Israel launches tank raids into Gaza, two hostages released

The Israeli Defence Force said that during the incursions its troops had exchanged fire with Palestinian fighters. The IDF said the air strikes on Gaza were intended to disrupt Hamas’ defensive preparations against a wider Israeli invasion, and had hit more than 320 targets in recent days.

The death toll from Israel’s aerial bombardment of Gaza has now surpassed 5000 people. Gaza’s health ministry said another 436 people were killed in the 24 hours to early Tuesday (AEDT), and more than 15,000 people have been injured so far.

The latest Israeli estimate of the number of its nationals being held hostage by Hamas is 222, after the militant group’s October 7 raids inside Israel that killed 1400 Israelis.

On Monday (Tuesday AEDT), Hamas said it released two more hostages, both women, who were taken when it attacked Israel. The hostages reached the Rafah border crossing after being released due to Egypt’s efforts, according to Extra news, an Egyptian outlet.

IDF spokesman Peter Lerner told Bloomberg Radio that freeing the hostages was “at the top of our priorities”. “The diplomatic efforts are ongoing,” he said, but noted that the infantry remained at the ready to launch a major ground offensive in Gaza.

Meanwhile, the United Nations Coordinator for Humanitarian Affairs said about 1.4 million of Gaza’s 2.3 million people were now internally displaced. Many had fled Gaza City in the north, after warnings from the IDF, but Israel is now also bombing the south.

Another aid convoy of 20 made it into Gaza from Egypt on Monday, pushing the total number of trucks that have gone in since the weekend, in three convoys, to 54. That is still only a tiny fraction of the amount required to get food and medicines to the besieged population.

On Israel’s northern front, Israel launched air strikes on two Hezbollah positions inside Lebanon that the IDF said were staging posts for the Iran-backed militant group’s missile attacks on Israel. The strikes also hit a Hezbollah compound and an observation post.

“Hezbollah is trying to constantly divert our attention from the south to the north,” Mr Lerner said. “We need to be prepared for a broadening of the conflict.”

In the west, an Israeli raid on the Jalazone refugee camp in the West Bank had resulted in two Palestinian deaths after clashes with gunmen and stone-throwing youths. The IDF said 15 suspects were apprehended, of whom 10 were Hamas operatives.

More world leaders are expected to visit Israel in the coming days, as efforts intensify to prevent the conflict escalating, and to ensure that the Israeli response minimises civilian casualties and long-term political damage. French President Emmanuel Macron and Netherlands Prime Minister Mark Rutte are among those expected.

In Washington, John Kirby, spokesman for the National Security Council, said the US will be deploying more military forces to the Middle East. “The president has added additional military forces to the region and more forces will be coming in days and weeks ahead, to try to deter any actor from widening or deepening this conflict,” Kirby told reporters

The US has already deployed two carrier strike groups to the region, and over the weekend shot down missiles and drones from Yemen suspected to be headed toward Israel.

With Reuters, Bloomberg