Israel-Hamas truce November 27 updates | More Israeli hostages, Palestinians expected to be freed with extended truce

Israel has approved the inclusion of 50 female Palestinian prisoners in the list of prisoners slated for release if additional Israeli hostages are freed from Gaza, the prime minister’s office said on Tuesday.

The statement came after Qatari mediators said a four-day truce agreed to allow an exchange of Israeli hostages for Palestinian detainees that was set to expire after Monday had been extended for another two days.

- Reuters

A Red Cross bus carrying Palestinian prisoners released by Israel arrived in the West Bank city of Ramallah early on Tuesday.

It’s the fourth such release as part of the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas.

The prisoners were greeted by loud cheers by crowds surrounding the bus as it made its way through the streets of the West Bank city.

- AP

France says three of the hostages released from Gaza on Monday were French citizens, all three children.

“France welcomes the liberation of three of its children today: Eitan, Erez and Sahar,’’ the French Foreign Ministry said in a statement. ‘’They are now in security in Israel. We share the relief of their families and all those who mobilized for their freedom.’’

France thanked Egypt and the ICRC and for mediation efforts and Qatar for its ‘’decisive role’’ in the release, and said the French government is ‘’working tirelessly’’ to free five other French citizens held hostage. France’s President, Foreign Minister and Defense Minister have travelled to the region to push for the release of the hostages.

- AP

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will visit Israel, the West Bank and the United Arab Emirates later this week, a senior State Department official said on Monday, to press for more humanitarian aid into Gaza and help secure release of all hostages kidnapped by Hamas.

“The Secretary will stress the need to sustain the increased flow of humanitarian assistance to Gaza, secure the release of all hostages, and improve protections for civilians in Gaza,” a senior State Department official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said.

Mr. Blinken will also discuss with partners in the region Washington’s principles for the future of Gaza and the need for an independent Palestinian state, the official said. He will also attend the UN COP28 climate summit in Dubai, the official added.

- Reuters

The Israeli military said Monday that 11 hostages released in the Gaza Strip were back on Israeli territory.

“Our forces will accompany them until they are reunited with their families,” it said in a statement, adding the military “salutes and embraces the released hostages upon their return home”.

- AFP

The Israeli military said Monday that 11 hostages held in Gaza following Hamas’s October 7 attacks were on their way to Israel, on the last day of an initial four-day pause in the fighting.

“Based on information that was received from the Red Cross, 11 hostages are currently on their way to Israeli territory,” the military said in a statement.

Israeli hostages released from Gaza on Monday include three French citizens, two Germans and six Argentinians, a Qatari foreign ministry spokesman said on social media platform X. 

- Agencies

Around 200 container trucks brought humanitarian aid into Gaza on Monday after being inspected by Israel, including a small amount of fuel, according to the Israeli military body that handles civilian affairs.

“Four containers carrying diesel fuel and four containers carrying cooking gas were transferred from Egypt to U.N. humanitarian aid organizations in the Gaza Strip through the Rafah crossing,” COGAT said in a statement.

The aid trucks brough “food, water, shelter equipment, and medical supplies,” the statement said.

- AP

Iraq sees a risk of regional conflict if the current truce in Gaza is not turned into a permanent ceasefire, the Iraqi prime minister’s foreign affairs adviser said, as mediators sought an extension of the temporary four-day Israel-Hamas truce.

Israel’s devastating bombardment of Gaza in response to Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel has drawn in Iran-aligned armed groups in the region including Lebanese Hezbollah and several Iraqi factions, who have mounted near-daily attacks on Israeli and U.S. forces.

But there have been no reports of attacks on U.S. forces in Iraq or Syria since Israel and Hamas began a four-day truce last week that was set to expire on Monday, compared to over 70 in the weeks prior.

Some of the main Iraqi armed factions behind the recent attacks, including Kataib Sayyid al-Shuhada and Kataeb Hezbollah, have announced they will abide by the Gaza ceasefire but indicated they would resume attacks if it ends.

They have also said in statements that they still seek the eventual ouster of U.S. forces in Iraq. There are around 2,500 U.S. troops on a mission the U.S. says is to advise and assist Iraqi forces battling remnants of Islamic State.

“The entire region is on the verge of a devastating conflict that may include everyone, and the extent of its expansion or how to control and stop it is not known,” said Farhad Alaadin, foreign affairs adviser to Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani.

“For this reason, we see any ceasefire in the conflict as beneficial and important at this stage for the people of Palestine and Gaza first and for all countries in the region, including Iraq,” he told Reuters.

- Reuters

The United Nations chief hailed Monday’s two-day extension of a truce between Israel and Hamas in Gaza as a “glimpse of hope.”

“It’s a glimpse of hope and humanity in the middle of the darkness of war and I strongly hope that these will enable us to increase even more the humanitarian aid to the people in Gaza that is suffering so much,” Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said. Without more time, “it will be impossible to satisfy all the dramatic needs of the population in Gaza.”

- AFP

A multi-nation financial task force is working to crack down on funding for Hamas and other militant groups, U.S. officials said Monday.

Financial Intelligence Units in 13 western nations are looking to more effectively coordinate on financial intelligence and information sharing, and created the task force shortly after Hamas’ Oct. 7 incursion into Israel, according to a U.S. Treasury statement.

The task force members emphasized “the importance of the private sector in achieving these goals, particularly in identifying and mitigating terrorists’ use of the global financial system,” the Treasury statement said.

The U.S. State Department designated Hamas a terrorist group in 1997. The European Union and other Western countries also consider it a terrorist organization.

Co-chaired by Germany, Israel, the Netherlands, and the U.S., the task force includes Australia, Canada, Estonia, France, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, New Zealand, Switzerland and the U.K.

- AP

The U.S. said on Monday that after Hamas’ assault on Israel last month, it and several allied nations established an international task force aimed countering the flow of money to the militant Palestinian group and supporting anti-terrorism efforts. 

The task force will enhance sharing of financial intelligence on terrorist-financing related matters and will discuss best practices and opportunities for additional actions and partnerships, the U.S. Treasury Department said in a statement.

It will also strengthen relations between the financial intelligence units, public authorities and the private sector to address the threat, the statement said.

The task force is made up of financial intelligence units from Australia, Canada, Estonia, France, Germany, Israel, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Switzerland, the UK and the U.S. as well as other units.

Reuters

Iraq sees a risk of regional conflict if the current truce in Gaza is not turned into a permanent ceasefire, the Iraqi Prime Minister’s foreign affairs adviser said, as mediators sought an extension of the temporary four-day Israel-Hamas truce.

Israel’s devastating bombardment of Gaza in response to Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel has drawn in Iran-aligned armed groups in the region including Lebanese Hezbollah and several Iraqi factions, who have mounted near-daily attacks on Israeli and U.S. forces.

But there have been no reports of attacks on U.S. forces in Iraq or Syria since Israel and Hamas began a four-day truce last week that expires on Monday, compared to over 70 in the weeks prior. 

Some of the main Iraqi armed factions behind the recent attacks, including Kataib Sayyid al-Shuhada and Kataeb Hezbollah, have announced they will abide by the Gaza ceasefire but indicated they would resume attacks if it ends. 

Reuters

The spokesman for Qatar’s Foreign Ministry said on Monday that an agreement has been reached to extend the Israel-Hamas truce for another two days.

Qatar, along with Egypt, has been the key mediator in the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas.

The announcement comes on the final day of a four-day truce between the warring sides. 

AP

United Nations Secretry-General Antonio Guterres pushed on Monday for a full humanitarian ceasefire between Israel and Palestinian militants Hamas instead of a temporary truce, as the “humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza is getting worse by the day.”

Egyptian, Qatari and U.S. negotiators closed in on an extension of a four-day truce in Gaza that expires on Monday, Egyptian security sources said, amid growing global pressure to roll over a deal which has paused seven weeks of fighting.

“The dialogue that led to the agreement must continue, resulting in a full humanitarian ceasefire, for the benefit of the people of Gaza, Israel and the wider region,” Guterres’ spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in a statement.

“The United Nations will continue to support these efforts in every possible way,” he said.

Reuters

Hamas had accused Israel of failing to keep its side of the bargain and Israel was threatening to resume its lethal onslaught on the Gaza Strip.

That was the point at which a Qatari jet landed at Israel’s Ben-Gurion International Airport on Saturday. Negotiators aboard set to work, seeking to save the cease-fire deal between Israel and Gaza’s Hamas rulers before it fell apart and scuttled weeks of high-stakes diplomatic wrangling.

The first public visit by Qatari officials to Israel marked an extraordinary moment for the two countries, which have no official diplomatic relations. It also underscored the major role of the tiny emirate in bridging differences between the enemies. 

The weekend mission was successful, and most of the team jetted home. But several Qatari mediators stayed behind to work with Israeli intelligence officials on extending the four-day truce, which ends Tuesday morning, according to a diplomat briefed on the visit who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity. 

With its close ties to the United States — it hosts the largest American military base between Europe and Japan — its communication with Israel since 1995 and its support of blockaded Gaza to the tune of what estimates suggest is more than $1 billion since 2014, Qatar is uniquely positioned to break deadlocks in the cease-fire talks, which also involve the U.S. and Egypt. 

The emirate has hosted an overseas Hamas political office since 2012, allowing Qatar to wield some influence over the militant group’s decision-makers. Top Hamas officials, including the group’s supreme leader, Ismail Haniyeh, live in Qatar.

The Israeli government said Monday it had put Hamas “on notice” that an “option for an extension” of the truce in the Gaza Strip was open.

“We want to receive another additional 50 hostages beyond tonight on our way to bringing everyone home,” government spokesman Eylon Levy told reporters, announcing the move.

The terms of the truce agreement pausing the fighting in the Gaza Strip say it can be extended beyond its initial four-day term as long as 10 hostages are released for each extra day, with three times as many Palestinians freed in return.

As such, another 50 hostages would imply a five-day extension. 

AFP

Children played on a Gaza beach as displaced families left their cramped shelters for a short break during the truce between Israel and Hamas, but amid the laughter, their parents could not forget the hardships of war and homelessness.

As children splashed in the shallow water, jumping over small waves, adults in bare feet watched from the shore. Asmaa al-Sultan, a displaced woman from northern Gaza, sat on the sand with her arm around her mother. The older woman was crying quietly.

More than 30 members of the al-Sultan family are sheltering in a U.N. school in the town of Deir Al-Balah with hundreds of other displaced people. 

Reuters

The four-day truce in the Israel-Hamas conflict was an important first step but much more was needed to find a way out of the crisis, EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell told a summit of Mediterranean nations on Monday, the final day of the ceasefire.

Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki, attending the summit, warned the death toll in Gaza would double if the war restarted now.

Mr. Borrell said he regretted that Israel had not attended the Forum for the Union of the Mediterranean in Barcelona, a grouping of European, North African and Middle Eastern countries. 

Reuters

Tech entrepreneur Elon Musk voiced support on Monday for Israel after it came under attack by Palestinian Hamas militants, saying one challenge was “ultimately stopping the propaganda that is convincing people to engage in, you know, murder”.

After hearing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying Hamas must be destroyed in a live online chat, Musk said: “There’s no choice.” Musk, visiting Israel during its war on Hamas in Gaza, added: “I’d like to help as well.” 

Reuters

Egyptian, Qatari and U.S. negotiators are close to agreeing to an extension to the truce set to expire in Gaza on Monday but were still discussing the length of an extension and which prisoners would be freed under it, three Egyptian security sources said.

Palestinian group Hamas was seeking a four-day extension while Israel wanted day-by-day extensions, with negotiations continuing over which Palestinian prisoners would be freed, the sources said. 

Reuters

Israel and Hamas appeared open to extending a cease-fire in Gaza that has halted their deadliest and most destructive war but is set to expire after Monday, with a fourth exchange of militant-held hostages for Palestinians imprisoned by Israel planned for later in the day.

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 four-day truce, which came into effect Friday after several weeks of indirect negotiations mediated by the United States, Qatar and Egypt.

But Israel also says it remains committed to crushing Hamas’ military capabilities and ending its 16-year rule over Gaza after its Oct. 7 attack into southern Israel. That would likely mean expanding a ground offensive from devastated northern Gaza to the south, where hundreds of thousands of Palestinians have crammed into United Nations shelters, and where dire conditions persist despite the increased delivery of aid under the truce. 

AP

The top Palestinian diplomat made a plea to extend the fragile cease fire in Gaza that is hours from expiring at a meeting of European Union members and Middle Eastern and north African countries that focused on diplomatic efforts to stop the Israel-Hamas war.

“We have to find how to apply the necessary pressure so that the Israeli government does not continue killing innocent people so that we can continue counting cadavers,” Riad al-Malki said in Spanish during a news conference during the gathering of diplomats in Barcelona, Spain.

Israel is not attending the meeting hosted by the Union for the Mediterranean and chaired by the EU’s foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, and Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi. Many of the 42 delegations were represented by their Foreign Ministers.

AP

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 and was set to meet with top leaders.

The billionaire and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu toured the Kfar Azza kibbutz, which was stormed by Hamas militants on Oct. 7. Mr. 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 the video released by Mr. Netanyahu’s office.

Mr. Musk also was due to meet Israeli President Isaac Herzog and Benny Gantz, a former Defence Minister who’s now part of a special war Cabinet. 

AP

Iran on Monday called for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza to stop Israel’s “crimes” in the territory as the truce between Israel and Hamas entered its final day.

With the four-day truce is approaching its scheduled end early Tuesday, Hamas has said it is willing to extend the pause and free more hostages.

“As the Islamic Republic of Iran, we want and expect... that the crimes of the Zionist regime against the Palestinian people will be stopped completely,” said Nasser Kanani, Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman. - AFP

Palestinian authorities have demanded the Israeli military release information about more than 100 people thought to have been detained in Gaza during its assault on the territory following Hamas attacks.

The head of the Palestinian Authority’s commission for prisoners, Qaddura Fares, said on Sunday that Israeli officials had told him at one point their side had made 105 arrests. - AFP

Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas have raised concerns over the lists of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners due to be released on Monday, the final day of an agreed four-day pause in the fighting, an official briefed on the matter said.

The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Reuters that Qatari mediators were working with Israel and Hamas to resolve the issues and avoid delays.

“There is a slight issue with today’s lists. The Qataris are working with both sides to resolve it and avoid delays,” the official briefed on the matter said. - Reuters

Delegations from European Union member states and Middle Eastern and north African countries are meeting Monday in Barcelona, Spain, to discuss the crisis in Gaza, where a fragile pause in fighting is set to expire.

Forty-two delegations are scheduled to gather at the event hosted by the Union for the Mediterranean, with many represented by their foreign ministers. The meeting is chaired by the EU’s foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, and Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi. - AP

A four-day truce is an important first step in the Israel-Hamas conflict, but much more is needed to find a way out of the crisis, EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell said on Monday.

He was participating in the Forum for the Union of the Mediterranean in Barcelona.

- Reuters

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 four-day truce, which came into effect Friday after several weeks of indirect negotiations mediated by the United States, Qatar and Egypt.

But Israel also says it remains committed to crushing Hamas’ military capabilities and ending its 16-year rule over Gaza. That would likely mean expanding its ground offensive from devastated northern Gaza to the south, where hundreds of thousands of Palestinians have crammed into United Nations shelters, and where dire conditions persist despite the ramping up of aid delivery under the truce.

- AP

The Israel-Hamas conflict and India’s investment in the Chabahar port developments were at the top of the agenda as Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra led a delegation in Tehran for foreign office consultations (FOC) with the Iranian government on Sunday.

The talks come following Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call at the G-20 summit on November 22 for nations to “ensure” that the conflict does not “spill over” to the region, and the hijack of an India-bound ship linked to Israel last week by Yemeni Houthi fighters in the Red Sea.

Concern about rising anti-semitism in Europe is fuelled in part by what happened to Jews before and during World War II, and that makes it particularly fearsome for those who may be only one or two generations removed from people who were the victims of riots against Jews and Nazi brutality.

Antisemitism is broadly defined as hatred of Jews. But a debate has been raging for years over what actions and words should be labeled antisemitic.

Unsure about the extension of the truce before its scheduled end early on Tuesday morning, Hamas says that it is willing to extend the pause

- AFP

Over the past weeks, India has expressed itself in statements, joint statements, and votes at the United Nations on the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict, that saw a temporary pause for the exchange of hostages which began on Friday, November 24. Prime Minister Narendra Modi hosted two separate virtual summits, the concluding session of India’s G-20 and the second edition of the ‘Voice of Global South’ Summit, and spoke about the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict, as well as the importance of heeding the concerns of the developing world. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar travelled to the U.K. for talks, held along with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh “2+2” dialogues with their counterparts from the U.S. and Australia where joint statements reflected the West’s position much more.

Hamas released 17 more hostages, including 14 Israelis and the first American, in a third exchange under a four-day truce that the U.S. said it hoped would be extended. In turn, Israel released 39 Palestinian prisoners.

Most hostages were handed over directly to Israel, waving to a cheering crowd as they arrived at an air force base. Others left through Egypt. Israel’s army said one was airlifted to a hospital, and the director of Soroka Medical Center said Elma Avraham, 84, was in life-threatening condition as “a result of an extended period of time when an elderly woman was not taken care of as needed.”

- AP

Three young men of Palestinian descent who were in Burlington for a Thanksgiving holiday gathering were shot and injured — one seriously — near the University of Vermont, police said. Authorities said the attack may have been a hate crime.

The shootings occurred at about 6:25 p.m. on Saturday near the UVM campus, according to Burlington police chief Jon Murad. He said police are searching for the shooter.

The Israel-Hamas conflict and India’s investment in the Chabahar port developments were at the top of the agenda as Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra led a delegation in Tehran for foreign office consultations (FOC) with the Iranian government on Sunday.

According to officials, the talks were part of routine bilateral meetings between the two countries, but a detailed discussion on the West Asian situation also took place. A temporary ceasefire in in place in the Gaza conflict as part of a deal to exchange Israeli hostages held by Hamas and Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.

Tech entrepreneur Elon Musk, accused by civil rights groups of amplifying anti-Jewish hatred on his X social media platform, will meet Israeli President Isaac Herzog on Monday along with Israelis whose relatives have been held by Hamas in Gaza.

Plastic chairs as beds. Meals of bread and rice. Hours spent waiting for the bathroom. As former hostages return to Israel after seven weeks of Hamas captivity, information about the conditions of their confinement has emerged.

The 58 hostages freed under a cease-fire deal over the past three days have largely stayed out of the public eye, with most still in hospitals.

AP