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Israel-Hamas war LIVE: Terror group refuses to release ten-month-old hostage after 11 others are freed from Gaza - as truce extends into its fifth day

1 year ago 14

By Chris Jewers

Published: 08:44 GMT, 28 November 2023 | Updated: 10:50 GMT, 28 November 2023

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Breaking: Qatar says there have been 'minimal breaches' of truce agreement amid reports of smoke rising over Gaza

Qatar's foreign ministry has said there have been 'minimal breaches' of the truce agreement, amid smoke rising over the Gaza Strip.

It added that the breaches have not threatened the overall agreement.

According to the BBC, there have been reports that Palestinian groups may have fired on Israeli soldiers, unaware of yesterday's truce extension.

US aid for Gaza set to start arriving today

America is sending three military aircraft to Egypt, starting today, to bring vital humanitarian aid for Gaza, senior US officials said.

The relief flights carrying food, medical supplies and winter gear are the first by the US military since the conflict began with Hamas's October 7 attack.

The flights start a day after President Joe Biden said he would use the extension of the truce to get more aid into Gaza, and as international efforts continue to further prolong the pause in fighting which has so far killed thousands.

Upon its arrival, the United Nations will then take the aid from Egypt's North Sinai region, which borders the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip, into the stricken Palestinian territory itself, the US officials said, according to AFP news agency.

Two further planeloads will arrive 'in coming days', they said.

WATCH: Hostages handed over to Red Cross by Hamas last night

UN says truce made up-scaling aid to Gaza possible, but more trucks are still needed

The UN has said the truce made it possible to scale up the delivery of food, water and medicine to the largest volume since the start of the war.

But the 160 to 200 trucks a day is still less than half what Gaza was importing before the fighting, even as humanitarian needs have soared.

Juliette Toma, a spokesperson for the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, said people come to shelters asking for heavy clothes, mattresses and blankets, and that some are sleeping in damaged vehicles.

'The needs are overwhelming,' she told The Associated Press. 'They lost everything, and they need everything.'

Meanwhile, the Hamas-run government media office in Gaza issued a statement saying the coastal strip needs 1,000 trucks daily to recover.

TOPSHOT - Palestinians eat outside amid the destruction caused by Israeli strikes in the village of Khuzaa, east of Khan Yunis near the border fence between Israel and the southern Gaza Strip on November 27, 2023, amid a truce in battles between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas. The Israeli government said today it had put Hamas "on notice" that an "option for an extension" of the truce in the Gaza Strip was open. (Photo by SAID KHATIB / AFP) (Photo by SAID KHATIB/AFP via Getty Images)

Almost 100 freed Palestinian prisoners 'never charged' by Israel, report says

Of the Palestinian prisoners released by Israel, 98 were detained without charge, according to a report by CNN.

It said 119 were children and the remaining 31 were women.

In its report, CNN explains that Israel often places Palestinians under 'administrative detention', a practice that is widely criticised.

It means the detainee is unaware of the charges against them, and their case is not subject to any legal process. In other words, they are detained without a civil trial.

Israeli authorities say the practice is permitted under Article 78 of the Fourth Geneva Convention, which relates to the Protection of Civilians in Time of War.

At the beginning of October, 1,200 Palestinians were being held in administrative detention, which according to human rights organisations is the highest number in more than three decades.

Arrests have increased since Hamas's attack on October 7.

Truce appears to hold on fifth day of deal

  • Israeli forces and Hamas terrorists appeared to be abiding by a truce for a fifth morning today, according to reports on the ground.
  • This is after a four-day ceasefire was extended at the last minute on Monday for at least two days to let more hostages go free.
  • A single column of black smoke could be seen rising above the obliterated wasteland of the northern Gaza war zone from across the fence in Israel, but there was no sign of jets in the sky or rumble of explosions.
  • Both sides reported some Israeli tank fire in the Sheikh Radwan district of Gaza City in the morning, but there were no immediate reports of casualties.
  • A spokesperson for the Israeli Defence Forces said: 'After suspects approached IDF troops, an IDF tank fired a warning shot.'

View of destroyed buildings in Gaza hit in Israeli strikes during the conflict, amid the temporary truce between Hamas and Israel, as seen from southern Israel, November 28, 2023. REUTERS/Alexander Ermochenko

An Israeli Merkava tank manoeuvres near the Israel-Gaza border, amid the temporary truce between Hamas and Israel, as seen from southern Israel, November 28, 2023. REUTERS/Alexander Ermochenko

TOPSHOT - Palestinians walk amid debris of buildings hit in Israeli strikes, near Al-Zawiya market in Gaza City on November 27, 2023, on the fourth day of a truce in fighting between Israel and Hamas. The Israeli government said on November 27, it had put Hamas "on notice" that an "option for an extension" of the truce in the Gaza Strip was open. (Photo by Omar El-Qattaa / AFP) (Photo by OMAR EL-QATTAA/AFP via Getty Images)

Iranian President a no-show at summit announced by Erdogan

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi has failed to show for a summit in Ankara that Turkey's Recep Tayyip Erdogan had earlier announced to reporters, but which Tehran itself never officially confirmed.

The confusion around Raisi's visit underscores the tensions that linger between the two regional powers despite their joint views on the Israel-Hamas war.

The Turkish presidency told AFP that Erdogan had no meetings planned for Tuesday, with later reports suggesting the summit had been postponed.

This is despite Erdogan personally announcing the Iranian president's first official visit to Turkey on his return flight from a summit between regional leaders in Riyadh on November 11 that was also attended by Raisi.

The visit was also announced by Turkey's state media and discussed heavily on television as late as Monday.

But it was never officially confirmed by Raisi's office or announced by Iran's media.

Shell hits near southern Lebanese town, country's state news agency says

  • An Israeli shell has hit near the southern Lebanese town of Aita al-Shaab this morning, according to Lebanon's state news agency.
  • It came hours after a truce between Israel and Hamas was extended.
  • The truce did not formally include Lebanon, but weeks of cross-border shelling between Israel and Lebanese armed group Hezbollah, a Hamas ally, had come to a halt when the truce first came into force last Friday.

Who has the 'missing' Israeli hostages? Palestinian Islamic Jihad - who seek the destruction of Israel - have 'dozens' of captives including ten-month-old baby

The release of more hostages by Hamas to Israel last night saw officials agree to extend their ceasefire by another two days as both parties continue to negotiate terms to free yet more captees.

But hopes that Hamas could eventually return all hostages to Israel without issue were dashed last night when it emerged that as many as 40 people taken during the ruthless October 7 attacks - including ten-month-old Kfir Bibas - are no longer under the captivity of the Palestinian group.

IDF spokesman Avichay Adraee yesterday declared Kfir, his four-year-old brother Ariel and mother Shiri had been taken to Khan Younis in southern Gaza and handed to elements of Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ).

Follow the link below to read the full story...

French helicopter carrier docks in Egypt

  • The French helicopter carrier Dixmude has docked in Egypt and could start treating wounded children from Gaza later this week, Defence Minister Sebastien Lecornu said on Tuesday.
  • Its arrival comes as Western powers look to ramp up efforts to deliver aid.
  • It is the first Western military ship to dock in Egypt since the conflict started and moored on Monday at al-Arish 31 miles west of Gaza, now a hub for international aid for Gaza.

(FILES) This photograph taken on April 3, 2020 shows the French amphibious helicopter carrier (PHA) Dixmude leaving the port of Toulon. The French helicopter carrier Dixmude, configured to provide hospital support to the wounded in the Gaza Strip, arrived on November 27, 2023 in the Egyptian port of Al-Arich, complete with "two operating theaters" and approximately 60 beds onboard, a port source reported to AFP. Hundreds of critically wounded Palestinians have crossed into Egypt in recent weeks with special exit permits, after the majority of hospitals in Gaza were forced out of service, according to the United Nations. (Photo by Anne-Christine POUJOULAT / AFP) (Photo by ANNE-CHRISTINE POUJOULAT/AFP via Getty Images)

ISW gives update on Israel-Hamas war

  • The Institute for the Study of War, a US think tank, delivered its latest daily update on the Israel-Hamas war overnight.
  • It reported that Hamas is preparing to resume fighting with Israel in anticipation of the temporary truce coming to an end, and said Palestinian fighters clashed with Israeli forces inside the West Bank.

You can read the full update below:

Israel-Hamas hostage deal: What do we know on day five of the truce?

  • In all, 50 Israeli hostages have been released under the truce deal, with another 19 hostages freed under separate agreements, including Thai workers and a dual Russian-Israeli citizen.
  • In exchange, 150 Palestinian prisoners have been released by Israel.
  • Hamas said it was now drawing up lists of additional hostages to be released, though the process is reportedly complicated by the fact that some are held by other Palestinian militant groups operating inside Gaza.
  • US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said that 'in order to extend the pause, Hamas has committed to releasing another 20 women and children'.
  • Israel views the truce as temporary to secure hostage releases and plans to continue its war, with the government agreeing a 30.3 billion shekel ($8.2 billion) war budget that will now go to parliament.
  • But it faces increasing pressure for a more lasting ceasefire and the ramp-up of humanitarian aid to Gaza.

Tal Goldstein-Almog, 9, who was released from the Gaza Strip on November 26 after being taken hostage by the Palestinian militant group Hamas during the October 7 attack on Israel, is embraced by a loved one shortly after being reunited with his family, at Schneider Children's Medical Center of Israel in Petah Tikva, Israel, in this handout picture released by Schneider Children's Medical Center of Israel on November 27, 2023. Schneider Children's Medical Center of Israel/Handout via REUTERS THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY

Palestinian Muhammad Abu Al-Humus, former prisoner released from the Israeli jail in exchange for hostages freed by Hamas in Gaza, hugs his mother upon return to his home in east Jerusalem, on November 28, 2023. Israel's prison authority said early on November 28 that 33 Palestinian prisoners had been released "during the night" under the terms of a truce deal that returned hostages from the Gaza Strip. The release brought the total number of detainees freed by Israel during the initial, four-day pause in the fighting to 150. (Photo by AHMAD GHARABLI / AFP) (Photo by AHMAD GHARABLI/AFP via Getty Images)

UN: More than 1.8 million Gazans displaced

Israel's bombardment and ground offensive have displaced more than 1.8 million people, nearly 80% of Gaza's population, with most having sought refuge in the south, according to the UN Office for Humanitarian Affairs.

Israeli troops have barred people from returning to the north during the cease-fire.

Hundreds of thousands of people have packed into UN-run schools and other facilities, with many forced to sleep on the streets outside because of overcrowding. It's unclear where they would go if Israel expands its ground operation, as Egypt has refused to accept refugees and Israel has sealed its border.

It is feared Israel will expand its offensive if or when the temporary truce currently in place ends.

Displaced Palestinians shelter in tents in Khan Yunis near the border fence between Israel and the southern Gaza Strip on November 27, 2023, amid a truce in battles between Israel and Hamas. The Israeli government said today it had put Hamas "on notice" that an "option for an extension" of the truce in the Gaza Strip was open. (Photo by Mahmud HAMS / AFP) (Photo by MAHMUD HAMS/AFP via Getty Images)

View of destroyed buildings in Gaza hit in Israeli strikes during the conflict, amid the temporary truce between Hamas and Israel, as seen from southern Israel, November 28, 2023. REUTERS/Alexander Ermochenko

Freed hostage describes 'suffocating' conditions in Hamas captivity

The hostages freed from Gaza have mostly stayed out of the public eye, but details of their captivity have started to emerge.

In one of the first interviews with a freed hostage, 78-year-old Ruti Munder told Israel's Channel 13 television that she was initially fed well in captivity but that conditions worsened as shortages took hold.

She said she was kept in a 'suffocating' room and slept on plastic chairs with a sheet for nearly 50 days.

Yesterday, we looked at what had been said so far about the conditions that hostages inside Gaza were kept in by the Hamas terror group.

Click the link below to read the full story:

Israel-Hamas war day 53: What you need to know

Good morning and welcome to MailOnline's liveblog covering the on-going war between Israel and Hamas, which today entered its 53rd day.

A truce between the two sides entered its fifth day today after an agreement was struck on Monday to extend it until the end of Wednesday.

Hamas has promised to release more hostages in exchange for the release Palestinian prisoners, and to delay the resumption of the war.

The terror group released 11 more hostages last night. However, Israel said Hamas had handed ten-month-old Kfir Bibas to a separate Palestinian terror group in the southern city of Khan Younis. You can read the full story here.

After four groups of hostages were released over the last four days, Hamas and other terror groups are still holding about 160 people in Gaza, out of the 240 seized in their October 7 assault into southern Israel that ignited the war.

Israel's retaliatory ground and air operation in Gaza has killed almost 15,000 people, mostly civilians, according to the territory's Hamas government.

Follow along for more updates...

 Hamas hands over 11 Israeli hostages to the International Committee of the Red Cross in Gaza City, Gaza on November 27, 2023. (Photo by Stringer/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Key Updates

  • Israel-Hamas war day 53: What you need to know

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