Israel-Hamas War LIVE Updates: Gaza truce appears to hold shakily as Israel, Hamas start ceasefire

14:11 (IST)

Israel-Hamas War LIVE Updates

Lebanon border calm as Israel-Hamas truce takes effect

According to state media, locals, and an AFP correspondent, calm returned to Lebanon's southern border Friday as a temporary truce in the battle between Israel and Hamas in Gaza took effect.

Since the start of the Gaza conflict on October 7, Lebanon's southern border with Israel has seen fatal clashes, mostly between the Israeli army and Lebanon's Hezbollah organisation, as well as Palestinian terrorist groups.

Hezbollah has yet to clarify whether it will follow the conditions of the deal negotiated by Qatar with the assistance of Egypt and the United States.

14:07 (IST)

Israel-Hamas War LIVE Updates

UK PM Rishi Sunak thanks Qatar, Egypt for ‘intensive diplomacy’

The UK Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, thanked Qatar and Egypt for their "intensive diplomacy" in securing the cease-fire.

The temporary cease-fire went into force early Friday, pave the way for the swap of scores of hostages held by terrorists in Gaza for Palestinians imprisoned in Israel. 

This humanitarian pause is critical to end the terrible ordeal of hostages held by Hamas and get life-saving aid into Gaza.

I want to thank Qatar, Egypt and others for the intensive diplomacy that has got us here. We will not stop until all hostages are safely returned. https://t.co/57ir5Tzfhf— Rishi Sunak (@RishiSunak) November 24, 2023

13:52 (IST)

Israel-Hamas War LIVE Updates

Toronto police say hate crimes spiked since start of Gaza conflict

According to officials, the incidence of antisemitic and anti-Muslim hate crimes in Toronto, Canada's largest city, has increased dramatically since the commencement of the Gaza confrontation between Israel and Hamas on Oct. 7.

According to police chief Myron Demkiw, 78 hate crimes were registered between Oct. 7 and Nov. 20, compared to 37 in the same time period in 2022. He noted that the true figure was definitely higher since some individuals were afraid to come forward.

13:46 (IST)

Israel-Hamas War LIVE Updates

Israel openly threatens Iran, says Hamas not the last proxy to be dismantled

Israel Defense Forces spokesperson Jonathan Conricus has warned the “mullahs of Tehran” that the elimination of one of its proxies, Hamas, won’t be the last one.

“I don’t speak Farsi. But I hope the mullahs in Tehran get the message: we know where the funding, weapons, training and murderous ideology comes from, and we can sense your despair that we are dismantling one of your proxies (Hamas). It won’t be the last one,” Conricus said during an interview with VOA Farsi.

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13:31 (IST)

Israel-Hamas War LIVE Updates

Israel confirms 4 fuel tankers, 4 cooking gas trucks have entered Gaza as part of truce

According to the Defence Ministry's Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), four tankers of gasoline and four tankers of cooking gas arrived in Gaza this morning for United Nations humanitarian relief organisations.

The vehicles entered the Strip from Egypt via the Rafah border crossing.

13:19 (IST)

Israel-Hamas War LIVE Updates

Gaza truce appears to hold shakily as Israel, Hamas start ceasefire

Israel and Hamas began a truce in Gaza that looked to be holding shakily, with no big reports of bombs, artillery strikes, or rocket assaults, while both sides were accused of violating the agreement.

The first break in a 48-day conflict occurred at 7 a.m. (0500 GMT), with a thorough truce in north and south Gaza, the release of 13 Israeli women and children captives later that day by terrorists, and relief flowing into the devastated Palestinian enclave.

In exchange, a number of Palestinian inmates detained in Israeli jails were to be released.

13:11 (IST)

Israel-Hamas War LIVE Updates

Israel Prison Service said to commence release process of 39 Palestinian prisoners

According to reports, the Israel Prison Service has received a list of 39 Palestinian terror prisoners who will be released today as part of an agreement with Hamas that would also see the release of 13 hostages from Gaza.

This is the first of four days of such swaps, with more days of peace conceivable if Hamas agrees to free more hostages.

According to Israeli media sources, the Prison Service has begun processing the 39 minor and female convicts who are scheduled to be released later today. They will be transferred to Ofer Prison in the West Bank just before noon, when they will be released to either the West Bank or East Jerusalem.

12:32 (IST)

Israel-Hamas War LIVE Updates

Aid trucks begin entering Gaza, Reuters reports

Aid trucks have begun entering the Gaza Strip from Egypt around 90 minutes after a truce began between Israel and Hamas fighters, according to Reuters TV footage.

Two of the trucks, representing Egyptian organisations, sported banners that said, “Together for Humanity.” Another said: “For our brothers in Gaza.”

12:11 (IST)

Israel-Hamas War LIVE Updates

130,000 liters of diesel fuel to enter Gaza from Egypt daily, Egyptian official says

According to an Egyptian official, 130,000 litres of diesel gasoline and four tankers of petrol would enter Gaza from Egypt every day beginning Friday.

“Two hundred trucks, loaded with food, medicine and water, will enter daily for the first time since the start of the Israeli war on the strip,” Diaa Rashwan, the chairman of Egypt’s State Information Service, said in a statement on Friday.

Rashwan stated that Egypt would continue to accept groups of injured persons from Gaza for treatment and would assist in the evacuation of foreigners and dual nationals who had become trapped in the region.

He also stated that, for the first time since the crisis began, Egypt will allow Palestinians to enter Gaza through the Rafah border crossing.

11:49 (IST)

Israel-Hamas War LIVE Updates

Britain pledges additional aid to Gaza

Foreign Secretary David Cameron announced on Friday that Britain will deliver additional 30 million pounds ($37.38 million) in humanitarian aid to Gaza on the second day of his visit to the territory.

Cameron will meet with Palestinian leaders and relief organisations.

On Thursday, he met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as violence between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist organisation Hamas raged ahead of a four-day truce and the expected release of 13 Israeli women and children prisoners.

11:30 (IST)

Israel-Hamas War LIVE Updates

Northern Gaza remains a ‘dangerous war zone’, Israeli military says

The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) emphasised on Friday, just before the expected truce, that the "war is not over yet" and that northern Gaza remained a "dangerous war zone." 

"The war is not over yet. The cessation of hostilities for humanitarian purposes is temporary," IDF Arabic spokesperson Avichay Adraee said in a video posted on X Friday.

"The northern Gaza Strip area is a dangerous war zone and it is forbidden to move toward it."

The spokesperson urged people in Gaza to remain in the south of the strip.

11:24 (IST)

Israel-Hamas War LIVE Updates

Gaza truce appears to hold initially as Israel, Hamas start ceasefire

There were no reports of bombs, artillery strikes, or rocket assaults in Gaza on Friday as Israel and Hamas began a four-day truce, the first respite in a 48-day conflict that has ravaged the Palestinian territory.

The ceasefire began at 7 a.m. (0500 GMT), featuring a full ceasefire in north and south Gaza, the release of 13 Israeli women and children captives later that day by militants, and the passage of assistance into the beleaguered enclave. In exchange, a number of Palestinian inmates detained in Israeli jails were to be released.

11:22 (IST)

Israel-Hamas War LIVE Updates

Qatar to monitor four-day truce in real time for possible violations

Qatar has an operations room in Doha from which they will get real-time intelligence from Gaza. They have direct ties to the Israeli military as well as Hamas.

The idea is that if there is any type of infringement due to those direct linkages, they will try to nip it in the bud and ensure that this ceasefire, that this process, can continue for the four days.

They are hoping that it will last longer than four days.

11:21 (IST)

Israel-Hamas War LIVE Updates

Truce officially in place but sirens sound in southern Israel

It's tough to judge whether the truce is holding after 40 minutes. The Israeli military (IDF) reported sirens warning of potential rocket strikes sounded in two Israeli settlements near Gaza, but there was no immediate confirmation of any assaults, damage, or injuries.

Israeli soldiers reportedly attacked an Indonesian hospital in northern Gaza overnight, as well as a residential structure in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, up to the very last minute.

11:07 (IST)

Israel-Hamas War LIVE Updates

‘Is it my beloved or not?’ How Israeli, Palestinian families anxiously wait as day of truce arrives

An excruciating wait is likely to be over for some families in Israel and Palestine. A short break, a four-day pause, from fighting and the release of hostages brings a glimmer of hope after 47 tough days of war between Israel and Hamas.

The delayed but anticipated exchange involves the release of 13 Israeli women and children, who were abducted by Hamas terrorists after the 7 October attacks. In exchange, Palestinian prisoners, many of them children, 17 and under, will also be freed from Israeli jails. It is a rollercoaster of emotions as families yearn for reunification amid the ongoing conflict.

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11:06 (IST)

Israel-Hamas War LIVE Updates

Red Cross to accompany freed persons to the Rafah border crossing

The Red Cross will go with the freed persons to the Rafah border crossing, where they will be turned over to the Israeli military so that the identification process may begin.

Following that, the inmates will be brought to Tel Aviv hospitals for thorough medical and psychological evaluations.

In addition, on the first day of the exchange, thirty-nine Palestinian detainees from Israel's Damon and Megiddo prisons, located southeast of Haifa, would be released.

10:48 (IST)

Israel-Hamas War LIVE Updates

Four-day ceasefire kicks in as nation holds breath for first release of hostages at 4 p.m.

The four-day truce mediated by Qatar between Israel and Hamas went into effect at 7 a.m. today.

In the hours leading up to the brief truce, rocket sirens were activated in Israeli cities bordering Gaza, and there were reports of intensive IDF shelling across Gaza, as the army sought to push its objective against Hamas as much as possible in the closing hours before the halt.

According to Qatari mediators, 13 hostages held in Gaza would be released at 4 p.m., followed by an unspecified number of Palestinian inmates from Israeli jails.

10:36 (IST)

Israel-Hamas War LIVE Updates

Israel-Hamas hostage deal: Who will be released today? What happens after the truce is over?

A four-day truce deal between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas will kick in on Friday (24 November) morning, with civilian hostages and Palestinian prisoners being released later in the day, according to mediator Qatar.

The breakthrough agreement was supposed to come into force a day back, but it was deferred until Friday. While no official reason was given by either side, Israeli government source told BBC that Hamas had made more demands.

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10:20 (IST)

Israel-Hamas War LIVE Updates

Israel-Hamas truce and hostage release to start

On Friday, Israel and Hamas were due to launch a four-day truce in which hostages would be exchanged for prisoners, the first significant reprieve in seven weeks of fighting that had taken thousands of lives.

The truce was set to begin at 7:00 a.m. (0500 GMT) after lengthy discussions, silencing weapons that have blazed since Hamas's violent assaults into Israel on October 7.

According to Qatari mediators, 13 hostages held in Gaza would be released later on Friday, followed by an unspecified number of Palestinian detainees imprisoned in Israeli jails.

10:16 (IST)

Israel-Hamas War LIVE Updates

Israeli attack on Indonesian Hospital in Gaza destroys ‘all of the first floor’: Charity

Dr Sarbini Abdul Murad, head of the Indonesian charity Medical Emergency Rescue Committee (MER-C), which helped fund the construction of the Indonesian Hospital in Gaza, confirmed an attack on the medical facility overnight had caused extensive damage.

“Last night, Israeli forces attacked the hospital with tanks and destroyed all of the first floor. The damage was very bad,” Murad said, speaking to Al Jazeera from the Indonesian capital Jakarta.

“Previously, they had attacked the third floor. They arrested at least three people. This is their way of taking over the hospitals before the ceasefire today,” he said.

The Indonesian Hospital was built in 2011 with donations collected by MER-C from Indonesian citizens and humanitarian organisations.

10:11 (IST)

Israel-Hamas War LIVE Updates

Just 80 aid trucks enter Gaza on Thursday as assistance continues to lag behind set goals

As of 6 p.m. on Thursday, just 80 trucks of humanitarian goods have entered Gaza through Egypt's Rafah crossing, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, as the volume of aid continued to fall short of international agencies' targets.

Prior to the commencement of the conflict, over 500 trucks of relief were entering Gaza each day.

The UN set an initial aim of 100 trucks each day, which has only been met a few times since help was initially let in on October 21.

09:46 (IST)

Israel-Hamas War LIVE Updates

IDF reportedly intensifying shelling throughout Gaza overnight as truce approaches

With just hours until the multi-day truce begins at 7 a.m., IDF forces have been pounding terror targets throughout the night across the Gaza Strip, according to the Kan public television, quoting Palestinian sources.

IDF strikes have targeted the northern Gaza refugee camps of Jabalia, Nuseirat, and al-Maghazi, while exchanges of fire between Israeli forces and Palestinian militants have been reported in neighbouring Beit Lehia.

09:44 (IST)

Israel-Hamas War LIVE Updates

Casualty fears after Israeli strike hits Gaza’s Nuseirat refugee camp

An Israeli missile struck a residential block in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza.

A video showed many rescue personnel standing close to a demolished structure, with the strike shattering a large portion of its concrete roof.

Children are allegedly among those killed in the strike, which occurred only hours before a four-day truce is supposed to begin at 05:00 GMT.

09:10 (IST)

Israel-Hamas War LIVE Updates

Child rescued in Gaza after another night of Israeli bombings

Fouad Abu Khamash, a Gaza-based photojournalist, shared a video clip of the aftermath of an Israeli shelling in the Gaza Strip on Instagram.

A obviously shaken youngster is seen in the arms of a young guy before being taken in an ambulance in the video.

Several devastating Israeli bombings occurred across Gaza overnight, including one on a UNRWA school, which killed at least 27 people, and another on two civilian cars on the Nuseirat-Mughraqa Road, which killed 11 people, according to the Palestinian news agency Wafa.

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A post shared by فؤاد أبو خماش (@fuad.kh.ps_)

08:43 (IST)

Israel-Hamas War LIVE Updates

More than 14,800 people killed in Gaza, Hamas health authorities says

According to Hamas officials in Gaza, the number of persons killed in Israeli bombings in Gaza since October 7 has risen to 14,854, including 5,850 children.

Obtaining current statistics on the number of casualties in Gaza has gotten more difficult as Israel's enormous air and ground onslaught continues.

The Palestinian Health Ministry in Ramallah, which collects statistics from hospitals and other sources in the Gaza Strip, estimated the death toll at 12,700 on Monday.

In subsequent health updates, the Ramallah-based ministry stated that severe interruptions in Gaza's communications networks had rendered its own efforts at precise data collecting difficult.

08:30 (IST)

Israel-Hamas War LIVE Updates

Gaza truce and hostage release set to start

A four-day cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas conflict was expected to begin Friday, with hostages being exchanged for inmates, the first significant reprieve in seven weeks of warfare that has cost thousands of lives.

The ceasefire was set to begin at 7:00 a.m. (0500 GMT) after lengthy talks, debate, and delay, silencing guns that had raged since Hamas's horrific assaults into Israel on October 7.

According to Qatari peacebrokers, the commencement of the truce would be followed by the release of a first batch of 13 hostages held in Gaza, as well as an unspecified number of Palestinian inmates from Israeli jails.

08:29 (IST)

Israel-Hamas War LIVE Updates

Palestinian doctor says 27 dead in Israeli strike on UN school in Gaza

According to a Palestinian medic, at least 27 people were killed and 93 were injured in an Israeli raid on a United Nations school in Gaza on Thursday.

According to a doctor at a hospital in the camp who spoke on the condition of anonymity, the attack damaged a UN-run school where hundreds of displaced Palestinians were hiding in Jabalia, Gaza's biggest refugee camp.

08:19 (IST)

Israel-Hamas War LIVE Updates

Israel and Hamas to begin four-day truce on Friday, say Qatar mediators

Israel and Palestinian Islamist group Hamas will begin a four-day truce on Friday morning with a first group of 13 Israeli women and child hostages released later during the day, mediators in Qatar said.

World powers gave the news a cautious welcome. But fighting raged on, with local officials saying a hospital in Gaza City was among the targets bombed as the hours counted down to the start of the first break in a brutal, near seven-week-old war. Both sides also signalled the pause would be temporary before fighting resumes.

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08:12 (IST)

Israel-Hamas War LIVE Updates

Israeli forces detain Al-Shifa hospital chief in Gaza

The head of Gaza City's Al-Shifa hospital, the largest in the Palestinian territories, was detained Thursday by Israeli soldiers, who said it was for alleged Hamas usage of the institution.

Mohammad Abu Salmiya, the hospital's director, has been regularly featured in foreign media concerning the situation within Al-Shifa, which has been a key target of an Israeli ground invasion following strikes by the Palestinian terrorist organisation Hamas on October 7.

The Israeli army, which invaded the hospital last week, said that Hamas fighters staged strikes using a tunnel network beneath the institution in Gaza City.

08:04 (IST)

Israel-Hamas War LIVE Updates

Israel announces it has received initial list of hostages to be released by Hamas

The release of Hamas captives, which was supposed to happen on Thursday as part of a settlement, has been postponed until at least Friday. Notably, a truce struck by Washington and Qatar intends to halt the continuing combat between Israel and Hamas militants for the time being.