Israel must act ‘in accordance with the laws of war’, Blinken says

Speaking from Tel Aviv on Thursday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken stressed that Israel must conduct its military operations “in accordance with the laws of war” and called for more to be done to protect civilians as a Gaza truce extension was set to expire Friday morning. Six Israeli hostages were released late Thursday after two women, including French-Israeli hostage Mia Schem, were freed earlier in the day. Follow our live blog for all the latest developments.

SUMMARY

• US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu in Tel Aviv on Thursday and stressed it was “imperative” to protect civilians in the besieged Gaza Strip should fighting resume. Blinken also held talks with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank city of Ramallah.
• Six Israeli hostages were released late Thursday, the Israeli army announced. Earlier in the day, two Israeli women, including French-Israeli hostage Mia Schem, were freed from Hamas captivity in Gaza.
• Thirty Palestinian prisoners were released late Thursday in exchange for the Israeli hostages released from Gaza, said the Qatari foreign ministry.
• Two Hamas gunmen killed three people at a Jerusalem bus stop Thursday morning. Security has been tightened across the city.
• Israel and Hamas agreed on Thursday to extend the ceasefire in their war by at least one more day, minutes before the six-day truce was due to expire. The Qatari Foreign Ministry said the truce was being extended under the same terms as in the past, under which Hamas has released 10 Israeli hostages per day in exchange for the release of 30 Palestinian prisoners.
• The Red Cross has said its teams have transferred the released hostages to Israeli authorities.
• Hamas attacked southern Israeli communities on October 7, killing 1,200 people and taking about 240 hostages, according to the Israeli government. Since then, more than 14,800 people, including about 6,000 children, have been killed in Israel’s ensuing assault on the Gaza Strip, Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry says.
• France 24/ AFP

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