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At least 138 hostages are believed to still be in captivity in Gaza, more than two months into the Israel-Hamas war.
AFP
The Israel-Hamas war is on its 68th day, and the Israeli army has reportedly started pouring seawater into Hamas tunnels in the Gaza Strip amid continuing launches from Hamas on the south and fire from Lebanon-based Hezbollah on the northern front.
Two bodies of hostages have been recovered by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) as the families of at least 138 remaining abductees in Gaza demand faster action for their freedom.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu admitted Tuesday that there are disagreements with Washington over plans for Gaza after the war ends, but he reiterated that the U.S. continues to support Israel’s right to self-defense and its goal of eliminating Hamas.
Several Hamas officials living in Qatar have reportedly left the country for an unknown destination. Hamas’ political bureau chairman, Ismail Haniyeh, is known to be living in Qatar, but the exact number of officials residing in the country is unclear.
More than nine years since the 50-day war in Gaza in 2014, longstanding Israel-Palestine tensions erupted when Hamas operatives invaded Israel in a surprise massacre that killed more than 1,200 people – mostly civilians – on Oct. 7.
Since then, the international community has been calling for a ceasefire. A seven-day truce was brokered by Qatar and Egypt in coordination with the U.S., but it collapsed on Dec. 1 when Hamas refused to release more women and children as part of the agreement.
