Israel-Palestine war: At least 6,000 people killed, yet tension continues to escalate- Latest updates

The war between Israel and Palestine-based militant group Hamas has escalated to an unprecedented level. What started on October 7 with Hamas militants attacking Israel is now dragging international players into its ambit. With the world watching this war carefully, Israel is expected to commence a ground invasion against Hamas militants, which the US fears could widen the conflict in the region. 

Here are some of the top updates from the Israel-Palestine conflict

• French President Emmanuel Macron landed in Tel Aviv today. He met with the families of French citizens who were either killed or held hostage by the militants. Following this, he met Israeli officials and President Isaac Herzog. He told Herzog that he was in Israel to express France’s support and solidarity, and “ share your pain”. He also wanted to assure that Israel is” not left alone in the war against terrorism”.
• Hamas has released two elderly Israeli women who were among the hundreds of hostages it had abducted during the October 7 attack. Yocheved Lifshitz, 85, and  Nurit Cooper, 79, were taken out of Gaza at the Rafah crossing into Egypt, as per footage shown on Egyptian TV. The women were abducted by Hamas along with their husbands. Their husbands, ages 83 and 84, were not released. Lifshitz’ daughter, Sharone Lifschitz, expressed her relief at her release adding she will remain focused on securing the release of her father and others. 
• On Tuesday, Israel said it had launched 400 airstrikes over the past day. With the strikes, it managed to kill  Hamas commanders. It also hit militants who were preparing to launch rockets at Israel and struck command centres and a Hamas tunnel shaft. The previous day Israel had reported 320 strikes.
• As per Palestinian official news agency WAFA, many of the airstrikes hit residential buildings and the buildings in southern Gaza where Israel had asked civilians to take shelter. A four-storey building was hit in an overnight strike in the southern city of Khan Younis. The hit killed at least 32 people and wounded several others. 
• As per Israel, the militants have fired over 7,000 rockets at them since the beginning of the war. Hamas said it fired a new barrage on Tuesday morning.
• The UN on Monday said that at least 1.4 million Palestinians in Gaza have had to flee their homes and around 580,000 of them are taking shelter in UN-run schools and shelters.
• The Israel-Palestine war has so far killed over 5,000 Palestinians. This includes some 2,000 minors and around 1,100 women, as per Hamas-run Health Ministry said. This figure includes the people who died in an explosion at a hospital last week. The fighting has killed more than 1,400 people in Israel — mostly civilians slain during the initial Hamas attack.
• On Monday, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said the explosion at the hospital was most likely caused by a missile fired from within Gaza and not by a rocket from Israel. The British government judges that the explosion was likely caused by a missile, or part of one, that was launched from within Gaza towards Israel,” Sunak told parliament.
• A third aid convoy entered Gaza on Monday with a tiny fraction of supplies that the aid groups said were essential. 

(With Agency inputs)