Israel-Hamas Conflict: Hostage Count Climbs To 240; Top Hamas Commander In Gaza Killed

Ceasefire not the right position at this time: British labor leader

Sir Keir Starmer, the leader of the United Kingdom's Labor Party, said Tuesday that the "only credible approach" to the raging Israel-Hamas war at this point was a humanitarian pause, not a ceasefire. "While I understand calls for a ceasefire at this stage, I do not believe that it is the correct position now," he said.

Starmer explained that a ceasefire could give Hamas the capability to recreate its Oct. 7 attack against Israel and could "embolden" the terror group to prepare immediately for future attacks.

Missile from Red Sea area intercepted: IDF

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Spokesperson's Unit chief Daniel Hagari said a "surface-to-surface missile that was launched into the territory of the State of Israel from the Red Sea" was intercepted by Israel's "Arrow" missile defense system Tuesday, as per a Google-translated post on X.

Rocket sirens sound in tourist town of Metula

Rocket sirens are sounding in the popular tourist town of Metula, local media reported Tuesday afternoon local time. Metula is Israel's northernmost town and is right next to the Lebanese border.

Israel's southern command chief tells ground forces they are the 'generation of victory'

Maj. Gen. Yaron Finkelman, commander of the Israeli army's southern command motivated ground forces in Gaza as they prepared for expanded operations to hunt down Hamas operatives in the strip, according to a new video released by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Spokesperson's Unit chief Daniel Hagari.

"Everyone is looking at us now Like me, they trust you and believe in you. You are the generation of victory," Finkelman said as per a Google-translated post on X.

Patrols implemented near Israel-Lebanon border

Israeli soldiers carried out patrols Tuesday at a main road near Kiryat Shmona, which is located near the Israel-Lebanon border.

There have been concerns that Hezbollah, a Lebanon-based militant group also backed by Iran, could launch an incursion through the northern border similar to the surprise carnage that Hamas terrorists executed on Oct. 7.

Gaza tunnels are for Hamas protection, not civilians: official

The tunnels built underground by Hamas were made to protect the militant group's operatives, not civilians, Hamas official Mousa Abu Marzouk said in a recent interview translated by the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI).

Marzouk made the statements after the interviewer asked him why Hamas could build tunnels extending over hundreds of kilometers but could not invest in bomb shelters for the civilian public in Gaza.

The Hamas official went on to say that "it is the responsibility of the United Nations to protect them [civilians]."

Empty cribs, beds featured in Jerusalem

More than 200 empty baby cribs and beds were laid out in Jerusalem's Safra Square Tuesday as the IDF said there are 240 hostages being held by Hamas in Gaza. The city square is known to be an area where prominent events are held such as concerts and festivals.

38 arrested in Judea and Samaria over Hamas links: IDF

Joint operations between the IDF and Shin Bet resulted in the arrest of 38 wanted individuals over their alleged links to Hamas, the IDF said Tuesday, as per a Google-translated post on X. Weapons were also confiscated during the operations.

Hostage numbers climb again: IDF

The number of hostages being held by Hamas has climbed to 240 after an Israeli soldier was "rescued" by Israeli ground forces, the IDF said Tuesday, as per the Jerusalem Post.

80 humanitarian trucks set to enter Gaza

The Israeli defense ministry's Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) said Tuesday that 80 trucks carrying humanitarian aid supplies have started inspection processing in preparation for entry into the Gaza Strip.

If all trucks manage to enter the strip Tuesday, it would mark the largest, single-day aid transfer ever facilitated since the war started on Oct. 7.

IDF soldiers use bulldozers to create paths into Gaza: video

Israeli soldiers are using bulldozers to create new paths into Gaza as the IDF continues to expand its ground operations into the besieged strip.

Israel will block humanitarian aid entry into Gaza if Hamas takes supplies

Israel said Tuesday it will stop the flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza through Egypt if it finds evidence that the supplies "have been taken by Hamas."

Despite the stark warning, the Israeli government has reportedly agreed to allow 100 trucks of humanitarian aid into the strip, an unnamed U.S. official said, as per The Times of Israel.

The Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) said late Monday that another 26 trucks carrying food and medical supplies entered the Gaza Strip through the Rafah border crossing. A total of 144 trucks have entered the strip since the war started, the PRCS said. Fuel supplies have not been allowed entry.

Hamas 'worse' than ISIS, Al Qaeda: Former ambassador

Former Israeli ambassador to the United Nations Dan Gillerman said Tuesday that Hamas is "truly an existential threat" and a terror group that's proven itself to be "worse than worse than ISIS, worse than Al Qaeda."

Gillerman said the Israel-Hamas war was "a tragedy on both sides," but there are stark differences between the warring parties, especially with the way they view civilian and child casualties.

"For Israel, every dead Palestinian child is a mistake," he said, while for Hamas terrorists, "every dead Israeli child is a success, and it calls for victory and celebration."

Israeli forces seek to isolate Gaza City: Retired military officer

Eyal Pinko, a retired Israeli military officer and former intelligence official, said Israeli tanks reaching Salah-al-Din Road indicate that Israeli forces are aiming to "isolate" Gaza City in a bid "to cut off the terrorists," the Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday.

"The aim is to slowly gain control," Pinko said. His comments come amid reports that Israeli tanks have started blocking Gaza's main highway.

'Hostile aircraft' intruded in Eilat region: IDF

The IDF is reviewing the activation of a warning siren over the "intrusion of a hostile aircraft" in the Eilat region, which is a resort town on the Red Sea near Jordan.

Hamas commander of Beit Lahia killed: IDF

Joint forces of the IDF and Israel's security service agency Shin Bet have assassinated Nassim Abu Ajina, commander of the Hamas' Beit Lahia Battalion. Beit Lahia is located in the northern part of the Gaza Strip.

Ajina commanded the attacks on kibbutz Erez and moshav Netiv Hathara on Oct. 7, the IDF's Daniel Hagari said Monday. Ajina formerly led the Hamas air force and participated in the development of the militant group's drone and paraglider units.

"His elimination constitutes a significant damage to the efforts of the terrorist organization Hamas in disrupting the ground operations of the IDF," Hagari wrote on X, as per a Google translation.

300 Hamas targets attacked in the last 24 hours: IDF

Israeli forces attacked about 300 Hamas targets in the last day, the IDF Spokesperson's Unit chief said Monday, as per a Google-translated post on X. Among the military assets targeted by air strikes were tunnel shafts, rocket launching facilities and anti-tank posts.

Japan sanctions Hamas-linked individuals

Japan has implemented sanctions against several individuals and a company with alleged links to Hamas. Tokyo froze the assets of the individuals and company, marking the first time since the Oct. 7 carnage that Japan took steps against the terror group.

The move also aligns the Japanese government with the Biden administration's earlier sanctions against people and entities allegedly connected to Hamas.

IDF demolishes house of top Hamas leader

Israeli troops destroyed the house of Salah Arori early Tuesday local time, the Jerusalem Post reported. Arori is the Hamas political bureau's deputy head and is reportedly responsible for some operations in the occupied West Bank.

More than 800,000 Palestinians evacuated from northern Gaza: IDF

IDF spokesperson Jonathan Conricus said in a Tuesday morning briefing regarding expanded operations in Gaza that more than 800,000 Palestinians have moved out of the northern part of the strip and Israel was "happy" about the development.

He said Israeli forces will continue to attack various parts of Gaza, but will focus on the northern region as it was the "center" of the fighting. He added that Israel "will be ramping up" the facilitation of humanitarian aid for Gaza civilians in the coming days.

Abducted Israeli soldier rescued: IDF

Israeli soldier Pvt. Ori Megidish was "rescued" in a ground operation by Israeli troops, IDF spokesperson Jonathan Conricus revealed. "This is the first of the hostages that was freed in such a way," he said. He did not provide further details about the rescue operation.

Megidish was among the hostages being held by Hamas in the past weeks. She was "helpful" in providing "lots of important details" about the situation of other abducted individuals, Conricus said, adding that the Israeli army was committed to bringing home the remaining 238 hostages still under Hamas captivity.

Israel attacks Hezbollah assets in Lebanon

Israeli fighter jets attacked Hezbollah infrastructure in Lebanon, chief of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Spokesperson's Unit Daniel Hagari said Tuesday local time in a Google-translated post on X.

Weaponry facilities and terrorist posts were attacked in the air strikes.

US confirms involvement in getting Gaza communications, internet restored

The White House confirmed that it was involved in talks to get communications services and internet in Gaza restored. "We made clear to the Government of Israel over the weekend that communications networks needed to be restored, and we are pleased that they took steps to do that," U.S. Department of State spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a media briefing late Monday.

Communications and internet in the Gaza Strip were cut off over the weekend when Israel intensified its air strikes in the area.

Israel urges citizens in Russia's northern Caucasus to leave

The Israeli government warned its citizens Tuesday to leave the northern Caucasus in Russia after an anti-Semitic mob stormed a Dagestan airport Sunday when they learned that a flight was landing from Tel Aviv, multiple outlets reported.

The incident resulted in around 80 arrests made by Russian police. More than 20 people were reported to have been injured during the ruckus, with two of them in critical condition.

31 journalists killed since Oct. 7

Since the Israel-Hamas war started, at least 31 journalists have been confirmed dead, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said. Eight journalists have been injured in the fighting, and nine were reported missing or detained.

The committee added that it was investigating "numerous unconfirmed reports" of other journalists still unaccounted for since Hamas terrorists stormed into Israel on Oct. 7 and killed more than 1,400 people – most of them civilians.

"CPJ emphasizes that journalists are civilians doing important work during times of crisis and must not be targeted by warring parties," said Sherif Mansour, the committee's program coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa. "Journalists across the region are making great sacrifices to cover this heart-breaking conflict," he added.

Israel rejects ceasefire, says it's 'a time for war,' urges world to choose sides

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has firmly rejected calls for a ceasefire, drawing from the Bible a King Solomon classic that said there is a time for everything. "This is a time for war," he said in an international media briefing Monday, before the 24^th day of the conflict ended. He said while Israel "did not want this war" nor started it, "Israel will win."

"Calls for a ceasefire are calls for Israel to surrender to Hamas," he argued, urging countries and governments around the world to "draw the line" and make a decision about "where they stand."

"This is a turning point – a turning point for leaders and nations. It is time for all of us to decide if we're willing to fight for a future of hope and promise or surrender to tyranny and terror."