KEY POINTS

  • The White House said Israel had much to do before talks of a ceasefire take place
  • Israel's Herzog said Lebanon will 'pay the price' if Hezbollah starts a war
  • Two elderly women were released due to 'humanitarian' and health reasons: Hamas
Live Updates
Of the 360,000 reservists called up by Israel, many have been deployed to the increasingly tense Lebanese border
AFP

As the Israel-Hamas war ensues, the Iran-backed Hamas have released two elderly hostages. The terror group is holding 222 hostages taken on Oct. 7 when they made an incursion into Israel and kidnapped, raped and murdered more than a thousand Israelis.

Two elderly women hostages were freed Tuesday by Hamas. One of them, Yocheved Lifshitz, was a resident of Nir Oz kibbutz. She said she was beaten while being kidnapped and went through "hell" in Gaza's web of tunnels.

The U.S. and other Western countries have expressed support for Israel in its right to defend itself. The international community has also called for a "humanitarian ceasefire" so aid can be delivered to Gaza.

The Pentagon sent a Marine general and several officials "with relevant" experience to help provide counsel to the IDF amid an expected ground incursion in Gaza. U.S. President Joe Biden spoke over the phone to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Monday afternoon to reaffirm Washington's support for Israel's deterrence efforts.

Six Hamas operatives captured after the incursion into Israel reportedly revealed grim details about instructions they received, including killing and kidnapping Israelis.

World Bank president Ajay Banga said Tuesday that the Israel-Hamas war could deal a "serious" blow to the global economy. "I think we're at a very dangerous juncture," he said.

This live update has ended.

The Israel-Hamas conflict continues to weigh heavily on global markets
Nine French nationals are still missing or being held hostage by the Hamas, French President Emmanuel Macron said during his solidarity visit in Israel. AFP

IDF urges Gaza residents to help with hostage information

The IDF is urging Gaza residents to "do the humanitarian deed" of providing valuable information about hostages being held by Hamas in their area. Informants will receive monetary award and "complete confidentiality."

The Israeli military pledged "maximum" effort in protecting informants.

IDF says Hamas stockpiling much-needed fuel

As Gaza residents wait for fuel supplies to be delivered, Israel said Hamas was "stealing" fuel from civilians and transferring it to their tunnels, as per a Google-translated post on X by Lt. Col. Avichay Adraee, head of the IDF spokesperson unit's Arab media division.

The IDF said Hamas has been stockpiling more than half a million liters of diesel, while civilians and Gaza hospitals needed fuel for electricity.

Freed hostage talks 'hell' in Hamas' 'spider web' tunnels

Yocheved Lifschitz, the 85-year-old Israeli grandmother released by Hamas on Monday, held a press conference Tuesday wherein she described her abduction on Oct. 7, as translated by her daughter.

"There is a huge, huge network of tunnels underneath. It looks like a spiderweb," she said of an underground location where she was brought to after being taken by Hamas gunmen and whisked over the back of a motorbike. It was "painful" on the motorbike ride through the fields before they reached the underground tunnels, Lifschitz said. "I got bruises because of the drive."

She said there was a paramedic and a doctor to handle the "sanitary side of things so that we didn't get sick," but she said she still "went through hell" due to the poor living conditions at the tunnels. Lifschitz did say she and the other hostages were treated well and provided with food and medicine.

Hamas a 'test for civilization'

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called Hamas a "test for civilization" in a press briefing to wrap up French President Emmanuel Macron's solidarity visit to Israel.

"This battle is not merely our own. It's Europe's battle. It's America's battle. It's civilization's battle. It's the battle for the heart and soul, and the future of the Middle East," Netanyahu said.

He echoed Israeli President Isaac Herzog's earlier remarks in a meeting with Macron that if the Lebanon-based terror group Hezbollah "makes the mistake" of joining the Israel-Hamas war, they will "regret it."

The Israeli leader went on to thank France for "standing with us" as Israel is expected to launch a ground incursion into Gaza.

France warned Hezbollah against attacking Israel

Macron told the Israeli President during his solidarity visit to the country that France has warned Hezbollah against attacking Israel.

The French leader also reaffirmed his country's support for Israel as it defends itself against Hamas. "I want to be sure that you're not left alone in this war against terrorism," he said.

Herzog, for his part in the meeting, said Israel was "not looking for confrontation in our northern border or with anyone else...but if Hezbollah will drag us into war, it should be clear that Lebanon will pay the price."

Hezbollah, which is also backed by Iran, is a Lebanon-based political party and militant group that has had skirmishes with Israel amid the Hamas conflict.

The Lebanese terror group's deputy leader, Sheikh Naim Kassem, said over the weekend that Hezbollah is "in the heart of the battle" between Israel and Hamas. He warned against a ground offensive in the besieged Gaza Strip.

6 Britons believed to have been taken hostage

Six British nationals are believed to among more than 200 people being held hostage by Hamas, Victoria Atkins, the United Kingdom's financial secretary to the Treasury told Sky News.

She also confirmed that at least 10 Britons have been killed either during the Oct. 7 incursion on Israel or since the surprise attack took place.

9 French nationals still missing

Macron said nine French nationals are still missing or being held by Hamas.

"Thirty of our compatriots were murdered on October 7. Nine others are still missing or held hostage," Macron said in a post on X, as per a Google translation.

In his meeting with the Israeli President in Jerusalem, Macron said the "first objective" was the release of all hostages, adding that it was "an awful crime to play with the lives of children, adults, old people, civilians and soldiers."

Over 400 targets struck in 24 hours: IDF

The IDF said it has struck more than 400 terrorist targets over the past 24 hours in a "wide-scale operation to dismantle Hamas' terrorist capabilities."

Among the targets that Israeli forces struck were command centers used by Hamas operatives and an operational tunnel shaft that allows the militant group to infiltrate Israel through the sea

The IDF also launched an air strike on "Hamas gunmen setting up to fire rockets toward Israel."

IDF ready to bring fight to Hamas' home turf: Conricus

IDF spokesperson Jonathan Conricus told NBC News Monday that Israel's ground troops were "ready to commence significant military operations in Gaza and to bring the fight to Hamas on their home turf."

His comments come as anticipation builds over a ground incursion into Gaza that some experts said has become inevitable at this point.

Biden talks to Netanyahu

Biden spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the phone Monday following the release of two more hostages, reaffirming U.S. commitment to secure the release of all remaining hostages being held by Hamas, the White House said in a statement.

Biden also "underscored the need to sustain a continuous flow of urgently needed humanitarian assistance" for Gaza residents, echoing UN calls for faster provision of humanitarian aid to besieged Gaza.

The U.S. president also reaffirmed Washington's support for Israel's deterrence operations, including new U.S. military deployments.

We were explicitly ordered to kill and kidnap civilians: Hamas terrorists

Six Hamas operatives taken into custody following the Oct. 7 attack on Israel had common orders: kill and kidnap civilians, as per footage released by the Israeli security service Shin Bet and Israeli police on Monday.

In select clips released from the joint interrogation of the captured terrorists, it was revealed that all of them had "explicit instructions" to kidnap and kill civilians regardless of their age, the Jerusalem Post reported.

"The instructions were to kidnap women and children," one terrorist was quoted as saying. The Hamas militants went into "extreme detail" about how the incursion in Israel was carried out on Oct. 7. "My commander yelled at me for wasting bullets on a dead body," another agent said.

When asked if Israelis were used as human shields, one Hamas operative said "Yes."

Macron to meet hostages' families

French President Emmanuel Macron has arrived in Tel Aviv, Israel and is expected to meet the families of hostages being held by Hamas. The French leader is also expected to meet the president of the State of Palestine, Mahmoud Abbas.

His solidarity visit in Israel comes more than a week after France's interior minister ordered a ban on all pro-Palestinian protests. Some French-Israeli citizens are believed to be held hostage by Hamas. Macron has vowed to protect its Jewish citizens.

Not time for ceasefire: Kirby

White House national security spokesperson John Kirby told CNN Monday that it was not the right time for a ceasefire amid increasing calls for a humanitarian pause to the fighting.

There was still "work to do to go after Hamas leadership," Kirby pointed out, seemingly echoing U.S. President Joe Biden's remarks that talks about a ceasefire would only happen if all hostages were freed by the terror group.

Fuel reserves in Gaza to run out in 2 days: UN

Gaza's fuel reserves will be squeezed dry in the next two days, the United Nations warned Monday. Some relief supplies have been left stranded in Egypt due to bombardments from both sides.

The third convoy of humanitarian aid entered Gaza on Monday but the relief supplies only included water, food and medicine.

Humanitarian assistance first entered Gaza on Saturday. The UNICEF has called for "immediate, unrestricted humanitarian access throughout Gaza." UNICEF deputy executive director for humanitarian action and supply operations Ted Chaiban said fuel is just as crucial as food and medical supplies as it powers health centers and desalinization plants.

U.S. Marine general in Israel

U.S. Marine Corps Lt. Gen. James Glynn is in Israel to advise the IDF ahead of an expected ground incursion into Gaza, a senior Israeli official said, as per Axios. Several other American military officers are accompanying Glynn to help provide counsel, the outlet added.

Glynn and the other U.S. military officers are not directing operations, but they are providing military counsel and especially shared U.S. lessons from fighting ISIS in Mosul. Glynn was the chief of the U.S. Marines' special operations against ISIS in Iraq.

A Pentagon spokesperson confirmed that several officials "with relevant experience" have been sent to Israel only to help provide counsel since "the IDF will, as always, make its own decisions."

Hamas releases 2 elderly hostages

Israel confirmed that the Hamas released two elderly hostages late Monday. The hostages were identified as Nurit Cooper, 79, and Yocheved Lifshitz, 85, NBC News reported. The two have reportedly arrived in Tel Aviv for medical treatment. The husbands of the two elderly women are believed to still be held by Hamas.

The militant group said the elderly women were freed for "humanitarian" and health-related reasons.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said earlier in the day that the total number of hostages being held by Hamas since the conflict started on Oct. 7 has reached 222.