Hostage release raises hopes; Gaza airstrikes intensify

Gaza’s health chief says aid ‘throws dust in the eyes’

The aid coming into Gaza is “throwing dust in the eyes” of residents and falls short of meeting the needs of the 2 million people who have been under Israel’s blockade for more than two weeks, the director-general of Gaza’s health ministry said.

“Until now, we have not received a single piece of the aid that is being talked about entering the Gaza Strip,” Munir Al-Bursh said.

His comments come after the first convoys of aid trucks crossed into Gaza from Egypt over the weekend.

NBC News reached out to the United Nations, which has been coordinating the distribution of aid, for comment.

‘I went through hell’: Released hostage says she was beaten with sticks

One of the two Hamas hostages released yesterday has told reporters at a hospital in Tel Aviv that she went through “hell” when she was seized by militants who attacked her kibbutz.

Yocheved Lifshitz, 85, described the ordeal of being taken hostage but also her time in captivity, where she said she was treated well. 

She spoke at the hospital, sat in a wheelchair alongside her daughter and surrounded by members of the media.

“I went through hell,” said Lifshitz, who was released along with Nurit Cooper, 79. “We never thought and never knew that we could reach a situation like this.”

She detailed how she was put on a motorcycle to be taken into Gaza, beaten with sticks, and then taken through a network of tunnels. 

But Lifshitz said she received medical care in captivity and was treated well. 

Chinese foreign minister speaks with Israeli and Palestinian counterparts

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi urged Israel not to neglect civilian safety in the process of defending itself, while telling his Palestinian counterpart that China “deeply sympathizes” with his people.

“All countries have the right to self-defense, but they should abide by international humanitarian law and protect the safety of civilians,” he said yesterday in a call with Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen, according to a readout from the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

Separately, Wang told Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki that China “deeply sympathizes with the difficult situation of Palestine, especially the people of Gaza” and that China would continue to provide humanitarian aid. China, like Russia, has not explicitly condemned Hamas over the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks, driving a further wedge between the two countries and the United States.

The Israel-Hamas war is likely to be a topic of discussion as Wang visits Washington from Thursday to Saturday. He will meet with Secretary of State Antony Blinken in what could be a prelude to a meeting next month between President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping, which would be their first in a year.

4 Palestinians killed in arrest raids in the West Bank, U.N. agency says

In an escalation of violence, at least 95 Palestinians, including 28 children, have been killed by military activity or settler violence in the West Bank since Oct. 7, according to the U.N.’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. The last few weeks have been the deadliest period for Palestinians in the West Bank since 2008.

Four people were killed between Sunday and yesterday, OCHA said, during two search-and-arrest operations in Ramallah and Nablus. The Palestinian Health Ministry identified two of the dead as Muhammad Nidal Yaqoub Alyan, 22, and Mahmoud Saif Ahmed Nakhla, 20.

The Palestinian Prisoners’ Authority said 85 were arrested in a targeted campaign in the West Bank by dawn yesterday. There have been 1,215 arrests in the West Bank since the Oct. 7 attack.

Two released hostages recovering at Tel Aviv hospital

The two elderly hostages who were released by Hamas yesterday have been recovering at the Ichilov Medical Center in Tel Aviv.

The hospital said in a video statement that the medical condition of the two women was “fine” and they had a reunion with their family members.

“Right now, for them and for the family members, it’s a very, very exciting situation. We are happy that they are here with us,” the hospital’s spokesperson said.

Nurit Cooper, 79, and Yocheved Lifshitz, 85, were released by Hamas for what the militants said were humanitarian reasons. Their elderly husbands remain in captivity, according to Israeli officials.

France’s Macron arrives in Israel in show of solidarity

French President Emmanuel Macron arrived in Israel today in a show of support, following visits by President Joe Biden and several European leaders in recent days.

His office said Macron’s objectives for the visit include de-escalating violence, pleading for a humanitarian truce and releasing hostages.

In a post on X, Marcon said he met with the families of the French-Israeli victims, killed or kidnapped by Hamas, adding that France is “linked to Israel” by mourning.

Meanwhile, France’s interior minister, Gérald Darmanin, reported yesterday that France saw 588 incidents of anti-Semitism since the Oct. 7 attack on Israel by Hamas, as he vowed to fight the spike with “total determination.”

Israel should not have ‘unconditional greenlight’ to kill, Qatar emir says

DOHA — Qatar’s ruling emir has urged the international community not to grant Israel “unrestricted authorization to kill” Palestinians in its fight against Hamas, in what he called a dangerous escalation that threatens global security.

“We say enough. Israel shouldn’t be granted an unconditional green light and unrestricted authorization to kill,” Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani said in an annual speech to open the Gulf Arab state’s advisory Shura council, his first public comments since Qatar began its most recent efforts to mediate between Israel and Hamas.

The Palestinian health ministry said the Gaza death toll had topped 5,000 in two weeks of Israeli air strikes in response to Hamas’ surprise Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel, in which the Islamist militant group killed more than 1,400 people and captured more than 200 hostages.

“We do not accept double standards and acting like the lives of Palestinian children aren’t accounted for, as if they don’t have faces or names,” Sheikh Tamim said.

Horrors of war hitting Israel, Gaza as war continues

ISRAEL/GAZA BORDER — In Israel workers are trying to identify hundreds of unrecognizable bodies two weeks after the massacre by Hamas while in Gaza the death toll is increasing rapidly, making it difficult to name the dead. 

More than 400 targets hit in Gaza overnight, IDF says, as Gaza death toll rises

JERUSALEM — The Israeli military said it struck more than 400 targets in Gaza in the last 24 hours, and killed several Hamas commanders and numerous operatives preparing attacks on Israel.

“In a wide-scale operation to dismantle Hamas’ terrorist capabilities, the IDF struck dozens of Hamas gunmen setting up to fire rockets and carry out terror attacks against the Israeli home front,” the IDF said in a release Tuesday.

It added that its fighter jets struck “dozens of terror infrastructure and Hamas staging grounds,” and a tunnel that gave the militants quick access to the coastline.

Amid the intensified bombardment, the death toll in Gaza continues to rise. According to Gaza health authorities, more than 5,500 people have been killed and about 17,000 injured.

Biden spoke with Netanyahu after Hamas released 2 hostages

Biden spoke with Netanyahu last night and reaffirmed efforts to secure the release of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza, the White House said.

Biden “reaffirmed his commitment to ongoing efforts to secure the release of all the remaining hostages taken by Hamas — including Americans — and to provide for safe passage for U.S. citizens and other civilians in Gaza,” the White House said in a statement.

The two leaders spoke on the day Hamas released two additional hostages, bringing the total freed to four. Israel’s military says Hamas is still holding more than 200 other people hostage.

Biden “also underscored the need to sustain a continuous flow of urgently needed humanitarian assistance into Gaza” and informed Netanyahu of new U.S. military deployments, the White House said.

Catch up with NBC News’ latest coverage of the Israel-Hamas war