At least 500 people were killed Tuesday in a blast at al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza City that the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry says was an Israeli airstrike. Israel's military has denied involvement, saying the strike was the result of a rocket misfired by the Islamic Jihad militant group. Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas cancelled a planned meeting with US President Joe Biden in the wake of the tragedy and declared three days of mourning. Read our blog to see how the day's events unfolded. All times are Paris time (GMT+2).
This blog is no longer being updated. For more coverage of the Israel-Hamas war, please click here.
11:40pm: Jordan's foreign minster says summit with Biden has been canceled
Jordan’s foreign minister told state-run television that Jordan has canceled the four-way summit scheduled for Wednesday with U.S. President Joe Biden and other leaders.
Ayman Safadi told al-Mamlaka TV that the war between Israel and Hammas was "pushing the region to the brink." He said the summit would be postponed.
After visiting Israel Wednesday, Biden had planned to travel to Amman for the summit.
11:38pm: African Union chief says Gaza hospital strike a 'war crime'
The African Union chief Moussa Faki Mahamat on Tuesday accused Israel of a "war crime" following the deadly strike on a hospital in the Gaza strip.
"There are no words to fully express our condemnation of Israel's bombing of a #Gaza hospital today, killing hundreds of people," Faki said on X, formerly Twitter, calling for the international community to act.
11:25pm: Thousands protest at Tunis French embassy after Gaza hospital hit
Thousands of angry protesters gathered outside the French embassy in Tunisia on Tuesday, also denouncing the US, after a strike on a Gaza Strip hospital killed at least 200 people.
"The French and Americans are allies of Zionists," demonstrators shouted, according to an AFP journalist. Protesters demanded the recall of both countries' ambassadors and shouted: "No American embassy on Tunisian territory."
The protest initially drew hundreds but numbers swelled to around 3,000.
11:24pm: France strongly condemns strike on Gaza hospital: foreign ministry
France on Tuesday "firmly" condemned a deadly strike on a Gaza hospital, blamed by Hamas on Israel, which it denied, 11 days into the war triggered by the militant group's attack on Israeli soil.
"International humanitarian law is binding on all and must allow for the protection of civilian populations. Humanitarian access to the Gaza Strip must be opened without delay," the foreign ministry said in a statement.
11:18pm: Gaza hospital strike 'totally unacceptable': UN rights chief
The deadly strike on a hospital in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday is "totally unacceptable", the UN human rights chief said, insisting that the perpetrators must be held to account.
"Words fail me. Tonight, hundreds of people were killed – horrifically – in a massive strike at Al Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza City, including patients, healthcare workers and families that had been seeking refuge in and around the hospital. Once again the most vulnerable. This is totally unacceptable," Volker Turk said in a statement.
10:50pm: Hezbollah announces 'day of unprecedented anger' against Israel
Lebanon’s Hezbollah group denounced what they said were Israeli strikes on a Gaza hospital that killed hundreds of Palestinians, announcing Wednesday will be “a day of unprecedented anger” against Israel during Biden's visit to the country, according to a statement released Tuesday.
“The attack reveals the true criminal face of this entity and its sponsor ... the United States, which bears direct and complete responsibility for this massacre”, according to the statement.
9:47pm: Israel's military denies Gaza hospital strike involvement, blames Islamic Jihad militants
Israel’s military denied responsibility for an attack on a Gaza hospital on Tuesday, saying military intelligence suggested the hospital was hit by a failed rocket launch by the enclave’s Palestinian Islamic Jihad military group.
“An analysis of IDF (Israeli Defence Force) operational systems indicates that a barrage of rockets was fired by terrorists in Gaza, passing in close proximity to the Al Ahli hospital in Gaza at the time it was hit,” a spokesperson for the IDF said in a statement.
“Intelligence from multiple sources we have in our hands indicates that Islamic Jihad is responsible for the failed rocket launch which hit the hospital in Gaza.”
Islamic Jihad, for its part, has also denied involvement.
9:28pm: Protests erupt in West Bank demonstrators clash with security forces
Palestinian security forces in central Ramallah fired tear gas and stun grenades to disperse protesters throwing rocks and chanting against President Mahmoud Abbas, as popular anger boiled over after a deadly attack on a Gaza hospital on Tuesday.
Clashes with Palestinian security forces broke out in a number of other cities in the occupied West Bank late on Tuesday, according to witnesses.
9:08pm: Mahmoud Abbas cancels planned Biden meeting after Gaza hospital strike
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has cancelled a planned meeting with US President Joe Biden, following a strike on a Gaza hospital on Tuesday that killed hundreds, a senior Palestinian official told Reuters.
The meeting was due to take place in Jordan. The senior Palestinian official said Abbas was returning to Ramallah, the seat of his government in the occupied West Bank.
7:24pm: Hundreds dead in hospital blast, says Gaza health ministry
The Hamas-run Gaza health ministry says at least 200 people have been killed in what it described as an Israeli airstrike on the al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza City.
"Two hundred to 300 displaced people killed in occupation (Israeli) strikes on the yard" of the hospital in central Gaza, the ministry said. "Hundreds of victims are still under the rubble," it added.
A member of the civil defense forces told al-Jazeera TV that more than 300 had been killed in the strike.
According to early reports, people were seeking shelter in the hospital at the time of the blast.
The Israeli military (IDF) has said it doesn’t have details yet. Military spokesman Daniel Hagari told a televised press briefing: "We will look into it... the strike happened just a short while ago."
Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas declared three days of mourning following the deadly strike.
6:57pm: 'There was a cry from the heart within that video': Calls for release of French-Israeli hostage
FRANCE 24 Jerusalem correspondent Irris Makler breaks down the reactions to the release of a Hamas hostage video of a French-Israeli woman captured in the October 7 raid.
6:23pm: At least 6 people killed in Israeli air strike on UN school in Gaza
At least six people have been killed in an Israeli air strike that hit a school run by the United Nations’ Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA) in Gaza’s Al-Maghazi refugee camp, UNRWA posted on X social media platform.
6:02pm: 5,000 Hamas targets attacked in Gaza so far, says Israeli official
Israel has attacked around 5,000 Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip since October 7 and has cancelled a “large number” of other strikes in an effort to avoid Palestinian civilian casualties, a senior Israeli official said on Tuesday.
Briefing Reuters on condition of anonymity, the official did not elaborate on the number of strikes cancelled during a days-long bombardment of Gaza that has killed around 3,000 Palestinians, according to local health authorities, saying only that every such operation is “approved at the highest level” of the Israeli military.
In the wake of the devastating October 7 incursions by Hamas, Israel was determined to eliminate the Palestinian Islamist group in Gaza “even if it takes months or years,” he said.
5:34pm: German chancellor arrives in Israel, discusses aid to the Gaza Strip
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz called for the protection of civilians after having arrived in Israel for an unannounced visit on Tuesday. Scholz is one of several top politicians to visit the country since the October 7 Hamas attack.
Speaking alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Scholz said he had talked about how to get humanitarian aid to civilians in the besieged Gaza Strip and would raise the topic with Egypt’s president as well.
“Germany and Israel are united in being democratic states, acting in justice and law even in extreme situations ... I have spoken with the prime minister about ways to allow the people in Gaza to receive humanitarian aid as quickly as possible,” Scholz said.
“We want to protect civilians and prevent civilian deaths,” he added.
5:04pm: Israeli official predicts American 'involvement' if Gaza war spreads
Israel’s national security adviser predicted on Tuesday that the United States would get “involved” if the Gaza war escalated to the point where Iran and Hezbollah joined in on behalf of Hamas.
In a televised briefing, Tzachi Hanegbi noted expressions of support by President Joe Biden, which included US naval deployments in the Mediterranean and a public warning to the Lebanese group and to Tehran to stay out of the fighting.
“He is making clear to our enemies that if they even imagine taking part in the offensive against the citizens of Israel, there will be American involvement here,” Hanegbi said.
“Israel will not be alone ... A US force is here and it is ready,” he added, without elaborating.
4:54pm: Israeli intelligence chief takes responsibility for failure to anticipate Hamas attack
The chief of Israeli military intelligence circulated a letter to his subordinates on Tuesday in which he acknowledged that the corps failed to anticipate the October 7 Hamas attacks from Gaza and that he took full responsibility.
The letter by Major-General Aharon Haliva was published by Israeli media and confirmed to Reuters by a military spokesperson.
4:48pm: Around 3,000 people killed in Israeli strikes on Gaza, says Hamas-run health ministry
Around 3,000 people have been killed in Israeli strikes on the Gaza Strip, the health ministry in the Hamas-run Palestinian territory said on Tuesday.
More than 12,500 others have been wounded since Israel started bombarding Gaza on October 7, in retaliation for Hamas attacks in Israel that killed more than 1,400 people.
4:47pm: Canada tells citizens to leave Lebanon now while flights are still available
Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly on Tuesday urged citizens in Lebanon to leave the country while commercial flights are still available.
“If you are in Lebanon, it is now time to leave while commercial flights are available,” Joly told reporters.
Canadians in Tel Aviv and the West Bank who wanted to leave should take advantage of military flights that Ottawa is operating to Athens, she said.
“We don’t know how long this operation will be able to continue as the situation is very volatile,” Joly said.
3:47pm: US shifts tone on Israel-Hamas conflict, underscores 'rules of war'
With US President Joe Biden confirming a trip to Israel on Tuesday, all eyes are on what the messaging will be out of his administration.
"We've seen a shift over the past few days" from the White House, says FRANCE 24 international affairs editor Kethevane Gorjestani. "Initially, after Hamas's attack on Israel, the focus of the Americans was 'We're standing by Israel and Israel has a right to defend itself'."
But now the rhetoric is changing, Gorjestani says, adding that there is an increasing emphasis on the need for Israel to "conduct themselves along the rules of war".
3:33pm: Hamas says one of its top commanders, Ayman Nofal, killed in Israeli strike
Palestinian militant group Hamas said Tuesday one of the top leaders of its armed wing was killed in an Israeli strike in the Gaza Strip.
"Ayman Nofal, 'Abu Ahmad', a member of the general military council and commander of the central command in Al-Qassam Brigades, was killed" in an Israeli strike on the central Gaza Strip, Hamas said in a statement.
3:04pm: Israeli shelling kills four people in southern Lebanon, security sources say
Israeli shelling killed four people in southern Lebanon on Tuesday near the village of Alma Al-Shaab, security sources in Lebanon told Reuters.
2:56pm: Pentagon says US forces being readied, but no decision to deploy
About 2,000 US military personnel have been placed on a heightened state of readiness given “the evolving security environment in the Middle East,” but no decision has been made to deploy them, the US Department of Defense said Tuesday.
The deployment of the Gerald R. Ford carrier strike group, which is nearing the end of its six-month deployment to the US European Command area, would be extended, deputy press secretary Sabrina Singh said in the statement.
2:37pm: White House says it sees no deepening engagement by Iran in Israel-Hamas war
The White House sees no signs of a deepening engagement by Iran in the Israel-Hamas war, a senior official said Tuesday.
Asked whether US authorities have noticed that Iran was engaging in the conflict in new ways, White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said on CNN, "Outside of the rhetoric..., no we haven't."
2:23pm: Number of dead French nationals rises to 21, says French FM
France’s foreign ministry on Tuesday said Tuesday that 21 French nationals were killed on October 7 and another 11 remained missing.
“Several are very likely hostages of Hamas. This is the case of [one French] national, whose vile staging by Hamas in a video France condemns,” the foreign ministry said in a statement.
2:04pm: Belgian prosecutor no longer excluding link between Brussels attack and Israel
The Belgian Federal prosecutor's office is no longer excluding a link between Monday's Brussels lethal attack and the ongoing conflict in Israel, Belgian public broadcaster RTBF reported on Tuesday.
A Belgian federal prosecutor had said on Monday there was no evidence that the attacker had any link to the recent renewed conflict between Israel and Palestinian militants.
In the meantime, it appeared the perpetrator of the Brussels attacks, who killed two Swedish nationals and wounded a third person, had sent numerous messages in support of the Palestinian people, RTBF reported.
1:21pm: Jordan to host summit between Biden and Egyptian and Palestinian leaders, says state media
Jordan on Wednesday will host a four-party summit in Amman with US President Joe Biden and Egyptian and Palestinian leaders to discuss the "dangerous" repercussions of the war in Gaza in the region and finding a political resolution, state media said.
12:37pm: Iran's Guards commander warns of another shock wave if Israel does not end 'atrocities'
Israel will face another shock wave by the resistance front if its "atrocities" do not stop in Gaza, a deputy commander of Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards was quoted as saying by Iranian state media on Tuesday.
"The resistance front's shocks against the Zionist regime (Israel) will continue until this 'cancerous tumour' is eradicated from the world map," said Ali Fadavi.
"Another shock wave is on the way, if Israel does not end atrocities in Gaza."
12:26pm: Biden visit to Israel vital, says EU foreign policy chief
European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said Tuesday that US President Joe Biden's planned visit to Israel after the Hamas attacks was "absolutely necessary".
Biden is due to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday amid frantic diplomatic efforts to ease the humanitarian crisis in Gaza after waves of Israeli retaliatory air strikes on the Hamas-ruled enclave.
"President Biden's visit ... is absolutely necessary," Borrell told a news conference in Rota in southern Spain where EU member states are holding joint military exercises.
"We have called on Israel to conduct its defence activities in accordance with international law, for humanitarian corridors to be opened to bring aid to Gaza and for civilians to be protected. I am sure that this will also be the message that the president of the United States will convey," he added.
11:57am: Macron says 'intense' talks on to free hostages held by Hamas
Intense talks are on to free hostages held by Hamas after its attack on Israel, French President Emmanuel Macron said Tuesday, after the mother of a French-Israeli captive begged world leaders to intervene.
"I want to be very cautious here ... so as not to endanger the intense talks we are currently conducting," Macron told reporters in the Albanian capital Tirana. "But they are progressing and we are following these talks hour by hour."
11:47am: Turkey says Egypt to host summit on Gaza conflict on Saturday
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Tuesday that Egypt will host a summit of state leaders to discuss the Israeli-Palestinian conflict on Saturday.
Turkey is in talks with the Palestinian militant group Hamas on the release of foreigners, civilians, and children held hostage by the group, Fidan added.
He was speaking at a joint news conference with his Lebanese counterpart in Beirut.
11:33am: Iran says 'no one can stop resistance' if Israel keeps bombing Gaza
Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Tuesday that "no one can stop resistance forces" if Israel keeps up its bombardment of Gaza in response to the shock October 7 attack by Hamas.
"If the crimes of the Zionist (Israeli) regime continue, Muslims and resistance forces will become impatient, and no one can stop them," Khamenei said.
Iran has been in close contact with its regional allies, including Lebanese militant group Hezbollah and pro-Tehran Iraqi militias, since Palestinian Islamist group Hamas attacked Israel, breaking through the heavily fortified border from Gaza and killing more than 1,400 people, most of them civilians.
Tehran, which financially and militarily backs Hamas militants, celebrated the Hamas assault but insisted it was not involved.
11:05am: Only four or five days of food stocks left in Gaza shops, says World Food Programme
The UN's World Food Programme said the situation in the Gaza Strip was worsening by the minute with only four or five days of food stocks left in the shops.
"Inside the shops, the stocks are getting close to less than a few days, maybe four or five days of food stocks left," WFP's Middle East spokeswoman Abeer Etefa, told reporters in Geneva via video-link from Cairo.
11:04am: Israel's Gaza evacuation order could amount to crime of 'forcible transfer of civilians', says UN rights office
The United Nations human rights office said on Tuesday that Israel's siege of Gaza and its evacuation order there could amount to the international crime of the forcible transfer of civilians.
"We are concerned that this order, combined with the imposition of a complete siege of Gaza, may not be considered as lawful temporary evacuation and would therefore amount to a forcible transfer of civilians in breach of international law," said Ravina Shamdasani, spokesperson for the UN human rights office.
The term "forcible transfer" describes the forced relocation of civilian populations and it is a crime against humanity punishable by the International Criminal Court (ICC).
11:15am: Mother of French-Israeli hostage urges world leaders to free her daughter
Keren Schem, the mother of French-Israeli hostage Mia Schem, on Tuesday called on world leaders to free her daughter after Hamas released a video featuring footage of her being held captive.
On Monday evening, Hamas aired a video on its official Telegram channel of "one of the prisoners in Gaza", showing a young woman speaking Hebrew. In the video, the first released by Hamas of a hostage purportedly speaking from captivity, Schem says she is being held in Gaza, is being treated well and appeals for her release.
FRANCE 24 journalist Assiya Hamza met with Schem's family in Israel prior to Hamas's release of the video. Read her report by clicking 'Read More' below.
Read more‘Bring my baby back alive’: Families of Israeli hostages cling to hope
10:19am: Israel carries out civilian evacuations, military movement along Lebanon border
As tensions run high along the border between the Lebanon and Israel, Israel has begun evacuating thousands of residents from 28 locations in the north.
The international community fears the opening of a second front in the conflict, with Lebanon 's Iran-backed Hezbollah group joining its ally Hamas in the fight against Israel.
"People here really are scared that the tensions could spill over into open warfare," said FRANCE 24 correspondent Andrew Hilliar, reporting from Deir Hanna in northern Israel.
9:29am: Israel's military says status of post-war Gaza will be 'global issue'
An Israeli military spokesman said on Tuesday that the status of the Gaza Strip after Israel's planned assault on the Palestinian enclave would be a "global issue" for international discussion.
"We've had all kinds of end games," Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari told media during a news briefing, in response to a question about whether Israel would fully occupy the territory.
"The cabinet is also discussing what that could look like... this is also a global issue, what the situation will look like in this region," he said.
9:28am: Macron says Hamas video of Franco-Israeli hostage an 'ignominy'
French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday denounced hostage taking as "odious" and an "ignominy" after Hamas aired a video of a Franco-Israeli woman, Mia Schem, kidnapped during its incursion into Israel on October 7.
The Elysee presidential palace said Macron "calls for her immediate and unconditional release", adding: "France is fully mobilised and is working with its partners to free French hostages held by Hamas."
7:50am: At least 49 Palestinians killed in overnight Israeli strike, says Gaza's interior ministry
At least 49 Palestinians were killed in an overnight Israeli strike that hit homes in Khan Younis and Rafah, Gaza's interior ministry said on Tuesday.
Israeli bombs hit areas west and southeast of Khan Younis and west of Rafah, according to local reports.
Thousands of people trying to escape Gaza are gathered in Rafah, which contains the territory’s only border crossing to Egypt, as international mediators press for a deal to allow aid in and refugees with foreign passports out.
7:48am: Israeli military says killed four people trying to infiltrate from Lebanon, plant explosive
Israel's military said it killed four people who had tried to cross the fence bordering Lebanon and plant an explosive device on Tuesday.
7:43am: First batch of US citizens leaving Israel arrive in Cyprus by boat
Dozens of US citizens from Israel arrived in Cyprus early Tuesday on the first evacuation boat organised by the United States amid the escalating crisis in the Middle East.
Some 159 people were on board the luxury liner Rhapsody of the Seas which left Haifa and sailed into Limassol port in Cyprus early Tuesday.
Cypriot government official Victor Papadopoulos told Cyprus state TV more evacuation vessels were expected to arrive over the next 12 hours.
7:10am: Relief convoys in Egypt head towards Gaza border crossing, say aid groups
Relief convoys which had been waiting in the Egyptian city of El Arish Tuesday headed towards the Rafah border crossing with the Palestinian enclave of Gaza, aid officials said.
"We have arrived at the terminal and are now waiting for the next step," said Heba Rashed, who runs the aid group Mersal. Hundreds more lorries were headed along the coast road for the 40 kilometre (25 mile) journey to Rafah, other aid officials said.
"We've not been told what time we're going to cross but we were asked to head for Rafah," an Egyptian Red Crescent official said, asking not to be identified. "You could say we're nearing a deal on the entry of aid and the exit of foreigners."
Aid deliveries from multiple agencies and donor governments have been piling up in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula for the past few days amid mounting appeals to Israel to establish a safe corridor into the Gaza Strip.
5:06am: EU leaders seek a united message on Israel-Hamas conflict
EU leaders will meet Tuesday to try to clarify Brussels' stance on the Israel-Hamas conflict following days of confusing and sometimes contradictory messaging.
"We felt the need to bring some order," one EU official said, speaking on condition of anonymity, ahead of the emergency virtual summit of the 27 leaders taking place at 3:30pm GMT.
European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen last Friday flew to Israel to tell Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that Europe backed Israel's right to defend itself.
But that message was delivered without the caution being voiced by other Western leaders – and by the EU's own top foreign policy official Josep Borrell – that Israeli action must abide by international humanitarian law.
The Commission itself had to correct the announcement from Oliver Varhelyi, the commissioner responsible for relations with countries neighbouring the EU, who last week said that all disbursement of EU development aid to Palestinians had been frozen.
The Commission later clarified that it would see if payments for development projects in Palestinian territories "need to be adjusted" but that humanitarian aid was not affected.
4:50am: Top US general arrives in Israel amid war with Hamas
The top US general overseeing American forces in the Middle East made an unannounced trip to Israel on Tuesday, saying he hoped to ensure its military has what it needs as it fights an intensifying war against the Palestinian militant group Hamas.
The trip by Army General Michael "Erik" Kurilla, head of US Central Command, is the latest by a senior US official to Israel ahead of an expected ground assault by Israel's military in Gaza.
The US military is increasing its firepower in the region, aiming to prevent Iran and other Iran-backed groups from getting involved in the conflict as international fears of a wider, regional war grow.
The Pentagon is also rushing weaponry, including air defences and munitions, to Israel.
4:27am: UN Security Council rejects Russian resolution on Israel-Hamas war
The UN Security Council on Monday rejected a Russian resolution condemning spiralling violence in the Middle East, with delegates refusing to back a motion that did not single out Hamas for its surprise attack on Israel that left at least 1,400 people dead.
Just four countries voted with Russia on its proposed text. Four others – including the US – voted against, while six abstained.
A second text proposed by Brazil with unequivocal language condemning the Islamist group appeared to have broader support, and was expected to come to the vote on Tuesday evening, diplomats said.
4:16am: Roughly half a million Israelis displaced inside Israel, says military
Around 500,000 Israelis have been evacuated and displaced in the 10 days since Hamas unleashed the bloodiest attack in the country's history, the Israeli military said Tuesday.
"There are about half a million internally displaced Israelis at the time," Jonathan Conricus, spokesman for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), said in an online briefing.
He pointed out that all communities around the Gaza Strip had been evacuated, as had more than 20 communities along Israel's northern border with Lebanon.
3:34am: Hamas seeks Palestinian prisoners' release, calls non-Israeli captives 'guests'
A top Hamas leader said on Monday the group "has what it needs" to free all Palestinians in Israel's jails, indicating the militant group may try to use the Israelis it kidnapped as bargaining chips to secure the release of Palestinian prisoners.
Soon after Hamas official Khaled Meshaal made the remarks on the captives, who include Israelis and non-Israelis kidnapped by Hamas on Oct. 7, the group's armed wing separately said the non-Israelis were "guests" who would be released "when circumstances allow".
2:39am: US, Israel agree to develop plan for aid to Gaza, says Blinken
The United States and Israel have agreed to work out ways to let international assistance come into the blockaded Gaza Strip, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said early Tuesday.
"At our request, the United States and Israel have agreed to develop a plan that will enable humanitarian aid from donor nations and multilateral organizations to reach civilians in Gaza," Blinken said after nearly eight hours of overnight talks with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
2:23am: Biden will travel to Israel Wednesday amid concern that Israel-Hamas conflict could expand
President Joe Biden will travel to Israel on Wednesday to show support for the US ally as concerns increase that the raging Israel-Hamas war could expand into a larger regional conflict.
Biden is looking to send the strongest message yet that the US is behind Israel. His Democratic administration has pledged military support, sending US carriers and aid to the region. Officials have said they would ask Congress for upward of $2 billion in additional aid for both Israel and Ukraine, which is fighting Russia’s invasion.
He will travel to Jordan on Wednesday to meet with Arab leaders following his trip to Israel.
1:20am: Nearly 1,000 US citizens, family have departed Israel on charter flights
Nearly 1,000 US citizens and family members have departed Israel on US State Department-sponsored charter flights since Friday for Europe, a spokesperson said on Monday.
The State Department said it had offered more than 4,000 seats on US government-chartered transport by air and sea to US citizens and immediate family but said the flights and other departure options have generally departed at half capacity or less.
12:46am: Israel strikes Hezbollah 'terrorist' targets in Lebanon, says army
Israel launched strikes overnight on Hezbollah "terrorist" targets in Lebanon, a statement from the Israeli army said early Tuesday morning.
"The Israeli army is striking military targets of the terrorist organisation Hezbollah on Lebanese territory," the statement said.
12:30am: Hamas releases hostage video of Franco-Israeli woman
The Islamist group Hamas released a video on Monday showing a statement from one of the captives seized in last week's devastating attack on Israel.
In the footage, the woman, whose injured arm is shown being treated by an unidentified medical worker, identifies herself as 21-year-old Mia Schem and asks to be returned to her family as quickly as possible.
A representative of the family, which was among a group of French families that appealed last week to President Emmanuel Macron to help free their missing relatives, confirmed her identity to Reuters.
Key developments from Monday, October 16:
The Israeli military said Monday that Hamas and other Palestinian militants are holding 199 hostages in Gaza, a figure higher than previous estimates.
Iran's top envoy said that a "preemptive action" could be expected in the coming hours, state TV reported on Monday, adding that Israel will not be allowed to take any action in the Gaza Strip without facing consequences.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has categorically rejected the idea floated of expelling Palestinians from the Gaza Strip, saying they should be able to stay as Israel battles Hamas.
Read our blog to see how the day's events unfolded.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP and Reuters)
