Israel-Hamas war news Highlights: Israeli military plans to increase strikes on Gaza, says spokesman

Trucks carrying humanitarian aid from Egypt into the war-torn and blockaded Gaza Strip began to traverse the Rafah border crossing on Saturday. This development was confirmed by a security source and an official from the Egyptian Red Crescent, as reported by AFP.

The aid passage took place on the 15th day of the conflict between Israel and Hamas, the militant group governing the Palestinian enclave with a population of 2.4 million people.

Israel and Palestinian militants traded fire on Saturday following the release of an American woman and her teenage daughter by Hamas which marked the first among approximately 200 captives taken during the militant group's October 7 incursion into Israel. Additionally, there were indications of potential humanitarian aid access through the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and Gaza.

Over the past two weeks, Israel had imposed a blockade on the Gaza Strip, leading to food shortages and the consumption of unsafe well water by Palestinians. Hospitals were reported to be low on medical supplies and fuel for emergency generators, with a widespread blackout affecting the territory.

There were visible signs of empty flatbed trucks moving on the Gaza side, hinting at preparations for the much-needed aid deliveries. The US Embassy in Jerusalem mentioned that there was information about the possible opening of the Rafah crossing on Saturday to allow foreigners to leave Gaza, although previous similar announcements had not materialized.

These developments occurred amid rising expectations of an Israeli ground offensive aimed at targeting the militant group, which has governed Gaza for 16 years. Israel, however, stated on Friday that it had no intentions of assuming long-term control over the small territory, home to about 2.3 million Palestinians.

(With inputs from Associated Press)

• Leaders and high-ranking officials from both the Middle East and Europe are convening in Cairo on Saturday to address the pressing issues of facilitating aid deliveries to Gaza and preventing the Israel-Hamas conflict from escalating into a broader regional confrontation.

• The US Embassy in Israel has reported the potential opening of the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt at 10 a.m. local time on Saturday, which could offer the opportunity for foreigners to leave the enclave. However, they have cautioned that the situation at the border may be tumultuous.

• In significant remarks, US President Joe Biden asserted that Hamas's attack on Israel was, in part, an attempt to hinder the normalization of relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia.

• An Israeli military spokesperson confirmed that the two American hostages are now out of the Gaza Strip and under the protection of the Israeli military. Meanwhile, Hamas has stated that the release of these hostages on Friday was a humanitarian gesture as part of an agreement with the Qatari government.

• Additionally, it has been reported that President Biden has sought over USD 105 billion from Congress as part of a security assistance package to address the ongoing conflicts in both Ukraine and Israel, as detailed by CNN.

(With inputs from agencies)

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani on Saturday departed from Baghdad to participate in a peace conference in Cairo that aims to address the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas in Gaza, Reuters reported citing information shared by the prime minister's media office.

There is a possibility that the Gaza-Egypt border, specifically the Rafah crossing, might open on Saturday, US embassy in Israel said. This potential development could facilitate the departure of foreign individuals from the blockaded Palestinian enclave.The embassy said in a social media post that they had received information suggesting that the Rafah crossing would open at 10 a.m (0700GMT). However, they noted that the duration for which it will be accessible for foreign citizens to leave Gaza remains uncertain.

• The Nepal Embassy in Tel Aviv has announced that the bodies of four out of the ten Nepalese students who lost their lives in the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7 will be transported to Kathmandu from Israel today, ANI reported. These four bodies are scheduled to be flown to Kathmandu via Dubai on Saturday at 1.25 pm local time in Israel.

• The embassy further noted that the legal procedures for these four individuals have been completed and that flight details indicate that the bodies will arrive in Kathmandu on Sunday morning.

• The identities of the remaining bodies are still being processed. The students whose remains will be repatriated first are Narayan Prasad Neupane, Lokendra Singh Dhami, Dipeshraj Bista, and Ashish Chaudhary.

The anticipated roster of participants at the Cairo Peace Summit scheduled to take place today comprises:

• Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi

• Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas

• Jordanian King Abdullah

• Bahraini King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa

• Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani

• Kuwaiti Crown Prince Sheikh Meshal al-Ahmad al-Sabah

• Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni

• Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez

• Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis

• Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides

• South African President Cyril Ramaphosa

• German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock

• French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna

• Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa

• British Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs James Cleverly

• Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide

• Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov

• China's envoy for Middle East issues Zhai Jun

• United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres

• European Council President Charles Michel

• European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell

(With Reuters inputs)

Scroll down to learn what the summit is about…

Egypt is set to host an international conference on Saturday to address the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas in Gaza. The Cairo Peace Summit, convened swiftly amid the ongoing turmoil, will bring together a gathering of Arab and European heads of state and government, as well as foreign ministers.

Egypt has been making efforts to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza through the Rafah crossing, which is the only access point not under Israeli control. However, aid has been accumulating on the Egyptian side.

President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi expressed that millions of Egyptians would resist any attempts to forcibly relocate Palestinians into the Sinai Peninsula. He said that such a move would transform the Egyptian peninsula into a base for attacks against Israel.

Egypt's stance mirrors broader Arab concerns that Palestinians could once again be displaced en masse, as they were during the conflict surrounding Israel's establishment in 1948.

(With inputs from agencies)

• Florida legislators have announced plans for a special session to address various issues, including imposing additional sanctions against Iran, expressing support for Israel, and enhancing security for Jewish institutions in the state, Associated Press reported.

• The session will also cover topics such as hurricane relief, property insurance, and additional funding for special needs students. Governor Ron DeSantis, a Republican and presidential candidate, supports this special session to address these matters promptly rather than waiting for the regular annual session, citing the recent actions by Iranian-backed Hamas against Israel as a driving factor. The four-day session is set to commence on November 6.

In Australia's largest city, Sydney, thousands participated in a pro-Palestinian march on Saturday, which received last-minute approval amid concerns related to previous protesters chanting anti-Jewish slogans, Reuters reported.

Around 15,000 people attended the march in Sydney, organised by the Palestine Action Group. The demonstrators chanted slogans like "Palestine will never die" and displayed Palestine flags. The event prompted a significant police presence, including mounted officers, with city streets temporarily closed, and a police helicopter monitoring from above.

Worldwide, demonstrators on Friday called for an end to Israel's intense bombardment of Gaza, which has persisted for nearly two weeks, resulting in air and artillery strikes and causing around 4,100 fatalities, according to authorities in Gaza.

These companies and investors are withdrawing from the upcoming Web Summit technology conference in Europe due to controversial comments made by the event's leader regarding Israel's actions following the terror attacks by Hamas. The Web Summit is scheduled to be held in Lisbon from November 13-16, hosting around 2,300 startups and more than 70,000 people at the mega event.

• Amazon.com Inc. has joined other companies in deciding not to participate.

• Intel Corp., Siemens AG, Alphabet Inc. (Google's parent company), and Meta Platforms Inc. (owner of Facebook) have also canceled their plans to attend.

• Prominent venture capitalists like Garry Tan from Y Combinator and Ravi Gupta from Sequoia Capital have withdrawn from the event.

• Meta, Google, and Amazon have all chosen to withdraw from Web Summit, which is Europe's largest technology conference, in response to CEO Paddy Cosgrave's comments criticising Israel's actions in the aftermath of the Hamas terror attacks.

(With inputs from agencies)

• A high-ranking official from the Treasury Department is set to visit Saudi Arabia and Qatar next week, with the aim of increasing U.S. efforts to cut off financial support to Hamas and to discuss providing humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip. Brian Nelson, the Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, will participate in a session in Saudi Arabia involving the Executive Committee of the Terrorist Financing Targeting Center.

• This committee is responsible for fostering cooperation among six Arab nations and the United States to disrupt terrorist financing networks through sanctions and law enforcement measures. The urgency of these efforts has grown since Hamas's attack on Israel on October 7, resulting in casualties and abductions.

• Nelson's trip, which will include meetings with high-ranking Saudi and Qatari officials, aligns with the Biden administration's goal of preventing the Israel-Hamas conflict from spreading further.

(With Bloomberg inputs)

Here are the latest report details on the number of people from different countries who have been killed, abducted, or gone missing since the war between Israel and the Hamas militant group began on October 7.

• United States: 31 dead, 13 missing, others abducted

• UK: At least seven dead, nine missing

• Canada: Six dead, two missing

• China: Four dead, two missing

• France: 28 dead, one hostage, six missing

• Russia: 19 dead, two hostages, seven missing

• Ukraine: 18 dead

• Nepal: 10 dead, one missing

• Thailand: 30 dead, 19 hostages

• Argentina: Eight dead, 22 missing

• Italy: One dead, two missing

(With AFP inputs)

The father of recently freed American teen hostage, Natalie Raanan, mentioned that she is in good health after spending two weeks in captivity. Uri Raanan, residing in Illinois, expressed his relief and joy when he spoke with his daughter, saying, "She's doing good. She's doing very good." He had been hoping for their release after hearing news about an American mother and daughter being freed by Hamas. Uri Raanan believes that both Natalie and her mother, Judith Raanan, are on their way to Tel Aviv to reunite with relatives and will return to the US early next week.

President Joe Biden and others celebrated the news of their release. An Israeli army spokesperson confirmed that the two Americans were out of the Gaza Strip and with the Israeli military. Hamas said that they released them for humanitarian reasons as part of an agreement with the Qatari government.

Following the release of two hostages by Hamas out of more than 200 held after their conflict with Israel, the White House clarified that President Joe Biden did not hear a reporter's question about whether Israel should delay a potential ground invasion of Gaza until more hostages are freed. Despite his response of "yes" the White House stated that he was unable to hear the question.

According to White House spokesperson Ben LaBolt, the President was at a distance from the reporter and couldn't fully discern the question. LaBolt explained that the question appeared to be about whether Biden wanted to see more hostages released and emphasized that Biden's response was not a comment on any other matter.

The exchange occurred as Biden was ascending the steps to board Air Force One, and he briefly paused to respond with "yes" before continuing onto the plane.

(With Reuters inputs)

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak held meetings with Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in Cairo as the humanitarian aid awaits at the Gaza border. During these discussions, the leaders talked on the importance of facilitating the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza and minimising civilian casualties in the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas.

Sunak also highlighted the need to prevent a broader regional conflict and further loss of civilian lives. He said, “We have also made good progress on tangible areas like ensuring access for humanitarian aid to those who need it.”

Egypt is hosting a summit on the Gaza crisis on Saturday, as concerns about a broader Middle East conflict escalate. However, the absence of a key official from the United States, Israel's primary ally, and certain other leaders has lowered expectations regarding its potential outcomes.

The Cairo Peace Summit, organised hastily while the conflict is ongoing, will gather numerous Arab and European heads of state and government, along with foreign ministers.

(With Reuters inputs)

US President Joe Biden has made remarks about the motivation behind the crisis in the Middle East, saying that Hamas's actions against Israel were partly intended to disrupt Israel's efforts to normalise relations with Saudi Arabia. During a campaign fundraiser in Washington, Biden mentioned, “One of the reasons why they acted like they did, why Hamas moved on Israel, is because they knew I was about to sit down with the Saudis. Because the Saudis wanted to recognize Israel and that would in fact unite the Middle East.”

Israel has established diplomatic agreements with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco, and Sudan since 2020. However, achieving normalisation with Saudi Arabia, the largest economy in the Middle East, would have been a significant achievement for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israel. These efforts were disrupted following the deadly attack by Hamas on Israel on October 7.

(With Reuters inputs)

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has made it clear that there will be “no pause” in the planned ground invasion of Gaza, despite the release of two American hostages by Hamas, Reuters reported. He said, “Two of our abductees are at home. We are not giving up on the effort to return all abducted and missing people. At the same time, we'll continue to fight until victory.” Israel has gathered tanks and troops near the Gaza perimeter in preparation for the invasion.

Reporters questioned US President Joe Biden as he was boarding Air Force One, with one of the questions asking if Israel should delay the invasion until more hostages are released. Biden's response was, "Yes." However, the White House later clarified that the president didn't fully hear the question and believed it was about seeing more hostages released, not commenting on other matters.

Gaza's Hamas militant group released two American hostages on Friday, who were among over 200 people held during the violent attacks in Israel on October 7, AFP reported. Israeli government confirmed that Judith Tai Raanan and her daughter Natalie Shoshana Raanan returned to Israel. While their condition was not disclosed, US President Joe Biden expressed his happiness at their release and spoke with the two women after they were freed.

Hamas has also indicated its intentions to collaborate with Qatar and Egypt to secure the release of its "civilian" hostages, hinting at the possibility of additional releases in the future.