China has called for a large-scale and more reliable peace conference regarding the war in Gaza, while the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) has released a video of three Israeli hostages, stating that their fate will be revealed today, Monday. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, in statements made yesterday, Sunday, in Egypt, urged for "the formulation of a specific timeline and roadmap for implementing the two-state solution and supporting the immediate resumption of Israeli-Palestinian peace talks."
Hamas broadcast a video yesterday showing three Israelis held in Gaza and urged the Israeli government to cease its attacks against the movement and negotiate their release. The undated 37-second clip features a girl named Noa Argamani (26 years old), Yossi Sharabi (53 years old), and Taiz Ferski (38 years old), concluding with the statement, "Tomorrow (Monday) we will tell you their fate."
Of the approximately 240 individuals taken hostage by Hamas during a cross-border attack that sparked the war, nearly half were released during a truce reached in November. Israel claims that 132 hostages remain in Gaza, with 25 having died in captivity. Israel also states that over 1,200 individuals were killed during the Hamas attack on October 7. The Gaza Health Ministry reports that nearly 24,000 people have been killed during the subsequent Israeli offensive, with over 60,000 injured.
The U.S. military reported yesterday that its aircraft intercepted an anti-ship cruise missile launched from Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen towards an American destroyer in the southern Red Sea. This air interception is the latest incident in the Red Sea, where the Houthis are attacking international shipping in what they describe as a campaign to support Palestinians besieged by Israeli forces in Gaza. This follows a series of American and British airstrikes on Houthi targets in Yemen earlier in the week, with the group vowing a "strong" response.
In the latest developments of hostilities in Gaza, the Palestinian news agency (Safa) affiliated with Hamas reported on Monday that Israeli aircraft and artillery bombarded Khan Younis in the southern part of the Gaza Strip. The Israeli army stated that it killed two Palestinian militants in an air raid on a vehicle transporting weapons in southern Khan Younis, also targeting a Hamas command center in the city and attacking weapon depots.
Hamas also launched a barrage of rockets yesterday at the Israeli town of Ashdod, located 40 kilometers away, with no reports of casualties. The Israeli military indicated that it destroyed several sites used by Hamas to launch rockets at Israel.
The Israeli military stated it has entered a new phase of the war, focusing on the southern part of Gaza, where approximately two million people are now living in tents and other temporary accommodations, after the initial phase concentrated on clearing the northern part of the territory, particularly Gaza City. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has dismissed calls for a ceasefire, asserting that Israel will continue until it achieves complete victory over Hamas and recovers the remaining hostages. The military claims that the next phase of the war will last for months and involve more precise operations against leaders and sites affiliated with Iran's movement.
Along Israel's northern border with Lebanon, where a limited exchange of fire continues between Israeli forces and the Iranian-allied Hezbollah group, the Israeli military reported killing four militants who attempted to cross the border. It added that several anti-tank missiles were fired at northern Israel, with one hitting a home in the town of Kfar Yuval. Medical officials reported that a 76-year-old woman and her son were killed.
The war in Gaza has also sparked violence in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Palestinian health officials reported that Israeli forces killed five Palestinians, including teenagers aged 14, 16, and 17, in three separate incidents in the West Bank. The Israeli army stated that two Palestinians in a vehicle breached one of its checkpoints near Hebron and opened fire on the pursuing soldiers, who then shot them. In response to a question regarding the killing of a 14-year-old boy near Jericho, the army stated that soldiers fired upon Palestinians who threw explosives at them. The Israeli army also indicated that troops opened fire on Palestinians who were throwing a bomb towards a military base.
