Israel confirms that two elderly women, Nurit Cooper and Yocheved Lifshitz, have been released by Hamas but their husbands are still being held
It brings the total number of hostages released by Hamas to four. Two American-Israelis, mother and daughter Judith and Natalie Raanan, were released from captivity on Friday
In its latest estimate, Israel says that more than 200 hostages are being held by Hamas after its surprise attack on Israel on 7 October
French President Emmanuel Macron is visiting Israel today, while China's top diplomat Wang Yi is heading to Washington this week to discuss the conflict
Earlier, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said the blast at Gaza's Al Ahli hospital last week was likely caused by a missile fired from within Gaza
Hamas blamed the incident on an Israeli strike, but Israel said a misfiring Palestinian Islamic Jihad rocket from within Gaza was responsible
More than 1,400 Israelis were killed when Hamas attacked on 7 October, while Gaza's health ministry says more than 5,000 have been killed since Israel began bombing the territory in response
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Head here to follow the latest developments after the release of two more hostages by Hamas, Nurit Cooper and Yocheved Lifshitz.
A video from the al-Qassam Brigades - Hamas's military arm – shows the moment when the civilian hostages Nurit Cooper and Yocheved Lifshitz were released on Monday, following Egyptian-Qatari mediation efforts.
The two elderly women are seen being delivered, in the dark, to representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross.
Image source, Getty ImagesHamas’s military arm, the al-Qassam Brigades, announced that the women had been released on its Telegram channel
Israeli forces have carried out a strike on a Hezbollah site, Israel's military has said.
The attack targeted Hezbollah infrastructure, including a watch tower and a a military compound, according to the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF).
It came in response to rocket launches that were fired from Lebanon earlier on Monday, the military said in a tweet, alongside a video that appears to show an airstrike being carried out on a building.
The BBC has not verified the footage.
Deirdre Finnerty
BBC News
Image source, Ibrahim AlAghaIbrahim's son Omar is three years old
We’ve been hearing again from Ibrahim AlAgha, a 38-year-old engineer who is stranded in Gaza with his wife and three young children after travelling there from Dublin to visit relatives. He is sheltering in his parents’ house in Khan Younis, along with about 90 other people.
Ibrahim tells the BBC in a WhatsApp message that today has been the “worst day so far” for food supplies. Though he says the household ate some biscuits for breakfast, they were not able to find bread or any other food when they went out in search of things to eat. The prolonged lack of access to food, says his wife Hamida, is affecting a breastfeeding mother among the group, who is no longer able to feed her baby.
Ibrahim says the group has no option but to drink salty, unfiltered water that they have extracted from a well with an electric generator.
The small children in the household don’t have their toys, but have found a football and play in the sand with paper cups. Hamida says she tries to read stories to them but they cry a lot.
"It's so hard," she says.
Ibrahim’s eight-year-old son Sami is missing his school and his teacher in north Dublin. The school has sent him an email to say they also miss him “very much”.
Some of the adults in the household have lost their houses in other parts of Gaza, Ibrahim says, and are losing hope.
“Life is now meaningless to people here. They don't really care if they live or die or what happens to them. It's really difficult."
Ibrahim says he is just trying to get through one day at a time.
“I try to keep myself busy so I don’t think about it”.
Image source, Ibrahim AlAgha
Image source, Ibrahim AlAghaSami AlAgha is missing his school
Barbara Plett Usher
US State Department correspondent
The Americans are deeply concerned about attacks on their interests in the region from Iran-backed groups.
Militants hit two military bases housing US troops in Iraq last week. There are about 2,500 American soldiers in Iraq and about 900 in Syria, which also has Shia militias supported by Iran.
The Biden administration has not confirmed reports that it’s requesting a delay in Israel’s ground invasion of Gaza to prepare for further attacks.
But the Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said it’s taking steps “to make sure we can defend” US personnel and “if necessary, respond decisively.”
On Friday, the State Department ordered family members and non-emergency staff to leave US diplomatic missions in Iraq.
The Pentagon has announced that it’s sending more missile defense systems – a THAAD battery and additional Patriot battalions – to the Middle East.
It’s also redirecting one of its aircraft carriers to the Central Command’s area of responsibility, which covers much of the region.
And it’s closely advising Israel on its military campaign – not only on mitigating harm to civilians, but on tactics.
A few American military advisors with experience in “the sorts of operations that Israel is conducting and may conduct in the future,” are on the ground, says the National Security Spokesman John Kirby, reportedly about lessons the US has learned from fighting ISIS in Mosul.
The UN says 20 aid trucks crossed Rafah into Gaza today - half of which were carrying supplies of medicine, food and water.
However, fuel is not included in the aid deliveries entering Gaza. The largest humanitarian provider of fuel in Gaza, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) “will exhaust its fuel reserves within the next two days”, says the UN.
“No fuel means no functioning water desalination,“ it adds.
"We haven't been able to get all the hurdles moved to get that fuel in,” says UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric.
Dujarric says discussions on transporting fuel aid is complicated “in what is an active conflict zone”.
Other developments highlighted in the update are:
Nick Johnson
BBC News
A week ago, Sharone Lifshitz was surrounded by close friends in her London living room, frantically trying to find out what happened to her mother and father.
Now, Sharone is on her way to Israel to be reunited with her mother, Yocheved.
Israel has confirmed the 85-year-old, who relies on round-the-clock oxygen, is one of two who’ve been released by Hamas, after they were taken from Kibbutz Nir Oz, less than a mile from the Gaza border, on 7 October. A close friend of Sharone’s has told me the last few hours have been a whirlwind for the family, but the news is bittersweet.
The whereabouts of Sharone Lifshitz’s father, Oded, who worked closely as an activist with Palestinians, remains unknown.
The British daughter of an elderly woman released by Hamas has just released a statement.
Sharone Lifshitz says that her 85-year-old mother, Yocheved, was handed over to the Red Cross at the Rafah crossing with Egypt and is now headed back to Israel.
"While I cannot put into words the relief that she is now safe, I will remain focused on securing the release of my father and all those - some 200 innocent people - who remain hostages in Gaza," Sharone said.
Image source, ReutersChina’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi will visit Washington DC later this week - from Thursday to Saturday - senior US administration officials say.
The situations in Israel and Ukraine will be discussed, the Americans say, adding that they expect the US will “push the Chinese to take a more constructive approach on both”.
Yi will sit down for a meeting with Secretary of State Antony Blinken and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan.
His visit is a follow up to the one that Blinken made to Beijing in June and is expected to pave the way for a face-to-face meeting between Xi Jinping and Joe Biden.
China has called for a ceasefire in Gaza and vowed to work with Arab countries in the region towards the creation of a Palestinian state. It has refrained from condemning Russia's invasion of Ukraine and has maintained close relations with Russia as western countries press new sanctions against Moscow.
Paul Adams
Diplomatic correspondent, in Jerusalem
Image source, ReutersA still of a video from Al-Qahera News showing one of the freed hostages being escorted by medical personnel
An extraordinary moment tonight. A video released by Hamas shows the moment the two elderly hostages were delivered, in the dark, to representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross.
Eighty-five-year-old Yocheved Lifshitz identifies herself and confirms her age.
Then, before leaving, she turns to a masked Hamas gunman, shakes his hand and says “shalom”.
Yocheved’s husband, eighty five year old Oded, is still in captivity. He’s a peace activist who’s reported to have spent his retirement driving Gazan cancer patients to hospital in Israel for treatment.
Image source, Getty ImagesPeople distribute aid in Khan Younis after a convoy of trucks carrying essential supplies arrived through the Rafah crossing
It's 22:35 BST in the UK and after midnight in Gaza. In case you're just joining us, here's what's been happening today:
A spokesperson from Israel's Prime Minister's Office has issued a statement about the release of the two hostages. Here is what it said in full:
"The Special Envoy for Abducted and Missing Persons updated that today (Monday) Nurit Cooper (79) and Yocheved Lifshitz (85) were released from the hands of the terrorist organization Hamas.
The two were kidnapped during the murderous attack on Saturday (07.10.23) from their homes in Kibbutz Nir Oz. Amiram, the 85-year-old husband of Cooper, and Oded, the 83-year-old husband of Lifshitz, who were kidnapped along with them, are still being held by the cruel terrorist organization along with the other abductees, and we will continue to work in every way for their return.
The IDF and the security forces have worked hard in the last few days in all channels to bring about their release and to overcome the many difficulties set by Hamas.
After being handed over to the IDF forces, they are making their way at this time to a medical center in Israel that was specially organized and prepared to receive them. Their family members will be waiting for them there.
We thank Egypt for its assistance, and the Red Cross for their important role as life savers.
The Government of Israel, the IDF and the entire security establishment will continue to operate with the best of their abilities and efforts in order to locate all of the missing and return all of the abductees home."
We've just received footage of two female hostages being transferred to ambulances by Israeli medical officials.
Israeli media earlier named two hostages released today as Nurit Cooper and Yocheved Lifshitz, which an Israeli government official confirmed to CBS, the BBC's media partner in the US.
Watch: Hostages released by Hamas arrive at Rafah crossing
It has now been confirmed by the Red Cross that two hostages have been released by Hamas.
There was initial speculation by Israeli media and international outlets that 50 hostages were set to be freed from Gaza.
Just before 22:00 local time (20:00 BST), Hamas’s military wing, the Qassam Brigades, announced on its Telegram channel the release of two hostages, Nurit Yitzhak and Yocheved Lifshitz, through Egyptian-Qatari mediation.
The initial reports had little detail. The BBC's US partner later confirmed the names of the hostages released, citing an Israeli official.
Around 22:20 (20:20 BST), the International Committee of the Red Cross confirmed on X that they had a played a role in facilitating the transfer of the two hostages out of Gaza.
Paul Adams
Diplomatic correspondent, in Jerusalem
On Saturday Abu Obeida, a spokesman for the military wing of Hamas, said the group wanted to release two elderly hostages - who have since been named by Israeli media as Nurit Cooper (80) and Yocheved Lifshitz (85) - but Israel had refused to accept them.
Israel described this claim as “mendacious".
Tonight, Hamas has made the same claim.
“The enemy has been refusing since Friday to receive them,” it claimed, “so we decided to release them on humanitarian and health grounds”.
Nothing Hamas says about the hostages in its hands should be taken at face value.
It’s clear the group is trying to win a public relations battle over the fate of the hostages, and perhaps aiming to sow doubt in the minds of Israelis by suggesting that their government is not doing everything in its power to secure their release.
With more than 200 Israeli and foreign hostages still being held in Gaza, this PR battle is only just beginning.
In the last half an hour, we've been reporting on the release of two more hostages released from Gaza.
Israeli media has named them as Nurit Cooper and Yocheved Lifshitz, which an Israeli government official confirmed to CBS, the BBC's media partner in the US. Egyptian media has also reported that they had reached the Rafah crossing, where southern Gaza meets Egypt and where humanitarian aid has been getting into Gaza in recent days.
We're continuing to find out more about the two recently freed hostages, but another thing to note is that they weren't the first. Judith and Natalie Raanan, an American-Israeli mother and daughter, were freed by Hamas on Friday.
The pair were let go for "humanitarian reasons", Hamas said at the time. Once released, they were taken by Israeli army officials from Gaza to a military base in the centre of the country, where family members were reportedly waiting.
Image source, FAMILY HANDOUTJudith Raanan (left) and her daughter Natalie
We've now had confirmation from the International Red Cross that they helped to facilitate the release of two more hostages held by Hamas and transported them out of Gaza this evening.
In a post on X, external, formerly Twitter, the humanitarian group add that their "role as a neutral intermediary makes this work possible and we are ready to facilitate any future release".
"We hope that they will soon be back with their loved ones."
Image source, ReutersIsraeli media have named the women as Nurit Cooper (left) and Yocheved Lifshitz
CBS, the BBC's media partner in the US, are now reporting that two hostages are being released by Hamas.
An Israeli government official confirms to the outlet that the names of the hostages are Nurit Cooper and Yocheved Lifshitz.
We'll bring you more details on this as we have it.
Lyse Doucet
Chief international correspondent, in southern Israel
Hamas’s military wing, the Qassam Brigades, has announced on its Telegram channel the release of two more hostages, who have been named by Israeli media as Nurit Cooper and Yocheved Lifshitz, through Egyptian-Qatari mediation.
At the moment these reports remain unconfirmed, but Hamas also accuses "the enemy" - in other words Israel - of refusing since Friday to receive them.
"We decided to release them on humanitarian and health grounds," it adds.
On Friday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the offer “Hamas propaganda lies".
This latest announcement, if confirmed, brings the total number of freed hostages so far to four out of the current known total of 222. Two American-Israelis, mother and daughter Judith and Natalie Raanan, were released from captivity on Friday.
Earlier tonight, there were reports that as many as 50 foreign and dual nationals could be freed through Qatari mediation.
A source briefed on the talks denied that leak but said the “talks are ongoing about a full civilian release but no breakthrough yet". Hamas has spoken of releasing more hostages in exchange for a ceasefire and the entry of more aid into Gaza. Israel has ruled out any ceasefire as it intensifies its military operations.
Jeremy Bowen
International editor, in Jerusalem
It’s clear that Qatar has been involved in hostage negotiations so far. When the first two American hostages were released the Americans thanked the Middle Eastern country.
The way it’s probably working is that quite a lot of the Hamas political leadership are in Qatar where they have residence and offices.
So the Qataris can talk to them directly and perhaps they even have a channel of communication with the military wing.
It’s important to remember that the military wing and the political wing of Hamas can be quite separate organisations, this is not one united organisation with a hierarchy.
There is even speculation that the political wing didn’t know the date of what was planned on 7 October when Hamas launched its surprise attack on Israel.