Israel-Hamas War highlights: Qatar aims to extend Gaza truce beyond Wednesday

A new group of hostages were freed Tuesday from Gaza captivity in exchange for Palestinian prisoners under an extended truce, as mediators worked for a lasting halt to the seven-week Israel-Hamas war.

Ten Israelis and two foreigners were handed over to the Red Cross and were "inside Israeli territory", the army said.

As part of the ongoing truce deal between Israel and Hamas, 30 Palestinian prisoners will be released on Tuesday, Palestinian Prisoner's Club was cited as saying by Reuters.

On Tuesday, a Hamas senior official invited Elon Musk to visit Gaza to witness the destruction caused due to Israel's offensive in the region.

"We invite him to visit Gaza to see the extent of the massacres and destruction committed against the people of Gaza, in compliance with the standards of objectivity and credibility," Hamas' senior official Osama Hamdan said in a press conference in Beirut.

Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu visited the IDF Intelligence Branch Document and Technical Input Collection Unit where he was briefed about documents seized from Hamas.

Israel has shared pictures of hostages' reunion with families, after their release on Monday.

On Tuesday, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan told United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres that Israel must be held accountable in international courts for the war crimes it committed in Gaza, reported Reuters.

UN aid chief Martin Griffiths will travel to the Jordanian capital Amman on Wednesday, reported Reuters. Griffiths will take part in a meeting about the possibility of opening the Kerem Shalom crossing to allow for humanitarian aid to enter Gaza from Israel.

In a video shared on X(formerly Twitter), Israel has highlighted Hamas brutality towards hostages.

On Tuesday, UN's World Food Programme warned that Gaza is facing 'high risk of famine' if humanitarian food supplies do not continue. WFP's director for the Middle East highlighted the catastrophic conditions.

"Thanks to the pause, our teams have been in action on the ground, going into areas we haven't reached for a long time. What we see is catastrophic," said WFP's director for the Middle East, Corinne Fleischer as quoted by AFP.

Israel's Olympic Committee chief has said that rise in antisemitic acts around the world, has created security challenges for Israeli athletes ahead of the Paris 2024 Olympics, reported Reuters.

"The current wave of global antisemitism has created unique security requirements and challenges for our athletes as they gear up for the Olympics," said Yael Arad, Israel Olympic Committee President.

"Sadly, some of our athletes had faced obstacles with even participating in the competitions necessary for the Olympic criteria," she told Reuters in a written statement on Tuesday.

The United Nations has underscored the need to increase the aid entering Gaza amid truce.

"(It's) definitely the right type of aid -- fuel, medicines, food, warmth," spokesman James Elder told a press briefing in Geneva via video-link from Gaza, as quoted by AFP.

But he also highlighted that "all this aid is triage... It's not even enough for triage."

In an interaction with journalists on Tuesday, Israeli Ambassador Naor Gilon hailed India's position on Gaza crisis, terming it as "remarkable" from the day one. According to a report by PTI, Gilon also appreciated PM Narendra Modi's strong condemnation of October 7 attack by Hamas.

Israel Defense Forces have claimed that 3 explosive devices were detonated adjacent to IDF troops in 2 different locations in northern Gaza, during the truce. In one of the locations, terrorists also opened fire at the troops, which caused light injury to its soldiers.

Israel Defense Forces have shared a video in which a victim of Hamas brutality narrates his ordeal.

Ten-month-old Kfir Bibas is still held under captivity in Gaza. According to a report by Reuters, Israel claims that the child has been handed over by Hamas to another Palestinian militant group in a possible complication of efforts to free him.

During the October 7 attack, Hamas had captured baby Kfir, four-year-old Ariel and their parents Yarden and Shiri.

According to the Israeli foreign ministry, Thailand's Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin will visit Israel on Tuesday. During his visit, Thai PM will meet the Thai hostages who have been released from Hamas captivity.

Israel has shared a video of the moment when three children released from Hamas captivity, met their pet dog.

According to a report by Reuters, the directors of Israel's Mossad and the US Central Intelligence Agency are meeting with Qatar's prime minister in Doha. The meet aims to "build on progress" of the 48-hour extension to the truce between Israel and Hamas.

On Tuesday, EU commissioner, Janez Lenarcic claimed that Israeli restrictions are hampering the supply of fuel to Gaza.

"We are calling for the increase of fuel supplies to the (Gaza) strip," Lenarcic told journalists in Brussels.

"The humanitarian access should be based on the needs and not on some restrictions," he said.

Israel Defense Forces have shared an article highlighting how combat dogs have helped Israel in its offensive against Hamas in Gaza.

A released hostage has highlighted the bad conditions which she experienced while under Hamas captivity in Gaza. 78-year-old Ruti Munder also revealed the kind of meals she was given to eat while being held by Hamas.

Munder revealed that she was held in a “suffocating” room and described her captivity as “very difficult”.

Qatar's foreign ministry spokesperson Majed Al-Ansari said in a press briefing on Tuesday that the country is focusing on extending the cease-fire between Israel and Hamas beyond Wednesday, depending on Hamas' ability to release hostages.

A World Health Organization spokesperson warned on Tuesday that more people are at risk of death from disease than bombings in Gaza.

"Eventually we will see more people dying from disease than from bombardment if we are not able to put back together this health system," said the WHO's Margaret Harris as quoted by Reuters.

According to a report by Bloomberg, three military relief flights from USA, carrying aid for the Gaza Strip, are set to arrive in Egypt on Tuesday. The flights are carrying winter clothing, food, medical items and supplies specifically for Palestinian children.

Israel has shared the pictures of 11 Israeli hostages who were released on Monday.

Hamas had captured 240 hostages during the October 7 massacre and a huge number of them are still held captive.