Could a third hostage release by Hamas help change the direction of Israel’s war against Gaza? That’s the suggestion that runs through Israeli and US media reports overnight after negotiations led by Egypt and Qatar saw Hamas release two hostages yesterday.

Israeli media expects that the Red Cross could “in the hours ahead” receive “about 50” hostages who hold dual citizenship.

How this plays out could have an outsized impact on the direction of the war: The US has been leaning on Israel’s war cabinet to hold off its anticipated ground offensive into Gaza until negotiations to secure the release of the hostages have run their course.

Stop the bombing, get all of the hostages, says Meshaal: Hamas would consider releasing all 200+ hostages should Israel meet its conditions, which include stopping its bombing campaign, the former head of the armed group, Khaled Meshaal, told Sky News in an interview yesterday. “Let them stop this aggression and you will find the mediators like Qatar and Egypt and some Arab countries and others will find a way to have them released and we’ll send them to their homes,” he told the British broadcaster.

The push on the hostages comes after two elderly Israeli women were handed over to the Red Cross yesterday. Al Qahera News reported late last night that the two women had arrived at the Rafah border crossing and were receiving medical treatment (watch, runtime: 11:12). “We thank Egypt for its assistance, and the Red Cross for its important role as lifesavers,” CNN Arabic quoted an Israeli government spokesperson as saying. A Hamas spokesperson said the group had decided to release them for “compelling humanitarian and health reasons.”

Hamas has now released four hostages since Saturday.The IDF said yesterday (prior to the agreement) that Hamas had 222 captives.

GAZA WILL RUN OUT OF FUEL TOMORROW-

Gaza’s fuel reserves could run out on Wednesday, the UN has said, as Israel’s near-total blockade of Gaza threatens to derail the humanitarian relief effort and prevent hospitals and bakeries from functioning.

Is the EU finally getting the message? EU leaders plan this week to call for a “humanitarian pause” to allow aid to be delivered to Gaza, Reuters reported yesterday. EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and other senior EU officials have so far been outspoken in their support for Israel’s war on Gaza and some are said to remain reticent about pushing for a temporary truce despite the devastating humanitarian crisis.

No fuel means no aid distribution and no hospitals: Without fuel supplies, hospitals across the territory will no longer be able to operate and the UN will not be able to distribute aid. “Without fuel, there will be no water, no functioning hospitals and bakeries. Without fuel, aid will not reach those in desperate need,” the head of the UN’s agency for Palestinian refugees, Philippe Lazzarini, said Sunday.

Third aid convoy makes it to Gaza: Another 20 aid trucks carrying food and medical aid made it into Gaza via the Rafah border crossing yesterday, Reuters quotes a UN spokesperson as saying. This takes the total number of trucks to have crossed the border since Saturday to 54.

Far more is needed: The UN has said that 100 trucks of aid are needed every day to stave off the growing humanitarian crisis. Egypt is working with the UN, the US and Israel on a “sustained delivery mechanism,” the US State Department spokesperson said yesterday, without going into details. The US’ Middle East humanitarian envoy said Sunday that he expects a “continuous flow” of aid to enter as of this week.

NO CEASEFIRE, SAYS WHITE HOUSE-

The US is still not willing to consider a ceasefire: “We don’t believe that this is the time for a ceasefire,” White House spokesperson John Kirby told CNN last night (watch, runtime: 7:53). “Israel has a right to defend themselves … We’re gonna keep supporting them… our focus is on making sure that they have what they need to carry on this fight.” The US shot down a UN Security Council resolution last week that called for a temporary humanitarian ceasefire because it didn’t mention Israel’s right to self defense.

China: There are limits to the right to self defense, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told his Israeli counterpart yesterday. “All countries have the right to self-defense, but they should abide by international humanitarian law and protect the safety of civilians,” Wang said, according to a Chinese readout. “The top priority is to prevent the situation from escalating further and leading to a more serious humanitarian disaster.”

Shoukry, Iran talk regional war, aid: Shoukry and Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian agreed on the need to prevent a wider regional war and accelerate the distribution of aid during a phone conversation on Sunday evening, Egypt’s Foreign Ministry and Iran’s state news agency said yesterday. Abdollahian also backed Egypt’s position on ethnic cleansing, telling Shoukry that the displacement of Palestinians from Gaza and the West Bank is Israel’s ultimate goal, according to IRNA.

Remember: Tehran’s regional proxies have threatened to attack Israel and US forces in the region should it escalate the conflict and stage a ground offensive into Gaza.

Malaysia backs Egypt on Gaza issue: Malaysia “completely rejects” attempts to displace Palestinians into Egypt, and urges the international community to facilitate the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim told President Abdel Fattah El Sisi during talks in Cairo yesterday, Ittihadiya said yesterday.

West not doing enough: The two leaders agreed that Western nations have to apply pressure to the Israelis to end its bombing campaign, Ibrahim said at a press conference after the meeting, according to Malaysian media.

MORE DEAD CHILDREN-

Almost two-thirds of Gaza’s population is now homeless:About 1.4 mn Gazans have been displaced by Israel’s devastating bombing campaign, the UN said Sunday. That’s more than 60% of Gaza’s total population. Almost 600k of these people are sheltering in 150 UNRWA facilities.

Israeli military kills another 436 kids, mothers, fathers: As of yesterday afternoon, almost 5.1k Palestinians had been killed by the Israeli military since it began bombing the strip on 7 October and almost 15.3k people had been wounded, according to figures from the Gaza Health Ministry.

The toll is stark:

  • More than 40% of those killed in Gaza were children — some 2,055 kids and counting.
  • Israel has now killed 35 UN workers over the past 17 days, with the UN reporting yesterday that another six have lost their lives.
  • At least 23 journalists have been killed so far, the Committee to ProtectJournalists said Sunday.
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