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LIVE UPDATES: Hamas Spokesman Arrested During Israeli Raid in West Bank - Israeli Security Agency

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Hostilities rage around Gaza Strip since October 7 when Palestinian militant organization Hamas launched a ‘surprise attack’ on Israel, firing thousands of missiles and attacking IDF forces

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LIVE UPDATES: Hamas Spokesman Arrested During Israeli Raid in West Bank - Israeli Security Agency

05:12 GMT 20.10.2023 (Updated: 09:23 GMT 05.12.2023)

On October 7, Hamas launched a surprise large-scale rocket attack from Gaza into Israel, breaching the border and killing and capturing people in neighboring Israeli communities. Israel launched retaliatory strikes and ordered a complete blockade of the Gaza Strip.

On Tuesday, a missile hit the Al-Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza City, causing a massive blast in which almost 500 people died, according to the Health Ministry of Gaza. Palestinian group Hamas blamed the explosion on an Israeli airstrike. The Israel Defense Forces said that the hospital had been hit by a failed rocket launch by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement.

Fighting erupted along the Israeli-Lebanese border after Hamas' deadly attack, prompting fears that Lebanese armed group Hezbollah could join the conflict.

The escalation of the conflict has resulted in thousands of people killed and injured on both sides.

Follow Sputnik’s live feed to learn more!

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03:46 GMT 21.10.2023

Israel Defense Forces Says Its Aircraft Strike Hezbollah Targets

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said its aircraft were carrying out strikes against targets of Lebanon's Hezbollah movement in response to missile launches towards Israel.

"Over the last few hours, in response to rocket launches and anti-tank missiles fired toward Israel, IDF aircraft struck Hezbollah terror targets," the IDF said in a statement on Telegram.

It said among these targets were military compounds as well as Hezbollah infrastructure. Additionally, the IDF struck anti-tank missile launchers located along the border and directed toward Israel.

"The IDF is ready and will continue to operate on all fronts to ensure the safety of Israeli civilians," the army said.

03:45 GMT 21.10.2023

US, Israel Discussing Interim Government for Gaza - Report

The United States and Israel are discussing the possibility of forming an interim government in the Gaza Strip with the support of the UN and the participation of Arab countries, Bloomberg reported citing sources.

According to the report, the US and Israeli governments are weighing a future for Gaza without Palestinian group Hamas.

It said the discussions are still at an early stage and depend on developments yet to unfold, including success in an Israeli ground assault.

03:42 GMT 21.10.2023

First lady Jill Biden, right, watches as President Joe Biden speaks from the Oval Office of the White House, Thursday, Oct. 19, 2023, in Washington. - Sputnik International, 1920, 21.10.2023

World

Biden on Tightrope as Global Opinion Turns Against Israel's 'Siege' of Gaza, Says Ex-Senator

21 October 2023, 03:41 GMT

03:36 GMT 21.10.2023

This picture taken on October 18, 2023 from kibbutz Kfar Aza in southern Israel shows smoke billowing across the border during bombardment in the Gaza Strip. - Sputnik International, 1920, 21.10.2023

World

Antagonism Toward Israel on Historic Uptrend Amid Migrant Influx, Says Ex-US Senator

21 October 2023, 03:35 GMT

02:50 GMT 21.10.2023

Turkiye to Continue Efforts to Quickly Deliver Aid, Medical Services to Gaza

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan discussed the situation in the Gaza Strip with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Sisi by phone, and Ankara will keep making every effort to ensure peace and the speedy delivery of humanitarian aid and medical services to Gaza, the Turkish leader's office said.

“President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had a telephone conversation with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Sisi. During the conversation, the increasingly escalating situation in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Israeli violations of human rights in relation to civilians in Gaza and steps that could be made to resolve the problem were discussed," the office said.

"President Erdogan said it is unacceptable that Palestinians in Gaza are forced to leave their homes, and that Turkiye will continue to make every effort to ensure peace and the speedy delivery of humanitarian aid and medical services to Gaza," it said.

02:45 GMT 21.10.2023

Simonyan Says RT Cameraman Elderra Lost 12 Family Members Due to Israeli Shelling of Gaza

RT and Rossiya Segodnya editor-in-chief Margarita Simonyan said 12 relatives of RT cameraman Khaled Elderra had died due to Israeli shelling attacks on the Gaza Strip.

“Our cameraman Khaled Elderra lost 12 family members after Israeli shelling attacks on the Gaza Strip. Among those killed are Khaled’s brother, two sisters, four nephews, aunt and cousins,” Simonyan wrote on Telegram.

Two girls, three and five years old, were left without a father, she said.

02:38 GMT 21.10.2023

White House Says Biden Did Not Mean to Confirm Wanting Israel to Delay Ground Invasion

The White House pushed back on the pool reporting that President Joe Biden said "yes" when asked if he wanted Israel to delay its ground invasion in Gaza until more hostages are freed.

"The president was far away. He didn't hear the full question. The question sounded like ‘Would you like to see more hostages released?’ He wasn't commenting on anything else," White House spokesperson Ben LaBolt said as quoted by a pool reporter on Friday.

02:36 GMT 21.10.2023

Ex-US Congressman Amash Says Several Relatives Killed by Israeli Strike on Gaza Church

Former US Congressman Justin Amash said in a statement that several of his relatives were killed as a result of an Israeli strike that impacted Saint Porphyrius Orthodox Church in Gaza.

"With great sadness, I have now confirmed that several of my relatives… were killed at Saint Porphyrius Orthodox Church in Gaza, where they had been sheltering, when part of the complex was destroyed as the result of an Israeli airstrike, " Amash said on Friday.

Amash, a Palestinian-American and the first Libertarian Party member to serve in the US Congress, shared a photo of two of the family members killed in the Israeli airstrike.

The Palestinian Christian community is "often forgotten" amid the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians, Amash said. The former politician opted not to seek re-election in the House of Representatives in 2020, after having served in the lower chamber of Congress since 2011, where he helped found the House Freedom Caucus.

02:33 GMT 21.10.2023

US President Joe Biden speaks in the Rose Garden at the White House - Sputnik International, 1920, 21.10.2023

World

Biden Says Hamas Attack Meant to Disrupt Effort to Normalize Israel-Saudi Ties

21 October 2023, 02:31 GMT

02:33 GMT 21.10.2023

World

Canadian Lawmakers Call on Trudeau to Back Ceasefire in Gaza

21 October 2023, 02:25 GMT

02:26 GMT 21.10.2023

Biden Says Wants Israel to Delay Ground Invasion of Gaza Until More Hostages Free

US President Joe Biden told reporters he wants Israel to delay its ground invasion of Gaza until more hostages held by Hamas militants are freed, according to a reporter in the White House press pool.

"Yes," Biden said on Friday when asked if he wanted Israel to delay its ground invasion of Gaza.

01:41 GMT 21.10.2023

Biden Spoke With American Hostages Released by Hamas, Says White House

US President Joe Biden spoke over the telephone with the two Americans released by Hamas and with their families, the Whited House announced in a release.

"This afternoon, the president spoke by phone with the family of the two Americans released today after being taken hostage by Hamas during the horrific terrorist assault against Israel," the White House said in the release on Friday.

Biden relayed that the two freed Americans will have the full support of the US government as they recover from the terrible ordeal, the release said.

01:38 GMT 21.10.2023

Austria to Keep Providing Humanitarian Aid to Palestine, Says Vice-Chancellor Kogler

Austria will not suspend humanitarian aid to Palestine, and will also consider the possibility of helping Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, Vice-Chancellor Werner Kogler said following a meeting of the response center.

“Austria will not interrupt humanitarian assistance, but will continue and strengthen it in some areas,” he said.

Kogler also said assistance could be provided in the Gaza Strip. The minister said that in both cases it is important to ensure that the aid does not fall into the hands of Palestinian group Hamas. In this regard, Kogler welcomed the creation of a humanitarian corridor to Gaza at the initiative of the United States and the EU.

00:39 GMT 21.10.2023

French Foreign Minister to Attend Cairo Peace Summit on Gaza Conflict

French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna will join a peace summit in Cairo on the situation in the Gaza Strip, the French Foreign Ministry said.

"The minister will return to Egypt on Saturday to take part in Cairo Peace Summit that Egypt's president [Abdel Fattah Sisi] is organizing on October 21," the ministry said on Friday.

During the summit, Colonna will once again condemn the operation launched by Palestinian movement Hamas against Israel, call for the release of all Israeli hostages, as well as reaffirm the need to settle the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip, according to the statement.

22:16 GMT 20.10.2023

In this photo provided by the Government of Israel, Judith Raanan, right, and her 17-year-old daughter Natalie are escorted by Israeli soldiers and Gal Hirsch, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's special coordinator for returning the hostages, as they return to Israel from captivity in the Gaza Strip, Friday, Oct. 20, 2023. Hamas released the pair in what it said was a goodwill gesture late Friday, nearly two weeks after they were captured in a bloody cross-border raid by the Islamic militant group. The Hamas attack sparked a war that is entering its third week, and Hamas is believed to still be holding some 200 people hostage. - Sputnik International, 1920, 20.10.2023

World

Qatar Reportedly Led Negotiation With Hamas That Resulted in Release of 2 US Hostages

20 October 2023, 22:13 GMT

21:42 GMT 20.10.2023

UNICEF Chief Believes Gaza War Has to Operate According to Humanitarian Laws

The ongoing war in Gaza has to work according to humanitarian laws, the UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell said on Friday.

“War has rules. International humanitarian law applies to all parties,” Russell posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. UNICEF calls for a ceasefire in Gaza and unimpeded humanitarian access, she added.

On Wednesday, Russell said that more than 300,000 children have been forced to flee their homes since the conflict between Israel and Palestine escalated.

21:34 GMT 20.10.2023

Israel Military Carrying Out Strikes Against Hezbollah Targets in Lebanon - IDF

The Israeli military is carrying out strikes against the positions of the Hezbollah movement in Lebanon, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said on Friday.

"IDF: Initial report- The IDF is currently striking Hezbollah terror targets in Lebanon," the IDF said on Telegram.

21:22 GMT 20.10.2023

Children from Rafah city, Gaza Strip - Sputnik International, 1920, 20.10.2023

World

Over 80 Nobel Laureates, Families Petition for Release of Child Hostages in Gaza

20 October 2023, 21:22 GMT

20:03 GMT 20.10.2023

Hamas Says in Contact With Mediators to Resolve Issue of Detained Civilians

The Palestinian movement Hamas said on Friday that it was in contact with all intermediaries to resolve the issue of detained civilians under the necessary security conditions.

Earlier in the day, spokesman for Al-Qassam Brigades, a military wing of the Hamas, Abu Obaida, said that Hamas released two captive US citizens in the Gaza Strip, a mother and her daughter, on "humanitarian grounds."

"We emphasize that we are working with all mediators to implement the movement's decision on the issue of civilians [held by Hamas] if there are appropriate security conditions," the statement said.

19:44 GMT 20.10.2023

Positions of Israeli Army Under Shelling Near Border With Lebanon - IDF

The positions of the Israeli military near the border with Lebanon have been shelled in the past hour, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) said on Friday.

"IDF: Following the initial report regarding the launches toward the Har Dov area earlier today, 20 launches were identified from Lebanon toward Israeli territory. Additionally, during the last hour, a number of anti-tank missiles were launched at IDF posts adjacent to the border with Lebanon. Furthermore, shots from light weapons were fired at IDF observation infrastructure," the IDF said on Telegram.

There are no reports of casualties from the Israeli side, and IDF soldiers are responding to the attacks with artillery fire, the statement said.

Later in the day, the IDF said that some more anti-tank missiles were launched toward its troops operating along the Lebanese border.

"IDF: A report was recieved regarding a number of anti-tank missiles that were fired toward IDF soldiers operating in the area of the Lebanese border. IDF soldiers are responding with fire toward Lebanese territory," the IDF said on Telegram.