Israel-Hamas war top developments| Truce extension a glimpse of hope, says UN chief

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday hailed the two-day extension of the truce deal by saying that it was a glimpse of hope.

"...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," Guterres said. 

US National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said on Monday that Hamas has committed to release 20 woman and children over the next two days, as the Palestinian militant group extended the truce deal. 

"Israel is very clear once the pause is ended - they intend to carry on their operation against Hamas," Kirby added. 

A French navy ship arrived in the Egyptian town of El-Arish to serve as a hospital for civilians wounded in the Gaza Strip amid the ongoing war.

The Dixmude ship is expected to accomodate two operating rooms and around 60 beds, the news agency AFP reported citing a port source.

Hamas said on Monday that in agreement with Qatar and Egypt, the temporary humanitarian truce has been extended by two days in accordance with the same conditions.

"The State of Qatar announces, as part of the ongoing mediation, an agreement has been reached to extend the humanitarian truce for an additional two days in the Gaza Strip," Qatar's foreign ministry said in a post on X. 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday that the families were informed about their loved ones being released from Hamas' capitivity. 

Israel on Monday urged people refrain from spreading rumours about the release of hostages by Hamas. 

"Negotiations on the list of those slated to be released under the framework of the hostages release outline are continuing. We are aware of the tension in the families and will release additional information when possible. We request to refrain from disseminating rumors and unreliable information," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said in a post on X. 

Palestinian Foreign Minister Riad al-Malki said on Monday that the truce between Israel and Hamas must be extended to avoid more deaths in the Gaza strip. Addressing a press conference in Barcelona along with 

Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares, Al-Malki said that the amount of people who would be killed would double if fighting resumed.

CNN has reported, quoting a diplomatic source briefed on the negotiation, that more than 40 hostages taken from Israel into Gaza on October 7th are not currently in the custody of Hamas.

The revelation complicates the truce agreement terms, which mandate Hamas to hand over hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.

According to Reuters news agency, which has quoted three Egyptian security sources, Egypt, Qatar and US negotiators are close to agreeing on a truce extension but were still discussing for how long and which prisoners would be freed 

Hamas is currently seeking a four-day extension, while Israel wants day-by-day extensions, with negotiations continuing over which Palestinian prisoners would be freed, it added.

PM Netanyahu toured the Kfar Azza kibbutz with Elon Musk.

Kfar Azza was one of the areas that was targeted in the October 7 Hamas attack.

During the tour, Netanyahu presented Musk with testimonies from the attack and received a briefing from the head of the Shaar Hanegev Regional Council, Yossi Keren.

NATO's Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg called on Monday for an extension of the four-day truce between Israel and Hamas, now in its final day, to allow for the release of more hostages.

Speaking to reporters, he also said Iran should rein in its "proxies." Hamas is part of a regional alliance comprising Iran, Syria and the Shi'ite Islamist group Hezbollah in Lebanon, which all broadly oppose US policy in the Middle East and Israel.

Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson urges that the truce, which ends today, take a “stable form and that the cruel aggression of the Zionist regime against Gaza is not repeated”, reports Al Jazeera.

Nasser Kanani said, “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”.

During his weekly press conference, Kanani told reporters that Iran is “following” the possible extension of the truce.

Speaking in Barcelona, EU's top diplomat Josep Borrell urged Israel not to "recolonise" Gaza, saying both Palestinians and Israelis had an "equal and legitimate right to the same land", Reuters reports.

He said that a Palestinian state in the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza was the "best guarantee" for "Israel's security and peace".

A Thai Muslim group has claimed that direct conversation with Hamas was one of the main reasons why Thai hostages were the first to be released.

"We were the sole party that spoke to Hamas since the beginning of the war to ask for the release of Thais," Thai-Iran Alumni Association President, Lerpong Syed was quoted as saying by Reuters. 

China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi is expected to visit New York this week to a hold United Nations Security Council meeting on the war between Israel-Hamas. 

“As it holds the rotating presidency of the United Nations Security Council this month, China will hold a high-level meeting on the Palestinian-Israeli issue on November 29,” ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said.

Avigail Idan, a four-year-old Israeli-American, was among the 17 hostages released by Hamas on Sunday (Nov 26). Kidnapped during the October 7 attack in southern Israel, Avigail, who turned four while in captivity, suffered the loss of her parents during the Hamas assault.

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According to a report in The Associated Press, international meditators were pressing both sides to extend the truce, scheduled to expire today. 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 last Friday. 

Israeli Prime Minister’s Office reports ongoing discussions regarding the list of Gaza hostages received overnight, according to the Times of Israel. It remains unclear the nature of these discussions or if there are issues with the list, comprising 11 abductees. This completes the list of 50 hostages set for release during the four-day truce, with the possibility of extension if Hamas releases more hostages.

US police in Burlington have arrested a suspect in the shooting yesterday of three Palestinian men near the University of Vermont, CNN reports.

Jason J. Eaton, 48, was tracked down where and is set to be arraigned in court, the report said.

The US Central Command stated that two ballistic missiles, previously reported as launched from Houthi-controlled regions in Yemen, landed approximately 10 nautical miles (18.5km) from a US vessel. The vessel had responded to a distress call from a commercial ship in the Gulf of Aden. A US statement affirmed no harm or injuries occurred on either vessel during this event.

Alma Avraham, 84, was one of the Israeli hostages freed over the weekend. However, she remains in critical condition and has been admitted to the intensive care unit of Soroka Medical Centre. 

Dr Shlomi Codish, CEO of Soroka Medical Centre said: "She is in critical condition, she is treated in the emergency department after significant medical neglect for the past several weeks while being held by Hamas."

Three university students of Palestinian descent were injured after being shot in the United States city of Burlington, Vermont on Saturday evening (Nov 25) in what the police suspect was a “hate-motivated crime”.

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Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar defended his remarks he was slammed by an Israeli government spokesperson and officials. 

The Irish PM sparked a diplomatic row after he posted a message on X calling Emily Hand, the nine-year-old who had been taken as a hostage by Hamas "lost". 

In a statement on Sunday, Varadkar said he believed "the vast majority of people understand what I was saying, recalling the amazing joy and awe that occurs when a child comes home. I’ve always been consistent in my unequivocal condemnation of Hamas and hostage taking."

Click here to know what the Irish PM said

The United Nations official who took part in a humanitarian aid convoy to northern Gaza expressed relieve after saying that aid groups were on track to deliver the biggest shipment in over a month. 

Multiple UN agencies had expressed concerns about disease and dehydration in the north after it was cut off  from outside aid for weeks. 

The UN also previously said it could not get safe passage and medical groups who remained active like the International Red Cross came under fire there.

"People are so desperate and you can see in adults' eyes they haven't eaten, you can see the children are getting thinner," UNICEF's 

James Elder told Reuters by video link from southern Gaza after returning from Gaza City. "There's just this immense relief. Literally people as they get water start drinking the water immediately," he said. "They're thirsty. They've been thirsty for days."

As the four-day truce between Israel and Hamas is nearing its end, United States President Joe Biden said that his administration is working to extend it. 

"To keep this pause in fighting going beyond tomorrow is our goal – so that we can continue to see more hostages come out and surge more humanitarian relief to those in need," said Biden, in a post on X. 

Thailand's foreign ministry confirmed the release of three of its citizens. Images show the group being examined at an Israeli hospital. 

"The group is now at the designated medical center where the Royal Thai Embassy officials are on hand to contact their families," said Thai foreign ministry, in a statement. 

It added, "The Ministry of Foreign Affairs warmly congratulates the recently released hostages and their families and thanks all parties involved in the efforts towards this latest release."

The Thai officials also said that they are working to  free another 15 Thais held in Gaza, while 17 nationals already released are set to return to Thailand soon.

A four-year-old American girl has been safely brought to Israel after her release from captivity in Gaza, announced US President Joe Biden. He urged an extension of the pause in Israel-Hamas fighting to facilitate additional hostage releases.

"She's free and she's in Israel now," Biden told reporters.

"She's been through a terrible trauma," Biden remarked about the child, Abigail, whose parents were murdered by Hamas militants when members of the Islamist group attacked Israel on October 7. On Friday in captivity, she marked her fourth birthday, the president said.

"Today, she's free, and Jill (Biden) and I, together with so many Americans, are praying for the fact that she is going to be alright," he said.

"She is now safely in Israel, and we continue to press and expect for additional Americans will be released as well. And we will not stop working until every hostage is returned to their loved ones," he added.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog is set to meet with Elon Musk on Monday (Nov 27) to underscore "the urgency of countering the growing online anti-Semitism," according to a statement from the politician's office on Sunday (Nov 26).

Critics have targeted Musk, the owner of X (formerly Twitter), for what they claim is an increase in hate speech on the social media platform since his takeover. Additionally, the White House has accused Musk of endorsing a conspiracy theory that implies Jews are working to weaken white majorities, labeling it as "abhorrent promotion" of anti-Semitism.