Israel-Hamas war highlights: Hamas releases two female hostages, they arrive at Egypt's Rafah Crossing

A third convoy of trucks carrying aid for people in Gaza has entered the Rafah crossing from Egypt, AFP is reporting. The deliveries of aid through the crossing began on Saturday.

Hamas officials are claiming that Israeli strikes on Gaza overnight have killed at least 70 people. Earlier today, the Israeli military said that it hit "over 320 military targets in the Gaza Strip" over the past 24 hours. Read further.

Israeli warplanes conducted airstrikes across Gaza early on Monday, even in areas designated as refuges for Palestinian civilians. This followed the limited entry of aid shipments into the besieged territory, which was under the control of Hamas on Sunday, AP reports.

The looming threat of an Israeli ground offensive in Gaza has become increasingly apparent since Hamas' incursion into southern Israel on October 7. Tanks and troops have been positioned along the Gaza border, and Israel has intensified its airstrikes in an effort to minimize risks to its forces in the forthcoming stages of the conflict.

Concerns of a broader regional conflict have escalated as Israeli warplanes have targeted locations in the occupied West Bank, Syria, and Lebanon in recent days.

IDF spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said on Monday, as per Times of Israel, that the Israeli military carried out strikes to eliminate at least 20 Hezbollah cells in southern Lebanon since the war with Hamas began on October 7.

The military wing of Palestinian Hamas said on Sunday, in a statement, that its fighters engaged with an infiltrating Israeli force and returned to base, claiming to have destroyed Israeli equipment, Reuters reports.

Israeli military said on Monday, “Ground forces conducted limited Gaza raids to kill gunmen, search for hostages.”

Israeli military said on Monday, as per Reuters, “Monitoring to ensure Hamas doesn't get Gaza aid, ready to mount operations to prevent such seizures.”

As per Reuters, Israeli military said, “Gaza gunmen gathering to ambush Israeli incursions, prompts Israeli airstrikes on assembly points.”

Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) spokesman, has disclosed that the military has successfully informed the families of 222 hostages that their loved ones are currently being held in the Gaza Strip. This encompasses a significant number of foreign nationals. The process of identification and family notification has been time-consuming, Hagari said as per Times of Israel reported.

This excludes Judith Raanan and her daughter Natalie, who were released by Hamas on Friday night, Hagari said.

Itamar Ben Gvir, the National Security Minister and leader of far-right Otzma Yehudit party, has called upon Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to incorporate a minister who does not belong to the Likud party or Benny Gantz's National Unity into the three-person war cabinet, Times of Israel reported.

“As a member of the coalition, a senior minister in the government and a member of the cabinet, I accepted your unilateral decision on the composition of the ‘restricted cabinet’ which does not include me — the national security minister. I do not intend to confront you on the matter, despite the fact that it is appropriate that the position of the huge number of voters who put their trust in us and asked us to represent them should be heard in the limited cabinet. I hereby demand that a member or even an observer be added to the cabinet,” Gvir wrote.

European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell on Monday voiced the support for a pause in the conflict between Israel and Hamas to let more aid supplies into Gaza, reported AFP.

"Now the most important thing is for humanitarian support to go into Gaza," Borrell told reporters as he arrived for a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Luxembourg.

Borrell said the ministers would discuss the call from U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres for a pause to allow much more humanitarian aid for Palestinian civilians to enter Gaza.

European Union top diplomat calls for 'more, quicker' aid supplies to Gaza, AFP reported.

As overnight Israeli raids on the Palestinian community extended till morning, numerous individuals were arrested in the occupied West Bank, as reported by Palestinian authorities and media outlets.

The most recent round of arrests took place in the city of Hebron, where Israeli forces detained 59 individuals, including 40 labourers from the Gaza Strip, according to the official Palestinian news agency, Wafa.

Japan's Prime Minister, Fumio Kishida, announced on Monday his intention to implement significant economic measures, including reducing income tax for households affected by inflation and providing tax incentives to encourage corporate investment. These measures are seen as an effort to regain popularity among the public, as his support has dwindled, AP reported.

In his address marking the commencement of a new parliamentary session, Kishida stressed the need to shift away from an economy characterized by low costs, low wages, and cost-cutting. Instead, he emphasized the importance of fostering growth through sustainable wage increases and active investment.

Kishida stated, "I am committed to implementing remarkably bold measures," vowing to work intensively to enhance the country's supply capabilities over the next three years. He emphasized, "My primary focus will be on the economy above all else."

The Israel Defense Forces have reported striking approximately 320 targets affiliated with the Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror groups in the Gaza Strip within the last day. In anticipation of a ground offensive in Gaza, the military has concentrated its strikes on locations that pose potential threats to its forces.

During the night, the IDF's Air Force conducted airstrikes on tunnels housing Hamas and Islamic Jihad operatives, military installations, surveillance posts, and positions containing mortar and anti-tank-guided missiles. Additionally, infantry, artillery, and tank units of the IDF targeted various Hamas terror cells in Gaza, including one that was in the process of planning a missile attack along the border.

IDF said in a post on X, formerly Twitter, “In the last day, the IDF attacked over 320 targets throughout the Gaza Strip. In the last day, the IDF continued to attack terrorist infrastructures and military targets in the Gaza Strip.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convenes a meeting of the country's top generals and the war cabinet to assess the escalating conflict between Israel and Palestine's Hamas.

Several US officials told The New York Times that the White House wanted Israel to give more time for hostage negotiations and for humanitarian aid to enter the Gaza Strip before launching another ground invasion.

Two officials told the news organisation that a message was conveyed to Israel through US Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin who was constantly in touch with Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.

Israel's Education Ministry has decided to remove a chapter on climate activist Greta Thunberg after the Swedish activist extended support to Gaza in a recent stand.

As per The Jerusalem Post, the ministry said, “Hamas is a terrorist organization responsible for the murder of 1,400 innocent Israelis, including children, women, and the elderly, and it has abducted over 200 people to Gaza. This stance disqualifies her from being an educational and moral role model, and she is no longer eligible to serve as an inspiration and educator for Israeli students.”

Thunberg in a recent post on X, formerly Twitter, said, “Today we strike in solidarity with Palestine and Gaza. The world needs to speak up and call for an immediate ceasefire, justice and freedom for Palestinians and all civilians affected.”

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in a post on X, formerly Twitter, on Monday, “I spoke with @POTUS, @EmmanuelMacron, @Bundeskanzler, @GiorgiaMeloni, and @RishiSunak today about the ongoing conflict between Israel and terrorist organization Hamas. We reaffirmed our support for Israel and its right to defend itself, in accordance with international law.”

He added, “We also welcomed the release of two hostages and called for the immediate release of all remaining hostages. We spoke about the humanitarian needs of Palestinians in Gaza, and the importance of adherence to international humanitarian law – including the protection of civilians. We committed to continued close diplomatic coordination – and we’ll keep working with partners in the region to make sure food, water, and emergency medical assistance are reaching civilians.”

The Israel Defense Forces have announced that they conducted another operation, targeting a group of fighters in southern Lebanon and successfully neutralizing an anti-tank missile launcher, Times of Israel reported.

The military believes this cell was in the midst of planning a missile launch in proximity to the border town of Shlomi.

The Israel Defense Forces has released the name of the soldier who lost his life in a Hamas attack on troops engaged in operations in Gaza. The soldier was identified as Cpl. Tamir Barak, aged 19, hailing from Nir Eliyahu. Cpl. Barak served within the Combat Engineering Corps, Times of Israel reported.

The UN agency dedicated to Palestinian refugees has officially confirmed the delivery of 14 trucks. Nevertheless, relief workers emphasize the urgent need for substantially more assistance to address the escalating humanitarian emergency in Gaza. Approximately half of the region's 2.3 million residents have been displaced from their homes. The UN humanitarian agency reported that the convoy on Saturday represented a mere 4% of the typical daily imports before the conflict, and it falls significantly short of the requirements after 13 days of a complete siege.

Meanwhile, the Israeli military contends that the humanitarian situation is "under control," despite the UN's call for 100 trucks to be allowed in each day.

The IDF's Yahalom Unit, a specialized combat engineering special forces team, remains committed to the challenging and meticulous task of recovering explosives and weaponry used by Hamas terrorists during the October 7 attack.

Hamas has also left behind numerous booby-traps, complicating the process of clearing Israeli territory from any remaining terrorists, explosives, and other hazards, as well as recovering the bodies of the victims. It has been reported that some of the deceased individuals were rigged with explosives,ANI reported.

As an illustration, the IDF has shared images of a child's school bag found in an open field, which was booby-trapped with a remote-activated explosive device weighing 7 kg. Notably, Hamas deliberately chose to booby-trap a child's backpack with the expectation that an unwitting civilian might pick it up.

On Sunday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin emphasized that the United States was bracing for the Israel-Hamas conflict to intensify, possibly involving Iranian proxies. They underlined that the Biden administration is ready to take action if American personnel or military forces became targets of such hostilities, AP reported.

Blinken stated, "We do not seek this; it's not our objective. We are averse to escalation. We are committed to ensuring the safety of our forces and personnel. But if the need arises, we are prepared to respond."

Austin echoed these sentiments, expressing concerns about a potential increase in attacks on US troops and citizens in the region. He asserted the US right to self-defense and a willingness to take appropriate action without hesitation.

The Israeli military reportedly carried out airstrikes in proximity to the Al-Shifa and Al-Quds hospitals in Gaza City, as reported by the Palestinian Authority's Wafa news site. Details regarding casualties and the specific targets of these strikes are not immediately available, Times of Israel reported.

These attacks occurred subsequent to the Israel Defense Forces' announcement of multiple airstrikes on locations associated with Hamas within the Gaza Strip.