The armed wing of Hamas said on Wednesday that 10-month-old Kfir Bibas, his four-year-old brother and their mother, who were being held hostage, were killed during the Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip.
The Israeli army said it was checking the claim by al-Qassam brigades. Reuters, who reported it, could not immediately independently verify the claim.
The Bibas family had repeatedly called for the release of the family. Kfir was abducted from Nir Oz kibbutz along with his older brother, Ariel, their mother, Shiri, and father, Yarden. He was the youngest of about 30 children who were taken hostage.
Israeli Defense Forces spokesperson Daniel Hagari has announced that according to information provided by the Red Cross, two Israeli hostages were transferred to the international humanitarian organization and “are on their way to Israeli territory.”
“Their release is in addition to the list of abductees scheduled to be released today,” he added.
The US is hopeful that the truce in Gaza between Israel and Hamas can be extended, US ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield told reporters on Wednesday, Reuters reports.
“We’re hopeful the truce can be extended,” Thomas-Greenfield said, adding, “This is all in the hands of Hamas. The Israelis have said if they continue to release 10 hostages a day, they will extend by a day. So it truly is in their hands. But I do think there’s a potential for that and we’re actively working to extend the deal.”
In an address on Wednesday to commemorate the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, the UN general assembly president, Dennis France, said:
The Palestinian people – as all human beings – are entitled to their fundamental and inalienable right to live in dignity, with all liberties; freedom of movement; freedom from fear and from any want; and with unfettered access to basic services …
It is, therefore, imperative that we restore and sustain their hope – especially among the younger generations that have never experienced what peace looks or feels like.
By doing so, we will have fulfilled our duty of care – in reaffirming the fundamental principle that all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.
Thus, upholding these basic tenets is key to fostering a just, sustainable, and peaceful future for all Palestinian people.
But, for us to ensure that every Palestinian sees these inalienable rights as realised and respected, first and foremost we need permanent peace in the Middle East.
Second, we need to re-engage in dialogue, in good faith, building trust – while adhering to the relevant UN resolutions and international instruments …
As we reiterate the general assembly’s undiminished call for peace, we too must advocate for open channels of communication – accompanied by robust support from the international community – leading to the two-state solution, as the only viable option for lasting peace in the Middle East.
Three Qatari armed forces aircraft carrying 108 tons of aid for Palestinians in Gaza have arrived in El Erish, Egypt, Qatar’s news agency announced on Wednesday.
The three planes, which carried basic food supplies and shelter equipment, brings the total number of Qatari planes sent to Gaza to 30, carrying 1,018 tons of aid.
The family of 10-month-old Kfir Bibas has released the following statement on Wednesday surrounding Hamas’s reports that Kfir, his four-year-old brother and their mother had been killed by Israeli bombardment in Gaza:
Our family has learned of Hamas’ latest claims. We are waiting for the information to be confirmed and hopefully refuted by military officials.
We thank the people of Israel for their warm support, but kindly request privacy during this difficult time. Thank you very much.
Speaking at the UN security council on Wednesday, Palestine’s foreign minister, Riad al-Maliki, said that the ongoing violence between Israel and Hamas was “not a war” but rather a “carnage that no one can justify”.
“It must be brought to an end,” al-Maliki said, adding: “Over 15,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israel. Over 10,000 of them are women and children. They have been killed by Israel. They did not lose their life; it was taken away. No one is safe in Gaza, not the children, not the doctors, not the humanitarian personnel, not the journalists, not the UN staff. They were killed at an unprecedented pace in modern history.”
“We are at a historic crossroad,” he said.
The World Health Organization on Wednesday called for Gaza’s vulnerable health infrastructure to be safeguarded as the war-torn territory faces an increased risk of epidemics and challenges in detecting infectious diseases.
Reuters reports:
Speaking at a press conference in Geneva, World Health Organization director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said only 15 of Gaza’s 36 hospitals were still functioning and were completely overwhelmed.
“Of the 25 hospitals north of the Wadi Gaza (river) before the conflict began, only three are functioning at the most basic level, but they lack fuel, water and food,” Tedros said, adding that “the remaining health system capacity must be protected, supported and expanded”.
The agency has noted a staggering increase in cases of diarrhoea, especially among infants and children, and detected “very serious signals around acute jaundice syndrome” in the enclave.
“With severe overcrowding, the risks are increasing for epidemics of respiratory tract infections, acute watery diarrhoea, hepatitis, scabies, lice and other diseases,” Tedros said.
Tedros, who said that 1.3 million people were currently living in shelters in Gaza, said the enclave had recorded 111,000 acute respiratory infections, 24,000 cases of skin rash and 12,000 cases of scabies since the conflict began.
Mike Ryan, head of WHO’s health emergencies programme, said the detection of infectious diseases in Gaza had become more complicated given that samples could not longer be sent to Israel or the West Bank for processing.
“Not only has Gaza lost its hospital capability, it has lost its ability to confirm even the most basic of diseases,” he said. “This creates a blind spot where we have huge risk of epidemic diseases.”
The WHO welcomed the extension of the truce but said the prospect of the conflict flaring up again was very high and could further harm the health system.
“Any resumption of violence could damage the health facilities and make more health facilities dysfunctional,” said Richard Peeperkorn, WHO representative in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, adding, “Gaza can absolutely not afford to lose more hospital beds … We need to make the vulnerable system work again.”
Jordan will host an international conference on Thursday that will be attended by the main UN bodies, as well as regional and international relief agencies to coordinate humanitarian aid to Gaza, Reuters reports.
The UN aid head, Martin Griffiths, as well as key UN bodies and NGOs involved in increasing the entry of aid into Gaza, are expected to attend the conference, along with representatives from western and Arab countries.
The UN secretary-general, António Guterres, said on Wednesday that Gaza is in the midst of an “epic humanitarian catastrophe”.
Addressing a UN security council meeting chaired by China’s foreign minister, Wang Yi, Guterres said “we must not look away” from the deteriorating humanitarian crisis that has engulfed Gaza, Reuters reports.
He added:
“Intense negotiations are taking place to prolong the truce * which we strongly welcome – but we believe we need a true humanitarian ceasefire.”
Despite the UN increasing the amount of humanitarian aid being delivered to Gaza amid the truce, Guterres said the level of aid “remains completely inadequate to meet the huge needs”.
Meanwhile, the Palestinian foreign minister, Riyad al-Maliki, told the council the “truce must become a ceasefire, a permanent ceasefire”, adding that the “massacres cannot be allowed to resume”.
He added:
“Our people are faced with an existential threat. Make no mistake about it. With all the talk about the destruction of Israel, it is Palestine that is facing a plan to destroy it, implemented in broad daylight.”
Several Arab foreign ministers were also due to address the security council later on Wednesday, Reuters reports.
Ahed Tamimi, 22, a symbol of resistance against the Israeli occupation, is among the 50 jailed Palestinians who are listed for release by Israel.
The Guardian’s Bethan McKernan and Sufian Taha reports:
Another 50 Palestinian prisoners and detainees in Israeli jails have been put forward as candidates for release after the hostage swap and ceasefire deal with Hamas in the Gaza Strip was extended for another two days – including the high-profile activist Ahed Tamimi.
Tamimi, 22, was on the list released by Israel’s justice ministry on Tuesday. The writer, part of a prominent family from the West Bank village of Nabi Salih, has been a symbol of resistance against the Israeli occupation for protest action and confronting Israeli soldiers since she was about 11 years old.
Tamimi was sentenced to eight months in prison for slapping and kicking an Israeli soldier in 2017 after her 15-year-old cousin was shot in the head with a rubber bullet during a protest. The incident was filmed, propelling the then-16-year-old to worldwide fame.
She was rearrested in November this year for alleged incitement on social media in the aftermath of the 7 October attack by the Palestinian militant group Hamas, which killed 1,200 Israelis and triggered the new war in Gaza that has killed almost 14,000 Palestinians and caused a devastating humanitarian crisis.
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The Israel Defense Forces have released a statement on Telegram regarding 10-month old Kfir Bibas but did not confirm whether he has been killed:
During the Hamas massacre of October 7, the Bibas family, including 10-month-old Kfir Bibas, his four-year-old brother, Ariel Bibas, and their mother, Shiri Bibas – were kidnapped alive into Gaza.
The barbarism and cruelty of Hamas is on full display to the world. IDF representatives spoke with the Bibas family following the recent reports and are with them at this difficult time. The IDF is assessing the accuracy of the information.
Hamas is wholly responsible for the security of all hostages in the Gaza Strip. Hamas must be held accountable. Hamas’s actions continue to endanger the hostages, which include nine children. Hamas must immediately release our hostages.
The IDF, along with other security agencies, will continue to accompany the Bibas family, as well as all families of the hostages and missing persons.
It has just gone 5pm in Gaza City and in Tel Aviv. Here are the latest headlines …
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The armed wing of Hamas said on Wednesday that 10-month-old Kfir Bibas, his four-year-old brother and their mother, who were being held hostage, were killed during the Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip. The Israeli army said it is checking the claim by Al Qassam Brigades. Israel earlier said it believes there are 161 people seized in Israel on 7 October who are still being held captive in Gaza.
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Residents of Gaza and the families and loved ones of those believed to be held hostage by Hamas are anxiously waiting to see if the fragile truce between Israel and Hamas will be extended. Fighting was paused on Friday, but today is the last day of the extended truce deal.
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The latest exchange of hostages in Gaza for Palestinian detainees in Israeli jails took place on Tuesday night. Twelve hostages – 10 Israelis and two Thai nationals – are now in Israel. The 30 Palestinians released from Israeli prisons on Tuesday were 15 children and 15 women. In a statement, the Israel prison service said the 30 Palestinians were released from Ofer prison, near Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, and from a detention centre in Jerusalem.
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Egyptian sources have told news agencies that negotiations for the release of further civilian hostages are going well and that the truce could be extended for two days. However, CNN is reporting that officials from the International Committee of the Red Cross have as yet been unable to visit hostages in Gaza, which is in contradiction to the truce agreement.
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Israel’s military has claimed that it has killed Muhammad Zubeidi, who it says was the commander of the Jenin branch of Palestinian Islamic Jihad, during an operation inside the occupied city. The Palestinian health ministry said two Palestinian children were killed by Israeli forces. Video and photographs showed damage to houses, cars and roads during an operation said to involve hundreds of troops of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), the latest in a string of confrontations in the occupied Palestinian city since 7 October.
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A Hamas official has said in addition to the releases as part of the truce deal, it is planning to release Russian hostages, as a show of “gratitude” to Vladimir Putin and Russia’s position on the conflict in Gaza.
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The UN has called for the international community to move towards a two-state solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, saying Jerusalem should serve as the capital of both states. “It is long past time to move in a determined, irreversible way towards a two-state solution, on the basis of UN resolutions and international law,” said Tatiana Valovaya, the director general of the UN office in Geneva, delivering a speech authored by the UN secretary general, António Guterres.
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Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has called Benjamin Netanyahu “the butcher of Gaza” and accused Israel’s prime minister of spawning antisemitism across the world.
The armed wing of Hamas said on Wednesday that 10-month-old Kfir Bibas, his four-year-old brother and their mother, who were being held hostage, were killed during the Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip.
The Israeli army said it was checking the claim by al-Qassam brigades. Reuters, who reported it, could not immediately independently verify the claim.
The Bibas family had repeatedly called for the release of the family. Kfir was abducted from Nir Oz kibbutz along with his older brother, Ariel, their mother, Shiri, and father, Yarden. He was the youngest of about 30 children who were taken hostage.
Reuters has a quick snap that its Egyptian sources have said negotiations for the release of further civilian hostages are going well and that the truce could be extended for two days.
More details soon …
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Israel-Hamas war live: Hamas says 10-month-old hostage and two family members killed in Israeli bombardment - The Guardian
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