A spokesman for Hamas' armed wing said on Sunday its fighters had captured Israeli soldiers during fighting in Jabalia in northern Gaza on Saturday, though the Israeli military denied the claim.
The Hamas armed wing spokesman did not say how many soldiers had been abducted, and showed no proof of the claim.
"Our fighters lured a Zionist force into an ambush inside a tunnel ... The fighters withdrew after they left all members of the force dead, wounded, and captured," Abu Obaida, the spokesman for Al Qassam Brigades, said in a recorded message broadcast by Al Jazeera early on Sunday.
The Israeli military on Sunday denied the claim by Hamas' armed wing.
"The IDF (Israeli Defence Forces) clarifies that there is no incident in which a soldier was abducted," the military said in a statement.
The comments by Abu Obaida came hours after prospects for a resumption of mediated Gaza ceasefire talks grew on Saturday.
An official with knowledge of the matter said a decision had been taken to resume the talks next week after the chief of Israel's Mossad intelligence agency met the head of the CIA and the prime minister of Qatar.
The armed wing of Palestinian militant group Hamas said Sunday it had launched a "large rocket barrage" at Israel's commercial hub of Tel Aviv.
The Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades said in a post on Telegram that they had targeted Tel Aviv "with a large rocket barrage in response to the Zionist massacres against civilians".
The Israeli army said eight rockets were launched from the Rafah area in southern Gaza at central Israel.
Air defence system intercepted several of them, the army said.
According to a statement from Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor, over 70 international organisations are urging all authorities and international institutions to officially declare a famine in Gaza.
The organizations noted that food security levels have significantly declined due to the Israeli army’s ground operation in Rafah, which began on 7 May.
“The entire population in the Gaza Strip (2.2 million people), including the governorates of Deir al-Balah, Khan Yunis, and Rafah, are experiencing high levels of acute food insecurity, with half of them in… the disaster/famine stage,” the statement said.
An Israeli senior official said the war cabinet was expected to meet Sunday to discuss a captive release deal as diplomatic efforts towards a Gaza ceasefire have resumed.
"The war cabinet is expected to meet in Jerusalem tonight at 21:00 (1800 GMT) to discuss a hostage release deal," the official told AFP on condition of anonymity.
Israel’s public radio, Radio Israel, has quoted General Yair Golan, former deputy chief of staff, stating that “there will be no deal [between Israel and Hamas] without the cessation of fighting” in Gaza.
“Let’s be real with ourselves, and we will not listen to the poison machine coming out of Jerusalem,” the general was quoted as saying.
At least 35,984 Palestinians have been killed and 80,643 wounded in Israeli attacks on Gaza since 7 Ocober, its Health Ministry says.
The ministry added that 81 people were killed and 223 injured in the latest 24-hour reporting period.
The Israeli military announced that its forces, in collaboration with the Shin Bet (Israel’s internal intelligence service) and Israeli security forces, arrested seven men in the occupied West Bank overnight.
According to the Wafa news agency, the army conducted raids in multiple cities across the West Bank, arresting several Palestinians.
Wafa reported that four Palestinians were arrested in Nablus, two in Ramallah, two in Bethlehem, and two in Jenin.
Currently, Israeli forces are conducting a raid in the city of Jenin and its refugee camp, just days after an operation that resulted in the deaths of at least 12 Palestinians.
The Israeli military stated that its Menashe Brigade is active in Jenin and has exchanged fire with Palestinian fighters.
The brigade operates in the Jenin and Tulkarem areas of the West Bank. Israel’s Defence Minister Yoav Gallant and military chief of staff Herzi Halevi have previously served as commanders of this brigade.
Israeli drones have attacked the town of Naqoura near the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, according to the National News agency.
The agency reported that Israeli army artillery fire struck areas on the outskirts of the towns of Chihine and Majdal Zoun in the Tyre region of southern Lebanon.
Additionally, Israeli artillery bombed the areas of Wadi Hamul and Wadi Hassan in southern Lebanon.
Israel and Hamas ally Hezbollah have been exchanging nearly daily fire since the Palestinian group’s October 7 attack on southern Israel, which preceded Israel’s latest war on Gaza.
Scuffles between Israeli police and protesters erupted in Tel Aviv on Saturday after thousands gathered to demonstrate against the government and demand that it bring back the hostages being held by Hamas in Gaza.
Some protesters in Tel Aviv carried photos of the female soldiers who appeared in a video earlier in the week showing them soon after they were abducted during the surprise Hamas offensive on Israel on 7 October. Some held banners reading “Stop the war” and “Help.” They called on the government to reach a deal to release the dozens of hostages still in captivity.
The protesters also called for the resignation of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and demanded new elections.
“We all saw the video, we could not stay at home after the government abandoned all these people,” said Hilit Sagi, from the group “Women Protest for the Return of All Hostages.”
Divisions among Israelis have deepened over how Netanyahu has handled the war against Hamas after the attack that killed about 1,200 people and saw 250 others taken hostage. Israel says around 100 hostages are still being held in Gaza, along with the bodies of around 30 more.
“Basically they are not doing enough in order for the hostages to come back, either with military force, with (a) hostages’ deal, negotiating. Nothing is being done,” said Snir Dahan, uncle of hostage Carmel Gat, still in captivity in Gaza.
Craig Mokhiber, a former top UN human rights official, has raised concerns about the US plan to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza through a temporary pier. This comes after the US reported that four vessels supporting the pier were washed away in high seas on Saturday.
Mokhiber, who resigned from the UN last year, criticized the pier in a post on X, calling it a “fig leaf to cover US complicity in genocide and in the destruction of UNRWA.” He stated that the pier had “failed to have any meaningful impact” while “Israel continues to block aid at all crossing points.”
Despite the incident, the US Army has maintained that the pier is still operational and continues to deliver humanitarian assistance.
On Friday, the UN announced that it had received the equivalent of 97 trucks of humanitarian supplies through the floating dock since its operation began on 17 May.
UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric noted on Friday that aid delivery through the pier had “stabilized” after a “rocky start” but emphasised, “what we want to see, as we’ve been saying, is massive aid coming in through land routes.”
The US taxpayer-funded pier in Gaza, designed as a fig leaf to cover US complicity in #genocide & in the destruction of UNRWA, has failed to have any meaningful impact & has now been largely
— Craig Mokhiber (@CraigMokhiber) May 25, 2024
washed away by the sea. Meanwhile, Israel continues to block aid at all crossing points. https://t.co/RT510NPDQ1
Four humanitarian aid trucks from Egypt have entered Gaza through the Karem Abu Salem (Kerem Shalom) crossing, according to Egyptian broadcaster Al-Qahera.
The crossing is located at the intersection of Israel, Gaza and Egypt.
The trucks were carrying fuel, according to the television network.
لحظة دخول شاحنات مساعدات إنسانية إلى قطاع غزة عبر معبر كرم أبو سالم و٤ شاحنات وقود
— القاهرة الإخبارية - AlQahera News (@Alqaheranewstv) May 26, 2024
#القاهرة_الإخبارية #محمد_عبيد#تضامنا_مع_فلسطين#من_غزة_هنا_القاهرة pic.twitter.com/0cjw5F1gMA
A spokesman for Hamas' armed wing said on Sunday its fighters had captured Israeli soldiers during fighting in Jabalia in northern Gaza on Saturday, though the Israeli military denied the claim.
The Hamas armed wing spokesman did not say how many soldiers had been abducted and showed no proof of the claim.
"Our fighters lured a Zionist force into an ambush inside a tunnel ... The fighters withdrew after they left all members of the force dead, wounded, and captured," Abu Ubaida, the spokesman for Al Qassam Brigades, said in a recorded message broadcast by Al Jazeera early on Sunday.
The Israeli military on Sunday denied the claim by Hamas' armed wing.
"The IDF (Israeli Defence Forces) clarifies that there is no incident in which a soldier was abducted," the military said in a statement.
Hamas released a video that appeared to show a bloodied person being dragged along the ground in a tunnel and photos of military fatigue and rifle. Reuters could not independently verify the identity of the person shown in the video nor his or her condition.
