Israel-Hamas War: Israel Frees Hostage Held By Hamas, First Rescue Since 'War' Began

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has stated that a ceasefire in Israel’s conflict with Hamas is unlikely. His statement comes at a time when UN expressed concern over insufficient aid reaching Gaza to address the unprecedented humanitarian crisis.

Israeli ground forces engaged in combat within the Gaza Strip, accompanied by airstrikes on the Hamas-controlled Palestinian territory in response to the deadliest attacks in Israel’s history on October 7.

So far, the escalated military actions have raised significant concerns for 2.4 million residents of Gaza, with the Hamas-led health ministry reporting over 8,300 casualties.

All hell broke loose in Israel on October 7 after Palestinian militant group Hamas carried out a surprise rampage into Israeli territory from all directions and began what it called ‘Operation Al Aqsa Flood’ against the country, sparking the deadliest conflict between the two sides.

Let’s Look at Some of the Updates

Two IDF Soldiers Killed During Fight With Hamas

Two IDF soldiers, Roei Wolf and Lavi Lipshitz, both 20, were killed in battle in the northern Gaza Strip, the IDF spokesperson said on Tuesday. The families of the soldiers have been notified.

The deaths were announced days after Israel began its ground invasion operation into Gaza. Maariv reported that the soldiers were killed by an RPG.

-IDF Engaged In Heavy Fighting With Hamas In Gaza

Israeli ground forces are attacking Hamas militants and infrastructure in northern Gaza as warplanes strike across the sealed-off territory. Buoyed by the first successful rescue of a captive held by Hamas, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected calls for a cease-fire and again vowed to crush the militant group’s ability to govern Gaza or threaten Israel.

More than half of Gaza’s 2.3 million Palestinians have fled their homes, with hundreds of thousands sheltering in packed U.N.-run schools-turned-shelters or in hospitals alongside thousands of wounded patients.

-IDF, ISA Kills Commander the Hamas’ Beit Lahia Battalion

Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and Israel Securities Authority (ISA) said in a joint statement that yesterday, based on intelligence, IDF fighter jets struck the Commander of the Beit Lahia Battalion of Hamas’ Northern Brigade, Nasim Abu Ajina, who directed the massacre on October 7 in the Kibbutz Erez and Moshav Netiv HaAsara.

“In the past, Abu Ajina commanded Hamas’ Aerial Array, and took part in the development of the UAVs and paragliders of the terrorist organization… His elimination significantly harms the efforts of the Hamas terrorist organization to disrupt the IDF’s ground activities,” the statement said.

-Israel Pushes Deeper Into Gaza, Frees Hostage

Israeli ground forces pushed deeper into Gaza on Monday, proceeding with tanks and other armored vehicles on the territory’s main city and freeing a soldier held captive by Hamas militants, reports said. Israel Prime Minister Netanyahu rejected calls for a cease-fire as airstrikes landed near hospitals where thousands of Palestinians are sheltering beside the wounded.

Israeli military said a soldier captured during Hamas’s October 7 attack was rescued in Gaza – the first rescue since the “war” began. Military officials provided few details but said in a statement that Pvt. Ori Megidish, 19, was “doing well” and had met with her family, news agency AP said.

-IDF Strikes Military Infrastructure in Syrian Territory, Hezbollah Terror Targets in Lebanon

Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on Tuesday said that, in response to launches from Syria toward Israeli territory earlier Sunday, its aircraft struck military infrastructure in Syrian territory.

IDF said its fighter jets also struck Hezbollah terror infrastructure in Lebanon, including weapons, posts and sites used by Hezbollah.

-‘You Have Learned Nothing’: Israel Envoy to UN Wears Holocaust-Era ‘Yellow Star’ to UNSC Meet

Israel’s United Nations ambassador displayed a yellow star on his chest Monday as he addressed the Security Council, provocatively pledging to wear the badge until members of the body condemn Hamas “atrocities.”

“Some of you have learned nothing in the past 80 years. Some of you have forgotten why this body was established,” envoy Gilad Erdan said, as he denounced the Security Council for “staying silent” over the unprecedented deadly attacks by Hamas Palestinian militants against Israel on October 7.

The deeply divided 15-member council has not adopted a single resolution on the three-week-long war between Israel and Hamas.

-Over 8,300 Casualties Reported So Far

The escalated military actions have raised significant concerns for 2.4 million residents of Gaza, with the Hamas-led health ministry reporting over 8,300 casualties.

-Netanyahu Says World Must Demand Hostages Be ‘Freed Immediately, Unconditionally’

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told his war cabinet on Monday that Israel is making “systematic progress” in its military campaign against Hamas in Gaza. Netanyahu also said that the world must demand hostages be ‘freed immediately, unconditionally.’

Netanyahu said the Israeli army “has expanded its ground entry into the Gaza Strip, it is doing it in measured, very powerful steps, making systematic progress one step at a time”, according to an official video statement of the start of the meeting.

-Shani Louk was Beheaded

The family of Shani Louk, a German-Israeli woman who was believed to have been abducted to the Gaza Strip during Hamas’s October 7 attack, is informed of her death. According to sources, the German woman apparently beheaded by Louk.

“Unfortunately, we received the news yesterday that my daughter is no longer alive,” Louk’s mother Ricarda told the German outlet RTL, according to The Times of Israel.

The music festival bordering Gaza, which 22-year-old Shani had attended, was reportedly one of the first sites to be attacked by Hamas. She was among the dozens of people captured by the members of the Palestinian outfit and paraded through the streets in the back of a pickup truck.