Israel-Hamas War LIVE Updates: Israeli troops battle militants across north Gaza

14:17 (IST)

Israel-Hamas War LIVE Updates

Palestinian children at a playground in Khan Younis

Palestinian children found some relief from the horrors of the Gaza war at a playground in Khan Younis, though the horrors of war are never far away pic.twitter.com/m4UH48CrVc— Reuters (@Reuters) November 19, 2023

13:58 (IST)

Israel-Hamas War LIVE Updates

Israeli troops battle militants across north Gaza

Israeli troops battled Palestinian militants in a dense, urban refugee camp on Tuesday as they expanded operations across northern Gaza, where residents have been without electricity, water or access to humanitarian aid for weeks, news agency AP reported.

In the seventh week of the ongoing war, the front line of the conflict has shifted to Jabaliya camp, a dense warren of concrete buildings near Gaza City that houses refugees from the 1948 war and their descendants.

13:38 (IST)

Israel-Hamas War LIVE Updates

Metula mayor charges: Israel has effectively formed a ‘security zone’ south of the border

The head of Metula in the north, near the Lebanon border, has decried the new state of affairs in the vicinity of his town, with communities emptied due to the threat from Hezbollah.

“In effect, Israel has formed a security zone 5 kilometers south of the border,” Mayor David Azoulay says according to Walla news, referencing the former “security zone” Israel once held in south Lebanon.

“I call on Israel to form a [security] zone of 4-5 kilometers north of the border,” he says.

13:22 (IST)

Israel-Hamas War LIVE Updates

Israeli troops battle militants across north Gaza, which has been cut off from services for weeks

Israeli troops battled Palestinian militants in a dense, urban refugee camp on Tuesday as they expanded operations across northern Gaza, where residents have been without electricity, water or access to humanitarian aid for weeks.

The front line of the war, now in its seventh week, has shifted to the Jabaliya camp, a dense warren of concrete buildings near Gaza City that houses refugees from the 1948 war surrounding Israel's creation and their descendants. Israel has been bombarding the area for weeks, and the military said Hamas fighters have regrouped there and in other eastern districts after being pushed out of much of Gaza City.

13:15 (IST)

Israel-Hamas War LIVE Updates

Israeli foreign ministry says recalls its ambassador from South Africa

Israel's foreign ministry said Monday it had recalled its ambassador from Pretoria, one day before South Africa is due to host a virtual BRICS summit on the war in Gaza.

"Following the latest South African statements, the Ambassador of Israel to Pretoria has been recalled to Jerusalem for consultations," said ministry spokesman Lior Haiat on social media site X, formerly Twitter, without giving specifics.

13:07 (IST)

Israel-Hamas War LIVE Updates

Anti-tank guided missiles fired from Lebanon towards Israel

The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said three anti-tank guided missiles were fired in northern Israel from Lebanon, The Times of Israel reported.

The missiles targeted the Metula area and no injuries or casualties were reported.

12:48 (IST)

Israel-Hamas War LIVE Updates

IDF says it struck rocket launchers, hundreds of other targets in past day

The IDF claims it hit a Hamas rocket launcher that fired towards central Israel yesterday overnight.

According to the army, the launcher was placed next to a residential building, and after the hit, women and children who were hiding there left the area.

A Hamas rocket launcher which fired at central Israel yesterday was struck overnight. The IDF says the launcher was positioned adjacent to a residential building. pic.twitter.com/S4gmXJZUmM— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) November 21, 2023

12:27 (IST)

Israel-Hamas War LIVE Updates

28 premature babies arrive in Egypt after evacuating Gaza's Shifa hospital

The World Health Organisation evacuated up to 28 preterm newborns from Gaza City's Shifa Hospital on Monday, according to the Associated Press.

The Red Crescent reported three others were evacuated to an Emirati-run hospital in Rafah, southern Gaza. More than 250 severely ill or injured people remain at the Shifa facility, which Israeli soldiers assaulted a few days ago.

12:16 (IST)

Israel-Hamas War LIVE Updates

17 Palestinians killed in Israeli bombardment of Nuseirat camp in Gaza

Seventeen Palestinians were killed in Israeli bombardment of Nuseirat camp in Gaza at midnight, the Palestinian official news agency Wafa said early on Tuesday.

12:05 (IST)

Israel-Hamas War LIVE Updates

White House criticises ‘inappropriate’ use of ‘genocide’ to describe Gaza war

US National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby has taken issue with the use of the term “genocide” by some critics of Israel’s actions in Gaza.

Responding to a reporter’s question about some pro-Palestinian protesters calling US President Joe Biden “Genocide Joe”, Kirby said people have the right to say what they want, but the word “genocide” is being thrown around inappropriately.

“What Hamas wants, make no mistake about it, is genocide. They want to wipe Israel off the map. They’ve said so publicly on more than one occasion — in fact, just recently,” Kirby said during a media briefing. “And they’ve said that they’re not going to stop, what happened on the 7th of October is going to happen again and again and again.”

12:04 (IST)

Israel-Hamas War LIVE Updates

Amid deadly Gaza assault, Hamas chief says close to truce agreement with Israel

Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh on Tuesday said that the Palestinian militant group was near a truce agreement with Israel, even as the deadly assault on Gaza continued and rockets were being fired into Israel.

Hamas officials revealed they are “close to reaching a truce agreement” with Israel and the group has delivered its response to Qatari mediators, Haniyeh said in a statement sent to news agency Reuters by his aide.

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11:33 (IST)

Israel-Hamas War LIVE Updates

IDF's intel official 'warned' Netanyahu of security risks posed by judicial overhaul

A top intel official reportedly warned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about the threat posed by his judicial overhaul plans that encouraged Iran, Hezbollah and Hamas to take military action against Israel.

Israeli newspaper Haaretz quoted Brigadier General Amit Saar, the head of the Israel Defense Forces Military (IDF) Intelligence Research Department, saying that he had first appealed to Netanyahu on March 19, a week before Knesset was due to approve the judicial overhaul bill. This was also the time when Defense Minister Yoav Gallant was fired for calling to pause the overhaul.

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11:32 (IST)

Israel-Hamas War LIVE Updates

'A war between good and evil': Israel releases fresh video of Hamas gunman executing Israeli woman on 7 October

Israel has shared a video purportedly capturing a young Israeli woman being executed by a Hamas gunman on 7 October.

In the video shared on X by an account linked to Israel’s foreign ministry, Hamas gunmen can be seen chasing people from an outdoor music festival, with one seen executing a woman at point-blank range.

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11:30 (IST)

Israel-Hamas War LIVE Updates

Seized Galaxy Leader ship in Yemen's Hodeidah port area –owner

The Galaxy Leader commercial ship was "illegally boarded by military personnel via a helicopter" on Nov. 19 and is now in the Hodeidah port area in Yemen, the vessel’s owner said on Monday.

"All communications were subsequently lost with the vessel," Isle of Man registered Galaxy Maritime Ltd, owner of the pure car carrier Galaxy Leader, said in a statement.

"The company, as a shipping concern, will not be commenting further on the political or geopolitical situation."

Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis released video footage on Monday showing armed men dropping from a helicopter and seizing a cargo ship in the southern Red Sea.

11:19 (IST)

Israel-Hamas War LIVE Updates

Two ships divert course away from Red Sea area after vessel seized by Houthis

According to shipping statistics and the British maritime security firm Ambrey, two commercial ships that redirected their route in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden were linked to the same marine gang whose vessel was taken by Yemen's Houthis.

The Houthis seized a British-owned, Japanese-operated cargo ship in the southern Red Sea on Sunday, denouncing the event as a "Iranian act of terrorism" with implications for world maritime security.

The Houthis, a Tehran ally, admitted seizing a ship in the vicinity but characterised it as Israeli.

10:58 (IST)

Israel-Hamas War LIVE Updates

Israel reveals signs of Hamas activity at Shifa, but a promised command center remains elusive

Three weeks ago, the Israeli military released a comprehensive 3D model of Shifa Hospital in Gaza, revealing a series of subterranean structures that it said were part of an intricate Hamas command and control centre beneath the territory's major health-care facility.

The military has yet to reveal this alleged centre, despite taking possession of the hospital just days ago. However, it has posted recordings showing reportedly confiscated weaponry within the hospital, a tunnel extending across the building, and films that appear to show Hamas militants hauling hostages through the hospital's halls. According to Israel, there will be much more to come.

What Israel finds – or fails to find – could play a large part in its efforts to rally international support for its war against Hamas, launched on Oct. 7 in response to a bloody cross-border attack by the Islamic militant group.

10:46 (IST)

Israel-Hamas War LIVE Updates

Israel battles Hamas near another Gaza hospital sheltering thousands

On Monday, Israeli soldiers launched an operation against Hamas in northern Gaza, battling militants surrounding a hospital where thousands of patients and displaced people had been hiding for weeks, and where health personnel were able to transfer some of the wounded despite the fighting.

According to a medical worker within the institution and the Health Ministry in Hamas-controlled Gaza, a shell hit the second floor of the Indonesian Hospital, killing 12 people. Both accused Israel, which denied attacking the hospital and said its forces retaliated against terrorists who attacked them from within the 3.5-acre (1.4-hectare) facility.

10:38 (IST)

Israel-Hamas War LIVE Updates

Key recent events:

• In a Telegram post, Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh stated, "We are close to reaching a deal on a truce." Earlier, Netanyahu visited with hostages' relatives, calling their safe return a "sacred and supreme mission."
• According to Wafa, an Israeli strike killed 17 people in the Nuseirat refugee camp, while another Israeli hit killed at least three individuals in Jabalia.
• Israel's nighttime raids on the West Bank have continued, with the Palestinian Red Crescent claiming that Israeli troops shot and injured a young Palestinian.
• The Indonesian Hospital has been besieged by Israeli tanks, trapping hundreds of people inside. It is one of many hospitals targeted by Israel, with the WHO reporting 335 assaults on healthcare facilities in the Gaza Strip and West Bank since October 7.

10:25 (IST)

Israel-Hamas War LIVE Updates

Civilian killings in Gaza 'unparalled and unprecedented', says UN chief

According to CNN, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres claimed the number of civilians murdered in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip has been "unparalleled and unprecedented" in any battle since he took office in 2017.

"What is clear is that we have had in a few weeks thousands of children killed. So this is what matters. We are witnessing a killing of civilians that is unparalleled and unprecedented in any conflict since I am Secretary-General," Guterres said in a press conference.

10:11 (IST)

Israel-Hamas War LIVE Updates

Talks underway include temporary truce, hostages-prisoners swap deal: Hamas official

Talks underway between the Palestinian militant group Hamas and Israel are about a temporary truce for arranging entry of aid into the Gaza Strip and a hostages-prisoners swap deal, Hamas official Izzat el Reshiq told Al Jazeera TV on Tuesday.

“The expected agreement will include the release of Israeli women and children hostages in exchange for release of Palestinian children and women in the occupation’s prisons,” he added.

The details of the truce will be announced by Qatari officials, el Reshiq said.

09:54 (IST)

Israel-Hamas War LIVE Updates

Netanyahu meet hostage families, says securing their release 'supreme mission'

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with families of more than 200 Israelis who are being held hostage by Hamas in Gaza. Netanyahu said his government will help in securing their release and stressed it was a "sacred and supreme mission", The Times of Israel reported.

"We will not let up until they are returned and this is the responsibility of me and the war cabinet," he said in a statement.

09:53 (IST)

Israel-Hamas War LIVE Updates

Palestinian state best guarantee of Israel security: EU's Borrell

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said Monday that the establishment of a Palestinian state would be the best way of ensuring Israel's security.

Borrell held a video meeting with foreign ministers from the EU's 27 countries after touring the Middle East for talks on Israel's war with Hamas.

The EU's top diplomat said that he had drawn "a fundamental political conclusion" from his discussions across the region.

09:34 (IST)

Israel-Hamas War LIVE Updates

India welcomes efforts for humanitarian pauses in Israel-Hamas conflict

India has welcomed humanitarian pauses in the Israel-Hamas war, as well as international attempts to de-escalate the conflict and provide vital humanitarian aid to the Palestinian people.

Speaking at the UN General Assembly's Informal Plenary Meeting on a briefing on the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip on Monday, India's Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Ruchira Kamboj emphasised that the message from the Indian leadership has been "clear and consistent."

09:12 (IST)

Israel-Hamas War LIVE Updates

We are approaching truce agreement with Israel: Hamas chief Haniyeh

Hamas officials are “approaching a truce agreement” with Israel and the group delivered its response to Qatari officials, the leader of the Palestinian group, Ismail Haniyeh, said in a statement sent to Reuters by his aide.

There were no further details about the terms of the potential agreement.

09:11 (IST)

Israel-Hamas War LIVE Updates

IMEEC, I2U2 progress could be paused due to Israel-Hamas conflict: US envoy

The Israel-Hamas conflict and bombardment of Gaza could “pause” progress on India-U.S. trade, and connectivity initiatives, including the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEEC) and the India-Israel-UAE-U.S. (I2U2) groupings, U.S. Ambassador to India Eric Garcetti said.

08:57 (IST)

Israel-Hamas War LIVE Updates

WHO says most Gaza hospitals no longer functioning

The World Health Organization warned Monday that health services in Gaza had suffered “catastrophic” damage, with most hospitals no longer functioning.

“We now have 1.7 million people displaced so we have twice or three times the population (in the south of Gaza), using one third of the hospital beds in less than a third of the hospitals available,” Michael Ryan, executive director of WHO’s Health Emergencies Programme, told a United Nations briefing, speaking from Geneva.

“Even if tomorrow morning, this were to end in terms of a ceasefire, we still have a huge problem on our hands.”

08:42 (IST)

Israel-Hamas War LIVE Updates

US intel backs Israeli claim on Hamas operating at Shifa hospital

White House national security spokesman John Kirby said Monday the United States has its own intelligence assessment that “corroborated” Israeli claims that Hamas was using the Shifa Hospital in Gaza as a “command and control node.”

Hamas has denied claims that it's operating from inside the hospital or from tunnels beneath it.

08:31 (IST)

Israel-Hamas War LIVE Updates

Israel shares video of Hamas gunman executing woman on Oct. 7

Israel on Monday released security camera footage from Oct. 7, which shows Hamas gunmen who crossed into Israel chase people from an outdoor music festival, with one seen executing a woman at point-blank range.

Israel is seeking to fend off international criticism for its response to the Hamas rampage, which sparked a devastating war in Gaza. Despite mounting calls for a ceasefire, Israel has said it will push on with its campaign until Hamas is eradicated.

"This is a war between good and evil," said a post shared on social media with the video footage by an account linked to Israel's Foreign Ministry.

08:18 (IST)

Israel-Hamas War LIVE Updates

Red Cross head meets with Hamas leader

The president of the International Committee of the Red Cross met with Hamas's supreme commander, Ismail Haniyeh, to discuss the release of four Israeli hostages held by the terrorist organisation.

Mirjana Spoljaric travelled to Qatar on Monday to meet with the Hamas leader as part of the International Committee of the Red Cross' efforts to guarantee compliance with international humanitarian law.

The International Committee of the Red Cross has frequently urged for hostage release and has sought access for its teams to visit captives, give medication, and assist hostages in communicating with their family.

Spoljaric has met with Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen and family of certain hostages at the ICRC's Geneva headquarters in recent weeks.

08:17 (IST)

Israel-Hamas War LIVE Updates

200 evacuated from Gaza hospital

About 200 people have been evacuated from a northern Gaza hospital that was caught up in fighting between Israeli forces and Hamas militants on Monday.

Ashraf al-Qudra, a spokesperson for Hamas’ Health Ministry, said the evacuees from Indonesian Hospital were taken to southern Gaza in a rescue effort coordinated by the United Nations and the International Committee for the Red Cross. Many of the injured evacuees are being treated at al-Nasser hospital in Khan Younis, he said.

Between 400 and 500 more wounded people remain at Indonesian Hospital, al-Qudra said in an interview with Al-Jazeera.

08:16 (IST)

Israel-Hamas War LIVE Updates

Israel won't prioritize release over defeating Hamas

A relative of a hostage captured by Hamas said late Monday that Israel’s top officials told him and other families of the captives they won't prioritize their release over defeating Hamas.

Udi Goren, whose cousin Tal Chaimi is in captivity in Gaza, was one of several family members of hostages who met with the war cabinet, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

“What we’ve heard is that taking down Hamas and bringing the hostages (home) are ... equally important,” Goren told reporters after coming out of the meeting in Tel Aviv.

07:58 (IST)

Israel-Hamas War LIVE Updates

WHO official says Gaza hospital situation 'catastrophic'

On Monday, a top World Health Organisation official described the hospital situation in Gaza as "catastrophic," adding that most are no longer operational and that what is left will likely be swamped by the hundreds of babies due in the coming month.

The UN briefing occurred only hours after a shell hit the second floor of a hospital in northern Gaza, killing 12, according to the Hamas-led Health Ministry and a medical worker. Both the government and the worker pointed the finger upon Israel, which denied bombarding the hospital.

17:36 (IST)

Israel-Hamas War LIVE Updates

Gaza War: Premature babies evacuated to Egypt

According to live footage and Egypt's Al Qahera TV, the first batch of prematurely born babies who were evacuated from a hospital in the Gaza Strip crossed into Egypt on Monday for medical treatment.

As per the Palestinian Red Crescent and Al Qahera TV, about twenty newborns were anticipated to cross. The babies had been in Gaza's Al Shifa hospital, where a number of other infants had perished after a breakdown in medical care brought on in part by power outages as fuel ran out.

Al Qahera broadcast live footage of medical personnel gently extracting infants from within ambulances and putting them in transportable incubators before wheeling the incubators across a parking lot in the direction of other ambulances.

The infants were brought to a hospital on Sunday.

17:28 (IST)

Israel-Hamas War LIVE Updates

Relatives of Gaza hostages worried about fate

On Monday, far-right Israeli MPs were persuaded by the relatives of some of the 240 persons that Hamas is holding captive in Gaza not to proceed with the proposed death penalty for captured Palestinian terrorists. They said that mere discussion of the death penalty could put the hostages in danger.

After members of the armed Islamist movement broke across the Gaza Strip border on October 7 and proceeded on the rampage, killing over 1,200 people and kidnapping others, Israel reported that a number of suspected shooters had been apprehended.

Israel's Justice Ministry announced on November 7 that a task group was deliberating how to hold trials for the Palestinians who had been imprisoned and guarantee "punishments befitting the severity of the horrors committed" for those found guilty.

Extreme right leader Itamar Ben-Gvir, Israel's Minister of National Security, has advocated for the death penalty, which is now inactive.

17:16 (IST)

Israel-Hamas War LIVE Updates

17:05 (IST)

Israel-Hamas War LIVE Updates

Over 100 Gaza refugees to reach Turkey

A spokesman for Turkey's foreign ministry and health minister announced that more than 100 Gaza refugees, many of whom would seek medical care there, are expected to land in Turkey on Monday.

According to Health Minister Fahrettin Koca, sixty-one patients—along with forty-nine family members—arrived in Egypt from Gaza on Sunday night and were due to board a Monday flight to Ankara after spending the night in Al Arish hospital.

He stated last week that Ankara aimed to transfer as many of the approximately one thousand Gaza-based cancer patients to Turkey. Last Thursday, the first 27 patients arrived in Ankara.

In a related development, 87 Turks, Turkish Cypriots, and their families landed in Egypt on Sunday from Gaza and were scheduled to fly to Istanbul late on Monday, Foreign Ministry Spokesman Oncu Keceli said.

16:54 (IST)

Israel-Hamas War LIVE Updates

Gaza war boosts unemployment rate in Israel

The Central Bureau of Statistics said on Monday that tens of thousands of Israeli citizens who had lived close to the Gaza border were forced to flee their homes as a result of the battle with Palestinian Hamas militants, which caused Israel's unemployment rate to soar to almost 10% in October.

Last month, the headline unemployment rate remained stable at 3.4%.

However, accounting for the anticipated temporary loss of employment, the rate rose to 9.6% in October, with 428,400 unemployed compared to 163,600 in September, the month before the onslaught on Israeli border towns by Hamas terrorists on October 7.

Nearly 400,000 Israelis were called up to reserve service following the incident, while official figures indicate that roughly 80,000 Israelis were placed on unpaid leave in the in the last few weeks.

The employment rate in October dipped to 56.5% from 61.1%.

16:43 (IST)

Israel-Hamas War LIVE Updates

Israel, Hamas edge closer to hostage deal despite Gaza fighting

On Sunday, Hamas gunmen fought Israeli soldiers as they attempted to enter Gaza's largest refugee camp; nonetheless, in spite of the fighting, Israeli and American officials announced that an agreement to release some of the captives held in the besieged enclave was getting near.

On October 7, Hamas launched a devastating cross-border raid into Israel, seizing some 240 hostages in the process. This led Israel to attack the little territory in order to exterminate the Islamist organisation.

The Israeli military claims that since entering Gaza late last month, Israeli tanks and personnel have taken control of a sizable portion of the region to the north, northwest, and east, including Gaza City.

However, in some areas of the heavily urbanised north, including sections of Gaza City, militants are waging guerrilla-style warfare, according to Hamas and civilian witnesses.

16:32 (IST)

Israel-Hamas War LIVE Updates

Muslim nations urge end to Gaza war during Beijing meet

As their team travelled to Beijing on the first phase of a tour to advocate for the cessation of hostilities and the entry of humanitarian aid into the beleaguered Palestinian enclave, ministers from the Arab and Muslim worlds called for an urgent ceasefire in Gaza on Monday.

The group is exerting more pressure on the West to reject Israel's explanation of its actions against Palestinians as self-defense. It is scheduled to meet with representatives of each of the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council.

Among the delegations meeting with China's top diplomat Wang Yi on Monday are representatives from the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt, Indonesia, and the Palestinian government.

16:20 (IST)

Israel-Hamas War LIVE Updates

Dozens killed, wounded as fighting rages in Gaza hospital

As violence continued despite signs of a potential halt in hostilities, Israeli tanks surrounded a hospital in north Gaza, resulting in at least 12 Palestinian deaths and numerous injuries, according to health officials on Monday.

Regarding the situation at the Indonesian Hospital, where health officials in Hamas-ruled Gaza claimed 700 patients and staff were being fired upon by Israeli forces, the Israeli military remained silent for the time being.

The Beit Lahia complex, located in the northeastern Gaza town, was damaged by artillery fire, according to the Palestinian news agency WAFA. Health officials in Palestine reported that desperate attempts were being made to get civilians out of harm's way.

15:42 (IST)

Israel-Hamas War LIVE Updates

IDF has released proof of terrorists holding hostages at al-Shifa hospital

The IDF published surveillance footage from Gaza's al-Shifa hospital, revealing visual evidence of Hamas militants keeping captives inside the institution.

The IDF also disclosed additional information concerning the events surrounding Corporal Noa Marciano's death.

15:09 (IST)

Israel-Hamas War LIVE Updates

Heavy fighting breaks out around another Gaza hospital after babies evacuated from Shifa

Heavy fighting erupted Monday around a hospital in northern Gaza where thousands of patients and displaced people have been sheltering for weeks, as Israeli forces focus on clearing medical facilities that they say Hamas militants use for cover.

A shell struck the second floor of the Indonesian Hospital, killing at least 12 people, according to the Health Ministry in Hamas-ruled Gaza and a medical worker inside the facility. There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military.

14:58 (IST)

Israel-Hamas War LIVE Updates

Stop these atrocities: Malaysian PM

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has decried global hypocrisy in being asked to criticise Russian aggression in Ukraine while other countries stay "mute" on the "atrocities inflicted on Palestinians."

"Stop these atrocities, stop the killing of women and children, now. Because every day means more babies will be killed," Ibrahim declared during an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) conference on Monday.

Malaysia has traditionally supported the Palestinian cause and the two-state solution.

14:21 (IST)

Israel-Hamas War LIVE Updates

Israeli tanks reported near hospital in embattled north Gaza

According to Gaza's health ministry, Israeli tanks were stationed outside a hospital complex in north Gaza, where 12 Palestinians were killed and others were injured.

14:09 (IST)

Israel-Hamas War LIVE Updates

Iran denies involvement in Red Sea ship seizure by Yemen's Houthis

At a news briefing on Monday, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Nasser Kanaani disputed Israeli charges that Iran was engaged in the capture of a British-owned and Japanese-operated cargo ship in the southern Red Sea by Yemen's Houthis.

"We have said multiple times that resistance groups in the region act independently and spontaneously based on their interests and that of their people," Kanaani said, adding that Israeli claims were intended to divert attention away from Israel's "irreparable defeat" in its fight against Hamas militants in Gaza.

According to Israel, the event was an "Iranian act of terrorism" with implications for international marine security.

14:02 (IST)

Israel-Hamas War LIVE Updates

More than 100 Gaza evacuees to arrive in Turkey

According to two sources, more than 100 Gaza refugees are expected to arrive in Turkey, including scores of Palestinians who will undergo medical care.

Sixty-one patients landed in Egypt from Gaza on Sunday evening, accompanied by 49 relatives, and were due to travel to Ankara the following morning after spending the night in Al Arish hospital, according to Health Minister Fahrettin Koca.

He stated last week that Ankara wished to transport as many of Gaza's almost 1,000 cancer patients as possible to Turkey. Last Thursday, the first 27 patients arrived in Ankara.

13:55 (IST)

Israel-Hamas War LIVE Updates

Israel expands Gaza operation amid hostage deal talks

On Monday, Gaza braced for an extension of Israeli military operations, even as cautious optimism grew for an agreement to free captives in exchange for a respite in combat.

The Israeli army said on Sunday that it will expand its war against Hamas terrorists to "additional neighbourhoods" in Gaza, where an aerial and ground offensive has already killed 13,000 people, including hundreds of children, according to the Hamas-run government.

The worst Gaza conflict in history began on October 7 with a shocking Hamas raid that Israeli officials estimate killed 1,200 Palestinians and took 240 hostages.

13:35 (IST)

Israel-Hamas War LIVE Updates

Three Hamas company commanders killed in overnight strikes

According to the Israel Defence Forces, fighter planes targeted and killed three Hamas company leaders in nighttime attacks in Gaza.

According to the IDF, the attacks were carried out in response to intelligence on their whereabouts given by the Shin Bet and Military Intelligence Directorate.

Separately, the IDF claims troops from the Nahal Brigade spotted a group of Hamas operatives approaching a structure near them in the Gaza Strip and ordered an attack.

According to the IDF, the structure was also utilised as a weapons storage and was destroyed in the raid.

כוחות צה"ל ממשיכים לפעול בשטח הרצועה לחיסול מחבלים, תוך הכוונת כלי טיס לחיסול מחבלים ותשתיות טרור ולאיתור אמצעי לחימה וציוד צבאי.

צה"ל תקף באמצעות מטוסי קרב, בהכוונה מודיעינית של אמ"ן ושב"כ, וחיסל שלושה מפקדי פלוגה נוספים של ארגון הטרור חמאס>> pic.twitter.com/BUvEMlgf7G— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) November 20, 2023

13:19 (IST)

Israel-Hamas War LIVE Updates

Iran calls on Russia to play more active role in Gaza war resolution

Hossein Amirabdollahian, Iran's senior diplomat, has urged Russia to take a more active role in ensuring regional stability.

"Resistance will undoubtedly determine the final result," Amirabdollahian warned his Russia’s Sergey Lavrov, over the phone.

According to a transcript of the conversation, the two diplomats largely addressed the Gaza battle, with Amirabdollahian accusing the US of inflaming the conflict.

They also emphasised the importance of a cease-fire and immediate aid to the impacted civilian population.

13:08 (IST)

Israel-Hamas War LIVE Updates

China FM says 'urgent' steps needed to ease Gaza crisis

As he met diplomats from Arab and Muslim-majority countries in Beijing on Monday, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said the world must "act urgently" to end the Israel-Hamas conflict.

This week, a group of foreign ministers from the Palestinian Authority, Indonesia, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan is meeting in Beijing to discuss "de-escalation" of the present Palestinian-Israeli crisis.

"Let us work together to quickly cool down the situation in Gaza and restore peace in the Middle East as soon as possible," Wang told ministers at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in the Chinese capital.