Israel evacuates town near Lebanese border ahead of impending ground assault, Hamas releases American hostages

The UN’s agency for Palestinian refugees (Unrwa) said it received a warning from Israel to evacuate five schools “as fast as possible”. US and allies pressing Israel to delay the Gaza invasion to get hostages out. 80% of Israelis want Netanyahu to take responsibility for October 7 mayhem by Hamas as PM’s popularity dips. Qatar hopes dialogue will lead to the “release of all civilian hostages from every nationality,” foreign ministry spokesperson Majed Al-Ansari said.

Israel evacuates town near Lebanese border ahead of impending ground assault

Israeli airstrikes are hitting southern Gaza, an area swelled by civilians who fled there from the north on Israeli instructions. Meanwhile, Israel is evacuating a sizable town near the Lebanese border in the latest sign of a potential ground invasion of Gaza that could trigger regional turmoil.

Israel says two Americans held hostage by Hamas, a mother and daughter, have been released

Hamas on Friday freed an American woman and her teenage daughter it had held hostage in Gaza, Israel said, the first such release from among the roughly 200 people the militant group abducted during its Oct. 7 rampage in Israel.

President Biden has confirmed the release of two Americans who had been held hostage by Hamas since 7 October.

The US president thanked the governments of Qatar and Israel for their partnership in securing the release of the two American hostages. The US has been working “around-the-clock” to free American hostages and it has not ceased its efforts for those who are still being held by Hamas, Biden said in a statement.

US and allies pressing Israel to delay Gaza invasion to get hostages out – report

The US and European governments have been putting pressure on Israel to delay its ground invasion of Gaza to buy time for secret talks underway to win the release of hostages held by Hamas, according to a report.

Biden faces tough battle to secure $105 billion for Ukraine, Israel, the border and more

The White House on Friday released a sweeping set of proposals to bolster Israel and Ukraine in the midst of two wars as well as invest more in domestic defence manufacturing, humanitarian assistance and managing the influx of migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border.

Israel orders five Gaza schools to evacuate ‘as fast as possible’, says UN agency

The UN’s agency for Palestinian refugees (Unrwa) said it received a warning from Israel to evacuate five schools “as fast as possible”. All of the schools are in Gaza City, close to the Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital in northern Gaza, AFP reported. The Palestine Red Crescent said it faces an “imminent threat” after the Israeli military ordered the evacuation of Al-Quds hospital.

80% Israelis want Netanyahu to take responsibility of October 7 mayhem by Hamas as PM’s popularity dips

About 80 per cent of Israelis believe Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should “publicly” take responsibility for the Hamas’s onslaught on October 7. The poll was conducted by Maariv newspaper and was published on Friday, the fourteenth day of the Israel-Hamas war.

China and Russia plan to work together for a two-state solution for Israel and the Palestinians

China and Russia share the same position on the Palestinian issue and plan to try to work together to cool the situation and help establish a two-state solution for Israel and the Palestinians, a top Chinese envoy said Friday.

Thousands in Muslim countries around the world demonstrate over Israeli airstrikes

Thousands of people in Muslim countries and beyond held demonstrations Friday in solidarity with Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. They called for an end to Israel’s blockade and airstrikes following a brutal incursion into southern Israel by fighters from the Hamas militant group that rules Gaza.

Israel ‘does not plan to control life in Gaza’ after destroying Hamas

Israel has said it does not plan to take long-term control over the Gaza Strip after an expected ground offensive to root out Hamas militants that rule the territory. The Israeli military punished Gaza with air strikes, and authorities inched closer to bringing aid to desperate families and hospitals, as people across Muslim countries protested in solidarity with Palestinians.

The Palestinian militant group October 7, carried out a deadly assault on Israel, the worst in the country’s 75-year history, killing more than 1,400 people, mostly civilians who were shot, mutilated or burnt to death on the first day of the raid, according to Israeli officials.

Israel has responded with a relentless bombardment that has killed at least 3,785 people in the Gaza Strip, mostly civilians, according to the Hamas-run health ministry in the territory.