Israel–Hamas war

Israel's Defence Minister Yoav Gallant praised a successful rescue mission in Gaza, where two hostages were freed from Hamas captivity amid ongoing airstrikes, according to the Times of Israel. The operation, which unfolded overnight, marked the second such rescue since October 7.

Hamas warned Israel on Sunday that a ground offensive in Rafah, crowded with displaced Gazans, would imperil future hostage releases, as the Hamas-run territory's health ministry said at least 52 people were killed in heavy air strikes before dawn on Monday.

The strikes hit 14 houses and three mosques in different parts of Rafah, according to the Hamas government.

Iran marked Sunday the 45th anniversary of the 1979 Islamic Revolution amid tensions gripping the wider Middle East over Israel's continued war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

Thousands of Iranians marched through major streets and squares decorated with flags, balloons and banners with revolutionary and religious slogans.

The threat of an Israeli incursion into Gaza's southernmost town of Rafah persisted Sunday, but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised "safe passage" to civilians displaced there.

In an interview airing Sunday, Netanyahu reiterated his intention to extend Israel's military operation against Hamas into Rafah.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has instructed the military to prepare a strategy for evacuating the population from Rafah, his office announced on Friday, ahead of a planned ground offensive in the area, CNN reports.

Netanyahu wants to completely destroy Hamas, which many call unrealistic.
According to the newspaper, US Secret Service officials said in private conversations with members of the US Congress this week that the Israeli military has killed fewer Hamas fighters than Netanyahu claims, estimating that only about a third are armed members of the movement.

Overnight, approximately 30 rockets were launched from Lebanese territory into northern Israel, targeting areas such as Ein Zeitim and Dalton. The rocket attacks followed an Israeli drone strike in southern Lebanon, which wounded a Hezbollah commander.

A fresh set of discussions regarding the Middle East conflict is anticipated to commence in Cairo today.

However, the prospects of the talks proceeding remain uncertain following Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's recent dismissal of Hamas' ceasefire proposal. Netanyahu affirmed that the military operation in the Gaza Strip would persist until achieving "complete victory."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday dismissed Hamas's demand for a ceasefire and ordered troops to prepare to move on the city of Rafah in Gaza's far south, where more than one million Palestinians have sought refuge.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem on Wednesday to push for a ceasefire as the Gaza war enters its fifth month.