Israel-Hamas Conflict Live: Gaza Under ‘Near-Total’ Internet Blackout; 137 Hostages Remain In Captivity
Live Updates
Demonstrators hold posters reading ‘UN Women, your silence is loud’, alongside pictures of Israeli women being held hostage in Gaza, during a rally on London on Dec. 3, 2023.
AFP
Two months into the Israel-Hama war, Gaza has been plunged once more into a communications blackout. Israeli authorities revealed that there are still more than 130 hostages remaining in Gaza, and eight hostages have died in captivity.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a meeting with the war cabinet late Monday as the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) continue to expand operations across the Gaza Strip.
The Israeli government denied the World Health Organization (WHO) chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus’ statement that the agency was asked by the IDF to evacuate its warehouse in southern Gaza.
Hamas militants launched a surprise invasion in Israel on Oct. 7, killing more than a thousand people – Israelis and foreigners alike – and abducting over 200 individuals. More than 100 hostages have been freed under the seven-day ceasefire last week that ultimately collapsed Friday after Hamas failed to deliver another list of hostages slated for release and fired rockets into Israeli territory.
The Oct. 7 massacre stems from deep-rooted Israel-Palestine tensions that triggered multiple skirmishes between Israeli troops and Palestinian factions over the past decades.
U.S. President Joe Biden has repeatedly said a two-state solution should resolve the territorial disputes between the warring sides.
