222 people now confirmed hostages; IDF conducting Gaza raids
ISRAEL/LEBANON BORDER — The Israeli military said Monday that families of 222 hostages taken by Hamas have been notified so far that their loved ones are being held in the Gaza Strip, including foreign nationals.
Armored and infantry forces are continuing raids inside Gaza in order to search for information about Israelis who have been kidnapped or are still considered missing, Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari told reporters.
He added that Israel was holding more than 1,000 Hamas militants, both dead and alive.
Gaza officials say at least 30 killed in bombing of refugee camp
ASHDOD, Israel — Officials in Gaza say at least 30 people, including children, were killed in the bombing of a refugee camp in northern Gaza.
The Palestinian Civil Defense in the Jabalia refugee camp, located north of Gaza City, said they recovered the bodies of at least 30 people from the rubble of bombed buildings in the camp, which is the largest of eight refugee camps in Gaza, according to UNRWA, the United Nations agency supporting Palestinian refugees in the region.
NBC News was not immediately able to independently verify the information.
The Israeli Defense Forces did not provide an immediate response to questions about whether the camp was hit after a spokesperson said the IDF hit over 320 military targets in Gaza within a 24-hour time frame. They did not specify where exactly those targets were based.
The Indonesian Hospital in nearby Beit Lahia said it was aware of at least 13 people killed as a result of bombing at the Jabalia refugee camp, while the Ministry of the Interior in Gaza said people died in strikes on residential areas, including “in the vicinity of the Al-Ternis area and the Al-Albani Mosque in the middle of the Jabalia camp.”
Flag factory in Israel is operating around the clock
A seamstress pins an Israeli flag before sewing it at the Marom factory Sunday in Kfar Saba, Israel. The factory is running 24 hours a day since the war began two weeks ago, manufacturing thousands of flags of all sizes for funerals, state visits, government offices and the military.
4 Hezbollah ‘terrorist cells’ struck in Lebanon overnight, Israel says
Israel’s military said it struck four Hezbollah “terrorist cells” operating on the border with Lebanon overnight.
“Our forces struck Hezbollah terrorist infrastructure in Lebanon, including a military compound and an observation post,” the IDF said in a post on X, formerly Twitter.
Fears have been mounting about a new front emerging in Israel’s north should the Iran-backed militants enter the conflict, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warning Hezbollah against such action yesterday.
WHO chief calls for ‘sustained safe passage’ of aid into Gaza
The head of the World Health Organization has called for “sustained safe passage” for humanitarian convoys into the Gaza Strip, as he said more of the agency’s medical supplies have already arrived in Egypt.
Over the weekend, trucks with aid started crossing into Gaza for the first time since the war between Hamas and Israel erupted, but humanitarian organizations have said the supplies will be enough to only help a fraction of Gaza residents.
IDF says it hit over 320 targets in Gaza within a day
ASHDOD, Israel — Israel’s military says it hit over 320 military targets in Gaza within a roughly 24-hour time frame.
A spokesperson for the Israel Defense Forces said the military struck targets that “posed a threat” to forces surrounding Gaza as they prepared for ground operations, including dozens of mortar shell and anti-tank missile launch posts.
The targets also included “tunnels containing Hamas terrorists, dozens of operational command centers, some of which concealed Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorists, military compounds, and observation posts,” the spokesperson said.
The IDF said it also thwarted a number of terrorist cells, including an anti-tank missile cell.
NBC News was not able to independently confirm the information.
Fears of wider war growing as Israeli troops exchange fire with Hezbollah in Lebanon
ASHDOD, Israel — With anticipation building for a ground invasion of Gaza by Israel, concerns are also growing that the war could widen amid intensifying border exchanges. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said this weekend that if Hezbollah joins the war, he will order an attack on targets across Lebanon.
