Fears of a regional escalation have spiked, with Iran and its proxies stepping up attacks across the region in solidarity with Hamas. In their unprecedented October 7 attacks that triggered the war, Hamas militants dragged about 250 hostages back to Gaza, 132 of whom Israel says remain there, including at least 27 believed to have been killed. Qatar's foreign ministry announced Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group had agreed to deliver medicines to Israeli hostages held by Hamas in Gaza in exchange for supplying aid to civilians, following French and Qatari mediation. - Hostage deaths announced -Israel has concentrated operations on Khan Yunis since announcing on January 6 that it had dismantled Hamas's military structures in the north. An Israeli kibbutz on Tuesday confirmed that two hostages whose deaths were announced by Hamas in a video had been "murdered" in Gaza.

Source: Ethiopian News January 16, 2024 18:40 UTC