Israel-Hamas war: Latest developments
The latest Israel-Palestinian war reverberated around the world Tuesday, as foreign governments tried to determine how many of their citizens were dead, missing or in need of medical help or flights home.
Numerous countries also offered to play a role in mediating an end to the fighting, which already has killed at least 1,600 people. The death toll was expected to grow as Israel pummeled the Gaza Strip with airstrikes and sent Palestinians fleeing into U.N. shelters.
Here's what is happening on Day 4 of the conflict:
GERMANY INVESTIGATING KIDNAPPING OF ITS CITIZENS IN ISRAEL
BERLIN — German prosecutors are investigating after German citizens were apparently kidnapped in the attack by Hamas on Israel.
The federal prosecutor's office said in an emailed statement that the investigation of unknown members of Hamas on suspicion of hostage-taking, murder and membership in a foreign terrorist organization was opened on Tuesday.
The German Foreign Ministry has said it has to assume that an unspecified number of German-Israeli dual citizens were among those kidnapped by Hamas on Saturday.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Tuesday that Germany is working closely with Israel to determine how many citizens were kidnapped and how they might be freed.
It is standard practice for German prosecutors to open an investigation when the country's citizens are harmed abroad.
INDIA'S MODI REITERATES SUPPORT FOR ISRAEL
NEW DELHI — Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said he had spoken with Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the phone and thanked him for "providing an update on the ongoing situation."
"People of India stand firmly with Israel in this difficult hour," Modi wrote on X, the social media platform, and said India strongly condemns terrorism in all forms.
During the Cold War, India didn't have open relations with Israel and leaned heavily in favor of the Palestinians. The two countries established diplomatic relations in 1992. Ties between the two countries have grown under Modi, who became the first Indian prime minister to visit Israel in 2017.
2 RUSSIAN CITIZENS WERE KILLED IN HAMAS ATTACKS IN ISRAEL
MOSCOW — Russia's ambassador to Israel said that two Russian citizens have been killed in of the latest Israel-Palestinian war.
Ambassador Anatoly Viktorov didn't name the victims, saying in remarks broadcast by Russia's state Channel 1 that the embassy isn't aware of the circumstances of their deaths and hasn't contacted their families yet.
Viktorov said that four other Russian citizens remain missing. He said the embassy has no information confirming Hamas' claim that several Russian citizens were among the hostages it has taken.
FRANCE HAS NO 'FORMAL TRACE' OF IRAN'S INVOLVEMENT IN THE ATTACKS, SAYS MACRON
HAMBURG, Germany — French President Emmanuel Macron says his country has no evidence that Iran was directly involved in Hamas' attack on Israel but the militant group does appear to have had outside help and cooperation.
Iran has been a longtime supporter of Hamas other militant groups, and senior Iranian officials have openly praised Saturday's incursion.
Asked what Iran's role in the crisis was after a meeting with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Hamburg on Tuesday, Macron said France has "no formal trace" that Iran was directly involved in the attacks.
"It seems that there was help for and cooperation with Hamas but I will stay cautious on this point as long we haven't consolidated intelligence that is totally certain," he added, but didn't elaborate further.
Macron said: "We condemn with a lot of clarity all the countries that congratulated the horrors perpetrated by Hamas, which was the case with Iran."
CLERIC SAYS IRAQ STANDS READY TO SEND SUPPLIES TO GAZA
BAGHDAD — The influential Iraqi Shiite cleric and political leader Muqtada al-Sadr in a speech Tuesday from the city of Najaf urged "all Arabs, especially Egyptians, to open their borders and break the inhumane siege imposed on Gaza, allowing water and food to reach the civilians" and said Iraq stands ready to send supplies to the besieged coastal enclave, although it was unclear how it would do so.
He criticized "Arab rulers who kept silent and did not show any reaction towards this righteous case in order to keep their position," in reference to Arab countries that have normalized ties with Israel in recent years.
RAFAH CROSSING TO BE EVACUATED UNDER BOMB THREATS, HAMAS SAYS
The Rafah Crossing administration on the Egyptian side informed the Rafah Crossing crews on the Palestinian side to evacuate the crossing immediately due to threats to bomb the crossing, spokesperson for the Hamas Ministry of Interior and National Security Iyad Al-Bazm said Tuesday.
RUSSIA SAYS IT WILL TALK TO ISRAEL AND PALESTINIANS IN HOPES OF REACHING A SETTLEMENT
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Tuesday that Moscow has been talking to both Israel and the Palestinians to help search for a settlement.
Asked about a claim by the Palestinian ambassador to Moscow that Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas will visit Moscow soon, Peskov said that the visit had been planned before the war. He added that Moscow will announce the date after it's finally determined.
Peskov rejected Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's claim that Moscow was interested in fueling the war as "totally baseless."
WHO SAYS MEDICAL SUPPLIES ARE ALREADY USED UP IN GAZA
GENEVA — The United Nations health agency says the medical supplies that it had pre-positioned in seven hospitals in Gaza have already been used up, as needs balloon in the wake of Israel's military strike against the militant group Hamas.
Spokesperson Tarik Jazarevic of the World Health Organization told a briefing Tuesday that affiliate hospitals had triggered emergency plans to better manage the surge of casualties, "but with the number of casualties currently coming in, these hospitals are now running beyond their capacity." He said WHO was reprogramming $1 million of its funds to allow for purchases of medical supplies from the local market to fill gaps in need.
The health agency has already called for a humanitarian corridor to be opened to allow new supplies to be ferried into Gaza.
UN AGENCY FOR PALESTINIAN REFUGEES REPORTS SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE FROM AIRSTRIKE
BEIRUT — The United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, says the building housing its headquarters in Gaza City suffered significant damage because of an airstrike nearby. No casualties among staff were recorded.
UNRWA said Tuesday that all U.N. international staff present in Gaza are taking shelter in another building within the same compound.
Since October 7, UNRWA recorded both collateral and direct damage to at least 18 of its facilities including schools sheltering displaced civilians. It said that until Tuesday, the U.N. estimates that over 187,500 people have been displaced within Gaza, and more than 137,000 people are sheltering in over 80 UNRWA schools across the Gaza Strip.
4 FRENCH CITIZENS HAVE BEEN KILLED BY HAMAS MILITANT ATTACKS IN ISRAEL
PARIS— France's Foreign Ministry has confirmed the deaths of another two French citizens killed by Hamas militant attacks in Israel, bringing the total number of French victims to four.
The ministry said Tuesday that another 13 French citizens are missing and that some of them have "very likely" been kidnapped. The ministry has previously said that a 12-year-old appears to be among those taken captive.
CYPRUS WILL HELP EVACUEES FROM ISRAEL ON THEIR WAY TO THEIR HOME COUNTRIES
NICOSIA, Cyprus — Cyprus' Foreign Ministry says the east Mediterranean island nation is now ready to act as a waystation for foreign nationals fleeing Israel.
According to a statement, a crisis management team composed of the ministers of foreign affairs, defense, the interior and justice decided to activate Tuesday a dedicated plan to help evacuees from Israel reach their home countries through Cyprus. That means Cyprus will offer accommodations and other facilities to foreign nationals to help in their repatriation.
European Union member Cyprus' proximity to the Middle East and Africa has in the past made it a ready transfer point for evacuees from war-torn countries. In April, Cyprus received hundreds of United Kingdom citizens who where evacuated from war-battered Sudan before they returned to Britain. In 2006, Cyprus hosted tens of thousands of foreign nationals fleeing war in Lebanon following Israel's attack on Hezbollah.
7 JOURNALISTS HAVE BEEN KILLED IN AIRSTRIKES IN GAZA
The Government Media Office in Gaza announced Tuesday that seven journalists have been killed since the beginning of the Israeli airstrikes in Gaza: Ibrahim Lafi, photographer at Ain Media Company; Muhammad Jarghoun, photographer at Smart Media Office; Muhammad Al-Salhi, freelancer; Asaad Shamlikh, freelancer; Saeed Al-Taweel, editor at Alkhamisa News Network; and Muhammad Subh Abu Rizq and Hisham Al-Nawajaha, photographers at Khbr press.
More than 10 journalists have sustained various injuries, and contact was lost with journalists Nidal Al-Wahidi and Haitham Abdel-Wahed.
IRAN REJECTS ALLEGATIONS THAT IT PLAYED A ROLE IN HAMAS ATTACKS
TEHRAN, Iran — Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei rejected allegations Tuesday about his country's role in Hamas attacks against Israel, but said Iran will continue supporting Palestinians, media reported. It was the first reaction to the war by Khamenei, who has final say on all state matters in the country.
However, Khamenei said, "We defend Palestine, we defend the fights." He praised Palestinians as "capable, smart and courageous" young Palestinians. He said the disaster for Israel came because mistakes by Israel against Palestinians.
AUSTRIA PREPARES TO EVACUATE AUSTRIAN CITIZENS
VIENNA — The Austrian government is preparing to evacuate Austrian citizens who want to leave Israel.
Chancellor Karl Nehammer said during a visit to Ankara, Turkey, that an Austrian air force transport plane will be sent to Cyprus on Wednesday and then to pick up Austrians who want to leave Israel, the Austria Press Agency reported. Once they have arrived in Cyprus, they can continue their journey on scheduled flights. The Foreign Ministry called on Austrians who want to take evacuation flights to register with the embassy in Tel Aviv.
Poland, Hungary and Romania already have flown citizens out of Israel.
THE PALESTINIAN ISLAMIC JIHAD MILITANT GROUP SAYS 2 MEMBERS WERE KILLED
BEIRUT — The Palestinian Islamic Jihad militant group announced Tuesday that two of its members were killed by Israeli fire after crossing from Lebanon into Israel on Monday as part of the Hamas-led attack that started over the weekend. Funerals were set to be held in Ein el-Hilweh on Tuesday.
Islamic Jihad said in a statement that seven Israeli soldiers were wounded in Monday's cross-border operation, while the Israeli army reported that its troops shot and killed several gunmen who crossed into the country from Lebanon. Israel also intensified shelling of southern Lebanon in response to the incident.
ROMANIA REPATRIATES HUNDREDS MORE OF ITS CITIZENS FROM ISRAEL
BUCHAREST, Romania — Romania's Ministry of Foreign Affairs says an additional 596 Romanian citizens were repatriated from Israel overnight on four separate flights. Monday night's repatriation comes after around 600 people were flown back to Romania over the weekend, bringing the total number to at least 1200 in the past few days after Hamas launched its unprecedented attacks against Israel.
AUSTRIA SUSPECTS 3 OF ITS DUAL CITIZENS ARE AMONG THOSE KIDNAPPED BY HAMAS
VIENNA — The Austrian government says three Austrian-Israeli dual citizens may be among the people kidnapped by Hamas during its attack on Israel.
The Foreign Ministry in Vienna said on Tuesday that the three were in southern Israel independently of each other. It said that there is no official confirmation that they were abducted and noted that the situation on the ground is still very unclear.
Several countries have said their citizens were killed or apparently abducted in the attack.
AID AGENCIES TALK TO EGYPT ABOUT WAYS TO SECURE HUMANITARIAN CORRIDORS
CAIRO — The United Nations and other aid agencies were talking with Egypt to send humanitarian aid to the besieged Gaza through the Rafah crossing point between the strip and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, an Egyptian official and aid worker said Tuesday. They said Egyptian authorities have contacted Israel and the United States to secure humanitarian corridors in Gaza amid Israel's unrelenting bombardment of the strip.
Both the official and the aid worker spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief journalists.
The efforts came as Israel sealed it off from food, fuel and other supplies to over 2 million people in Gaza in retaliation for a bloody incursion by Hamas militants.
GAZA'S PARLIAMENT AND CIVILIAN MINISTRIES ARE LEGITIMATE TARGETS, ISRAEL SAYS
In a briefing Tuesday, Israel's military spokesperson said Gaza's parliament and civilian ministries were legitimate targets in its offensive against Hamas.
Spokesperson Richard Hecht also said that because Israel's air force is stretched thin, there might not be the same "level of fidelity" in warning targets before strikes. Asked if Israel considered Hamas' civil government, such as parliament and ministries, legitimate targets, Hecht said "if there's a gunman firing rockets from there, it turns into a military target."
Source: Associated Press
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