Hamas and Israel indirectly talking about hostages, according to senior US State Department official
From CNN’s Alex Marquardt
Hamas and Israel are still talking indirectly about hostages and the US believes a pause could resume as soon as Friday, according to a senior State Department official traveling with Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
On the flight, according to the pool traveling with him, the senior official told journalists that the discussions continue despite the fact that Hamas did not hand over the expected list of hostages to be released on an eighth day of pause, which has so far not materialized.
In a statement released from his office, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said fighting resumed against Hamas in Gaza after the group broke the outline of the truce and “didn’t respect its obligation to release today all the abducted women and launched rockets towards the citizens of Israel.”
Hamas has said it doesn’t have any more women and children to release but Israel doesn’t believe that, the State Department official said.
9:09 a.m. ET, December 1, 2023
Iran delegation leaves COP28 climate summit in protest of Israel's participation
From CNN’s Adam Pourahmadi
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, left, Israel's President Isaac Herzog, center, and President of the United Arab Emirates Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan pose during United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28) at Expo City Dubai, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, on December 1. Mahmoud Khaled/COP28/Reuters
Iran’s delegation to COP28, headed by Energy Minister Ali Akbar Mehrabian, left the climate summit in Dubai on Friday in protest over the presence of Israeli officials, according to state media IRNA.
“The delegation of the Islamic Republic of Iran left COP28 because it considers the political, biased and irrelevant presence of the fake Zionist regime as contrary to the goals and aims of the climate change conference," Mehrabian said.
IRNA quoted Mehrabian as saying Iran "intended to use the opportunity to attend COP28 to discuss climate conditions, negotiate with the authorities and delegations of different countries and defend the oppressed Palestinian nation.”
Israel’s President Isaac Herzog is expected to speak at the event.
8:29 a.m. ET, December 1, 2023
Jordan condemns resumption of fighting in Gaza
From CNN's Radina Gigova and Mohammed Tawfeeq
Jordan condemned the "resumption of the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip" and called for an immediate ceasefire, in a statement released Friday by its Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Ministry spokesperson Sufyan Al-Qudah "called on the international community to assume its responsibility and to deter Israel from committing more crimes against civilians."
Israel maintains it is targeting Hamas and that the terror group is embedding itself in civilian infrastructure, including hospitals and children's playgrounds, that it uses for military purposes, making them legitimate targets.
Al-Qudah "further emphasised the importance of upholding international law and international humanitarian law and the urgency of providing international protection for the Palestinian people."
He also "renewed his appeal to the international community to act immediately to impose a ceasefire," according to the statement.
Jordan’s King Abdullah II had previously called for a ceasefire in Gaza and had described Israel's bombardment of the enclave as "cruel and unconscionable."
Queen Rania Al Abdullah told CNN in early November that civilians in Gaza are experiencing an "avalanche of suffering."
9:13 a.m. ET, December 1, 2023
Israeli military releases new evacuation map for "next stage of the war"
From CNN's Celine Alkhaldi
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) released a new interactive map showing Gaza divided up into hundreds of numbered districts showing “evacuation zones” to be used in the “next stage of the war,” after the truce agreement expired and fighting restarted Friday.
“The map published divides the territory of Gaza into zones according to recognizable areas. This enables the residents of Gaza to orient themselves and to evacuate from specific places for their safety if required,” the statement said.
The IDF said the new map was meant to reduce casualties when it carries out strikes in civilian areas where it says Hamas has placed military infrastructure.
It published statements in English, Arabic and Hebrew on its social media accounts and via a leaflet drop.
Earlier on Friday the IDF dropped leaflets in areas of southern Gaza which included a QR code that connects to the map when scanned.
But telecommunications and electrical infrastructure in Gaza suffered extensive damage over the course of weeks of bombardment between October 7 and the start of the temporary truce on November 24, leaving many residents with unreliable access to the internet and power.
The UN estimates up to 1.8 million people in Gaza, or nearly 80 percent of the population, are internally displaced, having already had to leave their homes.
8:02 a.m. ET, December 1, 2023
Families of Israelis murdered by Hamas find new hope in sperm extraction
From CNN's Lianne Kolirin
As a medical social worker at Israel’s Kaplan Hospital, Prof. Shir Daphna-Tekoah is no stranger to trauma.
But when she was drafted in to work on October 7, the day Hamas attacked Israeli farms, villages and a music festival, the scale of the disaster quickly became apparent.
“I’ve seen dozens of people killed in accidents or shootings, but this was the hardest thing I’ve done in my life,” Daphna-Tekoah told CNN by telephone.
Prof. Shir Daphna-Tekoah spoke to CNN about her experience. Shir Daphna-Tekoah
As head of the hospital’s rape crisis center, she was called in as reports surfaced of sexual assaults. But it was soon all hands on deck as the emergency room filled up with the injured.
It was Daphna-Tekoah’s responsibility to support the families saying goodbye to their murdered loved ones. Of one family, she said: “I asked if they would like to thank their child or ask for forgiveness for anything.
“The mother said: ‘I’m so sorry I let you go to the party and that I didn’t protect you.’”
Then, Daphna-Tekoah posed another question. “I asked ‘Would you like me to find out about sperm preservation?’”
“Before, there was only agony and darkness in the mother’s eyes and suddenly there was a flicker of light and hope.”
Daphna-Tekoah immediately approached hospital management, and just a fewhours later they had the legal sign-offneeded. By the following morning, the sperm of several victims from the Nova festival had been retrieved.
Now, more than seven weeks later, Israeli hospitals have been inundated with requests to cryogenically freeze the sperm of those killed in the conflict, hospital officials say.
Resumption of fighting in Gaza is "catastrophic," UN human rights chief says
From CNN's Jessie Gretener in London
United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk holds a news conference in Caracas, Venezuela, on January 28. Leonardo Fernandez Viloria/Reuters
The situation in Gaza is "beyond crisis point" and the resumption of fighting is "catastrophic," UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk said Friday.
“I urge all parties and States with influence over them to redouble efforts, immediately, to ensure a ceasefire – on humanitarian and human rights grounds,” Türk urged.
Türk said recent comments from Israeli leaders indicating their plans to expand and intensify their military offensive is “troubling.”
“Since 7 October, thousands of Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, according to the Ministry of Health in Gaza. More now face the same fate. Others risk being forcibly displaced to already severely over-crowded and unsanitary parts of Gaza,” he added.
The UN representative called for the release of all remaining hostages, the cessation of indiscriminate rocket fire, and concrete steps to prevent further disaster.
9:45 a.m. ET, December 1, 2023
Gaza war resumes after truce expires. Here’s what you need to know
From CNN staff
Israel’s military restarted fighting against Hamas in Gaza after a week-long truce broke down on Friday.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it had “resumed combat operations” and accused Hamas of violating the truce first by firing rockets toward Israeli territory.
The resumption marks the end of a brittle truce between the warring parties that saw scores of Israeli hostages released from Gaza, and Palestinian prisoners freed from Israeli jails.
It could also mark the start of an expansion of Israel’s military operations in Gaza, as it turns its attention to Hamas fighters in the south.
Here are the latest developments:
War resumes: The Israeli military resumed fighting against Hamas after the militant group broke the outline of the truce, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said in a statement Friday. It said Israel was committed to achieving its war aims: Securing the release of the hostages, eliminating Hamas and ensuring that Gaza never again constitutes a threat to Israelis. At least 32 people have been killed in Gaza since the fighting restarted, according to Hamas-run health authorities.
Expanding south: The IDF dropped leaflets in the southern city of Khan Younis Friday, calling it a “fighting zone” and telling residents to “evacuate immediately.” Before the truce began last week, Israel had signaled it was set to expand its military operations southwards, after defense minister Yoav Gallant said Israel will aim to “dismantle Hamas wherever it is,” which “will include both the north and the south” of Gaza. The UN estimates nearly a million internally displaced Gazans are already in southern Gaza.
Truce talks: There had been hopes that the pause in fighting, originally slated to last just four days, could be extended into an eighth. But negotiators had warned doing so would be mired in logistical and strategic challenges. Hamas claimed on Thursday it was having trouble locating 10 women and children hostages – a condition Israel insisted must be met – to extend the truce. Hamas accused Israel of “refusing all offers” to extend the truce – a claim Netanyahu’s office dismissed as “propaganda.” Despite the resumption of fighting, diplomatic efforts to revive the truce are ongoing.
American pressure: In one of the most significant diplomatic moves yet in the conflict, the United States pressured Israel to increase efforts to shield Palestinian civilians once fighting resumes. After meeting in Jerusalem with Netanyahu and his war cabinet, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said: “I underscored the imperative of the United States that the massive loss of civilian life and displacement of the scale that we saw in Northern Gaza not be repeated in the South.” Meanwhile, on Friday, both the Palestinian Authority and Hamas blamed the US for Israel's resumption of attacks.
Gaza aid: No aid trucks crossed into Gaza on Friday after the truce expired and fighting resumed, an eyewitness at the Rafah crossing told CNN. Under the truce agreement, up to 200 trucks were allowed to enter Gaza every day. But, despite having undergone Israeli inspection at the Nitzana crossing, dozens of trucks were seen waiting at the gate of the Gaza side of the Rafah crossing. Aid agencies have warned of the dire humanitarian situation in the territory that renewed fighting will only deepen.
Deaths since end of truce: 109 people have been killed, with hundreds more wounded, since Israel resumed military operations against Hamas early Friday, according to a spokesperson from Gaza's Hamas-run Ministry of Health.
10:36 a.m. ET, December 1, 2023
Netanyahu's office believes that 137 hostages remain in Gaza
From CNN's Richard Allen Greene
Israel believes there are still 137 people taken by Hamas on October 7 who are being held hostage in Gaza, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said Friday.
Of those abductees, 117 are men and 20 are women, the statement said.
Among them are 126 Israelis and 11 foreigners (eight Thai nationals, one Nepali citizen, one from Tanzania and one dual France-Mexico national).
Two children under the age of 18, and 10 people aged 75 and older are also among Israeli count.
The remains of two abductees who were killed were located by Israeli soldiers.
Six people are currently missing, according to the Prime Minister's Office. The office revised the number down from seven in light of Thursday's confirmation of the death of Ofir Tzarfati, 27.
A totalof 110 people have been released from Hamas captivity so far, the statement said, comprising 86 Israelis and 24 foreigners.
Of the Israelis, 80 were released under the terms of the agreement with Hamas, four were released earlier, one Russian-Israeli dual citizen was released due to Russian intervention, and one Israeli soldier was rescued by Israeli troops.
This post has been updated to reflect new information on missing Israelis from the Prime Minister's Office.
8:52 p.m. ET, December 1, 2023
What freed Israeli hostages are saying about their time in captivity
From CNN's Rachel Clarke
Hamas and Islamic Jihad fighters stand guard as Red Cross vehicles transport released hostages toward the Rafah border crossing with Egypt on November 28. AFP/Getty Images
Kept in the dark. Forced to sit in silence. Fed only meager rations. These and even more chilling scraps of information are beginning to show how hostages survived in Hamas captivity.
Around 240 people, from infants to octogenarians, were taken hostage during Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7. Dozens have been freed but many more remain missing, presumed to be held by the Palestinian militant organization and other groups in Gaza, as the warring sides resume battle.
The Red Cross and other humanitarian groups have not been allowed to visit the hostages. So relatives and the wider watching world have to wait for testimony from those who have been freed to know what might be happening to their loved ones still held in Gaza: whether they have been seen, if they are alive or dead.
The details below have been compiled from comments by freed hostages to their families, their carers and sometimes to reporters.
Under the terms of the deal between Israel and Hamas, most of those released are women, children and foreign workers. As of Friday, only one adult Israeli man - who also had Russian citizenship – had been released and no members of the Israeli military. Hostages are believed to be spread across locations and in the hands of different groups. It’s already seeming that not all hostages were treated the same way; the story of each new person recovered will add to the understanding.
One hostage, Adina Moshe, was dragged from her safe room at home in Israel, taken to Gaza and forced into tunnels five stories underground, her nephew Eyal Nouri said.
“They took her inside the tunnels... she walked, bare feet in the mud of the tunnels,” he told CNN of the first hours of her captivity. “It was very hard to breathe. They marched [for] hours in the tunnels.”
Moshe said his aunt was held in an underground room where the lights were switched on for only two hours a day. The darkness was literal and also figurative, Nouri said. Deprived of any information, their other senses and imaginations became keener.
