Military: Hamas hostages were in hospital
Several of the hostages held by the Islamist Hamas in the Gaza Strip have been temporarily taken to the Shifa Hospital in Gaza, according to Israel. Israel's army released footage from the hospital's surveillance cameras on Sunday evening, allegedly showing a kidnapped Nepalese national and a Thai national in the facility on October 7.
"These findings prove that the Hamas terrorist organization used the Shifa Hospital complex as a terrorist infrastructure on the day of the massacre," it said.
The footage shows a suspected hostage being pushed into a room on a hospital bed with a visible injury to her arm. The second suspected hostage is being dragged through the corridors of the medical center by several armed men. The footage could not initially be independently verified. Reactions from Thailand and Nepal were pending.
Israeli army publishes video of tunnel under Shifa clinic
Israel's army also published further details about a suspected Hamas tunnel under the hospital complex. The shaft uncovered a few days ago leads to a tunnel with a length of around 55 meters at a depth of 10 meters, the army announced on Sunday. The military provided images from two devices that show the tunnel from the inside. An "explosion-proof door" is located at the end of the tunnel.
What exactly is behind the door was initially unclear. The Israeli troops were also busy "uncovering the route of the tunnel", according to the military. According to the army, the tunnel entrance had been uncovered under a vehicle in the area of the hospital. The information could not be independently verified.
Despite international criticism, Israeli soldiers have been deployed for days in and around the largest hospital in the Gaza Strip. Israel accuses the Islamist Hamas of misusing the hospital for "terrorist purposes" and operating a "command center" under the buildings. Hamas, which is classified as a terrorist organization by the EU and the USA, denies this.
Hamas. Already more than 13,000 dead in the Gaza Strip
According to Hamas, the number of Palestinians killed in the Gaza Strip has risen to more than 13,000 and more than 30,000 people have been injured, the government press office announced on Sunday evening. These figures cannot currently be independently verified. French President Emmanuel Macron reminded Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of the absolute necessity to distinguish between terrorists and the population, the Élysée Palace announced on Sunday evening. There were too many civilian casualties.
A pause in the fighting is reportedly approaching
Meanwhile, a pause in the fighting for the release of hostages is reportedly imminent. A Hamas official is said to have told the Jordanian newspaper "Al Ghad" that a pause in the fighting will come into force this Monday at 11.00 a.m. local time as part of an agreement allegedly reached on the release of Israeli hostages, the news website "Ynet" reported. However, an Israeli official denied this and stated that there was no such agreement. There was no official confirmation of this from the Israeli side.
The US Deputy National Security Advisor, Jon Finer, had previously stated on US television on Sunday that there was still no agreement on the release of the hostages, but that they were closer to an agreement at the present time "than we have perhaps ever been since these negotiations began weeks ago". Qatar's Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, whose emirate has an important mediating role, said that there were only very low hurdles for an agreement between Israel and Hamas. There was initially no confirmation from the Israeli side on Sunday.
The war was triggered by the worst massacre in Israel's history, carried out by terrorists from Hamas and other extremist groups on October 7 in Israel near the border with the Gaza Strip. More than 1,200 people were killed on the Israeli side, including at least 859 civilians. In addition, around 240 hostages, including some from Germany, were taken to Gaza.
Report: Relatives of the hostages meet Israel's war cabinet
According to a media report, members of the Israeli war cabinet want to meet with family members of the hostages on Monday. As the newspaper "The Times of Israel" reported on Monday night, it was initially unclear how many relatives would be attending the meeting, which is expected to take place in the evening. There was initially no confirmation of the meeting from the official Israeli side.
Israeli army mourns hundreds of deaths in its own ranks
Since the beginning of Israel's ground operations in the Gaza Strip in response to Hamas terror, 64 soldiers have been killed, according to military figures. Since the massacre by Hamas terrorists and other groups, a total of 385 Israeli soldiers have been killed, an army spokesman said on Sunday. This figure also includes soldiers killed on the border with Lebanon.
What is important today
According to an unconfirmed media report, a Hamas representative is said to have announced a pause in the fighting, which will allegedly come into effect at 11.00 a.m. local time. Meanwhile, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell is ending a trip to the Middle East with political talks in Jordan. At 6.30 p.m. there will be a video link between the EU foreign ministers and Borrell and Saudi Arabia's foreign minister. The EU chief diplomat and Faisal bin Farhan will report on talks in the Middle East.
The ongoing conflicts in the Middle East have led to significant casualties, with Hamas reporting over 13,000 deaths and 30,000 injuries in the Gaza Strip. Despite this, Shifa Hospital in the Gaza Strip, which is often used for treating victims of the conflict, has been accused of being used as a "terrorist infrastructure" and a "command center" by Israel. This allegation is based on footage released by Israel's army showing suspected hostages being moved within the hospital and a suspected tunnel under the hospital complex.
Source: www.dpa.com
