LIVE
CONFLICTSISRAEL
Israel-Hamas war: Macron in Tel Aviv as hostages released
Published 13 hours agoPublished 13 hours agolast updated 15 minutes agolast updated 15 minutes ago
The French president is set to meet with Israeli leaders to express France’s solidarity after the Hamas terror attacks. Meanwhile, two more hostages have been released from Gaza. DW has the latest.
https://p.dw.com/p/4XvRP
French President Emmanuel Macron, left, meets Israel’s President Isaac Herzog in Jerusalem
Macron spoke with Israeli President Isaac Herzog after meeting relatives of French and French-Israeli nationals killed or held captive by HamasImage: Christophe Ena/Pool/Reuters
Skip next section What you need to know
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Two more hostages have been transported out of Gaza
US welcomes release of Israeli hostages
Top former US general says Moscow stands to benefit the most from the conflict
French President Emmanuel Macron has arrived in Israel
Skip next section Freed Israeli hostage says ‘went through hell’
15 minutes ago15 minutes ago
Freed Israeli hostage says ‘went through hell’
Yocheved Lifshitz in a wheelchair in Ichilov hospital in Tel AvivYocheved Lifshitz in a wheelchair in Ichilov hospital in Tel Aviv
Yocheved Lifshitz spoke to reporters after receiving treatment following her ordeal in captivity in GazaImage: Jenny Yerushalmy/Ichilov hospital/AP/picture alliance
Freed hostage Yocheved Lifschitz spoke to reporters about her abduction by the Hamas militant group.
Lifschitz’s daughter helped recount her ordeal to reporters. The 85-year-old was released late last night by the Hamas terrorist group after being held captive for more than two weeks.
“Story is not over until everybody comes back,” she said, calling for all hostages to be released.
Lifschitz’s husband is among the Hamas hostages. Israeli authorities said 220 captives are still being held in Gaza.
She said Hamas brought her into Gaza on a motorbike, with the ride leading to bruises. She was hit with sticks. She said she went through hell and that she struggled to breathe.
But she added that the militants did not hurt her while being held captive. Everyone shared the same food, and she had a doctor visit her in captivity.
The militants had prepared this for a long time, she said, adding that hygiene was taken care of.
Lifschitz criticized the Israeli military for not taking security concerns seriously enough before Hamas militants rampaged through Israeli towns on October 7, killing 1,400 people.
https://p.dw.com/p/4Xwm8
Copy link
Skip next section World Bank president says there’s no more business as usual amid ongoing conflict
1 hour ago1 hour ago
World Bank president says there’s no more business as usual amid ongoing conflict
World Bank President Ajay Banga said the world was in a more dangerous place and that the Israel-Hamas conflict was a “serious” threat to economic development.
Banga was speaking to reporters at the Future Investment Initiative conference in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
“There is so much going on in the world and geopolitics in the wars that you’re seeing and what just happened recently in Israel and Gaza,” he said.
“At the end of the day, when you put all this together, I think the impact on economic development is even more serious,” he added.
https://p.dw.com/p/4XwhT
Copy link
Skip next section Gaza humanitarian situation ‘more critical by the hour,’ CARE country director says
2 hours ago2 hours ago
Gaza humanitarian situation ‘more critical by the hour,’ CARE country director says
The humanitarian situation in the besieged Gaza Strip is becoming “more and more critical by the hour,” said Hiba Tibi, country director for CARE in the Palestinian Territories.
Speaking to DW on Tuesday, Tibi said humanitarian workers in the blockaded enclave are counting the hours until the medical system goes out of service.
“As you can see in this image, we have been able to secure necessities for immediate requirements that are needed for survival and life-saving, and this includes water and food,” said Tibi, whose organization is among those facilitating the entry of aid trucks into Gaza.
Tibi addressed the shortage of fuel, an item not agreed upon as part of the aid allowed into the strip out of fear it would fall into the hands of militants. She said the minimal amount of fuel allowed into the strip for UN facilities had been restricted to those in the south and those benefiting from UN shelters.
“But there are many actors, many people who are civilians in the north and center who are not accessing the designated shelters by the UN,” Tibi said.
She also pointed to the shortage of clean drinking water, which has left people turning to contaminated water.
“We started to see signs of diseases, water-borne diseases like diarrhea, rash, even other diseases that are becoming more and more risky at the top of each hour,” Tibi said.
https://p.dw.com/p/4XwS5
Copy link
Skip next section France stands in solidarity with Israel’s fight against Hamas terror, Macron says
2 hours ago2 hours ago
France stands in solidarity with Israel’s fight against Hamas terror, Macron says
France will stand in solidarity with Israel in its fight against terrorism, President Emmanuel Macron said as he met with Israeli counterpart Isaac Herzog in Jerusalem.
“What happened will never be forgotten,” Macron said, referring to the October 7 terror attacks by the Islamist militant group Hamas on Israeli soil.
“I am here to express our solidarity,” Macron said. He added the “first objective now should be the release of all hostages, without distinction.”
Macron arrived in Tel Aviv early Tuesday and met with Israeli-French nationals who lost loved ones in the terror attacks of October 7, as well as families of hostages held by the Hamas terror group, at the Ben Gurion airport.
Macron arrived in Israel on Tuesday morning and is expected to meet with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas later in the day, according to the Palestinian Authority. Elysee Palace is yet to confirm the meeting.
https://p.dw.com/p/4XwM6
Copy link
Skip next section Hostages released doing OK, chief nurse at Tel Aviv medical center tells DW
2 hours ago2 hours ago
Hostages released doing OK, chief nurse at Tel Aviv medical center tells DW
The two Israeli women, aged 79 and 85, who were released by Hamas militants after being held captive by the group for more than two weeks, are doing relatively well, according to the Israeli medical team.
The women were transferred to Egypt and handed to Israeli authorities. They were then taken immediately to the Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center.
Eti Uziel, the chief nurse at the center, told DW that their “medical condition looked OK.”
The women were speaking with medical staff and had already seen their family members.
Hamas, which the US, EU, Israel and others have designated a terrorist organization, is still holding the women’s husbands captive.
Rebecca Ritters, DW Correspondent in Jerusalem, reported that one of the women released was a peace activist who had often helped Gazans.
It’s impossible to tell whether that could be the reason behind her release, Ritters said, but the woman was seen shaking the hand of one of the Hamas militants before she was returned to humanitarian workers.
Israel has amassed tanks and weapons at the border with Gaza as it prepares for an anticipated ground invasion in Gaza to stamp out Hamas militants.
The US, according to media reports, has been pressing the government to delay the anticipated ground invasion as it carries out negotiations to free the 220 hostages still held captive.
Hamas militant group releases two Israeli hostages
01:54
https://p.dw.com/p/4XwFl
Copy link
Skip next section Israel says more than 400 Hamas targets struck
3 hours ago3 hours ago
Israel says more than 400 Hamas targets struck
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) claimed to have struck more than 400 “Hamas terror targets” overnight into Tuesday in a post on Telegram.
The IDF said their strikes killed “several Hamas commanders and numerous operatives preparing attacks.”
Separately, Hamas — designated a terrorist organization by the EU, US, Israel and others — said on Tuesday that more than 140 people had been killed in airstrikes, according to the French news agency AFP.
Neither report could be verified independently.
https://p.dw.com/p/4XwF1
Copy link
Skip next section Social media platforms failing to keep disinformation in check, expert tells DW
3 hours ago3 hours ago
Social media platforms failing to keep disinformation in check, expert tells DW
Social media platforms are not fully equipped to bear the responsibility of content moderation amid the ongoing hostilities between Israel and Hamas, said Caitlin Chin-Rothmann, an expert on technology and policy at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
She told DW that social media platforms are being flooded with information — and disinformation — and the platforms don’t have the resources to check the large amount of content. Much information about the Israel-Hamas conflict is also in languages other than English.
“Platforms are in a very difficult position partly due to the very, very large volume of information that’s flowing but also due to the fact that platforms are making real-time decisions in very short periods of time,” she said.
She explained that platforms are not operating with all the information they need, so it’s impossible for them to verify circulating claims. Social media companies are facing “both technical and normative challenges.”
The European Union has demanded social media platforms, like Meta, TikTok, and X, formerly known as Twitter, to detail their efforts to curb disinformation during the Israel-Hamas war.
However, both Hamas and the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) also use alternative platforms such as Telegram, which is more popular outside the US and Western Europe but does very little content moderation.
Fact check: Hamas attacks on Israel spark wave of fake news
06:11
https://p.dw.com/p/4XwAM
Copy link
Skip next section French President Emmanuel Macron arrives in Israel
4 hours ago4 hours ago
French President Emmanuel Macron arrives in Israel
Emmanuel Macron arrives in Tel AvivEmmanuel Macron arrives in Tel Aviv
Emmanuel Macron has arrived in Tel Aviv, following visits by several other Western leadersImage: Christophe Ena/Pool/REUTERS
French President Emmanuel Macron arrived in Tel Aviv early Tuesday morning for talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other senior officials.
Macron is expected to express his “full solidarity” with Israel as well as to call for the “preservation of the civilian population” in Gaza, according to his office.
The French leader is expected to call for a “humanitarian truce” to get much-needed aid to the more than 2 million people trapped in the Gaza Strip and to propose launching a “true peace process” that would lead to a Palestinian state in exchange for Israeli security guarantees, the presidential palace said.
As well as the Israeli prime minister, Macron will meet with Israeli President Isaac Herzog and opposition leaders Benny Gantz and Yair Lapid in Jerusalem.
He is also due to meet the relatives of French and French-Israeli nationals who were killed or taken hostage by Hamas during their unprecedented terror attack on Israel on October 7.
Some 30 French citizens were among the 1,400 people killed during the Hamas attacks, while another seven are believed to be among the more than 200 people being held captive by the terror group in Gaza.
Macron is visiting Israel after a host of world leaders, including German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and US President Joe Biden, visited Israel.
https://p.dw.com/p/4Xw6v
Copy link
Skip next section Biden and Netanyahu discuss hostages, aid and security
6 hours ago6 hours ago
Biden and Netanyahu discuss hostages, aid and security
US President Joe Biden had a call with Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday, the White House said.
Biden “welcomed the release of two additional hostages from Gaza earlier” and reaffirmed his commitment to freeing the remaining hostages taken by Islamist militants Hamas, which the US has designated as a terrorist group.
The US president also underscored the need to sustain “a continuous flow” of humanitarian assistance into Gaza, the White House said.
During the phone call, Biden also updated Netanyahu on “US support for Israel and ongoing efforts at regional deterrence, to include new US military deployments.”
https://p.dw.com/p/4XvvD
Copy link
Skip next section Analyst says more hostages could be released in ‘strategic negotiating tactic’
7 hours ago7 hours ago
Analyst says more hostages could be released in ‘strategic negotiating tactic’
The incremental release of hostages from Gaza over the past few days could continue, according to Frank Ledwidge, a senior lecturer in strategic studies at Portsmouth University and a former UK military intelligence officer.
“I don’t think it’s a one-off,” he told DW.
“This would be a strategic negotiating tactic on the one hand, and a propaganda effort on the other.”
“It’s worth mentioning, by the way, that under Islamic law it’s fairly settled that women and children should never be harmed and preferably not held as hostages. So this release could be used to established some kind of legitimacy, but of course that’s just propaganda.”
Ledwidge said Israel has the upper hand because the longer it waits, the more time it has to gather intelligence and prepare for a military operation.
“All the efforts of a formidable Israeli intelligence system, plus the US and I suspect the UK, Germany, France and others, are focused on this problem now, and that’s a pretty formidable array,” he said.
However, Ledwidge noted that the militant Islamist group Hamas still had certain advantages in the event of a ground invasion, such as a more intimate knowledge of the environment.
“Israel’s soldiers want to survive. Hamas terrorists are not interested one way or the other,” he added.
“And therefore there’s that human element which will undoubtedly work to the detriment of many people and will increase casualties.”
https://p.dw.com/p/4XvuJ
Copy link
Skip next section Russia, Iran orchestrating Middle East conflict: Former top US general tells DW
8 hours ago8 hours ago
Russia, Iran orchestrating Middle East conflict: Former top US general tells DW
Moscow is the biggest beneficiary of the fighting between Israel and Hamas, according to former commanding general of the US Army in Europe and current head of the GLOBSEC Future and Security Defense Council, Ben Hodges.
Hodges told DW’s Alexandra von Nahmen that he is “100% sure” that Russia and Iran have coordinated around the conflict.
“The Kremlin wants to see all of us turn our eyes and all of our resources away from Ukraine and I think since [the Hamas terror attacks on Israel on] October 7, you’d have a hard time finding any front page articles about Ukraine because of what’s happening in Israel,” he said.
“I don’t think this is an accident.”
Iran, Hodges said, provides significant resources, support and direction to Hamas, which is listed as a terrorist group by the US, the EU, Germany and others.
As the war in Ukraine rages on, Hodges said the US “absolutely” can continue to support Kyiv in its efforts to defeat Russia, whilst helping Israel defend itself.
Russia, Iran orchestrating Israel-Hamas war — ex-US general
04:54
https://p.dw.com/p/4XvRk
Copy link
Skip next section ‘It’s a very volatile situation,’ DW correspondent says after hostages freed
11 hours ago11 hours ago
‘It’s a very volatile situation,’ DW correspondent says after hostages freed
DW’s correspondent in Jerusalem Tania Krämer said there is speculation in Israel about the fate of at least 222 people who were taken hostage by the militant Islamist Hamas, which is considered to be a terrorist group by the US, the EU, Germany and others.
Four hostages — two Americans and two Israelis — have been released already.
“There were some rumors in the Israeli media that 50 more hostages could be released but that has not materialized so far,” Krämer said.
She said little is known about the current status of the hostages.
“Some families still don’t know what happened to their loved ones because the identification process also is still ongoing for those people killed,” Krämer said.
“It’s a very volatile situation also in the light that there might be a ground invasion looming soon.”
https://p.dw.com/p/4Xvko
Copy link
Skip next section US welcomes release of Israeli hostages
12 hours ago12 hours ago
US welcomes release of Israeli hostages
The United States was “very gratified” to see the release of two Israeli hostages on Monday night, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said.
Yocheved Lifshitz, 85, and Nurit Cooper, 79, had been taken hostage during the October 7 attacks on Israel by Islamist group Hamas, which the US considers to be a terrorist group, as do the EU, Germany and others.
“Well, obviously we’re very gratified to see the release of these two hostages — Israeli citizens — which comes on top of the release on Friday of two American citizens,” Miller said during an appearance on MSNBC.
https://p.dw.com/p/4XvhP
Copy link
Skip next section European Parliament president calls for response against Hamas
13 hours ago13 hours ago
European Parliament president calls for response against Hamas
The President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, said the conflict between Israel and Islamist militant group Hamas was a defining moment.
“We condemn in the clearest of manners the attack that took place,” she told DW.
“We call for the response to be against Hamas. We call to make sure that innocent civilians do not get caught in the crossfire.”
The European Union categorizes Hamas as a terrorist organization, as do the US, Germany and other countries.
Metsola: Israel-Hamas conflict ‘a defining moment’
09:47
https://p.dw.com/p/4Xvgg
Copy link
Skip next section Israeli mother of hostages says she hasn’t received new information
13 hours ago13 hours ago
Israeli mother of hostages says she hasn’t received new information
An Israeli mother of two of the hostages held by militant Islamist group Hamas does not have any further information about their condition, she told DW.
Renana Gomeh said the last contact she had with her adolescent sons was over the phone just before they were abducted and taken to Gaza by Hamas, which is considered a terrorist group by the US, the EU, Germany and others.
“I don’t even know where they are … or even if they’re still alive,” she said.
She said that she has not received any new information from the Israeli government.
“I presume that even if they were to have new information, they wouldn’t give it to me,” she said. “It might work against the actual release if they were to give any information.”
