Updates: Hamas-Israel ceasefire holds

Hamas called on mediating countries on Wednesday to pressure Israel to allow safe passage for dozens of its fighters holed up in tunnels in the southern Gaza Strip.

The request came after the Israeli military said it killed over 20 Hamas members over the past week, "who attempted to flee from the underground infrastructure in the area", and apprehended eight more.

"We hold (Israel) fully responsible for the lives of our fighters and call upon our mediators to take immediate action to pressure (Israel) to allow our sons to return home," Hamas said in a statement.

It was the first time the Islamist group had publicly acknowledged that its members were trapped in the tunnels.

Israeli media have reported that for weeks, between 100 and 200 Hamas militants have remained trapped in a network of tunnels under the city of Rafah, in an area of the Gaza Strip under Israeli military control.

Under the terms of a US-brokered ceasefire that entered into force on October 10, the Israeli army withdrew from coastal parts of the Palestinian territory to a so-called "yellow line" which marks the area under Israeli control.

Israel is carrying out heavy overnight strikes on parts of Gaza City in the north, and Rafah in the south of the Gaza Strip, Middle East Eye reported, citing reports in the local media.

Israel has already violated the 10 October ceasefire more than 500 times, officials in Gaza have said. 

The Swiss government said on Wednesday it would commit 23 million Swiss francs ($28.5 million) to support the US peace plan for Gaza, bringing its total humanitarian contribution there to 150 million francs since October 2023.

The ruling Swiss Federal Council said 17.5 million francs would be allotted to humanitarian aid for Gaza and the needs of children, and another 5.5 million francs towards strengthening Palestinian institutions, mostly via the Palestinian Authority.

The Federal Council said that despite an increase in aid following an October 10 ceasefire, needs on the ground in Gaza remain "immense", noting that persistent restrictions continue to limit the population's access to essential goods.

Defence Minister Israel Katz warned there would be "no calm" in Lebanon if Israel's security was not guaranteed, as Israeli forces intensify operations despite a year-old ceasefire with Hezbollah.

"We will not allow any threats against the inhabitants of the north, and maximum enforcement will continue and even intensify," Katz told the Israeli parliament.

"As we proved a few days ago with the elimination... there will be no calm in Beirut, nor order and stability in Lebanon, until the security of the State of Israel is guaranteed," he added, referring to the killing of a top Hezbollah military chief in an Israeli strike on Beirut's southern suburbs days earlier. 

The health ministry in Gaza said Israel returned the bodies of 15 Palestinian prisoners on Wednesday under the US-brokered ceasefire exchange deal.

"The Ministry of Health announces the receipt of 15 bodies of martyrs released today by the Israeli occupation via the International Committee of the Red Cross, bringing the total number of bodies received to 345," the ministry said in a statement.

A medical source at Gaza's Nasser Hospital in the southern city of Khan Yunis confirmed it had received 15 bodies via the Red Cross.

LONDON: The co-founder of activist group Palestine Action will challenge a UK government ban under anti-terror laws that has led to mass arrests, sparking free speech and civil liberties concerns.

UN human rights chief Volker Turk has said the ban "appears disproportionate and unnecessary", while Europe´s human rights watchdog, the Council of Europe, criticised "excessive limits" on the right to protest.

The UK government proscribed the pro-Palestinian group in July days after activists, protesting the war in Gaza, broke into an air force base in southern England.

Prosecutors have said they caused an estimated £7 million ($9.3 million) of damage to two aircraft at the base.

The legal action brought by the group's co-founder Huda Ammori at London's High Court is expected to last Wednesday and Thursday, with a third day to be set at a later stage.

The ban — which makes being a member of the group or inviting support for it a serious criminal offence punishable by up to 14 years in prison — has resulted in at least 2,300 arrests, according to protest organisers Defend Our Juries.

JERUSALEM: Authorities in Israel have confirmed that the latest remains handed over by Gaza militants this week were that of an Israeli hostage held in the Palestinian territory.

"Following the identification process by the National Centre of Forensic Medicine, representatives of the army informed the family of the deceased captive, Dror Or, that their relative had been repatriated to Israel," read a statement released by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office.

The Israeli military has announced a new "counterterrorism" operation in the north of the occupied West Bank.

The military and internal security service said in a joint statement that they "began operating as part of a broad counterterrorism operation in the area of northern Samaria", using the Israeli biblical term for part of the West Bank.

In response to a question from AFP, the Israeli army said the operation was new and not part of its counterterrorism operation launched in January 2024, which primarily targets Palestinian refugee camps.

The Palestinian Foreign Ministry has said that Israel has killed around 33,000 women and girls in Gaza during a two‑year genocide.

The announcement was released by the Palestinian ministry on Tuesday to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.

According to figures from Gaza’s Government Media Office, more than 12,500 women and 20,000 children have died from Israeli attacks since October 2023.

The ministry accuses Israel of committing serious crimes against Palestinian women, including genocide, mass extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, torture, sexual violence, home demolitions, land seizures, settler attacks, starvation, and intimidation.

It also claims Israel uses advanced surveillance tools, artificial intelligence, and cyber spying to target Palestinians, especially women.

The statement calls for stronger international action to end Israel’s occupation, achieve a two‑state solution with an independent Palestine, and protect the rights of Palestinians, including self‑determination and the right of return.