عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Arab World

Israel Says it has Confirmed 212 People Held Hostage in Gaza

Destroyed buildings in Al Remal neighborhood after Israeli airstrikes on Gaza City, 22 October 2023. EPA/MOHAMMED SABER
Destroyed buildings in Al Remal neighborhood after Israeli airstrikes on Gaza City, 22 October 2023. EPA/MOHAMMED SABER
TT
TT

Israel Says it has Confirmed 212 People Held Hostage in Gaza

Destroyed buildings in Al Remal neighborhood after Israeli airstrikes on Gaza City, 22 October 2023. EPA/MOHAMMED SABER
Destroyed buildings in Al Remal neighborhood after Israeli airstrikes on Gaza City, 22 October 2023. EPA/MOHAMMED SABER

Israel has confirmed that 212 people are being held hostage in Gaza, the military spokesperson said on Sunday, adding that Israeli strikes overnight killed dozens of Palestinian fighters, including the deputy chief of Hamas rocket forces.

Israel began unrelenting airstrikes on Gaza to its southwest after Hamas gunmen breached the border on Oct. 7 and carried out a shock rampage through nearby communities, killing 1,400 people, mainly civilians, and taking the hostages back to Gaza.

Concerns about the risk of wider Middle East conflict triggered by the Israel-Hamas war rose on Sunday with the US dispatching more military assets to the region as Israel pummeled targets in Gaza and Hamas supporters in Lebanon and Syria.

On the northern front, Israel has been attacking fighters trying to fire missiles across the Lebanese border and struck a site in Lebanon from where a missile was fired at an Israeli aircraft, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said in a briefing.

Most Viewed

 
 
Arab World

US Says Committed to 'Diplomatic Resolution' in Lebanon

FILE - Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin speaks in Greenwich, London, Sept. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung, Pool, File)
FILE - Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin speaks in Greenwich, London, Sept. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung, Pool, File)
TT
TT

US Says Committed to 'Diplomatic Resolution' in Lebanon

FILE - Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin speaks in Greenwich, London, Sept. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung, Pool, File)
FILE - Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin speaks in Greenwich, London, Sept. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung, Pool, File)

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin stressed that the United States was dedicated to a diplomatic resolution in Lebanon and urged Israel to improve "dire" conditions in Gaza, in a call Saturday with his Israeli counterpart.

Austin "reiterated US commitment to a diplomatic resolution in Lebanon that allows Israeli and Lebanese civilians to return safely to their homes on both sides of the border" in his call with Israel Katz, according to a Pentagon spokesperson.

Austin also "urged the Government of Israel to continue to take steps to improve the dire humanitarian conditions in Gaza and emphasized the US commitment to securing the release of all hostages, including US citizens."

Lebanon said Saturday that an Israeli air strike in the heart of Beirut that brought down a residential building and jolted residents across the city killed at least 11 people.

Israel stepped up its campaign against the Hezbollah militant group in late September, targeting its strongholds in Lebanon.

Lebanon's health ministry says at least 3,645 people have been killed since October 2023, when Hezbollah began trading fire with Israel in solidarity with its Palestinian ally Hamas.

The United Nations and others have repeatedly decried humanitarian conditions, particularly in northern Gaza, where Israel said Friday it had killed two commanders involved in Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack.

In the call with Katz, Austin also discussed ongoing Israeli operations and reaffirmed Washington's "ironclad commitment to Israel's security," the Pentagon said.