תאילנדית בדרכם לשטח ישראל.
— דובר צה״ל דניאל הגרי - Daniel Hagari (@IDFSpokesperson) November 29, 2023
According to a Qatari foreign ministry spokesperson, Majed al-Ansari, the Israeli hostages include five minors and five women.
He added that those of dual nationality within the group are a Dutch minor, three Germans and one American.
Israeli hostages released from Gaza include 5 minors & 5 women, those of dual nationality within the group are:
— د. ماجد محمد الأنصاري Dr. Majed Al Ansari (@majedalansari) November 29, 2023
- A Dutch minor
- 3 Germans
- 1 American
In exchange, the Palestinians to be released from Israeli prisons include 16 minors and 14 women, al-Ansari said.
Palestinians released from Israeli prisons include 16 minors and 14 women.
— د. ماجد محمد الأنصاري Dr. Majed Al Ansari (@majedalansari) November 29, 2023
Updated
Some 10 Israeli hostages held in Gaza were handed over to the Red Cross on Wednesday, Israel’s Army Radio reported, without citing a source, according to Reuters.
Earlier this evening, Hamas handed over two women back to Israel with dual Israeli and Russian citizenship.
Updated
The Palestine Red Cross Society delivered 21 trucks of aid into Gaza and northern areas on Wednesday.
“Since the truce began, they’ve successfully distributed 254 aid trucks, providing crucial essentials like food, water, baby formula, and blankets to thousands in need. PRCS is committed to delivering the largest number possible of humanitarian aid to north Gaza, which had not received any aid prior to the humanitarian pause agreement,” the PRCS said.
Today PRCS teams delivered 21 trucks 🚚 filled with aid into #Gaza City and the northern areas. 📍Since the truce began, they’ve successfully distributed 254 aid trucks, providing crucial essentials like food, water, baby formula, and blankets to thousands in need.
— PRCS (@PalestineRCS) November 29, 2023
🫶 PRCS is… pic.twitter.com/Rxs1qIoZML
In a call with the president of the United Arab Emirates, Mohamed bin Zayed on Wednesday, Joe Biden discussed the “situation in the Middle East region”.
According to a readout of the call released from the White House, the two leaders “welcomed the recent hostage deal and humanitarian pause, which has enabled a surge in assistance to the people of Gaza”.
Updated
Israeli forces ready to resume fighting 'immediately', says Israeli defence minister
Israel’s defence minister, Yoav Gallant, has said Israeli forces are ready to resume fighting “immediately”.
Posting to social media on Wednesday, Gallant wrote:
We are making every attempt to return all the abductees and to fully exploit the current move to return all the abducted women and children in Gaza. IDF forces in the air, on land and at sea are ready to resume fighting immediately.
אנו עושים כל ניסיון להשבת כל החטופים ולמיצוי מלא של המהלך הנוכחי להשבת כל הנשים והילדים החטופים בעזה.
— יואב גלנט - Yoav Gallant (@yoavgallant) November 29, 2023
כוחות צה״ל באוויר, ביבשה ובים מוכנים לחידוש הלחימה באופן מיידי. pic.twitter.com/MeYuFjqWK5
Updated
Hundreds of trucks carrying humanitarian aid are waiting to cross into Gaza from Egypt, according to an Egyptian official.
At least 572 trucks are lined up on the road connecting the Egyptian Rafah crossing and Nitzana crossing for Israeli inspection, Ayman Walash, director of Egypt’s foreign media center, has told CNN.
The Israeli inspection of each truck takes hours, he said. He added that nine Palestinians injured in Gaza have also arrived in Egypt today for medical treatment.
Here’s more from the US ambassador to the UN, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, who has been speaking at the UN security council meeting in New York today.
The temporary truce between Israel and Hamas has provided a “glimmer of hope”, she said, as she welcomed the release of some hostages while acknowledging that many others are still “living in hell”.
“While the work we do in this chamber is important, often times progress occurs outside these walls,” she said, adding that much more humanitarian assistance is needed as well as civilian protection.
We know Hamas continues to use people as human shields, but this does not lessen Israel’s responsibility to protect civilians under international humanitarian law.
She said the US “will not rest until all hostages are released” and wants to see the pause extended, adding that “the ball is now in Hamas’s court.”
Two hostages released today back in Israel and named as Yelena Trupanov and mother Irena Tati
The two hostages who have been released today and are now back on Israeli territory have been named as Yelena Trupanov, 50, and her mother, Irena Tati, 73.
Trupanov and Tati, who have dual Israeli and Russian citizenship, were kidnapped from kibbutz Nir Oz during the Hamas attacks on 7 October.
Yelena’s husband, Vitaly, was killed during the attack; her son Sasha and his girlfriend Sapir Cohen are still hostages, the Times of Israel reported.
Updated
Palestinian health ministry: Eight-year-old and 15-year-old shot dead by Israeli forces in West Bank
Two boys, one eight years old and the other 15, where shot and killed by Israeli forces on Wednesday in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin, the Palestinian health ministry said.
In a statement reported by Agence France-Presse, the health ministry said: “Adam al-Ghul, eight years old, and Bassem Abu el-Wafa, 15 years old, were killed by bullets from the occupier [Israel].”
CCTV footage circulating online shows what appears to be one of the boys running for cover in the street before being shot and falling to the ground. Someone else then runs towards the boy and drags him away, leaving behind a trail of blood.
Another video shows what appears to the other boy getting shot and falling to the ground. The boy can be seen struggling on the ground for over half a minute.
According to an official with the Palestinian Red Crescent who spoke with AFP, the boys were on a side street of central Jenin’s main thoroughfare, which is an area theoretically off limits to the Israeli army as it is under sole control by the Palestinian Authority, AFP reports.
Asked about the deaths by AFP, the army said that “a number of suspects” had hurled explosive devices toward troops.
“The soldiers responded with live fire toward the suspects and hits were identified,” it said in a statement.
According to the health ministry, since 7 October, violence in the West Bank has increased significantly, with nearly 240 Palestinians killed by Israeli soldiers or Israeli settlers.
Updated
The two Israeli hostages released earlier this evening by Hamas are now being accompanied by Israeli special forces and are on their way back to Israel, an Israel Defense Forces spokesperson, Daniel Hagari, tweeted on Wednesday.
“After they undergo an initial assessment of their medical condition, our forces will accompany the returnees until they arrive at their families in the hospitals,” he added.
יחידה מובחרת של צה״ל וכוח של השב"כ מלווים כעת בשטח ישראל את שתי החטופות השבות ארצה.
— דובר צה״ל דניאל הגרי - Daniel Hagari (@IDFSpokesperson) November 29, 2023
לאחר שיעברו הערכה ראשונית של מצבם הרפואי, כוחותינו ילוו את השבות עד להגעתן לחיק משפחותיהן בבתי החולים.
Updated
The Israel Defense Forces spokesperson, Daniel Hagari, said Red Cross representatives have “transferred the two Israeli hostages to Egypt”.
The abductees returned to Israel on their way in Egyptian territory to the meeting point with our forces in Kerem Shalom. Representatives of the security system will verify the identity of the returned abductees at the meeting point. IDF representatives update their families regularly,” he tweeted.
לפני זמן קצר העבירו נציגי הצלב האדום את שתי החטופות הישראליות למצרים.
— דובר צה״ל דניאל הגרי - Daniel Hagari (@IDFSpokesperson) November 29, 2023
החטופות השבות ארצה בדרכם בשטח מצרים לנקודת המפגש עם כוחותינו בכרם שלום.
נציגי מערכת הביטחון יאמתו את זהות החטופות השבות בנקודת המפגש.
נציגי צה״ל מעדכנים את משפחותיהן באופן שוטף.
Updated
The Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Nentanyahu, has spoken with representatives of the Bibas family after reports from Hamas that three of its members were killed, including 10-month-old Kfir Bibas, Haaretz reports.
According to Haaretz, Netanyahu told the family representatives that the matter was being investigated by Israel’s security forces.
The Israeli war cabinet minister, Benny Gantz, also addressed the report during a press conference and said it had no verification, Haaretz reports.
“I don’t know if it’s true or not but it’s part of a psychological warfare that our enemies are conducting,” he said.
Updated
Israel Defense Forces: two Israeli hostages handed to Red Cross en route to Israeli territory
The Israeli Defense Forces spokesperson, Daniel Hagari, has announced that according to information provided by the Red Cross, two Israeli hostages were transferred to the international humanitarian organisation and “are on their way to Israeli territory”.
“Their release is in addition to the list of abductees scheduled to be released today,” he added.
על פי המידע שנמסר מהצלב האדום שתי חטופות ישראליות הועברו אליהם והן בדרכן לשטח ישראל. שחרורן הוא בנוסף לרשימת החטופים שמתוכננת להשתחרר היום.
— דובר צה״ל דניאל הגרי - Daniel Hagari (@IDFSpokesperson) November 29, 2023
Updated
The US is hopeful that the truce in Gaza between Israel and Hamas can be extended, the US ambassador to the UN, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, told reporters on Wednesday, Reuters reports.
“We’re hopeful the truce can be extended,” Thomas-Greenfield said, adding: “This is all in the hands of Hamas. The Israelis have said if they continue to release 10 hostages a day, they will extend by a day. So it truly is in their hands. But I do think there is a potential for that and we are actively working to extend the deal.”
Updated
In an address on Wednesday to commemorate the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, the UN general assembly president, Dennis France, said:
The Palestinian people – as all human beings – are entitled to their fundamental and inalienable right to live in dignity, with all liberties; freedom of movement; freedom from fear and from any want; and with unfettered access to basic services …
It is, therefore, imperative that we restore and sustain their hope – especially among the younger generations that have never experienced what peace looks or feels like.
By doing so, we will have fulfilled our duty of care – in reaffirming the fundamental principle that all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.
Thus, upholding these basic tenets is key to fostering a just, sustainable, and peaceful future for all Palestinian people.
But, for us to ensure that every Palestinian sees these inalienable rights as realised and respected, first and foremost we need permanent peace in the Middle East.
Second, we need to re-engage in dialogue, in good faith, building trust – while adhering to the relevant UN resolutions and international instruments …
As we reiterate the general assembly’s undiminished call for peace, we too must advocate for open channels of communication – accompanied by robust support from the international community – leading to the two-state solution, as the only viable option for lasting peace in the Middle East.
Updated
Three Qatari armed forces aircraft carrying 108 tons of aid for Palestinians in Gaza have arrived in El Erish, Egypt, Qatar’s news agency announced on Wednesday.
The three planes, which carried basic food supplies and shelter equipment, brings the total number of Qatari planes sent to Gaza to 30, carrying 1,018 tons of aid.
Three #Qatar Armed Forces Aircraft Carrying Aid for Palestinians in #Gaza Heads to Egypt's Al Arish. #QNAhttps://t.co/BoWKEp7i7x pic.twitter.com/jgGs3yfSgG
— Qatar News Agency (@QNAEnglish) November 29, 2023
Updated
The family of 10-month-old Kfir Bibas has released the following statement on Wednesday surrounding Hamas’s reports that Kfir, his four-year-old brother and their mother had been killed by Israeli bombardment in Gaza:
Our family has learned of Hamas’ latest claims. We are waiting for the information to be confirmed and hopefully refuted by military officials.
We thank the people of Israel for their warm support, but kindly request privacy during this difficult time. Thank you very much.
Updated
Speaking at the UN security council on Wednesday, Palestine’s foreign minister, Riad al-Maliki, said that the ongoing violence between Israel and Hamas was “not a war” but rather a “carnage that no one can justify”.
“It must be brought to an end,” al-Maliki said, adding: “Over 15,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israel. Over 10,000 of them are women and children. They have been killed by Israel. They did not lose their life; it was taken away. No one is safe in Gaza, not the children, not the doctors, not the humanitarian personnel, not the journalists, not the UN staff. They were killed at an unprecedented pace in modern history.”
“We are at a historic crossroad,” he said.
Updated
The World Health Organization on Wednesday called for Gaza’s vulnerable health infrastructure to be safeguarded as the war-torn territory faces an increased risk of epidemics and challenges in detecting infectious diseases.
Reuters reports:
Speaking at a press conference in Geneva, World Health Organization director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said only 15 of Gaza’s 36 hospitals were still functioning and were completely overwhelmed.
“Of the 25 hospitals north of the Wadi Gaza (river) before the conflict began, only three are functioning at the most basic level, but they lack fuel, water and food,” Tedros said, adding that “the remaining health system capacity must be protected, supported and expanded”.
The agency has noted a staggering increase in cases of diarrhoea, especially among infants and children, and detected “very serious signals around acute jaundice syndrome” in the enclave.
“With severe overcrowding, the risks are increasing for epidemics of respiratory tract infections, acute watery diarrhoea, hepatitis, scabies, lice and other diseases,” Tedros said.
Tedros, who said that 1.3 million people were currently living in shelters in Gaza, said the enclave had recorded 111,000 acute respiratory infections, 24,000 cases of skin rash and 12,000 cases of scabies since the conflict began.
Mike Ryan, head of WHO’s health emergencies programme, said the detection of infectious diseases in Gaza had become more complicated given that samples could not longer be sent to Israel or the West Bank for processing.
“Not only has Gaza lost its hospital capability, it has lost its ability to confirm even the most basic of diseases,” he said. “This creates a blind spot where we have huge risk of epidemic diseases.”
The WHO welcomed the extension of the truce but said the prospect of the conflict flaring up again was very high and could further harm the health system.
“Any resumption of violence could damage the health facilities and make more health facilities dysfunctional,” said Richard Peeperkorn, WHO representative in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, adding, “Gaza can absolutely not afford to lose more hospital beds … We need to make the vulnerable system work again.”
Updated
Jordan will host an international conference on Thursday that will be attended by the main UN bodies, as well as regional and international relief agencies to coordinate humanitarian aid to Gaza, Reuters reports.
The UN aid head, Martin Griffiths, as well as key UN bodies and NGOs involved in increasing the entry of aid into Gaza, are expected to attend the conference, along with representatives from western and Arab countries.
Updated
UN chief: 'We must not look away' from Gaza's 'epic humanitarian catastrophe'
The UN secretary-general, António Guterres, said on Wednesday that Gaza is in the midst of an “epic humanitarian catastrophe”.
Addressing a UN security council meeting chaired by China’s foreign minister, Wang Yi, Guterres said “we must not look away” from the deteriorating humanitarian crisis that has engulfed Gaza, Reuters reports.
He added:
“Intense negotiations are taking place to prolong the truce * which we strongly welcome – but we believe we need a true humanitarian ceasefire.”
Despite the UN increasing the amount of humanitarian aid being delivered to Gaza amid the truce, Guterres said the level of aid “remains completely inadequate to meet the huge needs”.
Meanwhile, the Palestinian foreign minister, Riyad al-Maliki, told the council the “truce must become a ceasefire, a permanent ceasefire”, adding that the “massacres cannot be allowed to resume”.
He added:
“Our people are faced with an existential threat. Make no mistake about it. With all the talk about the destruction of Israel, it is Palestine that is facing a plan to destroy it, implemented in broad daylight.”
Several Arab foreign ministers were also due to address the security council later on Wednesday, Reuters reports.
Updated
Ahed Tamimi, 22, a symbol of resistance against the Israeli occupation, is among the 50 jailed Palestinians who are listed for release by Israel.
The Guardian’s Bethan McKernan and Sufian Taha reports:
Another 50 Palestinian prisoners and detainees in Israeli jails have been put forward as candidates for release after the hostage swap and ceasefire deal with Hamas in the Gaza Strip was extended for another two days – including the high-profile activist Ahed Tamimi.
Tamimi, 22, was on the list released by Israel’s justice ministry on Tuesday. The writer, part of a prominent family from the West Bank village of Nabi Salih, has been a symbol of resistance against the Israeli occupation for protest action and confronting Israeli soldiers since she was about 11 years old.
Tamimi was sentenced to eight months in prison for slapping and kicking an Israeli soldier in 2017 after her 15-year-old cousin was shot in the head with a rubber bullet during a protest. The incident was filmed, propelling the then-16-year-old to worldwide fame.
She was rearrested in November this year for alleged incitement on social media in the aftermath of the 7 October attack by the Palestinian militant group Hamas, which killed 1,200 Israelis and triggered the new war in Gaza that has killed almost 14,000 Palestinians and caused a devastating humanitarian crisis.
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The Israel Defense Forces have released a statement on Telegram regarding 10-month old Kfir Bibas but did not confirm whether he has been killed:
During the Hamas massacre of October 7, the Bibas family, including 10-month-old Kfir Bibas, his four-year-old brother, Ariel Bibas, and their mother, Shiri Bibas – were kidnapped alive into Gaza.
The barbarism and cruelty of Hamas is on full display to the world. IDF representatives spoke with the Bibas family following the recent reports and are with them at this difficult time. The IDF is assessing the accuracy of the information.
Hamas is wholly responsible for the security of all hostages in the Gaza Strip. Hamas must be held accountable. Hamas’s actions continue to endanger the hostages, which include nine children. Hamas must immediately release our hostages.
The IDF, along with other security agencies, will continue to accompany the Bibas family, as well as all families of the hostages and missing persons.
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Summary of the day so far …
It has just gone 5pm in Gaza City and in Tel Aviv. Here are the latest headlines …
The armed wing of Hamas said on Wednesday that 10-month-old Kfir Bibas, his four-year-old brother and their mother, who were being held hostage, were killed during the Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip. The Israeli army said it is checking the claim by Al Qassam Brigades. Israel earlier said it believes there are 161 people seized in Israel on 7 October who are still being held captive in Gaza.
Residents of Gaza and the families and loved ones of those believed to be held hostage by Hamas are anxiously waiting to see if the fragile truce between Israel and Hamas will be extended. Fighting was paused on Friday, but today is the last day of the extended truce deal.
The latest exchange of hostages in Gaza for Palestinian detainees in Israeli jails took place on Tuesday night. Twelve hostages – 10 Israelis and two Thai nationals – are now in Israel. The 30 Palestinians released from Israeli prisons on Tuesday were 15 children and 15 women. In a statement, the Israel prison service said the 30 Palestinians were released from Ofer prison, near Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, and from a detention centre in Jerusalem.
Egyptian sources have told news agencies that negotiations for the release of further civilian hostages are going well and that the truce could be extended for two days. However, CNN is reporting that officials from the International Committee of the Red Cross have as yet been unable to visit hostages in Gaza, which is in contradiction to the truce agreement.
Israel’s military has claimed that it has killed Muhammad Zubeidi, who it says was the commander of the Jenin branch of Palestinian Islamic Jihad, during an operation inside the occupied city. The Palestinian health ministry said two Palestinian children were killed by Israeli forces. Video and photographs showed damage to houses, cars and roads during an operation said to involve hundreds of troops of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), the latest in a string of confrontations in the occupied Palestinian city since 7 October.
A Hamas official has said in addition to the releases as part of the truce deal, it is planning to release Russian hostages, as a show of “gratitude” to Vladimir Putin and Russia’s position on the conflict in Gaza.
The UN has called for the international community to move towards a two-state solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, saying Jerusalem should serve as the capital of both states. “It is long past time to move in a determined, irreversible way towards a two-state solution, on the basis of UN resolutions and international law,” said Tatiana Valovaya, the director general of the UN office in Geneva, delivering a speech authored by the UN secretary general, António Guterres.
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has called Benjamin Netanyahu “the butcher of Gaza” and accused Israel’s prime minister of spawning antisemitism across the world.
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Hamas says youngest hostage, 10-month-old Kfir Bibas, has been killed along with two family members
The armed wing of Hamas said on Wednesday that 10-month-old Kfir Bibas, his four-year-old brother and their mother, who were being held hostage, were killed during the Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip.
The Israeli army said it was checking the claim by al-Qassam brigades. Reuters, who reported it, could not immediately independently verify the claim.
The Bibas family had repeatedly called for the release of the family. Kfir was abducted from Nir Oz kibbutz along with his older brother, Ariel, their mother, Shiri, and father, Yarden. He was the youngest of about 30 children who were taken hostage.
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Reuters has a quick snap that its Egyptian sources have said negotiations for the release of further civilian hostages are going well and that the truce could be extended for two days.
More details soon …
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CNN is reporting that officials from the International Committee of the Red Cross have as yet been unable to visit hostages in Gaza, which is in contradiction to the truce agreement.
One source told CNN this was unlikely to derail discussions on a further extension. However, the Red Cross has come under criticism from families of the hostages. Rachel Goldberg, whose son, Hersh Goldberg-Polin is being held, has said the organisation is “doing a wonderful job being an Uber service” for the released hostages, but is not providing any medical assistance to those held captive.
CNN quotes Red Cross spokesperson Jason Straziuso saying that it is not directly involved in negotiations, adding:
[We can] only implement measures that both sides tell us they have agreed to. We’ve been insisting since day one in direct conversations with Hamas that they release the hostages, barring that, that we be allowed to visit the hostages, and that the hostages be allowed to communicate with their families.
We are ready to visit the hostages held by Hamas to check on their welfare and deliver medication but can do so only if we have permission. We do not know where the hostages are held and could not and would not force ourselves in to visit, action that could endanger anyone being held.
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Oslo’s city hall on Wednesday raised the Palestinian flag in a show of solidarity with the people of Gaza.
“When we know that more than 5,000 children have lost their lives, equivalent to more than 275 school classes, it is only natural to remember them today,” Oslo’s mayor, Anne Lindboe, told AFP, quoting the casualty figures given by the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza.
“It is very important to highlight that Oslo should be a city for everyone, where both our small Jewish minority and those with a Palestinian background should feel safe, seen and included, she added.”
The initiative coincides with the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, celebrated since 1978. A handful of pro-Palestinian demonstrators were present.
On Saturday, the municipality also organised a commemoration in honour of the Israeli victims of the 7 October attack inside southern Israel.
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Reuters has a quick snap that the armed wing of Hamas, al-Qassam brigades, said today that three hostages were killed during the Israeli shelling of Gaza.
Israel said earlier today that it believes 161 people remain captive inside Gaza.
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Haaretz is carrying a detail from a source informing it that in the negotiations on extending the truce and releasing more hostages, “Israel asked in recent days to examine the possibility of releasing adult male hostages, including the elderly and fathers of children who have already been released, instead of just women, and children”.
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The UN has called for the international community to move towards a two-state solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, saying Jerusalem should serve as the capital of both states.
“It is long past time to move in a determined, irreversible way towards a two-state solution, on the basis of UN resolutions and international law,” said Tatiana Valovaya, director general of the UN office in Geneva, delivering a speech authored by the UN secretary general, António Guterres.
Reuters reports she added this would mean “Israel and Palestine living side-by-side in peace and security with Jerusalem as the capital of both states”.
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Israel’s military has posted on social media to claim that it has killed Muhammad Zubeidi, who it says was the commander of the Jenin branch of Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
It wrote:
In a joint operation by the IDF, the Shin Bet and the MGB in the Jenin refugee camp, two senior terrorists were eliminated by the IDF fighters, including camp commander Muhammad Zabeidi who carried out shooting attacks in the sector and was involved in sending terrorists to attacks.
במבצע משותף של צה"ל, שב״כ ומג"ב במחנה הפליטים ג׳נין חוסלו על ידי לוחמי הימ״מ שני מחבלים בכירים, בהם מפקד המחנה מוחמד זביידי שביצע פיגועי ירי בגזרה והיה מעורב בשילוח מחבלים לפיגועים.
— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) November 29, 2023
לכל הפרטים: https://t.co/F6J5Y6lccX pic.twitter.com/rAZzo4BORo
The claims have not been independently verified.
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The Times of Israel reports that Ayelet Katzir, one of the leading figures in a campaign group of families who lost loved ones on 7 October, has been released from Israeli police custody after being arrested while demonstrating outside the Knesset in Jerusalem.
The arrest, which was described by Labor party politician Naama Lazimi as “embarrassing and outrageous”, happened after Katzir had earlier today been part of a demonstration calling for the resignation of the government over reported intelligence failures in the run-up to the Hamas attack.
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Gaza City’s mayor, Yahya al-Sarraj, has spoken to Al Jazeera about the damage in the city. He told the news network:
We are discovering now how much damage has been inflicted on the infrastructure of the city – on cultural centres, libraries and main public squares.
The headquarters of the main municipality has been hit hard with two attacks … destroying thousands of documents of important historical value.
The damage is unbelievable around the city … about 60% of housing units and apartments … these apartments are not liveable at the moment.
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Dan Sabbagh is the Guardian’s defence and security editor. Here is his report on events in Jenin:
Video and photographs showed damage to houses, cars and roads in Jenin during an operation said to involve hundreds of troops of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), the latest in a string of confrontations in the occupied Palestinian city since 7 October.
Jenin has long been a centre of Palestinian resistance to Israel, with a series of deadly clashes since Hamas launched its attack from Gaza. Fourteen people were killed in fighting earlier this month, while five were killed this week after Israeli forces launched a raid aimed at detaining a suspected militant.
Christos Christou, the international director of Médecins Sans Frontières, said last night that Israel had cut off the Khalil Suleiman hospital during the raid, meaning that “there was no way for any of the injured patients to reach the hospital, and there’s no way for us to reach these people”.
The Palestinian Red Crescent Society reported that Israeli forces had blocked the entrance of Jenin government hospital for 40 minutes, preventing medics from transferring a patient with a gunshot wound in the leg to reach the hospital. The patient was subsequently arrested, the society added.
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Two Palestinian children killed by Israeli forces in occupied West Bank – reports
Two Palestinian children were killed on Wednesday by Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin, Reuters reports the Palestinian health ministry said.
Al Jazeera reports, citing the Palestinian Wafa news agency, that Israeli forces seized an injured person from an ambulance while he they being transported to the hospital.
The Palestine Red Crescent Society has shared on social media a video which it claims shows “Israeli occupation forces prevent Palestine Red Crescent Society paramedics from reaching a besieged neighbourhood in Jenin refugee camp, despite the presence of injured persons who need help and whose life is threatened”.
🚨Israeli occupation forces prevent PRCS paramedics 🚑from reaching a besieged neighbourhood in Jenin Refugee Camp, despite the presence of injured persons who need help and whose life is threatened.#Jenin #NotATarget#IHL pic.twitter.com/ATCVDmBKHD
— PRCS (@PalestineRCS) November 29, 2023
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Here are some fuller quotes from US secretary of state Antony Blinken’s appearance at a Nato press conference today in Brussels. He told the media:
We will discuss with Israel how it can achieve its objective to ensure the terrorist attacks of 7 October never happen again, while sustaining increasing humanitarian assistance and minimising further suffering and casualties among Palestinian civilians.
We will keep our efforts going to prevent the conflict from spreading, and we will remain focused on enabling safe departure of American citizens and other foreign nationals from Gaza.
We will work to build upon principles that I set out in Tokyo a few weeks ago, for the ‘day after’ in Gaza, and to find the steps that we and our partners can take in the region now to lay the foundation for a just and lasting peace.
When Blinken spoke in Tokyo earlier this month, he said “Gaza cannot … continue to be run by Hamas; that simply invites repetition of 7 October. It’s also clear that Israel cannot occupy Gaza.”
Israel believes 161 hostages remain captive in Gaza, including four children
Benjamin Netanyahu’s office has told CNN that it believes there are 161 people seized in Israel on 7 October who are still being held captive in Gaza.
The prime minister’s office told the US news network that four of them are children under the age of 18, with four at the ages of 18 and 19. There are believed to be ten people being held who are aged 75 or older.
It said of the 161 that 15 are foreigners, and 146 are Israelis, some of whom are dual nationals.
US secretary of state Antony Blinken said on Tuesday that he would work with the Israelis during his trip to Israel in the coming days to see if a temporary ceasefire that has been in place and allowed hostages kidnapped by Hamas to go free could be extended.
Speaking at a press conference in Brussels after a Nato meeting, Blinken said the continuation of the pauses would mean more hostages to be freed and more assistance getting into Gaza.
“Clearly, that’s something we want. I believe it’s also something that Israel wants,” Reuters reports he said.
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Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas is calling for an international conference to resolve the Mideast conflict.
Associated Press said Wednesday that the Palestinians are ready to work with the international community on a “serious political process” that leads to an independent state in the West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem. He also again called for a halt to the war in Gaza.
No agreement yet reached on extending truce, discussions continue – reports
A Palestinian official has told Reuters that despite a willingness on both sides to prolong the truce, no agreement had yet been reached. Discussions were still under way with mediators Egypt and Qatar, the official said.
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office declined to comment on the state of any talks but noted that an extra 50 Palestinian female detainees had been added on Tuesday to a list cleared to be released in case a new swap was agreed.
Updated
Summary of the day so far …
It has just gone 1pm in Gaza City and in Tel Aviv. Here are the headlines …
Residents of Gaza and the families and loved ones of those being held hostage by Hamas are anxiously waiting to see if the fragile truce between Israel and Hamas will be extended. Fighting was paused on Friday, but today is the last day of the extended truce deal.
The latest exchange of hostages in Gaza for Palestinian detainees in Israeli jails took place on Tuesday night. Twelve hostages – 10 Israelis and two Thai nationals – are now in Israel. The 30 Palestinians released from Israeli prisons on Tuesday were 15 children and 15 women. In a statement, the Israel prison service said the 30 Palestinians were released from Ofer prison, near Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, and from a detention centre in Jerusalem.
The Times of Israel is reporting that medics have assessed some of the hostages returned overnight from Gaza and found them in generally good medical condition.
Sixty Israelis have been freed as part of the truce so far. Another 21 hostages – 19 Thais, one Filipino and one Russian-Israeli – have also been released in separate negotiations since the ceasefire began. Prior to the truce, Hamas released four hostages, and the Israeli army rescued one. Two other hostages were found dead in Gaza. It remains unclear how many people are still being held and their condition.
The latest swap brought to 180 the number of Palestinian women and children freed from Israeli prisons as part of the deal. Most have been teenagers accused of throwing stones and firebombs during confrontations with Israeli forces. Several were women convicted by Israeli military courts of attempting deadly attacks. Prisoner advocate groups said that over the four days of the initial truce, Israeli forces arrested at least 133 Palestinians from occupied East Jerusalem and the West Bank, meaning the total number of Palestinian detainees held by Israel has reduced by less than 50.
Hamas has informed mediators that it is willing to extend the truce for four days. Under that arrangement, “the movement would be able to release Israeli prisoners that it, other resistance movements and other parties hold during this period, according to the terms of the existing truce,” a source has told AFP.
Haaretz reports that “according to an official familiar with the ceasefire negotiations”, Israel has indicated that it is unwilling to extend the truce beyond Sunday. Israel has previously said it would extend the truce for a day for every occasion on which 10 hostages were released by Hamas from captivity in Gaza.
A Hamas official has said in addition to the releases as part of the truce deal, it is planning to release Russian hostages, as a show of “gratitude” to Vladimir Putin and Russia’s position on the conflict in Gaza.
Palestinian media have reported two people, including a child, were injured by Israeli forces during a large-scale military incursion into the West Bank city of Jenin and its refugee camp. The Wafa news agency said Israeli troops fired stun grenades and teargas canisters toward residents and their homes. Al Jazeera reports that hundreds of Israeli troops have taken part in the raid, supported by more than 50 armoured vehicles.
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has called Benjamin Netanyahu “the butcher of Gaza” and accused Israel’s prime minister of spawning antisemitism across the world.
Pope Francis has again called for the continuation of the truce in the Gaza Strip, for the release of all hostages and for humanitarian aid access into the territory.
Anthony Albanese’s Australian government is coming under significant and increasing pressure from within to take a stronger line on a full ceasefire in Gaza. About 40 Labor party branches in New South Wales have passed motions demanding a full ceasefire.
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AFP has spoken to Taghrid al-Najjar, a 46-year-old mother who lives in Gaza. She told reporters that before the war, she had never left her farming village along the border with Israel in the south-east.
She told reporters:
I discovered that my house had been completely destroyed – 27 years of my life to build it and everything is gone. For two days I couldn’t eat, then I told myself that I had to continue living. My house is destroyed but my children are alive, so we will rebuild. We have already done it once, we can do it again.
For weeks she lived with nine members of her family in a Khan Younis school converted into a makeshift camp for displaced people, but has returned to what is left of her home during the pause in fighting.
Each night the family squeezes through a window to sleep in the only room where the walls have not entirely crumpled. Once there is a permanent ceasefire, Najjar said, they will pitch a tent, but only for “long enough to rebuild the house”.
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Hamas to release more Russian hostages in 'gratitude' to Putin's position on Gaza
Tass reports that more Russian hostages are expected to be released today in what Hamas has described as a sign of ‘gratitude’ to Russia’s president Vladimir Putin for the position he has taken on the conflict in Gaza.
It quotes Hamas official Mousa Abu Marzook saying: “We have not released any of the Israeli men who are in Gaza, with the exception of Russian Ron Krivoy, whom we released as a sign of the movement’s gratitude towards the position of Russia’s President Putin. Today, several other Russians will be released outside the framework of the truce deal.”
Tass notes that Abu Marzook has recently visited Moscow. Krivoy was released on 26 November. The Russian-Israeli worked as a sound technician at the Nova music festival attacked by Hamas. Russia’s foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said the release was due to Russian diplomatic contacts with Hamas.
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Erdoğan describes Netanyahu as 'the butcher of Gaza'
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has called Benjamin Netanyahu “the butcher of Gaza” and accused Israel’s prime minister of spawning antisemitism across the world.
AFP reports that in televised remarks on Wednesday, the Turkish president said:
Netanyahu has already written his name in history as the butcher of Gaza. Netanyahu is endangering the security of all Jews in the world by supporting antisemitism with the murders he committed in Gaza.
Israel recalled all its diplomatic staff from Turkey as a security precaution at the start of its war with Hamas. Turkey has also withdrawn its Tel Aviv envoy. The two sides had last year reappointed ambassadors after a decade-long rupture in ties.
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Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on Wednesday he welcomed a pause in the war in Gaza and the exchange of hostages and detainees between Israel and Hamas as a temporary “stop of bloodshed” in the territory.
Speaking in parliament, Turkey’s president said statements by Benjamin Netanyahu’s government in Israel were “lessening” Ankara’s hopes that the pause could turn into a full ceasefire, but added Turkey would ramp up diplomatic efforts for a lasting ceasefire in coming days.
Reuters reports Erdoğan also said Turkey had “largely completed” evacuating its citizens from Gaza, where he repeated a genocide was taking place. He added that he would discuss the war in Gaza during a trip to Dubai later this week.
A planned visit to Ankara by Iran’s president, Ebrahim Raisi, this week was cancelled without explanation.
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Anthony Albanese’s Australian government is coming under significant and increasing pressure from within to take a stronger line on a full ceasefire in Gaza.
About 40 Labor party branches in New South Wales have passed motions demanding a full ceasefire.
Insiders have said, while this was not yet a majority of Labor branches within the state, the increasing internal agitation for a ceasefire reflected growing concerns among the party’s grassroots. Many branches had yet to hold meetings.
“The fact that so many across a wide geographic spread have passed quickly in just over a month, including in the prime minister’s own branch, shows there’s a depth of feeling among the Labor rank and file about this issue,” said a party insider.
Read more here: Australia’s Labor party facing internal demands to call for full ceasefire in Gaza
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Ihab Abu Auf, a father of three staying with another family in southern Gaza, has told the media he tried twice to return to his home in the north but was turned back by Israeli troops.
“Where will we go then with our women and children?” Abu Auf said. “They want another Nakba.”
Omar al-Darawi, who works at the overwhelmed al-Aqsa Martyrs hospital in the central town of Deir al-Balah, said: “We are fed up … We want this war to stop.”
The two men spoke to Associated Press on Wednesday.
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Hamas has informed mediators that it is willing to extend the truce for four days, a source close to the militant group has told AFP on condition of anonymity.
Under that arrangement, “the movement would be able to release Israeli prisoners that it, other resistance movements and other parties hold during this period, according to the terms of the existing truce,” the source added.
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Al Jazeera reports that at least 242 Palestinians have been killed and more than 3,000 wounded since 7 October in the occupied West Bank.
It says those killed include 57 children, one woman and six prisoners who died in Israeli custody.
Pope Francis has again called for the continuation of the truce in the Gaza Strip, for the release of all hostages and for humanitarian aid access into the territory.
The 87-year-old pope, who has been unwell, asked an aide to read his remarks for him at his weekly audience with the public at the Vatican.
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Hind Khoudary is in Khan Younis, in the south of the Gaza Strip, and she has reported for Al Jazeera, saying: “We’ve just learned of a shooting in the northern Gaza Strip by Israeli forces in which two Palestinians have been injured, one of whom is in serious condition.”
She added: “People are using the last hours of this extended truce to buy as many necessities as they can. People say this truce is meaningless because they are not able to go back to their homes and make sure their families that are stuck in the north are safe.”
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Sixty Israelis have been freed as part of the truce so far. Another 21 hostages – 19 Thais, one Filipino and one Russian-Israeli – have also been released in separate negotiations since the ceasefire began, Associated Press reports.
Prior to the truce, Hamas released four hostages, and the Israeli army rescued one. Two other hostages were found dead in Gaza. It remains unclear how many people are still being held and their condition. Mediators in Qatar say they have been unable to verify the numbers beyond the list of hostages expected to be released today, which marks the final day under the current agreement.
The latest swap brought to 180 the number of Palestinian women and children freed from Israeli prisons as part of the deal. Most have been teenagers accused of throwing stones and firebombs during confrontations with Israeli forces. Several were women convicted by Israeli military courts of attempting deadly attacks.
Prisoner advocate groups said that over the four days of the initial truce, Israeli forces arrested at least 133 Palestinians from occupied East Jerusalem and the West Bank, meaning the total number of Palestinian detainees held by Israel has reduced by less than 50.
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Here are some of the latest images sent to us from Gaza over the news wires.
The Times of Israel is reporting that medics have assessed some of the hostages returned overnight from Gaza and found them in generally good medical condition.
It quotes Prof David Zeltser, deputy director of emergency medicine at Ichilov hospital, saying two women taken there were well, and Prof Itai Pessach, from the facility in Sheba that took in eight returnees, saying the freed captives were “a group of extraordinary women who endured the hardships of their captivity in a remarkable fashion”.
He added: “Their medical situation is complex and they will need ongoing medical treatment and attention, but there is no immediate danger to any of them.”
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Haaretz reports that “according to an official familiar with the ceasefire negotiations”, Israel has indicated that it is unwilling to extend the truce beyond Sunday. Israel previously said it would extend the truce for a day for every occasion on which 10 hostages were released by Hamas from captivity in Gaza.
This is Martin Belam taking over the live blog in London. You can contact me at martin.belam@theguardian.com.
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Foreign ministers of the Group of Seven countries have said in a joint statement that they support the further extension of the truce and future pauses in order to increase assistance and facilitate the release of all hostages.
The group urged Hamas to release all the hostages “immediately and unconditionally”.
It emphasised “Israel’s right to defend itself and its people” but underscored the importance of “protecting civilians and compliance with international law”. It also said the G7 was committed to a Palestinian state as part of a two-state solution.
The G7 foreign ministers cautioned against further escalation of the conflict. They urged Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis to cease threats to international shipping lanes and commercial vessels and release the Galaxy Leader commercial ship and its crew seized on 19 November.
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The Palestinian Al-Quds newspaper reports that the Israeli raid in Jenin is ongoing.
In several posts on X, the media outlet says that more Israeli troops have entered the city with further clashes reported.
An Al Jazeera correspondent in Jerusalem has said that fighting has been continuing sporadically since 9pm local time on Tuesday. The correspondent says that witnesses in Jenin have reported hearing loud explosions and that there are drones in the air above the city.
Al Jazeera has also reported that Israeli forces have raided the al-Jalazone refugee camp, north of Ramallah – as well as the al-Askar refugee camp in the city of Nablus, which are both also in the West Bank.
Palestinian media have reported two people, including a child, were injured by Israeli bullets during a large-scale military incursion into the West Bank city of Jenin and its refugee camp
The Wafa news agency claims Israeli troops fired stun grenades and teargas canisters toward residents and their homes.
The media group quotes the director of the Jenin Governmental hospital, Wisam Baker, who said Israeli troops searched medical personnel and staff and deployed their soldiers around the hospital.
They also quote the chief Executive Officer at Ibn Sina Specialized hospital, Samer Atiyeh, who said Israeli forces cordoned off the hospital from all directions.
The Guardian has been unable to verify these reports.
The AFP news agency has reported that the final 24 hours of the extended truce agreement begins later Wednesday, with one more exchange of hostages for prisoners expected, but mediator Qatar is hoping for a more durable arrangement.
“Our main focus right now, and our hope, is to reach a sustainable truce that will lead to further negotiations and eventually to an end … to this war,” Qatar foreign ministry spokesperson Majed Al Ansari told a Doha news conference.
“However, we are working with what we have. And what we have right now is the provision to the agreement that allows us to extend days as long as Hamas is able to guarantee the release of at least 10 hostages.”
Philippine president Ferdinand Marocs has said he is “very happy” to announce that Noralyn Babadilla is now safely back in Israel, adding that “all Filipinos affected by the war have been accounted for”.
Noralyn, who was released on Tuesday, was the second Filipino to be released by Hamas. Filipino caregiver Gelienor “Jimmy” Pacheco was among the group of hostages released on the first day of the temporary truce.
Marcos said in a statement: “We extend our sincerest gratitude to Israeli authorities for facilitating Noralyn’s release, and for all ongoing assistance to Filipinos in Israel. Our gratitude also goes to Egypt and the State of Qatar for their crucial role in this process over the past several weeks.”
About 30,000 Filipinos work in Israel, mainly in the care sector. Most live away from the conflict areas.
Thai foreign minister Parnpree Bahiddha-Nukara has said he welcomes the release of two more Thai hostages that had been held by Hamas in Gaza.
“Happy to personally welcome 2 additional Thai hostages just released and arrived at the hospital in Tel Aviv,” he posted on the social media platform X.
Nineteen Thai hostages have so far been released, while the foreign ministry says 13 more remain in captivity. There were 39 Thai nationals killed in the 7 October attack by Hamas.
The Biden administration has told Israel that it must work to avoid “significant further displacement” of Palestinian civilians in southern Gaza if it renews its ground campaign after the current pause in fighting, the AP news agency reported senior US officials as saying on Tuesday.
Separately, White House national security council spokesperson John Kirby said the Israelis had been receptive when US officials have raised the issue.
The White House, seeking to avoid more large-scale civilian casualties or mass displacement like that seen before the current temporary pause in the fighting, underscored to the Israelis that they must operate with far greater precision in southern Gaza than they did in the north, said officials who briefed reporters on condition of anonymity, according to AP.
The White House has begun to put greater pressure on Israel that the manner of the coming campaign must be “carefully thought through,” AP reports.
Kirby, told reporters separately, “Now you have an added population of hundreds of thousands more in the south that you didn’t have before [the Israelis] moved into Gaza City.”
“And so it’s even all that more of an added burden on Israel to make sure … that they have properly accounted for … the extra innocent life that is now in south Gaza.”
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has made clear that Israeli Defense Forces will eventually restart military operations after the conclusion of the current, temporary ceasefire.
President Joe Biden has said he would like to see the pause – which has also allowed a surge of much-needed humanitarian aid to get into Gaza – continue as long as feasible.
Israeli military raid West Bank city of Jenin - reports
There are reports that parts of the city of Jenin, in the West Bank, have been closed off with checkpoints set up at routes into the city.
Al Jazeera says that armed clashes between Israeli troops and Palestinian fighters have taken place, with at least eight people injured. They report that hundreds of Israeli troops have taken part in the raid, supported by more than 50 armoured vehicles.
The Palestinian Red Crescent has said that one of its medical teams was detained by Israeli troops outside a Jenin hospital, preventing them from transferring a patient with a gunshot wound in the leg to the hospital. They later said that the patient was arrested.
Christos Christou, the international president of Médecins Sans Frontières, is in Jenin and says that the Israeli army “conducted an incursion on Jenin refugee camp.”
In a video posted to X, he says that he has been trapped in the Khalil Suleiman hospital for more than two hours, while Israeli forces “operated in Jenin camp”.
I’m in #Jenin, the West Bank, #Palestine, where I was just visiting the @MSF team at the Khalil Suleiman hospital. While we were there, the Israeli army conducted an incursion on Jenin refugee camp. pic.twitter.com/RNF8JGdf8I
— Christos Christou (@DrChristou) November 28, 2023
Media reports that a preliminary understanding has been reached to extend the truce
The Al-Araby Al-Jadeed newspaper is reporting that a preliminary understanding has been reached to extend the truce for two more days, under the same conditions that are currently being observed. The paper has quoted Egyptian officials as its source.
Israeli officials confirmed to the Haaretz newspaper that the proposal was being examined, but has not yet been confirmed. Haaretz reports an Israeli source as saying the agreement on an extension depended on whether Hamas is able to release 10 additional Israeli hostages a day.
As we reported earlier, with fewer women and children remaining in captivity extending the truce may require Hamas to free at least some Israeli men for the first time.
Attention now turns to Qatar which mediated indirect talks between Hamas and Israel that resulted in the ceasefire.
On Tuesday, Qatar hosted spy chiefs from Israel’s the Mossad and the United States’ CIA. The meeting sought to “build on the progress of the extended humanitarian pause agreement and to initiate further discussions about the next phase of a potential deal”, a source briefed on the visits told Reuters.
Updated
Welcome and summary
Welcome to our continuing coverage of the war between Israel and Hamas.
There’s just over 24 hours before a prolonged six-day truce between Israel and Hamas is set to expire. On Tuesday, Hamas released 12 hostages who had been held in Gaza since 7 October in exchange for 30 Palestinian prisoners who were freed from Israeli jails.
It’s thought that another exchange will take place on Wednesday, with Israeli media reporting that Benjamin Netanyahu’s office has received a list with the names of the Israeli hostages that Hamas intends to release.
It’s hoped that the truce could be extended further, after spy chiefs from Israel’s Mossad and the United States’ CIA travelled to Qatar for discussions about “the next phase of a potential deal”.
Israel has said the truce could be extended further, provided Hamas continues to free at least 10 Israeli hostages a day and Egyptial media are reporting that a deal has been agreed in principle.
We’ll have more on all of this shortly, first, here’s a summary of the day’s other main events.
The latest exchange of hostages in Gaza for Palestinian detainees in Israeli jails took place on Tuesday night. 12 hostages, including 10 Israelis and two Thai nationals, are now in Israel. The 30 Palestinians to be released from Israeli prisons on Tuesday include 15 children and 15 women. In a statement, the Israel Prison Service said the 30 Palestinians were released from Ofer prison, near Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, and from a detention centre in Jerusalem.
There were reports that the West Bank city of Jenin had been raided by Israeli troops. Al Jazeera says that armed clashes between Israeli troops and Palestinian fighters have taken place, with at least eight people injured. Christos Christou, the international president of Médecins Sans Frontières, said that the Israeli army “conducted an incursion on Jenin refugee camp.”
There were reports of some fighting in Gaza, depite the extension of the truce. Israel said a number of soldiers were lightly injured in Gaza after “three explosive devices were detonated adjacent to IDF troops in two different locations”. In a Telegram message on Tuesday, the IDF said: “In one of the locations, terrorists also opened fire at the troops, who responded with fire.” Hamas accused Israel of a “blatant breach of the ceasefire” in the northern Gaza Strip but said it was “still committed to the ceasefire so long as the enemy is committed to it”.
The UN’s aid chief, Martin Griffiths, will travel to Jordan on Wednesday for talks on the possibility of opening a second crossing, the Kerem Shalom crossing, to allow for humanitarian aid to enter Gaza from Israel. Since the temporary truce between Hamas and Israel came into force last week, about 200 trucks carrying aid have entered Gaza on a daily basis, but the amount is nowhere enough to need the needs of its population.
The Palestinian Red Crescent (PRCS) has said Israeli forces are preventing a fuel truck from entering the north of Gaza. The truck, which was passing through a checkpoint which separates the north of the strip from the south, was carrying fuel to support the work of seven PRCS ambulances operational in northern Gaza, it said on Tuesday. In a later post, it said Israeli forces prevented its emergency medical team from transferring a wounded patient to the hospital in Jenin in the occupied West Bank.
The population of Gaza, especially women and children, are at “high risk of famine” if humanitarian food supplies do not continue past the temporary truce between Israel and Hamas, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) has warned. In an update on Tuesday, the WFP said it had delivered food to 121,161 people in Gaza since the truce began on Friday. “Six days is simply not enough to provide all the assistance needed,” it said.
There is a risk that more people could die from diseases than from bombings in Gaza if the territory’s health system is not put back on its feet quickly, a World Health Organization (WHO) spokesperson said on Tuesday. “Eventually we will see more people dying from disease than from bombardment if we are not able to put back together this health system,” the WHO’s Margaret Harris said.
