Israel-Hamas war: IDF says 2 hostages freed in Rafah raid

A top United Arab Emirates (UAE) diplomat has defended her country's decision to maintain ties with Israel despite its mounting concern over the war in Gaza.

"Because of that cooperation, we have a field hospital in Gaza and we have a maritime hospital docking in the Al-Arish port [in Egypt]," said Lana Nusseibeh, the UAE's ambassador to the UN speaking at the World Governments Summit, an annual gathering of business and political leaders in Dubai.

But she admitted that, "for the residents of Gaza, it's not enough."

The UAE established diplomatic ties with Israel in 2020 as part of the US-brokered Abraham Accords, making it one of the few Arab countries to recognize Israel.

But despite maintaining its ties with Israel since the Israel-Hamas war began in October, the UAE has been at pains to express solidarity with Palestinians as anger mounted in the Arab world over the conflict.

"What we need is a humanitarian ceasefire and a two-state solution," she added. "Will we get that by talking to the people who agree with us? No. We will get that by talking to the people who disagree with us and the UAE will always be proud of doing that."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has shown no interest in reviving negotiations toward a Palestinian state, but Nusseibeh insisted: "You cannot deny the Palestinian right to statehood, and that is an Arab consensus."

The UAE has invested billions of dollars in development projects in both Gaza and the Israeli-occupied West Bank in recent decades, Nusseibeh said.

"But we cannot keep funding and then seeing everything that we have built destroyed. We need to see a series of confidence building measures, including with the Israelis."

The chief prosecutor at the International Criminal Court (ICC) Karim Khan joined a growing chorus of voices citing concerns over a looming Israeli ground incursion in the southern Gazan city of Rafah.

"I am deeply concerned by the reported bombardment and potential ground incursion by Israeli forces in Rafah," Khan wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.

"My Office has an ongoing and active investigation into the situation in the State of Palestine. This is being taken forward as a matter of the utmost urgency, with a view to bringing to justice those responsible for Rome Statute crimes," he added. 

Palestinian statehood is currently disputed among scholars, diplomats and individual nations.

The Hague-based court has been investigating crimes in the Palestinian territories committed by both sides since 2021 but has yet to announce any charges. It's investigation is independent of the genocide case being considered by the International Court of Justice. 

Israel has described Rafah as the last remaining Hamas stronghold in the territory and signaled that its ground offensive might soon target the town close to the Egypt border.

Some 1.4 million Palestinians are believed to be sheltering in the city.

US President Joe Biden is set to host Jordan's King Abdullah II at the White House today.

The two leaders are expected to discuss the ongoing effort to free hostages held in Gaza and growing concern over a possible Israeli military ground operation in the southern city of Rafah.

Dozens of people were killed overnight after Israeli airstrikes targeted different parts of Rafah.

The meeting between the allies comes as the Biden administration continues work to broker another pause in Israel’s war against Hamas militants in order tosend humanitarian aid and supplies into the region and free remaining hostages.

The meeting between the allies will also be the first since three American troops were killed last month in a drone strike against a US base in Jordan. 

European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said it might be time for the international community to "think about the provision of arms" to Israel given the high civilian death toll in Gaza.

In a veiled reference to the United States, Borrell recalled President Joe Biden said last week that Israel's response to the October 7 Hamas attack had been "over the top," and US officials had repeatedly said that too many civilians were being killed in Gaza.

"Well, if you believe that too many people are being killed, maybe you should provide less arms in order to prevent so many people being killed," Borrell said at a press conference after a meeting with the bloc's development ministers in Brussels.

The ministers were also set for lunch with the UN's Palestinian relief agency head Philippe Lazzarini to discuss humanitarian needs in Gaza as well as actions taken by the relief agency in light of allegations concerning the involvement of some staff members in the October 7 attacks. 

 

The Hamas-run health ministry in the Gaza Strip said at least 28,340 Palestinians, mainly women and children, have been killed, with another 67,984 injured in Israeli retaliatory strikes on the territory since October 7. 

The toll includes 164 people killed in the last 24 hours, the ministry added.

Figures from the ministry are deemed largely accurate by the UN and others, but they do not differentiate between militants and civilians.

Israel's assault on the Gaza Strip came in response to deadly raids by Hamas in the south of Israel in which some 1,200 Israelis were killed, mostly civilians, and some 240 people kidnapped.

Hamas is classified as a terrorist organization by Israel, the US, the EU, Germany and several other governments. 

A Dutch court has ruled that the Netherlands must halt all exports of F-35 fighter jet parts to Israel.

The case was lodged against the government by Oxfam Novib and other rights groups which said the exports could make the Netherlands complicit in potential war crimes in Gaza.

"It is undeniable that there is a clear risk that the exported F-35 parts are used in serious violations of international humanitarian law," judge Bas Boele said in the ruling on Monday.

The Netherlands now has seven days to comply with the court order. The Dutch government said it would appeal the order at the Supreme Court of the Netherlands.

Israel has previously rejected claims that it has violated the laws of war in its offensive against Hamas militants in Gaza. A number of governments including the US, the EU and Germany categorize Hamas as a terrorist group.

UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron has warned Israel against further action in the city of Rafah where more than a million Palestinian refugees have fled following previous Israeli operations.

"We are very concerned about the situation and we want Israel to stop and think very seriously before it takes any further action," Cameron said on Monday

"But above all, what we want is an immediate pause in the fighting and we want that pause to lead to a cease-fire."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has already rejected international calls to hold back on a planned operation in Rafah — the last city in the besieged enclave that is considered somewhat safe.

International organizations have warned of a humanitarian catastrophe if the operations go ahead.

Most of Gaza's population, many of whom are children, is already suffering from malnutrition due to the lack of necessary aid entering the strip.

Netanyahu said on Monday that the operation was the only way to secure the release of the remaining hostages being held by Hamas and other groups in Gaza.

On Sunday he told US television network ABC news, Israel was working on a "detailed plan" to move civilians into previously cleared areas of Gaza.

"This is part of our war effort to get civilians out of harm's way; it's part of Hamas's effort to keep them in harm's way," he said.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday that the Israeli military would continue its operations in Gaza — including in Rafah — despite international warnings that it would severely worsen the humanitarian situation.

"Only continued military pressure, until complete victory, will result in the release of all our hostages," he said according to a statement released by his office.

Israeli forces rescued two hostages overnight, but also killed scores of Palestinians.

Pressure has been mounting on Netanyahu, with families of hostages demanding more be down to secure their release, while the international community — including Israel's main supporter, the United State — calling for more to be down to protect Palestinian citizens.

Netanyahu, who was facing legal problems over alleged corruption before the war began, has continuously rejected calls to end the conflict.

Over 28,000 Palestinians have been killed so far, most of them women and children according to the Health Ministry in Hamas-run Gaza. The UN considers the death toll to be a reliable account.

More than 200 people were taken hostage on October 7 in attacks led by Hamas — designated a terrorist organization by the US, EU and Israel among others. Around 130 are believed to still be in Gaza.

US President Joe Biden is scheduled to host Jordan's King Abdullah II in Washington on Monday to discuss resolving the Israel-Hamas war, the White House said.

It will be the first time Biden and Abdullah have met since the October 7 Hamas terror attacks on Israel that caused the ongoing war. The king, who has been vocal in calling for an end to Israel's campaign, on Thursday left on a tour of major Western capitals.

Abdullah is expected to push the US government to pressure Israel to lift restrictions on giving more assistance to Palestinians amid the growing risk of famine in Gaza.  

The Israeli military said on Monday it had conducted a "series of strikes" on southern Gaza that have now "concluded," without providing further details.

Israeli planes, tanks and ships took part in the hits, with two mosques and several houses struck, residents told Reuters.

Both Reuters and AFP news agencies, citing officials in Gaza's Hamas-run Health Ministry, reported dozens dead amid the Israeli strikes on Rafah. 

The United States, European Union and others expressed concern about a possible intensive Israeli operation in Rafah, where over 1 million Palestinians are believed to be sheltering.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has deemed the operation necessary to root out Hamas and said there would be an evacuation plan for people in Rafah, where more than half of the Gaza Strip population has sought shelter amid the war.    

Friedrich Merz, the leader of Germany's biggest opposition party, the conservative Christian Democratic Union, will visit Israel on Monday. 

During the trip, Merz will meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Isaac Herzog and Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid, among others.    

Merz is a staunch backer of Israel. He has proposed that immigrants should have to recognize Israel as a state in order to naturalize as German.

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, a member of the environmentalist Greens, is also expected to visit Israel this week.     

The Israeli military said on Monday that two hostages taken by Hamas during the October 7 terror attacks were freed during an overnight operation in the southern Gaza city of Rafah.

The military said in a statement that "during a joint IDF (military), ISA (Shin Bet security agency), and Israel Police operation in Rafah, overnight, two Israeli hostages were rescued, Fernando Simon Marman (60) and Louis Har (70)," adding the pair were in "good medical condition."

The hostages were taken to Sheba hospital in central Israel, a statement from the hospital said, and were confirmed by doctors to be in "good condition."

Around 130 hostages are believed to still be held by Hamas.

dh/wd (Reuters, AP, AFP, dpa)