Israel’s war on Gaza, now in its 304th day, has resulted in the deaths of at least 39,583 Palestinians—primarily women and children—and has injured over 91,398 others.
0016 GMT — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has introduced new conditions for a proposed hostage swap deal with Hamas, which includes exiling approximately 150 Palestinian prisoners from the country, according to local media reports.
One of the conditions involves deporting some Palestinian prisoners released from Israeli prisons to foreign countries, as reported by Israel’s Channel 13, citing unnamed sources.
For months, the US, Qatar, and Egypt have been working to broker an agreement between Israel and Hamas to facilitate a prisoner exchange and ceasefire while allowing humanitarian aid to enter Gaza.
However, mediation efforts have stalled due to Netanyahu’s refusal to meet Hamas’s demands to halt the war.
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and his Israeli counterpart Yoav Gallant spoke by phone on Sunday to discuss Washington’s military posture in the Middle East.
According to a statement from the Pentagon, “They discussed US force posture moves that the Department of Defense is implementing to enhance protection for US forces, support Israel’s defense, and deter and de-escalate broader tensions in the region.”
During the conversation, Austin reaffirmed the US’s “ironclad” support for Israel’s security and its right to self-defense against threats from Iran, Hezbollah in Lebanon, and the Houthis in Yemen.
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani stated that preventing regional escalation hinges on halting Israel’s aggression against Gaza and preventing its spread to Lebanon.
His comments were made during a phone call with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to discuss regional and international developments, as reported by the Iraqi News Agency (INA).
Al-Sudani emphasized that curbing escalation in the region also depends on deterring Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government, stopping Israeli occupation forces from attacking neighboring countries, ending repeated violations of international law and sovereignty, and halting efforts to spread conflicts and deepen crises.
The conversation also addressed Iraq’s role in promoting international peace and stability and preventing further escalation of current events, according to the statement.
The Israeli army has provided a document to the mayors of northern Israeli cities outlining potential scenarios for an “all-out war” with Lebanon’s Hezbollah group, according to an Israeli news portal.
The document outlines possible outcomes, including a three-day power outage in some cities, disruptions in water supply lasting several days, landline disconnections for up to eight hours, and cellphone communications outages of up to 24 hours, along with brief interruptions to radio and internet services, The Times of Israel reported.
The Israeli security establishment assesses that the country could face “an unprecedented attack involving hundreds of rockets” with warheads weighing between 50 kilograms and ten times that amount.
The army anticipates that Hezbollah may target areas well south of Haifa, including Tel Aviv, which could necessitate the evacuation of large numbers of people to Jerusalem and southern regions.
