The Hamas-run government media office said 13 children and six women were among the dead in the Israeli airstrikes on Saturday. The Israeli Army claimed to hit a Hamas command centre embedded in the compound that previously served as a school.
The US Justice Department charged Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar, ex-leader Ismail Haniyeh and former military chief Mohammed Deif, both of the latter killed in July, for perpetrating the October 7 attacks on Israel. Hamas launched an unprecedented attack that killed over 1,200 people in Israel.
Around 108 hostages still remain in Hamas captivity in Gaza, a third of them believed to be dead as the war between Israel and Hamas is going to enter its 12th month. Qaid Farhan Alkadi, 52, is the eighth hostage who has come back from Gaza alive after being abducted on October 7.
Yahya Sinwar, a prominent Hamas leader reputed for his ruthlessness and animosity towards Israel, was named the group's leader after Ismail Haniyeh's assassination in Tehran. He has spent most of his life in Israeli prisons and is believed to be the mastermind behind the Oct 7 attacks on Israel.
Deif is considered to be the chief architect of the Hamas-led October 7 attack that killed 1,200 people in Israel and was believed to be hiding in a tunnel in Al-Mawasi near Khan Younis. Meanwhile, a senior Hamas official said the strike showed that Israel was not interested in a ceasefire deal.
The development came as Israeli negotiators are set to resume peace talks in Qatar next week on a ceasefire and hostage exchange deal. More than 38,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire in retaliation for the Hamas-led October 7 attack that killed 1,200.
Calling it a "reckless deal", the hardline Israeli minister said that agreeing to such conditions would amount to a defeat and the priority was the destruction of Hamas. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich also made similar claims, demanding a new security reality in Gaza.
The ceasefire proposal announced by Biden on Friday includes three phases lasting for 42 days each that will aim for a permanent end to hostilities, release of hostages and reconstruction of Gaza. Hamas reacted positively to the announcement, signalling a change in its attitude towards the US.
International Criminal Court prosecutor Karim Khan said he had reasonable grounds to believe that Israeli leaders Benjamin Netanyahu, Defence Minister Yoav Gallant and three Hamas leaders committed war crimes. He also said Israel waged a 'systematic' attack against the Palestinian population.
Some reports indicate that there has been some progress in negotiating a temporary ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, the latter demanding a complete withdrawal of troops. However, an Israeli official has downplayed such reports, saying Israel will not end the war until Hamas is eliminated.
A deal proposed by Egypt suggested the release of 33 hostages in exchange for 600 Palestinian prisoners and a pause in fighting. However, Israel has pledged to attack the Rafah city "with or without" a deal, further raising global alarm.
Earlier this year, several countries including the US suspended funding for the UN agency for Palestinian refugees after it was alleged that some staffers took part in the October 7 attacks. UNRWA fired some staff members and an independent internal UN investigation was launched.
Abu Ubaida, the spokesperson for Hamas' armed wing al-Qassam brigades, said a total of 70 hostages have been killed so far due to Israeli attacks on Gaza. The United States, Egypt and Qatar are negotiating a ceasefire to secure the release of more than 100 hostages held nb
At least 132 were killed in the past 24 hours, taking the overall Palestinian death count to 24,100 in Gaza. Israel's military said it had withdrawn another division of troops as part of plans for more targeted operations against Hamas leaders in the south, as the war crossed the 100-day mark.
The 57-year-old Saleh al-Arouri became the first senior Hamas political leader to be assassinated since Israel attacked Gaza in a devastating campaign. If Israel is found behind the attack it could mark a major escalation in the Middle East conflict, taking it beyond the Gaza Strip.
This comes less than a week after Weinstein's husband Gad Haggai was confirmed killed in the same attack. Haggai and Weinstein, both dual Israeli-American citizens, were on their morning walk when Hamas attacked the Kibbutz Nir Oz.
The Israeli military on Friday said that the uncovered tunnel, which was later destroyed, was used for storage, hideouts, command and control and movement of Hamas operatives between different areas. Earlier, Israeli troops had uncovered Hamas' largest tunnel so far near the Erez crossing.
Musk further offered to help rebuild Gaza after the ongoing war ends and said that Israel is doing its best to avoid civilian casualties in the ongoing war. Musk's visit coincided with a rising criticism of the social media platform X for failing to combat anti-semitic speech.
Malaysia became the fourth country to allow visa-free travel for Indians, which will start from December 1 for 30 days with security checks. Notably, India is a crucial market for Malaysia in terms of tourist arrivals and this step could help boost the latter's economic development.
Netanyahu has warned to completely eliminate Hamas, with most of its leadership living in countries like Qatar, Lebanon and Iran. The Israeli spy agency Mossad has been involved in several high-profile operations and accused in a series of assassinations overseas.
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