Israel-Hamas truce extended for two days, Qatar says

Of the roughly 240 hostages captured by Hamas in its Oct. 7 attack in southern Israel that ignited the war, 62 have been released, one was freed by Israeli forces and two were found dead inside Gaza.

Israel has said it would extend the cease-fire by one day for every 10 additional hostages released. Hamas has also said it hopes to extend the truce.

With the truce deal has come increased shipments of fuel and supplies into Gaza although aid groups say it’s still barely enough to dent the needs of the 2.3 million Palestinians in Gaza who have endured weeks of Israeli siege and bombardment.

More than 13,300 Palestinians have been killed since the war began, roughly two thirds of them women and minors, according to the Hamas-controlled Health Ministry in Gaza, which does not differentiate between civilians and combatants.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said he will press ahead with the war after the cease-fire expires.

Some 1,200 people have been killed in Israel, mostly during the initial incursion by Hamas.

At least 77 soldiers have been killed in Israel’s ground offensive.

ELDERLY ISRAELI HOSTAGE STILL IN CRITICAL CONDITION A DAY AFTER RELEASE

The 84-year-old Israeli hostage Elma Avraham is still in critical condition a day after she was released from Hamas captivity and airlifted directly to a hospital, her doctors said Monday.

“If she wasn’t brought to us yesterday, or if there was any delay in her arrival, her condition would have deteriorated further,” Dr. Tzachi Slotsky, the deputy administrator of Soroka Medical Center in Beer Sheba, said in a news conference.

Avraham’s daughter, Tali Amano, said her mother left Gaza just “hours from death” with a body temperature of 28 degrees Celsius. Avraham is currently intubated and sedated, but Amano was able to tell her mother beforehand of a new great-grandchild born while she was in captivity.

Amano said her mother had several chronic conditions that required regular medication, but her health was stable before she was kidnapped. She said the family met multiple times with the Red Cross, medications in hand, imploring the aid group to find a way to get the medications to her mother.

“We are so happy to see everyone who returned before her, waving and healthy, but my mother did not deserve to return this way, she was severely medically neglected,” said Amano.

“We are here today to try to save who is still left,” Amano told reporters, “so someone will be able to convince the Red Cross and all the women’s organizations to act, so someone will raise their voices and ask; Why are you there? What are you doing?”

Responding to Avraham’s comments, The International Committee of the Red Cross said Monday that they are currently unable to deliver medicine directly to hostages despite requests from family members.

“As soon as we would have the right to visit the hostages, we will be ready with the necessary medicines and other aid in hand to deliver,” said ICRC Media Chief Jason Straziuso, in a brief statement shared with The Associated Press.

“We continue calling for access to the hostages, as weÂve done from Day 1, and we are ready to carry out those visits,” he said. The statement did not offer details about what has prevented the organization from accessing hostages.

ELON MUSK VISITS A KIBBUTZ THAT WAS ATTACKED BY HAMAS

Elon Musk, who’s been under fire over accusations of antisemitism flourishing on his social media platform X, paid a visit Monday to Israel, where he toured a kibbutz that was attacked last month by Hamas militants.

The billionaire and Netanyahu toured the Kfar Azza kibbutz, which was stormed by Hamas militants on Oct. 7. Musk, wearing a protective vest and escorted by a phalanx of security personnel, used his phone to take photos or videos of the devastation, according to video released by Netanyahu’s office.

“The platforms you lead, unfortunately, have a huge reservoir of hatred, hatred of Jews, and anti-Semitism,” Israeli President Isaac Herzog told Musk during their meeting.

“It’s amazing what humans can do if there are fed lies since they were children, they will think that murdering innocents is a good thing, which shows how much propaganda can affect people’s minds,” Musk said, according to a statement released by Herzog’s office.

Government spokesperson Eylon Levy declined to say whether Musk was invited or came on his own. X, formerly known as Twitter, did not respond to a request for comment.

Israel’s communications minister, Shlomo Karhi, posted on X earlier Monday about a deal that his ministry had reached with Musk’s Starlink satellite internet company.

“As a result of this significant agreement, Starlink satellite units can only be operated in Israel with the approval of the Israeli Ministry of Communications, including the Gaza Strip,” Karhi wrote, without providing further details.

Musk had responded on X this month to a user who accused Jews of hating white people and professing indifference to antisemitism by saying, “You have said the actual truth.”

by The Associated Press

Israel-Hamas truce extended for two days, Qatar says

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