Israel-Hamas Conflict Live Updates: Israeli hostages will not return until Gaza ‘aggression’ stops, says Hamas as US calls for immediate action
Israel-Hamas Conflict Live Updates: Hamas officials said that they will not release Israeli hostages taken during the October 7, 2023, attack until there is an “end to the aggression on Gaza.” Meanwhile, the United States called on Israel, Hamas, and Hezbollah to seize opportunities for change following the death of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar.
by Express Web Desk · The Indian Express · JoinIsrael-Hamas War Live Updates: In a televised statement on Friday, a senior Hamas leader reiterated that the group will not release Israeli hostages captured during the October 7, 2023, attack until there is a cease-fire in the ongoing war in Gaza. US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin, speaking after a NATO defence ministers’ meeting in Brussels, called on Israel, Hamas, and Hezbollah to seize opportunities for change following the death of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar. “Sinwar’s death also provides an extraordinary opportunity to achieve a lasting ceasefire, to end this awful war, and to rush humanitarian aid into Gaza”, he said, as quoted by Reuters. The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) on Thursday evening announced that Hamas Chief Yahya Sinwar— who led the October 7 attacks that triggered the war in Gaza — was killed by Israeli forces in Rafah escalating the Israel-Gaza war.
What Israeli PM Netanyahu said? In his address following the IDF announcement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the war could end immediately if Hamas returns hostages and ceases its armed actions. He also said the Iranian regime’s influence in the region is waning, noting recent elimination of other key figures in Iran-backed Hezbollah. Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden praised Sinwar’s elimination, describing it as a significant moment for Israel and a reminder that terrorists cannot evade justice. He likened the situation to the US response after Osama Bin Laden’s death in 2011, suggesting a sense of relief for Israelis.
Where the does the war stand? Following the killing of Sinwar, IDF confirmed that 15 rockets have been fired from Lebanon at northern Israel. In a post on X, IDF said “Alerts were activated in the Eilat area and 15 launches were detected that crossed from Lebanon, some of them were intercepted, crashes were detected.” Additionally, the military confirmed that Thursday night the Air Force intercepted “an unmanned aircraft in the maritime space in front of the country’s coasts”. Meanwhile, quoting Lebanese media, the official news agency of the government of Lebanon National News Agency (NNA) reported, evacuation warnings have been issued by Israel in eastern and southern Lebanon.
Live Updates
19:07 (IST) 18 Oct 2024
Israel-Hamas Conflict Live Updates: Sinwar was chief obstacle to Gaza ceasefire, White House says
Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar was the chief obstacle to securing a ceasefire in the Gaza conflict and his killing by Israel's defense force creates an "inflection point" that could accelerate talks to wind down the war, White House spokesperson John Kirby said.
Sinwar was the architect of the group's cross-border raids in 2023 which became the deadliest day in Israel's history.
18:25 (IST) 18 Oct 2024
Israel-Hamas Conflict Live Updates: Israeli hostages will not return until Gaza 'aggression' stops, Hamas official says
Israeli hostages in Gaza will not return until "the aggression" on the besieged Palestinian enclave stops and Israeli forces withdraw, Khalil Al-Hayya, deputy Gaza Hamas chief and the group's chief negotiator, said on Friday, as quoted by news agency Reuters.
17:56 (IST) 18 Oct 2024
Israel-Hamas Conflict Live Updates: 'Yahya Sinwar's death provides opportunity to achieve a lasting ceasefire,' says US Defense Secretary
Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar's killing opens a major opportunity to negotiate a lasting ceasefire, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told reporters on Friday, after attending a NATO defence ministers' meeting in Brussels.
He added that US Forces in the Middle East stand ready to support Israel's defence.
"Sinwar's death also provides an extraordinary opportunity to achieve a lasting ceasefire, to end this awful war, and to rush humanitarian aid into Gaza", he said, as quoted by the Reuters news agency.
17:07 (IST) 18 Oct 2024
Israel-Hamas Conflict Live Updates: Israeli military says it is calling up additional reserve brigade in northern Israel
The Israeli military said on Friday it is calling up an additional reserve brigade for operational missions in northern Israel, according to a military statement.
In a post on X, the IDF said, "In accordance with the assessment of the situation, it was decided to recruit an additional reserve brigade for the operational tasks in the northern sector."
The IDF added, "Its mobilization will allow the continuation of the fighting effort against the terrorist organization Hezbollah and the achievement of the goals of the war, including the safe return of the residents of the north to their homes."
17:04 (IST) 18 Oct 2024
Israel-Hamas Conflict Live Updates: 'Hope Hamas leader's death opens door to ceasefire,' says German Chancellor Olaf Scholz
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz expressed hope on Friday that the death of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar would open the door to a ceasefire and the release of Israeli hostages.
He spoke in Berlin alongside US President Joe Biden, whose visit Scholz described as a strong signal of transatlantic unity. Scholz promised strong support to Ukraine but stressed that NATO must not become a party to the war against Russia.
16:33 (IST) 18 Oct 2024
Israel-Hamas Conflict Live Updates: Senior Hamas official says militant group 'cannot be defeated'
A senior Hamas official said that the group ‘cannot be defeated’ simply by eliminating its leaders after the Israeli military reported Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar's death in Gaza, news agency Agence France-Presse reported.
“Hamas is a liberation movement led by people looking for freedom and dignity, and this cannot be eliminated,” Basem Naim, senior member of Hamas’s political bureau, said, as quoted by AFP.
He added, "It seems that Israel believes that killing our leaders means the end of our movement and the struggle of the Palestinian people. Hamas each time became stronger and more popular, and these leaders became icons for future generations to continue the journey towards a free Palestine."
Naim did not confirm Sinwar's death. Sinwar's killing comes after the death of Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh, who was killed by an Israeli airstrike in Tehran in July.
16:05 (IST) 18 Oct 2024
Israel-Hamas Conflict Live Updates: UN denounces Israel's use of war-like tactics in West Bank
The United Nations humanitarian office on Friday denounced Israel's use of what it described as "war-like" tactics against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, saying nine Palestinians had been killed there in a week.
"Israeli forces have been using lethal, war-like tactics in the West Bank, raising serious concerns over excessive use of force and deepening people's humanitarian needs," spokesperson Jens Laerke told reporters at a Geneva press briefing, saying that nine people had been killed between Oct. 8-14, including one child.
Laerke added that Israeli forces had accused most of those killed of being involved in attacking Israelis.
Since October 7, 2023, more than 750 people have been killed in the occupied West Bank with more than 6,250 injured, and at least 11,200 Palestinians imprisoned, according to an Al Jazeera report.
(With inputs from Reuters)
15:46 (IST) 18 Oct 2024
Israel-Hamas Conflict Live Updates: The bloody history behind how Israel, and Palestine, came into existence
The conflict between Israel and Palestine began just under a century ago, but the significance of the land precedes even Biblical times. The area in question covers a tiny swathe of the Southern Levant, bordering Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Egypt and the Mediterranean Sea. With perpetually shifting borders, accusations of segregation, and claims of historical significance, the region has served as a fierce battleground between Jews, Arabs, and Palestinians, backed by a rotating cast of states including the UK, America, France, Iran, and Turkey.
While 165 member states of the United Nations refer to the region as Israel, the remaining 30 do not recognise Israeli statehood and refer to the land as Palestine. Of the states that recognise Israel, all accept that the Jewish settlements and segregationist policies constitute a form of forced occupation.
At present, most of the West Bank is administered by Israel although approximately 42 per cent of it is under various degrees of autonomous rule by the Palestinian Authority. The Gaza Strip, a 41-kilometre-long and 10-kilometre-wide strip of land located between Egypt and the Mediterranean Sea, is currently under the control of Hamas which is designated as a terrorist organisation by the United States and European Union.
14:12 (IST) 18 Oct 2024
Israel-Hamas Conflict Live Updates: IDF says 'two terror operatives' killed in Dead Sea area after infiltration from Jordon
IDF in a post on X stated that they engaged in a counter-terrorism operation after identifying terrorists who crossed from Jordan into Israel south of the Dead Sea.
Upon arrival at the location, IDF troops neutralized two terrorists who opened fire on them. The area is currently under surveillance as IDF forces continue to scan for any additional threats.
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IDF
13:51 (IST) 18 Oct 2024
Israel-Hamas Conflict Live Updates: Israel reports launch in northern Israel from Lebanon
A recent update from the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) reported that a launch was detected crossing into Israel from Lebanon, landing in an open area in northern Israel without triggering any alerts. This incident follows an earlier alert activated in Rosh Hankara at 09:41, during which the Air Force successfully intercepted a suspicious aerial target that had entered Israeli airspace from Lebanon.
This development comes amid heightened tensions, with reports indicating that 15 rockets were allegedly fired from Lebanon toward northern Israel, leading to military actions against Hezbollah positions in the region
13:46 (IST) 18 Oct 2024
Watch: How Israel eliminated Hamas Chief Yahya Sinwar?
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKzEMUwVc3Y?si=EpPw53WaXl2KdqE5&w=820&h=430%5D
The Indian Express
13:33 (IST) 18 Oct 2024
Israel-Hamas Conflict Live Updates: Who was Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar killed by Israel?
Yahya Sinwar was born in the Khan Younis refugee camp in south Gaza in 1962, back when the region was under Egyptian control. His parents were expelled from Ashkelon by Zionist forces in 1948 during the Palestinian Nakba (“catastrophe”), which saw mass-scale ethnic cleansing of Arabs amidst the formation of Israel.
Sinwar was active in the Muslim Brotherhood in the early 1980s and was arrested for protesting Israeli occupation while a college student at the Islamic University in Gaza. He is credited with founding Hamas’s Internal Security Force Al Majd, responsible for managing internal security matters, investigating — and allegedly brutally eliminating — suspected Israeli agents and Palestinian collaborators and tracking down Israeli intelligence and security services officers.
Sinwar is also credited with founding the fearsome al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, and the largest militia operating in Gaza prior to last year’s October 7 attacks.
13:15 (IST) 18 Oct 2024
Israel-Hamas Conflict Live Updates: Israeli Foreign Minister criticised UN Secretary General for promoting 'extreme anti-Israel and anti-Jewish agenda'
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz criticised UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres for remaining silent following the killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, and accuses him of promoting an “extreme anti-Israel and anti-Jewish agenda.”
In a post on X Katz said, Guterres “did not welcome the elimination of arch-terrorist Yahya Sinwar, just as he refused to declare Hamas a terrorist organization after the October 7th massacre,”
He further added that the foreign ministry will “continue to designate him as a persona non grata and bar his entry into Israel.”
13:10 (IST) 18 Oct 2024
Israel-Hamas Conflict Live Updates: Israeli police arrests East Jerusalem resident over plan of attack on families of hstages
The Israel Police and Shin Bet on Friday stated that a resident of East Jerusalem has been arrested after he was found to be planning a terror attack against families of the hostages, Times of Israel reported.
In a joint statement, the police said that the suspect, a 22-year-old from Sheikh Jarrah, had been planning to attack civilians at one of the weekly Tel Aviv rallies in support of the hostages as an act of revenge for the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.
According to the security forces, the suspect had attempted to make contact with Hamas operatives in the West Bank and with the Jenin Brigades terror group to assist him with planning the attack and acquiring the necessary weapons.
The investigation into the suspect was launched last month by the Shin Bet and Israel Police Jerusalem division and an indictment is expected later today.
(With Times of Israel inputs)
12:58 (IST) 18 Oct 2024
Israel-Hamas Conflict Live Updates: PM Netanyahu to conduct meeting to discuss hostage deal negotiations
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will convene a special security meeting with the participation of government ministers and security officials at the Kirya military headquarters in Tel Aviv on Fridayfollowing the death of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, quoting Hebrew media reports, Times of Israel reported.
The meeting will focus on the possibility of progress in hostage deal negotiations in light of his death, reports add.
12:54 (IST) 18 Oct 2024
Watch: Final moments before Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar was killed
In a raw footage, being referred to as the last moments of Sinwar before he was eliminated, an injured Sinwar is seen sitting alone on a couch in the destroyed building. The video is posted by Lt Col Nadav Shoshani, an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesperson, on X.
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11:47 (IST) 18 Oct 2024
Israeli military confirms airstrike targeted at Hezbollah commander Muhammad Hossein Ramal
Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) announced that the Hezbollah commander of the A-Taiba compound Muhammad Hossein Ramal was targeted in a recent airstrike by the Israeli military.
In a post on X, IDF said "In the territory of Lebanon, an Air Force aircraft directed by the 98th Division attacked the terrorist Muhammad Hossein Ramal, the commander of the A-Taiba compound in the terrorist organization Hezbollah. Muhammad al-Hakawin indicates many terrorist attacks against the State of Israel and the IDF forces in the field"
Ramal is responsible for planning and carrying out terror activities against Israel.
11:43 (IST) 18 Oct 2024
Israel-Hamas Conflict Live Updates: IDF troops join in northern Gaza as ground operation renewed
The military says that troops of the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF)’s Givati Brigade joined the 162nd Division in the Jabaliya area of northern Gaza overnight as part of the renewed ground operation, Times of Israel reported.
In a post on X, said, "During the night, the combat team of the Givati Brigade joined the expansion of the activities of Division 162 in the Jabaliya area. During the last day, the forces of the division and the air force planes eliminated dozens of terrorists in incidents and airstrikes, and destroyed terrorist infrastructures in the region"
It says that dozens of terror operatives were eliminated in fighting and airstrikes across northern Gaza over the last day, while in central Gaza, troops of the 252nd Division targeted a building that had been used by Hamas operatives.
IDF in the post further added, "In the center of the Gaza Strip, forces of Division 252 attacked a military building from which terrorists were operating during the last day. During the last day, the Air Force attacked about 150 targets in Gaza, in the depths of Lebanon and in aid of maneuvering, including munitions warehouses, launch shafts, sniping and observation positions, and terrorists in the area."
(With Times of Israel inputs)
11:32 (IST) 18 Oct 2024
Israel-Hamas Conflict Live Updates: Israel issues evacuation warnings amid ongoing airstrikes
Israel's military has mandated evacuations in multiple villages, including Nabatieh and others in the Bekaa Valley, citing ongoing airstrikes and ground incursions. These warnings have affected approximately 1.2 million people since the onset of intensified hostilities, the official news agency of the government of Lebanon National News Agency (NNA) reported.
Despite Israeli claims of territorial gains, Hezbollah has denied that any villages have fallen under Israeli control. They assert that their fighters are actively engaging Israeli forces to counter airstrikes and ground assaults. Hezbollah's MP Hassan Fadlallah emphasised that the resistance is well-prepared to confront Israeli advances and criticised Israel's "scorched earth" tactics aimed at establishing a buffer zone, NNA reported quoting sources and Lebanese media.
(With NNA inputs)
11:24 (IST) 18 Oct 2024
Israel-Hamas Conflict Live Updates: Israeli evacuation warnings leave Lebanese towns confused
The Israeli warnings to evacuate large areas in Mount Lebanon, its south and east have allegedly confused the Lebanese arena, in a measure launched by the Israeli forces, coinciding with the escalation of the aerial bombardment, which accompanied Israeli attempts to penetrate the border area by land. However, Hezbollah denied that the Israeli forces had taken control of any village, “despite the massive raids,” stressing that “the resistance on the ground is assessing how to confront in the field.”, quoting the National - Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper, the official news agency of the government of Lebanon National News Agency (NNA) reported.
The Israeli army opened a new phase of issuing evacuation warnings, targeting areas in the south and the Bekaa, eastern Lebanon, and the town of Wardaniyeh on the Chouf coast in southern Mount Lebanon, followed by air strikes on targets identified by the army.
These warnings allegedly caused confusion and the areas to which the displaced people had taken refuge, as they were forced to evacuate those areas in a hurry, which was documented by photos that spread on social media, after an evacuation request was issued in the Wardaniya area.
(With NNA inputs)
11:04 (IST) 18 Oct 2024
Israel-Hamas Conflict Live Updates: IDF says Hezbollah commander in southern Lebanon killed in airstrike
The Israeli military on Friday says that it killed the commander of Hezbollah’s Taybeh compound Mohammad Hussein Ramal in an airstrike in southern Lebanon, Times of Israel reported.
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) says Ramal was responsible for planning and carrying out terror activities against Israel and was killed in the airstrike.
Meanwhile, 15 rockets have been allegedly fired from Lebanon at northern Israel, quoting Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) Times of Israel report.
At the same time, troops of the 7th Armored Brigade located and destroyed several rocket launchers primed for launch toward northern Israel, quoting the military, Times of Israel reported.
10:57 (IST) 18 Oct 2024
Israel-Hamas Conflict Live Updates: Lebanon fires15 rockets at northern Israel says IDF
Following the killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah stated that it is moving towards a “transition to a new and escalating phase in the confrontation with Israel”.
Meanwhile, 15 rockets have been allegedly fired from Lebanon at northern Israel, quoting Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) Times of Israel report.
The military added that Israeli Air Force intercepted an unmanned aerial vehicle off the coast overnight. As per the IDF’s protocols, no sirens were sounded during the incident, as per Times of Israel.
There are no immediate reports of injuries or damage as a result of the rocket fire.
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