at least 12 dead / Three Hamas commanders were killed

UPDATE The President of Germany will visit Israel for talks with his Israeli counterpart

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier will travel to Israel on November 26 and 27 to hold “political discussions” with his Israeli counterpart Isaac Herzog, according to a press release from the president’s office.

During his visit, Steinmeier also plans to hold meetings in southern Israel and East Jerusalem.

The president will then travel to Oman and Qatar, the release states.

UPDATE Biden believes hostage deal is close

President Biden believes an agreement to secure the release of some of the hostages held by Hamas in Gaza is close.

Asked by a reporter if a deal was close to being agreed, the president replied: “I think so.”

Qatar’s prime minister, a key mediator between Israel and Hamas, said over the weekend that only “very small details” remain to be worked out for an agreement.

About 238 hostages are still in Gaza.

UPDATE The head of the WHO, “terrified” by the “attack” at a hospital

The head of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, declares himself “horrified” by an alleged attack on the Indonesian hospital in northern Gaza.

“Healthcare workers and civilians should never be exposed to such horrors, and especially inside a hospital,” he wrote on the X platform.

At least 12 people were killed after violent fighting broke out around the Indonesian Hospital in northern Gaza, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry.

The “attack” was condemned by Indonesia, which finances the unit.

UPDATE The Israeli army attacked the Hezbollah infrastructure in Lebanon

The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) announce that they have struck the “terrorist infrastructure” belonging to Hezbollah in Lebanon, according to Sky News.

Tanks, a fighter jet and a helicopter were used to hit the Iran-backed group that tried to fire an anti-tank missile at Israel. Three drones were identified across the border.

UPDATE Rockets in Gaza, warning sirens in southern Israel

Anti-missile warning sirens are sounding in various areas of southern Israel, including Ashdod and Ashkelon, reports Haaretz. It is the first time in 24 hours, according to the Times of Israel, when long-range rockets are launched from the Gaza Strip in the direction of Israel.

UN UPDATE: 1.7 million people displaced in the Gaza Strip

The number of displaced persons in the Gaza Strip reached approximately 1.7 million. This was announced by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), stating that approximately 900 displaced people are now being welcomed into the UN Agency’s schools, while hundreds of thousands more live on the streets. UNRWA said that although it had notified Israel of the exact location of its facilities, more than 70 of them had been damaged by the bombing. Moreover, the organization said that the contaminated water led to the spread of diseases and a cholera epidemic is feared.

UPDATE Israel refuses to release prisoners linked to Hamas

Israel is “thoroughly” checking the entire list of names of Palestinian prisoners to ensure that none of those who will be released under a possible deal with Hamas are in any way connected to the Islamist movement. Hamas does not know exactly where all the kidnapped people from Gaza are. These are some of the obstacles that, at the moment, prevent the closure of the agreement between Hamas and Israel, as Egyptian sources told the Wall Street Journal. Israel and Hamas are nearing an agreement negotiated by Qatar and Egypt to reach a truce and release some of the approximately 240 hostages held in Gaza.

UPDATE Irving came to the conference with a kefieh

The American basketball player Kyrie Irving, the player of the Dallas Mavericks team, causes another scandal, after he refused to be vaccinated in the past and collided with NBA officials. After the defeat with the Milwaukee Bucks, score 125-132, he appeared at the press conference wearing a keffiyeh, as a pro-Palestinian message.

UPDATE The Knesset debates the death penalty: relatives of the hostages revolt

A debate on the death penalty for terrorists, held today in the parliamentary committee for national security, at the initiative of the far-right party “Jewish Power”, alarmed the families of the hostages held captive by Hamas, who asked the deputies to postpone the session so that do not compromise the negotiations with the kidnappers. “You are endangering the lives of our relatives,” said the representatives of the hostages. The hearing was called to prepare for the first reading of a bill presented in March.

UPDATE 40 aid trucks pass through Rafah today

40 trucks with humanitarian aid are expected to arrive in the Gaza Strip in the next few hours, after passing through Rafah. This was announced by the Gaza Coordination and Liaison Administration. Haartez reports it. The trucks are carrying equipment that was sent from the United Arab Emirates to build a field hospital for the wounded in the Palestinian enclave.

UPDATE Israel, 2 more dead soldiers, a total of 65

The army announced the death of two more soldiers who were fighting in the north of the Strip. With these, the total number of deaths since the beginning of ground operations is 65.

UPDATE 3 commanders of the Hamas organization were killed

Israeli planes – according to the intelligence services – killed 3 Hamas commanders in the north of the Strip. The army spokesman made this known. Times of Israel reports this, IDF. The attacks, the IDF explains, took place following information provided by the Shin Bet and the Directorate of Military Intelligence. Israeli forces also identified a group of Hamas operatives heading towards a building and ordered an airstrike.

UPDATE Wang: China will work to restore peace

“Let’s work together to quickly ‘cool down’ the situation in Gaza and restore peace in the Middle East as soon as possible.” Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told diplomats from Arab and Muslim-majority countries visiting Beijing. Wang emphasized that a humanitarian disaster is taking place in Gaza that affects all the countries of the world.

UPDATE At least eight dead in a raid on an Indonesian hospital

Palestinian media say that at least eight people were killed in an Indonesian hospital in northern Gaza, Israeli forces allegedly bombed and surrounded the medical facility. Patients and people seeking shelter were among the victims. Local news reports say that the power has been cut in the hospital and that Israeli forces are shooting anyone who tries to leave the area.

UPDATE Egyptian television announces: Armistice for hostages starting Monday / Israel denies

Egypt’s Al-Ghad TV announced, citing “Hamas sources”, that “from 11 o’clock on Monday” “calm” will begin in the Gaza Strip as part of an agreement to release 50 Israeli hostages against the release of as many as possible Palestinian prisoners. However, Israeli officials, quoted by the Times of Israel, denied the Egyptian announcement. Haaretz also reported an Israeli official’s denial, adding that two Palestinian sources and an Egyptian also said no agreement had been reached on a ceasefire or any prisoner exchange.

About 240 hostages were taken in the deadly Hamas raid in Israel on October 7, prompting Israel to invade the tiny Palestinian territory to eliminate the Islamist group in power after several inconclusive wars since 2007.

Israeli tanks and troops entered Gaza late last month and have since taken control of large areas in the north, northwest and east of Gaza City, according to the army.

But Hamas and local witnesses say the militants are waging a guerrilla war in areas of the densely urbanized north, including parts of Gaza City and the Jabalia and Beach refugee camps.

Even as fighting raged on the ground, Israel’s ambassador to the United States, Michael Herzog, said in an interview with ABC that Israel hoped a significant number of hostages could be released by Hamas “in the coming days.” Reuters.

Reuters reported on November 15 that Qatari mediators were trying to broker a deal between Israel and Hamas to exchange 50 hostages in exchange for a three-day ceasefire that would help increase emergency aid deliveries to Gaza civilians. , citing an official briefed on the discussions.

At the time, the official said an agreement had been reached on the broad lines, but that Israel was still negotiating the details.

On Sunday, Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed Bin Abdulrahman al-Thani told a news conference in Doha that the main obstacles to a deal were now “very minor” and were mainly “practical and logistical” issues. which must be overcome.

A White House official also said the “very complicated and very sensitive” negotiations were making progress.

“I think we’re closer than we’ve been in some time, maybe closer than we’ve been since the beginning of this process, to getting this deal done,” White House deputy national security adviser Jon Finer told NBC.