After more than a year of October 7 attack by Palestine’s Hamas that took 251 hostages, Israeli entrepreneurs have started offering financial rewards to free the remaining 97 hostages in Gaza.
Former SodaStream CEO Daniel Birnbaum declared on X that he would give $100,000 in cash or bitcoin to anyone who delivers a living Israeli prisoner from Gaza. His offer expires Wednesday at midnight. Birnbaum reported receiving around 100 calls after his announcement. While many were pranks, threats, or curses, he said that ’10 to 20 could be legitimate’ and were passed on to Israeli authorities. He noted that most callers were more interested in escaping Gaza than the money.
Watch: Hezbollah’s ATGM hellfire hits ‘Bull’s Eye’; Israeli troops trapped
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Israel-Hamas War Live Updates: Lebanon’s Hezbollah says it bombed Nirit area in Tel Aviv suburbs
Hezbollah said on Tuesday it bombed the Glilot base of the military intelligence unit 8200 located in the suburbs of Tel Aviv with a missile salvo.
Israel-Hamas War Live Updates: Hezbollah says it launched rockets at Israeli naval base of Haifa
Sirens sounded in central Israel as a projectile was identified crossing from Lebanon and falling into open ground, the army said on Tuesday. Alerts sounded in the Samaria area and in Modi’in Illit, the Israeli military added in a statement. Israel’s multi-layered air defences have intercepted the vast majority of missiles and drones fired at it since the start of the Gaza war.
Israel-Hamas War Live Updates: Sirens sounded in central Israel
Sirens sounded in central Israel’s Samaria area, the army said on Tuesday in a statement, adding that details were under review.
Israel-Hamas War Live Updates: Blinken heads to Israel to revive Gaza ceasefire talks after Sinwar death
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrives in Israel on Tuesday, the first stop of a wider Middle East tour aimed at reviving Gaza ceasefire talks and discussing the enclave’s future following the death of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, but any breakthrough ahead of the looming U.S. election looks elusive. The top U.S. diplomat’s latest trip – his eleventh to the region since Palestinian Hamas militants attacked southern Israel on Oct. 7 triggering the Gaza war – comes as the Israeli military has intensified its campaign in the Palestinian enclave as well as in Lebanon against Iran-aligned Hezbollah militia.
Israel-Hamas War Live Updates: Pro-Palestinian protesters arrested after occupying building at University of Minnesota
Police arrested an unknown number of pro-Palestinian protesters Monday at the University of Minnesota after a group of students briefly occupied an administrative building, protest organizers said. The Monday afternoon protest prompted an alert from school officials: “Protestors have entered Morrill Hall on the East Bank, causing property damage and restricting entrance and exit from the building,” the alert said. “If you are currently in Morrill Hall and able to safely exit the building, please do so immediately. Others are advised to avoid this area until further notice.”
Israel claims Hezbollah hiding millions in cash, gold under Beirut hospital
Hezbollah has stashed hundreds of millions of dollars in cash and gold in a bunker built under a hospital in Beirut, Israel’s military said on Monday, adding it will not strike the facility as it keeps up attacks against the group’s financial assets.
Israel-Hamas War Live Updates: Israeli authorities say UN failure responsible for 600 aid trucks just sitting at Gaza border
Currently, 600 trucks worth of humanitarian aid for people in Gaza are waiting to be picked up and distributed, the majority by UN aid agencies, reported the Israeli agency COGAT (Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories: Judea and Samaria and towards the Gaza Strip).
“Other organizations and entities are able to pick up aid from Kerem Shalom [crossing with Israel], yet the UN, despite many measures we’ve taken to assist with the collection, is still not up to par,” charged COGAT.
“We’ve expanded the Gate 96 option (the new northern crossing for aid to be sent into Gaza) , and we continuously urge the UN aid agencies to use this and upscale the number of trucks entering Gaza through this gate.,” it added.
COGAT also said that it has coordinated pick-up at various hours, expanded routes to improve traffic to the crossings, set up a tactical pause along the route leading to and from Kerem Shalom, and much more.
“Aid needs to be picked and distributed to Gazans in need.” it declared, adding that over the last 24 hours, 47 humanitarian aid trucks were transferred to northern Gaza, including 41 from the Ashdod Port via the Erez Crossing and 6 tankers of fuel for humanitarian purposes.
Israel-Hezbollah War: Iran says US will bear ‘full responsibility’ for Israeli retaliation
Iran on Monday warned the United States would bear “full responsibility” in case of a retaliatory attack by Israel on the Islamic Republic, after US President Joe Biden indicated he was aware of Israeli plans to do so.
Amir Saeid Iravani, Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations, called Biden’s remarks “profoundly alarming and provocative” in a letter addressed to United Nations chief Antonio Guterres and the Swiss presidency of the UN Security Council.
The US president responded “yes and yes” when asked Friday by a reporter if he had “a good understanding right now” of how and when Israel would respond to Iran’s missile barrage on October 1.
Iran launched around 200 ballistic missiles at Israel in retaliation for the killing of Tehran-backed leaders belonging to Hamas and Hezbollah, and an Iranian Revolutionary Guard general.
US ally Israel, at war with Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon, vowed revenge against Iran for the strikes.
“This inflammatory statement (of Biden) is deeply concerning, as it indicates the United States’ tacit approval and explicit support for Israel’s unlawful military aggression against Iran,” Iravani wrote in the letter.
The Israeli military announced on Monday that it had eliminated a Hezbollah commander responsible for overseeing the group’s finances in Syria.
The commander, whose name was not disclosed, led Hezbollah’s Unit 4400. This unit was in charge of transferring funds from Tehran to Hezbollah, largely through Iranian oil sales.
Israeli army spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari stated that the commander was killed in a targeted strike just hours earlier in Syria. He added that Unit 4400’s main responsibility was facilitating the flow of tens of millions of dollars to Hezbollah.
Israel Hezbollah War Live Updates: Israel says more strikes are coming against a Hezbollah-run financial institution
Israel announced plans for further strikes on Hezbollah-run financial institution Al-Qard Al-Hasan, claiming it funds attacks against Israel. On Sunday, Israeli airstrikes hit at least 15 branches across southern Beirut and the Bekaa Valley, destroying a nine-story building. Although the Israeli military issued evacuation warnings and no casualties were reported from the strikes, tensions escalated after a separate airstrike near a public hospital in Beirut killed four, including a child. The military aims to dismantle Hezbollah’s military presence in southern Lebanon, asserting that the financial institution supports its operations. Hezbollah has retaliated with rocket fire into Israel, continuing a cycle of violence.
In light of the escalating violence, US envoy Amos Hochstein is in Lebanon, stressing that existing U.N. resolutions to manage the conflict are inadequate. Amidst ongoing airstrikes, which reportedly killed 17 in Lebanon, there is hope that recent developments could renew cease-fire discussions, particularly following the killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar. The United States continues to advocate for diplomatic efforts to curb hostilities, but both sides remain entrenched in their positions.
Israel Hezbollah War Live Updates: Israel strikes south Beirut after evacuation warnings
Lebanon’s health ministry reported that Israeli air strikes near Hariri Hospital in south Beirut on Monday killed four people, including a child, and injured 24. The strikes caused significant damage to the hospital, though it remains operational, continuing to treat large numbers of patients. The Israeli army claimed Hezbollah had stored half a billion dollars beneath the Sahel hospital in south Beirut, a claim Lebanon’s health ministry denied. Lebanon’s National News Agency (NNA) detailed at least three strikes in the Ouzai district, a densely populated area previously untouched by attacks, prompting panic as residents fled.
The Israeli military had earlier warned residents to evacuate parts of southern Beirut, further intensifying fears. Israeli air strikes targeted multiple districts, including Haret Hreik and Hadath, causing widespread destruction. Rescue teams were still searching for survivors in Ouzai amid the chaos, with plumes of smoke and flames visible in the aftermath. Beirut’s international airport was also affected, forcing Middle East Airlines to change its landing strips for safety.
Israel Hezbollah War Live Updates: Israel army says Hezbollah fired about 170 projectiles into Israel Monday
he Israeli military said about 170 projectiles were fired by Hezbollah from Lebanon into Israel on Monday, as Israeli forces targeted the group’s funding arm in a wave of air strikes.
“As of 23:00 (2000 GMT), approximately 170 projectiles that were fired by the Hezbollah terrorist organisation have crossed from Lebanon into Israel today,” the military said in a statement.
Hezbollah said on Monday that it had launched rockets at an army intelligence base in the suburbs of the Israeli city of Tel Aviv. The attack comes amid the ongoing escalation between the Hezbollah and Israel. On Sunday, Hezbollah said it had downed as Israeli drone without specifying the location.
Hezbollah fighters launched “quality rockets” at “the Glilot base of the Military Intelligence Unit 8200 in the Tel Aviv suburbs,” the group said on Monday adding the attack was “in defense of Lebanon,” “in response to Israeli aggressions” and dedicated to their slain leader Hassan Nasrallah.
Israel Hezbollah War Live Updates: Israel busts spy ring acting for Iran
Israel’s security services have broken up a spy ring that was gathering information on behalf of Iranian intelligence in the latest attempt by Tehran to recruit Israelis for espionage, the Shin Bet and police said on Monday. Seven Israelis from Israel’s north, including the port city of Haifa, were arrested after an investigation found they had gathered intelligence on Israeli military bases and energy and port infrastructure, a joint Shin Bet and police statement said. Iran’s foreign ministry was not immediately available for comment.
The suspects, who included two minors, had been tasked by two agents from Iran’s intelligence service to carry out hundreds of information gathering tasks on military bases, the Israeli statement said. The targets included a power plant in the northern town of Hadera, military bases with an emphasis on the air force and navy, as well as Israel’s Iron Dome air defence batteries and ports, the statement said.
Israel Hezbollah War Live Updates: Israel says will conduct more strikes in Beirut and across Lebanon in ‘coming hours’
The Israeli military said on Monday it will carry out more strikes targeting Hezbollah and its financial network in Beirut and throughout Lebanon.
“Even in the coming hours, we will continue to attack Hezbollah targets throughout Lebanon, including in Beirut in Dahiyeh,” military spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said at a televised briefing, referring to the southern Beirut Hezbollah stronghold that has been pounded by Israeli strikes in recent weeks.
Israel Hezbollah War Live Updates: Israel says struck Hezbollah bunker holding millions of dollars in cash, gold
The Israeli army on Monday said it hit a Hezbollah bunker holding tens of millions of dollars worth of cash and gold during strikes aimed at the group’s financial network.
“The Israeli Air Force carried out a series of precise strikes on these Hezbollah financial strongholds,” said military spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari. “One of our main targets last night was an underground vault with millions of dollars in cash and gold. The money was being used to finance Hezbollah’s attacks on Israel.”
Israel Hezbollah War Live Updates: Hospital in Beirut suburbs evacuated after Israel claims Hezbollah bunker below
The Lebanese Sahel Hospital in Beirut’s southern suburbs is being evacuated following Israeli claims a Hezbollah cash bunker is located beneath it, hospital director Fadi Alameh told Reuters on Monday.
Alameh denied the allegation and called on the Lebanese army to visit the site.
Israel Hezbollah War Live Updates: Hezbollah says targeted Israeli army intelligence base near Tel Aviv
Lebanon’s Iran-backed Hezbollah group said on Monday that it had launched rockets at an army intelligence base in the suburbs of the main Israeli city of Tel Aviv.
Hezbollah fighters launched “quality rockets” at “the Glilot base of the Military Intelligence Unit 8200 in the Tel Aviv suburbs,” the group said, adding the attack was “in defence of Lebanon,” “in response to Israeli aggressions” and dedicated to their slain leader Hassan Nasrallah.
Israel Hamas War Live Updates: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s Middle East trip aims for ceasefire as election looms
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken embarked on his 11th trip to the Middle East, seeking a ceasefire in Gaza ahead of upcoming US elections. His visit follows Israel’s killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, which has given the Biden administration renewed hope for a breakthrough. However, previous attempts at securing a ceasefire, including a US-led plan presented in May, have been unsuccessful. The ongoing conflict has expanded, with Israel targeting Hezbollah in Lebanon and threatening Iran, which backs both Hamas and Hezbollah. President Biden, speaking from Germany, emphasised that this moment is crucial for peace efforts and urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to seize the opportunity for a ceasefire.
Blinken’s diplomatic efforts come amidst growing pressure on the Biden administration, especially as Vice President Kamala Harris faces a tight election race. Israel’s retaliatory campaign has resulted in over 42,000 deaths in Gaza and heightened tensions in Lebanon. Blinken’s mission will focus on ending the violence, securing the release of hostages, and addressing the severe humanitarian crisis in Gaza, where millions face extreme hunger. He is expected to visit key Middle Eastern countries, particularly Qatar and Egypt, both of which are central to ceasefire talks.
The conflict between Israel and Hezbollah continues to escalate, with intense clashes reported in southern Lebanon and airstrikes on Hezbollah positions. In response to US pressure, Israel allowed limited humanitarian aid to enter Gaza, but the situation remains dire. Qatar has confirmed that no ceasefire negotiations have taken place in recent weeks. Tensions grew as Hezbollah militants engaged with Israeli troops, and Israeli airstrikes hit Latakia in Syria. Despite mounting international calls for restraint, Israel has stepped up its military efforts.
Israel’s Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) reported that a drone attack targeted Benjamin Netanyahu’s residence in Caesarea. Additionally, Israeli air defences downed two other drones launched from Lebanon, setting off alarms around Tel Aviv.
“A UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) was launched toward the prime minister’s residence in Caesarea. The prime minister and his wife were not at the location, and there were no injuries in the incident,” the PMO said.