Latest developments:
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejects calls to declare a cease-fire in Gaza.
U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees says civil order in Gaza is breaking down, denounces bombing campaign as “collective punishment."
Israel hits 600 targets in one day as it expands assault on Gaza.
Israel also hits targets in Syria and Lebanon.
An Israeli soldier held captive by Hamas was freed Monday during military operations in Gaza, according to Israel’s military.
Hamas releases video of three hostages. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu calls it "cruel psychological propaganda."
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is rejecting calls from around the world to declare a cease-fire in Israel’s military campaign on Hamas militants in Gaza.
Israeli airstrikes on Gaza since the October 7 attack by Hamas militants on southern Gaza have led to a humanitarian crisis in the crowded Palestinian enclave. The Hamas-run Palestinian Health Ministry said Monday more than 8,300 have been killed in the airstrikes, mostly women and children. The humanitarian group Save the Children says more than 3,000 children have been killed in the conflict.
But Prime Minister Netanyahu said in a press conference Monday that calls for a cease-fire “are calls for Israel to surrender to Hamas, to surrender to terrorism, to surrender to barbarism.”
“This will not happen,” Netanyahu added.
Netanyahu also rejected growing calls for him to resign over the shock attack that left 1,400 Israelis dead.
Philippe Lazzarini, the head of the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees, known as UNRWA, told the U.N. Security Council Monday that the Israeli bombing campaign on Gaza “is collective punishment” against the Palestinians as a whole. Lazzarini said “basic services are crumbling” in Gaza, with medicine, food, water and fuel running out and the streets overflowing with sewage.
He said the communications blackout over the weekend after last week’s bombardment has “aggravated the panic and distress of people” and “accelerated the breaking down of civil order.” Lazzarini said thousands of desperate people stormed the UNRWA warehouse and distribution centers where humanitarian shipments from Egypt are being stored.
Israeli troops and tanks moved deeper into northern Gaza on Monday, expanding their military presence in the Palestinian enclave amid international calls for civilians to be protected.
The Israeli military said Monday that a female soldier held captive by Hamas militants was freed during the ground operation and was doing well. It did not provide further details.
Earlier, as the fighting in the region continued, Prime Minister Netanyahu condemned as “cruel psychological propaganda” a video released Monday by Hamas showing three hostages abducted during the Oct. 7 attack on Israel.
In his statement, Netanyahu identified the three hostages as Elena Trupanov, Daniel Aloni and Rimon Kirsht.
Israel says Hamas abducted more than 230 hostages during the Oct. 7 terror attack.
The Israeli Air Force said Monday it hit over 600 Hamas targets in Gaza in a 24-hour period.
Also on Monday, Israel Defense Forces said, “During clashes with terrorists in the Gaza Strip, IDF troops killed dozens of terrorists who barricaded themselves in buildings and tunnels and attempted to attack the troops.” Hamas also has reported heavy fighting in northwest Gaza.
Hamas has a sprawling network of tunnels underneath Gaza where it is believed to be stockpiling weapons, food and other supplies.
The Israeli military again issued an urgent call on Sunday to Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip to temporarily evacuate southward, away from the epicenter of the war against Hamas.
Strikes on Lebanon, Syria
Israel said it hit targets in Syria and Lebanon. The attacks, the Israeli military said Monday, were in response to attacks launched from both countries.
Clashes on the Israel-Lebanon border escalated on Sunday, with Hezbollah saying it shot down an Israeli drone over southern Lebanon with a surface-to-air missile.
The drone was hit near Khiam, about 5 kilometers from the border with Israel, and was seen falling in Israeli territory, Hezbollah added.
Two security sources in Lebanon said it was the first time Hezbollah had announced downing an Israeli drone.
Hamas and Hezbollah are U.S.-designated Foreign Terrorist Organizations
Some information for this report came from The Associated Press, Reuters and Agence France-Presse.
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