‘Impossible to know’ how many Israeli hostages are still alive, says Hamas official
A Hamas official has told Sky News he “does not know” how many Israeli hostages are still alive.
Dr Basem Naim, Hamas’s head of political and international relations, told Sky News: “I have no idea because it is impossible under this heavy bombardment – the communications are totally cut.”
Israel-Gaza latest: Hospital power running out ‘within 24 hours’
He also said the group was ready to release civilian hostages when “aggression against our people is stopped”.
“At the time the aggression stops, we are ready to release the civilian hostages,” he said.
“I hope that we will have hostages alive at the time the aggression ends because al Qassam Brigade [Hamas’s armed wing] announced yesterday that nine of the hostages were killed under Israeli bombardment.
“And three days ago 13 others were killed – including four foreigners.”
The Israeli military said on Monday that 199 hostages were being held in Gaza – a higher figure than previously estimated.
It comes as Sky News has been told that Israel has carried out a strike near the Rafah border crossing from Gaza into Egypt.
Smoke billows from buildings in the city of Rafah, near to the border with Egypt, after Israel airstrikes. Pic: AP
Sky News’s Africa correspondent Yousra Elbagir, reporting from Cairo, said: “We have received confirmation that there was another Israeli airstrike near the Rafah crossing, on the Palestinian side,” she said.
“We don’t believe there are any casualties.”
Negotiations to open the crossing to allow humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip – and foreign nationals out – also appear to have stalled.
The crossing had been expected to open at 9am local time on Monday.
However, a United Nations (UN) spokesperson said there had been no progress on a full opening of the border.
Palestinians wait to cross to the Egyptian side at Rafah border, Gaza Strip
Pic:AP
In other key developments:
• Hamas denies Israel’s claim it had resumed water supplies to Gaza
• The head of Israel’s intelligence agency admitted it had failed to deter Hamas’s attack
• Mr Blinken returns to Israel after six-country tour
• The UN warns fuel at all hospitals across Gaza Strip is running out
• The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said it killed a Hamas commander in airstrike
• Rishi Sunak says six Britons were killed in Hamas raid on Israel and 10 others are missing
• He also pledged an extra £10m in aid to help Palestinian civilians
On Monday, a spokesperson for the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said getting humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip was “not our responsibility at this time”.
Lieutenant Colonel Peter Lerner told Sky News: “Frankly, while the images are extremely concerning, it isn’t our responsibility at this time.
“Indeed, we are focused on striking Hamas and striking their capabilities.
“We can’t be expected not to defend our civilians because Hamas is hiding behind theirs.”
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He said the IDF was engaging with humanitarian agencies in the region, but said that the Israeli military was not present in the Gaza Strip to provide aid.
“In the area we have asked them [people in Gaza] to move to and move from – there is no Israeli presence – we cannot provide them with aid,” he said.
On Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Iran and Hezbollah “do not test us” in the north of the country after 28 towns were evacuated near the border with Lebanon.
The evacuations in northern Israel followed a spike in clashes between the country’s military and Hezbollah – a Lebanese militant group backed by Tehran – since Hamas’s surprise incursion in Israel on 7 October.
Smoke billows during Israeli air strikes
Speaking in parliament – which had to be briefly evacuated on Monday after air raid sirens sounded in Jerusalem – Mr Netanyahu also called for the world to unite to defeat Hamas.
“This war is also your war,” he said, as he compared the Hamas gunmen to the Nazis.
Israel’s defence minister, Yoav Gallant, also vowed: “We are going to win this war,” in a short news conference with US secretary of state Antony Blinken on Monday.
“You know our deep commitment to Israel’s right, and indeed its obligation, to defend itself and to defend its people – in that you have, and always, the support of the United States,” Mr Blinken replied.
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Israel is expected to invade Gaza in the coming days in a mission to wipe out Hamas, which governs the besieged Palestinian territory.
Earlier, in a speech to his cabinet, the prime minister of the Palestinian Authority in the occupied territory of the West Bank, Mohammad Shtayyeh, urged Mr Netanyahu to “stop the aggression”.
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Trucks on ‘standby’ at Rafah border
US President Joe Biden also said in an interview that Hamas should be eliminated, but warned it would be a mistake for Israel to occupy Gaza, calling instead for a “two-state solution”.
In Israel, more than 1,400 people have been killed since Hamas carried out its attack on Israel on 7 October.
A Hamas government spokesperson said 2,808 Palestinians had been killed and another 10,850 wounded in retaliatory attacks by Israel.
At least 1,000 people are missing and believed to be under rubble, according to the Palestinian civil defence team.
Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy has met Israel’s prime minister in an effort to secure a ceasefire deal in Gaza before the president-elect takes office on 20 January.
Benjamin Netanyahu’s office confirmed details of the meeting with Steve Witkoff on Saturday, adding that the head of the Israeli Mossad intelligence agency has been deployed to Qatar in order to “advance” talks.
It was not immediately clear when David Barnea would travel to Doha for the latest round of indirect discussions between Israel and Hamas.
Earlier on Saturday, an Israeli official said some progress had been made, mediated by Egypt, Qatar and the United States, to reach a deal in Gaza.
Ronen Bar (left), director of Israel’s security agency, and David Barnea (right), head of Mossad, at a ceremony marking the 7 October Hamas attack. File pic: Reuters
The mediators are making renewed efforts to halt fighting in Gaza and free the remaining Israeli hostages held there before Mr Trump takes office.
A deal would also involve the release of some Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails.
Families of Israeli hostages welcomed Mr Netanyahu’s decision to dispatch the officials, with the Hostages and Missing Families Forum Headquarters describing it as a “historic opportunity”.
Mr Witkoff arrived in Doha on Friday and met the Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Qatar’s foreign ministry said.
Egyptian and Qatari mediators received reassurances from Mr Witkoff that the US would continue to work towards a fair deal to end the war soon, Egyptian security sources said, though no further details were released.
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Israel launched its assault on Gaza after Hamas fighters stormed across its borders in October 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking more than 250 hostages, according to Israeli figures.
Families of the roughly 100 hostages still held in Gaza are pressing Mr Netanyahu to reach a deal to bring their loved ones home.
Since then, more than 46,000 people have been killed in Gaza, according to Palestinian health officials, with much of the area destroyed and gripped by a humanitarian crisis, with most of its population displaced.
Pope Francis has been honoured with America’s highest civilian award by President Joe Biden, who has described the pontiff as “a light of faith, hope, and love that shines brightly across the world”.
It is the first time Mr Biden, 82, has given the Presidential Medal of Freedom with Distinction during his four years in office.
In a statement, the White House said the award is “presented to individuals who have made exemplary contributions to the prosperity, values, or security of the United States, world peace, or other significant societal, public or private endeavours”.
Mr Biden had been scheduled to present the medal to Pope Francis, 88, in person on Saturday in Rome on what was to be the final overseas trip of his presidency. But the president cancelled his visit to monitor the California wildfires.
The White House said Mr Biden bestowed the award during a phone call in which they also discussed efforts to promote peace and alleviate suffering around the world.
President Joe Biden presented Bono with the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Pic: AP
Denzel Washington was also recognised. Pic: AP
Michael J Fox was bestowed with the honour. Pic: AP
The award can be presented with or without distinction.
Mr Biden presented the medal of freedom – without distinction – on 5 January to several people including fellow Democrat Hillary Clinton, humanitarian and U2 singer Bono, fashion designer Ralph Lauren and actors Michael J Fox and Denzel Washington.
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Mr Biden himself is a recipient of the award with distinction, recognised when he was vice president by then president Barack Obama in a surprise ceremony eight years ago.
Barack Obama presented Joe Biden with the Presidential Medal of Freedom with Distinction in 2017. File pic: AP
The citation for the pope’s honour said his “mission of serving the poor has never ceased”.
“A loving pastor, he joyfully answers children’s questions about God. A challenging teacher, he commands us to fight for peace and protect the planet. A welcoming leader, he reaches out to different faiths,” it added.
Ukraine has captured two North Korean soldiers fighting in Russia’s Kursk region, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said.
The injured pair are now in Kyiv and communicating with the Security Service of Ukraine, the country’s domestic intelligence agency, he said.
Ukrainian special forces and paratroopers captured the North Koreans, Mr Zelenskyy said in a post on X.
“As with all prisoners of war, these two North Korean soldiers are receiving the necessary medical assistance,” he said.
“I have instructed the Security Service of Ukraine to grant journalists access to these prisoners.
“The world needs to know the truth about what is happening.”
Mr Zelenskyy said capturing the soldiers alive was “not easy”. He also claimed Russian and North Korean forces fighting in Kursk have tried to conceal the presence of North Korean soldiers, including by killing wounded comrades on the battlefield to avoid their capture and interrogation by Ukraine.
The post included images of the two men – one with a bandage around his jaw and the other around both hands and wrists – and what appeared to be a Russian military document.
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Ukraine’s security service SBU on Saturday provided further details.
It said one of those detained had no documents at all, while the other had been carrying a Russian military ID card in the name of a man from Tuva, a Russian region bordering Mongolia.
“The prisoners do not speak Ukrainian, English or Russian, so communication with them takes place through Korean translators in cooperation with South Korean intelligence,” a statement said.
One of the soldiers claimed he had been told he was going to Russia for training, rather than to fight against Ukraine, according to the SBU.
The agency added both men are being provided with medical care in line with the Geneva Conventions, and investigated “in cooperation with South Korean intelligence”.
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North Korean regular troops entered the war on Russia’s side in October, according to Ukraine and its Western allies.
US, South Korean and Ukrainian intelligence assessments suggest up to 12,000 North Korean combat troops have been sent by Pyongyang under a pact with Moscow.
They believe North Korea has also been supplying Russia with vast quantities of artillery shells.
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