Hopes for early release of hostages in the Gaza Strip
While the fighting in the Gaza Strip continues relentlessly, the heads of state of important emerging countries such as Russia and China want to discuss the situation in the Middle East. According to official announcements, Russia's President Vladimir Putin and China's head of state Xi Jinping as well as UN Secretary-General António Guterres will also take part in the extraordinary video conference of the so-called Brics Group.
According to the South African Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the meeting will end with a "joint statement on the situation in the Middle East with particular reference to the situation in the Gaza Strip".
The Brics meeting will be chaired by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa. He accuses Israel of war crimes in the Gaza Strip. In addition to South Africa, Russia and China, the Brics group also includes Brazil and India. Russia has offered to mediate in the Gaza war on several occasions. Following the terrorist attacks by Hamas on Israel, Putin called for a two-state solution in the Middle East. The Chinese head of state, Xi, has so far officially advocated a peaceful solution to the conflict.
Meanwhile, the US government says it is continuing to work on an agreement to free many hostages in the Gaza Strip. "I don't want to negotiate in public, but we believe we are getting closer to a solution," said National Security Council Communications Director John Kirby at the White House on Monday. However, there is nothing new to announce at the moment - they are working "hour by hour" on a solution. Kirby repeated previous US statements that an agreement was closer than ever before.
Israeli army: 40 minors among Hamas hostages in the Gaza Strip
On October 7, terrorists from Hamas and other extremist groups murdered hundreds of people in Israel and abducted around 240 hostages in the Gaza Strip. According to the Israeli army, 40 children and young people are among those kidnapped. On Monday, the military published a compilation of pictures of abducted children on the platform X, formerly Twitter. They were forced to watch "as their families were murdered before their eyes" and were still "held hostage by brutal butchers", the post said.
Qatar has an important mediating role in the negotiations to free the hostages. The President of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Mirjana Spoljaric, met Hamas leader Ismail Hanija in the Gulf state. She travelled to the emirate on Monday to promote humanitarian issues in connection with the conflict in Israel and the Gaza Strip, the aid organization announced in Geneva. The visit was part of talks between the Red Cross and all sides to "improve respect for international humanitarian law".
Meanwhile, the Israeli military continued its offensive in the sealed-off Gaza Strip and, according to its own statements, discovered a weapons depot and a Hamas rocket production facility in the basement of a mosque. Soldiers also discovered a tunnel entrance there, the army announced on Monday evening. The information could not initially be independently verified. In a video published by the armed forces, rockets, mortar shells, their components and the tunnel shaft in the basement of the building in the fiercely contested city of Gaza can be seen.
Soldiers also destroyed a weapons factory belonging to the Islamic Jihad terrorist organization in the coastal area, the army added. They also reportedly captured Hamas command centers in the city of Gaza. Tunnels had also been destroyed there in recent days and many terrorists "eliminated". Soldiers had engaged in hand-to-hand combat with them.
Israeli army: Hundreds of Palestinians from Gaza Strip interrogated
According to the army, it has interrogated hundreds of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip since the beginning of the Gaza war. Around 500 people have been questioned by a secret military unit in the course of the ground offensive, the army announced on Monday. Of these, 300 are said to have turned out to be suspected terrorists from various terrorist organizations, who were taken to Israeli territory for further interrogation. Through the interrogations, underground tunnels, warehouses and weapons were uncovered both in Gaza and in Israeli facilities.
Video allegedly shows attack by Houthi rebels with helicopter
Following the hijacking of the car carrier "Galaxy Leader" by Houthi rebels in the Red Sea, the rebels have released video footage allegedly showing the hijacking of the cargo ship. A helicopter can be seen approaching the ship and touching down on its landing platform. Several armed men then search the cargo ship.
The Iran-backed Houthi rebels announced on Sunday that they had captured an Israeli ship in the Red Sea and brought it to the Yemeni coast. The background to this was a "moral obligation towards the oppressed Palestinian people", Huthi military spokesman Jahja Sari announced via X. All ships with links to the "Israeli enemy" would be "legitimate targets". According to Israeli media, a company is behind the ship, which is partly owned by British-Israeli businessman Rami Ungar. The Japanese operator of the cargo ship, NYK Line, confirmed the hijacking.
What will be important today
Negotiations on a ceasefire for the release of hostages in the Gaza Strip are in full swing. The parties to the conflict are expected to reach an agreement shortly. Meanwhile, the Brics Group wants to discuss the situation in the Middle East. Many countries in the Global South take a different stance on the war in the Gaza Strip than Western countries such as Germany and the UK, which back Israel.
In light of the ongoing negotiations for a ceasefire and the release of hostages in the Gaza Strip, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese head of state Xi Jinping, and UN Secretary-General António Guterres will discuss their perspectives on the Middle East situation at the Brics Group's extraordinary video conference. Despite the US government's efforts to free hostages, the Israeli army has reported that 40 minors are among the Hamas hostages being held in the Gaza Strip.
Source: www.dpa.com
