Israel-Hamas War highlights: US will ‘watch closely’ the release of hostages

According to a report by Reuters, Egyptian security sources have said that Egyptian, Qatari and US negotiators are trying to resolve differences on Gaza truce extension. Discussions are on about the length of the extension and which prisoners would be freed under it.

On Monday, Israeli women protested in front of UN office in Jerusalem. They demanded UN Women to condemn Hamas.

Elon Musk and Israel's PM Benjamin Netanyahu visited the site of October 7 attack in Southern Israel, on Monday. Notably, Israel-Hamas war got triggered after Hamas massacred hundreds of innocent civilians in Israel on October 7. Hamas terrorists beheaded babies, raped women and abducted 240 hostages.

On Monday, Palestinian Authority's foreign minister said that Qatar, Egypt, the United States, the European Union and Spain are trying to extend the Israel-Hamas truce beyond four days. Notably, Monday marks the last day of the truce as per the agreement between Israel and Hamas.

On Monday, UN rights experts urged independent investigations into alleged war crimes in Israeli and Palestinian territories since October 7.

"Independent investigators must be given the necessary resources, support and access required to conduct prompt, thorough and impartial investigations into crimes allegedly committed by all parties to the conflict," UN rights experts said in a statement as quoted by AFP.

Police in America have arrested a person suspected in the shooting of 3 men of Palestinian descent near the University of Vermont campus on Saturday. All three victims had sustained injuries during the attack.

According to a report by AFP, Palestinian authorities have demanded the Israeli military to release information about more than 100 people who were detained in Gaza during Israel's offensive in the region, before the truce.

"We fear they may have been killed after being detained and interrogated," head of the Palestinian Authority's commission for prisoners, Qaddura Fares told AFP.

On Monday, representatives of European and Arab countries will meet in Barcelona to discuss the Israel-Hamas war as the truce between Israel and Hamas enters its final day. The meeting will be chaired by the EU's foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, and Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi.

Israel shared a video depicting how children in Gaza are brainwashed against Jews.

On Monday, Iran has appealed for permanent truce in Gaza to stop Israel's "crimes" in the region. Notably, Monday marks the last day of the four-day cease-fire between Israel and Hamas.

"As the Islamic Republic of Iran, we want and expect... that the crimes of the Zionist regime against the Palestinian people will be stopped completely," said Nasser Kanani, Iran's foreign ministry spokesman.

Israel has shared a video showcasing how humanitarian aid is reaching Gaza during the truce.

A crypto network called Tron, is being used by Iran-backed militant groups from Hamas to Hezbollah, according to a report by Reuters.

"Earlier it was Bitcoin and now our data shows that these terrorist organizations tend to increasingly favor Tron," said Mriganka Pattnaik, CEO of New York-based blockchain analysis firm Merkle Science, citing Tron's faster transaction times, low fees, and stability.

Here is how Israel's PM Benjamin Netanyahu expressed his emotions after the release of third batch of hostages on Sunday.

EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell has said that the four-day truce is an important first step in the Israel-Hamas war. But Borrell emphasised the need to do much more to end the crisis.

On Monday, Jordan's Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said that the work for a two-state solution must start with "ensuring an end to this brutal aggression"( in reference to Israel-Hamas war).

A Thai Muslim group has credited its direct talks with Hamas, as the reason behind the release of Thai hostages amid the ongoing four-day truce in Gaza.

"We were the sole party that spoke to Hamas since the beginning of the war to ask for the release of Thais," Thai-Iran Alumni Association President, Lerpong Syed told Reuters on Monday.

Israel Defense Forces revealed that more than 2000 trucks have entered Gaza since the start of the war, transferring water, food and medical equipment.

Israel Defense Forces confirmed the elimination of 5 senior Hamas commanders in Gaza, the operation happened before the start of truce.

Israel Defense Forces shared how specially trained dogs have been helping the Israeli soldiers in combat and in finding explosives.

International mediators were pressing to extend a cease-fire in Gaza that has halted the deadliest Israeli-Palestinian violence in decades but is set to expire after Monday, as Israel and Hamas prepared for a fourth exchange of militant-held hostages for Palestinians imprisoned by Israel. (PTI)

Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas have raised concerns over the lists of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners set to be released on Monday, an official briefed on the matter told Reuters.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has landed in Tel Aviv and has planned a meeting with Israel PM Benjamin Netanyahu. Musk's office has not yet revealed the meeting agenda.

China said on Monday that Foreign Affairs Minister Wang is set to visit New York for United Nations talks on Israel-Hamas conflict, AFP reports.

Tech entrepreneur Elon Musk landed in Tel Aviv on Monday, an aviation tracker said, beginning a visit during which Israeli leaders plan to bring his attention to the plight of hostages held in war-torn Gaza and discuss rising antisemitism online.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog's office announced on Sunday that Musk would be coming to meet the head of state. According to Israeli media, he will also meet Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Musk's office had no immediate comment.

Avi Scharf, an aviation expert with Israel's Haaretz newspaper, posted on Musk's media platform X - formerly known as Twitter - that a plane carrying the billionaire, who also runs Tesla and SpaceX, had touched down in the morning.

Reuters

Israel may seize on the rapid improvement in markets and consider easing monetary policy as early as this week or the start of next year, a shift that will depend on the central bank’s confidence it’s contained the worst of the economic fallout from the war with Hamas.

The chance of an interest-rate cut on Monday is still remote, with all economists surveyed by Bloomberg predicting the benchmark will stay at 4.75% for a fourth straight time. But analysts at Morgan Stanley assigned a 40% probability of a decrease, and JPMorgan Chase & Co. sees the Bank of Israel moving “to policy accommodation earlier than expected.”

Israel’s worst armed conflict in half a century has ripped through the economy by paralyzing many businesses, jolting consumer demand and draining the labor market of workers following an Oct. 7 Hamas attack from Gaza that killed 1,200 people.

Bloomberg