- Telecommunications services are slowly being restored in parts of Gaza, amid a communications blackout that has isolated the enclave from the outside world and hampered aid and rescue efforts.
- The killings have fueled Israeli anger at the government and Netanyahu over the Gaza war.
- Israeli military officials say 116 soldiers were killed during the country’s ground invasion of Gaza, which was captured by Hamas on Oct. 7, taking 240 hostages, and 1,200 people are killed.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said late yesterday that the IDF was ready for talks, even if it would extend its military operations until Sunday.
The IDF’s killing of three Israeli hostages in Gaza is leading to increased pressure for another round of negotiations between Israel and Hamas to free the remaining hostages to continue a full-scale assault on Gaza. The killings have fueled Israeli anger at the government and Netanyahu over the Gaza war.
Three hostage killings
The IDF said it located a sign written on what appeared to be a white sheet with leftover food that stated,Help!” Three hostages, incorrect for militants, had been recognized in a building near where they were killed.
Hamas says it will not negotiate until Israel stops its attacks on Palestinians. It communicated this position to Qatar, which brokered a hostage exchange and ceasefire late last month.
Telecommunications services are slowly being restored in parts of Gaza, amid a communications blackout that has isolated the enclave from the outside world and hampered aid and rescue efforts.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is on a tour of the Middle East this weekend, with stops planned in Israel, Qatar and Bahrain. He plans to discuss “high-intensity ground operations and an eventual cessation of airstrikes” with Israel, reiterating the US push for an end to land hostilities.
More than 18,700 Palestinians have been killed, 70% of them women and children, according to the territory’s health authorities. Most of Gaza’s 2.2 million people have been displaced, and half face starvation amid an unfolding humanitarian crisis.
Israeli military officials say 116 soldiers were killed during the country’s ground invasion of Gaza, which was captured by Hamas on Oct. 7, taking 240 hostages, and 1,200 people are killed.
NBC News’ Richard Engel, Raf Sanchez, Hala Gorani, Hallie Jackson, Ali Arouzi and Chantal Da Silva report from the region.
