Hamas ready to free hostages if Israel stops airstrikes, says Iran

Iran’s Foreign Ministry asserted that Hamas was prepared to release the hostages it held, contingent on Israel halting its airstrikes in the Gaza Strip, reported the New York Times. The count of individuals held by the terrorist group has now surged to a minimum of 199.
 

More than a million people have fled their homes in the Gaza Strip ahead of an expected Israeli invasion that seeks to eliminate Hamas' leadership after its deadly incursion. Aid groups warn an Israeli ground offensive could hasten a humanitarian crisis.
 

Israeli forces, supported by US warships, positioned themselves along Gaza's border and drilled for what Israel said would be a broad campaign to dismantle the militant group. A week of blistering airstrikes have demolished neighbourhoods but failed to stop militant rocket fire into Israel.
 

 

The war that began October 7 has become the deadliest of five Gaza wars for both sides, with more than 4,000 dead. The Gaza Health Ministry said 2,750 Palestinians have been killed and 9,700 wounded. More than 1,400 Israelis have been killed.

The UN agency for Palestinian refugees on Monday said it has sent an advance team to Egypt to prepare for a possible 

open­ing of a corridor to bring huma­nitarian aid supplies into the Gaza Strip amidst Israeli bombardment that has displaced over one million people in the Hamas-ruled region.
 

The UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) said that heavy Israeli Forces’ bombardments of the Gaza Strip have continued, from the air, sea and land, and civilians continue to flee to the southern areas following Israel’s warning on Friday to evacuate northern areas.
 

Palestinians in besieged Gaza crowded into hospitals and schools on Monday, seeking shelter and running low on food and water.
 

More than a million people have fled their homes ahead of an expected Israeli ground invasion aimed at destroying Hamas after its fighters rampaged through southern Israel.
 

The floor of Israeli parliament, the Knesset, was evacuated briefly after sirens sounded in Jerusalem warning of incoming rocket fire.
 

“Sirens sounding in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem,” the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said Monday on X. 
 

Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken returned to Israel Monday following talks with Arab officials, as diplomatic efforts intensify to avert a wider Middle East conflict.
 

Russian President Vladimir Putin entered the fevered diplomatic fray of the Middle East on Monday, speaking to five of the major players including Iran and leading Arab powers in an attempt to secure a ceasefire in the war between Israel and Hamas.

Putin spoke to Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad by telephone, the Kremlin said.

Biden considers Israel trip in bid to contain war

US President Joe Biden is considering a trip to Israel as part of a global diplomatic push to prevent the war from spreading in the Middle East. Efforts also saw US Secretary of State Antony Blinken return to Israel Monday, following talks with Arab officials, and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz prepare for a visit Tuesday. Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian warned that the time to find a political solution to avoid an expansion of the conflict is running out, echoing earlier comments from the ministry’s spokesman.

UN to vote on rival resolutions on Israel

The United Nations Security Council was due to vote on Monday on rival draft resolutions on Israel and Gaza that focus largely on the humanitarian situation, but it was unclear whether either stood a chance of being adopted. The draft texts have been submitted by Russia and Brazil. A resolution needs at least nine of the 15 members' votes to pass and no vetoes by Britain, China, France, Russia or the United States, the council's five permanent members. Russia's draft calls for a humanitarian ceasefire, while the Brazilian draft calls for humanitarian pauses to allow aid access.